Chocolate-ginger combination

Chocolate and ginger are good together.  Add a little molasses and you really can't go wrong.  You can get a really nice browned cookie that stays a little chewy thanks to the molasses.  This is a really easy cookie that'll make the house smell great.

Chocolate Chip Ginger Spice Cookies
Recipe from Pastry Affair

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick or 113 grams) butter at room temp
• 2/3 cup (130 grams) dark brown sugar, packed 
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 6 ounces (about 1 cup) chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 and line 3 baking sheets with tin foil.  Beat the butter and the sugars in the bowl of your stand mixer for a few minutes, until light and fluffy.  While the mixer is going, in a small bowl dry mix flour, ginger, b powder, b soda, and salt, set aside.  Once the butter and the sugars are fluffy, add the egg, molasses, and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add the reserved flour mixture and beat on low to combine.  Add the chocolate chips and beat once more, until they are distributed.  Drop walnut-sized balls of dough onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart, if you want larger cookies, double the size of the ball but leave more space between cookies for spreading.  Bake small cookies for about 12 minutes, larger cookies add a few more minutes, checking in between until they get golden brown and set to the touch.  Allow time to cool on the cookie sheet so the cookies can firm up before picking them up.

Leftover hard-boiled egg yolks

I think hard boiled egg yolks are gross.  Sorry but they just don't appeal to me.  If I have a salad with hb eggs on it I leave the yolk behind.  But when I make a dozen hb eggs to snack on throughout the week I end up with a bunch of hb egg yolks and I love to repurpose things...  but try to find a recipe that uses them besides egg salad!  I ended up with a lot of butter-cookie recipes, kind of like shortbread but you press the hb egg yolk through a fine sieve to make egg confetti and add it into the dough.  The result is a very light shortbread, rather than the dense biscuit that you are used to.

Polish Cookies
Recipe adapted from Cooks.com


Ingredients:

• 5 hard boiled egg yolks (sieved)
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 c. butter (at room temp)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 c. flour
• zest of one orange

Method:

Press the hb egg yolks through a sieve so you end up with hb egg yolk confetti.  Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add yolk confetti, then vanilla, then salt and flour.  Lastly, add the orange zest, you are beating to combine in between each addition.  Separate the dough into 2 logs rolled in plastic wrap and chill in freezer for 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 and remove dough logs from freezer.  Slice the logs into 1/4 inch cookies and bake on tin foil-lined cookie sheets, you will need 3 sheets.  They don't really spread so you can put them fairly close together.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until they are your desired brown-ness.  We like ours pretty toasty.  Let them cool on the sheet a bit until they set up.  

A classic cookie

I like a good old fashioned cookie recipe.  Simple and classic.  All the ingredients are on hand.  How can you lose?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 and put foil on at least 3 baking sheets.  In a small bowl, mix flour, b powder, and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugars.  Add eggs one at a time and mix.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add the flour in two additions with the mixer off, then turn it on and watch out for flour spray.  When flour is combined add the oats and chocolate chips and mix to combine.  Spoon walnut-sized balls of dough onto the baking sheet leaving at least 1½ inches between cookies.  Bake for 12 minutes and then check them, if you like a chewier cookie you can take them out, if you like a browner crunchier cookie you can leave them in for 3 minutes and check them again until they are your desired shade of brown.  I like mine pretty brown.

Dump a lot of stuff in a cookie

Sometimes I put too much stuff in a cookie.  And sometimes it works out.  I bought some spelt flour on sale at Whole Foods the other day, not really sure why, just thought it would be nice to try.  And for some reason I thought it was gluten-free, not so though, spelt is a breed of wheat so that was a bust, but it has less calories that regular flour and more protein content, so it is a good flour to mix into a recipe.

Compost Cookies
Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canola oil (use a little more if batter is too dry, or if adding extra chocolate chips or nuts)
• 3 eggs
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 handfuls craisins

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 and line 3 baking sheets with foil.  Mix oats, flours, b soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In a larger bowl mix sugars, oil, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla in another bowl.  Combine the wet and dry in the large bowl and mix, you may have to do this with your hands.  Add more oil if the batter is too dry, it is supposed to be stiff though.  Now add your chocolate, nuts, and crasins.  Don't worry if all of the chips and nuts don't stick in the batter, you can eat what is left in the bowl when you are finished forming the cookies.  Grab big balls of dough with clean hands and roll into a ball, then drop onto baking sheet and press down with your hand to flatten a bit.  You can also take what chips are left in the bowl and press them on top of the cookies once they are formed on the sheet.  This is messy and the cookies will seem like they are not going to stay together but once they bake and set and cool they will be sturdy.  Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes until deep golden in color, then LET THEM SET on the sheet once out of the oven for at least 10 mins, they need to cool on the sheet or they will fall apart, enjoy!!

Almond extract is amazing

I picked up some almond extract at BJ's the other day and used it in these cookies instead of vanilla.  WOW.  The smell alone is enough to convert you.  Then pair that with cinnamon and whole almonds and you are in heaven.  I need to start branching out on my extracts.  Coconut perhaps?

Almond Coconut Cinnamon Cookies
Adapted from Chocolate Moosey

Ingredients:

• 1  cup white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg or 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• handful of raw almonds for decoration

Method:

In a small bowl mix flours, b soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.  In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the butter and the sugar til fluffy.  Add eggs and extract and beat.  Add flour and coconut and beat to combine.  Fridge batter for 30 mins.  Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with foil.  Make walnut-sized balls of dough and place them a couple inches apart on the sheet.  Press one raw almond into each cookie and bake for about 16 minutes til golden brown at edges.  

Trail mix cookies

Wow, long time no post right?  Thanksgiving come and gone, these are the cookies I made that were inhaled shortly after arriving at my grandma's house.

Chewy Maple Trail Mix Cookies
Adapted from Hungry Rabbit

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups (4-1/2 ounces) old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1-1/3 cups (6-3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) packed light-brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 300.  In small bowl mix oats, flour, salt, and sugar, coconut, raisins, and chocolate chips, set aside.  Melt butter in small saucepan and stir in sugar, maple sugar, and vanilla.  In another small bowl mix baking soda and boiling water and then add to sugar/butter mixture immediately.  Pour sugar/butter mixture into dry ingredients and mix til combined.  You might have to add a little more maple syrup at this point (1 or 2 Tbsp) if the dough is a little dry.  Make walnut-sized balls of dough and place on a tin foil-lined baking sheet.  You can crowd these cookies on the tray because they don't really spread.  Flatten the cookies a bit with your hand because they don't melt down like a regular cookie.  Bake for around 20 minutes give or take depending on the cookie size.  I like these quite brown on the edges, otherwise they don't hold together as well.  Let them cool before you remove from the sheet or they will fall apart.  Sometimes I add nuts to these or other seeds or dried fruit.  They are a big-time crowd fave.

Peanut butter cookies for work friends

I promised a coworker something with peanut butter and chocolate.  I think this will work...

Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies with Sea Salt
Recipe adapted from Knead To Cook

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter at room temp
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter 
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• About 20 or so Hershey Kisses
• Sea Salt for sprinkling on top

Method:  

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix flours, b soda, b powder, and salt in small bowl.  In bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture.  Make walnut-sized balls out of the batter and place on cookie sheet.  Press one hershey kiss face-down into each cookie and then sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 14 minutes or until they are as golden as you like them.  I like them pretty golden around the edges.  

It's a cold day... let's make some cookies

Chilly outside, but warm and smelling like baking inside.  Fall is here isn't it?  It sure felt like it today.  Shivering all day at work, but came home to a nice warm fire and a bag of chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Walnut and Butterscotch Coffee Cookies
Recipe adapted from A Zesty Bite

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 lg eggs
• 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brewed coffee
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp instant ground espresso
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips 
• 1 cup crushed walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix b soda, flour, salt, espresso, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy in electric mixer.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add coffee.  Add dry mixture.  Add chips and walnuts.  Divide cookies between 4 baking sheets and bake for about 14 minutes, until golden brown.  

Illustration credit:  favim.com

The barter system

My friend Blue and I have a really great barter going on where she gives me massages in exchange for baked goods.  This week I had her work on this wicked knot in my back and I made her cookies.  I really like this trade, we've been doing it pretty much all summer.  Blue often challenges me by asking for gluten-free or vegan recipes and I try to rise to the occasion.  I pulled out an oldie but goodie Martha recipe for this weeks trade.

Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wedding cookies?

I was calling these wedding cookies but apparently they are called "will you marry me cookies" because they are so good that someone will fall in love with you if you bake them. So obviously I made them for my mom.

Will You Marry Me Cookies
(Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Oat Cookies)
Recipe adapted from The Cooking Channel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup dark  chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

In a small saucepan melt butter, remove from the heat and add the sugars.  Let the pan cool for 10 mins add egg yolks and vanilla and whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl Mix all of the dry ingredients, pour the butter mixture to the dry and combine.  (Can be done in a mixer).  Add the chocolate chips and combine.  Chill the mixture for about 30 minutes and then place walnut-sized balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets and bake in 325 degree oven 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.  

About time I made some cookies

It's been a little while since I got the Kitchen Aid going so I made some chocolate chip cookies last night.  I found a simple recipe and then rolled the dough in coconut and sea salt before putting it on the cookie tray.

Coconut Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Verses From My Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch of coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• sea salt

Method:

Mix together the brown sugar, sugar and butter in Kitchen Aid. Add the eggs, mixing until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and continue to mix. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt and add into the mixture. Pour in the chocolate chips and fold until well distributed.
Drop tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined sheet that you have rolled in coconut and sprinkled on top with a little sea salt.
Place the sheet into a pre-heated 325°F oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the bottom is slightly browned.

Shortbread for dessert tonight

I'm making dinner for some friends tonight and settled on shortbread for dessert.  I really like this Martha Stewart recipe because there's no mixer involved and you can add anything you want to flavor the dough.  I used chocolate chips and heath toffee bits that I got on sale at Acme.

Chocolate-Toffee Press In Shortbread
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup or more toffee bits

Method:

Preheat oven to 325.  Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then add butter and vanilla and cut in with pastry cuter.  Add chocolate and heath chips and stir to combine.  Press into an un-greased 9x9 baking pan firmly.  Bake for 25 mins or so until golden brown on the edges.  Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for half an hour then run a knife around the edges and flip it onto a cooling rack.  After the massive square cookie has cooled chop it into square pieces and devour it.  

Chocolate chip oatmeal coconut cookies and why I haven't been baking as much

First of all it's been hot.  When it's above 90 degrees no one feels like turning on the oven.  And even though some people are clever enough to bake on a BBQ, mine is pretty crappy so that's not an option.  So if I'm not baking what am I doing?  Well catching a lot of toads apparently.  Also a lot of gardening and I got to the beach a few times with friends.

But as the temp drops and the oven becomes more tolerable I start thinking about cookies and muffins again...

Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe adapted from Thyme of Taste

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C of flour
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 C of brown sugar
• 1 C of dark chocolate chips 
• 1 C oatmeal
• 1 C shredded coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 and put tin foil on 2 baking sheets.  In a small bowl mix flour, b soda, salt, and oatmeal.  Melt butter in microwave and then add to it the egg, vanilla, and sugar.  Mix into the dry ingredients and then add the chocolate chips and coconut and stir to combine.  You might have to use your hands if it gets stiff.  Make walnut-sized balls of dough and place on baking sheet.  These don't spread too much because of the coconut.  Bake for at least 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms.  

Maida Heatter fan

Finally!!  Someone who likes Maida Heatter as much as I do.  She's the chocolate goddess of the baking world.  I recently made her Palm Beach Brownies and it is by far the best brownie I've ever made or tasted.  She knows how to make a rich decadent dessert like no one else.  So imagine how excited I was when I came across this blog where this guy is baking only from Maida Heatter's cookbooks!!  I have been bookmarking every other recipe.

For whatever reason I decided to make these chocolate chip wheat germ cookies.  The germ intrigued me.  I switched the ap flour to whole wheat and used egg yolks instead of a whole egg.

Chocolate Chip Wheat Germ Cookies
Adapted from Maida Heatter's Great Book of Chocolate Desserts via Mad About Maida

Ingredients:

The last lonely cookie

• 3/4 cup unsifted whole wheat 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 lb (1 stick) sweet butter (softened)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant) oatmeal
• 3/4 cup untoasted wheat germ
• 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Method:

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with foil and set aside.  Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in the vanilla and two sugars. Add the egg and beat well. On low speed add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl and beating only until mixed. Mix in the oatmeal, wheat germ and coconut. Stir in the morsels.  Make walnut-sized balls of dough and spread about 2 inches apart on tin foil-lined baking sheets.  Bake two sheets at a time for 12 - 20 minutes (depending on your oven), reversing the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through baking. When they are done, the cookies will be lightly colored and the tops will spring back when lightly pressed. Do not under bake - make sure they are crisp on the edges and bottom when cool.  (If baking only one sheet at a time, use the upper rack).**

**Note:

I definitely left mine in a bit longer than the average cookie.  I wanted these to get nice and brown so I waited until they were thoroughly darkened around the edges and on top.  This cookie can't get overcooked.  It can only get more flavorful the browner it gets. Plus we like slightly burnt cookies over here.  

Tahini almond cookies

I found this recipe on foodgawker.  I've never baked with tahini before so I thought I would give this a try.  My mom wanted me to incorporate some chocolate in there somewhere so I dipped them half in melted chocolate.  Some of the cookies I broke in half and rolled them in powdered sugar.  Both of those ideas came from a cookie that my grandma used to make at Xmas.  She made an almond crescent dough, formed them in the crescent shape and rolled them in powdered sugar, and some of them she made into longer shapes and dipped half in melted chocolate.  This cookie had a similar light shortbread-like consistency that took both of those decorating options well.  I was also thinking that they would be nice if you made them into little round cookies with an almond pressed into the center of each cookie.

Tahini and Almond Cookies
Adapted from David Liebovitz

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140 g) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 ounces (70 g) ground almonds (see note)
• 5 1/2 ounces (150 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) raw tahini paste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) degrees. Line two baking sheets with tin foil.

In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt.

Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the butter is incorporated into the flour mixture and looks like pea-sized balls.

Add water, vanilla, and tahini and fold with a spatula until a smooth dough begins to form.  You may have to switch to using your hands if the dough needs a little extra kneading to fully come together.  (If the dough feels very dry, dampen your hands and knead the dough slightly.)

Pull off a piece of dough the size of a large walnut and either roll them in balls and flatten on your baking sheet to make a circular cookie, or roll and squeeze into a longer cookie if you want to dip them in chocolate later.  (You can do half and half).  Or you can press an almond into the center of them if you want to forgo the decorating later.  

Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once cool you can roll them in powdered sugar, or melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and dip one end in chocolate, then leave them on the baking sheet to set the chocolate up.

**Notes:

For the almond flour I ground up 3/4 cup whole raw almonds in my 4-cup cuisinart.

Twice Baked Parmesan Shortbread

I haven't made shortbread for a while. This recipe looked really good so I combined it with a parmesan shortbread recipe by adding 1/2 cup parmesan and extra salt and black pepper. They came out prety good but next time I want try it with chocolate shortbread. Mmmmmmm ....

Ingredients:

11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup parmesan

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar vanilla and salt. Add the flour and cheese and mix until just incorporated. Pat the dough evenly into a foil-lined 8 inch square pan. Let it rest for at least 2 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300F. Bake the shortbread for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, leaving the oven on. Let the shortbread cool for 10 minutes.

Remove shortbread from pan and cut it into oblong "fingers" or squares. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. Place the pieces slightly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool on a rack before storing.

Potato Chip Cookies

I actually got this recipe from the Martha Stewart Living magazine but you can find it on her website as well. I forgot to put the nuts in and I didn't buy a big enough bag of chips so I had to use some tortilla chips as well.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

4 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips (about 10 ounces), divided

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375.
Mix flour, b soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars in the mixer for about 2 minutes then add vanilla and eggs one at a time until just mixed.
Add the flour mix to the butter in 2 additions while mixer is off and get ready for flour to spray everywhere.
Add about half of the chips and mix just til combined.
Take tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them in the other half of the crushed potato chips and spread them between 3 baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until brown.

I also put chocolate chips on one of the trays just to see how that would taste. Next time I want to put sea salt in the chips that you roll the dough in to make them extra salty.

Mocha Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes it is so hot outside that Philly public schools are getting out early and what am I doing besides online job-hunting? Heating my oven to a cool 350 degrees. That's just how I roll- sweaty and smelling like cinnamon.

This recipe comes from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:

3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. instant coffee

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut



Method:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.
Cream room temp butter and sugars in mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and mix in between.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour to mixer in a few additions and beat just til combined.
Add chocolate chips and coconut and mix just til combined.
Spread tablespoon-sized balls of batter onto 4 cookie sheets and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until brown on the edges.

Vegan Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

I had a BBQ last night. Very fun. I made these cookies for my vegan friend Ben and everyone else ate them all!! They are so easy to make and you know I love that there is no mixer required. I guess that's the upside to not using butter, it's the same method as making muffins- mix dry together, mix wet together, combine them. This is also the first time that I have used a flax egg in a cookie. I have tried it in muffins before but not in a cookie- I think it worked well, the cookies are crispy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside from the honey.

The recipe is from What Would Cathy Eat? I did change it a little: honey instead of molasses and walnuts instead of toasted pecans.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic canola oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Make your flax seed egg by mixing the flax seed with the water and microwaving for 30 seconds, set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients and walnuts in a small bowl (2nd paragraph), set aside.
Combine all wet ingredients in a larger bowl (3rd paragraph).
Add dry to wet and stir to combine.
Spread cookies (about 1 tbsp balls) on 2 cookies sheets and then squish them down a little flat because they don't spread and melt quite like regular cookies.
Bake about 15 minutes or until they are set and crisp on the edges.

White Chocolate Chip Mocha Cookies

Doesn't that sound good? Coffee and white chocolate in one cookie! White Chocolate is a funny thing isn't it? Not really chocolate, just oil and sugar right? But they are on sale at Acme right now so I got an opportunity to play with them.

This recipe comes from Bake Girl. I made a few changes: I subbed in a little whole wheat flour, bumped up the instant coffee, used all white sugar and a little molasses instead of brown sugar, aaaaaaaand for the first time ever I used chocolate extract that I bought a million years ago from Whole Foods.

I also finally stopped using my phone to take pictures of my food. It broke. So now I am using a real life digital camera and I think it is quite an improvement.



Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons instant coffee granules
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar plus 2 tbsp molasses
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon chocolate extract extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl and set aside (1st paragraph of ingredients)
Cream butter, sugar, and molasses in stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat in between.
Add choc extract and beat.
Add dry ingredients in a couple of additions, it will fly everywhere because of the cocoa so add it when the mixer is off and pot a towel over it when you turn it on.
Add choc and white choc chips and combine.
Divide between 3 baking sheets and bake for about 15 mins, I like mine more well done so if you like them soft take them out sooner.