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It's National Peanut Butter Day! Try these great peanut butter recipes.

 

I love peanut butter. But I'm a picky peanut butter lover because I LOVE Skippy. I don't care whether it is smooth, crunchy or natural as long as it says Skippy, I'm all set.

When I read it was National Peanut Butter Day, I decided to showcase some of the peanut butter recipes from the past. Most are desserts but my ultimate favorite is a grilled peanut butter sandwich. Better than spreading peanut butter on toast, I'll eat a grilled peanut butter sandwich over any grilled cheese.

Check it out! Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich.

And to wash down the grilled peanut butter sandwich you might need - 

• Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips
• Muddy Buddies
• Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Coconut Bars
• T.White's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

I was laughing as I was copying the links for the recipes. I don't think there is one recipe that is made with only peanut butter as the primary focused ingredient...outside of the sandwich. Every recipe has chocolate in it...almost like the old commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

I do know this...I need some new recipes for peanut butter. Enjoy this classic - "You got peanut butter in my chocolate! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti

I'm laughing as I finish this recipe. I have finally completed the 12 Cookies of Christmas. I had promised they would be completed before Christmas and then before the New Year. It is Friday the 13th and what better day to finish. There is a long holiday weekend upon us and a great time to bake some cookies. I have decided that next year it will be the 6 Cookies of Christmas because with my life that's all I'm capable of...I think.

For those who have missed my 12 cookie reicpes, I'm going to list them all so that you can have the completed list.

Day 1 - Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies 

Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kiss

Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies - Jeff's Favorite - Huge Party Favorite

Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

Day 11 - Florentines

Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti 

To finish this list, I will tell you a little bit about the Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti recipe. I found the recipe in Maria Robbin's Biscotti and Other Low Fat Cookies. I have had this book for a long time and periodically make Maria's biscotti. I like them because they combine a great group of ingredients and the biscotti is always delicious.

When you look at the ingredients used in this recipe - brown sugar, toasted oatmeal, maple sugar, raisins and walnuts - you will understand why I like the biscotti. The combination when baked was delightful. I am a big maple syrup fan and when it was combined with the oatmeal and brown sugar it was sweet and crunchy, and the nuts and raisins gave it a chewy, nuttiness. If you dip them in coffee or tea, you have an amazing breakfast treat or afternoon snack.

These probably weren't the greatest to make as one of the 12 Cookies of Christmas but it is one I want to remember because it's simple yet delicious and it's a recipe you can make all the time.

I want to thank my Quincy friends, Stephanie Coose and Kim Palmer along with my social media divas, Jen Vondenbrink, Jen Osojnicki, Dotty Wyman, Diane Dias and Susan Finn. You shared some amazing stories and recipes and for that I am truly grateful. You helped to create the 12 Cookies of Christmas 2011.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rolled oats (not instant)

1-1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cup of light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of baking power

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla

2/3 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of walnuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place oatmeal on a cookie sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes, stirring occassionally until they are lightly golden and fragrant. (The house will smell amazing!)

2. Take 1/2 cup of the oats and grind to a powder in the food processor. (oat flour)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, oats, oat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until blended.

3. Add the raisins and walnuts and combine into the mix.

4. Using two cookies sheets, make a strip of dough that is (approximately) 3 inches wide by 14 inches long, about 1-1/2 inches thick.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden and firm when touched.

6. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a baking rack.

7. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

8. Cutting on the diagonal with a serrated knife, cut bars into 1 inch biscotti.

9. Place biscotti on cookie sheets lying on their side.

10 Bake for 10-15 minutes to slightly toast the biscotti. Flip the cookies once through the baking process. (Turn from one side to the other.)

Allow to cool on cookie sheet.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 11 - Florentines

I guess this falls into the category of better late than never. After having a slightly stressful holiday season...can you say 6 kids, 1 live-in in-law, a few holiday parties, decorating, shopping, working...Oh, I'm exhausted thinking about it.

I wanted to re-vamp my website and all concentration went in one direction and it wasn't towards completing my cookie list. I feel better having accomplished one MAJOR thing that has been weighing me down for a while, it now opens opportunity for growth...and blogging. The next two posts are coming out back to back and the 12th Cookie of Christmas will give you the final list of all 12 cookies for 2011.

These florentines were from the cookie swap and were a second set of cookies from my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink. She made the amazing shortbread cookies from Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies. Jen is the owner of Life Simplified and she is an incredible baker (and cook). She told me, "This recipe is a home version of a favorite recipe from a bakery I ran back in the late 80's. Customers couldn't help but drool when these came out of the oven.  They can be served as is or half dipped in chocolate.  Even better they can be formed around a cone or dowel and then either dipped in chocolate or filled.  Yummm!" 

The florentine cookies were delicate, nutty and sweet. They had a lightness that melted in your mouth. My mother-in-law, Althea, dubbed them as her favorites from the party. She was intrigued with their appearance as well as their taste, sweet but not filling. A perfect dessert cookie that complements any hot beverage.If you are looking to WOW your friends and family at the next gathering, try these cookies. You'll come home with an empty plate.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of light corn syrup

1/3 cup of flour

1/2 cup of chopped nuts

1 teaspoon of vanilla

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.  

1. Melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.  Boil about 3 minutes mixing constantly.  

2. Take off the heat.  Add flour, nuts and vanilla.

3. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving plenty of room between cookies (6-8 per tray).  

4. Bake until bubbly and brown about 5-7 minutes.

5. Let sit until firm enough to take off the sheet.  

Cool on rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

It's been a long holiday season, with family commitments greater than anticipated, and I never seem to get the 12 Cookies of Christmas out before the 25th. I should rename them and just call them the Cookies during December.

My normal assortment of cookies was lacking this year because every time I had a spare moment I would make one specific kind of cookie. When giving out platters, if there isn't an assortment, you tend to use more of one or two kinds. This leaves that situation of no assortment and constantly running out of one or two varieties of cookies. At this point I am down to having two batches of cookies left, Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies and Angie's Ricotta Cookies.

This recipe is from my friend, Diane Dias. Diane owns a company called Our Good Dog Spot, the premiere online shopping destination for your classic, glamorous, preppy or trendy pup. Her daughter, Emily, and my son, Brian, have been friends since junior high school and are freshman at the University of Missouri. It's nice to have a familiar face at college when you are a 3-hour plane trip from home. When I was visiting Diane recently, she shared a favorite cookie recipe of Emily's called Dipped Gingersnaps. I was so excited about the recipe, I went home that night and made a batch. (See that gorgeous photo above!)

I was excited as well as disappointed when I made them. Excited because these cookies were delicious...chewy, yet crunchy and the spices were perfect. They are dipped in white chocolate but it tastes more like a rich vanilla icing which was perfect for me. My disappointment...I like them better than my favorite Ruby Warner's Ginger Snaps.

So, in my rush to get another batch done before the holidays, I half read the directions and ended up putting 4 teaspoons of baking powder verses baking soda in the recipe...what a disaster! They came out like chunky doughy balls...not good. My fault though, I rushing to get them finished before the holiday, but as soon as I am done posting this article, I'm heading back into the kitchen to make a batch. I need to be prepared for New Years!

Dipped Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup of molasses

5 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of salt

Additional sugar for rolling (I use demerara sugar)

12 ounces of white chocolate chips (or vanilla flavored chips)

1/4 cups of shortening

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. (I used my mixer)

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Stir in molasses.

4. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.

6. Shape into 3/4 to 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cookie springs back when touched. (It will be crackled, too)

8. Melt chips and shortening in a double boiler over low heat. Dip cookies half way, shake off excess and place on lined wax paper until hardened.

Makes between 8-10 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies

 

Before you start reading this article about my girlfriend Stephanie's Orange Chocolate Cookies, PRINT THIS RECIPE. This is (hands down) my FAVORITE cookie this year. Stephanie and I went to middle school together at Quincy Point Junior High School in Quincy, MA. It's funny that 25+ years later, we end up living in the same community and her husband coached by son's basketball team. 

To start, I love oranges, whether juice, rind or jelly. I also love bittersweet chocolate, so when you combine these two ingredients, it's an amazing flavor and taste. Add a shortbread base and you finish with the most delicious, thumbprint style cookie. 

I wanted to tell you a bit about what transpired during and after the cookie swap.

1. Jeff declared them his new favorite cookie. 

2. The girls thought Stephanie's cookies were amazing.

3. I decided to make a set of cookies (see below) and realized the recipe is versatile. I didn't have orange marmalade so I substituted raspberry jam and dipped the cookies in both bittersweet chocolate as well as white chocolate. BIG HIT!

4. After bringing these cookies to 3 parties, I have had 5 request for the recipe. People were excited to make these cookies for the holidays

The shortbread is buttery with a hint of orange. The marmalade brings sweetness and the bittersweet chocolate brings balance. Over the past year, I have been using bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in many of my cookie recipes. I find that cookies are sweet and the bittersweet chocolate complements the cookie.

I am so glad...

1. I had a cookie swap this year because it has given me some great new cookie recipes.

2. That Stephanie was able to come and share these buttery orange chocolate cookie with the girls as well as my foodie following.

Thanks, Stephanie, truly appreciated!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated white sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons of finely grated orange peel

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of marmalade

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon of shortening

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Beat in egg and orange peel. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using 1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut into rounds. Press your thumb into the center and fill with 1/4 teaspoon of marmalade.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a small sauce pan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. 

Dip half of each cookie in chocolate mixture. Place cookies on rack to set. 

Makes about 48 cookies.

Note: I used raspberry jam rather than marmalade and made the white chocolate dip by substituting white chocolate for bittersweet chocolate.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

 

These cookies were made after the cookie swap so none of the girls got to taste them. I made them after having a conversation with my mom about Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. My mom was reminding me of a chocolate coconut meringue cookie which my grandmother used to make. She didn't have the recipe so I searched the internet and was able to find these Chocolate Coconut Macaroon which seemed pretty close. I found this recipe on the Joy of Baking site.

These macaroons were extremely easy to make and within 30 minutes they were mixed, cooked and cooling on the racks. The cookies are slightly dense, very sweet and extra fudgy. My kind of chocolate cookie. I brought them to work and they were thoroughly enjoyed by co-workers as well as clients. As I am writing this article, I am wishing I had a few.

A quick and easy macaroon recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Whip up a batch, and hide a few because they will disappear. 

Ingredients:

4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 large egg whites

1/4 cup of cocoa powder 

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2-1/2 cups of sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut and melted chocolate, making sure the coconut is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the macaroons are shiny. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Yields 20 - 24 macaroons.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

I can't believe it is Christmas this Sunday. Some family issues and my having to bake the entire weekend has put me a bit behind with some of my cookies. I am going to write up some quick information about the next few cookies and my girlfriends who brought them to the cookie swap.

These white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies came from my girlfriend, Jen Osojnicki and she got the recipe from Paula Deen. Jen is an amazing photographer who owns Jen Osojnicki Photography in North Attleborough, MA and works in a marketing strategy group with me. Not only does Jen take beautiful wedding photographs, but she has a rockin' Facebook "Like" Page which highlights all her wedding sneak peeks and family portraits.

Jen's cookies were absolutely delicious. I call them my "guy" cookies. I make a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie that always disappears at a gathering. Most times, it is the men who enjoy this cookie. There is something about white chocolate and macadamia nut that the male population enjoys. What I loved about this cookie was the chopped candied cherries. They added that little bit of tartness to this deliciously sweet cookie.

This is a great staple holiday cookie that will definitely disappear from the cookie tray and leave a few for Santa. Rumor has it Santa likes white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of  butter, softened

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of milk

1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup of candied cherries

1-1/2 cups of white chocolate chips

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375. 

1. Using a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. 

2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.

3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. 

4. Add the milk to the butter mixture and then the dry ingredients.

5. Mix until just combined. (The batter should be stiff.)

6. Add the nuts, cherries and white chocolate, stirring until just blended.

7. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

8. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kisses

Have a chocolate kiss with these delicious Thumbprint Cookies - Day 6 from The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Kim, made these cookies for our cookie swap. Kim is a long time (really good) friend of mine, having gone to Archbishop Williams High School, then Stonehill College together. We always hung around in both groups. We also have daughter's who were born 6 weeks apart and have enjoyed each others company outside of our school connections. 

When Kim arrived, she brought this adorable snowman ornament. I thought this would be great when I showcase the cookies. I'm always looking for some creative ideas when I am doing food photography.

So far, I have highlighted a few shortbread style cookies but none have been made with brown sugar. They remind me of my thumbprint cookie recipe, a bit more dense with a hint of caramel. The chocolate kiss is always a wonderful addition; add chopped pecans to the thumbprint base and it could give you that "turtle style" cookie flavor.

Everyone loved the cookies and they were the first ones to disappear from my house the following day. They were buttery with a smooth chocolate finish. There is something festive and delicious about a cookie with a chocolate kiss. 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of butter 

3 large eggs- separated

1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

¾ cup of brown sugar      

3 cups of flour       

¾ teaspoon of salt       

Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375°

1. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg yolks, mix.  Add vanilla. 

2. Mix dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. 

3. Roll into 1 inch balls.  Dip in slightly beaten egg whites. Place on greased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan and press thumb into each cookie. Return to oven and cook for 8 minutes.  

Immediately as cookies come out of the oven, press one kiss in the center of each.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

A lemony sweet treat on Day 5 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas. 

As I mentioned in the Brownie Almond Biscotti recipe, I purchased a Taste of Home- Cookies and More booklet which I used to find some of my recipes for my cookie swap. This is another recipe from that book. 

As I was flipping through (a half dozen times), I kept coming back to these Lemon Drop Cookies. I make a few different lemon cookies, one being a Lemonade Drop and the other being the Lemon Ricotta Cookie and wasn't sure if I wanted a lemon cookie to the swap. The ingredient that kept pulling me back was the lemon drop candies. Jeff's dad, Joe, passed away in August and he was one of our biggest foodie fans. He had a sweet tooth (like mine) and enjoyed Lemon Drops. The cookie reminded me of Joe. So, I decided he would attend the swap in a different presence. 

This recipe has a sugar cookie flavor but has a delicate lemony crunch from the candy. Jeff's mom really enjoyed the cookies, this being her favorite one to date. I loved the sweet and tartness of the cookie and at one point thought of dipping them in confectioner's sugar, almost like a lemon cooler.

These are a delicate, delicious cookie which would pair well with a glass of Riesling, some hot tea or even a glass of limoncella. Flip it to summer and it would be fantastic with an ice cold lemonade. Either way, this is a great addition for this year's Christmas Cookie list.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon of half-and-half cream

1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel

1-1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of finely crushed lemon drops

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg, cream and peel.

3. Combine the flour, lemon drops, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets.

5. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

6. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Welcome to Day 4 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

So far, we have showcased 2 wonderful shortbread recipes and a delicious chocolate chip meringue. Now it is time for some really easy chocolate biscotti that are made with a brownie mix.

No, you say, a boxed brownie mix. Yes, I cheated, it was easy and very tasty.

Around the holidays, I tend to purchase some of the holiday cookbooks put out by various cooking magazines. This recipe, called Brownie Alpine Biscotti, came from the Taste of Home Cookies and More Booklet. I was looking for something chocolaty for the cookie swap and figured the fudginess of a brownie may make these cookies a big hit. I was making three different cookies for the swap and this recipe was very easy with the most effort going into grinding the almonds. The Brownie Alpine Biscotti recipe also called for almond extract. After I put it in and tasted the batter, I wasn't sure if the almond extract would be too strong. After the biscotti was cooked, the flavor definitely mellowed.

This biscotti has a nice mellowed chocolate taste with the almond flavor taking center stage. I wasn't sure I liked them, but as we discussed the biscotti at the cookie swap, biscotti are great for dipping, whether in coffee, tea or hot chocolate. If you are having biscotti for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack, it complements, not overpowers your drink.

The night after the cookie swap, I sat enjoying a cup of coffee and began dunking the biscotti. It really was delicious. It was nutty and sweet and was a great pairing to the cup of coffee. I started to laugh. At every cookie swap, or party you bring cookies, there are the cookies that get eaten immediately and those you save and eat the next day. I am a "next day" cookie eater. That's when you get to sit and savor, sometimes the best cookie...or in this case, biscotti.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package of fudge brownie mix

3/4 cup of ground almonds

1/2 cup of flour

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1 egg plus 3 egg whites

1 teaspoon of almond extract

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Preparation:

1. Combine the brownie mix, ground almonds, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk egg, egg whites and extract. Add to brownie mixture; stir until combined.

3. On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 7-in. x 3-1/2-in. rectangle.

4. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

5. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets.

6. Bakreduce oven to 325°, and bake the biscotti for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen. 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

It's Day 3 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Dotty Wyman, is an interior designer and owns Dotty Wyman Designs. Everything with Dotty has great style, presentation and taste. Dotty has helped with some of the design in my house, helping with fabrics, color and curtains, which she makes herself. When Dotty arrived with her cookies, they were in a 24" clear glass vase. She had put the green cookies at the base, 3/4 of the vase was filled with red cookies and she topped it with a green cookie. I wish I had been taking pictures when people arrived. The presentation was extremely creative and festive.

The glitter ball cookies were perfectly shaped and looked like beautiful ornaments, hence the photography of the cookies in the (artificial) tree. These cookies have ingredients almost identical to Jen's Shortbread Cookies, but in different combinations. The frosting and decorative sugar bring more of an upfront sweetness verses the melt in your mouth flavor of Jen's. I'm always a fan of crunchy cookies, especially those rolled in sugar.

Dotty makes her cookies with a vanilla frosting. I'm interested in trying the ginger frosting which is part of this recipe. We have recently been using fresh ginger in some of our recipes (to be posted after the 12 Cookies of Christmas) and I think this dessert could complement some of the meals and appetizers we have been making. What is a good meal without a great dessert...especially a cookie!

Find some really festive sanding (or decorating) sugar and let's get rolling. We've got glitter balls to make.

Thanks, Dotty.

Dotty found this recipe on Martha Stewart; Glitter Ball Cookies.

Ingredients:

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour

Sanding sugar, in assorted colors

Creamy Ginger Filling

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

2 teaspoons of finely grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon of honey

Preparation:

Cookies - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. 

2. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour, and mix just until combined. 

3. Shape into 3/4-inch balls (chill dough if too sticky). Place sanding sugar in shallow bowls. 

4. Roll each ball in sanding sugar, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. 

6. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Spread 2 cookies with just enough filling to allow them to stick together.

Frosting

1. Beat all ingredients by hand or with an electric mixer on medium high speed until smooth.

2. Filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

3. This is the official filling for the cookies.  I used butter cream frosting with vanilla.

(For vanilla butter cream frosting, use ginger frosting recipe, omit the ginger and honey, replace with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1-3 teaspoons of milk to get to a frosting consistency.)

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies

Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Cookies of Christmas.

These cookies are called Jen's Shortbread Cookies. They were made by my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink, who owns a coaching company called Life Simplified. She writes a great blog, Appetite for Life - A Blog About Life, Love, Laughter and the Lessons Along The Way, also. I have been fortunate to work with Jen in different capacities over the past 3 years and enjoy her business expertise as well as her passion for cooking and baking. I was excited when Jen said she would attend the cookie swap, I knew she would arrive with some delicious cookies.

When I asked Jen about her cookies she explained, "These shortbread cookies were a "by accident find."  I was looking for something different than a sugar cookie which our family always found too sweet.  These actually were supposed to be sandwiched with chocolate in between (which isn't a bad idea either).  Instead we use these as our basic decorated cookies for the season.  Now, I can't leave home without them."

The evening of the cookie swap, my daughter was heading to a friend's house, so we loaded her up with a sampling of all the cookies. When she arrived home the next day, she said, "Everyone loved those snowflakes!"

What I like about this recipe is the use of confectioner's sugar, my shortbread recipes are all made with granulated sugar. There is a buttery smoothness to this cookie that is different from my shortbread. These cookies melt in your mouth. I will admit, I'm looking forward to making a batch of shortbread cookies myself. I'm even thinking of adding some fresh lemon rind with a lemon icing...YUM!

We've given you some ideas...go forth and bake! Thanks, Jen.

Ingredients

3 sticks of butter (1-1/2 cups)

1 cup of confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

Preparation

1. Blend butter until smooth.  

2. Add sugar and blend.  

3. Add vanilla and blend. 

4. Add flour, half at a time.  Mix thoroughly.  

5. Refrigerate dough for about 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is (I usual make another batch of cookies while these are firming up).  

6. Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness.  Cut with cookies cutters.  Bake until edges are just golden.  
Preheat oven to 325.  

You can decorate the with an icing made of confectioner's sugar and milk or lemon juice.

Giant Chocolate Cookies with Symphony Bars and Pecans

What started out as another giant cookie recipe, took on an ingredient accident and ended with an amazing product!

I was making cookies for a function at work and needed giant cookies. Giant because that is my theme heading into the holidays, I've got about 5 giant cookie recipes on my list so far (go to Giant Cookies in the recipe section). I found this recipe at Epicurious and they were called Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies.

I started off, not reading the entire recipe and jumped the gun with some ingredients. Instead of a full storyline, I'll bullet what I did...

1. I chose to use bittersweet chocolate VS semi-sweet chocolate. I really love the bittersweet taste when a cookie has quite a bit of sugar.

2. I started out with too much butter, but I played around with the dry ingredients and adjusted the flour.

3. I used some dark brown sugar in place of all light brown sugar because you get a bit of chewiness with the crunchy edges of the cookie.

4. I use kosher salt when baking cookies, it gives that sweet-salty flavor which enhances the cookie.

5. I added Symphony Bars and Pecans - because they seemed like a perfect complement for the cookies. 

So, I give you Giant Chocolate Cookies with Symphony Bars and Pecans and they are AWESOME! I love to watch people as they break the cookie in half (because it's too big) and then dive back in for the second half because they were SO GOOD! These cookies are chewy and crunchy, rich and chocolaty yet not too sweet. People have been asking for this recipe...quicker than most.

Try this recipe before the holidays set in and start looking at great treats you can give as gifts. I always say, the best way to a person's heart is through their stomach. Enough said!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 (10 ounce) bags of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips (16 ounces is about 1 2/3 bags)
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (4.25 ounce) milk chocolate Symphony Bar with Toffee Bits and Almonds, chopped
1 cup of chopped pecans

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking power) in a medium sized bowl and put aside.

Place Ghiradelli chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted. Allow to cool to luke warm.

In a large bowl, add eggs and sugars and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until slightly thick and gooey.

Add melted chocolate to the mixture and beat until uniform, add vanilla. Mix together until incorporated.

Stir in dry ingredients, once mixed thoroughly, add chopped milk chocolate and pecans.

Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment. Use an ice cream scoop to place dough on the tray. Flatten slightly. Press the cookie to a 1 inch disk. Bake 3 to a tray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the center is slightly puffed and the cookie is crackly.

Move to cookie rack and allow to cool. Makes 14-16 cookies.

 

Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips

I have been on a giant cookie kick. It started with the Giant Ginger Cookies I made last week.

It was fun making large cookies since they have a different texture which brings a bit of a different flavor. They are more crunchy and chewy together. Tough to describe, but eat individual cookies and then eat a giant cookie...more cookie...more flavor.

I took out my peanut butter cookie recipe from Peanut Butter Blossoms and didn't think it had the power for a giant cookie. I searched the web and came up with two recommendations for the Magnolia Bakery Peanut Butter Cookies. I decided to mix it up with dark brown and light brown sugar, as well as a few Reese's mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups and milk chocolate chips. Add an ice cream scoop and demerara sugar and you have Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips.

These cookies were amazingly delicious. Loaded with peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The demerara sugar made them sweet and extra crunchy yet the cookie was thick enough to be chewy. As much as I froze a few for later this week, they are walking out of here much faster than I thought. They were in everyone's lunch today and I've seen them disappear into lunch bags for tomorrow.

Over the next few weeks I will be making a few more giant cookies because I'd like to offer something fun and different for the 12 Cookies of Christmas and I have a funny feeling they will be GIANT!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of chunky style peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 12 ounce package of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
15 mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups (chopped into sixths)
1 cup of milk chocolate chips

Bowl of demerara sugar (raw sugar) for dipping cookies (about 1 cup)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. See aside.

3. Cream butter and sugars, when completely blended add the chunky peanut butter.

4. Once the peanut butter is incorporated, add the eggs and vanilla.

5. Mix half the flour mixture into the batter. Add the milk, mix until well blended and then add the rest of the flour mixture.

6. Stir in the peanut butter cups with the dark and milk chocolate chips.

7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and release scoop into a bowl of sugar. I use the demerara sugar because of the large granules.

8. Roll the ball until completely covered with sugar. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten to a 1/2 inch thickness.

9. Place up to three cookies on one cookie sheet.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden with cracks on the top. bang cookie sheet on counter to allow the cookie to flatten. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tray to cookie rack. Makes 24 giant peanut butter cookies.

This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen and The Singleton in the Kitchen.

Giant Ginger Cookies

 

(Beware: Objects appear smaller than they are.)

It seems like I haven't made some new desserts in a while. The truth is I have, I just haven't posted my articles as often as I would like. It's time to start enjoying the desserts AND sharing the recipes with my wonderful friends and followers.

I have been looking at quite a few cookie recipes lately with the holidays creeping up on us. I will be having a new list of the 12 Cookies for Christmas and I know that they will never replace the original list from 2009 The 12 Cookies of Christmas. I like to offer new cookie recipes each season so that you can find your family's favorites. I'm also thinking of doing a cookie swap which could get me some great family favorites from my friends.

When I started, I was looking for a good hermit cookie recipe. The results weren't great so I think I need to go digging into some old recipe books. I was looking for a hermit recipe with coffee as one of the ingredients. I came across a few, but not exactly what I was looking for.

I did come across this ginger cookie recipe on Martha Stewart's website and thought this could be fun since these cookies were about 5 inches in diameter when they were finished baking. I don't normally make large cookies like these but truthfully, this is where you get a different flavor and texture. I also liked that there was pepper in the recipe. I love ginger, but the thought of additional heat to the cookie using pepper was interesting.

I adapted Martha's Giant Ginger Cookies by adding a bit more ginger and molasses and changed up the salt and sugar. I like the saltiness of kosher salt (vs. table salt) because when you bite into something sweet, you get that salty-sweet flavor. I love to use demerara sugar for rolling cookies. It is raw sugar which has larger, light brown crystals. It looks great and gives the cookies an extra crunchiness.

I mixed the batter and placed the dough in the freezer. It gave me enough time to make a batch of my favorite cookies, Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookie. I cut the dough into 16ths and they were rolled and in the oven with four cookies per cookie sheet.

Some friends and family tried them and absolutely loved them. They were chewy and crispy. The best was after they ate the cookie and said, "I can still taste the spiciness of the ginger", which was probably helped by the pepper. We enjoyed them as a mid-morning snack with pumpkin spiced coffee. What better way to enjoy a giant cookie that was just DELICIOUS!

Think warm, think GIANT ginger cookies!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 rounded tablespoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated white sugar, plus 1/3 cup of demerara sugar for coating
1/3 cup of molasses
1 large egg

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a round disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Cut disc to create quarters, cut quarters in half, cut eighths in half (you will have a perfectly cut pie shape with 16 pieces.). Roll into 16 balls.
4. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl.
5. Bake until brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes 16 large cookies.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. Yes, we have lots of zucchini. We have made a few loaves of zucchini bread, mixed zucchini in an amazing ratatouille and have grilled it as a side dish with dinner. I will be sharing these recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

While I was looking for recipes for zucchini and summer squash, I came upon this recipe in Allrecipes.com. Hmm...dessert with zucchini, better yet, chocolate dessert with zucchini. I need to try this zucchini brownie recipe.

As I started to make the recipe I noticed there were no eggs, first sign that there is something wrong with the recipe. For me, it was perfect! I love taking recipes and adding new and exciting twists so I needed to figure out something with the liquid and consistency. I started byadding 2 eggs, using to different types of sugar and adding kahlua rather than vanilla. When I made the frosting, I added half and half instead of milk and got a fudgier frosting that was amazing.

The cake was moist and fudgy and the frosting was rich and delicious. It doesn't have the consistency of a brownie but the cake does have somewhat of a denseness. The chocolate zucchini brownies didn't last long at our house, but then again, do any? It's great as a snack cake and even better with ice cream...coffee ice cream for me!

Too much zucchini, looking for something tempting, this is the best of both worlds...eating your vegetables as dessert.

Ingredients:

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar (washed raw cane sugar - light brown granular)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Kahlua
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Frosting
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or kahlua...depending on the audience)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and kahlua until well blended.
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. This mixture will be thick and a bit stiff. Add zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, half and half and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

An Easy Berry Cobbler became Peach Raspberry Cobbler

 

Last week, our neighbors came over with a container full of fresh raspberries picked from their garden. We had a few peaches that were very soft and Jeff wanted to make a fruit cobbler but we didn't really have a great recipe. He pulled out a few of our Southern Living Annual Cookbooks and found this Easy Berry Cobbler in the 2010 edition. We took the recipe and doctored it a little with some delicious fresh rather than frozen fruit.

Jeff wasn't sure how it was going to come out because it had such an odd combination of ingredients...mix sugar, flour and 1 egg, then put butter over the mixture. He was convinced this was going to be a disaster, but to our surprise it came out AMAZING! The crust was sweet and crunchy and the fruit was slightly tart, a perfect combination. Put some fresh whipped cream on top and you will think you died and went to heaven...it was that good.

I'm going to have to say, this is definitely the BEST dessert this summer. We hoarded the majority of the ramekins (OK, 4 out of 6) because isn't the rule - whoever makes the dessert, eats the dessert! And at our house, if you don't save a little extra for yourself (in other words, hide what you have), you will not see it past 24 hours.

Before the fresh peaches and raspberries disappear this season, try this dessert. You will find, like us, it's worth hiding.

Ingredients:

Easy Berry Cobbler
4 cups of fresh peaches cut into 1 inch slices
1 cup of fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of peach schnapps
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
1 large egg
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of melted butter

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
2 cups of whipping cream
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 6 (1 cup) ramekins and place on a cookie sheet covered with foil.
Divide peaches and raspberries evenly and place them in the 6 ramekins. Mix the lemon juice, peach schnapps and cinnamon together, sprinkle the peaches and raspberries with this mixture. 
Stir together egg, sugar and flour until is resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit, drizzle butter evenly over the ramekins.

Place into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for 20 minutes. Enjoy with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream.

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Cake

Now that farm season is in full swing, atleast in New England, there are great opportunities for strawberries, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, raspberries and soon blueberries. As you enter the supermarkets, there are plenty of blueberries to be had...locally we will be able to pick our own in about a month. So, now is the time to test some amazing blueberry recipes which you can enjoy for the remainder of the summer. 

The Boston Globe recently ran an article on 6 delicious blueberry cakes. After reading the ingredients of each, I decided to go with the Glazed Blueberry Cake. Why this recipe? First, it had a lemon glaze for the cake. I love when blueberries and lemons are showcased in a dessert. It gives a refreshing flavor to the dish. Second, I had a container of buttermilk which I wanted to use and the recipe called for milk. Perfect substitution.

The cake came together quickly and I was really intrigued by the separation of egg yolks and egg whites. I was wondering if it would make a difference in the lightness of the cake, especially if I was adding buttermilk which can be heavy.

Well, the results were delicious. The cake was very moist and even though there was a denseness to the cake, it was light. Jeff thought it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. The sweet and sourness of the glaze with the moist cake with flavors of buttermilk and fresh blueberries was melt in your mouth AMAZING! Because it is made in a 9 x 13 baking pan, it allowed for everyone to grab chunks of blueberry cake for breakfast all week long. This is definitely on my short list of recipes to make again. It is perfect for breakfast, snack time or dessert, but I enjoyed it best when it was still warm from the oven. Probably might taste good as a cupcake, too...just a suggestion.

Ingredients:

1 pint (2 cups) of fresh blueberries
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of whole milk (we used buttermilk)

Preparation:

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the yolks, one at a time.

With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Fold in the whites, then fold in the blueberries.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when pressed with a fingertip.

GLAZE

1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and rind. Add enough additional lemon juice to make a mixture that pours easily.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Visitandine with Strawberries - Better than Strawberry Shortcake

 

This weekend is probably one of the last times you can pick your own strawberries in the New England area. Last weekend we went to C.N. Smith Farms (again) to get more strawberries because we were entertaining family all weekend and knew we wanted to serve a "strawberry" dessert.

Jeff had found a visitandine recipe in Dorie Greenspan's - Around my French Table. Dorie explains that "visitandine is a very simple white cake with an elegant small grain crumb and a lovely springy sponge, and a pure butter and sugar flavor."  It's perfect plain or paired with glazes, frosting, jams or fruits.  Having made strawberry shortcake quite a few times, we thought this would be a nice change.

As we read through the recipe, there was a suggestion that you could use a browned butter instead of the melted butter, giving the visitandine slight flavors of carmel and hazelnuts. We thought that using the browned butter might be different since we love changing up recipes, even if it meaning using browned butter VS melted butter. After we browned the butter, it tasted very nutty...it is amazing how browning butter can change the taste of your product. Outside of having to whip together 4 egg whites - and use the yolks to make thumbprint cookies - the cake was very easy to make and cooked up in about 30 minutes.

We served the shortcake in small dessert bowls. We found a cookie cutter that was the perfect match to the dessert bowls so we cut out rounds and put them in the base and put the strawberries and whipped cream on top. You can cut the cake in wedges or squares depending on the number of people you have to serve. The strawberry shortcake with the visitandine was delicious. Because of the spongy-ness of the cake, it absorbed the strawberry juices making the dessert incredibly smooth and delicious. The caramel, nutty taste of the cake gave the shortcake a flavor that truly complemented the rest of the ingredients. After the first round of servings and then a few seconds, everyone agreed that it was definitely different from true shortcake and thought it tasted better.

There is nothing better than a homemade cake, freshly picked strawberries and fresh whipped cream when it comes to making strawberry shortcake. Celebrate the 4th with this easy white cake recipe, your strawberries and whipped cream will thank you!

Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake:

Ingredients for visitandine:

4 large egg whites, preferably at room temperature
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of white sugar
a pinch of salt
7 tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled (we used brown butter - see below)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for strawberries:
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons of sugar

Ingredients for whipped cream:
2 cups of whipping cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Brown Butter:
Place butter in a small sauce pan. Turn up the heat once the butter is melted so that it begins to boil, gently. Watching carefully, continue to simmer the butter until it turns a golden brown. As soon as you get the color needed, take the butter off the heat and place in a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Allow butter to cool.

Visitandine:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a pan of your liking (we used a 10 inch round cake pan). Note that cooking time is based on a 10 inch pan, longer cook time for smaller pans, shorter cook time for larger pans.

Butter the pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper; butter the parchment.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold firm peaks but are still glossy.

In a another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the melted butter, followed by the vanilla, and, using the whisk, stir until the ingredients are fully blended. The mixture will clump and look "slightly hopeless" but continue stirring gently to mix.

With the whisk, slide half of the egg whites onto the batter, whisk to stir them in gently. Fold in the remaining egg whites and again whisk gently. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan to even the top.

Bake the cake for 33 to 38 minutes, or until it's beautifully browned and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Once out of the oven, run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake. Still in the pan, place on a cooling rack for 3 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Strawberries:
Place cut strawberries in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. This allows the juices to be released from the strawberries. You can do this prior to baking the cake and they can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Whipping cream:
Place whipping cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, whip the cream until slightly stiff peaks form. Whip cream just prior to serving the visitandine.

The visitandine can be cut into wedges and served or you can do as we did and using a cookie cutter, cut circles and place them into the bottom of a round serving bowl. Place strawberries on top, followed by whipped cream. Repeat as many times as you would like to enjoy them incredibly delicious dish! This serves up to 8 people.

Giada's Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazelnuts

 

This past weekend we held a wedding shower for Jeff's niece, Megan. We ordered a cake for dessert, but knew we needed a few finger desserts as extras. I was thinking I would make my favorite and easiest chocolate chip cookies, Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I took out my baking basket which holds all my bags of chips; butterscotch, milk chocolate, peanut butter and bittersweet chocolate. I found a chunk of hazelnut milk chocolate and decided to make Giada's Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. As I was combing through her cookbooks, looking for the recipe, I came across this recipe of chocolate chip cookies with hazelnuts. As I read through the story behind the cookies, I started to laugh. Giada DeLaurentiis talks about these cookies being her favorite and that she made them for her wedding. OK, I remember this story, maybe I made these before. (Losing my mind?) I looked on the blog and didn't find the recipe. I checked the cookbook, Giada's Family Dinnersand realized it was published in 2006, pre- Friends Food Family. It's amazing how we make so many recipes once and then move on to the next recipe.

I also looked at the ingredients and it called for oatmeal to be ground into a powder. Oatmeal being ground into flour reminds me of one recipe (and one recipe only)...Mrs' Field's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Now, you all remember the story about Mrs. Field's Cookies and how some woman asked for the recipe and was charged some strange amount of money. The story started at $250, then it was $2,500, and then it was $25,000 and I think at one point I read $250,000. Being slightly miffed that her credit card had been charged, she made it her mission to send the recipe to everyone for FREE, or so the internet legend is told.

As I started to put the recipe together and tasting the batter, I remembered how much I liked hazelnuts and how they can have a very different but delicious taste in a chocolate chip cookie. As they came out of the oven, I knew I had made them...they looked perfectly shaped and browned up beautifully. They were crispy, caramel-ly sweet and nutty, everything I like in a cookie! One cookie, two cookies...yes, they are addicting.

They were a big hit at the shower. People thought the combination of  chocolate and hazelnut was delicious and I got to freeze a few for later this week. Nothing better than entertaining and having extras for another occasion.

Reminder to self...start remembering to look back over older recipe books for one-time favorites. It's amazing what I can find.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats (not instant) 
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (packed) of light brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
4 ounces (1/2 bag) of English toffee candy (recommended: Heath or Skor bar), finely chopped
1 cup 0f hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and chopped
1 (12-ounce) bag of semisweet chocolate chips (I use bittersweet chocolate chips)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the oats in a food processor. Transfer the oats to a medium bowl. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toffee, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips.

For each cookie, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful of dough onto sheet, spacing 1-inch apart (do not flatten dough). Bake until the cookies are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

 

Cook's Illustrated "The Best Raspberry Bars"

 

Sunday morning arrived and without speaking a word, Jeff and I silently began a Sunday morning "Bake-Off". He started with a delicious recipe of buttermilk pancakes which he added blueberries. I took the remaining blueberries and used them to make blueberry scones with a lemon icing. (Follow the Chocolate Chip Cherry Scone recipe and leave out the chips, cherries and walnuts and add 1 cup of blueberries and the rind from 1/2 lemon.) As we finished cleaning up, Jeff grabbed the last of the over ripe bananas and started making a streusel topped banana nut bread. In the All-Time Best Recipes Book from Cook's Illustrated was a great recipe for "The Best Raspberry Squares". With a pint of raspberries in the refrigerator, why not finish the morning with some...dessert!

I grabbed the mixer and started looking for my ingredents. Having a free standing mixer has made cooking and baking much easier for me, especially since I was an old-fashion mix-it-by-hand girl. The mixing of the butter into the flour mixture was so easy as I just added ingredients and watched the raspberry bars come together. I loved that these bars had both the jam and fresh raspberries. It gave the bars a tartness that went well with the shortbread and oatmeal sweetness.

Everyone loved the bars...I think for two reasons

1. It wasn't chocolate. For those of you who know me and have followed the blog, I love recipes with the main ingredient being chocolate.

2. They were a perfect sized snack. Not too tart, not too sweet. (Great with ice cream!)

My only problem with the bars was that I would have wanted more jam filling. The next time I make these, I will do 1-1/2 times the preserves, raspberries and lemon mixture.

Again, another easy recipe to take to a cook-out or party. A great "snack size" dessert that isn't your typical chocolate chip cookie or mini brownie.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened to a cool room temperature
1/4 cup of packed light or dark brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped finely
3/4 cup of raspberry preserves
3/4 cup of fresh raspberries (frozen can be used; just make sure they are thawed completely)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
1. Adjust the oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut an 18-inch length foil and and fit into length of 13 x 9-inch baking dish, pushing into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length of foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner.
Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. I used a non-stick pan and didn't have to put in the foil or cooking spray.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine on low, add 16 tablespoons of butter, 1 piece at a time; then continue mixing on low until mixture resembles damp sand, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer.

3. Measure 1 1/4 cups of the flour mixture into medium bowl and set aside; distribute the remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan. Using your hands or the flat-bottomed measuring cup, press the mixture into even layer to form bottom crust. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

4. While the crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats and nuts to the reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter by rubbing the mixture between your fingers until butter is fully incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-sized clumps; set streusel aside.

5. Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in small bowl; mash with a fork until combined but some berry pieces remain.

6. Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over filling. Return pan to the oven and bake until topping is a deep golden brown and fill in bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours; remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Cut them into squares and watch them disappear!

Chocolate Oreo Cookie Trifle

 

It has been almost three weeks since my last blog article. We have been cooking up a storm but I have not had my head in the game. I haven't been keeping track of the recipes or taking pictures. There's been a level of disorganization on my part but the only thing I can say is...life gets in the way.

In the past 8 weeks I have been in New York City, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, MO, and Chicago, IL (twice). I have eaten at some great restaurants as well as some greasy spoons and it has been quite an experience. I've trained on some new technologies, helped my son choose a college and attend an inspirational women's conference. But I'm glad I'm not flying for a while; I've traveled during 9/11 and can say the same for 5/1/2011.

This week, I organized myself and am ready to bring you some great recipes that will complement any cook-out or graduation party you attend this season.

So, let's start with one of the easiest desserts you could ever make and the quickest dessert to disappear at a party. Technically named "GOO" by my brother-in-law, this dessert is a holiday tradition. We made a large bowl of the chocolate oreo cookie trifle and had nothing left after 25+ people decided to have a taste after our Easter feast. It's sweet, it's chocolaty, it's death by chocolate! You can't just have a taste, seconds are always in order.

Not only is this aneasy recipe, you can change it up to make it your own. Think of the many combinations...

1. Vanilla wafers, peanut butter cookies, brownies, graham crackers, pound cake, angel food cake or chocolate chip cookies can be substituted for Oreo cookies.

2. Vanilla, pistachio, cheesecake or white chocolate pudding can be used instead of chocolate.

3. Add nuts, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mini chocolate chips, crushed Butterfinger bars or malted milk balls.

What's your fancy? Be the HIT of the next gathering you host or attend. This easy dessert will never disappoint!

Ingredients:

2 packages of Oreo cookies

2 large packages of instant chocolate pudding (one regular chocolate, one dark chocolate)

2 cups of milk

1 cup of half and half cream

2 large containers of cool whip (defrosted in the refrigerator)

1 package of Heath Bar bits

Preparation:

Start with the pudding. Place the two packages of pudding in a bowl and mix with the milk and half and half. With a beater, beat on medium-high speed until you reach a thick pudding consistency. 

Use a large serving or trifle bowl. Start layering with cool whip on the bottom followed by 2/3 of the first package of oreo cookies, then half the pudding, 1/3 of the bag of heath bar bits, half the cool whip and repeat with the cookies, pudding, heath bar bits and cool whip for the top. Sprinkle with the remaining heath bar bits.

For best results, refrigerate overnight. If you don't have the time, you need at least 4 hours to allow the oreo cookies to get soft, bringing the trifle to the right consistency.

 
 

Boston Globe's Easter Traditions - Italian Taralli

 

I think I survived the holidays? Did you?

I do know that I did quite a bit of baking for Easter and have some interesting recipes to share. The problem is timing. I always wish I had more hours to be able to cook and blog, but sometimes life gets in the way. Or cooking dinner for 26 gets in the way.

I love to make one or two new recipes for the holidays. Last Wednesday, the Boston Globe featured a great story on Italian Easter Traditions. On the cover of the G magazine was a picture of Tarallis. Taralli is a dense bread which is similar to a pretzel or a bread stick. It is boiled and then baked and can be given a sweet or savory finish depending on the ingredients in the recipe. Sweet taralli is made with the basic dough mix and then frosted with a lemon icing. Savory taralli have onion, garlic, poppy seeds or fennel added to the basic or used as a topping before baking.

Before you decide to make taralli, check out the ingredients. (Ok, I'll give you a minute...) Yes, one of the ingredients is Brioschi. Why Brioschi? It has sodium bicarbonate in it. They use it similar to baking soda. It definitely gives the dough a rise when the taralli  is baked. You can find Brioschi at CVS.

So now, mixed reviews. We served them for breakfast and snack on and before Easter. Some family members thought they were delicious, something wonderful to dip in tea or coffee (some people dip them in wine...that works!). Others thought they were OK...a little chewy, a little dry. They are definite something that could be made again and experimented with. I'd like to try the savory type and serve them with a pasta dish or possibly as an appetizer with a dip.

It's a different type of Easter tradition that is worth trying. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or glass of wine...taralli will complement any one. You will definitely find these at my house next year!

Ingredients:

12  eggs
1/4  cup olive oil
2  teaspoons salt
2  tablespoons sugar
1  teaspoon Brioschi
About 7 cups flour, sifted
1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

In an electric mixer, beat the eggs and oil until smooth. Beat in the salt, sugar, and Brioschi. Continue to beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour, continuing to beat the mixture. Add the vanilla and beat well. The dough will be sticky.

Spread the remaining 3 cups of flour on a work surface, making a circle of flour about 15 inches in diameter. Make a wide, shallow well in the middle and turn the wet dough out into it. With a large spoon, draw the flour into the dough, going around the perimeter of the flour circle and kneading in the flour with your hands as you do. When all the flour is incorporated, you will have a stiff, firm dough.

With your hands, knead the dough vigorously and thoroughly for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better); eventually, the dough will become elastic and smooth. When sliced, it will have visible air bubbles inside. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Slice the dough into 12 pieces. With your hands, roll each into a thick snake about 9 inches long. Join each snake’s ends (overlap them slightly) to form a ring, pinching the ends to make a tight seal. Place 4 rings in the boiling water; they will sink to the bottom. When they rise to the surface, add 4 more dough rings to the pot. Remove the first batch of rings from the boiling water 2 to 3 minutes after they’ve surfaced, and wrap them in a dish towel to keep them warm. Repeat this process until all the dough rings are boiled. While the rings are warm, score the outside of each ring (as if you were going to slice it like a bagel, but without slicing it through) around the entire periphery.

Place the rings in the oven directly on the oven racks. Bake the taralli for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown and very dry and crisp.

For icing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of water
1 pound of confectioner's sugar

Mix lemon juice and water together. Add liquid mixture to the confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until it is of a loose frosting consistency. Spread on cooled taralli and sprinkle with colored jimmies or colored sugar.

Sarabeth's Black Beauty Cupcakes

 

Finally, Round 2 of my cupcakes. This past week, I made cupcakes for a presentation I made for the Women's Business Network. I made Red Velvet Cupcakes with a Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting and decided I wanted something chocolate...rich, dark, chocolate for my second recipe.

I think I found the best chocolate cupcakes and I understand why Chef Sarabeth Levine calls them Black Beauty Cupcakes. This recipe is from Sarabeth's cookbook, Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours which presently is my most favorite cookbook. I have such a sweet tooth so every recipe I read of hers intrigues me. With Easter just around the corner, I've got some Sarabeth desserts in mind. If you enjoy making desserts as much as I do, purchasing this cookbook is worth the investment.

After making these cupcakes, I never tasted them until after I presented them to my family, the Women's Business Network and assorted friends. Jeff even waited a few days before he broke down and had one. Most times when you think of any type of cake or cupcake, you get a moist cake with an incredibly sweet frosting. What was incredible about these cupcakes was the slightly dense chocolate cake and a bittersweet chocolate ganache. The ganache wasn't overly sweet and that's what made the cupcake so delicious. I chose to make the ganache with Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips versus semi-sweet chocolate chips (which you can use if you want.) This made the ganache rich but not too sweet, the chocolate was very smooth.

The other great part to this recipe was how easy they were to make. No butter, no eggs, just mayonnaise, similar to a chocolate mayonnaise cake. It's amazing what mayonnaise can do for a cake recipe.

What I ended up with was...

a chocolate cake + a bittersweet ganache = one incredibly delicious black beauty cupcake

...a perfect adult dessert.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
½ cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, divided
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, divided
1 cup of hot water
1 cup of superfine sugar (I used regular white sugar)
1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt
¾ cup of mayonnaise

Ganache
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips) finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature

Preparation:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

Place foil cupcake liners in tins. (I like foil because they have a better weight than paper.) If you choose to make the cupcakes liner free, then butter the insides of 12 muffin cups. Sift together 2 tablespoons of the cocoa and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Dust the insides of the molds with this mixture and tap out the excess.
Combine cocoa powder and the hot water in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Whisk to dissolve the cocoa. Whisk in the sugar. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fix with the paddle attachment. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. With the mixer on low speed, in thirds, add the flour mixture, alternating with two equal additions of the mayonnaise, and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the batter is smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and fill 3/4 full.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in a cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Gently remove the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

To make the ganache, bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Add the butter, whisking until it has totally melted into the chocolate. Transfer to a bowl and let cool on a wire rack until the ganache thickens to a glaze consistency and the cupcakes can be dipped or allow it to become thicker and frost the cupcakes.  

Epicurious' Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Tomorrow, I am presenting marketing strategies using my Friends Food Family website to the Women's Business Network in Mansfield. This is a great group of women who own small businesses, network like no other and bring their face to face relationships on-line. We are going to discuss ways of helping each other grow our businesses on-line using social media.

Since I am a food blog, I wanted to bring a sweet treat. I decided that I was going to bring cupcakes because...

1. People will eat a cupcake quicker than a piece of cake.

2. Easter is coming and I love to find new cake recipes very year for my 20+ guests.

I decided last week I wanted to make a red velvet cupcake because everytime I go to a  bakery, they are showcasing red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. I knew that I also wanted to make a rich chocolate cupcake because I am a chocoholic and lastly, I wanted to bake something that was fruity. Sweet, rich and delicious.

Epicurious had a great Red Velvet Cupcake recipe with great recommendations and it only made 18-24 cupcakes...perfect. It was really easy to put together and the color was amazing. It was interesting to watch this cupcake mixture come to colorful life. This recipe didn't have a frosting to match. I found a cream cheese frosting that was too heavy in cream cheese. I adapted the recipe and decided to add a hint of cocoa, not necessarily for taste but color. The red velvet cupcake recipe had a hint of cocoa, why not add it to the frosting.

So far, the response has been positive. My family loved them...then again, they love sweets, especially since we don't have cake or cupcakes on a regular basis.

Hopefully, after serving these red velvet cupcakes tomorrow, you'll see all sorts of comments. Try them out, if you like them then consider them for the next few holidays which are almost upon us. Whether Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day, I'm sure you'll have a big fan base after creating these decadent cupcakes!

 Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of water
1 tube of red food coloring (I used the gel)
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla 
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake tins as directed.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and blend well. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring and add to the butter mixture. Sift flour and salt together into this mixture.

One at a time, add the following ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla, and water. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Fold it into the cake batter. Make sure it's incorporated, but don't beat it.

Pour the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cupcakes out of the tins and onto a rack to finish cooling completely.

Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup of butter, softened
1-1/2 to 2 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation:

Place cream cheese and butter into a bowl. Using a hand beater or mixer, beat until well incorporated. Add cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Taste after 1-1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar has been blended. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. When desired sweetness is achieved, add the vanilla.
Frost cupcakes. Eat with pleasure!

 

 

Sarabeth's Chocolate Chubbies...it's chocolate HEAVEN!

 
 

I'm not sure if it's been a stressful week or people are just having sugar cravings but I have had numerous requests for chocolate recipes this week. I have some cake recipes which I want to make but I just haven't had a free moment. I tend to lean towards cookie recipes, especially during the week, because I can make them and bake them in less than an hour...clean up included.

As I mentioned when I made the Chocolate Cloudsa few weeks ago, I ordered and received Sarabeth Levine's cookbook, Sarabeth's Bakery - From My Hands to Yours. I have been having a ball identifying my next baking projects from cakes to breads, cookies and pies. I'm eager to take on some yeast and pastry dough recipes. I really need some baking challenges.

When I started receiving requests for chocolate, I picked up Sarabeth's cookbook and found Chocolate Chubbies. They had three different types of chocolate (unsweetened, bittersweet and semi-sweet) and I thought...what better! The recipe worked up pretty quickly with melted chocolate, sugar and eggs colliding. The recipe had little flour which reminded me of a flour less chocolate cake. Lots of nuts and a bit of semi-sweet chocolate and you have Chocolate Chubbies.

The cookies looked amazing coming out of the oven. They were very fragile while they were hot, but as they cooled they became more solid and chewy. We all tasted them hot as well as cooled. They were very sweet, fudgy, nutty...heaven! My daughter, Danielle, kept saying, "Why did you make these? I can't stop eating them!" I got to try them as batter...which is always good, hot and cooled. Truthfully, they all tasted GREAT! Add a little vanilla ice cream, YUM!

So, I dedicate Chocolate Chubbies to all my friends craving chocolate this week. Everyone needs a little bit of chocolate heaven!

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
9 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62% cacao), finely chopped
3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups of superfine sugar
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) of semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups (5 ½ ounces) of coarsely chopped pecans
1 ¼ cups (4 ½ ounces) of coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the butter in a wide, heatproof bowl, and melt the butter over the hot water in the saucepan. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly but still warm, about 5 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and lightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the tepid chocolate, making sure it is completely incorporated. Change to the paddle attachment and reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed at the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat soft.

Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake the cookies immediately—if you wait, they won’t be shiny after baking. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are set around the edges (if you lift a cookie from the pan, the edges should release easily, even if the center of the cookie seems underdone), 17 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on the baking pans. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, with the layers separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 days.)

Sarabeth's Chocolate Clouds

 

Over the past year, both Jeff and I have had a wonderful time cooking and baking many delicious recipes from famed chefs and food magazines. At Christmas time, Jeff purchase Dorie Greenspan's "around my french table" which we have been religiously cooking from. See Scallops with Carmel-Orange Sauce and Spinach Bacon Quiche.

As I began to do more investigating into Dorie Greenspan, I realized she was connected with David Lebovitz, an American pastry chef living in Paris, who I follow on Facebook and Twitter. I featured his Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies that are (hands down) the best chocolate chip cookies.

Somehow, in the midst of this, I came across Sarabeth Levine, The Goddess of Bakedom. (Don't you just love her title!). She is a pastry chef and founder of Sarabeth's Restaurants. I have been eagerly following her as I love some of the recipes she has showcased. I also asked Jeff to buy me her new cookbook, Sarabeth's Bakery, From My Hands to Yours. I'm looking forward to making a few more of her recipes as she has quite a few hands-on pictures which many of the early reviews have praised. The recipe I came across was the Chocolate Cloud Cookies. They were golden brown and crackly. (They also had a cute little story about Little Miss Muffet.)

The cookies started with toasting some sliced almonds which made the house smell delightful. Almonds have become my "new" favorite food, especially the sea salt almonds. The rest of the recipe blended quickly with the help of our new mixer (Kitchen Aid). Amazing how easy it is to add ingredients and let the machine do the rest. I know that the pictures I have posted don't do the cookies justice, but these are BIG cookies. When you make them, you use an ice cream scoop to place the dough on the cookie sheet. They expand to about 5-6 inches across. They look like bakery cookies.

The chocolate clouds tasted ABSOLUTELY delicious! Crunchy, chewy, buttery, chocolate...did I miss anything? As my tasters- family and friends -were licking their fingers, they asked if there was any toffee in the cookie. I suppose I could say yes as there is butter, brown sugar and almonds in the mix.

If you live in New England, it is down-pouring on the last Friday of February vacation. This is a great afternoon project that will surely put a smile on those receiving these yummy treats. They have two options: 1.they can share this cookie with someone else or 2. enjoy it on their own because no matter how big the cookie...it's only one!

CHOCOLATE CLOUDS
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

BAKERS NOTE: Place the dough about 3 inches apart on the half-sheet pans—they spread.

1 1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups (8 ounces) toasted sliced almonds
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips
 
1. Position the racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 3 half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Rub the sugar and brown sugar together through a coarse wire-mesh wire sieve into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar mixture, then the vanilla. Beat, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until the mixture is pale yellow and light textured, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer speed on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until each addition is incorporated. Add the almonds and chocolate chips and mix just until combined. Empty the dough onto the work surface, and use your hands to thoroughly distribute the almonds and chocolate chips in the dough.
3. Using a 2-inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans. Using the heel of your palm, slightly flatten each ball of dough. Bake two of the pans with the cookies, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are evenly golden brown,15 to 18 minutes. During the last 3 minutes, rap each pan on the rack. The cookies will deflate and their signature cracks will appear on the tops. Repeat with the third pan. Cool on the pans. (Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)

 

Epicurious' Chocolate Toffee Cookies

 

Valentine's Day is Monday. We will spend this weekend looking for candy, flowers and other little trinkets to give our loved one. Before you start spending lots of money, what about something homemade? How about homemade cookies? I attended a Women's Business Network meeting yesterday and basically asked the same question. Then proceeded to pass the container of cookies around for everyone to taste a sample.

Is homemade that hard or have we just gotten out of the habit of reading a recipe? Slice and bake, along with defrost and serve have become an easy past-time for "homemade". But really, how long does it take to make a batch of cookies? Start to finish? Probably 30 to 40 minutes. I know when I bake, I have happy people. Whether it's a snack in someone's lunch or an after dinner dessert, everyone likes something homemade. (I'm going to guilt you into making cookies.)

Back a few weeks ago I came across this recipe, Chocolate Toffee Cookies on the Epicurious website. I wanted to make something chocolaty to showcase for a Valentine's Day recipe. (I'll warn you up front...I have two more recipes.) The cookies looked delicious and I liked the dark rum component. As I was making them, the smell was incredible. The chocolate and rum together gave the impression I was making rich brownies. As it turned out, they did taste like chewy fudgy brownies. I also made them as mini cookies, using a cookie scoop that held about two teaspoons of dough. By doubling the recipe, I ended up with about 80 mini cookies.

My family tasted them and like most cookies I bake, they were a big hit. So good, they went out and purchased vanilla ice cream to enjoy them as mini ice cream sandwiches. The women at the Women's Business Network enjoyed them, too. The best compliment was when one women came up to me at the end of the meeting, as I was getting my empty container, and asked if there were any more left. (Great segue into guilt.)

Now, I will leave everyone with the recipe to these deliciously chewy and chocolaty cookies. I expect to hear about happy faces in every household as people decide not to purchase a gift and make something HOMEMADE!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon of dark rum
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate-covered English toffee (such as Heath bar; about 7 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg, rum and vanilla and beat until well blended. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Mix in toffee and chopped almonds.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto heavy large un-greased baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies puff slightly and crack on top but are still soft to touch, about 11 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely (cookies will become crisp). Repeat shaping and baking with remaining batter. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

 

Bon Appetit's Hazelnut-Cinnamon Biscotti

 

Tuesday, I had to drive across town in the middle of our most recent snow storm. The only good thing about it was stopping at Hilliard's on the way home. Hilliard's is a local chocolate (and incredible candy) store in Easton, MA. They have the best hot chocolate mix and homemade marshmallows. Nothing better when you are in the midst of the 5th snowstorm of the season and more snow to add to the four feet we have already! UGH.

Now that I had the hot chocolate, I needed something to dunk in it. Looking at recipes for chocolate toffee cookies, I realized I didn't need anymore chocolate, I needed something to compliment chocolate. Thumbing through another one of my Christmas gifts, Bon Appetit Desserts: All Things Sweet and Wonderful, I came across quite a few biscotti recipes. I wanted something nutty, but not too sweet. Hazelnut-Cinnamon Biscotti seemed the best choice.

I know I always speak about ease of a recipe and this one was easy! I mixed the entire recipe in my food processor. Outside of having to toast the hazelnuts, I had these blended and in the oven in five minutes. One thing I did was to add some cinnamon sugar to the top of the biscotti. If you saw the picture Bon Appetit displayed it looked like there was a sugary topping.

The biscotti were a perfect match for the hot chocolate. Buttery and nutty with wonderful hints of orange rind and cinnamon. We enjoyed hot chocolate and biscotti at 8:30 PM that night with Jeff's parents. As they are house bound it was nice to hold the warmed mug and dip biscotti as the snow was falling and changing to frozen ice.

As Valentine's day is nearing, why not make some delicious hot chocolate and add a few biscotti. A great gift that will warm any heart! Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of hazelnuts, toasted, husked (about 4 ounces)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon of grated orange peel
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 large eggs

(Topping: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to 3 teaspoons of sugar)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl; set aside.
Coarsely chop hazelnuts in processor. Transfer to small bowl.
Combine sugar and butter in processor; blend until fluffy.
Add orange peel and vanilla extract and blend well.
Add eggs 1 at a time, blending just until incorporated after each addition.
Add flour mixture; mix using on/off turns until just blended.
Mix in hazelnuts using on/off turns until just blended.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 9-inch-long, 2-inch-wide log.
Space logs 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Flatten each to 12-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. (Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.)
Bake until very light golden and firm to touch, about 25 minutes.
Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Using metal spatula, transfer logs to work surface.
Using serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 3/4-inch-wide slices.
Place slices, cut side down, on large baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes.
Turn biscotti over; bake until light golden and firm, about 15 minutes longer.
Transfer biscotti to racks and cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Bon Appetit's Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

 

The February 2011 copy of Bon Appetit Magazine arrived yesterday and pictured on the cover were these amazing Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts. Posted as "Best-Ever Brownies" and "Warning: You will eat the entire tray", I had a challenge on my hands. Eat the ENTIRE tray? These must be pretty good and probably a chocoholic delight.

The recipe was interesting as they have you brown the butter. The smell in the kitchen was amazing as I stirred the foam off the butter. When I added it to the cocoa and sugar it smelled like fudgy brownies. The rest was easy and before I knew it, 20 minutes and they were in the oven. Since I would be eating the tray of brownies, I tried some of the batter...DELICIOUS!

Once the brownies were slightly cooled, I cut into them having sat patiently while the house smelled like a chocolate factory. The brownies were dense, chewy and extremely fudgy. They reminded me of a flour less chocolate cake, but better. I loved the buttery taste which definitely came through with the browned butter. The walnuts were nice and chewy and completed that nutty brownie taste.

Sad to say, I didn't eat the whole tray (though I could have) but we fed 4 delighted people who all asked for seconds. We have a few left which I'm hoping to enjoy today probably warmed with some raspberry sorbet and chocolate sauce...Yum!

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons of (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup of walnut pieces

Preparation

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).

Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

The 12 Cookie of Christmas - Day 12 - Chocolate and Vanilla Sandwich Cookies

 

Finally, the 12th Cookies of Christmas. As I had mentioned earlier, life has been a bit of a whirlwind since the Wednesday before Christmas.

Jeff's parents moved in with us this past August and have an in-law apartment in the back of our house. On Wednesday the 22nd, Jeff's mom fell and broke her hip. After spending two days at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton and six days at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Althea is resting comfortably at the Harrington House (Rehabilitation Center). We expect her home next week.

This put much of my cooking as well as blogging into a tailspin. Between hospital visits and caring for Jeff's dad, dinners (and desserts) were scarce at best. We are finally moving into a more normal pace and blogging will resume at two days a week.

As I tried to figure which would be the twelveth (12th) cookie, I went back and forth between chocolate and fruit. Chocolate won out but in a fun way. (Did you think it wouldn't?) I found one of my favorite recipes and decided to mix it up with vanilla and chocolate. These sandwich cookies are very easy to make with simple ingredients and delicious results. They look like little whoopie pies, but taste better...a little sweeter.

I found this recipe on the side of a Pillsbury's Dark Chocolate Cake box. This is a semi-home made recipe which allows you to make them quickly. It starts with the cake mix and ends with you deciding whether you would like to make your own filling or use purchased frosting.

Ingredients:

1 box of Pillsbury Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (for the vanilla cookies, use yellow cake mix)

1/2 cup of butter, melted

1 egg, slightly beaten

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all three ingredients until they are well combined, forming a ball. Using a tablespoon of dough, roll each ball into a 1-1/2 inch ball. Place on a cookies sheet 2 inches apart. This will yield about 30 balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked.

Cool on cookie racks.

Frosting Ingredients:

2 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup of shortening (crisco)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 egg white

(if you would like to make chocolate frosting, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to one cup of vanilla frosting)

Preparation:

Place egg white, vanilla and shortening in a bowl and beat until slightly lumpy and frothy. Add confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, getting a blended consistency. The frosting is sweet so you may want to add the second cup in intervals, tasting in between.

Once the cookies have cooled, add a tablespoon of frosting to each cookie or more if you like filling. This recipe yields about 15 cookies. If you don't want to make the frosting a prepared frosting will do.

Making both flavors was fun, along with mixing up the chocolate and vanilla frostings. This recipe pleased every taste. Make some for your next celebrating!

 

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 10 - Bread & Chocolate's Cranberry Orange Pistachio Biscotti

 

Last year, the Boston Globe highlighted 10 cookies from area bakeries called Holiday Cookie Extravaganza. I have highlighted a few recipes from this article and decided to try the Cranberry Orange Pistachio Biscotti as my festive holiday cookie.

I love biscotti!

A few years ago, my Christmas Cookie list was filled with biscotti. As we get past the holiday season, I will begin to pull out some of those favorites...maybe as a withdrawal to all of this sugar...ho! ho! ho!

Eunice Feller, owner of Bread & Chocolate Bakery Cafe, had this to say about the cookies, " she likes to have these cookies on the holiday dessert table for her husband’s large Italian family. The biscotti are packed with dried cranberries and pistachios, and a drizzle of melted chocolate sweetens each bite."

She describes very well the deliciousness of these cookies. They are buttery and sweet, but the cranberries, orange and pistachios give it a wonderful fruit and nut flavor. The chocolate compliments the cookie but never overpowers the other ingredients.

Enjoy this biscotti after you have celebrated your holiday meal or maybe you can enjoy it as a wonderful breakfast treat as you unwind from a crazy holiday season.

Ingredients:

5 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and still warm

4 eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 2 medium oranges

1½ cups dried cranberries

1½ cups shelled, unsalted pistachios

Icing

8 ounces good-quality white (or dark) chocolate

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until the dough comes together. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios. Divide the dough in half.

Shape each half into a 13-inch-by-3½-inch rectangular loaf (about 1 inch thick). Place the loaves on the prepared sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Bake in the middle position for 30 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through baking. The loaves should be lightly golden and give slightly in the middle when gently pressed. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on the pan for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and move oven racks to top and lower-middle positions. Carefully transfer the loaves to a large cutting board. Using a long serrated knife in a long sawing motion, cut the loaves into slices ½ to ¾ inch thick. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and place the biscotti cut-side down on them.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, or until the biscotti are firm and lightly golden. (When you rotate the sheets, check the bottom sides of the biscotti; if they are browning, turn over to the other cut side.) Remove the biscotti from the oven and cool completely on the pan.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently. Drizzle or spread it over the tops of the biscotti. Place the biscotti on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax paper, to let the chocolate dry. Store the biscotti in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This makes about 40 biscotti.

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 9 - Peanut Butter Chocolate Coconut Bars

 

I'm not sure where to start with this bar. My mother gave me the recipe after she had attended a holiday party. She never had the written instructions, she just described it. " I think they call them something similar to a Baby Ruth bar", was her response to what these treats were.

I searched the internet and the closest I found to a Baby Ruth Bar recipe was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Coconut Graham Bar. They are similar to the making of a 7 layer bar with fewer ingredients. Butter, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sweetened condensed milk, semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter...that's it...done.

I like these bars because they are sweet and chewy. I get mixed reactions as to whether they taste like coconut or not. The chocolate and peanut butter coat the bar to finish the taste. When you think about the combination of ingredients, it's a bit of a hard sell. I find myself trying to convince people that peanut butter, chocolate and coconut tastes great together.

If you want to have some fun, make a pan of these peanut butter chocolate coconut graham cracker bars and place them at your next function. Don't tell people what is in it until they taste them. 9 times out of 10, they won't care after the first bite, they'll just want to know if they can have another one.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, melted

1-1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs

3 cups of flaked coconut

 1 (14 ounce) can of condensed (sweetened) milk

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of crunchy peanut butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 13 x 9 inch pan, pour melted butter.

Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter and press into a crust covering the bottom of the pan. Place the coconut, in an even layer, over the graham cracker crumbs. Drizzle the condensed milk over the coconut.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and crunchy peanut butter in the microwave or over a double boiler. If you choose the microwave, microwave in increments of 30 seconds as not to burn the chocolate. Stir until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture over cooled bars. Allow the chocolate to harden before cutting.

I cut them into long thin bars and yielded 30 bars.

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 7 - Real Simple's Raspberry-Walnut Crumble Bars

 

This past week, while working with a client, we were looking at blogs and identifying certain websites that had blogs. She asked to view the website Real Simple because she liked the site and wanted to see if they had a blog. As we searched, we came upon their food blog. There was a recipe being highlighted called Raspberry-Walnut Crumble Bars. They looked really good and I hadn't listed a fruit cookie as part of The 12 Cookies of Christmas. (In my "baking" head, raspberry jam constitutes a fruit.)

I went back to the site yesterday and found the recipe to make these delicious looking bars. The ingredients are simple and I had the pan in the oven within 15 minutes. I love recipes like this because it allows me to be baking something while I am preparing other cookie recipes.

The house smelled incredible as the buttery mix and walnuts began to bake. They looked perfect coming out of the oven. My one comment will be that I changed the instructions around a bit. It calls for you to line the pan with parchment paper. I did not. I greased the pan and realized the mixture had plenty of butter and would do fine coming out of the pan. With a little bit of loosening around the pan, it came out in one piece which made it easy to cut into 24 bars.

The taste was "melt in your mouth" delicious. The dough is a bit like shortbread with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. I love the injection of raspberry which just adds to the flavor of the bar. I would actually use this as a substitute for a thumbprint cookie. Not as much filling but just as good.

If you want to make something quick and delicious, try these bars. And if you are adventurous, I'm sure strawberry, apricot or blackberry jam would taste equally as good!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup of raspberry jam
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with the cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).

Transfer two-thirds of the dough to the prepared pan and press in evenly; spread the jam on top.

Crumble the remaining dough over the jam and sprinkle with the walnuts.

Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.

When cool, cut into 24 rectangles (6 rows by 4 rows). Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas- Day 6 -The Revamping of Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookie

 

This past year, I have learned quite a bit about making good chocolate chip cookies. I've learned that when you add dark brown sugar to a recipe it helps give the cookie a crispy, yet chewy consistency. I've also learned that kosher salt helps to give that sweet and salty taste to the already incredible cookie. The large grains of salt balance the sweetness of the cookie. Lastly, chocolate chip cookies taste the best when you use good chocolate, like a 60% cacao bittersweet.

Using what I have learned, I have slightly revamped an already great cookie recipe called Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookie. These are by far the easiest and most delicious chocolate chip cookies you will ever make. My favorite part is that they disappear very quickly, which tells me they are worth making...over and over and over again. These are (by far) our most favorite cookies to make and eat.

Make this a year round favorite!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups of butter

1 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 package of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 package of Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter with sugars until well blended. (You can do this by hand or with an electric beater)

3. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

5. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.

6. Place well rounded tablespoons of cookie dough on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden and the cookie is no longer wet. For crispier cookies, bake to golden (about 10-12).

7. Allow to cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.

8. Enjoy a warm cookie with milk...bet you can't eat just one!

9. Cool completely before storing. Makes about 50-60 cookies and can be frozen for up to 3 months.