A cookie is responsible for saving me from unhealthy doom-scrolling through my Instagram. I lost sight of why I was on Instagram, you know, pics of food and cute furry animals, like Moose. This cookie was the equivalent of that scene in Moonstruck when Cher yells “Snap out of it!” at Nicholas Cage and slaps him. Twice.
The cookie is @paulatankersley’s riff on the Neopolitan Cookie, a triple delight of strawberry, cocoa, and vanilla flavors and colors in one cookie. She adds bits of waffle cones and chocolate chunks and finishes it with a sprinkling of flaky salt. She dressed up a good-looking cookie and made it gorgeous, a real showstopper.
The Cookie
I started with Sarah Kiefer’s recipe for Neopolitan Cookies. Back in the day, when folks discovered marbled cookies, they made separate doughs for each flavor. Sarah (and I am sure others) decided to make one master dough and flavor each portion. Genius, so much easier. Some brilliant person also figured out how to freeze-dry fruits, which can be used to flavor and tint the cookies.
Flour- Sarah uses All-purpose Gold Medal Flour and a weight of 142gm for 1 cup of flour (which is on the high side). If your cookies spread too much try adding a bit more flour (1T) and chilling dough.
The dough is straightforward: Cream butter and sugar, add an egg, and beat again until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until flour is fully incorporated. This is where a scale comes in handy. Weigh the dough and divide it into thirds.
Then the fun begins.
Bling that Cookie, Girl
Cocoa Powder- Dutch Process Cocoa is listed. Use your favorite; keep in mind, Dutch Process is darker in color. I used a combination of Black Cocoa and King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa, a jack of all trades cocoa.
Freeze-dried Fruits- Add both natural color and flavor. I like raspberry for both color and flavor. It’s a little darker in color. Freeze-dried fruit can be ground in a mini-blender or crushed with a rolling pin (or any handy dandy tool). Sift the fruit powder into the dough to remove the seeds. If you want the color to be deeper and more vibrant, add a few drops of food coloring.
Sugar Cones- Break the cones into small pieces. Try the traditional cone if you like, I’m sure it will work too.
Chocolate- use your favorite semi-sweet or dark chocolate, I like Guittard’s Super Chunk or wafers.
Pizazz- The finishing touch, totally optional, after smooshing the doughs together, before adding the bling, roll each dough ball in granulated sugar or fine sanding sugar. Press pieces of the sugar cone and chocolate into the cookie dough.
1cup unsalted butter at room temperature(2 sticks | 227 g)
1 3/4cupgranulated sugar[350 g]
1large egg plus 1 large yolk
2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
Additions
1/2cupof freeze-dried strawberrieswhich equals 8 grams (measured before pulsing)
2tablespoonsDutch-process cocoa powder
2-3 dropsred food coloring optional
Decoration
Sprinkles or granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, pulverize the strawberries into a powder.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
Dump the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into three equal portions. Put one-third of the dough back into the mixer and add the powdered strawberries and food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until totally combined, then remove the dough and quickly wipe out the bowl of the mixer.
Add another third of dough to the mixer. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until totally combined.
Pinch a small portion (about 1/2 oz [15 g]) of each of the three doughs, and press them gently together, so they adhere to each other, but keep their unique colors. Press the piece into a cookie scoop or roll it into a ball, then roll the ball into sprinkles or granulated sugar. Place 6 or 7 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake the cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the cookies are puffed, 10 to 11 minutes.
Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
Use black cocoa powder for a darker color. The powdered strawberries on their own won't give a bright pink hue, so I like to add a little food coloring. I also like to roll each individual color of dough into the same color of sprinkles, but you can mix and match however your heart desires
Whoa, Nellie, it has been a crazy 12 weeks. I knew with a second Trump term, the guardrails that were in place during his first term would be gone, but did I think we would get to Def Con 5 so quickly? Nope. TFG has brought out the absolute worst in folks. I underestimated how many sycophants and folks there are willing to sell democracy down the river for a fistful of dollars and a pocket full of power.
Apolitical-Smaypolitcal
I know a few of you are probably thinking, Gurl, stay in your lane; this is supposed to be a food, travel, and sports blog. We can’t ignore what is happening in our country. Has there ever been a person more woefully unqualified to be a president? Devoid of the temperament, decency, and intellect it takes to be in public office, any office for that matter, even dog catcher. At this moment, he and Elon Musk, I’ve coined them the Douche and Doge Bro, are taking a sledgehammer to everything we hold dear, public education, public libraries, National Parks, Public Lands, and federal agencies like the NIH, FDA, FBI, DOJ, and Homeland Security. He has fired career non-partisan civil servants and replaced them with hacks. A complicit GOP Senate has installed woefully unqualified and corrupt nominees to lead all our institutions.
What a nightmare. All under the guise of waste and fraud in the government and an anti-DEI policy (racism). Tell me how firing Inspector Generals who oversee waste and fraud works to eliminate…waste and fraud 🤦🏻♀️. They are dismantling our system to privatize it and put money into their grubby little hands. Not to mention the cruel, illegal, indiscriminate mass deportation of folks to El Salvador, which is basically like sending folks to hell. NO due process?
Gettin’ Judgey With It
Though the SCOTUS has been bought and paid for, there are still judges, even Republican-appointed ones, who are trying to stem the tide. They know these outrageous, unjustified firings are illegal. This is how unserious the current administration is. 50 years of progress is being dismantled under the guise of anti-wokeness and anti-DEI. A vindictive slash-and-burn policy is not a tool of governance. It is wielding power with a scepter of cruelty.
Hands Off Protest New York City
What Can I Do?
There is a sense of helplessness that has come from this massive attack by the rich on everyday Americans. There are steps we can all take to hopefully stem the tide, save Democracy, and counter that feeling of hopelessness. Take action, we are the ones who will save democracy, this is empowering. So let’s get to it.
Engage in our political process and do some research and reading on your own. Join grassroots political organizations in your area. Create a network of folks to whom you can bounce things off and who will provide sanctuary for you. Start with Indivisible and find your local chapter. Fight the fight you are passionate about. If you are in Los Gatos, check out TWW Los Gatos,a local group under the Indivisible banner.
Call your representatives. Use 5calls.org, the app finds your reps by your address and provides scripts and guidance on issues to call on. Your rep needs to hear from you. Go to their Town Hall meetings or demand that they have one during the recess. All we have is our voice and our vote; use them both.
Rallies, Protests, and Marches. A single voice is not heard, a hundred voices are barely a whisper, but a million voices are loud and clear. Show up. Do it for your family and friends. Bring them along.
These are stressful times. Don’t forget to take time for yourself, your family, and your friends. We are in this for the long haul, so breaks are required to rejuvenate. Balance is necessary.
Who You Gonna Call? Stressbusters
In between calling reps, attending rallies and political meetings, I de-stress by BAKING, cooking, rowing, and venting. The perk of letting me vent to you in a post is a recipe to make something delicious to nosh on while having to listen to me. I recently picked up the cookbook from the team at Republique in LA; it was on sale and contained their amazing Buko Pie (Coconut Cream Pie) recipe. Before tackling the pie, though, I made her Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ll get to the pie yet.
Chocolate Chip Cookies AKA Constitutional Crisis Cookies
The instructions are clear, and the photos of the finished cookies and other recipes in the book are gorgeous. These fall into the category of classic chocolate chip cookies. No nuts, just chocolate pieces surrounded by a buttery, crisp-edged, slightly chewy, soft center cookie.
That’s enough, the batter should not get to the fluffy, light stage.
The key to these cookies is not over-creaming your butter and sugar. My mantra when making cookies is, Don’t overmix and don’t overbake! Err on the side of less time in the oven.
More Tips
I used my big-ass Kitchen Aid mixer to make these cookies. Trust me, you don’t need to. Less is more. The problem with my behemoth is that it is way too easy to overmix. I find this true for quick breads and cakes, too. My theory is that horsepower inadvertently leads to beating too much air into the batter, causing it to deflate and sink. It screws with the structural integrity and weakens it. Try making these cookies by hand or with a portable hand mixer to avoid overbeating.
This dough is ready to be scooped.
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Process
The recipe specifies a #40 scoop. I love details like that. Conversely, if you don’t have one, it is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of dough, roughly 30- 35 grams in weight. Finally, use 30 gms if you have reserved chocolate pieces to press into each dough ball.
Make sure to chill the dough thoroughly. These cookies will spread and result in a pretty thin cookie; chilling stops them from spreading too much.
Pull out your hand-dandy round cookie cutter or a glass. Some of the cookies will spread unevenly while baking. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use the round cutter to corral the cookie into a circle…this applies to y’all with ORCD (obsessive round cookie disorder).
Watch the cookies like a hawk; the edges should be golden brown, and the middle should not look shiny. It will look soft and slightly underdone. Take the cookies out and let them rest on the sheet until cooled. This is subjective; cooled can mean still warm but easy to handle, cause who can wait till they are cool? Then devour. Everyone needs a cookie in the middle of a hostile government takeover.
These are thin and delicious cookies. If you like thicker cookies, reminiscent of Mrs. Fields, try these. Soft and chewy? I swear by these.
Another Chocolate chip cookie recipe, cause you can never have too many. From the Republique in LA, a crispy-edged, tender, chewy center cookie with dark chocolate pieces-that is it, no nuts, no nothing else, just plain delicious.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword buttery, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate pieces, drop cookies, Republique
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1-1/3cups plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour175gms
3/4tspbaking soda5 gms
1/4tspfine sea salt
Creamed Mixture
1/2cupunsalted butter 110gmspliable but still cold
3/4cupplus 1 Tbsp light brown sugar130 gms
1/2cupgranulated sugar 100 gm
1largeegg
The Star
1cupplus 2 Tbsp chopped dark chocolate 150 gms60% to 72% cacao
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside.
Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the mixture on medium speed until just incorporated—but no longer. Scrape down the bowl, add the baking soda, salt and egg, and mix until just incorporated. Feel free to make the dough by hand or using a portable mixer, less chance of over mixing.
Add the flour to the butter mixture all at once. Again mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate just until evenly distributed. Reserve ~12 pieces of chocolate to press into the top of each cookie dough ball. This insures you will have a nice piece of chocolate showcased in each cookie.
Using a #40 (2 oz) ice cream scooper, scoop the dough onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment, press a piece of chocolate in each one, then wrap with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. This helps prevent cookie spread, it is still a pretty thin cookie.,
Remove the cookie balls from the refrigerator and bake until the edges are crispy and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. (Bake for less time if you like your cookies chewy and longer if you like them crispier.) Cool on the baking sheet or serve warm. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
The scooped dough can be frozen until solid and then transfer to a resealable plastic bag and kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Bake straight from the freezer adding a minute or two/
I know you all know I am a city girl at heart. Give me skyscrapers, bridges, cars, museums, and bright lights any day. Not that I don’t appreciate mountains, forests, and nature, but I prefer the urban jungle. Whenever we get the chance, we head into The City for the day, Chinatown, the Ferry Building, and Hayes Valley are my favorite areas to wander around. There is always something going on. Last weekend we headed to the City for the Hallyu exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. A look at Korean culture & K-Pop that has taken the world by storm. (Check out my video on IG, for a glimpse at the exhibit).
Lucky for us, the Asian Art Museum also hosted its annual Artisan Fair that weekend. They had a variety of vendors including crafters, cosmetics, books, and food. I rarely leave empty-handed. One of my favorites is the Taiwanese soy sauce from Liv Cook Eat. Brewed with black soybeans, these soy sauces are sweeter with a nice rounded flavor. We are hooked on both their Finishing Soy and Delicate Soy. They’re a bit pricy but we are worth the splurge. LOL. Next to the soy sauce sat a row of Soy Sauce Infused Chocolate Chip Cookies by Eating with Edmund. You know I had to try one. The cookies were delightful, crispy-edged, buttery, and chocolatey. The flavor was nuanced and subtle. It leaves you wondering, what is that mellowness in this cookie? I think it’s the soy sauce.
Soy Sauce Me Up
Soy Sauce: This is a classic chocolate chip cookie with a tweak, the soy sauce. Although any soy sauce would work there are distinct differences between soy sauces. Liv Eat Cook is Taiwanese and is made with black soybeans. It has a richer, rounder flavor than soy sauce made in China or Hong Kong. It usually has sugar which makes it a touch sweeter. Chinese Soy Sauces generally have more sodium, so a bit saltier. Use Dark Chinese Soy Sauce (Lao Chou) which is less salty than the light soy sauce and has a touch of molasses as a sub. Japanese soy sauces are generally lighter, and a touch sweeter. I assume that would be fine. Tamari would work also.
Flour: The OG Cookie from Eating with Edmund was soft and delicate. I increased the flour by 10% (330 grams) for a sturdier cookie. If I browned the butter, I would use his original 300gms of flour since moisture is lost when browning butter. Browned butter would give the cookies a nice toasty flavor, worth a try. I used King Arthur flour AP which has a higher protein content than Gold Medal. If using GM flour I would increase the amount of flour by 5-10%.
Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work. I used light brown sugar.
Chocolate: Chocolate chips can be used but I prefer chopping up a bar. Mainly for presentation, different-sized & shaped pieces seem to look better. Reserve enough pieces to be pressed into the surface of each dough ball right before baking. Puddles of chocolate on the surface of each cookie, a nice look.
Toffee: Toffee and soy sauce complement each other. I used TJ’s Toffee Bars, chopped into pieces for 1/2 of the chocolate. Delish.
Bang-a-Pan; A couple of minutes before the cookies finish baking, rap the pan to deflate the cookies to create ridges. Optional.
The Swirl: Chocolate pieces, toffee, and marshmallows tend to melt and ooze creating funny-shaped cookies. No worries, invest in a 3-4 inch round cookie cutter (or a glass will work too). As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place your round cutter over those cookies and swirl, voila’ perfectly round cookies. Of course, if you don’t mind them not being perfectly round…skip this step!
The Finish: I love finishing these cookies with a sprinkle of flaked salt like Maldon.
2tablespoonsLiv Cook Eat Finishing Dark Soy Sauceor your favorite dark soy sauce
2large eggs
1/2tspalmond extractoptional
Dry Ingredients
2 1/2cupsall-purpose flour (I use King Arthur Flour)300 grams
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking soda
Adds
1cupbittersweet dark chocolatechips, chunks, or chopped
1/2 cupChocolate Toffee bar, I use TJ chocolate toffeechopped, sustitute for 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips (optional)
Sea salt flakes like Maldon for sprinkling on cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F and line baking sheet with parchment paper
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda and set aside
In a separate bowl cream together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, soy sauce, and (optional) almond extract
Add eggs one at a time to the wet mixture and cream together
Add 1/3 of the dry mix into the wet at a time and fold together. With the last third of the dry mix, add in the chocolate & toffee if using. Tip: Careful not to overmix or you’ll end up with tough cookies. You can be a tough cookie, but don't want to eat one.
Use a medium cookie scoop (#40) or ~roll 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into balls with spoons and place on a lined baking sheet, min of 2 inches apart
Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes
Remove from oven, sprinkle with flaked salt and swirl with cookie cutters to bring them into round.
Notes
Suggestions for best results with more complex flavors and textures:
Chop bars of baking chocolate into chunks
The varying sizes of the chocolate chunks and flakes incorporated into the cookie make every bite unique
Brown the butter ahead of time! Melt the butter in a small pot until it turns a deep amber color. Stir and scrape the bottom/sides constantly to incorporate the milk solids. Let cool and solidify to room temp
The browned butter makes for a nuttier, more complex flavor profile
The weather has taken a definite turn so I am pivoting from stress cooking to cookie baking. It’s windy, cold, and wet, it’s time to crank up the oven and test a few cookie recipes. Which new cookie will reign supreme and star in this year’s holiday cookie box? I usually don’t start this early, generally opting to wait for NYTcooking to publish their holiday cookie spread, but a couple of recipes caught my eye, a Chewy Brownie Cookie and a Soy Sauce Chocolate Chip Cookie. I thought to myself, I might as well start now.
Let the Cookie Games Begin
The first one that caught my eye is from New York Times Cooking, Vaughan Vreeland’s Chewy Brownie Cookies. Before I sing the praises of this cookie, have you all watched any of Vaughan’s videos? They’re not only instructive but entertaining and downright hilarious. Check out his wedding cake video, a classic.
The Cookie Lowdown
The cookie batter comes together quickly and is baked right after it is made to achieve the shiny tops. It’s best to have everything ready before you start combining and mixing the ingredients. Mise en place pays here.
Measure and pour flour into a small bowl. Set aside.
Chocolate: Use your favorite chocolate. I like Guittard’s Semi-sweet chocolate. For serious chocolate folks, bittersweet would give a more intense, less sweet cookie.
Cocoa Powder: I don’t think it matters what cocoa powder dutch-processed or natural will work. King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa Powder combines Dutch-process, natural, and black cocoa and can be used in recipes that call for either. My default.
Espresso Powder:
For the first batch, I used King Arthur’s espresso powder and you could taste the coffee. I used Medaglia d’Oro for a second batch and could not taste any coffee. Although the intent is for the espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor, I liked the flavor the King Arthur espresso powder added to the cookie.
Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, espresso, and cocoa powder into the saucepan. Let it sit a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate then stir until smooth.
Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature to maximize the air bubbles. There aren’t any leavening agents so it’s the eggs that provide lift. Whisk the eggs and sugars together, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat for 3-5 minutes until light and ribbony. Whisk in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the chocolate mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat until well blended. Add flour and mix until only a few streaks of flour are showing. Finish folding the flour into the batter by hand to avoid over beating.
Working quickly, plop batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a #40 scoop. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees. At the 8-minute mark take the sheet out and rap on the counter to create the crackle pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle flaky salt, like Maldon, on each cookie and return the sheet to the oven for an additional 2- 3 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
With crisp edges, a gooey center, and chocolate flavor throughout, this Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookie is a winner and so deserves a spot on the holiday cookie list. 🎄🎄🎄
¾cupfinely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate(113 grams)
½cupunsweetened cocoa powder(42 grams)
1teaspoonespresso powder
½cupunsalted butter(113 grams)
Whisked Mixture
2large eggsat room temperature
¾cupgranulated sugar(150 grams)
½cuppacked dark brown sugar (107 grams)
1teaspoonkosher salt
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
¾cupall-purpose flour(90 grams)
Flaky sea saltfor finishing
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly but not browned, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso over the chocolate mixture. Without stirring, let the mixture sit so the residual heat can melt the chocolate thoroughly while you whip the eggs and sugar. Stir and set aside.
Put the eggs, both sugars and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (If using a hand mixer, a large bowl will do.) Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pillowy and the sugars have begun to dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir the chocolate mixture until glossy and smooth. (If any solid pieces of chocolate remain, you can microwave the mixture in 10-second bursts until everything is melted.)
With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla extract and then the chocolate mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed, then add the flour and mix on low speed until only a few streaks of flour remain. To avoid overmixing, use a spatula to finish folding in the flour. The dough should be glossy and resemble a very thick brownie batter.
Using a 2-tablespoon/1-ounce scoop, scoop a heaping amount of the dough into mounds directly onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, with each portion at least 2 inches apart, yielding about 18 cookies. Work quickly to ensure the cookies stay shiny once baked.
Bake for 8 minutes until the cookies have started to spread and take on a shiny outer surface, then remove the pans from the oven and whack them on the countertop a couple times to create a cragged top. (This also helps create a fudgier consistency.) Top with flaky sea salt and return to the oven to finish baking, for another 2 minutes until shiny and slightly puffed. Cool for a couple minutes directly on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
In the Big Apple, Dim Sum & Then Some…Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yay. Back to my second favorite city in the world…New York. In the immoral words of Tony Bennett, I left my heart in San Francisco and it will always be first. But wow, New York, I love you. Every time I return to this amazing city I am in awe of its energy. The number of people that converge to live, work and play in Manhattan, all at the same time, is intimidating but oh so amazing. Blaring horns, wailing sirens, screeching tires, rumbling subways trains, people yelling, music playing, dogs barking, the sounds of vibrant, urban life.
Home Away From Home
We are staying in LES (Lower Eastside) which exemplifies NYC. We are within walking distance of neighborhoods that represent every economic strata. Much like San Francisco, it is not unusual to walk a couple of blocks in any direction and see, homeless folks on the streets, millennials with their backpacks or totes making their way to the FiDi, the down and out struggling with addiction, to folks decked out in designer wear enjoying a latte and 8 dollar croissant.
The Daily Grind
Frequently, we walk Moose to Chinatown to pick up my favorite breakfast, rice roll noodles filled with bbq pork and veggies, slathered with chili oil, peanut sauce, and hoisin. Sitting on a stoop we wash it down with Milk Tea. Other mornings, we’ll walk down Ludlow to BBF, a Japanese Taverna where I pick up a coffee and an onigiri (a generous, warm ball of rice topped with pork belly or mushrooms). Our daily walks, navigating the streets through the LES, Chinatown, Ukranian Village, and Little Italy, are all reminiscent of growing up in San Francisco.
Left top corner BBQ Pork Pineapple & Siu Mai Bun Mei Lai Wah 🥟🥟 🥟 🥟 Clockwise dim sum assortment from Royal Seafood, Big Chicken Bun Royal again 🥟🥟 🥟
I am keenly aware of how lucky I am to enjoy a life built by the hard work and struggles of those who came before me. Gung Gung, my grandfather, left his wife and my dad in China and sailed to America looking for a way to support them. My dad, a Paper Son, came to this country at 16 and lived with folks who took him in because he came from the same village in China. This made them family. My mom, the eldest of 6 kids, started her own hair salon at 17 but continued to study to become a businesswoman and real estate broker. Their focus was always on the future and a better life.
In Search Of…
We headed to midtown today, in search of shoes. In particular, Hokas. I developed plantar fasciitis, so to keep doing what I love best in Manhattan, WALKING. I needed new shoes. Not to mention, I can hardly shirk my Moose-walking duties since this is my “excuse” for spending time in the Big Apple. Mission accomplished, my feet feel infinitely better. This calls for a celebration…coincidentally, there is a Levain Bakery close by. We stop for one of their scrumdidilyumptious chocolate chip cookies.
On our last visit we sampled a variety of CCC in NYC, so you wouldn’t have to (tough job, somebody’s got to do it). Our winners included Levain’s, best described as a ginormous chocolate-filled, scone-like warm cookie, and Jacques Torres’s, classic CCC, oh-so-delicious. Not surprisingly, the chocolate in his cookies is amazing.
The hubs tried Levain’s popular Blueberry Muffin to compare it to Hummingbird’s version, which we make at home. Honestly, our homemade one is just as good if not better. This got me thinking, is there a recipe out there for Levain’s CCC so I could make my own and avoid spending 5 dollars for a cookie, lol?
Pancake Princess to the Rescue
I turned to a favorite site, Princess Princess to search for a Levain knock-off. Not familiar with Pancake Princess? Best described as a one-woman version of America’s Test Kitchen. She will test a slew of different recipes, in this case, Levain CCC knock-offs, and invite tasters to help her select the best of the bunch. Her top two included Stella Parks’s from Serious Eats, and one from Hijabs and Aprons. I perused both and decided to try Hijabs and Aprons as the recipe looked simpler and did not require resting the dough for 12 hours before baking (total dealbreaker). I’m all about the path of least resistance.
It’s a good thing I picked the simpler recipe…rummaging through our home away from home kitchen, I found a gorgeous red ceramic bowl, one big spoon and a rubber spatula, a small cookie sheet, and a tiny (almost worthless) whisk. I get the feeling very little baking goes on here.
Tips for Baking in a Tiny, No Baking Tools Kitchen
I made sure the butter was room temp soft but not melty, after all, I only had a spoon to mix with. Then, I ran downstairs for Guittard chocolate chips, a tiny bag of Gold Medal AP Flour (4 dollars!), vanilla extract, and dove in.
I muscled through beating the butter and sugars (unless you are lucky enough to have a mixer handy in which case, don’t overbeat). Next, add eggs and vanilla, then sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the creamed mixture. Finally, fold the dry ingredients in and add chocolate chips and nuts last.
Voila’ that’s it. It took significantly longer than if I had a mixer but at least I got an arm workout. Use classic chocolate chips, not chunks, and don’t bother cutting up a chocolate bar. These cookies depend on a nice, even distribution of chips throughout the cookie.
The OG cookies call for walnuts but feel free to use pecans or another nut. If you like that tannic, slightly stringent bite, use walnuts. Best to make these cookies as directed, BIG, 5-6 ounces of dough. The cookies will be crisp with browned edges on the outside but moist and buttery on the inside. You can make them smaller but the textural difference between the exterior and interior won’t be as pronounced.
When scooping out dough, don’t smooth the dough into a ball. The craggy edges give the cookie character so plop the dough on the sheet, trying to keep the overall shape round.
Bake until the edges are a nice deep golden brown. Serve WARM, really, so much better warm and gooey. I zap next-day cookies in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up before eating.
These easy-to-make cookies will satisfy your Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie craving and save you a couple of bucks.
2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted300g. (Gold Medal works)
1½tspbaking powder
1tspbaking soda
1/2tspfine sea saltor 1 tsp kosher salt
2cupswalnuts, roughly chopped250g , if omitting walnuts, you can add roughly 50g extra AP flour
2cupsdark chocolate chips 325g Use a dark or semi-sweet that you like, I like Guittard’s chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy smooth (about 3 minutes).
Add the first egg and beat on low-medium speed until fully incorporated. Repeat with the second egg. Add vanilla. MIxture will be soft and creamy
Add flour mixture to the mixing bowl. On low speed, pulse a few times to blend flour into creamed mixture. Low speed to prevent flour from exploding in your face.
Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
Form and place eight 6-ounce rough/messy balls of cookie dough into your lined baking sheet. If you have a scale, weigh the dough then divide into 8-12 cookies. Each one will be approximately 4-6 ounces, as a general goal/guideline. Also, if the edges of the cookie dough ball are rough/not smooth, that’s better. I use 2 tablespoons In my experience, if you like craggly crispy tops, it’s best if you barely mush it together and smack it onto the pan.
At this point, if your dough seems like it has softened due to your kitchen's temperature or too much handling with hands, refrigerate the dough-balls for about half an hour before baking. Because of the relatively high flour content in this recipe, the dough tends to be pretty stiff and doesn’t require chilling.
Pop the pan(s) into the oven for 12-16 minutes. This time variation depends on your oven (I’m using conventional top and bottom heat, not convection) as well as whether or not you chilled your dough (and for how long). I recommend checking (look, don’t touch) the cookies every minute after hitting the 11 minute mark. Ideally, you want patches of deep golden brown and lighter golden brown.
No matter what, you need to let these cookies set! Similar to steak, you’ve gotta take the cookies out while they’re technically a bit undercooked, and let them finish cooking in the still-hot pan in order to achieve the cooked-but-gooey center. The amount of walnuts/chocolate chips will make it hard to really check the inside without just breaking a cookie in half.
If you need to reuse your baking sheet for the second batch of 4-cookies, you can do so. Just make sure the pan is clean of grease and has cooled down before you place the dough-balls on it.
Notes
FREEZING DOUGH: If you’d like to freeze the dough for later use, go right ahead! To be completely honest, I don’t know how long the dough stays good in the freezer (at least a month for sure from my own experience). Wrap the dough balls individually in plastic wrap and freeze them. You can thaw them for about 20-30 minutes prior to placing on a parchment lined sheet and baking them.SMALLER COOKIES: The only alternative size I’ve tried for these cookies is 3oz (half of my original). I would bake them at 375ºF for 10-12 minutes. Again, the time will depend on the oven. When baking a single chilled dough ball in my toaster oven, 375ºF for 11 minutes is perfect. Any more time and the center is overbaked.
In my effort to curtail my cookbook acquisitions, I have limited my cookbook buying to books by POC authors. There are exceptions of course, anything by Dorie Greenspan and if you own a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, Maine, and pub a new book, iykyk 😉, I’m all in.
Here is my weak defense. Pickowicz, at first glance, is not an Asian last name, so the fact that she is part Chinese escaped me. The title, More Than Cake also threw me off. I’m not a big cake person, more of a cookies and pies gal. As soon as I saw the word Cake…I tuned out, the MORE THAN got by me.
When I realized she was Asian and that her book contained WAY more than just cake, her book landed on my radar. Then I found out she organizes amazing BAKE Sales for Planned Parenthood and Brigid Alliance and has raised thousands of dollars (lots of thousands), so I ordered a copy immediately. It now has a spot on my cookbook shelf.
Holiday Traditions
Thanksgiving is in the books (no pun intended) which means a couple of things in our house. First, I play Patrick Stewart’s version of A Christmas Carol which also kicks off 24-7 holiday music in our house, I am so stoked. Second, time to plan those holiday cookie boxes! I pulled out More Than Cake and found her recipe for Nubby Granola Shortbread. Shortbread, y’all know I LOVE shortbread. Time for a test run.
These crispy, buttery bites are made in a food processor. A little pulse magic and the dough is done. How easy is that? Plus, shortbread cookies travel well and keep longer than most cookies. These are delicious, lighter, and crunchier than traditional shortbread, perfect with a cuppa coffee or tea. I made a batch of Jule’s Granola which worked perfectly in these cookies. Flecks of dried fruit from the granola added a bit of color and sweetness to the shortbread, an unanticipated bonus.
PLUS, I’ll fill cute canning jars with the remaining granola to give away. Oh this cookie is definitely going in the holiday cookie box.
Tips
Use your favorite granola, store-bought or homemade. You don’t have to make your own. I love making granola so NBD.
Using a food processor makes quick work of the dough. It starts with chilled butter (yay no waiting for butter to soften).
Rice flour makes for a fine texture, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth-cookie. Bob’s Red Mill has rice flour and can be found at larger supermarkets, Whole Foods, and online.
No rolling out dough, the dough is pressed into the pan. The recipe can be cut in half and baked in an 8×8 pan.
The tricky part of this recipe is the baking time. Rice flour produces a drier cookie than AP flour therefore try not to overbake these cookies. After removing the pan from the oven, lightly score the dough and allow to cool. Once cooled, cut through the score marks. Sprinkle with flaky salt and dust generously with powdered sugar to finish cookies.
A buttery, crunchy, gluten-free shortbread cookie that keeps and travels well. This is a keeper.
This breakfast-inspired shortbread is a great way to use your favorite granola. It adds a nice crunch to the buttery cookie. Sandy ultrafine rice flour makes a melt-in-your-mouth fine texture. It's delicious!
Course cookies, granola, shortbread
Cuisine American, Asian-American
Keyword granola, Shortbread
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 27 minutesminutes
Ingredients
2cupsyour favorite granola
3/4cupwalnut piecespecans or almonds would work but lack that characteristic tannic edge of walnuts
2cupswhite rice flour
3/4cupgranulated sugar
1teaspoonkosher salt
8ouncesunsalted butter (2 sticks)cut into 1/2-inch cubes, well chilled
Finish
flaky sea salt
powdered sugarfor dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Fit a sheet of parchment paper into a quarter-sheet pan (9 by 13 inches). Lightly mist the parchment with cooking spray.
In a food processor, combine the granola, nut pieces, white rice flour, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, and pulse until the mixture is pebbly and fine.
Add the butter and pulse another 8 to 10 times, until the mixture feels like damp, coarse breadcrumbs. The butter should almost disappear into the dry ingredients but not be taken so far that the dough is clumping and gathering around the blade.
Scatter the dough evenly in the prepared sheet pan. Use your knuckles to lightly press the crumb into an even layer. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. Do not apply too much pressure, as this would make the shortbread dense and gummy.
Bake until the edges of the shortbread are lightly browned, and the center feels soft but cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes (see tip).
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the surface with flaky sea salt. While the shortbread is still hot, use a small knife to score it into 24 squares.
Let cool completely, then cut the cookies, still in the pan, along the scored lines and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
The pan of shortbread can be held in the freezer for up to 1 month and baked from frozen.The shortbread can be stored, tightly wrapped at room temperature, for up to 1 week.TECHNIQUE TIP: It's tricky to tell when an unfamiliar recipe is done in your oven. Never throw away a seemingly botched batch of anything — there's always another purpose for it. If the baked shortbread tastes undercooked or feels gummy, invert the shortbread onto a clean sheet pan, so the crumbs spill out. Break it up with your fingers and bake again at 325 F for 10 minutes. Now you have instant streusel. Is the shortbread overbaked and dry? Tip the crumbs into a food processor and blend until fine and add big handfuls to your next layer cake.
I’m not sure how many chocolate chip cookie recipes I have but it seems you can never have too many. I came across yet another CCC from Sturbridge Bakery, a delightful blog from Jess Italiano. Initially, it caught my attention on Instagram., the photos and the title just popped out at me, Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am usually not one for soft and chewy but I was determined to try this one. Why?
Let Me Tell You Why
We just returned home from our road trip to Salt Lake City. We were bringing Moose, my kid’s dog, back to them. 😢😢😢 We have been taking care of him since they made the big move from Houston to New York City. Now they were ready to take him to the Big Apple. I’m gonna miss that little pup, despite the fact that he doesn’t listen, runs away, and hogs the bed. He is just so damn cute, you immediately forgive him any transgressions.
We dropped him off with Sam in Salt Lake City and said our goodbyes, he was visibly traumatized, NOT, just me. The following morning, bright and early, we headed back to California…sans doggo. 😢
We stopped at a Raley’s Supermarket to load up on consolation, I mean road goodies, including Pepperidge Farms Soft Baked Santa Cruz Oatmeal Cookies.
BLEAH
Okay, maybe I was depressed but I took one bite and wanted to hurl it out the window! It just tasted so FAKE to me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a cookie snob (well, ok maybe I am), I LOVE PF’s Mint Milano, Bordeaux, and Chessman cookies. I guess I’m just not a fan of their soft-baked line.
So when Sturbridge Bakery’s Chewy BBCCC popped up, I thought I’d give it a whirl. After all, gazillions of folks, like my hubby, love soft, chewy cookies. I couldn’t let him continue buying Pepperidge Farms Soft-Bake, nope, nope, nope.
Holy jumpin’ chocolate catfish. They’re REALLY good. Soft, slightly chewy, filled with chocolate, two kinds, dark and semi-sweet, with a rich buttery, caramel-ly cookie. Damn delicious.
The Secret of Sucess, for Soft, Amazing Cookies
Brown the butter. Everyone has been jumping on the brown butter wagon. It intensifies the butter flavor and gives the cookies a nutty, caramel flavor. YUMMO. This is an added step but replaces having to cream the butter and sugar. Not a bad trade-off. Keep your eye on the pot, it goes quickly.
When browning the butter use a light-colored ceramic pot or a shiny stainless steel pot so you can see the browned bits easily.
Light (golden) or dark brown sugar. I used golden but I’m sure dark would work too. Brown sugar adds those yummy caramel overtones and moisture.
Sour cream makes up for the moisture loss by browning the butter and also tenderizes the cookie.
Two kinds of chocolate. Dark, or bittersweet and semi-sweet are combined for a nuanced, complex cookie. If you are making these for kids, skip the dark chocolate and use just semi-sweet. Your kids will thank you. You will have plenty of time to make these with dark chocolate when they are older. 😉. Don’t let chopping a bar of chocolate stop you from making these cookies. Don’t feel like chopping? By all means, use chocolate chips. I like the Guittard’s Super Chip or TJ’s Chocolate Chunks. Nowadays the percentage of cacao in chips is provided, and you can tailor the sweetness or boldness of the chocolate in your cookies.
Pretty Little Cookies, Tricks of the Trade
Don’t put all of the chocolate chunks into the batter. Reserve a chunk or two for each cookie. After scooping each ball of dough, press a reserved chocolate chunk into the top of each cookie. Portion the dough using a #24 scoop (~3 T/50 grams) ice cream scoop. Give them plenty of space on your cookie sheet, they will spread.
Here’s the Scoop-Invest in a couple of different sized ice cream scoops like these. This helps create uniform sized and round cookies.
The Sarah Move-If you like cookie crinkles. A couple of minutes before the cookies are done baking, rap the sheet on the oven rack. This causes the cookies to deflate creating the rippled edge.
Cookie cutters-If they are unevenly shaped, using a large cookie cutter, surround each cookie and swirl the cutter molding the cookie to a circular shape. Ta-da perfectly round cookies, and you thought they baked that way. This also creates more ridges for textural interest as you have compressed the cookies.
No Overbaking Zone-Don’t overbake these cookies. Remove cookies from the oven when the edges look solid, slightly golden and there is still a little shine at the center of the cookies. The cookies will continue to bake.
Salt but no Peppa Move-Sprinkle a bit of flaky salt or Maldon Salt on the cookies when you pull them out of the oven for that sweet-salty vibe. Optional.
PSA-If you like to bake, invest in a scale, my mantra.
There you have it, soft cookies so you don’t need to buy “those” commercial cookies ever again.
A soft, chewy, caramelly chocolate chip cookie made with brown butter and no nuts!
Course cookies, Dessert, drop cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword chewy, chocolate chip cookie, soft
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 11 minutesminutes
Servings 18cookies
Ingredients
Butter, Sugar & Wet Stuff
211grams15 tablespoons unsalted butter brownedyou should have 170 grams or ¾ cup* after browning
150grams¾ cup brown sugarlight or dark is fine
50grams¼ cup granulated sugar
½tablespoonvanilla extract
1large egg room temperature
20grams1 heaping tablespoon sour cream room temperatureWeigh if possible
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspooncornstarch
1teaspoonsalt
225grams all purpose flourabout 1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon
The Star
100gramssemi-sweet chocolate coarsely choppedKid's cookies, use all semi-sweet Chocolate chunks or pieces
100gramsdark chocolate coarsely chopped
Instructions
If using bar chocolate, chop your chocolate into chunks and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle - let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.
Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter. Watch it carefully, you don't want it to burn. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl on a scale. You should have 170gms of brown butter or if you don't have a scale measure out 3/4 cup. Pour the measured amount into a bowl and put it in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take the butter out of the fridge and add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Add the egg and whisk well until completely combined. Add the sour cream and blend.
Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until incorporated.
Add the flour and fold it into the mixture using a rubber spatula until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chopped chocolate and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in.
Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for 3 hours. Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop (use a 1.5 oz scoop #24, about ~3 tablespoons or ~50 grams) and space them 2-3 inches apart on your baking sheet.
Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underdone. Rotate pan halfway through baking. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely. See post for notes on perfectly round cookies with ridges.
Notes
You will need ¾ cup or 170 grams of browned butter for the recipe. Water from the butter evaporates during browning and we need to account for the lost moisture which is why we start with more butter and add sour cream.
I wanted to include an ube dessert or cookie in my “Maui Strong” box for Lahaina. Since I had made Ube Mochi Muffins for the Ukraine Cookie Box I opted for Constellation Inspiration’sMarbled Ube Cookie. I have been eyeing her recipe for quite a while, and here was my chance to try it. I baked the first sheet of cookies, and waited patiently (not really) for the cookies to cool. With that first bite, I knew this cookie was going in the box. Not only are they delicious but they are so eye-catching. A great addition to the cookie box. In fact, I think…
Prince Would Love This COOKIE
Adding Ube extract and powder creates this gorgeous purple color that just POPS. Ube, or purple yam or potato is popular in Southeast Asia, in particular the Philippines. It has a vanilla, kind of nutty flavor, and “coconutty” aroma that lends itself well to desserts, bread, and pastries. It’s definitely having a moment right now with the rising popularity of Filipino food.
Making the Cookie
The cookie dough is essentially a vanilla sugar cookie. Start by creaming softened butter and sugar until smooth, not fluffy (to avoid a cakey cookie). Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat to combine, and stir in the flour mixture.
Here comes the hard part, well, actually the hard part comes before making the dough. Where to find ube powder and extract. If you live in the Bay Area, you can find ube powder and extract by Butterfly or McCormick at most Asian grocery stores. If not, there is always Amazon 🤷🏻♀️
Divide the dough in half (this is where a scale comes in handy). Put half of the dough back in the mixing bowl and add ube extract and powder to it. On the lowest speed of your mixer, blend the ube into the dough being careful not to overmix. You can do this by hand to avoid overworking the dough if you like.
.Using a tablespoon scoop, form dough balls with each dough and place them on a cookie sheet. It is like having all your ducks in a row before the next step.
Smoosh together a dough ball of each color. Try to wrap one of the dough around the other to create the marble effect. Then roll each in granulated sugar. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, and bake 11-14 minutes, rotating the sheet at the halfway mark. Remove when the edges are just golden.
If you like ridges on the edge (all the rage right now) tap the cookie sheet 2-3 minutes before they come out of the oven. This causes the cookie to deflate and make a ripple effect. Sometimes the cookies are wonky in shape, if so, place a cookie cutter or glass (slightly bigger) over the cookie and swirl it to shape them into circles. Or don’t, they’ll be delicious either way.
These Marbled Ube Cookies are a showstopper. A lovely ube-flavored vanilla cookie with crispy edges, a chewy center, with a nice crunch from the sugar. I’ll be making these again, and again…and again.
Ube Marbled Cookies, a gorgeous cookie that tastes as good as it looks.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword drop cookie, marbled ube cookie, sugar cookie, ube
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 12 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour270gm
1/2tspbaking powder
1/4tspbaking soda
1/2tspsalt
Creamed Mixture
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature227gm
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and more for rolling250gm
1large eggroom temperature
2tspvanilla extract
Additions to Dough
2tbspubepurple yam powder, see note
1tspube extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and 1-1⁄4 cups (250 g) of the sugar on medium speed until they are smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined and no more streaks of the flour mixture remain, about 45 seconds.
Divide the dough into two equal portions (a scale comes in handy here) and leave one portion in the mixer. Add ube powder and extract to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined. The combination of ube powder and extract makes a nice purple color, no need for food coloring.
Take a heaping tablespoon of each dough and combine the dough by rolling between the palms of your hands to create a ball. I used a #40 ice cream scoop.
Toss the dough balls in a bowl of granulated sugar until each is coated.
Place dough balls on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each ball. Bake cookies for 11 to 14 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Right before the cookies are ready to come out of the oven, tap the baking sheet on the oven rack a few times to create the ripple edges. Do not overbake.
Remove cookies from oven. If the cookies aren't round, place a circular cookie cutter or glass over the warm cookie and gently swirl the cookie to reshape. Then allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Ube powder and extract can be found in most Asian markets or online.
Nuts for Macadamia Shortbread (Cookies for Lahaina)
It sucks to feel helpless which is exactly how I felt while watching the coverage of the wildfires in Maui. In a twisted way, it brought back memories of a family trip to Maui right before COVID to celebrate hubby’s birthday and retirement. We spent his b-day in Lahaina. We grabbed shaved ice at Ululani, strolled down Front Street, and took in the majesty and beauty of the ancient Banyan Tree in the heart of town. We finished the day with a scrumptious dinner at Lahaina Grill and a stroll on the beach. The stark reality of the devastation in Lahaina jolted me out of my memories and morphed into a voice in my head, “How are you going to help, Deb”.
Today, amid the ruins, that Banyan Tree is struggling to survive. Arborists are hopeful that the tree will survive, emblematic of the resiliency of the people of Maui.
I resorted to what I do when I am sad or stressed and feeling helpless, I baked. For a box of homemade goodies, I asked friends and family to donate any amount to either Chef Hui Maui Reliefto help feed folks displaced by the fire, and to Hawaii Community Foundation/Maui Strongto provide immediate and long-term resources for recovery.
A Big Mahalo
We raised over 1,500 dollars which was split between the two organizations ❤️❤️❤️. Thank you for your generosity and for giving me a reason to bake! 👏👏👏. It is greatly appreciated.
The Box
I wanted the box of cookies to feel connected to Maui. I turned to cookbooks and blogs written by folks from Hawaii like Top Chef Sheldon Simeon and Alana Kysar. Sheldon has two restaurants on Maui, Tin Roof and Tiffany’s, and recently published his cookbook, Cook Real Hawai’i. Alana is a blogger and the author of Aloha Kitchen Cookbook. Her cookbook evokes the islands’ spirit and her Butter Mochi recipe is amazing. Find these books at Bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores. I also culled recipes that use my favorite tropical ingredients like pineapple, macadamia nuts, and coconut. The baked goodies included in my Maui box are on 3Jamigos and can be found via the links below.
Crostata with Homemade Strawberry-Peach Jam 3Jamigos
Macadamia Nut Shortbread – Nick Malgeri (Featured in this post)
To the side of the box, Julie’s Granola with pineapple, mango and papaya – 3Jamigos
Travel Bites
Shortbread is perfect for a box, they travel well, keep longer than drop cookies, and happen to be my favorite kind of cookie. I found the perfect recipe in Nick Malgeri’s Modern Baker. Using your food processor for these cookies makes it quick and easy. This is one bowl (albeit, a food processor bowl) territory.
Process the nuts with the sugar until FINELY ground, add flour and baking powder, pulse to combine, add cold butter, and pulse until the dough is powdery then STOP. Pour this mass into your prepared pan and press it down with a lightly floured flat glass or your hand. Use a spray bottle to mist the dough with water which will help the nuts adhere to the dough.
Use either lightly salted or unsalted macadamia nuts. I bought macadamias at Trader Joe’s, a bag of each, salted and unsalted. I used a 2:1 ratio of salted to unsalted nuts in the cookie and on the top. Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8×8 pan as I did…cause I would eat the whole damn pan if given the chance.
Grind nuts by pulsing in a food processor or chopping by hand. You want the pieces fairly small, but not pulverized. The nuts provide both flavor and texture. Line the pan with parchment. The OG recipe calls for lifting the cookies out of the pan using the parchment but that’s pretty hard to do and not crack it. I let them cool for a couple of minutes and then used a bench scraper to cut the still-warm shortbread into squares before removing them from the pan. Easy-peasy.
The finished cookie should be crispy. If they aren’t, return the shortbread to the oven set at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes. I love these cookies, sweet, crispy, infused with macadamia nut flavor, and just delightful.
Adapted from Nick Malgeri Modern Baker, an easy, delicious Macadamia Shortbread. Buttery, nutty, crispy with a crunchy top of nuts and sugar. Simply divine.
1-1/2 ouncesunsalted or lightly salted macadamia nuts, chopped42gm
2-1/4cupsall-purpose flour270gm
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
12tablespoonscold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces170gm
Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar67gm
3/4cupunsalted or lightly salted macadamia nuts, finely chopped111gm
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving a couple of inches hanging over each short side. Butter the lining.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 & 1/2 ounces macadamias, (I use both salted and unsalted nuts in a 2:1 ratio) in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Add the flour and baking powder. Pulse until mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is combined and powdery.
Using a lightly floured, flat bottom glass or hands, press the dough firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the dough with water. Sprinkle the finely chopped macadamias and then 1/3 cup sugar on top of the dough. Press firmly into the dough.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and firm.
While the cookies are still warm, use the overhanging lining to remove the cookies from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut into squares, using a sharp knife.
Let the cookies cool completely. They should become crisp as they cool. If they aren’t crisp after cooling, place them back in the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes at 300°F.
