Tag: cookies
Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Cookie Number 5 (Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies)

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Cookie Number 5 (Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies)

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One of my favorite baking goddesses (I have many) is Alice Medrich. Yes, that Alice, Chocolate Maven, Dessert Queen and creator of quite possibly the best damn lemon bars ever. Don’t get me started on her Snickerdoodles, so good.  Cookie number 5 is from her book, Pure Desserts, a shortbread cookie with a twist-Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies.

If you have been following 3jamigos you know that I fall in the shortbread camp for my favorite type of cookie. Buttery goodness in bite-size morsels with a hint of sweetness, sign me up.  Well lucky me, this cookie falls in that camp-buttery, slightly sweet, tender, nice sandy texture, and a cool, slightly bluish brown hue.  The cookies get kicked up a notch with the addition of cocoa nibs. This adds a subtle hint of chocolate at the finish. The color and slight earthiness from the buckwheat and the “is it chocolate or isn’t it?” from the nibs, are a cookie mindblower.

So if you are looking for a shortbread that is a little different but still buttery delicious, put this one on your list.

Bonus: Easy to make.

Do not overbeat when creaming the butter and sugar which will incorporate too much air into the dough (I might have done this which accounts for the puffiness and soft edges).  The mixture should be smooth and creamy.  Add flour and beat until it comes together, don’t overmix.

The dough can be shaped into a log, chilled and finished as slice and bake cookies.  The dough can be stored in the fridge or freezer so you have freshly baked cookies when family and friends drop by.  Everyone will think you are a badass baking queen.

Or you can get fancy-schmancy and roll out the dough and cut out cookies for a more festive look.  Put the dough in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and roll to the edges.  This will give you a sheet of dough about 1/4 inch thick, perfect for cutout cookies.  I used a fluted metal cutter which may work better than a plastic one as you have to cut through the nibs. To add festive bling, sprinkle the cookies with sanding sugar and a touch of flake salt (like Maldon) before baking.  That takes these cookies to the “bend and snap” (Legally Blond-remember?) level of attention.

Chill the dough after cutting out the cookies, the edges won’t spread as much. I was having oven issues so the edges ended up less defined. But still yummy!

Okay, not hooked yet? Still looking for a classic shortbread, try this one,  my favorite traditional Scottish Shortbread or Bouchon’s Shortbread.

Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies

Buckwheat with Cocoa Nibs Shortbread
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Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookie

A delicious riff on shortbread, buckwheat flour and cocoa nibs take these cookies to a new level.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword NIbby Buckwheat Butter Cookies
Author Adapted from 101 Cookbooks (Alice Medrich)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups 5.6 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup 3 ounces buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 pound 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cacao nibs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Whisk the all-purpose and buckwheat flours together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, with the back of a large spoon or with an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and salt for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Mix in the nibs and vanilla. Add the flours and mix just until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a mass and, if necessary, knead it with your hands a few times, just until smooth.
  • Form the dough into a 12 by 2 inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or, preferably overnight. Or place dough in a gallon ziploc and roll to the edges of the bag.  Dough will be about 1/4 inch thick.  Chill thoroughly before cutting out shapes.  These cookies do puff and expand a bit so also chill dough after cutting to ensure crisp edges. 
  • Position the racks in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets.* Or follow instructions for cut-out cookies.
  • Optional:  Sprinkle cookies with a bit of sanding sugar and an even tinier bit of flake salt like Maldon before baking.
  • Bake until the cookies are just beginning to color at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the baking. 
  • Cool the cookies in the pans on a rack, or slide the parchment liners carefully onto the rack to free up the pans. Let cool completely.

Notes

The cookies are delicious fresh but even better the next day. They can be stored in an airtight container for at least one month. My batch made about 30 3-inch cookies. Recipe states approximately 48 2-1/2 inch cookies.
Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Day 4 Holiday Cookies

Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Day 4 Holiday Cookies

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Day 4 of the 12 Days of Cookies is a keeper.

I LOVE shortbread, it is hands down my all-time favorite cookie.  During the holidays I usually bake a batch of classic Scottish Shortbread.  This year, I am adding Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies from Use Real Butter to the rotation. Sweet strawberries and a hefty dose of vanilla add a one-two punch to a buttery, tender cookie. I made a batch and the fam scarfed them down in no time flat.

I almost didn’t try this recipe. The first part of Jen’s post is a how-to on drying strawberries.  It’s winter, where am I going to find fresh sweet strawberries to dry?  Not happening in my house, even if it’s the height of strawberry season, I’m way too lazy.  Luckily, at the very end of the instructions, she adds “If this is too much of a pain…you can always grab a bag of freeze-dried strawberries at Trader Joe’s.  Bingo, I am all over that idea.

I should have cut the strawberry pieces smaller for better distribution.  I used vanilla paste in place of the pods and part of the extract.  Once the dough is made, place it in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and roll the dough flat using the Ziploc border to create a square.  You can also shape the dough into a log for slice and bake cookies.

I used a fluted cookie cutter, chilled the dough to help keep its shape.  It was a little tough cutting through the bits of strawberries but still doable.

This is an absolutely delicious cookie.  If you like buttery, sweet-tart strawberry, and vanilla, bake this cookie.

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Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup 3.5 oz. or 100g powdered sugar
  • 2 vanilla beans split and seeds scraped
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp of vanilla paste can be subbed for the pods and reduce extract to 1/2 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
  • 2 cups 9 oz. or 260g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup 4 oz. or 115g chopped dried strawberries (recipe below) or 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

  • Beat the butter with a paddle attachment until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar to butter and beat on medium speed until blended.
  • Add the vanilla bean seeds (use the pods for something else) or vanilla paste, vanilla extract, and Grand Marnier to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
  • Mix the flour and salt into the butter mixture until the flour is absorbed and no dry flour remains.
  • Stir the chopped strawberries into the dough. Scrape the dough into a gallon-size ziploc bag and roll flat with a rolling pin until the dough fills the bag in an even layer.
  • Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 325°F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. When the dough is chilled, peel off the plastic and slice the dough into desired shapes or use a cookie cutter (circles show the least deformation) and re-roll scraps to use again.
  • Arrange your raw cookies 1.5 inches from each other on the baking sheet and dock them (prick them) with a fork three times across each cookie.
  • Bake 16-20 minutes (18 minutes worked well for me) until the bottoms are golden. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

Makes about 36 2-inch round cookies or 42 1.5-inch square cookies.

 

 

 

Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
Double Chipping (Butterscotch Potato Chip Balls)

Double Chipping (Butterscotch Potato Chip Balls)

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The classic potato chip cookie is transformed in The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan. The addition of butterscotch chips and triple the amount of potato chips, definitely not your Grandma’s cookies.  I found these cookies by way of Ipso Fatto a favorite blog I follow.  How could I pass up a cookie described as chewy, crunchy, buttery, rolled in Kettle potato chips and studded with butterscotch chips?  I couldn’t and I didn’t.

These are a snap to put together.  You start with melted butter, no waiting for butter to soften and you can bake off a batch without chilling the dough.  That’s almost like instant cookies in my book.

For my first batch, I purchased the only Kettle chips I could find at Whole Foods, their house brand,  I like Whole Foods, shop there often, do not by their Kettle Chips…bleah, flat and tasteless.  For my second batch, I used Cape Cod’s Kettle Chips.  Did it make a difference in the cookies?  I think so. Saltier and crunchier.  It definitely made a difference with the extra chips left in each bag.  Much to my chagrin, I polished off the rest of the Cape Cod Chips in a New York minute.  Moral of the story, use your favorite Kettle chips.

I actually don’t use butterscotch chips much.  The few times I have used them, I wasn’t thrilled with the texture or taste, always seemed a bit artificial.  After an exhaustive search (King Arthur Flour website), I decided to use Guittard’s Butterscotch chips.  They are surprisingly flavorful.  I would have liked it if they got a little “meltier” like chocolate chips but that may be the nature of the beast.  Ipso Fatto used caramelized white chocolate or “blond chocolate” in place butterscotch but it is both hard to find and pretty pricey.  By all means, use the chips you like the most, that’s what counts. This recipe doesn’t use the entire bag of butterscotch chips, lucky for you I have another tasty cookie recipe that calls for melted butterscotch chips-Butterscotch Cookies, from The Perfect Cookie.

The recipe calls for putting the potato chips into the dough and crushing them as you mix the dough.  That leaves some big chips in your dough.  I crushed the chips before adding them to the batter.

I did chill the dough for a bit, I really don’t like cookies that spread a bunch. Seemed to do the trick.  I used a 1.5 tablespoon scoop which made a 21/2 inch diameter cookie.  As soon as they came out of the oven I did flatten them with a spatula and pushed in the sides to make them round (totally optional).  Y’all probably know this but ice cream/cookie scoops are PERFECT for making uniform cookies.  I have had mine for ages (made in Italy, not China-that’s how old they are).  If you have a baker in your family, scoops would make great stocking stuffers.  I am in the process of reviewing them now and will have them in the 3jamigos shop soon!

These cookies are delicious.  I took a batch to my professional testers, my co-workers, and they gobbled them up.  The potato chips add a nice crunch and saltiness, the butterscotch chips add sweetness, the touch of flaked salt at the end accentuates the sweet-salty “thang” and butter is butter, say no more.  The over the top factor-potato chips mixed in the dough and the dough then rolled in more chips, that’s what I call the “double-chip hit”.   Run, don’t walk to your kitchen and make a batch now.

Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
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Butterscotch–Potato Chip Balls Potato Chip Balls

Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Butterscotch Potato Chip Balls
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups [325 g] all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1 cup [180 g] butterscotch chips
  • 1 cup [220 g] unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup [200 g] packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 5 cups [175 g] kettle-style potato chips Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk together. Add the butterscotch chips and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the melted butter and sugars on medium-high speed until thick, light, and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • Decrease the mixer speed to medium-low and add the egg and yolk, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl aer each addition with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients all at once, mixing just to combine. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add 3 cups [105 g] of the potato chips to the dough, combining and crushing the chips with a rubber spatula.
  • In a small bowl, crush the remaining 2 cups [70 g] potato chips. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls with a cookie scoop or measuring spoon, rolling each ball in the leover crushed chips, and evenly place 12 on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and press down on each cookie with a spatula to slightly flatten.
  • Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
  • Let cool briefly and serve warm, because who doesn't love a cookie warm from the oven? The cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

The recipe can be found on Epicurious.com
Finding Ranger Cookies

Finding Ranger Cookies

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We are a divided family. Hubby likes chewy oatmeal cookies and ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies.  Me? I love shortbread, crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a hint of sweetness, and decidedly not chewy. Perhaps, cookie preference is a dominant gene trait?  ALL my kids love chewy cookies just like Wes.  I thought it was a kid thing (I consider the hubs a kid).  I assumed when they got older their palates would become more refined, sophisticated m.  Surely, they would come around.

Nope

Even now, when I make cookies that aren’t chewy the response is “They’re ok” or “I like chewy cookies better” or “Wonder if Dad can make some Good Cookies.” The only rational explanation?  Mendelian Genetics. Yep, a predisposition to chewy cookies. Ooh, did you just have an involuntary flashback to high school biology? I concede, in our house, chewy cookies reign supreme.

I Went to a Garden Party

For a summer fundraiser, I volunteered to make Mexican Wedding Cookies. My partner at the dessert table, Emily, brought an unassuming looking oatmeal cookie,   They disappeared in a flash which caught my attention.  I grabbed one and took a bite.  Yum!  This cookie was CHEWY, sweet, buttery, with a bit of crunch.  It definitely fell into the Wes and kids’ cookie camp.  I snuck a couple (ok, more than a couple) onto my cookie plate to take home.

As soon as I got home, Jordan grabbed one of the cookies and gobbled it down, then he grabbed another and exclaimed: “This might be the best cookie yet!”

Determined to make them asap, I Googled cookies, coconut, Rice Krispies, and oatmeal, the ingredients Emily had rattled off to me.  Instantly, a bunch of recipes popped up for Ranger Cookies.  Some had chocolate or butterscotch chips, and some had different cereals.  The blog, Let’s Dish, contained all the ingredients Emily mentioned so this became my starting point.  I hit the jackpot, these were just like hers.

Ranger Cookie Tips

Start by creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy should take about 2-3 minutes tops. Then add eggs and vanilla, mix until well combined.  The recipe calls for gradually adding dry ingredients.  My detour, add it all at once and combine at low speed just until dry ingredients are fully incorporated.  Finally, stir cereal, coconut, and oatmeal in by hand.

Chilling the dough before baking prevents spreading.  Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. Bake cookies on parchment paper.  With 3-4 minutes left to bake, rap the pan on the wire rack to get the cookies to fall, this helps create those cool crevices.

If your cookies aren’t perfectly round, after taking the cookies out of the oven, quickly invert a glass over each cookie and swirl it around.  This will shape cookies into perfect little circles.  Or skip it, they’ll be gone before anyone besides you notices.

Feel free to add chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for a twist. You can replace the Rice Krispies with partially crushed Corn Flakes, they’rrrrre great!  All you Tony the Tiger fans.

Ok, maybe chewy is not a genetic thing…maybe chewy cookies are just really, really delicious (don’t tell my kids I said that).  Either way, they belong on your gotta bake cookie list.

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RANGER COOKIES

Chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with coconut and crisp rice cereal. Simple and delicious, these cookies are a favorite with kids and grown-up kids as well!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword coconut, cookies, oatmeal, ranger cookies, rice krispies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Creaming Mixture

  • 1 cup butter softened, this is an old recipe, before unsalted butter was so widely available. I would guess folks normally used salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase salt in recipe to 1 teaspoon.
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark

The Wet Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

The Dry Ingredients-Combine and set aside

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour I use King Arthur Flour and it worked fine. Once again an old recipe, Gold Medal was probably the standard, which has slightly less protein than KA.
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Adds

  • 2 cups quick cooking oats NO instant oatmeal please
  • 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
  • 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut you could probably use unsweetened coconut too.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. (2-3 min) Beat in eggs and vanilla.
  • Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well (do not overmix though). Stir in oats, cereal, and coconut.
  • Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. If you have a #40 ice cream scoop (1.75 Tablespoons) use that to create uniform dough balls.
  • Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 3-5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

I use parchment paper to line my baking sheets.  These cookies can be baked directly on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Tropical Flair to Mexican Wedding Cookies when Married with Lime and Coconut

Tropical Flair to Mexican Wedding Cookies when Married with Lime and Coconut

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The political action group I belong to (please continue to read, that is as political as this post is going to get) hosted a fundraiser this past weekend.  A garden party with a Mexican theme. Of course, I volunteered to make something sweet.  Cookies, specifically, Mexican Wedding Cookies, instantly popped into my head.  Usually, I bake a batch of these nutty, buttery, nuggets during the holidays but it is the middle of summer so I wanted to change it up just a bit.  I found the perfect riff on the classic wedding cookie, a coconut lime version, on the blog Once Upon A Chef by Jenn Segal.  Garden Party, Fiesta theme, coconut, lime-yep, spot on.

Delicious AND easy to make.  The dough is made in a food processor which makes these cookies STUPID easy.  You throw the dry ingredients into your food processor bowl, give it a couple of whirls, add the butter, vanilla and lime zest, pulse to it comes together and boom, you are done.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and forget about it in the fridge for about an hour.  Use a teaspoon ice cream scoop to make balls of dough, bake, and roll in a ton of powdered sugar.  HOW EASY IS THAT? Ipso Facto Dunzo.

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Coconut-Lime Mexican Wedding Cookies

Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Mexican Wedding Cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar plus about 3/4 cup more for coating
  • 1/3 cup pecans
  • 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 packed teaspoon lime zest from 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt, confectioners' sugar, pecans and coconut. Process until the pecans and coconut are finely ground, and the mixture looks like sand. Add the butter, lime zest, and vanilla extract; process until the mixture comes together into a cohesive dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm enough to roll, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Measure the dough into heaping teaspoon-size pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls about 1-1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the edges of the cookies barely begin to brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets, then roll in the confectioners' sugar while still warm. Let the cookies cool on a rack, then roll again in confectioners' sugar once they are cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Snowy Topped Brownie Drops, Cookie Number 4

Snowy Topped Brownie Drops, Cookie Number 4

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Another winner from Dorie!

Though a tough call, the favorite out of this holiday trio was the Snowy Topped Brownie Drops.  A decadent, chocolatey, cookie finished with generous dusting of powdered sugar.  Have an office party coming up?  This is the cookie to make to guarantee an invitation to all of the holiday parties of the season!  But don’t reserve these just for the holidays, they are too good not to bake any time of the year!

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Snowy-topped Brownie Drops

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons 71 grams unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 8 ounces 226 grams bittersweet chocolate*
  • 3/4 cup 150 grams granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs cold
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup 102 grams all-purpose flour
  • Confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Instructions

  • Coarsely chop the chocolate. Place 6 ounces of the chocolate together with the butter pieces in a heatproof, microwave safe bowl or the top of a double boiler. If using a microwave, microwave for 3-5 segments of 30 seconds on high, stirring in between to help melt. If using a double boiler, place the double boiler (or any heatproof bowl) over gently simmering water, taking care that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the pan. Stirring until the chocolate and butter are just melted, then remove the bowl from the heat.
  • Immediately whisk in the granulated sugar into the melted chocolate. The mixture will turn grainy.
  • One at a time, add in the eggs, whisking for one minute after each addition. The batter should become quite smooth, shiny, and noticeably thicker. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
  • Using a silicone spatula, fold in the flour until it just disappears. Fold in the reserved 2 ounces of chopped chocolate. The dough will be very sticky.
  • Cover the batter with plastic wrap or in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Place about 1/3-1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar in a small bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out round portions of the dough, and roll each ball in the confectioner's sugar to create the snowy top. Once the ball is generously coated in confectioner's sugar, place it on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough, spacing cookie balls 2 inches apart.
  • Bake only one baking sheet of these cookies at a time, for a total of 12 minutes, rotating after 6 minutes. The cookies should spread and crack, with set sides, but will still appear fairly underbaked in the middle. This is how they should look.
  • Set the cookies on a metal cooling rack to cool at least 2-5 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
  • Unbaked dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for 1-2 months. Once baked, these cookies will keep 3-4 days but will gradually lose their softness.

Notes

You could use semi-sweet or a high percentage dark chocolate here instead, but the cookies will be a bit sweeter.
Another Day, Another Chocolate Chip Cookie (Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie)

Another Day, Another Chocolate Chip Cookie (Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie)

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What is your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?  The one on the back of the Nestle’s Chocolate Chips bag? A treasured family recipe handed down? Mine was given to me by a friend who swore it was the original Mrs. Field’s recipe.  I can’t vouch for that claim, but it is pretty darn good. Over the years I have tweaked the recipe by adding oatmeal, reducing the amount of chocolate (don’t hate me), and adding nuts.  Yep, the perfect cookie.  It is my go-to chocolate chip cookie…until now.  A serious challenger, Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, has entered the best CCC sweepstakes.

You can have more than one go-to chocolate chip cookie, right?  There might be a new player in town.

Brown butter chocolate chip toffee cookie ingredients

What makes these cookies so delicious?  BROWN BUTTER for a toasty rich, caramel flavor-yum.  Chunks of toffee bars for crunch and another layer of caramel flavor-double yum.  Finally, Chocolate wafers instead of chips, stay gooey and soft longer creating a luscious texture-triple yum.  Upon finding this recipe I immediately headed to the store to look for those chocolate wafers. I found Guittard’s 67% semi-sweet wafers-YAY.  A bag costs about eight dollars-BOO.  It’s a splurge that’s for sure…but so worth it.

 

Chocolate wafers and toffee pieces

Fold in chocolate and toffee pieces and chill dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.  Scoop dough balls with a #24 scoop (1.5 ounces) or #30 (1.125 ounces) for a touch smaller cookie.  They spread so place cookie dough 3″ apart, especially if you don’t chill the dough.

These cookies will brown quickly so watch them like a HAWK. Start checking them at the 8-minute mark.  To create the crevices in the cookies, rap the baking sheet on the oven rack (at the 6-7 minute mark), and repeat 1-2 minutes later.  This will cause the cookie to deflate creating those lovely nooks and crannies.

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Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another chocolate chip cookie? You bet!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brown butter, chocolate chip cookie, toffee
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 20

Ingredients

Dry Stuff

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour preferably KIng Arthur
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Stuff

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Add-Ins

  • 2 chocolate toffee bars (1.4 oz bars) Skor, Heath or Trader Joe Toffee Bars, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
  • 1½ cups chocolate wafers disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao, although I used 67% Guittard -yum
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

  • Whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside
  • Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
  • Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to browned butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.
  • Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits. For less spread, chill dough in fridge.
  • Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a 1½-oz. ice cream scoop, portion out 10 balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3" apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 9–11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet to make 10 more cookies.
  • Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.

Notes

To create ridges in cookies, at 7 minutes open oven and rap pan on oven rack which will cause cookie to deflate and create ridges.
Strawberry & Cream Cookies Forever

Strawberry & Cream Cookies Forever

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I ventured to Omnivore Cookbooks in San Francisco a while ago to see Stella Parks, author of the fabulous Bravetart, (a fabulous baking book) that remakes iconic American treats like Oreos and Mother’s Oatmeal Cookies.  Moderating her talk was local cookbook author and blogger Irvin Lin, who coincidentally, also has a book out, Marbled, Swirled and Layered. I couldn’t resist so I picked up an autographed copy of his book also.  I am such a cookbook groupie.

The Yin and Yang of Desserts

Think of Irvin Lin as a food artist.  He layers flavors, colors, and textures in his desserts.  Gorgeous cakes, cookies, and flavors I would never think of putting together.  We are talking big WOW factor. But the flip side is this also makes his recipes a little daunting. Every recipe calls for 2 different doughs or batters and multiple steps in the process.  Luckily, if these cookies are any indication, it is well worth the trouble.  The book languished on my shelf until Jamie came home, got in one of her baking moods, cracked open the book, and found this recipe for Strawberries and Cream cookies. They are DELICIOUS.

Strawberry and Cream Cookies

Chewy with a crispy edge and great fruit flavor, the fam gave them the BIG thumbs up.

Use good quality white chocolate.  Jamie used white chocolate chips that in hindsight may have caused the dough to be a bit dry and a little difficult to work with.  I had inadvertently picked up dried raspberries instead of strawberries which worked out great. The raspberry’s purple tinge and tartness worked well in the cookie’s taste and color.  Both freeze-dried berries are available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

The doughs are made separately and then squished together to create the yin and yang effect.  Pretty nifty eh?  The dough for the cream cookie was a bit dry so we added a tablespoon of water which I don’t think will be necessary if you use white chocolate.  (I love El Rey white chocolate, use your favorite).

When baking WATCH the cookies like a hawk.  They turn brown very quickly.  Jamie’s cookies were slightly smaller so her baking time was closer to 12-15 minutes. Check the cookies early to determine how long they need to bake.

For the strawberry version, Irvin adds 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a couple of drops of red food coloring.  Since we used raspberries we decided to forego the vinegar since raspberries have a bit of natural tartness.

This is a showstopper, so pull it out when you want to impress or score big cookie points.  Irvin also includes a Corn and Lime version of this cookie that I can’t wait to try.

And now…Here’s Jamie!

Hey guys, it’s Jamie!  My mom wrote this blog post for me because I took too long to write my post.  I was busy being a couch potato watching TV (shoutout to The Americans) and playing with Sammy all day.  Whenever I come home from school, I always get the baking bug. Who wouldn’t, though? My mom has 2 of every kitchen gadget you could ever possibly want, AND she has all the ingredients (major game-changer right there ppl).  Seriously, she has 2 ice cream makers and is currently shopping for a third she just has to have.

I will say that these cookies cured the baking bug. THEY ARE SO MUCH WORK.  You have to make two different cookie doughs, roll them into balls (a lot harder than it looks because the dough kept crumbling), mush them together, and roll them in sugar.  Finally, flatten them out onto 4 cookie sheets. LABOR INTENSIVE. I worked harder making these cookies than I did all of last semester (shout out to being a part-time student due to AP credits, lol).

They’re pretty worth it, though. Everyone loved them!  WATCH them while they’re baking because you REALLY don’t want to overbake these bad boys. The recipe also made like 100 dozen cookies, so I would half it or freeze some of the dough before baking off so they don’t get stale.

This concludes the blog post. Next time y’all hear from me, I’ll be blogging about how cold it is in Minneapolis!!!!

Strawberry and Cream Cookies

Enjoy!

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Strawberry Cookies Forever

Ingredients

Cream Cookie Dough

  • 1-1/4 cups of butter unsalted
  • 1-1/4 cup 250gm granulated sugar
  • 2 t vanilla extract
  • 3/4 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1-3/4 cup 245gm all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup 4 ounces or 115gm white chocolate, melted
  • 3/4 cup 90gm powdered milk

Strawberry Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup 34 gm freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries crushed into a powder (food processor or rolling pin-the old fashioned way
  • 10 T unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1-1/4 cup 250gm granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t kosher salt
  • 1-3/4 cup 245gm all purpose flour
  • Additional granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. LIne baking sheets with parchment or Silpats
  • Melt white chocolate in double boiler or carefully in microwave and set aside to cool.

Cream Dough

  • Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment.
  • Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat at medium speed until mixture is lighter in color approximately 1 minute.
  • Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat for another 30 seconds.
  • Add the egg, beat until incorporated and then add white chocolate. Beat until incorporated.
  • Add flour and milk powder and mix on low until dough forms. Do not overbeat.
  • Transfer to a clean bowl.

Strawberry Dough

  • Break egg into a small bowl and add crushed strawberry powder to bowl. Blend mixture, set aside.
  • Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment.
  • Add sugar and beat at medium speed until mixture is lighter in color approximately 1 minute.
  • Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat for another 30 seconds.
  • Add the egg and strawberry mixture and beat until incorporated about 30 seconds.
  • Add flour and mix on low until dough forms. Do not overbeat.

To form cookies:

  • Pinch off a chunk of each dough roughly the size of a walnut of each (35gm) and roll each into a ball. Press the two doughs together and roll into a single ball
  • Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart and flatten each ball, with the palm of your hand, into a disk approximately 2 inches in diameter. Leave room a they will spread when baked.
  • Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
  • Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

HeY cLaIrE aNd MrS. wEdDlE!!!!
Rice Krispy Treats (Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun)

Rice Krispy Treats (Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun)

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Oh Snap

It’s the last day of January and in order to avoid total embarrassment… here is the last cookie to complete my 12 Days of Cookies list. I give you the stupid easy, childhood favorite- Rice Krispy Treats!  Wait, do not roll your eyes and think “lame”. This is not your mama’s, on the side of the Snap, Crackle and Pop box, recipe. This is Rice Krispy Treats with a twist that is not for the faint of heart.

Little Crackle

No, there isn’t booze in these treats.  The recipe comes by way of Smitten Kitchen (love that site).  I had been looking for a way to jazz up this childhood favorite (not just add multi-colored sprinkles) and bring a bit of pizazz to them.  I found a couple of recipes that were just crazy, too much stuff, too complicated, just yuk. At the end of the day, a riff on Rice Krispy Treats should still transport you back to the ones you ate as a kid but at the same time your brain should be going “holy cow-what did she do to these!”

The Pop

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…

SALTED BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPY TREATS

Yep, the exact same ingredients as the original recipe plus a sprinkle of flaked salt and well, DOUBLE the amount of butter. Yep, mo’ buttah, mo’ betta.

And if that wasn’t enough, you kick it up another notch by browning the butter!  Great balls of butter!  You end up with a Rice Krispy treat that is gooey, sweet and salty, nutty and buttery.  YES, scream it from the rooftops, DOUBLE BUTTER!

Up your Krispy Game, reserve half the salt to sprinkle on the treats at the end.  Use Fleur de Sel or grey salt, your hipster friends will ooh and aah.  Oh, snap.

That’s it folks, cookie number 12. Drop the mic, done.

Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats
These went to a Bake Sale for a Bird Sanctuary that would be obliterated by Trump’s stupid wall. Jason renamed them Double Buttah “R-aah-ce”  (he’s from Tennessee!) Krispy Treats.
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Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats (Smitten Kitchen)

Not your mama's Rice krispy treats! Brown butter and more marshmallows madke these devilisly delicious
Course bar cookies, cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword rice krispies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter 4 ounces
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon flake salt such as Fleur de Sel or Grey Salt or coarse kosher salt
  • 1 10 ounce bag of miniature marshmallows DO NOT BY FANCYSCHMANCY ONES, they don't work
  • 6 cups Rice Krispy cereal

Instructions

  • Butter a 9x9 inch square pan, set aside.
  • In a large saucepan or pot, melt butter over medium heat, The butter will begin to foam and the milk solids will start to brown. Watch it like a hawk, you don't want it to burn. It will smell nutty and toasty. Serious Eats has a great tutorial on brown butter
  • Remove pan from heat, add marshmallows and salt. Stir continuously until the marshmallows melt and blend with the butter into a homogenous mixture.
  • Add Rice Krispies and stir until well coated.
  • Pour into 9x9 inch prepared pan and press firmly to compress. If you want, decorate with Sprinkles on top.
  • Cool, run a knife around the perimeter of the rice krispies, invert pan and tap the bottom. The rice krispies should release fairly easily from the pan. Cut into approximately 2 inch squares.
  • Enjoy!