Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I always heard that chopping your own chocolate bars into chunks, makes much more delicious cookies than using bagged chips. But, until now, I never felt the reason to experiment with this. Chocolate chip cookies are already amazing, do they really need to be any better? Anything can be a bit better, and these certainly were, high quality chocolate and the un-uniform shape of the chunks, plus the peppering of shavings that sort of melts in give these giant cookies a definite grown-up appeal and sophistication without losing it's everyone friendly, endlessly appealing nature. I know I say this all the time, but these might be my new favorite cookie. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
3/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 baking bars of dark chocolate (like the Ghiradeli bars)

In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars, on high speed until combined and smooth. Add vanilla, egg and yolk and beat until combined. Add in half the flour, and the baking soda and salt and stir until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour. Chop chocolate into small pieces and add chocolate and the shavings chopping the bar produces and stir into dough. Freeze dough for 20 minutes until firm and chilled. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick. Scoop dough by 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) and bake 12 at a time on baking sheet. Refrigerate dough that isn't being used until ready to start that batch. Bake for 8 minutes, then lower temperature to 350, rotate tray, and bake an additional 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Let cool before removing from parchment paper. (adapted from Dishing the Divine).

Happy Eating.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Usually, when it comes to cookies, I err on the side of mini. I love bite size cookies. Cookies where you can eat a few and not feel too guilty. These are not those cookies. These are mammoth sized cookies, but they are so amazing, you won't even care about the guilt. They are crispy around the edges, and chewy inside and absolutely enormous. The perfect cookie for dunking in some milk or hot cocoa during all this rain (you may not currently be experiencing this rain, but the cookies are still delicious in sunshine, don't worry). They also look impressive because of their mammoth size, so whip up a batch for your next party, or your Sunday football marathon (I am so excited). Enjoy!

PS: I apologize for the smudge on the picture, I thought that was on my display screen, not on the lens. And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a jar of Coconut Peanut Butter!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp of vanilla
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the sugars and butter, until smooth and well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add in 1 cup of flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined, do not over mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non stick. Scoop cookies by heaping tablespoon (like really heaping, almost 2 tablespoons), shape into a round as best you can (the dough is very sticky) and flatten slightly. Space cookies wide, 6 per cookie sheet. Bake for 20-24 minutes until golden. Makes about 20 cookies. (adapted from Cook's Illustrated).

Happy Eating.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

If I was one to eat cookies for breakfast (ok, so maybe I am) it would definitely be these cookies. They are like a muffin-cookie hybrid.They have cookie exterior, but the inside is fluffy like a muffin, a delicious banana chocolate chip muffin. They keep really well, better than you would expect for a soft cookie, just seal the left overs in an airtight container for later enjoyment (assuming you have any left). So if you need a post hurricane pick-me-up, that's quick and easy to throw together, try these. Next time I am throwing a batch of these in my emergency kit. I truly hope that everyone is safe and dry from the storm.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 overripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 cup of milk chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and position rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars, until smooth. Mash in the banana and mix on high speed until most of the lumps are gone and mixture is fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add 3/4 cup of flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until just combined. Add remaining cup of flour and repeat, do not over mix, the batter will be more runny than the average cookie dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Line to cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray with non-stick. Scoop batter by heaping teaspoon and drop onto cookie sheet. Drop 12 cookies, evenly spaced per sheet. Cook until puffy and golden, rotating between the racks halfway though. About 10-13 minutes total. Makes about 3 dozen. (adapted from Food+Words)

Happy Eating.

Maple Coconut Cookies and a Giveaway

It's Give Away time!!! I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway for one of my favorite products, Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. Tropical Traditions has generously offered to give a 32 oz jar to one of my lucky readers. I first tried this amazing oil back in March, when Tropical Traditions sent me a bottle, and I promptly whipped up a Coconut Chicken Stir-Fry. Since then, it's been a savory and sweet love affair. The oil isn't sweet at all, but has such a wonderful coconut aroma and a subtle tropical flavor, it makes it perfect for sweet and savory concoctions. I use it all the time and I particularly love baking with it. Swapping about half the butter in these cookies for the coconut oil really gave them a flavor punch, while incorporating some healthy fats in the cookies. So enjoy the recipe and now onto how to win, which I know is what you are all waiting to find out. This Give away will be open until next Friday, and the winner will be randomly selected. This giveaway is open to people in the US only.

First: Like me on Facebook, follow me on twitter, or subscribe to blog (if you already do so that counts too)

Second: Follow Tropical Traditions by one of the following 3 options
Subscribe to our email Sales Newsletter here: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/subscribe_for_special_sales.cfm
follow us on Twitter @troptraditions
“Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook (Please no, “I was sent by…” posts or posting a link to your blog, they will be removed)

Finally: Just post a comment here letting me know that you completed steps one and two and your entered.

Good Luck! You can check out more great ways to use the oil on Tropical Tradition's Recipe Page.

Maple Coconut Cookies:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats oatmeal
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded desiccated coconut
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
5 tbsp of butter, melted
1/4 cup of Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water
1/2 cup of almonds

Pre heat the oven to 300 degrees position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. In a medium bowl mix oats, coconut, flour, and salt, and sugar. In a large bowl, combine the butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and golden syrup while butter and oil are still hot. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda with the boiling water. Immediately stir this mixture into the melted butter until combined. Stir in the the oat mixture. Fold in almonds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and grease lightly. Form balls, by heaping tablespoon and space evenly on a cookie sheet. Press down on the balls to flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating trays halfway through. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Peanut Butter Cookies

When I was little, I really disliked peanut butter. I was never a picky eater (and certainly am not now), but I can remember being at camp and demanding plain jelly sandwiches for lunch. Now, I eat peanut butter everyday, I love it and I can't get enough. Maybe because of my youthful aversion, I never really got into peanut butter desserts. But after how much I loved those Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies, I new I had to try some more peanut buttery treats. So, my expansion of the cookie horizon continued as I whipped up a batch of these peanut butter cookies. I baked the extremely delicious Malt Chocolate Chip Cookies for the same BBQ, but to my surprise it was the peanut butter cookies that I kept me running back to the cookie plate.

Peanut Butter Cookies:
3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup of light-brown sugar
1/3 cup of sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups of flour
Pre Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter and butter on low speed until combined. Add the sugars and mix until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour and mix until just combined, do not over mix. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick. Put some sugar in a small bowl for rolling cookies. Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll into a ball, roll in the sugar and put on the cookie sheet. Space 12 cookies evenly throughout the sheet. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15-17 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

I have been experimenting with new cookies, branching out if you will. I could eat a crispy, buttery cookie every single time, and be perfectly happy, if it weren't for the my kitchen pride. I want to be able to do anything in a kitchen, please any preference. So the quest for soft and chewy cookies continues, and the more that I make them, the more I am loving them I have to say. The first of these cookies I tried, I was like these are pretty good, no crispy chocolate chip, but pretty darn good. About a day later, the bag of cookies and I were inseperable, and I literally could not stop eating them they were so delicious. So if you are a soft and chewy cookie lover, or trying to convert a crispy cookie person, these are the cookies for you.

PB and Snickers Cookies:
1 stick of salted butter, softened
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp half and half
1 tsp of almond extract
11/4 cups of flour
3/4 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 a bag of mini snickers bars, chopped
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Beat the butter and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth, add in the sugars and mix until fluffy and well combined, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, half and half, and almond extract and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix until just combined. Stir in the snickers and chocolate chips. Line 2 cookie sheets with partchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Drop by rounded tablespoon, and then flatten each cookie slightly. Bake until golden, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from partchment. Makes about 3 dozen. (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Happy Eating.

Salt Chocolate Biscotti

I am an avid coffee drinker, even all through the summer, I start everyday with a cup of hot coffee. No cream, so sugar, just a delicious and wonderful smelling cup of coffee. What goes so amazing with my wonderful cup? Biscotti. This chocolate biscotti is strong enough to be enjoyed dunked in your favorite cup of joe, but delicious enough to be enjoyed on it's own. With just a hint of sea salt, to give the cookies that salty bite that I just can't get enough of.

Salt Chocolate Biscotti:
1 stick of butter, softened
1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp corse sea salt
3/4 cups of dark chocolate chunks
4 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium speed. Add cocoa and mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until just combined. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just incorporated. Stir in sea salt, chocolates, and almonds. Chill the dough for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Separate the dough in half. Roll each half into a long log, about an inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place rolls on the sheet. Press the logs to flatten slightly. Bake for 25 minutes then let logs cool completely, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the logs on a bias into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Place the cookies on the same cookie sheet and toast for 10 minutes, flip the cookies and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool before serving. (adapted from Tate's Bakeshop Cookbook)

Happy Eating.

Sugar Cookies

I really love crispy cookies. I like them thin, flat, and buttery, for me that is simply how a cookie should be. But, I do understand that other people like thick, soft, and chewy cookies, and I do try to be accomadating. As I was driving home one day, I was struck by a sudden craving, I had to have a sugar cookie, this may not seem all that odd, but trust me it's utterly bizare. I crave cookies all the time, however I don't think I have ever craved a sugar cookie. They are the opposite of what I usually want in a cookie, they are thick and soft and don't have any chocolate in them. Nothing could abate my craving though, and so I simply had to make them, and I am so glad I did. Except for the one batch that got a touch over cooked and ended up crispy, the rest were wonderfully chewy and deliciously large. This cookie has set me off on a quest of expanding my cookie horizons, to vere off the thin and crispy path into the world of soft cookies, so stay tuned, there is more to come!

Sugar Cookies:
2 sticks of salted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar, plus more for assembling cookies
1 tbsp of dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until very creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanila and mix until just combined. Add flour and baking soda and stir until just combined. Pour about 1/2 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Line to baking sheets with partchment and spray with non-stick spray. Scoop dough by tablespoon and roll into a ball, then roll the ball in sugar to coat. Wet hands to prevent sugar and dough sticking to you. Space the cookies evenly, 12 to a sheet. Wet the bottom of a glass with a flat bottom and dip it into the sugar. Press glass onto each cookie to flatten until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Bake until cookies are just golden around the edges, 14-16 minutes, flipping the rows halfway through. Let cool on the partchment paper before serving. Makes about 30 cookies. (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Happy Eating.

Malted Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

The long weekend is here! Hooray! And the official start of summer. I am looking forward to a long, hot summer, full of weekends at the Jersey Shore, wearing white, and summerizing my desserts. These cookies, plain, are hands down 100% the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever tasted. I seriously had trouble sharing them, which is very unusual for me (I am usually a feeder). The malt powder is like magic, there is no other way to describe these cookies besides malty magical amazingness. Then, if that is not insane enough for you, we can spread some delicious french vanilla ice cream inbetween, and make the most delicious icecream sandwich ever. So, if your still not sure what to bring to your weekend BBQs, trust me, and make a batch these amazing ice cream sandwiches.

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cups of brown sugar
3/4 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp malted milk powder
2 cups of flour
12 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, place a rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Cream together butter and both sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mix until incorporated. Add in vanilla and mix in. Add baking soda, salts, and malted milk powder, and mix until just combined. Add 1 cup of flour and mix until just combined, repeat with remaining cup of flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoons, giving them ample room to spread out (12 cookies per sheet). Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes; for best results cookies should spend no more than 1/4 of the baking time (about 3 minutes) on the bottom rack. I started the cookies on the bottom, towards the end of the previous dozens baking time, and then moved them to the top rack as soon as the other cookies were done. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

To Make Ice Cream Sandwiches:
Malted chocolate chip cookies
French vanilla ice cream
Mini chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chunks

Let ice cream stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Pair the desired number of cookies by size. On one cookie, spoon about 1/4 cup (you can eyeball) of ice cream, and spread it fairly evenly. Press second cookie on top, until ice cream expands almost to the edge of the cookie. Run a knife or your finger around the ice cream to smooth. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chuncks, repeat with remaining cookies. Wrap the assembled sandwiches in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Happy Eating.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

What, in this world is more perfect than a chocolate chip cookie? It may not be original, but they are absolutely, 100% my favorite cookie, and quite possibly my favorite baked good. It may be a cliche or a bit sad considering the endless things there are to bake, but sometimes, nothing beats the a classic, and nothing is more classic than a chocolate chip cookie. Normally, I am all about the super thin, crisp, and buttery cookie. After chatting with my consultants (thanks to those of you who I harassed about your cookie preferences), I decided to mix it up and go for something a little thicker, with crispy, crumbly edges and and chewy center. That seemed to be the holy grail of the chocolate chip cookies. And while there is always room for improvent (and much fun to be had in the kitchen) these cookies are absolutely AMAZING, and have totally converted me from my thin and crispy ways.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of corse sea salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp of baking powder
12 oz of chocolate chips

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the butter and both sugars. Mix on medium speed until smooth and fluffy about 4 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add 1 cup of flour, both salts, baking soda and powder. Mix until just combined. Add another cup of clour and mix until just combined. Add remaining flour (1 1/2 cups) and mix in. Stir in chocolate chips. Line a baking sheet with partchment paper and drop cookies by rounded spoonful onto the sheet. Just get all of the cookies on the sheet, don't worry about spacing. I had about 4 dozen good sized cookies. Chill the dough for at least an hour, up to overnight. Pre-heat the oven to 350, with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Butter or pam another baking sheet lined with partchment. Space 12 cookies on the sheet and bake until golden, about 16-18 minutes. Repeat until all the cookies are baked, keeping the unbaked dough in the fridge until ready to use. Serve with a glass of milk. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Chocolate Indulgence Cookies

Passover baking can be tough. You want something to taste good, but their are a lot of restrictions. The highest compliment you can get is, you can't even tell these are for passover. These cookies aren't for passover, they are simply gluten free any time cookies with a little adjustment. So if you are not making them for passover, feel free to use regular powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of cornstarch instead of the tapioca. In making these cookies I learned a very valuable lessen, check ALL your ingredients before baking anything. I was so focused on finding a cornstartch replacement, the I neglicted to check and see what powdered sugar actually is. In case you don't know, it's sugar and cornstarch. Opps. Lucky for you, there is an easy fix to that problem (see below), unfortunetly for me, the cookies were already in the oven when I discovered this. Oh well, live and learn, either way, these cookies are insanely delicious, extremely chocolatey, and highly addictive. Enjoy! And Happy Passover!

Chocolate Indulgence Cookies:
1 1/2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (kosher for passover*), plus more for dusting cookies
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp + 1 tsp of minute tapioca
1/2 teaspoon salt

*There are a few brands that make this, but if you can't find it, it can be made by blending regular table sugar and either tapioca or potato startch. Blend 1 cup minus 1 tbsp of sugar, with 1 tbsp of potato starch or minute tapioca in a food processor until combined and powdery.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and positiona rack in the middle of the oven. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl, set asside to cool. In a large bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup of powdered sugar, mix on high spead until mixture is glossy and the texture of marshmallow cream. Reduce spead to low and mix in remaining sugar, cocoa, tapioca and salt. Using a wooden spoon fold in melted chocolate (should be luke warm). Stir in remaining chocolate chips, the dough will be very thick. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with non-stick spray. Put some additional powdered sugar in a bowl. Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon and roll into a ball, roll each ball in powdered sugar and place on the cookie. Space cookies about an inch apart. Bake until tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing. Let cool completely before serving (trust me, they taste better this way. Makes about 30 cookies. (adapted from Epicurious)

Happy Eating.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lacies

I have been on an oats kick. Now, I have always been an oatmeal kind of girl, but lately it's turned into somewhat of an obsession. I have 3 different cuts of oats at home (steel, rolled, and quick). I eat them just about everyday. Of course I love the classic oatmeal, but I have been making my ownn museli lately (just toast/bake at 350 oats (quick or rolled), nuts, and flax all together for about 8 minutes and then eat with yogurt) and cold "cooking" oatmeal lately (leave quick oats, in cold milk/almond milk, with some blueberries (and flax) for 10-15 minutes drizzle with a little maple syrup and enjoy a cold, mushy deliciousness). Let's not forget my favorite way to enjoy oats, mixed with a ton of butter and chocolate chips and baked into some magical cookies. I like all textures of cookies, soft, crisp, chewy, thick, thin, crumbly, literally all cookies are good in my book, but I think crispy with a slight hint of chewy is my favorite, and that's what these are. I have taken to calling them lacies, because that's the cookie they remind me most of, plus the texture really does make them look like lace. They may look like frilly, lace but they pack a powerful and delicious flavor punch (and sea salt). Warning, these cookies are highly addictive, the recipe may make about 100, but they will be gone faster than you can make them!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lacies:
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 1/4 cups of flour
2 cups of rolled oats
1 tsp of sea salt, coarse
1 12 oz bag of mini chocolate chips

Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with partchment paper or tinfoil and grease or pan heavily. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture lightens, and is slightly fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the baking soda, baking powder, regular salt and 1 1/4 cup of flour. Mix until just incorporated. Add the remaining cup of flour and mix until just incorporated. Add the oats and sea salt and stir (by hand, with a for or a spatula) until mixed in. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Drop the cookies by teaspoon onto the well greased baking sheet. Make sure the cookies have a lot of space to spread out, because they do. Bake for 10 minutes, or until they are golden and very thin. I like to start them on the bottom rack and then move them to the upper rack halfway through. (Yeilds: about 100 very thin cookies).

Happy Eating.

Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

These cookies are not for the faint of heart. They are definitely for the true chocolate lover. And well, that just makes them perfect for Valentine's day, which is so obviously a holiday for the chocolate lover. These cookies are magical for a number of reasons, first, they have over a pound of chocolate in them, and that can't be anything but good. Second, they are the perfect make ahead cookie. The dough can be made ahead, and the cookie tastes better the second day (in my opinion). If you (or your sweetheart) don't like butterscotch (which apparently a good number of people don't), definitely leave it out or swap it with some more chocolate. You can taste the butterscotch, in addition to the chocolate in every bite, despite their not being a lot of it in the cookies. So whip up a delicious batch of chocolate heaven as part of your Valentine's day celebration or whenever the chocolate cravings strike! Enjoy!



Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies:
8 oz of bittersweet chocolate
8 oz of semisweet chocolate
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
1 3/4 cups of brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp of sea salt
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of butterscotch chips
1/2 cup of sliced almonds

Break the chocolate into pieces and slice the butter, add to a heat-proof bowl. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until chocolate and butter are melted. Put bowl in the refrigerator to cool. In a large bowl beat sugar and eggs until very fluffy, about 5 minutes with a mixer. Add in vanilla extract and slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Beat until incorporated. Add in flour, baking powder, salt, and sea salt. Stir until just combined, do not over mix. Add in chocolate chips, butterscotch and almonds, and stir gently. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least an hour, but up to overnight. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and grease or Pam lightly. Drop the cookies by heaping tablespoons, and then flatten slightly. Bake until the tops are cracked, about 12 minutes. (adapted from epicurious)



Happy Eating.

Fruit-in Biscotti

My favorite cookies from this year Christmas cookie plate were definitely the Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies, however I was definitely in the minority. The overwhelming favorite was the fruit-in biscotti (I didn't make up the name, everyone just started calling them that). They are not to sweet and have a very satisfying crunch. They tasted amazing in my after dinner coffee, but just as delicious by themselves. The original recipe is from Tate's Bake Shop Cook Book, which I won from Cake Duchess along with samples of their cookies (thanks so much). I really wanted to make something from the book, and the biscotti just sort of jumped out at me. You can easily make these your own by change up the flavor profile, sub out different fruits, sweeteners, nuts and extracts. I will definitely be whipping up another batch soon.



Fruit-In Biscotti:
1/2 cup of sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 cup of grade A maple syrup
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 tsp of almond extract
3 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp of ground ginger
3/4 cup of sliced almonds
1/2 cup of dried cherries
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/2 cup of craisins

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar until well combined and fluffy. Add in the maple syrup, oil, and almond extract, stir until combined. Add the baking powder, salt, spices, and 1 cup of flour. Mix until flour is incorporated. Add an additional cup of flour, and mix until incorporated. Repeat with final cup of flour. Add in almonds and dried fruit and mix them in so they are distributed throughout the dough. Separate the dough in half and shape each half into a log that is about 2 1/2 inches by 14 inches (it's more important that the dough be 2 1/2 inches on the short side, than that the long side be 14 inches, so if yours is shorter or longer that's fine). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the logs 3 inches apart on the sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes. When you remove the biscotti from the oven they will not be golden at all, and will not look finished. After they cool slice each log long ways into 1/2 inch pieces (so the cookies are 2 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch) and return them to the parchment lined baking sheet (they are done rising so you can put them very close together). Cook for 20 minutes longer, until they are toasted and golden. Serve with coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or by themselves. (adapted from Tate's Bakeshop)

Happy Eating

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

When I went to see the Martha Show for to tweet at her cookie special, one of the cookies she made were Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. The boyfriend (who was most certainly not there) could not stop talking about them. When I tried them at the show, they were good, but there was nothing really Mexican about them, no kick, and I am pretty sure that they left out the chili pepper, because a large crowd, not everyone likes chili, etc. So I made them my way, and they were fantastic! You can't really taste the chili, but it has a little bite to it. The cookies remind me so much of a glass of hot chocolate, I think it's the texture. They were a big hit as part of my Christmas Cookie tray and definitely my favorite of the bunch!



Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies:
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp of cream of tartar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of instant coffee
3 tsp of cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 tsp of chili powder, divided

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 3/4 cups of sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the cocoa, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, coffee, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of chili powder, and 1/4 cup of flour. Mix until everything is incorporated. Add additional cup of flour, and mix until flour is incorporated, repeat with last cup of flour. In a small bowl mix remaining sugar with 2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of chili powder. Scoop dough by tablespoon, roll it into a ball and roll it in the sugar mixture, then place on the baking sheet, repeat. Place the cookies about 3 inches apart, they spread. Put the first cookie sheet in the oven on the upper level and bake there for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat the cookie assembly process and fill another cookie sheet. When the first set of cookies has been in the oven 5 minutes, transfer that sheet to the lower portion, rotating the tray and place the unbaked tray on the upper rack. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove the lower sheet from the oven and move the upper sheet to the lower rack. Allow cookies to cool a few minutes before removing from sheets. Repeat this process until the dough is all gone. (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)

Here is a picture of the Christmas Cookie Tray, the Hot Chocolate Cookies are at the top right, my sea salt chocolate chip cookies are right below that, The Ginger Bread Men recipe is from Martha, they are really spiced! And those biscotti will be coming soon to a blog near you...



Happy Eating.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I (and the blog) have definitely been on a bit of healthy kick lately. And while I love a nice well balanced healthy meal, I cannot forget my MAJOR sweet tooth. Too long with out something wonderful and sweet and I just go nuts (picture me drinking cake batter, or eating an entire plate of brownies, not pretty.). So in order to prevent an "incident" I say let's have some cookies, and then give the leftovers away. Greatful people and a happy stomach. These cookies were special, very special. I started with my favorite cookie recipe, the Original Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe, the one on the back of the bag, it's there for a reason. It is chocolate chip perfection. I wanted cookies that were a little crisper, but still gooey on the inside, and I also wanted a nice salty bite (because salt and chocolate is AMAZING). My chocolate chip cookies turned out magically wonderful, your childhood favorite with nuts and just a hint of salty safistication.



Chocolate chip cookies:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans and almonds

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl cream the butter and both sugars until well combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla and the eggs, then beat with a hand or stand mixer on medium until the mixture is really fluffy and light, 3-4 minutes. This will make the cookies crisp and gooey, trust me it is worth the extra effort. Add in the baking soda, salt and 1 cup of flour, mix on low until combined. Add remaining flour and sea salt, mix until combined. Add in chocolate chips and nuts and stir together so that the chips are well distributed. Grease a baking sheet and drop cookies by rounded tablespoons well spaced apart. Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and then enjoy. (Adapted from Nestle Tollhouse original recipe)

Baking in the oven:



Ready for me to devour:

Chocolate Chip Explosion

Continuing my cooking up a storm quest, and exploiting the season's wonderful zucchini, I concocted an explosion of chocolate chips, in cookie form (this did not use zucchini) and a delicious and rich summer pasta dish (this did). The pasta made me melt and lick the bowl clean, as for the cookies, well, I dare you to eat just one. My cookie recipe drew it's inspiration from my girl Martha (that's Stewart, in case you were wondering) the original recipe can be found here



Chocolate Chip Explosion Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened slightly
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 large package (24 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together butter and both sugars, until creamy and smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, mix to combine. Add in baking soda, salt and 1/2 cup of flour, mix together. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and stir again. Add final cup of flour and mix to combine. Stir in oats and chocolate chips, do not do this all at once because it is a lot of chips. I did it in about 4 additions. At this point the batter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or you can make the cookies now (I did both, they both turned out really well). On a non stick pan (or a pan sprayed with non-stick spray) drop cookies by rounded tablespoons. They should be small, I made them in between regular cookie and mini cookie size. Enjoy.



Summer Pasta

1/2 box of Penne
1 large zucchini
1 medium yellow onion
1 large can of plum tomatoes, drained
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of butter
2-3 tbs of flour
1 1/2-2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Heat a large skillet over high heat, and heat oil. Chop zucchini into bite size pieces and add to the skillet. Mince garlic and finely chop onion and add to the skillet as well. Allow onions and zucchini to brown slightly then lower the heat to medium-low. Crush plum tomatoes (I used a potato masher), they should still be very chunky. Add to the zucchini. Salt and pepper to taste, then cover. In a small pot over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour to make a rue. Add the stock and raise heat to bring to a simmer. Whisk until the mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low and add cheeses in slowly, whisking them in. To serve, put pasta in a bowl and top with desired amount of tomato zucchini mixture, then add cheese sauce and stir to combine, top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Happy Eating