salted chocolate chip cookies

i cook a lot. and even though i frequently make dishes that i think are really really good, 

it's hard not to be critical of every aspect of the meal you created. as a recovering perfectionist, 

i still find myself identifying ways i could have made the dish better. 

(i.e. a little more salt, a couple more minutes in the oven, more time marinating, etc.)

this is my third time making the salted chocolate chip cookie from ashley rodriguez's 

date night in cookbook and every time i said outloud 'WOW - these are AMAZING'.

even ben made fun of me praising my own baking skills. LOL!

i've made a lot of chocolate cookies in my day,

and sometimes the recipes feel a dime a dozen.

but there is something about this recipe that convinces me 

it's going to be the recipe i'm using twenty years from now.

the secret ingredient? the sugars and the salt!

most cookie recipes use a lot of granulated white sugar and a little bit of brown sugar. 

this recipe flips the two - using almost entirely brown sugar 

with just two tablespoons of white sugar AND two tablespoons turbinado sugar.

makes 18-24 cookies

ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 egg, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6oz bittersweet chocolate chips

flake salt for sprinkling

optional: vanilla ice cream for serving

directions

1. in a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer 

on medium speed until light in color and texture, about 5 minutes.

 scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

2. add egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. 

3. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. with the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture. 

mix until streaks of flour run throughout. 

add chocolate and mix until everything just comes together. 

finish the dough by hand, taking care to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

5. at this point it's best to refrigerate the dough for 24 hours, 

as resting it deepened the toffee flavors and improves the cookie texture.

i do always recommend refrigerating cookie dough - although it's not 100% necessary 
to make a delicious cookie. i've made this recipe all ways - baking the cookies right away, 
chilling the dough for an hour or so, and letting it rest over night as well. all ways produced a delicious cookie, but any extra time you can spare in the fridge does add a layer of flavor!

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 360 degrees.

line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

scoop dough onto the baking sheet, rolling into 1.5-2 inch balls.

top the cookies with a pinch of flake salt just before baking.

7. bake 10-12 minutes. 

the cookies should be lightly golden on the outside but look quite gooey on the inside.

let cookies cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes.

transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

8. enjoy immediately for a really gooey experience,

wait until they are fully cooled (also amazing),

or stuff two with a scoop of ice cream and have your mind blown! :)

note: this was the batch i did NOT chill in the fridge first.
this leads to a wider, flatter cookie. my cookies that were previously chilled
were roughly half this wide and doubled in thickness. just something to keep in mind! :)

the first time i made these i served them as ice cream sandwiches,
slipping a small scoop of slow churned vanilla bean between two cookies.
they were AMAZING and a huge hit with my crew!

white chocolate peppermint cookies

i wish december never had to end! 

all my presents are wrapped and under the tree.

my christmas cards have been mailed.

my house is decorated.

holiday plans have been made.

now if only the season could last 4 months instead of 1! :)

recipe via food network

ingredients

• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• *i also used some dark chocolate for the glaze*
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons heavy cream
• 1 to 2 drops peppermint extract
• 3 or so candy canes, roughly crushed

directions

1. position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven
and preheat to 350 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

***i don't actually think the swapping of the pans
halfway through baking was necessary. if it made these again,
i would just keep the rack in the middle and check the cookies
frequently as you approach the end of the bake time.

2. place one-third of the white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl;
microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. set aside to cool slightly.

3. whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer
on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
eat in the melted white chocolate until smooth,
then beat in the egg and vanilla.
reduce the mixer speed to low;
add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until combined.
beat in half of the remaining chopped white chocolate.

4. roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls
and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
bake the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through,
until the edges are slightly golden, about 15 minutes.
let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

**feel free to shorten the bake time a bit on these if you don't want a crunchy cookie**

5. make the glaze: microwave the remaining chopped white chocolate
(you can use the same bowl as before) in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted;
stir in the heavy cream, and peppermint extract to taste.
dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and return to the rack.
sprinkle with the crushed candy cane and let set, about 1 hour.

  

these cookies got a bit too crunchy for me.

i would shorten the bake time a bit.

also, be sure to use high quality chocolate, or melting will be difficult!

eggnog cookies

white elephant gift exchanges are funny.

i participated in my first one of the season this past week,

and happened to be the 2nd to last person to choose a gift.

if you are familiar with the rules of the game,

you know that this is one of the most advantageous places to be, 

as you get to choose from every single gift that has already been opened,

as well as the unwrapped ones still in front of you.

so here's the dilemma.

do you choose something that is already in front of you

and know exactly what you are going to get,

OR do you believe there is something BETTER in the 

unwrapped gift options in front of you??

even though it could very well be WORSE 

than the rest of the gifts in the circle?

now, that is a deep holiday metaphor for life right there! LOL.

***

i've been thinking about making eggnog cookies ever since july.

i was just waiting for december to arrive! :)

these cookies were GOOD - but tasted like a slightly 

more festive version of a snickerdoodle.

even though i got some great reviews of these, 

they left me still wanted MORE eggnog flavor.

i'm pretty hard to please, so feel free to judge for yourself :)

recipe via mrs fields

ingredients

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened

1/2 cup eggnog

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

yields about 3 dozen

directions

1. preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg.

whisk and set aside.

3. in a large bowl, cream sugar and butter to form grainy paste.

add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth.

4. add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. 

do not overmix.

5. drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart.

sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.

bake for 23-25 minutes until bottoms turn light brown.

transfer to wire  racks to cool immediately.

(sorry the pic is a bit blurry... too many of these maybe??)

gingersnaps

ever since i made 

this amazing dark chocolate tart with a gingersnap crust

i can't stop thinking about gingersnaps!

as i've grown older i've learned to appreciate

all the intricate flavors they have.

it's a pretty sophisticated cookie if you ask me :)

for me, a gingersnap needs to be just perfect.

since they already have such a punch of flavors,

i actually like my cookie to be a bit softer.

no matter which way you like your cookies,

this recipe is for you.

i varied the bake time by 1 minute on each batch

so that i could please the picky gingersnap eaters like myself :)

some soft, some crunchy and all the variations in between.

enjoy :)

recipe via smitten kitchen

ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

directions

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

2. in a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

add egg molasses and beat until combined.

add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.

3. transfer your cookie dough to plastic wrap. 

chill in fridge for at least 2 hours or until firm.

4. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

roll dough into 1-2" balls and spread at least 2 inches apart 

on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

bake for 10-15 minutes...

10-12 minutes = a soft christine cookie version

13-15 minutes = very crunchy snappy cookie version

transfer to rack to cool completely.

chocolate espresso snowballs

how's your december so far?

i just LOVE everything about this month.

the christmas parties, the christmas shopping,

wrapping presents, writing christmas cards,

watching the same christmas movies over and over.

i just love the JOY and CHEER of it all.

brings a huge smile to my face just thinking about it!

i hope these help you enjoy your holiday season :)

they were DELICIOUS!

would totally make them again.

recipe via martha stewart

ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

4oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted & cooled

1 tablespoon milk

powdered sugar for coating

directions

1. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, 

espresso/coffee, baking powder and salt.

2. with an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

beat in egg until well combined. mix in cooled chocolate.

3. with mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, 

beat in milk until just combined.

flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic 

and freeze for 45 minutes or until firm.

4. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

shape dough into 1-2" balls.

pour powdered sugar into a medium bowl,

and roll balls in sugar two times each.

letting them sit in the sugar between coatings.

5. place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked,

12 to 14 minutes, cookies will still be soft to the touch.

cool on a wire rack.

buttered popcorn cookies

prepare yourself for cookie madness on the blog.

i've been baking 1-2 batches a night prepping for the holidays!

i think baking cookies is a little bit like dating.

you have to try a lot of recipes before you find a really great one.

it's amazing how many seemingly legit 

cookie recipes i try that just don't end up amazing.

this was one of the good ones :)

recipe via my new smitten kitchen cookbook

ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

directions

1. pour the oil over the bottom of a large saucepan that has a lid, 

and add the popcorn kernels, shimmying the pan around 

so the kernels land in one layer. 

cover the pot, heat it over medium-high heat, 

and once the kernels begin to pop, 

keep the saucepan moving until all the kernels have popped. 

toss the tablespoon salt and then the melted butter over the popcorn, 

then transfer it to a bowl so that you can fish out any unpopped kernels. 

you should have about 4 to 4 1/2 cups popcorn. let cool

2. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, 

cream together softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 

egg and vanilla until smooth. in a separate bowl, 

whisk the flour and baking soda together. 

stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. 

fold in the cooled popcorn so that it is evenly distributed through the batter - 

which will seem like a ridiculous instruction because there is 

SO much popcorn and so little cookie batter BUT it works :)

don't worry if the popcorn breaks up a bit. 

the mixed-size pieces are part of the cookie's charm.

3. scoop heaping tablespoons mounds 2 inches apart 

onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. 

let them cool on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes 

to firm up before transferring them to a rack to cool.

these cookies were a bit different. i mean, obviously.

popcorn + cookie?? it was delightful.

and kind of reminded me of these.

enjoy!