Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

Sometimes I see a recipe and rather than wait for it to gather dust on my Pinterest, I need to make it right away. Such was the case with these awesome cookies I discovered on Food Porn Daily a week ago. The next day, I was loading my cart at Whole Foods with peanut butter and chocolate chips so I could make these. The dough is simple and comes together quickly in a stand mixer, but it would be just as simple by hand. As promised, these cookies are giant, chewy, sweet, and salty. Creamy peanut butter is the perfect compliment to the dark chocolate chips and pretzels add saltiness and crunch. With the size of these, one is more than enough per person and the perfect thing to share at an impromptu barbeque/movie night with friends.



I followed this recipe as posted on the website Keep It Sweet Desserts. The only slight changes I made were using large eggs instead of extra large and a scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar.


One year ago: Bacon, Tomato, and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs
Two years ago: Blueberry Pomegranate Doughnuts
Three years ago: Apple Soju Cocktail
Four years ago: Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Five years ago: Greek Orzo with Shrimp and Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

I've had a cheesecake craving for about three months, so a few weeks ago, I decided to give in and finally make some. I can be picky about cheesecake, but I was intrigued by fusing it with the flavors of a beloved cookie. One or two of these bars definitely satisfied my craving and I was able to give the rest to my insatiable friends at a post-Thanksgiving get together. The warm smell of cinnamon baking is a great way to get in the holiday mood. If that doesn't work, just have a mojito or two. It's not too late to add these to your menu of holiday baking and I guarantee your friends will love these bars just as much as mine did.


I made this recipe as found on the Tasty Kitchen blog here. Next time, I would reduce the cookie layer by half and also line the pan with foil to make for easier removal.

One year ago: Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Two years ago: Braised Short Ribs with Autumn Root Vegetable Puree
Three years ago: Garlic Soup with Shrimp
Four years ago: Shrimp with Chive Butter

Speculoos Spread Chocolate Chip Cookies

I feel like there was a point  last year when every food blogger was raving about speculoos spread...in particular, the Biscoff brand. I had no idea what they were talking about so I did a little investigating. I found Biscoff at Gelson's, but I couldn't justify the price. Then a few weeks later, I saw that Trader Joe's carried their own version for much cheaper. I picked up a jar without thinking twice. Now I understand the hype. For those not in the know, the spread is made from ground speculoos cookies. It has the consistency of peanut butter, but contains no nuts and it's gently and warmly spiced with notes of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger. In other words...totally addictive. Though I like to make sweets, I don't usually keep a bunch of sweet things in my house so I needed to find a way to use up some of this delicious spread. These cookies are a little crispy and a little chewy and a lot chocolatey. In fact, I found the chocolate sort of overpowered the gentle flavor of the speculoos spread so to make things more decadent, I sandwiched more spread in between two cookies. Just. Heavenly.







Just a few ingredients to take you to cookie heaven


Mixing the dough


Fold in the chocolate chips


Scoop out the dough and bake it

Other recipes using speculoos spread from around the Internets:
Speculoos No-Bake Granola from Cooking Books
Speculoos Spread Cups from have cake, will travel
Chocolate Speculoos Tart from Lemonpi


Speculoos Spread Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Adapted from Kirbie's Cravings)

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup Speculoos spread
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, then the vanilla, then the Speculoos.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto the parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. The cookies will be puffy when you take them out of the oven, but will deflate as they cool.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, make sandwich cookies by spooning more Speculoos in between two cookies.

Printable Recipe

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and fun celebration. I am slowly recovering from my vacation and jetlag and am looking forward to getting back in to regular posting. These cookies popped up in the blogosphere last year and quickly spread like wildfire. I had wanted to make them for a long time, but finally got the chance to make that many cookies for a crowd for the Eat My Blog bakesale. Created by Jenny at Picky Palate, these cookies are fun and best shared with a group so you don't devour them all in one setting. I followed the recipe exactly except for using 8 ounces of mini chocolate  chips instead of full size and since I baked them while they were cold, I increased the bake time to 12-14 minutes. You can find the original recipe here.


One year ago: Holidays 2010
Two years ago: Sriracha Chicken Wings
Three years ago: Macarons with Vanilla Bean Honey Buttercream

Chocolate-Walnut-Oatmeal Freezer Cookies

Early last week, a note arrived from the post office that they had tried to deliver a parcel, but I wasn't home. I was curious since I wasn't expecting any packages and then I started to see tweets saying that people had received copies of Lucy's book Made in America. I knew immediately that is what the "parcel" was and I couldn't wait to pick it up. I immediately came home and tried to figure out what I would be able to make this past weekend. The book is a celebration of comfort food from America's best chefs. The book is broken down into breakfast and brunch, sandwiches, soups and stews, salads and sides, small plates and snacks, pasta pizza and grains, seafood, poultry and meat, and finally desserts. Each recipe is is introduced by Lucy with a story about the chef and how she came across the recipe. Since eggs are my most favorite food, I was immediately drawn to an egg recipe that I did end up making over the weekend (coming soon), but I was also intrigued by these kicked up oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Elizabeth Prueitt of Tartine in San Francisco that appear towards the end of the book. I knew I was heading to a birthday party the next day so I decided to give these a whirl for the birthday boy. I love that the recipe includes instructions for freezing the recipe, but if time is not on your side, like it wasn't for me, you can bake the dough immediately instead. I was a little worried that the cookies would be too sweet since there is a lot of sugar in them, but the nice dose of salt is a great balance and the molasses adds a caramel flavor that makes these lovely and slightly intense.




I'm so excited to try so many more recipes from this book. It's so fun to read the chefs' stories and there are nice snippets of recipes from long ago. This post is part of a virtual dinner party that Lucy is hosting. Head to her site to see what everyone else made.


One year ago: Charleston, South Carolina
Two years ago: Double Chocolate Bitter Brownies
Three years ago: Pomegranate Ice Cream


Chocolate-Walnut-Oatmeal Freezer Cookies
(From Made in America)

Makes 24-30 3-inch or 5-inch cookies or 48 1 1/2-inch cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons blackstrap or other dark molasses
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oats. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add the molasses and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before adding the next.

Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt. Stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low and slowly beat in the flour mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts by hand with a spatula.

If you're not going to freeze the dough, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Use wet fingers to press the dough into 3 or 5-inch rounds. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are lightly browned, but the centers remain pale. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you a freezing the dough, shape the dough into 2 logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in parchment paper or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least four hours or up to overnight.

Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap, and slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Arrange the dough on prepared baking sheet and bake 4-7 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned, but the centers remain pale. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

My birthday is more than two months away, but I'm already starting to audition birthday cakes. I haven't made an actual cake yet, but I'm thinking of what flavors I want and the chocolate malt combination has certainly been intriguing lately. I thought I would test out the flavor this past weekend, but in cookie form. These did not disappoint. These cookies are soft with bits of crispy malt balls mixed in. They are super simple to make and even easier to eat. Thank goodness for friends and coworkers! I'm going to whip up another batch of these for the Food Blogger Bake Sale happening May 14th at locations across the country. Started by Gaby, this bake sale raises funds for Share Our Strength to end childhood hunger. The Los Angeles sale is taking place at BLD Restaurant from 11:30AM-2PM. So come on out, enjoy a delicious brunch and then pick up some baked goods for a great cause!


Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops
(From Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Notes: After the eggs are added, the mixture will look curdled, do not worry. It evens out when the rest of the ingredients are added. The batter is extremely thick, but it is better to mix in the chopped chocolate and malt balls by hand.  

Makes about 30 cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder (like Ovaltine or Horlicks)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 cups coarsely chopped Whoppers
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer at medium speed, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each egg. Beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix just until they are incorporated. Add the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to mix in the malt balls and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoon-fulls on to the sheets, leaving 2 inches between spoonfuls. Bake 11-13 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes. The cookies will be puffed and soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a rack to let them cool completely.

Printable Recipe

Thomas Keller Oreos

Over the last two and half years of food blogging, I've noticed that people like to posts certain recipes in waves. For instance, lately, I've been seeing a lot of homemade marshmallow posts.  I'm proud to say (brag) that I made them two years ago (and again recently for Eat My Blog). Other times, I fall way behind on the trend like with these homemade Oreos.  I've had the recipe saved for ages, but I'm not sure why I never got around to making them.  In any case, I finally got the chance to make these last week...just in time for my oven to crap out on me. It was insane. I put the cookies in and three minutes later my fire alarm was going off like crazy and I had a burnt mess instead of little flower shaped cookies.  It was not pretty. I did manage to get a couple of usable cookies, but my oven remains on the fritz. Maybe there will be a new one in my near future...and possibly a new apartment as well. The recipe below is how I made the cookies. The filling was still pretty liquid even after the 6 hour hardening time so I whipped it with a hand mixer to get a thicker consistency. I definitely want to try making these when I have a correctly functioning oven because was little I could taste around the burnt parts was absolutely delicious. The cookies are slightly salty and reminiscent of World Peace Cookies without chocolate chips and help balance the sweetness of the filling. I normally hate white chocolate, but it works well here.  Fingers crossed that I have a new oven soon!




Thomas Keller Oreos
(From Essence of Chocolate)

Makes 18-24 sandwich cookies

For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (I used chips and did not chop)

For the cookies:
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch cubes, at room temperature

To make the filling:
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate, making sure it is immersed in the cream. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk to completely melt the chocolate.

Transfer the filling to a small bowl and let it stand for 6 hours, or until it thickens enough to spread. If the filling hardens too much, it can be re-warmed in the microwave.

To make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low speed, add the butter a few pieces at a time until it is all in the bowl. The dough will be sandy at first, but it will come together. When it does, stop the mixer.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and form it into a block about 5 by 7 inches. Cut the block into two pieces. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface until it is 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 or 2.5-inch round cutter, cut rounds from the dough and place them 1/2 to 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Scraps of dough can be re-rolled to cut more cookies.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on them for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely.

To assemble the cookies, turn half of the cookies so the flat side faces up. Whisk or beat the filling until fluffy and has soft peaks. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag and cut a small hole in the tip of the bag. Pipe about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling on the center of each of the flipped cookies. Top with another cookie and gently press the cookie together until the filling spreads evenly to the edge. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.

Printable Recipe

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few weeks ago when I was a cookie baking fool, this is one of the batches I baked up. This is your standard oatmeal cookie, but I often find comfort in simplicity so I thought they were great. I think next time I would jazz them up by adding a touch of cinnamon or some other spice, but otherwise, these are perfectly fine as is. I must say that after this cookie project, I'm definitely becoming a bigger fan of baking cookies which to me have always seemed a bit boring in the past. I think there is room for trial and error and a chance to make something ordinary into something extraordinary!



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(From The Parsley Thief)



Makes about 4 dozen cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and oat mixture into the butter and sugar and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop the dough out by the tablespoon-full onto parchment or foil lined baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

Printable Recipe

Compost Cookies

Last week I was faced with the task of completing a lot more baking than I normally get done in one day let alone three. A few friends of mine were shooting a short film with the subject being cookies and guess who got stuck with the job of making all the cookies for the film? Of course I couldn't complain because I knew I would be able to tie them in to the blog, but it was definitely a lot of hard work to get them done on time. Luckily I got them done just under the wire and it was fun to test out some new recipes and techniques. First up were the famous "compost" cookies which are sold at Momufuku Milk Bar in NY. After my fabulous success with the crack pie, I was definitely excited to try another one of their popular recipes. These cookies are interesting in that you cream the butter, egg, and sugar mixture for a full ten minutes. In that time, the sugar dissolves into the butter and the mixture doubles in size. It's a pretty amazing transformation and nothing I had ever tried. I tried to keep my mix-ins on the not too sweet side, but it was the perfect opportunity to use up the butterscotch chips and Heath toffee bits I've had laying in my kitchen for longer than I care to admit. To counteract the sweetness, I used white cheddar crackers, pretzels, and plain kettle chips as my salty mix-ins. The kettle chips were a bit lost in the mixture, but I loved the flavor and texture of the white cheddar crackers and pretzels. I would definitely add more of them next time. These cookies are fun to make and even better to eat. Don't tell anyone, but I had two of them instead of a real dinner the night I made them. Believe me, it's worth it.



Compost Cookies
(From Christina Tosi)



Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups of your favorite baking ingredients (I used chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and Heath toffee bits)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite snack foods (I used pretzels, kettle chips, and white cheddar crackers)

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars and corn syrup for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

On a lower speed, add the eggs and vanilla to incorporate. Increase the mixing speed to medium-high. Set a timer for ten minutes and let the mixer go.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When the ten minutes are up, reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour mixture. Mix for 45-60 seconds until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Continuing on low speed, add the baking ingredients and mix for 30-45 seconds until the are incorporated. Add in the snack foods and again, mix until just incorporated.

Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a standard ice cream scoop, portion the cookie dough onto the parchment paper, about 3 inches apart. Wrap the baking sheets in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or up to one week.

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes until the cookies are browned on the edges and just beginning to brown in the center. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan before transferring to a plate or airtight container for storage. Cookies will keep fresh for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Printable Recipe

Nutella Sandwich Cookies, A Blogiversary, and a GIVEAWAY!!

My little baby blog is growing up before my very eyes. Today I am celebrating two fab years of food blogging. Last year I made a cake. This year cookies will have to suffice. It's been another great year of blogging. I made a goal to meet at least three food bloggers in person. Well I exceeded that and met many, fabulous people. In fact, I met so many bloggers, I would love to name them all here, but unfortunately I don't have that kind of time. You all know who you are and we've had so much fun together!!

Of course this wouldn't be a celebration without highlighting some of my favorite and most popular posts from the past year.

Last summer I moved out of the apartment I lived at for quite a while. For nearly two months, I hardly cooked a thing so after some time, I was eager to get back into the kitchen. One of the first things I did was use my favorite end of summer fruit in a simple tart.



Lately I've really been getting in to Korean food and recipes. After a field trip to Koreatown here in Los Angeles, I came back and made chicken bulgogi. I have so many ingredients left over, it's been really fun to play around with different recipes.



I love to bake as a way to relieve stress and delight my coworkers with treats. Two of the most popular baking recipes have been Sticky Meyer Lemon Rolls and Crack Pie. It's not difficult to figure out why.





I had a couple of parties and made a cake.



I got to go to fun events with food and wine.



I ate at fancy restaurants, not so fancy restaurants, and food trucks and enjoyed it all.



I participated in two bake sales and a fundraiser for Haiti.



Some really nice people have said some really nice things about me.

It's been another delicious year and I want to give back to my readers who make it possible. I'm giving away a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post by 11:59PM PST, June 3rd. That's it! I'm keeping it simple and also keeping this open for a couple of weeks so everyone gets a chance to enter. One entry per person please and while I would like to be able to ship anywhere in the world, that's just not possible so this is open to US residents only. When the contest is done, Random Integer Generator will come up with the winner for me since I don't like picking favorites amongst friends.

Thanks to everyone all over the world who have made it worthwhile for me to continue finding and creating new recipes for you to enjoy here on this little site. It's been so much fun and I hope to continue doing it for years to come!

Oh yes, and the cookies have a recipe. They're super simple to make and even better to eat. Nutella fans will love them and lest you think they would be too sweet with all that sugar, there is a nice dose of salt to bring out the flavors and balance them out. Try them soon. Nutella is still on sale at the store!!


Nutella Sandwich Cookies
(Adapted from Indecisive Baker who adapted from Living Eventfully)



Makes 24 cookies (12 sandwiches)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. and set aside.

In a stand mixer bow place the Nutella, butter, and both sugars. On medium speed cream together mixer for about about 3 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

Carefully shape the cookie dough into 1 inch, about 1 teaspoon sized round balls. . Roll the cookie balls in sugar and place the cookies on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will look underdone, but they will continue to cook once the pan is removed from the oven.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookies sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cool spread a layer of Nutella between two cookies.

Printable Recipe

Goober Ice Cream Sandwiches

I like to think that it's fairly clear that my last few posts were leading up to the glorious moment of me sharing these ice cream sandwiches with you. I kind of (sort of) didn't even plan them to be this way. Soon after I made the original batch of brown sugar ice cream, I immediately started to think of another delicious ways to enjoy it besides straight out of the container. About a week later I was going through my Bon Appetit cookbook (randomly gifted to me by Raul at one of our legendary gift exchanges) when I realized the ice cream would be great in these sandwiches. The original recipe calls for vanilla wafers and plain chocolate cookies, but I knew I would need to find a way to cut through all of that sweetness for my not so sweet tooth and that is why I went with the world peace cookies as my cookie of choice to tie these sandwiches together. Just like Dawn, I like my desserts to have an interesting combo of sweet and salty and chunky and this has all of that. The saltiness of the cookies and peanuts cuts through the sweetness of the ice cream and the chocolate helps bring out the flavor of the rich caramel-y flavor of the ice cream. If I had a pool I could envision many summer days outdoors enjoying many of these treats while poolside...for now I'll just sit next to a window and enjoy the sunshine.



Goober Ice Cream Sandwiches
(Adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh)



Makes as many ice cream sandwiches as you want

Chocolate cookies
Brown sugar ice cream, softened (can also use vanilla ice cream)
Roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Place a couple of tablespoons on the bottom of a cookie. Top with another cookie and roll the sandwich in peanuts until they stick. Place the sandwich on a plate and freeze for 15-30 minutes until set. Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and wrapped tightly in the freezer.

Printable Recipe

World Peace Cookies

I'm not sure why these cookies are called "world peace cookies". Dorie Greenspan has some funny names for her baked goods. It could be because these cookies are so good, they make you want to break out in song and hug everyone around you or some such cheesiness, but I'm not really sure. I've been seeing these on various blogs for a long time and I finally got a chance to make them myself. I wish I hadn't waited so long to make these. They are really very tasty. They are rich and chocolaty and the healthy pinch of salt adds a nice crunch and helps bring out the chocolate flavor even more. If you're any kind of moderate baker, you probably have these ingredients in your cupboard. I urge you to make these cookies immediately if you haven't already done so!


World Peace Cookies
(From Baking: From My Home to Yours)



Makes about 36 Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. If there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times morel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you don't need to defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting Ready to Bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats or aluminum foil

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Printable Recipe

Meyer Lemon and Pistachio Cookies

The Stir It 28 event a few weeks ago was a great success. We made about $5000 for Haiti relief and we had a great time. You know how we're always commenting on each other's blogs saying how we want to try what the other is making? Well, this was like the real live version of that. There were so many cool people and I had a blast. Of course, I have to give a special shout out to Chrystal for organizing the LA event and Greg for lending us his beautiful home (and kitchen). My dessert contribution were these cookies. Last month, Mary gave me a huge bag of Meyer lemons from her dad's tree. LA food bloggers are the coolest! These cookies are so easy to make. There is a nice crunch from pistachios, a hint of tartness with the lemon and a hint of saltiness from the salt sprinkled on top. They smell really good while baking too. I'm pretty sure people liked them and it was a good way to use up some of my Meyer lemon bounty!


Meyer Lemon and Pistachio Cookies
(Adapted from 5 Second Rule)



Makes about 30 cookies

4 ounces roasted pistachios, ground until almost powdery (it is ok to have some chunks)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup Meyer lemon zest
2 egg yolks
Coarse sea salt for finishing

In a medium bowl, whisk the pistachios with the flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about three minutes on high speed. Beat in yolks. Turn off mixer, dump in flour mixture, then beat on low speed for just a few seconds, or until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Refrigerate dough for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment .

Use a 1-1/2-inch scoop to portion out the dough, placing 12 to a sheet. Sprinkle each dough mound very lightly with coarse salt. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, reversing the position of the baking pans halfway through bake time. Cookies are done when the centers are set and the edges are nicely browned.

Cool on a rack, and store airtight. container.

Printable Recipe

Apple Cider Cookies/Muffin Tops

So I know some people only share their recipe triumphs on their blogs, but honestly some of my fails have been really awesome triumphs. Take these doughnut/cookie/muffin tops for example. I have been really hesitant about apple cider doughnuts because of the frying factor. Now that I live in a small studio, the thought of frying things and having the place stink for days is off-putting so I have been wanting to try cider doughnuts for a while, but in a way that I wouldn't have to mess up the place. I thought I had found the perfect recipe after finding Shannon's version of baked cider doughnuts, but I soon realized that with no doughnut pan and no yeast in the recipe, these would not be the apple-y puff pieces I had hoped and dreamed of. That said, these weren't bad. They were really great as soft cookies or nicely cooked muffin tops. Especially when mixed with the simple cinnamon sugar instead of bothering with a glaze. I still have plenty of cider left so if I find a good recipe for good baked cider douhnuts, I am totally willing to try it again. Any suggestions? Leave them in the comments!

Apple Cider Cookie/Muffin Tops
(Adapted from Tri to Cook)

For the apple puree:
1 apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup apple cider

Dry ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple puree (from above)
1 ounce agave nectar
1 1/2 ounces apple cider
1 1/2 ounces greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoon canola oil

For the topping:
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup powdered sugar
OR cinnamon-sugar mixture

Prepare the apple puree by simmering the diced apple and 3/4 cup cider over medium-low heat until broken down. Puree with immersion blender (or regular one). You should have 1/4 cup puree. If you have more than this, return to heat and simmer until reduced. Let cool. This can be made ahead, if you'd like.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. To prepare the glaze: add 1 cup cider to small saucepan and simmer over med-low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth and glossy adding more cider or powdered sugar as needed.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk/stir well together in a small bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium bowl . Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Add the mixture by the tablespoon-full to the baking sheet leaving about an inch between the cookies. Bake 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and turn onto cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Add cinnamon-sugar to plate. When cooled slightly, dip the cookies in glaze OR into cinnamon-sugar mix. Serve warm.

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Daring Bakers: Macarons

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.



I can't believe that in over two years of existence, the Daring Bakers have never taken on a macaron challenge. To me, macarons are one of those things that everyone hopes to be able to accomplish in the kitchen at least once. I made my first successful batch of macarons last winter so I was excited to have the opportunity to try them again...until I heard about how many people were failing with the recipe. The Daring Bakers forums and Twitter were full of complaints about time and money spent on a recipe that didn't seem to work. I don't know about you, but as a broke Hollywood assistant, I don't have a lot of extra time or money to repeatedly make something that may or may not work. Since this past weekend was my only shot to get the macarons done before the challenge due date, I decided to go with a recipe and tips that worked for me before.



Chocolate and pistachios are a wonderful combo. I ground my own nuts and used half almonds and half pistachios. I didn't grind my nuts as finely as I should have, so there was an interesting crunch in the shells, but it wasn't unpleasant. I used a chocolate ganache recipe from Sherry Yard that was easy and absolutely heavenly! If you make this ganache, be sure to use good chocolate because the flavor really comes through. (eek, how Ina Garten did that sound?). Katrina of she's in the kitchen is the one who gave me the heads up about the ganache recipe. Thanks Katrina! Check out the other Daring Bakers to see how their macarons turned out!

Daring Bakers: Milan Cookies

Um, yes...I just posted a cookie recipe, but...

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.



Lately, my trend seems to be ridiculously late posting of my Daring Bakers challenges. I just made these cookies two nights ago. Life is just so busy and until I figure out some balance, I will probably be late again next month.

At least I got them done.

We had two choices this month for which I am eternally grateful. We could either make homemade Malomars (chocolate covered marshmallow cookies) or homemade Milanos (cookies sandwiched with a rich layer of chocolate). I have to admit, I took the "easy" way out and just made the Milanos. I have already made marshmallows and since I did these one night after a long day of work, I wasn't really feeling adventurous with marshmallow making and chocolate dipping.

Even with the easier version, I still ran into one or two road blocks. The batter was perfectly easy to work with, but the suggestion of piping out a 1/4 inch thickness of batter, 1 inch long was a little ridiculous. My cookies didn't spread at all and I was left with many, many mini cookies. I ended up just piping out rounds and hoping that they matched up. For the ones that didn't, I just dipped them in chocolate. Also, I really detest the combo of chocolate and orange so I just added a couple splashes of rum to my chocolate mix, but I may have added too much rum. I had a hard time melting the chocolate with the cream so I ended up adding more chocolate which helped the consistency, but then I was left with a ton of melted chocolate. For the cookies that didn't match up, I just dipped them in chocolate and rolled them in a bit of toasted coconut or raw pistachios. The cookies are very simple to make and very similar to the tuiles we made back in the beginning of the year. They are also very addictive and I think I scarfed down about 5 (or 20) in the process. Once again thank you to our hostess for a great challenge, and I am looking forward to what we are faced with next month and *maybe* I will get it done in time...



Milanos
(Adapted from Gale Gand)

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
Cookie filling (as follows)

Cookie filling
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 splashes dark rum
4 ounces semisweet chocolate

Cream the butter with a paddle attachment then mix in the sugar. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

Cookie Filling: In a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl. Whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools). Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies

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Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

I recently mentioned how it has definitely become more fun to bake now that I have more people with which to share my baked goods. Unfortunately, my baking cravings have struck in the middle of summer and it's freaking hot and who really feels like turning on an oven in this weather? For me, the solution has apparently become baking at midnight. After a lazy Saturday of not doing much more than a little party planning and Harry Potter watching, I got the bright idea to bake something. I didn't care that it was midnight or that I had better things to do like script coverage, I wanted to cream butter and sugar and create something wonderful. I recently came across this recipe and bookmarked it because it used ingredients I always have on hand. Even getting the butter to room temperature was easy because of a little trick I learned of placing the butter on the overhang of my (ancient) preheating oven and rotating it every once in a while. These cookies take no time to make and even less time to be devoured. The scent of vanilla has quickly become one of my favorite baking smells (next to cinnamon) and there is vanilla in every bite from the full bean used in the batter to the sprinkling of vanilla sugar on top of the cookies. If you ever find yourself with an extra vanilla bean, I highly recommend placing it in a bit of granulated sugar for as long as you can. Vanilla sugar is amazing on practically any baked good. I loved these soft, buttery cookies and my coworkers seemed to enjoy them as well. If you decide to make them, I would skip the refrigerating/freezing step suggested in the original recipe as I didn't find it necessary and the cookies still came out great!

Today is my Thursday...looking forward to a long weekend with family and friends...what do you have planned?


Vanilla Sugar Cookies
(As found on Joy the Baker)

Makes 1 dozen 2-inch cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sugaring tops (I used vanilla sugar for the tops)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that is fine. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.

Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low. The dough will be soft.

For large cookies, dollop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller cookies use 1 tablespoon for each cookie. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness. Generously sprinkle vanilla sugar (or granulated sugar) on top of the cookie dough.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

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Samoas Ice Cream

Yesterday I promised you guys a sweet treat. Well, here it is...sweet enough for ya? I think I mentioned earlier in the week how I got attacked by the Girl Scouts at the grocery store last weekend (or maybe I Twittered about it). Having once been a Girl Scout myself, I feel it is necessary to support the cause. Plus, who can resist their cute little faces? I only allow myself to buy one box of Samoas and/or Thin Mints and this year I went with one box of Samoas, but I can't promise that if these girls are at the store tomorrow that I won't be tempted again. Normally I like to pop the box in the freezer and have one or two when the mood strikes. This time I thought I could get more creative. I have seen the national name brand Samoas ice cream in the stores and thought I would do my own twist on it. I decided to go with a vanilla bean ice cream base, a fudge swirl and lots of roughly chopped cookies. I don't know about you, but when I have chunks in my ice cream, I want BIG chunks! This ice cream is To. Die. For. Soooo rich and delicious and sinful. Of course I am going to have to walk extra laps this weekend to burn it off, but it's worth it. Have a great weekend!

Many thanks to Christine and Dawn for helping me figure out the three column format. How do you like it?



Samoas Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart

Vanilla Bean ice cream (recipe follows)
Fudge swirl (recipe follows)
Most of a box of samoas, roughly chopped

Freeze the ice cream according to manufacturers instructions. In the last two minutes of freezing, slowly stream in the fudge. Transfer the ice cream to a quart sized container and mix in the chopped up cookies.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
(From David Lebovitz)

1 cup milk
Pinch of salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
A few drops of vanilla extract

Heat the milk, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a paring knife. Add the bean pod to the milk.

Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, then remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Fudge Swirl
(Adapted from Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments)

1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

This swirl can be prepared a day or two ahead of time, but if you make it at the same time as the ice cream, remember that it needs to cool before adding it into the ice cream.

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, bringing the mixture to a low boil. Boil gently for one minute, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Cool in a refrigerator before serving.