Salted Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

This is kind of a big deal.

First off, so my blog is officially one year old as of the 9th.  Happy First Birthday to...Blog!  Secondly, that last post, I failed to mention but it was number 100.  Thank you for listening to (reading?) everything I have rambled on about, made fun of, and got a little too excited over for the last one hundred entries,...mom and dad.

And thank you, Nathan, for being my number one taste-tester.  And for paying me that awfully wonderful compliment over the weekend: "you know how some people are known for a certain recipe like their spaghetti sauce?  You're going to be known for a whole arsenal!"  (Why bother paraphrasing when I can repeat those delicious words verbatim.)  I think these cookies will be going into said arsenal, as they were devoured within twenty-four hours- we're talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Even after a habenero-infused taco dinner, which upset the tummy, Nathan reached for the cookies ("just. one. cookie. ughhhh.").  And the following morning?  ("I'm still so fulllllll.  But I need just. one. cookie").  Poof!  All gone. 

Salted Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Makes 17 cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

For rolling:

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  

To brown butter: place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and immediately begin whisking. Stir as it bubbles, and after 2-3 minutes or so you should see brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat immediately and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds or use.  Let cool slightly.

Transfer butter to a large mixing bowl and with an electric mixer or whisk, mix in the sugars until smooth and well-combined. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla, and mix until smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add them to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Combine the 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Scoop dough into equal 1-inch sized portions, roll into balls and coat in salt-sugar mixture. Place dough balls an inch apart on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms of the cookies are golden.  Let cool completely before removing from baking sheet.

Adapted from The Baker Chick.

Toasted Coconut M&M Skillet Cookie

I know what you're thinking.

You're thinking you're going to just tra-la-la over my little commentary and jump straight to the recipe.  I've got you alllll figured out.  Oh, but I do it too.  Because let's face it...you follow a food blog for, well...the food.   You could care less about what happens inbetween the picture and the ingredients.  Ditto.  In fact, I very very rarely read a full blog post on any blog I follow (yes, guilty as charged).   So today I'm letting you off the hook.  All you're getting is a recipe.  No blahblahblah on my end.  Enjoy!

Toasted Coconut M&M Skillet Cookie

Makes 1 (8-inch) skillet (I purchased a small skillet too now!  Double the recipe for 10-12 inch skillet!)

3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk (or white!  Just use half an egg)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup mini m&m's

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lay coconut on a baking sheet, making sure they are in a single layer.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, checking periodically, until lightly browned.  Be very careful not to burn!  Remove from oven and let cool.

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Cream together the butter and sugars.  Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla.  Combine the flours, soda, and salt and stir into creamed mixture.  Fold in toasted coconut.

Pour batter into greased 8-inch cast iron skillet and sprinkle with mini m&m's.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until center is slightly set. 

Chelsea Original :)

Doritos Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is nacho ordinary chocolate chip cookie.

Let me start by saying we have a lot of chips in our pantry.  At this moment: Tostitos, Doritos, Zapps, Mission, Kettle, and more.  But remember that crazy chocolate chip grilled cheese I mentioned a few months ago?  And remember those salt and vinegar filled junk food cookies I baked up?  Wonder where the idea for these cookies came from?  It's a simple math problem, really.

It starts off with a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe straight from the kitchen of my unofficial sister-in-law, Jackie (official sister-in-law this June!).  Now she claims she's no cook, but the ooey gooey brownies and white chocolate trail mix she totes around and into my life beg to differ.  She brought these cookies to the lake once, sans the nacho cheese, of course, and I demanded requested the recipe ASAP.  I've made them in the traditional form, but this time I decided to funk things up a bit, adding to its soft and chewy texture by tossing in a classic chip.  Do not be afraid.  The chip adds in a very subtle flavor with a slightly salty crunch.  It's a good thing, promise. 

So I'm sorry, Jackie, for dorito-izing what can only be described as a fabulous chocolate chip cookie.  My blog made me do it.

Doritos Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 12 large cookies or 24 small cookies

3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup crushed nacho cheese Doritos

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. 

In medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.  Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just blended.  Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed chips.  (At this point, I let my dough rest for a few minutes to firm up slightly).  Drop cookie dough on to the prepared cookie sheets. 

Bake at 325 for 10 to 12 minutes (for small cookies), closer to 15 for larger cookies or until edges are lightly toasted.  Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Adapted from Jackie. 

Cookies and Cream Cake

My brother likes chocolate.

Yup.  That's him.  Digging into his cake at his second birthday, circa 1989.  He still does this by the way.  Now I'm pretty sure he never reads my blog (thanks Mike, thanks), but that doesn't mean I don't love him enough to dedicate an entire post about him (and it lets me secretly post pictures of a small, chubbier version of him 23 years ago). 

Growing up there was one thing my brother (Michael is his name if you didn't catch it) wanted on his big day:  Macaroni Grill's Warm Chocolate Cake with Fudge Sauce.  So every year, on December 15th, that is where my family would head for dinner.  And dessert.  (And I grew up in an anti-chain eating household, so this was extra special!).  We would arrive to the restaurant and wait patiently to be seated while watching the nearby chefs prepare and toss pasta dishes.  Our buzzer would eventually go off and we would then be taken to a paper-lined table where us kids would proceed to color every inch and play countless games of tic-tac-toe.  Finally, after dinner was served and cleared, the waitress would bring out a huge candlelit slab of the warm cake, make my brother stand on a chair with a napkin draped over his head and sing an a cappella rendition of "Happy Birthday".  Then, 8-year-old to 13-year-old (those are roughly the years we kept this tradition) Michael would dig in.  And eat the entire...single...piece.  By himself.  (Oh don't you worry, I got my own slice). 

But before I tell you about this cake I made just for him, I must first tell you that he also loves oreos.  So when I saw this recipe over the summer for an Oreo Chocolate Bundt Cake (I adapted it with my own twist, as you can see, it's obviously not a bundt), I knew I would be making this come December.  Three layers of chocolate cake spread with cookies and cream cheese filling and topped with a thin, sugary glaze and oreo crumbs.  A chocolate-meets-cake-meets-oreo-lovers dream.   

Happy Birthday little bro!

Cookies and Cream Cake

Makes one 6-inch round cake (If you would like to make it in bundt form, click on the link embedded in the post or at the end of the recipe)

Chocolate Cake:
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons boiling water
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons buttermilk

Place melted butter and sugar in large mixing bowl and mix to combine.  Add in egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt until no lumps remain. 

Heat water until boiling (I did this in the microwave in a 2-cup glass pyrex).  Whisk in cocoa powder.  Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and combined.  Whisk in buttermilk .  Stir chocolate mixture into batter until combined.

Pour into 3 greased 6-inch round cake pans (to distribute evenly, use a third-cup dry measuring cup and add a third-cup at a time to each one until there is no more batter.  Each layer should take about two and a half, 1/3rd cupfuls).  Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 15 minutes.

While cake is baking make the filling and glaze.

Oreo Filling:

5 oreos, crushed
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place oreos in a food processor and pulse until crumbled. Alternately, place oreos in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush. Set aside 1 tablespoon of crushed oreos for topping,

Cream together cream cheese and sugar.  Add in vanilla.  Fold in oreos.  Set aside. 

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon crushed oreos (saved from earlier)

Add powdered sugar and milk to bowl and whisk to combine until desired consistency is reached and it can be poured over the cake.

Assembly:

Once cake has cooled, spread half of filling on top of one layer.  Place second layer on top of filling and spread the rest of the filling evenly over the second layer.  Top the second layer of filling with third layer of cake.  Pour glaze over top of third layer and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crushed oreos.

Adapted from Bakers Royale.

Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Christmas cookie time, baby.

Back when I still lived at home (oh the lovely days before I had to go and grow up, get a job, and officially start to dread getting the mail- stupid bills), my mom, sister, and I had a little tradition every Christmas season:  the three of us would sit down and lay out a list of all of the cookies we intended to bake and then each choose a few to make.  Then, we would spend the entire day baking in the kitchen.  (Eventually my brother contributed with some out-of-this-world hershey's kiss peanut butter cookies- which I will probably be sharing in the near future).  In the end we had a lot of cookies...and some pretty good memories. 

While each of us kids has moved out of the nest, and some of the cookies have come and gone, every year, without fail, there are a select few that have endured and remained on the "list".  Now I should probably tell you that no, these here cookies are not on this little list I speak of, but that doesn't mean they aren't good.  In fact, they are insanely good.  Santa would be one jolly fellow if he was left a few of these.  Soft from the cream cheese and filled with a healthy dose of toasted coconut...yea, they didn't last long.  Therefore, they may have to make a reappearance in a couple of weeks when I set out to bake a few goodies to take home to the fam for the holidays.  I finally started making my cookie list today, have you?  Suggestions are always welcome!

Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies

Makes 35 cookies

2 cups coconut

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted & cooled until room temp

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out coconut evenly.  Bake for 10-20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes for even toasting. Remove from oven when coconut turns light brown (be very careful not to burn!).  Allow to cool completely before adding to dough.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Mix butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth.  Add sugars and beat until thoroughly combined.  Beat in vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in cooled coconut.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and bottoms are light brown (mine went 12 minutes, but I suggest you set the timer for 10 minutes and check before cooking the full 12-14).  Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

Adapted from vanilla sugar blog.



Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Toldjya it wouldn't be long...

Now I'm definitely a pecan pie over pumpkin pie girl, but when it comes to incorporating pumpkin into other sweet treats I am on board. 

Over the past week or two, I have been making batch after batch of pumpkin chocolate chip bread at work and it got my brain churning...what fun treat can I make involving this same delicious combo?? Then, after a girl I work with mentioned a pumpkin thumbprint cookie she had eaten I knew the answer: I just HAD to create a twist on the tried and true peanut butter kiss cookie (p.s. my brother has one heck of a recipe for the pb version he bakes every Christmas...maybe I can get him to do a little guest post come December.  p.s.s. it only involves four ingredients and they taste pretty much INSANE.  I made him make a double batch last year). 

Anywho, these cookies.  Best described as cake in cookie form. They are seriously the softest cookie I've ever bit into and I make sure to work my way around the center kiss in a perfect circle, sliding a little piece of chocolate off with my teeth with each bite.  Perfection. 

Pumpkin Kiss Cookies

Makes 26 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

26 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until mixed thoroughly; add pumpkin puree and vanilla then mix again.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ginger together in a bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a silpat mat on a baking sheet. Scoop out dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown*.  Remove from oven and press a Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie.  Let cool before removing to wire rack. 

*The shape of the cookie ball will remain the same during baking.  The Kiss will cause it to flatten out a little making the end result look more like a cookie, don't worry!

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking.





Chocolate Oreo Cut-Outs

Sooooo there's a few holidays coming up...

ya know...halloween, thanksgiving, christmas and the sort. 

Annnnd there's sorta kinda one today.  It's Annabelle's birthday.  Who's Annabelle you ask?  This cutie:

My pup.  She turns the big 7 (that's 49 in dog years and I can only hope I'm still as bouncy and playful as her when I turn 49), and you know how much of a sucker I am for celebrating birthdays (see Ben's birthday and Mel's birthday) so I'm at it again.  This time with some chocolate bone oreos.  Yeahhhhh....

Here's the sweet part (other than the cookie itself, of course): I filled these little guys with orange frosting making for a Halloween Bone Oreo- yup, that's right.  Bone as in dog treat, or bone as in halloween skeleton!  Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.  Because that's how I roll.

As for the cookie:  this is a softer cookie rather than the crisp sugar version you usually see; however, it doesn't disappoint.  And with a thin layer of creamy orange icing- in the spirit of halloween- devilishly perfect :)

Oh, and speaking of Halloween and Oreos...did you hear?  Candy Corn Oreos.  I'm on the lookout!

Chocolate Oreo Cut-Outs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t worry if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Chunky Peanut Butter White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

TGIF.

It has been one H-E-double-hockey-stick-acious week for me.  

Extra early mornings and extra late nights so the weekend is verrrrry welcome.  (But it also makes me appreciate my usual schedule!)  I was wise and prepared in advance though: I made a batch of these cookies last weekend and they have been my late night indulgence all week long.

This cookie is my own creation- from the dough (I make a couple thousand cookies every week so I'm beginning to figure out what makes an awesome cookie) to the choice of chip (white chocolate chips this time, no crazy salt and vinegar), to the cinnamon sugar coating.  Just a little something I dreamed up and it turned out fabulous; soft and chewy with the perfect ratio of pb to white chocolate to cinnamon.   Yay me!  And yay weekend!

Chunky Peanut Butter White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Makes 28 cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup extra chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in the egg and mix until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.  Fold in white chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Scoop dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes. 

Chelsea Original!

Junk Food Cookies

There's cookie batter underneath all that goodness.

And yes those are chips in there.  Salt and vinegar chips.  No lie.

I'm sure potato chips would work just fine, but you know you secretly want to invest in a bag of the S&V goodness.  If not just for these cookies, to casually eat the entire bag in one sitting. 

What is it with salt and vinegar chips?  I remember when I was younger my mom would occasionally purchase a bag and I swear, they were the most addicting chip on the planet.  I could not stop eating those things.  COULD NOT STOP.  Open the bag and -poof!- all gone. 

But then I grew up, I moved on, and I matured into a Doritos fan.  During college I couldn't live without them.  A new flavor would come out and I'd buy it and text everyone I knew that "holy crap there's a new doritos flavor!!"  So after eating these insanely incredible soft and chewy chock-full-of-goodness cookies, I'm envisioning a version involving doritos.  The nacho cheese ones of course. 

And while you're reading all of this crazy talk and thinking I'm out of my mind I will have you know that someone else is on the cheese and cookies bandwagon as well, so ha!

Junk Food Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup crushed salt and vinegar potato chips
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup crushed salted pretzels
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons flaked coconut
3 tablespoons butterscotch chips
2 tablespoons assorted sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt, then set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the cooled butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until mixed and smooth. Gradually add in dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until mixed.  Fold in all of your add-in’s.

Scoop into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the middles are just set. Don’t over bake! Let cool almost completely.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

I think it's time I shared something chocolate.  And I believe this will do.  A soft, chewy chocolate cookie studded with oreo pieces and chocolate chips.  Chocolate and chocolate in chocolate.

As I was making these late one afternoon, Nathan came home from work and spotted my package of oreos lying on the counter (sometimes I need to hide food things from him).  His eyes immediately lit up and he said "Ooooh!  Oreos!" but I smacked his hand and told him "No!  Those are cookies for a cookie!".  It must be torture to live with me. 

The wait was well worth it though because we gobbled right through these.  Oh, and they would be even more fabulous with a nice, big scoop of blue bell slathered in between, just sayin :)

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup crushed Oreo cookies

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips and crushed oreos. Refrigerate dough for 2-4 hours (or more). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls or scoop with an ice cream scooper and set on baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

It's that time of year again- Girl Scout cookie time!  And each year we can rely on three things:  (1) little girls will be stationed outside grocery store doors everywhere, (2) the price of a box will go up, and (3) the number of cookies per box will go down.

While Do-si-dos never were a favorite of mine (I'm a sucker for the Tagalongs and Samoas), this at home version takes the cake.  They are soft and chewy and delicious.  Really.  They just melt-in-your-mouth and are full of peanut butter goodness.  And I was able to use up some peanut butter!  The recipe said I would get 18 sandwich cookies, and that's exactly what I got- a rarity in baking. 

So step in the kitchen, wear braided pigtails (yes I did this), and make a cookie that takes you back to your childhood.  While saving a little money, too :)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Makes 18 sandwich cookies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats


For the Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, peanut butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Finally, add the oats and mix until just combined.

Take about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a cookie ball. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden and the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. Combine the butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy. Using a knife, spread peanut butter filling onto the flat side of a cookie. Find a cookie the same size and sandwich the cookies together, pressing the filling to the edges.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.