....is Tripple Chocolate Cookies

Happy Friday! It's a super chocolate cookie day today and these Triple Threat Chocolate Cookies are perfect!! The original recipe has a ganache too, used to sandwich two cookies with gooey chocolate center. I think the richness of this cookie goes best with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. However you use it this cookie is the best way to start the weekend. 

....is Peanut Butter & Bacon Cookies

A few weeks ago our long time family friends, Mr. & Mrs. H and a number of others, helped my mom with her yard. A lot of people put in a lot of hours and I know it meant a lot to her. As a thank you she wanted to make cookies for the family so I offered my baking services. She told me Mr. H's favorite cookie was peanut butter chocolate chip and he loved bacon, I found this Food Network recipe and made a few alteration. I used the rendered bacon fat but no bacon pieces in the cookie because  they tend to get soggy when baked. I candied the cooked bacon before using it as a topping on the cookie so it would stay crisp and protect it from burning. (And I didn't have enough peanut butter so I had to do half almond butter as well.) There is a lot going on in this cookie, if I make them again I would be inclined to make them with only two of the three key flavors, I think it would simplify the cookie for the better. They were rich and delicious but one less ingredients would have helped the flavors blend together better.

Thanks again to everyone that helped my mom, the yard looks so much better!

(If you didn't get a cookie I take requests but for take out only, I'm not set up for delivery.)

....is The Ginger

Usually when I'm referring to 'The Ginger' it's my lovely redheaded college roommate & cohort, SEF. Today The Ginger is a delicious incredibly gingery ginger cookie. I made a double batch but only one cookie lasted long enough to be photographed and it was immediately eaten after I captured this image (but before I ate breakfast). 

MMcK & I made Ginger & Molasses Doodles as part of our christmas baking day and they were wonderful. When I read the "50 all-time best Sunset Test Kitchen recipes" and saw they only included two cookie recipes I had to make these. (Also on my list from this article are the Triple-Threat Chocolate Cookies & Molten Chocolate Mousse Cups)

Much like the Ginger & Molasses Doodles, The Ginger develops more flavor and chewiness the next day than it has fresh out of the oven, that little fact did not stop anyone from trying a few of the fresh baked cookies. 

....is Samoa Adjacent

It was a bitter sweet moment when I realized Girl Scouts were no longer standing outside every grocery store tempting me with cute smiles and devilish boxes of deliciousness. I waited, maybe a week, to scour Pinterest trying to find a recipe for homemade Samoas. I love these cookies, they are my favorite second only to the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie but I will probably leave them to the Little Brownie Bakery from now on. There's a lot of time between each step and I like the two steps it takes to open the box and eat a cookie. I did learn how to paint with caramel & chocolate when dipping was too difficult. I got to choose the shape of my Samoa, a circle, a dog, a star & a fleur de lis. (Why do they cheat you out of the hole in the center? That's just more room for caramel, coconut & chocolate!) Overall it was a lovely afternoon with MMcK, while I waited for the cable company.

....is Chocolate Dipped Almond Crescents

In my post on Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes I mentioned I was behind on blog posts, dessert are no exception. Just before Christmas MMcK & I had a baking day extravaganza, we made the Chocolate Dipped Almond Crescent Cookies I'm about to share and five other sweet treats to share with friends and family. We made Pecan Pie Shortbread, M&M Cookies, Peanut Butter Balls, Chocolate Dipped Macaroons, Chocolate Covered Salted Caramels & Molasses Gingerdoodles (only two non-chocolated items). The treat have long since been eaten but I still want to share all of the recipes. Enjoy!

Adapted from Food.com

....is Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last month, when I flew to Boston, I was so excited to see the Spirit Magazine article: 'Hello Cookie'. An entire inflight article on cookies?! They must have known I was flying. When I got home, I found the compiled recipes online, and wanted to make them all, immediately. (I've managed to hold out so far and only made the one but I plan to make more soon.) MMcK & I had another baking day and CPB helped decide which one we made first. He loves Chocolate and the Bacon & Chocolate combination sounded intriguing to all of us. They turned out to be a nice salty versus sweet treat to add to my cookie recipe collection. (Two cookies in one week, 'tis the season for baking!)

....is Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cookie

I must have St. Louis on the brain this week. Gooey Butter Cake was a standard coffee shop dessert while I was in school. It came in a range of flavors, vanilla, chocolate, spiced chai (my favorite!), etc. A few years ago I found a recipe to make this treat into a cookie. It has since become one of my favorite cookies to make for Christmas. But a little pumpkin and spices make the typical Gooey Butter Cookie perfect for Fall!

....is The Fat Chewy, M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

MMcK & I had a Beer and Baking night! However, no beer was used in the making of these cookies. :) We baked 13 dozen cookies that night. Half of the cookies were the ones in this post, the Fat Chewy. They are chewy and full of chocolate, two ways. This is MMcK's recipe, and I only have the one image, they were eaten before I could get any more pictures. I think these are one of CPB's favorite and will definitely be made again (and again)!

....is Pumpkinhead Doodles

It's here! It's here! I love Autumn, even though my city doesn't quite get a full Fall season it's probably still my favorite time of year. I love the colors on the trees, pumpkin spiced everything  and the chance to wear boots without melting. Today feels like Fall but it's supposed to be 80 here again on Monday. So, quickly before Summer comes back, let's pretend like it's really Fall and bake some deliciousness!

The Spiked Recipe Challenge was the perfect opportunity to use the Beeroness' Beer Brown Sugar Cookies with a Fall Beer twist. I upped the Cinnamon, used the Shipyard Pumpkinhead & rolled it in sugar & sprinkles to make it the Snickerdoodle I've been craving recently. (If you look close the sprinkles are leaf shaped! I love Fall.)

The cookies get tastier the longer they last! Just like the Ginger & Molasses Doodles, I think the flavor of the Beer and Cinnamon gets a little richer the second and third day (if they last that long). MMcK & I made a double batch to share and they went quickly!Happy Autumn & I hope you enjoy the Pumpkinhead Doodle.

....the Wookie

Maybe you were expecting a star wars character....?

Last Friday on the way home from our LAdventure, CPB & I stopped at the Iron Press for a late dinner. We split their Burger with Stout BBQ Sauce topped with Bacon, an Onion Ring  & Potato Chips. AND a side of their Waffle Fries with Garlic Aioli dipping sauce. The two put together (plus a wonderful beer from local brewery!) was more than enough to fill us both. Their burgers look small, a quarter of a Belgian waffle makes up the top and bottom bun, but they are rich and filling. As we were leaving the waitress asked if we wanted any desserts. Her recommendation, the Wookie, is cookie dough pressed in a waffle iron topped with a scoop of ice cream. We were completely full and didn't order this wonderful sweet treat. Having just borrowed a waffle iron from MMcK, it got me thinking.... 

....is Ginger & Mollasses Doodle

I made these cookies for a Birthday BBQ at work, they are the second installment of the Furlough Bakery. MMcK came up with the idea and after a little searching we decided the perfect recipe was a combination of Good Things Grow and Smitten Kitchen's Molasses Spice Cookies. They were heavenly fresh out of the oven but as they rested they got chewier and more delicious. I recommend making a double batch, trust me, they'll go fast. (Even our slightly burnt ones were eaten!)

....is Banana Oat Nutella Cookies

The first Furlough Bakery treat. 

Until the end of September I am on Furlough every Friday, because of federal budget cuts all DOD employees have to take one non-paid day off a week for 11 weeks. It sounds like a great summer plan until that first paycheck comes in 20% shy of normal. It's unfortunate really but I've found a good way to fill the time....baking, lots of baking. (I've been talking about a Furlough Bake Sale too, maybe make back a little of my missing income.)

But onto the recipe, I have a lovely partner in crime, MMcK has become my new baking buddy and brought this recipe (and a few aging Banana's) over to make cookies on our first Furlough Friday. They're a bread-like cookie and super moist, but the Nutella is the best part, a chocolatey swirl of goodness. And we had a little extra batter, maybe only enough for 2-3 cookies, so I put it in a ramekin and into the oven with the last batch of cookies. It came out like a Pizzookie & Banana Bread Hybrid.

....is Back to Basics, Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a family recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I made it with such frequency in college I actually gave it up for lent one year. Not because I would eat it by the handful alone, I had 5 roommates and a few friends willing to help me out. The amount of butter and sugar I was going thru simply astonished me, so I took a break. I may have saved a few waistlines, including my own.

I also noticed the recipe rarely made it to cookie form. Only once that I recall, a group of boys specifically requested it in cookie form. I kept most of the ingredients on hand but when requested I usually required the missing ingredients be brought to me. That same group would show up at the door with a bag of chocolate chips or a stick of butter or one time I'm pretty sure they asked one of my neighbors to 'borrow' two eggs.

Most of the time it was eaten as dough (and to my knowledge, no one ever got sick from it). Maybe 30% of the time we would make Pizzookie with it, this lovely treat is in a few restaurants now. Basically you spread all the dough onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan (pizza + cookie = pizzookie) and par-bake it. Just past the 'jiggly' stage, it's a technical term.

This past year i decided to try my hand at the classic chocolate chip cookie, you think it wold be easy but there are thousands of chocolate chip cookies out there. Some have yogurt or pudding mix but I wanted plain, old, normal chocolate chip cookies. This is my favorite, they are gooey and hold together, most recipes have an inherent crumbling problem. The only alteration I made to the link below was a full teaspoon of vanilla, if you double the batch I would recommend only a teaspoon and a half.

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl; stir into the sugar mixture in 3-4 parts. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets or use a cookie scoop, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.

(Thanks, Anna.)

Happy New Year, Hello 2013.

....is Snowflake Sugar Cookies

The Cookies:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla

3 Cups Flour
2 Tbsp Baking Powder


Cream Sugar and Butter, mix in Egg and Vanilla. Add Flour mixed with Baking Powder in 3-4 batches. Keep the dough in the fridge and roll it out in small batches. It gets sticky if you let it warm up.

1 Snowflake Cookie Cutter
Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.

4 Cups Powder Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
5 Tbsp Heavy Cream
2 tsp Vanilla*

*don't add if you want pure white frosting, I wasn't thinking and my snowflake frosting came out a little brownish...

....is Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A, only slightly altered, Gluten Free recipe from Eat-Live-Run.

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil, room temperature
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1-1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Salt
2-1/2 Cups Whole Oats*
1 10-oz bag Dark Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Almond Butter

2 Tbsp Flour
2 tsp Vanilla

*The Original Recipe called for 3 Cups. When I used this it made the cookies a little more like Granola and they had trouble holding shape. I had to force them into the cookie scoop to hold shape. They were still delicious but I think next time I'll try a few less Oats.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the Coconut Oil, Almond Butter, Sugar and Brown Sugar until well blended. Add Vanilla extract. Keep beating until everything is combined.

In another bowl, mix together the Oats, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon and Flour. Add to wet ingredients along with Chocolate Chips. Mix until just combined.

Roll small balls of dough (using a Cookie Scoop is easier, it looks like a Mini-Ice Cream Scoop) and place three inches apart on a silpat or parchment paper-lined sheet tray. Do not flatten dough balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffy. Let cool for 5 minutes on sheet tray before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

....is a Disneyland Inspired Chipwich

I won't lie, there's something about the Chipwich at Disneyland that makes me about as happy as riding the Matterhorn.... and this doesn't quite match that happiness, but it's a start. This is a little something to hold me over til my next annual trip.

1 Package 'Break 'n Bake' Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Carton of Vanilla or Vanilla & Carmel Ice Cream

Two cookies per Chipwich with a delicious scoop of Ice Cream in between.

....is Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Once Upon a Recipe 

(The Cookies are exactly the same, the Frosting has been altered.)

For the Cookies:

1 Cup Butter, Softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Nutmeg

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

1½ Cups Pumpkin Puree

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, beat the Butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add The Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. Beat until thoroughly combined, taking care to scrape the bowl down at least once. Add the Egg and Vanilla, and beat until combined. 

Beat in the Pumpkin. 

Add in the Flour and mix together well. 

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are just set and have lovely golden brown ridges. 

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool.

For the Frosting:

1 (8oz.) Package Cream Cheese, Softened

¼ Cup Butter, Softened

1 Cup Icing Sugar

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

½ tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

Frost the cookies when cool and enjoy!

....is Gooey Butter Cookies

Courtesy of Lottie & Doof Day 5 of 12 Days of Cookies,  (recipe by Mathew Rice of Nightwood Restaurant)

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pound cream cheese

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (optional (Tim thinks it is optional, but important))

3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extractConfectioner’s sugar for rolling and dusting

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter, vanilla bean seeds, and sugar together until fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract.

Incorporate the flour mixture.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.  

Scoop roughly 1-ounce balls and toss in the confectioner’s sugar.  Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment, a couple of inches apart.  Bake at 325° F until they spread and puff slightly, about 12-16 minutes.  They will be really soft in the center.  If they start to brown, they’ve gone too far.  Cool to room temperature.

From this point, Mathew usually refrigerates them on the tray because as the cream cheese and butter get cold, they’re easier to pick up. It is a good tip.  Dust with more confectioner’s sugar before serving.  Mathew always serves these cookies straight out of the fridge. He thinks they don’t taste as good warm.  I agree with Mathew! Store these in the fridge and you can serve them cold/cool.

Anxiously awaiting the first batch, complete with perfect posture and girly drink in hand....

....is a Magic Cookie Bar

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Cup Butterscotch-Flavored Chips
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/3 Cups Flaked Coconut
1/2 Cup Toffee Chips

Heat oven 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan. 

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.