Hot Cocoa Cookies

Last weekend a beautiful thing happened. Me + Sur la Table + a giftcard from last Christmas that I found deep in my wallet.  The result- my "happy place". 

So there I am, in the middle of that glorious store with money to spend, and I see it.  A tower full of cookie cutters- all shiny and new.  I couldn't look away.  Nor was I able to decide which ones to get.  I mean, there was everything from a T-rex to a baseball bat.  Point of the story- if there's a holiday or occasion, I now have a cookie cutter for it.

Included in this cookie cutter shopping spree were these little guys- I'm ashamed to admit that before I put that giftcard to good use, I didn't have a single tree or snowman cutter.  But now that they are in my possession, I had to put them to good use.  Enter hot cocoa cookies.

Marshmallow fluff stuffed between two chocolate sugar cookies.  Made undeniably better by the fact that they're adorable.  Even Sammy wanted in on the cookie action.  P.S. photographing cookies is a bit trickier when your boyfriend brings his dog over to your apartment....

Sugar-Doodle Cookies

It's here. Christmas season is finally here.  The tree is up.  My Relient K "Let It Snow Baby, Let It Reindeer" album is playing on repeat. (Reindeer. Rain dear. Get it? Oh that Matt Thiessen is a genius). And I've forced Max to wear his santa jacket all weekend long.

P.S. If there's anyone wanting to adopt a slightly neurotic miniature schnauzer, please feel free. I'm fairly certain he's plotting my death due to the fact that I make him wear ridiculous things.

Oh right, and the reason you're here- the cookies. I finally made this year's inaugural batch of Christmas cookies!

How cute are these little guys?! Baby sugar cookies, covered in colored sugar.  The act of rolling them in sugar reminded me of another Christmas favorite- snickerdoodles. I don't know why cinnamon = snicker, however these I shall deem these sugar-covered treats sugardoodles :)

Reese's Brownie Cookies

I have no idea how this could possible happen.  It’s honestly unthinkable.

Easter has come and gone and I didn’t have one Reese’s egg.  And now they’re gone.

Noooooooooooooooooo.

 I’ve shared my love of chocolate and peanut butter many times here.  The fixation started with Peanut Butter Blossoms.  It infatuation grew with Reese’s Cupcakes. And it went to all-out obsession with Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Blondies. And then there were the Pretzel-Peanut Butter Truffles. Oh, and the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies.  Yeah- I kinda like chocolate and peanut butter..... 

 So you can image how big of a deal Reese’s Eggs are for me.  I’ll hide a body for you for one of those delicious, delicious eggs.  Not kidding.  I live close to water. I got this covered.

 In the midst of my tears and temper tantrum in the grocery store over the lack of eggs, I did find these little gems.  Bite-sized Reese’s.  Just begging to be thrown into a cookie. I can’t deny a begging peanut butter cup.

Molten Caramel Brownie Cookies

Hello. My name is Sarah and I'm an addict.  I, like every other food/fashion/DYI blogger out there, am OBSESSED with Pinterest.  This site is seriously the bee's knees.  

 

I have boards for recipes I want to try and DYI projects I'd love to attempt and photography tips and quotes I love and the list goes on.  However, I spend all this time adding to my boards that I rarely actually DO any of them.

This molten caramel chocolate lava cake was one of the very first things I pinned.  I was so excited to make it. Who wouldn't love warm, ooey-gooey caramel and chocolate? So what happened? And it sat there. And sat there. And sat there, sadly forgotten about.  I mean, how often does the occasion for making decadent individual cakes come into my life?

 

But then I became brilliant.  Make it a cookie! And so I did. I made fudgy, chewy brownie cookies stuffed with a Dove caramel.  And it was awesome. Pure heaven.

P.S. There are caramel blow-outs in heaven.  Don't worry- they're delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

After I posted those Cookie Dough Truffles last week, I had the itch to make chocolate chip cookies like you wouldn't believe.  I honestly get cravings to bake things.  I don't really care if I get to eat them (though it is a lovely perk), but I literally couldn't think of anything else but making chocolate chip cookies. 

I told people this and they looked at me like I was crazy.  Who cares- I now have cookies and they don't.  OK- that's a total I lie. Because I'm nice and I share.  When I make cookies, everyone gets cookies.  It's just how I roll.

Trust me, I LOVE the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I grew up making.  But it isn't the PERFECT cookie in my mind.  It's a little too soft and too almost bread-like.  What I'm looking for is something with a little bit of crunch and a lot of chewyness.  Stands up great against a good dunking in milk.  Loaded full of chips but with a hint of salt in every bite.

These cookies hit almost every note.  They are damn near perfect.

Texture? Awesome.
Milk Test? Passed with flying colors.
Chocolate Chip-y? Perfection.
Balance with a hint of Salt? Oh so close....

These cookies called for sea salt which I found a little strange, but the original poster swore by it so I went along.  I'm totally on the sea salt in cookies band wagon now.  Except I wanted just a little more.  When you got that crunch of salt, the cookie was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.  But then there were bites where it was missing and it made me sad. 

Though in fairness, I also used milk chocolate chips verses semi sweet.  So the salt may have been over-powered by the sweetness of my chip selection.  Ya live and ya learn.  Guess that means I just have to make more test cookies. What a shame......


What makes your perfect chocolate chips cookie?

Cookie Dough Truffles

I live dangerously.  I laugh in the face of warnings. I throw caution to the wind.

You know those warnings on the Nestle Tollhouse package? The "do not consume raw cookie dough" warnings.  Challenge Excepted. I eat raw cookie dough like it's going out of style.

One reason why I haven't perfected my chocolate chip cookies is because the dough never last long enough to physically make it to the oven.

Yeah- it's a problem.


Solution- make "dough" for the sole reason of never ever baking them.  However, we'll make Mr. Tollhouse and the Dept of Health happy and leave out the eggs.  Roll into little balls and drizzle with what else but more chocolate.


It's basically the cat's pajamas.

Cookies & Cocktails

 

In my world, nothing says Christmas like cocktails and cookies, both enjoyed liberally. 
Not necessarily together, but if that’s how you roll- feel free.  Who am I to judge?

My cocktail tastes are simple. Vodka-tonic with a little bit of lime and I’m a happy girl.  Throw in some cranberry if I’m in a festive mood.  Jack and Diet if I’m feeling crazy.  In need a “sweet escape”?  Vanilla Absolut and I are good friends.

 

However, sometimes you gotta kick it up a notch.  Sometimes you gotta put on your big girl apron (the kitchen equivalent of big girl pants if you weren’t aware…) and get out the blender.  Then you need it introduce it to some old buddies of mine- vanilla AND mint chip ice cream.  Oh, and peppermint schnapps can come too. That’s a must.

As for the cookies- TO. DIE. FOR.  You know those sickening sweet, store-bought sugar cookies? You know the ones.  Awesomely soft and loaded up with frosting.  These are those. But better.  Seriously.  

  
What’s your favorite “adult beverage” of choice? 


Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to load up the car with plenty of wine and cookies (and Max of course) and hit the road.  I'm off to sunny South Carolina to spend Christmas with the coolest uncle and aunt a girl could ask for. And some pretty fantastic cousins too. There will be much cheesecake and banana bread and Wii dancing.  It will be great.


Oh right- Hi Mom and Dad, you'll be there too :-P

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

I’m a full-fledge professional baker now.  It’s true.  I had my first paying baking job this weekend :)

 

I have to do a shout out to my lovely “client”, Katie of Accelerando Music.  She’s fantastic for anyone with kids in the DC area.  Accelerando offers private and group music lessons, in-home early childhood music courses for your playgroup, musical birthday parties, and live acoustic music for your restaurant, bar, wedding or private party.  (Though full disclosure, Katie’s a really good friend of mine that was also willing to pay me to bake Christmas cookies for her students :)   But who am I to turn down my first gig?

 However, baking 100 cookies turned out to be…. interesting…..  There was a lot of trial and error.  A lot of cursing.  And finally the feeling of victory as I figured out the trick to this cookie dough.

 Apparently gingerbread cookies are not nice.  Sure, cut out in cute little boy and girl shapes, they’re adorable.  But before they get there, they are an impossible, sticky, infuriating mess.  However, I suffered for you people.  I figured out the way so that you’re not cursing obscenities at your rolling pin.  (It’s not cute friends- trust me….the pup went and hid in his bed until I was done….)

 However- once you have "the trick" down, they're totes worth it.  They are what the recipe promised. Soft, chewy gingerbread cookies.

What’s the one dish you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t because you think it’ll be too difficult?

Adapted from here and here

What You’ll Need:

• 3 cups AP Flour
• ¾ cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp Ginger
• ½ tsp Ground Cloves
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¾ tsp Baking Soda
• 12 Tbsp Butter, room temp, cut into 12 chunks
• ¾ cup Molasses
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• Decorating supplies (I used melted chocolate chips with a pastry tip and red hot)

What To Do:

1. In your stand mixer bowl (the first recipe link has food processor instructions too, but I don’t recommend a hand mixer for this- you’ll burn it out), combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda.  Mix until fully combined.
2. Scatter butter pieces throughout your bowl and mix on medium until everything’s the texture of a fine meal (no large butter chunks).  Turn your mixer down to low and slowly pour in molasses and milk.  Turn mixer up to medium until everything is fully incorporated.
3. Take half the dough and roll out to ¼ inch thick between two pieces of wax paper.  Repeat with the other half.  Place both on cookie sheet (you can stack them) and freeze for 20-30 minutes.  Once chilled, preheat oven to 350F.
4. Remove one half of rolled dough from the freezer. Ok- now here’s where the trick is.  Slowly pull back the top layer of wax paper completely but then put it back in place.  Flip over your dough. Pull back the now top, sprinkle dough with flour and then also return that sheet to the dough.  Flip again (now you're back to the first side you removed). Peel back that paper and discard.  Now you’re ready to cut out your cookies.  Using whatever cookie cutter you choose, cut out shapes and lay them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating your cookie sheet 180 degrees halfway through.
5. Once baked, immediately pick up the parchment from the cookie sheet and lay entire thing on a wire rack to cool.  Wait about 5 minutes then transfer the cookies off the parchment straight to the cooling rack to fully cool.  They should come right up- if not, wait a couple more minutes and then try again.
6. Decorate to your little heart’s desire :)
   

   

Posted at Flying on Jess Fuel

Swirl Sugar Cookies

Oh my goodness- love is in the air…..

In the last week, 2 couples I know got engaged (plus  I had the added pleasure of being there and being their “of the moment” photographer) ((woo hoo Logan & Katie and John & Jess)), my college roomie got hitched (Congrats Watty- I heart you), and 2 other friends of mine had a baby (welcome to the world Sahana Lorraine and welcome to the world of parenthood Marc & Ramya- can’t wait to meet her :). 

So what does one bring to a secret engagement party masquerading as a Christmas party?  Only the most Christmas-y cookie imaginable.  I really wanted to bring pink heart-shaped cookies with the word “CONGRATS” written across every one, but that might  have clued someone into the surprise…

So instead, I whipped up a batch of crispy, crunchy, buttery, swirl sugar cookies.  These take a little bit of work, but the end result is so worth it.  You’ll impress everyone with your uber-awesome Christmas cookie skillz.

Yes- that's skillz with a ‘z’, because your peeps will think you’re that awesome.




Do you have a culinary trick up your sleeve that you use to impress your friends when needed?

Adapted from this recipe

What You’ll Need:

• 2 cups AP Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2/3 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 1/2 sticks of Butter, room temp, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Food Coloring
• Sprinkles!

What To Do:

1. In your mixer bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until mixed.  Gradually add in butter until incorporated and then add the vanilla.  At this point, the dough will form a ball around your paddle (if using a stand mixer)
2. Remove half your dough and set aside.  Add food coloring of your choice (I obviously went with red) and mix in until you get the desired tint.  If you add a lot, you may need to add a little bit of extra flour if the dough gets too sticky.
3. Roll out each portion of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper until roughly 11x9 and ¼ inch thick.  Place on cookie sheet and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
4. When firm (and it will be firm but don’t worry), remove the top sheets of wax paper from both.  Brush the uncolored dough with a little bit of water using a pastry brush.  Then flip the colored dough on top of it.  Remove the wax paper from the colored and trim the edges of both layers to get smooth straight edges.  Start to roll into a log, pinching together any tears that might occur.  Once completed rolled, pour sprinkles into a shallow dish and roll the cookie log in them, covering the entire outside with sprinkles.  Double wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours (I did mine over night).  You can also freeze it and keep it for up to 2 months, just thaw in fridge overnight before planning to bake.
5. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350.  Slice into ¼ inch cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Let rest on baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.