Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

Last October Birthday! I made these for Sarah's birthday and I was happy to hear that both her and Wilmar really liked them!

Madeleines for Madeline

Orange Scented Madeleines Dipped in Chocolate

These cookies (also referred to as cakes because of their consistency) were for Madi's birthday in October, as well. I think I used the recipe from Joy Of Baking but I'm not positive. I added orange zest because I really like the combination of chocolate and orange (like the chocolate oranges you break open!).

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies

I'm super behind on posts. These cookies are from Melissa's birthday in October. It was so long ago, I can't remember what recipe I used. Oops!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

In celebration of a friend's birthday, I made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Learning that he had a love for the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter, I thought this recipe would be perfect. These thin, peanut buttery cookies are splattered with bits of chopped chocolate, creating a new twist on the chocolate chip cookie.

This recipe in particular seems to be used in various adaptations because I also saw the same recipe on another website swapping nutella for the peanut butter (now a cookie that is high up on the my list to bake). When I was making this recipe I upped the amount of chocolate by quite a bit and ended up using two types of chocolate because that was what I had on hand. I roughly chopped both a 63% cacao bar chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips and mixed them together.

Even though I don't love peanut butter cookies in general, especially the traditional fork smashed variety, these came out pretty tasty. While some came out a little more done/crispy than I would like, the ones that were crisp and chewy at the same time were yummy. It's important not to bake them too long because they will continue to crisp up while they cool. Also, the recipe says it yields 24 cookies, but I used about a tablespoon per cookie and I ended up with 55 good-sized cookies!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup creamy peanut butter

10 oz chocolate, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars together until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until just incorporated.
4. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Remove bowl from mixer, and use a spatula to fold in chocolate. 
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. With your fingers gently press each cookie down so it's flat.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until cookies are slightly brown. Do not overbake.
8. Remove pan from oven and cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer individual cookies to a wire rack to cool.
9. The cookies are best the day of, but can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. They will get slightly crunchier, but perfect for dunking in a glass of milk.

Adapted from Food Gal

4th of July Oreos

Homemade Red and Blue Oreos

For the 4th of July I wanted to make something patriotic and decided on red and blue Oreos (I actually planned on having white ones, too, but after some miscounting I ended up with just blue and red). I don't actually like real Oreos except in Cookies 'n Cream ice cream so I was wary of how these would turn out. Overall, I think I prefer store bought Oreos because my homemade ones didn't come out as crisp as store bought. They were chewy, but not soft...just kind of a weird texture.

Here's the link to the recipe I used. I added food coloring to the filling to make them red and blue.

Coconut Macaroons

After making macarons, I decided that I should also try making macaROONS. I had never eaten a macaroon before either, so I wasn't sure what to expect. They came out moist and coconut-y and pretty delicious. Since I made them awhile ago I can't remember where the recipe came from, but from what I can remember recipes either little/no flour or had more of a flour base. These ones were mostly shredded coconut, sugar, egg whites and almond extract.

Brown Sugar Spiced Penguin Cookies

Penguin Family

I'm really behind on posting recipes. These cookies were from our annual cookie exchange and secret santa get together. When I saw the penguin cookies I had to make them. I didn't want to make gingerbread cookies though so I searched for an alternative recipe. I ended up choosing Brown Sugar Spiced cookies.

The directions for the icing and steps to decorate the cookies like penguins can be found here.

Here is the recipe I used for the cookies. I increased some of the spices but I think nutmeg and allspice have pretty strong flavors so I didn't increase them quite as much and that is the reason for the weird measurements.

Brown Sugar Spiced Cookies

adapted from bake at 350

 Ingredients:

2 3/4 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

little less than 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

little less than 1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 c granulated sugar 

1/2 c light brown sugar, packed

2 sticks butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and spices, set aside.
3. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extract and mix until combined.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. The dough will be quite thick so form it into a ball with your hands.
5. Roll on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your cutter (I baked the bigger penguin for 12 min, and about 10 min for the smaller cookies). 
6. Let sit a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.
7. Decorate as desired.

Nutella Cookies Take Two

Nutella Cookies

Awhile ago I made Nutella sandwich cookies and since they were such a great hit I thought I'd make just the cookie part again. I used a different recipe this time and although the recipes were very similar I liked the previous recipe more. Maybe it was because the cookies were sandwiched together with ganache last time =)

The cookies still came out pretty tasty because you can't really go wrong with Nutella and chocolate.

Here's the recipe.

Birthday Macarons

Pink Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

I made more macarons for Melissa's birthday last week. This time I made plain cookies, colored pink, and again filled them with chocolate ganache. They are pink because I was originally going to fill them with strawberry buttercream but it didn't turn out =( Luckily, I think the macarons taste pretty good with chocolate filling. At Berkeley Bowl I found almond meal - already ground almonds, which was lot finer than my mini food processor can get the almonds, resulting in a better texture. I used a different recipe this time and I think I like the results better. Also, I used silpats this time (it helped a lot!) plus I baked them slightly longer, which I think helped the cookies come off the baking sheets more easily.

I found some boxes at a baking supply store and bought a few different ones to see which would work. I think they look really cute in the box, although this isn't a very good picture of them. I added a bow before I gave them to Mel.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
225g powdered sugar
125g almond meal/flour
25g sugar
100g egg whites (about 4), aged

red food coloring (7-8 drops)

chocolate ganache to fill cookies

Directions:

1. DO AHEAD: Separate eggs and place egg whites in a container and cover with plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. 
2. COOKIES: Add a drop of food coloring at a time to the granulated sugar and whisk together until evenly colored (the sugar will be darker than the final macaron). Set aside and let dry (a few minutes).
3. In the meantime, grind the almond meal and powdered sugar in a food processor until thoroughly mixed. 
4. Whip egg whites until foamy, slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to whip until they reach soft peaks and are glossy. Don’t overbeat the whites (some recipes say to beat to stiff peaks but I think that it would be better to beat to soft-medium peaks).
5. Carefully, fold the almond and powdered sugar mixture into the whites with a wide spatula. The mixture should remain shiny and flow easily. 
6. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain round tip (I think mine is about 3/4-in in diameter) with the batter and pipe small rounds baking sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper. Let the macarons rest for 1 hour. 
7. Preheat the oven to 315°F and bake for 13-15 minutes.
8. Let cool completely on baking sheet/silpat then remove from the paper.
9. Match up by size and fill with your choice of filling.

Nothing Beats Homemade - Mint Milanos

Homemade Mint Milanos

I love Pepperidge Farms Mint Milanos. I used to buy them whenever I saw them on sale at the grocery store, but haven't bought them for awhile now. I saw this recipe and I knew that I wanted to make them. The original recipe is for orange-chocolate filled Milanos so I substituted peppermint extract in the filling. 

It was difficult to get the correct size of the cookies. The recipe said to make them 1 inch long and that resulted in very small, bite-size cookies....not exactly what I was looking for.  When Ryan and I were making them we experimented with different lengths and widths. If you are going to make these I would make them about 2 inches long. They spread out, but I would try to get the cookies to be about 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide before baking. Next time I will try using a bigger piping tip. Lastly, because we made them larger than the original recipe 10 minutes was not long enough and the cookies came out too soft and pliable. Next time I will make sure they get a darker golden brown.

Here is the recipe with my changes:

Homemade Mint Milanos

adapted from Gale Gand's Milan Cookies

Ingredients:

12 tbs (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)

2 tbs vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

Cookie filling, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place silpats on baking sheets and set aside (I tried one baking sheet with parchment paper and my cookies came out very mishapen).
2. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer fitted to cream the butter. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined and fluffy.
3. Gradually add the egg whites and mix in the vanilla extract.
4. Slowly add the flour and mix until just incorporated. 
5. Fill a piping bag with a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 2 inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. When cookies are cool, match cookies up by size. Spread filling on one cookie and sandwich together with the other. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

Cookie Filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 tsp peppermint extract

Directions: 

1. Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat, but do not boil.
2. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for a couple minutes.
3. Whisk to melt chocolate, add peppermint extract and blend well. Set aside to cool (put in the fridge to speed this up).

Just About Perfect!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think everyone has their favorite type of chocolate chip cookie - thick and chewy, thin and crispy and everything in between. I've been searching for my perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe - super thin, crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle. I had made cookies that fit this description before, but I couldn't find the recipe I used. So my previous post about chocolate chip cookies was not the right recipe so I continued to search. This recipe looked like it could be it...and IT WAS! I had to tweak it slightly because the first few sheets I baked came out very thin and inedible. So I added a little bit of flour and put the dough in the fridge to harden a bit. I also added a few more chocolate chips because it made a giant batch of cookies and I didn't think there was enough in the original recipe.

Next time I use this recipe I think I will either reduce the butter (there is A LOT) or add some flour to the dough. Hopefully, this will result in the perfect chocolate chip cookie. The original recipe comes from Martha Stewart's daughter Alexis. Here's the recipe I would use next time:

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Lexi's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

3 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or handheld mixer) use the paddle attachment to beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. 
3. Add both sugars, and beat until combined and fluffy. 
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add vanilla and mix until well blended.
5. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. 
6. Add the chocolate chips, and mixuntil combined.
7. Drop 2 tablespoons of batter at a time onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. These cookies spread A LOT (I only put 6 cookies per sheet).
8. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove the cookies and the parchment paper from the baking sheets, and let cool on a rack.

* If the first cookie sheet of cookies spreads to much mix in a few tablespoons of flour into the remaining dough. Adjust as necessary. I think that the butter temperature as well as outside temp changes the outcome of the cookies drastically. I think its necessary to adapt as needed.

Baking Trends - Macarons

Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Ganache

It seems like colorful macarons are a big trend right now. Shops sell beautifully colored cookies stacked up in pretty boxes. Note: these are macarOns not macarOOns (the coconut cookies)...people seem to get the names confused calling both macaroons.

Before baking this recipe I had never had a macaron let alone baked them. It takes a while to make macarons (you have to let them sit for an hour on the baking sheet before going into the oven) but the process isn't that difficult. It is important to pay attention to all the instructions because the cookies are very sensitive. This meant using a scale to weigh out the ingredients instead of just using measuring cups. This ensures that you get the exact right amount of each ingredient. Another weird aspect of making macarons is that you need to "age" your egg whites. This kind of grossed me out, but after you separate the eggs you let the whites sit at room temperature anywhere from 12 to 48 hours. I let mine sit about 16-18 hours. Apparently, this helps the egg whites become more liquidy, yet they will still be safe to eat. Lastly, I used parchment paper to baking my cookies on, but I think I need to invest in silicone baking mats because a lot of my cookies stuck to the parchment and I lost a lot of cookies =(

Chocolate Macarons

Ingredients:

110 gm blanched slivered almonds
200 gm minus 2 tbs confectioners’ sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder
100 gm egg whites (about 4 eggs), aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
50 gm granulated sugar

Espresso Ganache (see below)

Directions:

1. Put the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and process until well blended. 
2. In a large bowl use a hand mixer with whisk attachments (you could use a stand mixer), beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should be smooth and shiny.
3. Add the ground almond mixture to the bowl with the meringue and using a rubber spatula, gently fold mixture until there are no streaks. The mixture should be thick, but should be able to fall in ribbons off your spatula.
4. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper). Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip (I used a #12 tip). Pipe into small rounds onto the baking sheets (1 or 1 1/4 inches in diameter) leaving about 1 inch inbetween. 
5. Let cookies sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell.
6. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Bake for 9-11 minutes, depending on size. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies.
7. Match all the cookies into pairs of equal size. Pipe a layer of ganache onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Carefully, sandwich the two cookies together. Continue with the rest of the cookie pairs. Store in an airtight container (can be stored in the fridge for about a week).

Espresso Ganache

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs granulated sugar
  1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  3 tsp espresso powder

Directions:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.
2. Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer and pour over the chocolate. 
3. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk gently until chocolate is melted and mixed in. 
4. Add espresso powder and mix until combined. 
5. Let the mixture cool (place in refrigerator to speed cooling) until it is thick enough to pipe.

Quick and Easy Cookies - Snickerdoodles

Cookies!

Snickerdoodles are a quick and easy cookie. I used to make them when I was little. It was always fun to roll the little balls of dough around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. This recipe is from a cookie recipe book called Cookies Galore. The cookies came out pretty tasty, but I think I prefer mine a little flatter and thinner (I think this is my preference in general for cookies...). I used a tablespoon to measure out the cookies and I think I needed more sugar and cinnamon for the coating.

Snickerdoodles

from Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 scant cups flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Coating:

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, cream of tarta, and baking soda together and blend into butter mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Break off pieces of the dough about the size of a small walnut and roll into balls. Mix the 1 tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon together and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange on baking sheets, allowing room for the cookies to spread.
4. Baking until pale golden, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

The Search for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Not So Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last summer I made chocolate chip cookies for a going away potluck. They were the best chocolate chip cookies ever! Very thin and crisp around the edges, but soft and chewy in the middle. I wanted to make the cookies again, for the 4th of July, but I couldn't find the recipe! I thought I had used a Martha Stewart recipe so I looked at her website and thought this recipe might be it. Unfortunately, it was not. The cookies didn't spread nearly enough and therefore were much thicker than the cookie I wanted.

There is one more recipe on Martha's website that I'm really, really hoping is the right one. For now, here is the recipe for these chocolate chip cookies...which were good but just not the perfect chocolate chip cookies.

I Couldn't Even Take a Picture Before They Were Gone!

For Karen's birthday bonfire celebration I decided to make Nutella Sandwich Cookies. Everyone I know loves Nutella and these cookies were really yummy! I didn't get a chance to take a picture before the bonfire, which turned out to be a big mistake because they were all gone before I could snap a picture! So, I have the recipe and I will just have to make them again soon....I don't think anyone will mind =)

Mine turned out pretty similar to the original recipe so to see a picture visit Living Eventfully.

Nutella Sandwich Cookie

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt (I might reduce this to 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Sugar for rolling cookies in
Nutella-Chocolate Ganache (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In your stand mixer bowl place the butter, Nutella and both sugars. On medium low speed, cream together mixture for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
6. Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
7. Shape the cookie dough into 1 inch, about 1 teaspoon sized round balls.
8. Rolls the cookie balls in sugar and place the cookies on a heavy cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
9. Place in oven and bake for 6 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.
11. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
12. Spoon a small amount of the ganache on to the bottom of one cookie.
13. Top off with another cookie and allow to set.

Nutella-Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream.
2. Put chocolate chips into a medium sized bowl.
3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate chips.
4. Allow to stand for 2 minutes then whisk until smooth.
5. Add in Nutella and mix to combine.

Alfajores = Dulce de leche Cookies

Alfajores with Margaritas and Chips

A few weeks ago we had a taco potluck. I brought homemade Mexican rice along with these cookies. Alfajores are basically a cornstarch shortbread cookie filled with sweet dulce de leche.  Making homemade dulce de leche seems easy, but I had to try it twice before filling the cookies. The filling was thinner then I would have liked, but the first batch wasn't even spreadable.

Along with the variety of taco fillings, sides, churros and these cookies we had a yummy and successful taco party. Yum.

Alfajores aka Dulce de leche Cookies

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg plus one yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1-2 cups dulce de leche, see recipe below

powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and baking powder. A little at a time, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue mixing until it forms a dough.
3. Remove the dough from the mixer and divide the dough into two balls. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap one ball of dough and roll it out on a floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness, then cut with a small round cutter (or a juice glass). Repeat the rolling and cutting until you have used all the dough. Repeat with other ball of dough.
5. Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Cool cookies completely. 
6. Spread a generous dollop of dulce de leche on one cookie and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Press gently together. Cover in sifted powdered sugar.

Dulce de leche

Ingredients:

1-14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Fill a medium sauce pan with about an inch of water. Place a metal bowl on top, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Pour a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk in the bowl and set it over the simmering water. 
3. Every 45 minutes, stir the milk.  Check the water level and replenish the simmering water with hot water as needed. 
4. When the milk is as thick as pudding and is a rich, dark caramel color, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, remove from heat, cool thoroughly, cover with plastic wrap, and use immediately or refrigerate for later use.

Black and White pt. 2

Crinkle Cookies

Cookie number two is Crinkle Cookies apparently also known as Black and Whites (how appropriate!). They are a fudge-y chocolate cookie that is rolled in powdered sugar before they are baked. As they bake and expand it forms all the nooks and crinkles as the chocolate peeks through the sugar coating. These were my favorite of the two cookies because they were moist inside, but the dough wasn't too sweet and the powdered sugar added that extra sweetness.

The recipe comes from Joy of Baking.

The Holidays in Black and White

It's a yearly tradition for my girlfriends and me to do secret santas. We are all on a budget so this is a great way for us to give and receive without breaking the bank. Of course, we have to include a cookie exchange as well. Everyone brings their gift and cookies to dinner/lunch and after we eat we exchange gifts and cookies.

The cookie exchange is simple. Bake and bring enough cookies to give to everyone else. For us, we bring 7 cookies/sets of cookies (or 8 if you want one of your own). Then we all trade cookies and can enjoy a variety of cookies for the next few days.

This year my cookies have a black and white theme. The first of two cookies I made for the exchange were Chocolate and Vanilla Moonstones. First you make the vanilla dough and then take part of it out and add melted chocolate to make chocolate dough. When you form the cookies you mix both colors together and it when bakes they come out half and half. They didn't come out exactly how I expected they would, but they tasted pretty good.

Here is the recipe for the cookies. I don't have a picture of the cookies I baked becaused I was in rush and now I'm too lazy to take the cookies out of the tupperware and take pictures. They do look pretty similar to the ones on the recipe's website though.