Browned Butter Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

 The new Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Costco food court inspired this and I took it up a notch!  This  makes approx 40  large cookies , but the good news is that after the freezing step, you can pull out as few or as many as you would like rather than baking them all at once. I LOVE to have these frozen dough balls to bake when I am expecting guests, not only a nice treat to offer, it also makes my house smell amazing !

4 cups all purpose flour ( I prefer to weigh mine, 480 g)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)*

1/4 cup sourdough discard*

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 TB molasses

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips**

1 1/2 cups bittersweet or dark chocolate chunks (61-72% cacao)**

In a sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. 

When it begins to boil reduce temperature to medium low, stirring often but very gently until it turns a honey golden brown color. Immediately remove from heat and place in a heat proof dish and allow to cool.

* you will notice that the butter reduces a bit as it browns , you should end up with about 1 1/4 cup. Unfortunately I missed the reduced/browned butter pic for reference.

If you do not have sour dough discard available just brown 1 3/4 cups butter until it is reduced to 1 1/2 cups total

If you want to skip the browned butter completely....just use 1 1/2 cups melted butter

In a mixing bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, sugars, baking powder and salt

In another bowl whisk eggs, molasses, discard and vanilla bean paste(or extract) with the cooled butter

Pour butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. 

Add the chocolate chips and give it 1 more good mix until they are incorporated

** I really like the overjoyed brand as the dark chocolate come in chunks rather than chips so you have some texture differential.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Scoop about 2 TB dough per cookie, shape them into a tall oval mound and place them on the prepared sheets 

Freeze for a minimum of  2 hours until frozen solid.

At this point you can transfer them to freezer bags and pull them out to bake as desired.

To bake:

Preheat oven to 350

Place up to 6 dough balls on a parchment paper lined sheet  (don't take dough out of freezer until you are ready to put them in the oven, no more than 6 to give them room)

Bake for 15 -17 minutes until just turning golden on the edges, don't over bake 

Allow to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely and enjoy!!!

Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

 

Happy Autumn everyone!  I found a partial recipe on a facebook video, I thought I had saved it but can't seem to find it again, so I had to improvise.......and they turned out way better than I expected, so I had to add them here!

1 cup spiced apple cider, reduced to 1/3 cup *

2 sticks butter, softened

1 egg

1 TB molasses

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup Kraft Caramel bits (or chopped up caramels if you prefer)

1 sm/med apple, cored and diced small (peeled or not is up to you, I left it peeled and used fuji)

cinnamon to taste

* To reduce your apple cider put it in a glass measuring cup (2 cup or lager to prevent spills)

Microwave on high for 5 minutes, check to see how much it has reduced, add 1-2 minutes at a time until you are down to 1/3 cup

You could do this stove top too, but it will take longer and you have to pour it back and forth into measuring cup so I prefer microwave method.

Set aside to cool

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350  and Grease a 9 x 13 pan

Cream butter, molasses and sugar until creamy and pale. Add egg  and reduced cider, beat well until everything is well incorporated and the batter is a light brown color

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together

Add 1 cup at a time and mix well until everything is well combined.

Add apples, white chocolate and caramel bits, mix gently until just combined.

Spread evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle with cinnamon (or apple pie spice if you like!)

Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown, you can do toothpick method, but kind of difficult with the caramel.

Allow to cool in pan, slice into bars and enjoy!

I served slightly warm with some Ginger Ice Cream from Elevated Ice Cream.... (seriously, if you are ever in Port Townsend, WA you HAVE to stop by this place!)

Kiwi Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars

 I found a recipe on Pillsbury for Strawberry Lemonade Bars and I ended up loving them with some  modifications. I wanted to make them again for a work bday celebration but I decided to give Kiwi Curd a shot......and oh MY it was a HUGE hit! 

Kiwi Curd:

5 ripe kiwis

1/2 cup white sugar

3 large eggs yolks

1 large egg

3/4 tsp citric acid (find it in jam making aisle)

6 TB unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Sugar Cookie Base:

4 cups plus 2 TB flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups softened butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TB brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 tsp vanilla

plus  2 TB sugar for sprinkling

Toppings:

2 cups stabilized whipped cream* or Cool Whip 

1 lb strawberries, washed and sliced

1-2 more kiwis, peeled and sliced 

* stabilized whipped cream is pretty easy, lots of recipes out there, I usually use THIS one, but did Cool Whip this time. Don't just use plain whipped cream though, it will liquify pretty quickly.

For the Kiwi Curd:  (make ahead for plenty of time to chill completely!)

Peel the kiwis and puree them in a high powered blender or food processor, add citric acid and while a few more seconds

In a small pot combine egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar, whisk until well combined. Add Kiwi puree and whisk again.

Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches 165 degrees. It should coat the back of a spoon.

Once thick remove from heat and add butter chunks, whisking until fully melted and incorporated. 

Transfer to a jar or bowl and chill completely(at LEAST 2 hours) 

For the Sugar Cookie Base:

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 10x15 sheet pan with parchment paper (I spray mine lightly with baking spray too)

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugars together until very pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time and mix until combined, do not over mix.

Gather all the dough into a ball and place on parchment lined pan. 

With slightly damp hands, pat until it is in an even layer covering the pan. You can re dampen hands as needed to use wax paper to assist you if you like, gently peeling it off after you have it even.  

Sprinkle with a little extra sugar if you like

Bake in preheated oven 21-25 minutes until browned and crackly. 

Remove from oven and cool completely. 

When the base is completely cool you are ready to assemble

Mix 2 cups of stabilized whipped cream or cool whip with the kiwi curd, stir gently until well combined and spread evenly over base.

 

Top with sliced strawberries and kiwis  

Allow to chill for an hour, slice and enjoy! (I used a pizza cutter 😀

Gingersnap Caramel S'mores

My boys were having a friend spend the night and we decided to do a cookout, I wanted to go a little different route on the S'mores and this is what I came up with!

All of these ingredients can be store bought or homemade!

Gingersnap Cookies,  LINK

Caramel Sauce, LINK

Marshmallows, LINK

Toast your marshmallow, a lot or a little

Spread some Caramel Sauce on a cookie, place on hot marshmallow, top with another cookie and smush down!

Dive in!!!

Watermelon Snickerdoodles

I made some Watermelon Lavender Lemonade yesterday and I had a bit of watermelon pulp left. I didn't want to just toss it out so I decided to see if it would act like applesauce in replacing some of the fat in a cookie recipe. These turned out fantastic!! A delicious cookie with just a hint of summer-y watermelon flavor!









1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup watermelon pulp
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs

3  cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt




Rolling:
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350

Beat together shortening, watermelon pulp and sugar until smooth.











Add in eggs and beat until combined (but don't over beat)











In another bowl combine flour, tartar, soda and salt.












With the mixer on low slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture.

Beat until well combined








In a shallow dish combing the rolling sugar and cinnamon.

Roll about 1 TB of dough into a ball and roll in the sugar mixture. Place on an ungreased baking sheet










flatten slightly with your finger tips.













Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

I wanted to bring a dessert to a BBQ this weekend and my son suggested cookie bars. He LOVES to make cookies. I had a package of Nestle Cherry Delightfulls so we decided to give them a try, I made up a recipe and he followed it. I love having him in the kitchen with me!

Cookie Dough:

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup room temp coconut oil ( softened butter is a fine substitute)

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp vanilla 

2 eggs

9 oz package of Nestle Delightfulls Cherry Filled Chocolate Chips (any flavor of the Delighfulls would be great!!)

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

Grease an 8 x 11 pan

In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside

In a mixer bowl mix coconut oil and sugars, add vanilla and crack in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well in between additions. 

Scoop in flour mixture and mix until well combined.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Press a little more than 1/2 the cookie dough into the bottom of the greased pan.

In another bowl whisk the cream cheese until it is very soft, add in sugar, egg and vanilla and whisk on medium high until very well combined.

Pour Cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough in the pan and spread to edges.

Top with crumbles of remaining cookie dough

Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

 Allow to cool completely before slicing

Elvis Inspired Oatmeal Cookies(Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon!)

Elvis was known to love fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches....I took that concept and made it into a cookie!












1 large mashed banana
3/4 cup natural peanut butter(No added sweetener)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups rolled oats
6 oz bacon, cooked crisp and chopped well

Grease 2 cookie sheets and preheat oven to 350

Mix mashed banana with peanut butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.

Mix powder, soda, salt and oats together then mix into the peanut butter mixture.

Gently fold in bacon.







Scoop by rounded spoonful onto greased cookie sheet.  Flatten each cookie out slightly , they will not spread much during baking.










Bake 9 minutes in preheated oven.

Allow to cool on sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen.