Black & White Cookies.

I have literally just eaten the best cookie of my life.

And then again for breakfast.

I can't even describe these cookies without doing them injustice. Let's just say they were so good, I had to update my Facebook status.

I don't even care that these like quite imperfect. They're soft and cake-like, like a light lemony pancake or a cross between Lofthouse sugar cookies and shortcake. They melt in your mouth. They change your life. And for the indecisive like me, they're iced with a both a rich chocolate and a vanilla glaze.

(But if we're being honest, the vanilla glaze is the best half... and that's saying something from a chocolate lover like me.)

Apparently these are a big deal in New York. All I know is that they taste like they're from a bakery. Like a real bakery. With pink boxes and glass cases of cupcakes and the overpowering scent of vanilla and everything. They don't taste homemade. They taste like they were made by someone who knew what they were doing. Is that even possible?

 

I recommend starting with a big bite out of the middle.

What New Years' resolutions?

Black & White Cookies

Printable Recipe

Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons hot water

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a small separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon extract.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, beating until well combined. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

For New York-sized cookies (these came out bigger than pancakes... about 4-5 inches in diameter), spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. This part is a little difficult, so gather your patience: smooth with a butter knife very delicately until they're round and flat, like uncooked pancakes. Bake in the middle of the oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 15-17 minutes.

For regular-sized cookies, spoon a large tablespoonful of batter (I used a cookie scoop... best $2 culinary investment you'll ever make) about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Smooth with a butter knife to flatten until they look like little half-dollar pancakes (is it just me or is this post making anyone else crave pancakes too?). Don't worry if they're not perfect... you're going to flip them upside down, ice them, and then eat the entire batch in one sitting. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes. Start making your glazes!

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. Yay, vanilla glaze!

In a separate bowl, melt butter and chocolate in microwave for about one minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That's your chocolate gaze.

Note: I ended up having to make an extra half-batch of both glazes.

Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up. Spread half the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. Then prepare to eat the best cookie of your life.

Makes 4 New York-sized cookies and about 20 regular-sized cookies.

Helpful Tip: If possible I would store these in the refrigerator. If not, whatever you do, do not stack these cookies on top of each other. The icing softens and the cookies all stick together and get very unattractive.

Source: Barely adapted from Joy the Baker.

Confetti Cookie Bars.

 Confetti brownies. We'll get back to these.

Santa came! I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas... I can't believe it's almost New Year's already! I'm so excited for 2011 and I can't wait to see all the exciting stuff I hope this year brings my way. I don't usually make resolutions (at least publicly & written on the internet), but one of my biggest goals for this year is to keep writing in this blog and baking. I love it (and everyone who's in the kitchen when I'm trying out new recipes seems to love it too), but now that Christmas is over, I feel less compelled to bake.

Not that I have a choice... nearly everything Santa my family and friends gave me this Christmas had to do with baking (or vampires... don't judge me. I have an unhealthy addiction to The Vampire Diaries & True Blood.)

For example, this. It's adorable. Do you know what it is?

Measuring cups. I wouldn't lie to you. I'm in love.

Decorating tips! I can't wait to play with frosting.

Even my stocking stuffers had to do with baking!

Mini martini glasses. For when baking gets stressful?

I also got a new brownie pan and immediately used it to make these cookie bars for New Year's Eve... 

Confetti cookie bars! The mini M&Ms in them make really festive, like confetti, and I love the crushed pretzels in them. 

Happy New Year!

Confetti  Bars (Chocolate Chip M&M Cookie Pretzel Bars)

Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini M&Ms
1 cup pretzels, crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about one minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chip, mini M&Ms, and crushed pretzels.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan, pressing down with a spatula. Sprinkle a few M&Ms on top, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. The middle might be a little gooey, but it's okay; the bars will set up. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow to cool completely. 

Source: Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod. 

A Last Minute Christmas Morning Recipe.

December 24th... and all I want to do is bake something. I'm resisting.

For now. 

I love Christmas Eve. I think I may love it even more than Christmas. The excitement, the family, the way time crawls so slowly, the twinkling lights, singing carols by candlelight, watching Love Actually, and holding out the slightest hope that Santa really does exist (I'm a bit like Brittany from Glee, I won't lie to you)... the entire day is magic. 

If you need a last minute recipe for Christmas morning (or Christmas Eve dinner... or now), this is my absolute favorite. We make it every Christmas and occasionally for birthdays and it's the most delicious thing I've ever eaten in my life.

And since it's Christmas Eve and who wants to run to the store again, I can promise you that you probably have all of the ingredients already. 

These soft, cinnamon-nutmeg-y baked doughnuts take almost no time at all to make and are rolled in melted butter and sugar immediately after they're pulled out of the oven. If you have kids, I can promise you from personal experience (I'm making lots of promises today, aren't I?) that they'll have a ton of fun helping you make these... I've been helping my mom since she had to stand me on a chair to reach the counter.

I don't have any photos of my own because it's not Christmas morning yet, but I couldn't wait to post the recipe. And if we're being honest, they wouldn't last long enough to photograph anyway. Here's the link to Betty Crocker's recipe if the words rolled in melted butter and sugar haven't convinced you yet and the photo from their site: 

Oh addiction.

Buttons & Bows

Printable Recipe

2 cups Bisquick mix

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, 2 tablespoons sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, and egg until soft dough forms.

Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix. Roll dough into a ball; knead about 5 times. Press or roll dough until 1/2-inch thick.

Cut dough with doughnut cutter dipped in Bisquick mix. To make bow shapes, hold opposite sides of each ring of dough, then twist to make a figure 8. On ungreased cookie sheet, place bows and buttons (the dough from the center of each ring).

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately dip each bow and button into melted butter, then in 1/2 cup of sugar. Serve warm.

Source: Betty Crocker.

Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Meltaways.

It's almost Christmas. Can you feel the magic yet? 

My mom always says that if anything magical could ever possibly happen, it would happen on Christmas Eve. This is probably why at 23 I still find myself listening for reindeer hooves on our roof. 

If you need an extra cookie just in time for Christmas Eve, these are one of Santa's my dad's favorites. They're similar to the Mexican wedding cakes I made last week, except that these have chopped up roasted peanuts and bits of chocolate in them and are rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. 

And they make a lot. And they're delicious. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Meltaways

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup powdered sugar + 1 1/2 cups for rolling cookies in

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, minced

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Blend together butter, vanilla, almond extract, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and all-purpose flour until dough holds together. 

Stir in chopped salted roasted peanuts and minced semisweet chocolate.

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.

Bake until cookies are pale golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes; if using more than 1 pan in 1 oven, switch pan positions halfway through baking. Cool on pans for 5 minutes.

Place 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons cocoa and mix with a fork. A few at a time, gently turn warm cookies in sugar, then cool on racks. When cool, coast cookies again with sugar.

Makes about 120.

Source: Sunset, 1998.

Chocolate Almond Cracker Candy.

Mmmm. Christmas. The only time of year where it's perfectly acceptable to eat this with your coffee for breakfast.  

I have a secret... please don't judge me. 

I think they taste better straight out of the freezer. I love frozen peanut butter cups (or frozen chocolate, frozen cookie dough, frozen cake, frozen chocolate chip cookies...). Maybe it's just me. I'm okay with that.

Except this will be me come January...

Also okay with that.

I've just made my third (yes, third. Don't look at me that way. No judging, remember?) batch of almond chocolate cracker candy. Of all the recipes I've made this Christmas, this is simply the best. 

Two things happen when I make this candy.

1. When someone hears for the first time that I'm baking with saltine crackers, I get concerned, sideways glances, usually involving either wrinkled noses or fleeing from the kitchen, and statements like, "Oh... *disappointment* That's... nice.". I don't judge them. They'll be back. Because...

2. The minute the smell of toasted almonds or melted butter and brown sugar baking over a layer of crackers permeates the house, I start having to swat hands away. I have to guard the freezer with a spatula long enough to let the candy cool, otherwise half of it will disappear into impatient mouths.

It never fails. Please trust me on this... you havehavehave to make a batch of this this Christmas. Addictive. Delicious. Do it.

Chocolate Almond Cracker Candy

Printable Recipe

1 sleeve Saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the crackers close together.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a medium pan over medium-high heat, stirring often. Heat the mixture for about three to five minutes, until it turns a nice caramel-looking color. 

Pour over the crackers evenly and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crackers. The chocolate should start to melt. Spread evenly over the crackers and then sprinkle with toasted almonds. 

Allow to cool completely (on the counter or in the freezer or refrigerator if you want to speed things up) before breaking into pieces. 

Source: Savory Sweet Life. 

Christmas S'mores.

I love s'mores.

If I had to pick my favorite thing I've made this entire year, it would have to be the s'mores cookies I made earlier this summer. What is it about the combination of melted chocolate and (preferably burnt) marshmallows between two graham crackers that is so narcotic? I don't know. But when my mom found a recipe for Christmas s'mores, we really had no choice. We had to make them.

So we did.

And then we ate them. 

And they were so good. 

T

The recipe calls for a chocolate graham cracker base, and that really would be best if you want a more obvious chocolate flavor, but since we had a box of plain graham crackers handy, we used those, and it tasted just as s'mores-y.  

These were so easy to make, which is probably a dangerous thing if you like s'mores as much as I do. Thankfully you have to wait for them to cool completely before you can eat the entire pan share it with your family and friends. 

I think we just found a new Christmas tradition.

I hope you all are having a very merry Christmas week! 

Christmas S'mores

Printable Recipe

12 chocolate (or regular) graham crackers

3/4 cup butter

3/4 firmly packed brown sugar
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup red and green M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil leaving a 1-inch overhang on ends; spray foil with no-stick cooking spray. Place graham crackers onto foil so sides touch.

Melt butter and brown sugar in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture just comes to a boil (4 to 6 minutes). Pour evenly over crackers. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven; sprinkle with marshmallows.

Continue baking until marshmallows begin to soften (2 to 3 minutes). Sprinkle with M&Ms. Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil and cut into bars.

Source: Land O' Lakes Recipe Collection: Holiday Cookies, 2006.

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies.

These might very well be the cutest Christmas cookies I've ever seen.

I love the chocolate antlers...

... and the adorable fat little faces.

It doesn't get any more festive or Christmasy than this. They're perfect for taking to a Christmas party if you need something fun, fast, and easy to make (unless, like me, you run out of both red M&Ms and chocolate-covered pretzels, but that's beside the point.). 

I made these using just regular peanut butter cookies because I was having a craving only peanut butter could fix, but they would work just as well with sugar cookies... or even gingerbread!

Enjoy!

Reindeer Cookies

Printable Recipe

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-covered mini pretzels

Mini brown M&Ms

Regular-sized red M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown. 

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer's antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color... some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.). 

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely. 

Makes about 40 reindeer cookies.

Source: Peanut butter cookie recipe from Jif.