Healthy Breakfast Cookies

How we doin everyone? I see my last post was a heavy one and here we are in heavy times again. I hope you're all hangin in there. As an introvert who can happily be by myself for long stretches of time, even I miss people.

I've lost 12 pounds (including my tits - hope y'all are having fun filling out a bikini somewhere guys!) It could be stress but honestly I'm eating more than I ever have. I think it's a combination of stress, not having to sit at my computer all day (just booked my first job in months though woohoo!) and getting to ride every day now that there's no school in addition to working out.

I wanted to share this recipe for healthy breakfast cookies as I've also been eating them every morning since this crazy stuff happened. I eat 2 of these every morning with peanut butter. That's probably an unhealthy calorie amount but since I ride at least 2 horses every am followed by a HIIT workout - mama needs!

And while these aren't hard to make they are kind of a process with some expensive ingredients so I always double the recipe and freeze half. Oh and lastly while these are healthy I do put dark chocolate chips in them which you don't have to. But hey - I like to party.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies
*adapted from Minimalist Baker
* mesquite flour has the most unique flavor and is sweet. If you don't have any (can get it on Amazon) or want to use just use more almond meal in place. 
* If your oats and oat flour are GF, then these cookies will be too.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, room temp
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup pulverized berries (dewberries are my fave, followed by blueberry though applesauce will work too or any mashed fruit)
1/2 cup peanut butter (can sub any nut butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Big pinch salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup almond meal (flour)
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (can sub chopped toasted nuts, cocoa nibs or dealer's choice)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs then add in the mashed banana and berries or applesauce. Once smooth add in the peanut butter, vanilla, coconut oil and maple syrup. Once combined, add in the dry ingredients one at a time mixing with each addition.

Once all combined, stick the bowl in the fridge to chill and setup for 10 minutes.

Remove and use an ice cream scoop - or 2 spoons to scoop out heaping mounds onto a greased cookie sheet about 1.5 - 2 inches apart. They won't spread much so use your fingers to pat them into rounded shapes if necessary.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes until bottoms are golden and cooked through. Let cool and store at room temp for 3 days. You can refrigerate them after for another 4 days or freeze them.

Contest Winning Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad!

I made these last week for our holiday office party cookie competition and as the title suggests - won! This is a Martha Stewart recipe worth its weight in gold. I made two adjustments to the original formula, doubling the molasses and using salted butter instead of unsalted. Doubling the molasses makes for a chewier cookie. If you prefer it less so then use half the amount listed below.

I'm not gonna lie. This recipe is a commitment. There are two chilling stages and the dough requires fresh grated ginger in addition to ground as well as hand chopped semi sweet chocolate. But if you have the time they are worth it. I worried they wouldn't be pretty enough to win so I 'glued' them into a wreath shape with melted chocolate and sprinkled them with edible glitter. The glitter made it easy to tell who had eaten a cookie that day. It was EVERYWHERE. We laughed that the gents were going to have some explaining to do when they got home as to why they were covered in 'titty glitter' ;)

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Lightly adapted from Martha Stewart
*notice there are no eggs in this recipe - apparently the molasses does the job of tenderizing

Ingredients:
7 oz semi sweet chocolate bar, hand-chopped into 1/4 inch chunks (I'm not that particular about the size - I aim to make 'chocolate rubble')
1 1/2 cups AP flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground dried ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used fresh)
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temp
1 tablespoon fresh grated (peeled) ginger
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar or sanding sugar and/or edible glitter for rolling in

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined. 
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more. 
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Homemade Gingersnaps with Lemon Zest Sugar

Merry Christmas you guys! This year has been so crazy that I hope for some calm or at least more organized chaos in the new year. That said I feel so blessed I shouldn't even complain about a darned thing. My family is healthy. My baby is almost 16 months and full of piss and vinegar. Tomorrow he will wake up and be present enough to realize it's Christmas! I can't wait.

In the meantime I leave you with a new favorite cookie recipe from the cookbook, Baked Occasions. It's a gingersnap recipe and I promise you it's the easiest, most unfussy yet delicious recipe I have ever made. No mixer required and the dough will sit on the counter without getting too soft or weird should you get caught up in other holiday (or life) nonsense.

In fact, it's the PERFECT recipe if you want to make cookies (or have to) but forgot to set out the butter to soften or thought ahead for any other fiddly bits that baking often requires of you. You might even have everything on hand to make them!

Merry Merry, sweet people.

Gingersnaps with Lemon Sugar
* I used large decorating sugar versus granules - colors are even more beautiful!

Lemon Sugar Coating:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon

Dough Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon molasses
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (or a scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

How To:
For the lemon sugar, place the sugar 3/4 and lemon zest in a shallow bowl. Stir together, being sure to break up any clumps of zest and set aside.

For the dough, preheat the oven to 325. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and canola oil until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk to combine. Add the molasses and whisk again until fully incorporated.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a heavy wooden spoon (and/or very clean hands) to fully combine everything well.

Use a small (1/2 inch) ice cream scoop (or a melon baller) to scoop small scoops of dough from the batter. Mix with your hands into rounded balls, roll them in the lemon sugar and set on the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until just crackled on top and beautifully spread out. Let set on sheet for a few seconds before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Will keep for 3-4 days in airtight container.

Chocolate Hug Cookies

When you live in Texas and it gets cold enough to turn your heater on and that heater smell of toasting lint (is that what it is?) wafts through your house it feels like Christmas. Or at least it does to me.

So here we go with my first Christmas cookie post of the season. Hooray commercialism! And malls! And sugar!

My hands down favorite cookie at the holidays (AT the holidays? Southern much?) are peanut blossoms. AKA chocolate kiss cookies or Hershey Kiss peanut butter cookies. My mom made them for us growing up and for me they are edible childhood. I honestly can't be trusted with them. An entire batch will disappear into thin air David Blaine-style.

The only problem is my husband isn't a fan. I try not to let this change my deep endearing love for him but it's tough. Who doesn't like peanut blossoms? WHO???

Anyway I recently had an idea to try and appease his tastes while keeping with my own traditions, now that we have a kid and all. He is a bonafide chocoholic so when I saw a few recipes for Nutella Kisses I thought - SCORE!

Well it was a score alright but of course there was a minor drawback. They didn't taste so much of Nutella as they did chocolate. Personally I thought this was a bonus given the fact a lot of people don't like Nutella. So I changed the name to something that reflected their intensely chocolate, chewily rewarding, chocolate-studded chocolate-kiss topped vibe.

Will they replace my personal favorite in the holiday lineup? We'll see. Actually the tie breaker will be when my son is old enough to taste between the two of them and choose. Though if his tastes are as similar to his father's as his looks are, I'm screwed.

Thankfully I like the alternative almost as much...

* As the picture indicates I made these for Halloween and rolled them in orange sugar before baking. If making for the holidays simply choose another color if desired.

Chocolate Hug Cookies
Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 cup salted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
2 cups chocolate chips
2 packages dark chocolate Hershey kisses
colored sanding sugar, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder in a bowl. Mix with a whisk to break up any lumps.
3. Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until completely incorporated. Mix in vanilla and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Use a small cookie scoop to keep the cookies a uniform size and roll each scoop of dough between your hands to form a ball. Roll the ball in sugar, if desired.
5. Bake in preheated oven until edges look dry and cookies are fragrant, about 8-9 minutes. Press a chocolate kiss in the center and let cool slightly on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

German Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars (Queen of the Potluck Bars)

These were inspired by the blog Crazy for Crust and I'm not going to lie - they are too much. Thick, chewy peanut butter cookie bar. Layer of sticky gooey caramel slash chocolate. Topped with sweetened coconut. But wait. Stop the presses. The season of 'too much' is upon us! Make these right now and embrace your calling as Queen of the Potluck or Book Club or OM group (look up OM-ing - I dare you.)

I should also warn you that they freeze well and are even better pulled from the freezer and heated for 30 seconds in the microwave. It's criminal. I'm not kidding. I'm going to go fast now.

Lastly I only mentioned OM-ing because we recently had a group of them living across the street from us and were convinced they were a scary underground group plotting to do something crazy. And it turns out they were. Oh they certainly were. Gotta love living in South Austin.

German Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Cookie Layer, adapted from Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon whole or 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups AP (all purpose) flour

Toppings:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2-2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2-2 cups shredded sweet coconut


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9 inch pan with foil (so that you can lift it out later) and spray well with nonstick spray. Or just grease a ceramic 9x9 inch pan that you can cut them in later and serve from. Up to you.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and both sugars well in a mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. When smooth and well mixed, add the egg, vanilla, milk, baking soda and salt and mix until combined, scraping down sides. Slowly add flour in 2-3 additions and blend until just mixed each time.

Carefully press the cookie dough (it will be thick, not pourable) into your greased pan and bake for 18-22 minutes just until golden on top and set.

Remove and spread the chocolate chips in an even layer over the top followed by the coconut.

Stir the sweetened condensed milk and drizzle it as evenly as possible over the top. If using an 8x8 inch pan you may not be able to fit it all so just be careful and don't over fill!

Put in the oven for another 5 minutes just until the coconut has lightly begun to toast but not brown (you don't want to burn the cookie layer.)

Remove and let cool completely before cutting and serving.

M&M Cookies to Brighten Your Day

I had a wicked urge to bake on Saturday. It wasn't even a case of pregnancy munchies. I'd been having visions of brightly colored M&M cookies from my childhood (pregnancy has made me weirdly nostalgic for foods from when I was little) so I did a quick Google search and was on my way.

I had no way of knowing how badly I would need these cookies two days later when we woke up to find my 16 year old cat Lily on the floor, her back legs paralyzed. It wasn't going to be a good day.

But back to the cookies. These are my favorite kind of cookies to make. They're one-bowlers and as long as you've set the butter out a good couple hours ahead of time to soften you can whip them up in less than thirty minutes. No need to refrigerate the dough before baking either. And while they no doubt satisfy that nostalgic cookie craving, the addition of lemon zest adds enough complexity to offset all that sugar for grown up taste buds.

I see these cookies becoming one of my go to recipes and I can't wait to make them during different times of the year when M&Ms get all festive and seasonal (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc.) Ooh all the pretty colors! I'm such a girl. I might even try adding lemon extract to them next time as I love the lemon/chocolate combo.

Anyway if you need a little pick me up these will set you straight. Especially when wine isn't an option;)

M&M Cookies

Makes 16 large bakery-sized cookies.

* Adapted from All Recipes - "Robbi's M&M Cookies"

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening, room temp

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temp

2 eggs, room temp

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

zest from 1 medium or large lemon (I like more!)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups candy coated milk chocolate pieces, plus 1/4 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 (convection bake if you have it.)

In a large bowl, mix sugar, butter and shortening together until everything is really well combined and smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Finally pour the flour, baking soda and salt over the wet mixture and stir until just well combined. Gently stir in the 1 1/2 cups of chocolate candies.

Use a large ice scream scoop to scoop them onto an ungreased pan giving at least 2 inches between cookies. Carefully press in any extra M&Ms you can fit on the tops. Bake for 10-11 minutes, just until the tops are beginning to turn golden in places as well as the edges. Remove and let set up on the sheet for another 60 seconds. Carefully transfer with a spatula to a cooling rack. Can be stored at room temp in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Rich & Chewy Butterscotch Brownies with Smooth Criminal Caramel Icing

When I first tasted these years ago at Rebecca Rather's former eatery - Rather Sweet - I thanked the dear Lord her restaurant was over an hour and a half from my house. Only distance could keep me from buying and eating these damn bars by the truckload.

They're so rich that after your first bite you're like 'holy sh*t - this is too much. No self respecting person would ever finish one of these.' Only the weird thing is the brownie has already disappeared. Into your stomach.

The problem was I bought her cookbook. And there the little vixens were again staring at me from a glossy photo all cute and wrapped up in wax paper.

It took me years to pull the trigger and make them for two reasons. One - I was afraid they wouldn't live up to my memory of them and two - I was afraid that if they did I'd be in BIG trouble.

They lived up.

The bad news of course is what this means for my backside. And my frontside. All my sides really.

But who cares! It's almost Valentine's Day.

Little sidebar real quick... For years I insisted on cooking on Valentine's Day (in hindsight I believe I was possessed.) Luckily the demon has left me and I now insist on going out to eat. Dirty dishes = UNSEXY TIME. As does making something your husband doesn't even like like filets with artichoke gruyere fondue like last year (he thinks gruyere smells like something I can't repeat on a food blog.)

Like I said I learned my lesson. That said I have no problem with making dessert for Valentine's Day. Particularly one that can be made ahead like these butterscotch brownies.

They truly are the stuff dreams are made of. And wether your spending Valentine's Day with your luva or spending it solo on the couch watching Nashville on DVR (ideally I'll be doing both!) - these bars will ensure it's a happy one.

Rich & Chewy Butterscotch Brownies with the Smooth Criminal Caramel Icing

Makes 2 1/2 dozen (30) 2 x 3-inch bars

* Rebecca uses unsalted butter in both the brownies and the icing. I use salted because I adore the sweet/salty thing when it comes to caramel recipes. It still won't be too salty, IMO.

Brownies:

2 sticks salted butter at room temperature

3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups chopped pecans, toasted (I omit them but it's up to you!)

Icing:

2 sticks salted butter

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

4 cups confectioners sugar

1/3 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 18-inch pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat 1 minute.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture on low speed until incorporated. Stir in the pecans and pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until just set and slightly puffed, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing:

1. Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat. When the mixture bubbles lightly, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 more minutes. Set aside.
2. Using the paddle attachment on the electric mixer, beat the confectioners’ sugar, half-and-half and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter mixture and beat until combined. Pour over the cooled brownies and spread evenly. Allow the brownies to sit at least 30 minutes for the icing to set. Cut into squares.

Sorry I Crashed Your BBQ Bars (Hello Dolly Bars)

This past weekend we had a good friend from London in town. The kind of good friend who has many good friends. For example, before boarding the plane for Austin he sent us the text: 'We're going to a BBQ on Saturday."

Here was a guy who didn't even live in Austin and he was already invited to a Memorial Day BBQ. We'd been back for two years and were invited to none. Therefore in the laws of entertaining and/or human decency, we would be crashing the BBQ.

For me there is only one way to crash a party - armed with food and booze like you're going to a really fun wake. No one will turn you down when you're drowning in bags from Whole Foods. If it's informal, you're a Godsend, making up for those clueless souls who show up empty handed as if their mere presence is sustenance enough. Or if it is a formal gathering, they'll just assume you're with catering.

Things got even more pressure cooker-y when we realized the people whose BBQ we were crashing were also going to be our new neighbors (as of June 15 when we move to the neighborhood.) Conundrum. Store bought cupcakes weren't going to cut it. Nor were store bought anything. We were going to see these people again.

To top it all off, we had already had a ton planned for Saturday (173 1/2 trips to Goodwill to be exact) and time was short. I turned to my most trusted source for 'accept me into your home' recipes - Southern Living for some 'Hello Dolly Bars.' Only as luck would have it I didn't have all the ingredients for those and had to improvise.

What you see was the outcome, renamed for their powerful friend-making side affects. They are my new 'go to'. They take about 5 seconds to put together and look and taste FANCEE but in a rustic, made with love kind of way.

Sorry I Crashed Your BBQ Bars/Hello Dolly Bars
* Adapted from Southern Living
* Makes 24 bars
Ingredients:
9x13 inch glass or pyrex baking dish
nonstick spray
parchment paper (optional)

1/4 cup butter (half a stick of butter)
1 heaping cup vanilla wafer crumbs (pound in a ziploc with a rolling pin)
1 (7 oz) package sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup sliced almonds (or any kind of nuts)
1 heaping cup semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray (optional - makes cleanup a breeze and the bars easier to remove and cut but not mandatory. Otherwise just spray dish with nonstick spray.) To help the paper lay down/adhere to the dish, place 4 cans of soup or vegetables in the corners while you assemble the ingredients.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Remove the cans from the cans and pour over the paper trying to distribute as evenly as possible. As soon as the butter has covered all of the paper, spread the cookie crumbs over, again trying to distribute them as evenly as possible.

Continue to layer over the next ingredients. Spread the coconut evenly over the crumbs, then the white chocolate chips, the almonds, and semi sweet morsels.

Finally, pour the sweetened condensed milk over, again as evenly as possible. DO NOT STIR.

Put in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 30-35 minutes JUST until the top of the nuts get a little golden but not brown. You don't want to burn the chocolate so watch closely at the end.

Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack for one hour. Remove the bars by gently picking up the corners of the parchment paper and set on a cutting board. Let cool another 20 minutes at least before cutting (a pizza cutter works nicely.) Or if you skipped the parchment, cut right in the pan once completely cool (this will help them stay together versus cutting them warm.)

Cinnamon Butter Cookies

Another one from Martha's "Cookies" Book, actually called Buttered Rum Meltaways. Someone quite close to me went on a psychotic baking spree during the holidays last year, froze these (unbaked) in logs wrapped in parchment wrapped in ziplocs, recently found them again in her freezer, baked them off and found them good as new... nine months later.

I won't mention her by name. She'd be embarrassed. It would be awkward. And so on. That said if you were to do such a thing as her it helps to add some edible glitter to the powdered sugar you roll them in to make them feel more 'now.'

Buttered Rum Meltaways (Cinnamon Butter Cookies, because that's what they taste like to me)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
good pinch edible glitter, available at baking supply stores or online, to toss with remaining powdered sugar

Directions:
Whisk flour, cornstarch, spices, and salt in a bowl. Put butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in rum and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.
Divide dough in half. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 1 1/4-inch log. Wrap in parchment. Chill in freezer 30 minutes (up to 1 month).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar and edible glitter (optional) in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 weeks (or frozen, unbaked and in logs, if you're Alisa Sengel Wixom for up to 9 months if triple wrapped in parchment and two ziplocs, prior to slicing, baking, and tossing in remaining sugar.) ;)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Period. End of report.

...are McCormicks.

I posted these a long time ago but the post was sad, the picture was anemic, and the writing was piss poor. I think I said something like "These are great," which is a slap in the face to these cookies.

If these cookies were a woman, they'd be Angelina Jolie, only they'd have waited for Brad to divorce Jen before pouncing. Actually if these cookies were Angelina, they wouldn't have stolen Brad at all but would have single-handedly repaired their marriage out of the kindness of their butter filled-heart. (They might've even thrown in a baby giving Brad the family he so desired without Jen having to mess up her figure.)

But then again, if these cookies really were Angelina Jolie, then Brad wouldn't have been able to resist them and definitely would've tossed Jen aside. So I guess that makes it a fact then. These cookies are Angelina Jolie in cookie form.

By the way - for some reason McCormick changed the recipe a little on their site. Don't fall for it. Use the old one here.

McCormick's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20-22 super big cookies (use a big ice cream scoop)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes per batch

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups salted butter, softened and at room temp
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use more)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (actually, my oven bakes them better at 360, go figure.) Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a large ice cream scoop to distribute them about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Margarita Cookies, because 'Snowball Cookies' seems cruel at this point

As you make this dough, you will scratch your head and say 'this can't be right....' There are no eggs in the batter and the amount of powdered sugar seems off. But stay the course my friends. These cookies are the reason Martha can make being socially retarded and borderline witchlike (I say this with love - I adore her) into a badillion dollar empire.

These cookies are heaven on earth - sweet and salty with a fierce wallop of citrus. They're like eating a margarita and a perfectly crumbly french pastry at the same time. Okay now that I say that out loud I realize that doesn't sound that awesome but trust me. They're the kind of cookie you don't want to know how many the recipe makes because it's too depressing to do the math of how many of them you've eaten. Then again, isn't that what you want in a cookie?

I hope you all are having a heck of a weekend. $65 CSN giveaway coming TOMORROW!

Margarita (Snowball) Cookies
From Martha Stewart's 'Cookies' Cookbook

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (martha uses unsalted - I say bring it)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt (maybe use kosher if you've used salted butter)

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.
Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Gingerbread Men (and Women) Cookies

Is Martha Stewart God? This recipe makes me wonder. It is the best, most forgiving dough on earth. You can re-roll it over and over (just try not to over do it on the flour) and the flavor is nothing short of celestial. Plus any dough that lets you make any body part you want is golden in my book.

Just be glad I only shared the PG 13 versions...

Gingerbread Men (and Women) Cookies
* From Martha Stewart Living
* The icing pictured is good old, store bought decorating icing (I'm lazy!)
* Do NOT over bake these - they are finished when they puff slightly and evenly across and are LIGHT golden - not dark.
* Use a light hand when measuring the flour - be sure not to 'pack' it in.

Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus 1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses

Royal Icing, for decorating
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:
Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes with people cookie cutters or whatever shapes you like. Make 'hair' for them if desired by placing a small bit of dough through a garlic press, then scraping it off the press with the back of a knife. Once crafted, space the cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. If the dough has become too warm and your people are getting falling apart while assembling/baking, refrigerate it until firm again, about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 8-10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Decorate away!

Christmas-y Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries and Cinnamon

I got this recipe from the McCormick site years ago and thank goodness - it's no longer there!

Having tweaked it over the years, I now consider these my version of holiday biscotti. In other words - this is the ideal cookie to have in the morning with coffee to power you up for a day of holiday shopping. Between the chewy oats and sweet cinnamon followed by a punch in the taste buds from the dark chocolate, even I feel up to fighting the tourists crawling all over the city. (Although if I have to go back to Soho again on a Saturday - I might rip off someone's fanny pack and throw it into oncoming traffic.) Lord give me strength...

Chunky Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Dark Chocolate

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 stick salted butter, room temp
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks (cut up good quality bar or chocolate buttons)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla - beat well. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, mixing until just blended after each addition. Using a spatula, stir in oats, dried cranberries and dark chocolate.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop into evenly scooped rounds onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing well apart.

Bake 11-15 minutes JUST until light golden brown (these will stay lighter than other cookies so don't be alarmed). Let cool on baking sheet 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.