Ok, I’m going to mess with your perceived ideas about Scottish shortbread a wee bit. We all know how wonderful traditional shortbread is with its crunchy, buttery goodness. But what if you added a bit more powdered sugar and coarse kosher salt to the mix? Well, you’d get this cookie, that’s what would happen! And I have to say, for a new way of enjoying plain shortbread, this is so very tasty. The extra sweetness combined with the tiny bits of coarse salt, is a fun new taste sensation. Especially since no one’s taste buds are expecting the cookies to be as sweet or as salty. (And isn’t that fun!)

So, I guess the only thing left to say is – next time you want to prepare a simple shortbread cookie that will be a hit with your family and friends, give this recipe a try.

And if you are wondering why I chose to make tiny heart shape shortbread cookies, well, they were for a very special event. The marriage of my son Sven to Jill, a truly wonderful woman and just the perfect fit for my son. Both being intelligent, athletic, successful, delightful and caring people, and devoted parents. I could not be happier for either of them. (Or for me, if truth be known.)

As always, have fun in your kitchen and always keep thinking positive thoughts. Things do have a way of working out, even if it appears to the contrary as you wait for some type of resolution. So, practice patience. Not easy, I’ll grant you that. But if you continue to have hope, most often, time will take care of whatever situation has held you in its grip.

And again – congratulations to Sven and Jill. And to the many family members on both sides who attended the wedding – thank you for being a part of this special celebration. I love you, one and all.

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. baking powder

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

Cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until light and creamy. Whisk the salt, baking powder, and flour together in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture just until well combined. Form dough into a ball.

Place on a lightly floured surface and roll to approximately ⅓-inch thick. Cut into your favorite shapes.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 17-18 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are a nice golden brown. Don’t under-bake. (Please note: the cookies will not expand very much, so they can be placed quite close together on your baking sheet.)

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.   

   

Sometimes I’m almost embarrassed to post a recipe as simple as this one. But maybe, just maybe, you never thought of putting chocolate chips in your blondies either. I say either, because I never thought to do so until our good friend Keith made some to sell at his wife Sheila’s choir fund raiser. One taste told me that I had been missing out on a really good thing. And as some of you well know, I’m getting quite lazy in my golden years. So, a butterscotch flavored chewy bar cookie that is very simple to build, (no mixer required), chocolaty, and crunchy is excellent in every regard! (Including the short amount of time this cookie takes to prepare.)

Absolutely perfect to feed hungry children and starving musicians. (I don’t have kidlets in the house any longer, but sometimes jazz musicians can be found huddled around the baby grand in our living room. And of course, they must be fed frequently to ensure that they keep up their strength. And for whatever reason, cookies and strong coffee are their preferred method of securing sustenance. Imagine that!)

Anyway, these bar cookies are terrific. And like I mentioned above, very easy to make. And I promise not to be offended, in any way, if you already have a favorite blondie recipe you would prefer to use. Just add some chips (chocolate, mint chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.) and whatever nut you happen to have around (or not), and you have a whole new bar cookie with which to thrill and delight your family and friends. Drum roll please!  

So, as always – have fun in your kitchen. Make some cookies. Because cookies are the only food group that everyone, of every age enjoys. And I know cookies aren’t the healthiest thing to feed your children. But as an occasional treat, there is nothing finer.

Peace and love to all.

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 c. brown sugar, packed

2 lg. eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. chopped walnuts, lightly toasted pecans, hazelnuts, etc.  

Stir the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spread the dough out evenly in a lightly buttered 9×13-inch pan (glass is best). Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree oven (350-degrees if you are using a metal pan) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few fudgy crumbs and the top looks set. Resist overbaking.   

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cut into whatever size pieces you want. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for longer storage.

 

KNOCKOFF LEVAIN BAKERY DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES

And yes, I am a copy-cat. But the Levain Bakery knockoff cookies I have made so far are all the best in class as far as I’m concerned. (And isn’t it really just all about me?) Of course, it is! (Believe me, excluding various recipes for adult beverages which Mr. C. happens to like that I wouldn’t drink even if I could replace some of the jerks in Washington DC with intelligent, well informed, capable people of my choice, I would never consider posting recipes for dishes I don’t like myself and hope to enjoy again in the future!) So, yes absolutely – it’s really just all about me! And these cookies are the best chocolate peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted!

Anyway, just trust me. These cookies are amazing, and very easy to build. Of course, you must love chocolate and peanut butter. And in combination. But then if you didn’t like this terrific duo, you wouldn’t be reading this recipe to begin with. So, never mind. The only thing left to say is – make these ASAP.

I made a batch for the trailer trip we just completed, and they were a smashing success. The smashing primarily happening because, for the trip, I stored them in a gallon freezer bag. Not my best idea. So, I certainly would not recommend that you store them the same way. A nice sturdy box like airtight container would have been such a better choice. In the bag they became a bit crumbled while riding in the microwave. (One of the areas in our trailer used for storage until such time as the original purpose is required.) But Mr. C. assures me the crumbs were wonderful on ice cream. (I wasn’t offered a taste, so I only have his word on the subject. Ahem. But I trust his judgement, so I’ll take his word for it. This time!)

Anyway – make these cookies, you will be glad you did.

As always, take joy in whatever you are doing. We have such a short time on earth, and then, well who knows? If there is a heaven, and I sincerely hope there is, I plan to bake and eat cookies every day. (I’ve heard you can’t gain weight in heaven.) So, I figure I had better have a few great recipes, like this one, memorized for all eternity. Because my plan is to make and eat these babies on a regular basis. (My idea of heaven!)

Peace and love to all.    

1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 c. brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

2 lg. eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. good dark cocoa powder

1 c. cake flour, fluffed 

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. cornstarch

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1½ c. peanut butter chips (I use a 10-oz. pkg. Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips)

Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium low speed until smooth and completely blended, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat just until the eggs are incorporated with the butter/sugar mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Add the peanut butter chips, and again, mix only until combined. Chill the dough for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 equal parts, about 3-ounces each, or as equally portioned as possible. I cheat. I slightly round the dough in my #16 (¼ cup) ice cream scoop. (My scoop has a green handle.)

Drop dough onto parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking pans about 3 inches apart. (I use three half sheet (roughly 18 x 13-inch) baking pans. Six cookies on sheets 1 & 2. Four cookies on sheet number 3.) Refrigerate for about an hour. (To make life easier on myself, and because I don’t have room in my refrigerator for 3 sheet pans, I plop the balls of dough close together on one of the parchment paper lined pans. Then I refrigerate the whole mess. When I’m ready to bake the little darlings, I take 6 from the fridge and place on another of the parchment paper lined baking sheets. The others dough balls I just leave in the fridge until I am ready to bake them off.)  

Press down ever so gently on the top of each cookie before baking in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until the top looks set. The inside will still feel quite soft or under-baked. That’s exactly what you want.

Remove from oven and let the cookies rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

  

Now, the first thing you should know about these cookies, is that they are not for the faint of heart. These incredible cookies, compliments of the ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com site, are for true lovers of gingerbread and ginger cookies. They are simply the best soft ginger cookies I have ever tasted. And because they are crinkle cookies, they are beautiful as well as delicious. And doesn’t everyone appreciate a beautiful cookie? Of course, we do!

But I must emphasize that these are strongly flavored cookies. The word wimpy could never be applied to them. They are gingery with a capital G. And the texture too is perfect. But because of their pronounced ginger flavor, I doubt they would be the preference of say, a 5-year-old. So, don’t share them with a 5-year-old! Simple solution. Keep them for yourself! (That’s OK to do, you know!) Give the child an animal cracker. (That is, if they even make them any longer.) If not, find some other innocuous cookie to pawn off on the kid. And no, I never did that with my own children, but I think it’s OK if you do! I always made cookies that everyone in the family would enjoy. But I’ve since learned that doing something just for myself is OK. The earth will not stop spinning, summer will still follow spring, and no one really gives a rip anyway! But, whatever you do, make a batch of these cookies. They are really, really tasty.

As always, have fun baking. Have fun cooking. And if you’re like me, try to enjoy preparing salads rather than thinking of them as endurance contests. Because veggie salads are our friend. And don’t forget to make your own salad dressings. First of all, fresh dressings are delicious. And if you build your own dressing you know exactly what you are eating rather than depending on the kindness of strangers not to include unpronounceable ingredients like Phosphoric Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Sorbic Acid, and Calcium Disodium Edta! (Whatever they are!) Manufacturers simply have no choice but to add various stabilizers, preservatives, and even synthetic flavorings. It’s what they do! But that doesn’t mean you have to buy their products. You can fight the system and build you own dressings. I call it – using common sense!

Peace and love to all.

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

¾ c. brown sugar, packed

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 T. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. kosher salt

12 T. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes

¾ c. molasses (not blackstrap)

2 T. milk

granulated sugar

powdered sugar

In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together until combined. Add the butter pieces and beat until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal.

Reduce the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened and thoroughly combined. Don’t over mix.

Using an ice cream scoop (I use my #40 – 1½ tablespoons ice cream scoop), drop balls of dough right next to each other on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. (Make sure the baking sheet you use will fit in your refrigerator.) After you have scooped all the dough, roll each scoop in your hands to form smooth compact balls. (This takes no time at all and is a necessary step.) Place the pan uncovered in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 

Meanwhile put a bit of granulated sugar in one shallow mixing bowl, and some powdered sugar in another shallow bowl. (I don’t give specific amounts here because you should start with a small amount of each and add more as required.)

After the two-hour cooling off period, roll each ball in granulated sugar then in powdered sugar. Place 1-inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set, but you would swear on a bag of Cheetos that the middle was not done! Truly, the cookies will feel a bit squishy in the middle. That’s what you want. Do not over bake.

Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

  

Based on a recipe from the cafedelites.com site, I offer you this recipe for an extremely moist and fudgy, nutty, and over the top, dark chocolate brownie. But please be warned. If you are not a fan of dark chocolate, this is probably not the recipe for you. Because there is no escaping the fact that these brownies are ultra-chocolaty and super rich. (To my way of thinking, exactly how a brownie should taste. But that’s just me!) And the best part, the dark rich chocolate comes from cocoa. So, no having to melt chocolate! And no having to get out your mixer either. Just a couple of bowls and a short bit of time and you have a pan of brownies fit for a king or queen.

So, really, there’s nothing left to say, except, you simply must prepare a batch of these brownies for yourself. And if you happen to be feeling magnanimous, you might offer a bite to your significant other or a dear friend. But don’t bother offering any to your kids. Children under 12 wouldn’t appreciate them. And a teenager would simply inhale them, not having the sophistication to nibble on them slowly in order to savor every tiny morsel of chocolate goodness. These brownies were simply designed to be eaten by brownie connoisseurs. And not to be wasted on the uninitiated!

So, as always, have fun playing with your food. And sometimes, just for the pure delight factor, have fun baking something that is strictly for yourself!

Peace and love to all.     

½ c.(1 stick) unsalted butter

1 T. vegetable oil

½ c. + 2 T. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar, packed

2 lg. eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

½ c. good unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Valrhono, Scharffen Berger, or Hershey’s Cocoa Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder)

½ tsp. espresso powder (I use Medaglia D’Oro)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

½ c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ c. chopped walnuts

coarse sea salt

Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan (glass preferably) with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large glass mixing bowl, melt the butter and keep heating it until it is hot. Whisk in the oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is lighter in color.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and kosher salt together. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. (Do not over mix.) Then gently fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.   

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top out evenly. Lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt. (Not too much. Just enough to give each bite a tiny hint of salt.)    

Bake on the top rack of your pre-heated 325-degree oven (350-degrees if using a metal pan) for 23-27 minutes, or until the center of the brownies no longer jiggles and the top is just set to the touch. (Forget using a toothpick. It will come out with batter still attached. And you might be tempted to leave the pan in the oven too long! Don’t forget, the brownies will keep baking in the hot pan as they cool). If the top part of your oven tends to capture the heat, bake the brownies on the middle rack.

Remove from oven and allow to completely cool before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.

So, this started out to be my recipe for knockoff Levain Bakery dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. But alas, there were no peanut butter chips in my freezer. I had used every single peanut butter chip I owned at Christmas time, and obviously failed to add them to my grocery list. Well, slap my hand for that senior moment! (And yes, peanut butter chips are now on my current shopping list. At least I remembered to do that. And yes, mental acuity comes and goes when you get to be my age!) So, I decided to make the same cookie batter but use mint chips in place of peanut butter chips. After all, how bad could that be? And as it turned out, I may have to write Levain Bakery offering to share my recipe with them. Because frankly, I think they’re making a grave mistake by not offering this cookie in their remarkable line up of cookies. Because these cookies are amazing. And yes, I am tooting my own horn. But when fair is fair, then I go for it!

Now for those of you who have never experienced a real Levain Bakery cookie (and that would probably include most of you since the bakery is in New York City) or even a knockoff Levain Bakery cookie, you are in for a treat. First of all, these are big cookies. They have a crisp outer layer with an extremely chewy, doughy center that melts in your mouth. (Think not quite set cookie dough that doesn’t fall apart!) Levain Bakery cookies are simply the best cookies imaginable. And very different from any cookies I had ever made or eaten before. And for the life of me I can’t remember where I heard or read about this bakery. But I will forever be grateful for whatever it was that turned me on to these cookies. And after you try one, I know you will be too! So, for your gastronomic edification, I offer you two other recipes for knockoff Levain Bakery cookies. Knockoff Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies and Almost Knockoff Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Both are super yum!

So, as always, keep having fun in your kitchen. Keep thinking positive thoughts. And keep baking cookies. Because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel better with a cookie in their hand. Peace and love to all.  

And yes, look for my recipe for Knockoff Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies in the near future.

1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 c. brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

2 lg. eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. good dark cocoa powder

1 c. cake flour, fluffed 

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. cornstarch

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. coarse sea salt (I use coarse salt because it gives each bite of cookie just a lovely little burst of salt)

1½ c. mint chips

Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium low speed until smooth and completely blended, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat just until the eggs and vanilla are incorporated with the butter/sugar mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Add the mint chips, and again, mix only until combined. Chill the dough for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 equal parts. Or as equally portioned as possible. (I cheat. I gently round the dough in my #16 (1/4 cup) ice cream scoop.)

Drop dough onto parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking pans about 3 inches apart. (I used three half sheet (roughly 18 x 13-inch) baking pans. Six cookies on sheets 1 & 2. Four cookies on sheet number 3.) Refrigerate for about an hour. (To make life easier on myself, and because I don’t have room in my refrigerator for 3 sheet pans, I plop the balls of dough close together on one of the parchment paper lined pans. Then I refrigerate the whole mess. When I’m ready to bake the little darlings, I take 6 from the fridge and place on another of the parchment paper lined baking sheets. The others dough balls I just leave in the fridge until I am ready to bake them off.)  

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 9-12 minutes or until the top looks set. The inside will still be a little under-baked. That’s exactly what you want.

Remove from oven and let the cookies rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. (They finish baking and set up a bit during their 10-minute time out.)

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.