Bacon chocolate sable cookies

Yup, there's totally bacon in that cookie.

And she's at it again... this time with CHOCOLATE. 

For the cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate
chips
12 strips high-quality uncured bacon, cooked until crisp and drained of fat

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and bacon, and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.a

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Guest Tuesdays: in the kitchen with LC's chocolate oatmeal cherry cookies

LC is my new baking buddy.

For the cookies:

1 cup butter
1 cup medium brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Stir in oats, cherries, and chocolate.

Roll into balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until bottom edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Chocolate crinkle cookies

When I worked at Sofra they had a cookie called the Earthquake Cookie. It is my absolute favorite cookie because of its brownie-like consistency (I mean duh, brownie. My one true love). This one isn't quite as gooey as Sofra's, but it's pretty damn close. So if you like brownies half as much as I do, try this cookie!

For the cookies:

1 cup white all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder

1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling the cookies)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, coffee/espresso powder, and baking power.

In a separate large bowl, preferably with an electric mixer, combine the vegetable oil and granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Add in flour mixture, and mix until combined.

Cover the mixture with plastic wrap (either in the bowl, or just dump it out onto the counter and form a disc). Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in the powdered sugar to coat.

Place on the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. When they come out they'll be soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the outside.

Recipe adapted from LOL Foodie.

Pecan cookie bars

I first tasted this recipe at Thanksgiving this year when my friend's relative brought it for dessert, and I've been waiting to remake it ever since. It's different from a traditional pecan bar because the crust is less shortbread-y and more cookie-like. It's AWESOME.

For the crust:

8 ounces cream cheese

3/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

For the pecan bit:

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

3 cups chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cups of the butter, the granulated sugar and 2 tsp of the vanilla in a large brown with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Cover.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Press dough firmly onto bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Meanwhile melt remaining 1/4 cup butter; place in medium bowl. Add eggs, brown sugar corn syrup and remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until well blended. Stir in pecans.

Spread pecan mixture evenly onto warm crust. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until topping is firm around the edges and slightly soft in the center. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 60 bars to serve.

Pumpkin pillow cookies with brown butter frosting

Meet Dwight Eisenhower. He's our new pet. We call him Ike for short (or Craig, or Randy, depending on who you ask...). He enjoys apples, being scratched, and sitting in people's laps. Deighton and I just adopted him yesterday, and he's been an absolute joy to have so far. I can't wait to have guinea pig adventures with him, dressing him in felt hats, dinosaur costumes, etc! Slightly joking but mostly serious.

And he matches these fantastic pumpkin pillow cookies, which pretty much taste like clouds of pumpkin spice with a slightly nutty brown butter frosting. Which are so delicious that I may have to make a second batch.

For the cookies:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium 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 pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

While the cookies are baking, put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Samoa girlscout cookies!

2 hours, 10 burnt fingertips, a frustrated me, and a messy kitchen later, they were finished. Other than the fact that these were a bitch and a half to make, these Samoa cookies are bomb. But they're definitely not for the faint of heart. Or the faint of, erhm, expertise? I don't know. Just expect to get frustrated like five times in the process. Verdict? They are worth the effort. Totally.

Makes about 32 cookies

For the shortbread:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the coconut bit:

14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
14 ounces soft chewy caramels (like Kraft Caramels)

For the chocolate:

3/4 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
2-3 tablespoons water

Heat oven to 350ºF. Line bake sheet with parchment. Place coconut on bakesheet and bake until golden brown,  10-15 minutes. Make sure to stir the coconut half way through. Be very watchful of the coconut-- it takes seconds for toasted to turn to burnt.

Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness.

Using a two inch round cookie cutter stamp out cookies and for the center use the wider end of a piping tip if you don’t have a small enough cookie cutter. Place stamped out cookies on parchment lined bakesheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Place caramel squares in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat to melt. Once the caramel bits are completely melted reserve ½ a cup of mixture in a shallow bowl; set aside. Add the toasted coconut to the remaining caramel mixture. Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place saucepan filled with the finished caramel coconut in it to keep the mixture at spreading consistency. Reheat mixture as needed to maintain spread consistency during assembly.

Dip tops of cookies into the reserved caramel bowl. This will help the sticky caramel coconut mixture to quickly adhere to the cookie. Place cookie on a flat surface and using an icing spatula or butter knife spread caramel coconut mixture on to the cookie. If necessary, use a spoon to guide the caramel coconut spread off the icing spatula and on to the cookies. Let cookies rest for 30 minutes before dipping the bottoms in chocolate and drizzling the striping on top.

Place chocolate and shortening in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

oh hey where'd they go....

Recipe adapted from Bakers Royale.

Chocolate espresso puddles

I like sunny days like these. They make me hopeful that Boston winter is about to end. Although they also make me cry because I go out for a nice run in shorts and a T-shirt only to find that the snow that has so happily melted away is now all over my nice new running shoes. I run through puddle after puddle of melty snow shit, wishing the weather would just make up its mind already and either be freezing cold with ice puddles or warm with no puddles at all. Then I go home and make puddle cookies and everything is all better.

Makes 24 puddles

For the puddles:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

these are good puddles. if my shoes
got dirty in these, that would be dandy.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

In the bowl of a food processor, finely chop the chocolate covered espresso beans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped espresso beans, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir until thick and smooth. Fold in the melted chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop level 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly puffed and the tops begin to crack, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and serve.

Recipe from Giada at Home.

Chocolate waffle cookies

Made these this morning. What a way to start the day.

Makes 36 waffle cookies

For the cookies:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray

For the ganache:

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Melt chocolate with 1 cup butter (2 sticks) in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly.

Put eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in chocolate mixture, salt, cinnamon, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and the flour.

Heat a waffle iron until hot. Lightly coat grids with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter onto center of each waffle-iron square to make 1 1/2-inch rounds. Close cover; cook until set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, bottom sides up. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, coating grids with cooking spray after each batch.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa powder; stir until smooth. Stir in milk.

Gently dip 1 surface of each cookie in icing so that just the waffle lines (not gaps) are coated. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Transfer to wire racks; let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Dust iced surfaces of cookies with confectioner's sugar. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Recipe from Martha Stewart.

The 50/50 cookie

This recipe comes to you from the esteemed pastry chef and chocolate connoisseur Jacques Torres via The Tender Crumb. The New York Times calls it the best cookie recipe ever. I personally call it the 50/50 cookie because it has a chocolate to cookie ratio of 1:1. Let me say that again. For every one part cookie there is one part chocolate. Yuh-huh. It's awesome. And because you refrigerate the dough, it comes out beautifully ribboned on top. It ain't no  Katharine Canfield Cookie (sorry, Jacques), but it's pretty damn close. And I'm loving the coarsely chopped chocolate, too. It makes the chocolate very well dispersed so you get a lot in every bite! 

Makes 24 1-ounce cookies

For the cookies:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1 egg
1 cup pastry flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces whole (or 1 3/4 cups chopped) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl, cream butter and the two sugars on medium speed using an electric mixer. Then, beat in the egg. Next, pour in the flours, salt, powder, soda, and vanilla and beat until dough comes together. Using a spoon or spatula, fold in the chocolate until well blended. Refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours to let the dough set.

Dough! Dough! Dough!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a 1 ounce scoop, scoop the dough into balls and lay out on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown and still a little gooey. 

It's up to you if you want to eat it out of the oven (like me) or let it cool on an oven rack (like... wait let's be serious who gives up the chance for warm cookies?).

Recipe adapted from The Tender Crumb.

Katharine Canfield cookies

These are them. These are the cookies of my childhood. I can't even begin to describe them. When made correctly, they are the best chocolate chip cookies you'll ever eat. When I was little my mom would pack them for me for lunch nearly every day. And nearly every day I'd end up with only one or two bites, thanks to my lunch pal's beg "pleeeease can I have a little?" In middle school I learned to savor them after lunch, carefully hiding the cookies at the bottom of my lunch pack so my friends wouldn't pester me for a bite. By high school they became known as "Katharine Canfield cookies," after my mom, Katharine Canfield. As in: "Ohmygod. Are those cookies Katharine Canfield cookies?" So, yeah. Among my friends they're kind of legendary.


For the cookies:

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup (packed) medium brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, softened or melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Secret ingredient*

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla together. Next, stir in the egg. Then, stir in flour. Last, add the chocolate chips and stir until well-incorporated.

On an un-greased baking sheet, dollop ping-pong-ball-sized bits of batter, leaving 1.5"-2" between each cookie. Bake for 8-12 minutes. What's more important, however, is that you take out the cookies a liiiiittle too soon, so they continue to bake once out of the oven and onto the cookie sheet.

With this recipe, make sure the measurements are exact. Especially on the flour. Too much flour will make the cookies puffy and they'll loose their moist gooeyness.

*Muh mom's love. I swear when she makes them they come out 3 times better. She's got some golden touch or something... However if you don't happen to have a Katharine Canfield lying around in your cupboard, then you can skip this step ;)