kitchen sink cookies

the ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)

2/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. table salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 candied ginger (finely chopped)

the method:

in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for a minute. add the egg and vanilla until smooth. in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. with the mixer on low, gradually add this into the butter and sugar mixture. add the oats, chocolate, pecans, coconut and ginger.

chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. when you’re ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 350, and scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. bake for 10 to 12 minutes (baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in). take them out when the cookies have golden edges but still look a little undercooked on top. let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe.

panellets (spanish pine nut cookies)

musings: these are delicious! i had them on a recent trip to spain and was stalking various websites for the right recipe. the ones i had almost had a marzipan-like center, which i love, so i added almond extract to this recipe in hopes to enhance the almond flavor. i initially used one teaspoon but have since upped the quantity to two. these are the perfect treat to end an easter feast!

yields: 12 cookies

the ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond meal

2 eggs (divided)

1 lemon (zested)

2 tsp. almond extract

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar

3/4 cup pine nuts

the method:

preheat the oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

beat an egg in a small bowl, and set aside. put the pine nuts in a separate small bowl.

combine the almond meal, the other egg, lemon zest, almond extract, and sugar in a bowl, and using a fork, mix to combine. with your hands, make rounded dough balls with about two tablespoons of the mixture. dip each of them in the beaten egg and then in the pine nuts. prepare to get your hands dirty as the nuts need to be gently pressed into the dough (otherwise, they fall right off the cookie). place the cookies on your baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

adapted from a may i have that recipe recipe.

chocolate peanut butter chewies

yields: 20-22 cookies

the ingredients:

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (divided)

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 extra-large eggs

1 tbsp. instant espresso powder

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup whole walnut halves

1 cup whole pecan halves

2/3 cup peanut butter chips

the method:

preheat the oven to 325, and line a few sheet pans with parchment paper.

in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, six ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate. do this in increments of 30 seconds so as not to let everything burn, and cool for 15 minutes.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla until combined. add the sugar, raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for a couple of minutes, until the batter is thick and falls back on itself in a ribbon.

with the mixer on low, slowly add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. in a separate bowl, combine the a third of a cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt, and slowly sprinkle it into the mixer. in the same bowl, combine the walnuts, pecans, peanut butter chips, the remaining six ounces of chocolate chips, and the tablespoon of flour, and add it into the chocolate mixture. using an ice cream scooper, drop rounded mounds of batter an inch apart onto the prepared sheet pans. bake for 15 minutes exactly. cool on the baking sheets, and enjoy.

courtesy of barefoot contessa.

pear, cranberry and gingersnap crumble

musings: i LOVED this dessert. in fact, i loved it so much, i had three helpings of it. i ended up using frozen cranberries because i couldn’t find fresh, and it worked out just fine. it can also be made ahead and then reheated. please don’t serve this without ice cream.

the ingredients:

for the crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons packed dark or light brown sugar

1 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 16 store-bought cookies)

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. table salt

pinch of white pepper (especially if your gingersnaps aren’t

particularly snappish)

1 stick unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

for the filling:

2 lbs. ripe pears (peeled, halved, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick)

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

the method:

preheat the oven to 350.

stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.

in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, mix the pears, cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. in a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. then, toss it with the fruit mixture in the pan.

sprinkle the gingersnap crumble over the fruit. bake for about 45 minutes, until the crumble is a shade darker and you see juices bubbling through the crumbs. allow to cool slightly before serving with ice cream.

courtesy of smitten kitchen.

ginger apple torte

musings: i’m always weary of recipes with a plethora of ingredients and a long list of instructions. i usually like to find a way to keep things simpler yet delicious. that being said, this one was on my list for a while now, as i love all of the ingredients. i guess i should have stuck to my gut because this was not my favorite apple cake, and i LOVE apple cakes (hint, hint). don’t get me wrong – it was still very good. perhaps i’d eliminate the lemon if i ever made it again. i don’t think i will, though.

the ingredients:

3 large apples (i used fuji.)

4 tbsp. turbinado sugar (divided)

1 stick unsalted butter plus 2 tbsp.

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger (i used a microplane.)

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup whole milk plus 3 tbsp.

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

a handful of walnut halves (for decorating the top)

the method:

preheat the oven to 350, and a spray a pie dish.

core the apples, and cut into thin slices. melt two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and cook until it’s lightly browned. stir in the apple slices until all of the slices are covered with browned butter. sprinkle two tablespoons of the turbinado sugar over the apples, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. set aside.

in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. set aside.

in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. beat in the eggs and then the lemon zest, ginger, molasses and vanilla extract (the mixture will look curdled, but this is completely normal). gradually add the flour mixture a little at a time. lastly, fold in the milk and yogurt until the batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.

scrape half the batter into the pie pan. cover with apple slices, and spread the other half of the batter over the apples. smooth the top with a spatula. place the walnut halves on the top of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the top of the cake.

bake for around 50 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean(a few moist crumbs are okay). allow to cool, and serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

slightly adapted from a food52 recipe.

zesty oatmeal cookies

yields: about 36 cookies

the ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground clove

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 cups chopped walnuts

2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (my new favorite chips are guittard.)

the method:

preheat the oven to 350, and line a  cookie sheet with parchment paper.

using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. add both sugars, salt and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. add the eggs, one at a time.

in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest and chocolate chips. drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. remove from the oven, and cool the cookies on a rack. store at room temperature in an airtight container.

slightly adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe.

banana-hazelnut bread

the ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

3 medium bananas (on the verge of being inedibly brown)

2 tbsp. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup hazelnuts (toasted and chopped)

vanilla sanding sugar

the method:

preheat the oven to 350, and spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and set aside. in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about ten minutes. drizzle in the oil. ddd mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. remove the bowl from the kitchenaid, and fold in the dry ingredients and nuts with a spatula. pour the mix into the loaf pan, and sprinkle with some sanding sugar. bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, and cool on a wire rack.

adapted from a flour bakery recipe.

peppermint stick blondies

the ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter (melted)

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk chocolate chips

2 tbsp. crushed candy canes

the method:

preheat the oven to 350. spray an 8×8 pan, and line with parchment paper.

in the bowl of an electronic mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the melted butter with the brown sugar, and beat until smooth. add the egg and then the vanilla. add a pinch of salt, and add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. remove the mixing bowl from your kitchenaid, and use a spatula to fold in the chips and candy canes.

pour into the prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. cool on a wire rack before cutting.

adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe.

s’mores in a jar

 

this is a belated post. when i made these, it was in celebration of national s’mores day. did you know there was such a thing? i didn’t until deb told me. i was supposed to be keeping things simple that weekend. i don’t do that well in the kitchen. so i decided the honorable way to celebrate was with s’mores in a jar. you can play around with the layers, whether you want to do one larger layer of each ingredient or multiple layers of everything. you can also cheat and use instant pudding or a favorite pudding recipe of our own. the possibilities are endless. the result is delicious.

yields: 10 jars

the ingredients:

1 sleeve of graham crackers (this meant nine in 365 language.)

3 tbsp. unsalted butter (melted)

battenkill chocolate pudding

1 pint heavy cream

1 8 oz. container mascarpone

2 containers of marshmallow cream

the method:

add the graham crackers to the food processor, and pulse. add the butter, and pulse until the crumbs are coated. add a heaping tablespoon of the crumbs to each jar.

with a hand mixer, whip up some heavy cream with the mascarpone (you could do straight up heavy cream whipped cream; i just had some mascarpone i wanted to use). i don’t remember how much cream i used, but i’d guesstimate at least eight ounces if not a little more. whip until stiff peaks form.

top the crumbs with chocolate pudding. top the pudding with the whipped cream. and top the whipped cream with a glob of marshmallow cream. if you have a torch, you can toast these sans oven. if not, preheat the oven to broil, and load the jars onto a rimmed baking sheet. broil them only for a minute or two (i literally sat on the floor in front of the oven to ensure that they didn’t burn because if that happens, there’s no going back). remove from the oven, and serve.

inspired by deb.

ina’s brownie pudding

yields: 6-8 servings

the ingredients:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

4 large eggs (at room temperature)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract)

vanilla ice cream (for serving)

the method:

preheat the oven to 325.

spray a 2-quart (9 x 12 x 2) baking dish. melt the butter, and set aside to cool.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for five to ten minutes, until very thick and light yellow. meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together, and set aside.

when the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low, and add the vanilla seeds and the dry ingredients. mix only until combined. with the mixer still on low, slowly add the cooled butter, and mix again until just combined.

pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish, and place it in a larger baking pan. add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish, and bake for exactly one hour. the center will appear very under-baked (this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding).

courtesy of the barefoot contessa.