Brown Sugar Cookies with Pecans

I tried to rename these cookies because the title “brown sugar cookies” doesn’t seem to do them justice. The original recipe describes them as “butterscotch-flavored.” I would also suggest “butter pecan-flavored.” We absolutely loved them! 🙂

This recipe is from Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads by Kathleen King, the founder of Tate’s Bake Shop. I used coarse salt and chilled the dough prior to baking. Wonderful!

Yield: about 35 cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda, sifted
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (I used raw pecans)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, mix well.
4. Stir in the flour mixture and pecans.
5. Using a small cookie scoop, drop by tablespoons onto a plastic-wrap lined cookie sheet or container. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
7. Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until cookies feel firm in the center. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Banana Bread with Crunchy Sugar Topping

I have one more recipe to share from the special baking book, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna Sever. (for now!) In the book, this recipe is titled “The Only Banana Bread You’ll Ever Need.” That is a little over the top for me- I always welcome new recipes for banana bread. 🙂

In this version, the super moist bread is topped with crunchy, snowy granulated sugar. The sugar is dampened and clumped together before sprinkling it over the prepared batter. I had never used this technique and I loved it. The topping looked beautiful and had a wonderful contrasting texture.

I weighed the bananas and all of the dry ingredients. I modified the recipe by baking it in a Pullman loaf pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly. We loved it!

Yield: One loaf, Serves 8 to 10

• nonstick cooking spray for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups (400g) mashed, very ripe bananas (I used 3 1/2 bananas)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 T (196g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (112g) vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup (75g) well-shaken buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T dark rum, optional (I omitted it)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups plus 2 T (272g) unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 T (38g) granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Spray a 9×5-inch or Pullman loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper with a couple of inches of overhang on the long sides. Lightly coat the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, rum (if using), and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until just blended.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
8. Using your fingertips, sprinkle water over the top of the sugar. Work the water into the sugar, pinching it together, until it begins to resemble snow. (It should barely hold together when it is pinched together.) To add additional water, sprinkle water over the top using the opposite (clean) hand.
9. Sprinkle the dampened sugar over the batter, aiming to get it clumped up together in spots.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes in a Pullman pan or 60 to 70 minutes in a standard loaf pan.
11. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: Bread can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap and/or placed in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My son is becoming more interested in cooking! 🙂 He actually made this cookie dough almost completely on his own.

This recipe is from Food 52 Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes that will Change the Way You Cook by Kristen Miglore. We modified the size of the cookies, used semi-sweet chocolate, and refrigerated the dough prior to baking. As they were best served warm from the oven, we baked each batch separately just prior to serving. We also served them with vanilla ice cream, which I would highly recommend!

The cookies had a deep toasty flavor with caramelization of the dark brown sugar on the edges. My husband was absolutely in love with the texture- a little bit crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum.

Yield: Makes about 48 cookies

• 3 cups (360g) whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (230g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3cm) pieces
• 1 cup (220g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 oz (225g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch (6mm and 1.3cm) pieces (I used 10 oz semisweet chocolate chunks from Trader Joe’s)
• ice cream, for serving, optional

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on low-speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes.
3. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is combined.
5. Mix in the vanilla.
6. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low-speed until the flour is barely combined, about 30 seconds.
7. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
8. Add the chocolate all at once to the batter. Mix on low-speed until the chocolate is evenly combined.
9. Use a spatula to scrape down the the sides and bottom of the bowl.
10. Using a large cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough about (1 1/2 tablespoons in size) and place on a plastic-wrap lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate 1 hour to overnight. (I kept some of the dough refrigerated for an entire week prior to baking with perfect results.)
11. Place two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
12. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
13. Place the cookie dough on the prepared sheets, leaving 2 inches between them, about 8 to a sheet.
14. Bake for 16 minutes (one pan at a time) or 18 minutes (two pans at a time), rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly dark brown.
15. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Note: These cookies are best eaten warm from the oven or later the same day. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I feel as though I am revealing a secret recipe…. These cookies from Tate’s Bake Shop in Southampton, New York, are sold all over the United States. Now I know why these cookies are their signature item! They are FABULOUS- thin, crispy – but not too crispy, and loaded with chocolate chips. I don’t know if the water in the dough or the dark brown sugar makes the difference, but there is a difference. 🙂

This recipe is from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Home-Style Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads. I modified the recipe by using unsalted butter, chilling the dough for 1 hour prior to baking, and by adjusting the baking time for a convection oven. I baked them for 12 minutes when using 2 baking sheets at a time, and for 8 minutes when using only 1 baking sheet. Delicious.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup salted butter (I used unsalted!)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees on convection.
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, silpat, or butter.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add the water and vanilla; mix until just combined.
6. Add the eggs and mix them lightly.
7. Stir in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Be careful not to overmix!
8. Using a small cookie scoop, drop the cookies onto prepared cookie sheets.
9. Bake them for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the edges and centers are brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Two Years Ago:

• Pear-Granola Muffins