Flourless Cocoa Cookies

Yes! More cookies and ice cream. In fact, I have several cookie drafts waiting to be shared. All of a sudden, it just feels like it’s finally time. 🙂

These cookies are a fabulous hybrid of a fudgy brownie and a cookie. This recipe was adapted from The Fearless Baker by Erin Jeanne McDowell via The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I weighed the dry ingredients, included the cinnamon, and used 70% cacao dark chocolate chopped into chunks. Great.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

• 3 eggs
• 3 cups/340 grams confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ½ cup/106 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup/140 grams bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used 70% cacao dark chocolate)
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (I used Fleur de Sel)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended.
3. In another large bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Whisk into eggs, changing to a spatula when the batter becomes too thick to whisk.
5. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chunks.
6. Use a large 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between them. (I baked 9 on each baking sheet.) Sprinkle with flaky salt.
7. Bake, rotating front to back, and top to bottom, halfway through, until set around the edges, cracked on top and slightly underbaked in the middle, 10 to 13 minutes.
8. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely on the baking sheets. Store carefully in an airtight container.

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.

S’mores Blondies

I first made this crowd-pleasing dessert for our last summer beach day and sunset before the start of school. I’ve already made them again! Insanely delicious.

The bars are not overly sweet and they have an amazing texture. I weighed the dry ingredients to ensure perfection. This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Erin Jeanne McDowell. I modified the method. Fabulous!!

Yield: 24 blondies

• nonstick cooking oil spray
• 9 whole graham crackers (about 135 grams), or store-bought graham cracker crumbs (about 1 cup)
• 1 ¼ cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 packed cup/220 grams dark brown sugar
• ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces/225 grams bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks (I used 78% cacao Lindt)
• 2 ½ cups/150 grams mini marshmallows

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection, and arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
2. Coat the inside of a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of excess parchment on the long sides of the pan. (The excess will help you pull the blondies out later.)
3. If using whole graham crackers, add them to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they form a fine powder. Alternately, you could put the crackers in a large resealable plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin, then add them to the bowl. If using store-bought crumbs, add them directly to the food processor.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the crumbs, and pulse a few times to combine.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
8. Turn the mixer to low and add the graham crumb mixture and mix just to combine.
9. Add about ¾ of the chocolate to the mixer and mix to incorporate.
10. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use damp hands or a small offset spatula to press the dough into an even layer.
11. Bake on the lower rack until the bars are golden at the edges and the surface has a crackly appearance, 25 minutes on convection or about 30 minutes in a standard oven.
12. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate on top of the marshmallows and return the pan to the top rack of the oven.
13. Bake until the marshmallows have softened and are lightly toasted and the chocolate is melted and gooey, 10 to 14 minutes.
14. Remove the pan from the oven. If any of the marshmallows have puffed up, use a toothpick or skewer to puncture them; they will deflate easily.
15. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool, 45 minutes.
16. Using a thin knife, slide the blade between the blondies and the pan on the short sides of the pan, then use the parchment sling to carefully remove the blondies.
17. Let cool another 10 minutes, then slice into 24 even pieces and serve.

Brown Butter & Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh my… these were quite fabulous. The combination of brown butter, dark chocolate, and the finishing touch of sea salt really elevated this incredible variation of a classic chocolate chip cookie. I know that I will make them again and again. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Kate Davis. I used Nestlé 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels instead of the recommended dark chocolate wafers or disks, and they were still absolutely amazing. I also made smaller cookies.

Yield: about 50 cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 chocolate toffee bars, 1.4 oz/39 g each, (preferably Skor), chopped into ¼-inch pieces
• 1½ cups chocolate wafers (disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao) (I used one 10 oz bag of Nestlé 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels)
• flaky sea salt

1. Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a separate medium bowl.
3. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the browned butter. Using the mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine.
6. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.
7. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits. (I let my dough sit for 1 hour.)
8. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°, preferably on convection. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion out 11 balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3″ apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
9. Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 7 to 9 minutes.
10. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
11. Repeat with remaining dough and fresh parchment-lined baking sheets.

Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.

One Year Ago: Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake

Two Years Ago: Chocolate-Avocado Pudding

Three Years Ago: Lemony Butter Cookies and Vanilla Rose Cake

Four Years Ago: Speculoos and Mini M&M Cookies

Five Years Ago: Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pretzel-Shortbread Bars

Winter Squash & Red Bean Mole

This is an another amazing vegetarian chili variation. Hearty too. It was especially wonderful for me as well because it incorporated a lot of flavors typically used in a traditional Mexican mole, one of my absolute loves.

This recipe was adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Table: 250 Brand-New Recipes from the Natural Foods Restaurant that Revolutionized Eating in America from the Moosewood Collective. I doubled the recipe, increased the garlic, and omitted the ground fennel. We ate it with corn muffins and a green salad. Fabulous!

Yield: Serves 8 to 12

• 4 T olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (I used 2 large onions)
• 10-12 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground fennel seeds, optional
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 T chopped fresh thyme of 2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup seeded and chopped poblano peppers (can substitute cubanelle peppers)
• 3 cups seeded and chopped red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (I used 2 red, 1 yellow, & 1 orange)
• 6 cups diced butternut squash (bite-size cubes), from 1 medium butternut squash
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 6 T pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 T sesame seeds
• 2 15-oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped, or to taste
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• sour cream, for garnish
• thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

1. In a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat, warm the oil. (I used an enameled cast iron pot.)
2. Add the onions, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, thyme, salt, and black pepper and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions soften, stirring often to prevent sticking.
3. Add the celery, poblano peppers, and bell peppers and cook for another 5 minutes until the peppers brighten and become fragrant.
4. Stir in the squash and cook for a minute or two more.
5. Add the tomatoes and water to the pot, cover, bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
7. Using a spice grinder, mini food processor, or a mortar and pestle, finely grind the pepitas and sesame seeds.
8. When the squash is tender, stir the ground seeds, kidney beans, chipotles to taste, and chocolate into the stew. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Stir in the cilantro.
10. Garnish with more cilantro, sliced scallions, and/or sour cream, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• White Sandwich Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Southern Cornbread Dressing

Three Years Ago:

• Rigatoni with Cabbage, Creme Fraiche, & Pumpernickel Bread Crumbs
• Sweet Potato Soufflé with Gruyère

Four Years Ago:

• Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole

Five Years Ago:

• Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard
• Chicken Chili with Chipotle & Poblano Chiles

Six Years Ago:

• Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas & Spinach

Chocolate Chip Streusel Brownies

My indecisiveness can be crippling- that’s why I really love recipes like this one. It’s perfect for those of us who can’t decide if we should make cookies or brownies. 😉 I am slightly more partial to brownies… and this brownie base was made even more delicious by incorporating dark chocolate.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Living. Rich and amazing.

Yield: Serves 16+

For the Cookie Dough:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)

For the Brownie Batter:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1. For the Cookie Dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter; line with parchment, leaving a slight overhang on long sides.
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter with both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 6 minutes.
5. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in egg. Beat in vanilla.
6. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture; beat until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate.
7. For the Brownie Batter: Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth.
8. Remove from heat; whisk in granulated sugar.
9. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
10. Whisk in cocoa and salt.
11. Fold in flour until combined.
12. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
13. Crumble cookie dough evenly over batter.
14. Cover with parchment-lined foil; bake until just set, 20 minutes.
15. Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center (avoiding chocolate chunks) comes out with moist crumbs, 27 to 30 minutes more.
16. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies from pan using parchment; cut into 16 squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

One Year Ago:

• Mark Bittman’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Gooseberry & Almond Squares

Three Years Ago:

• Flourless Chocolate Cookies
• Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Four Years Ago:

• Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten-Free Hazelnut & Dark Chocolate Brownies
• Chocolate Chip & Walnut Blondies

Five Years Ago:

• Potato Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ina Garten’s Salted Caramel Brownies

My daughter has loved a book series about a girl named “Kylie Jean” since she starting reading them in first grade. In one of the books, Kylie Jean Fashion Queen, Kylie’s mom bakes caramel brownies. My daughter has been asking for them ever since. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to comply! (She’s in 5th grade this year. )

The recipe for these super rich, moist and delicious brownies was adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof via Food Network.com. I used large eggs, espresso powder, salted caramel sauce, and omitted the sprinkling of sea salt. We ate them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decadent. Thanks, Kylie Jean! 🙂

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 T instant espresso or 1½ T instant coffee granules, such as Nescafé
• 1 T pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 T sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour, divided
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Sauce)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon (I omitted this because I used salted caramel sauce)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 x 1½-inch baking pan.
2. Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture.
6. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture.
7. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake!
9. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt.
10. Cool completely and cut into bars.

One Year Ago:

• Single-Crust Damson Plum & Apple Pie

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat-Bartlett Pear Crumb Cake

Three Years Ago:

• Biscoff Blondies
• Salted Dulce de Leche Shortbread (Alfajores) Bars

Four Years Ago:

• Fancy S’more Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
• Tutu’s Super-Crispy Sugar Cookies

Five Years Ago:

• Banana-Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
• Back to School Blondies