Chocolate Chunk Cookies

There's nothing unique or special about these cookies- they are pretty basic but of course super delicious.  The reason I'm posting them is because I want to have a collection of all recipes I love and know I will make again so I can easily reference them without searching through cookbooks or websites.  So, until I come across a better recipe this will be my go-to for chocolate chip cookies.  We used semi-sweet chocolate chunks instead of chips, and the cookies are soft and chewy rather than crispy.   This is a simple desert, but when you are craving chocolate chip cookies, it hits the spot every time!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (two sticks) softened to room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (we ran out and used half bread flour, and they came out fine)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.

Next, add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined.

Add the baking soda and salt.  Stir to make sure there are no baking soda lumps.  Then, add flour one cup at a time.

Once you have incorporated all of the flour, fold in the chocolate chunks until they are evenly distributed.  Place even-sized spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes or until the edges have started to brown.  The middle of the cookie won't look like it's cooked all of the way through, but once they cool they will be fine.  This keeps the cookie chewy and soft. (we let ours go a little too far in the batch shown below on the baking sheet)

Move the cookies to a cooling rack and serve warm with a glass of cold milk.  Store in an air-tight container.  So yummy!

Cookie Dough Truffles

I've never branched out too far from my usual truffle recipe, but when I saw this I knew it would be the perfect treat to make for Sean.  He's been begging me to make cookies recently, but these are much more indulgent.  Everyone loves cookie dough, but you've been taught it's bad to eat because of the raw egg, plus you want to save it to have enough baked cookies.  This dough is made with milk in place of the egg, so it's guilt-free in that respect.  The balls of dough are coated in melted chocolate to make the perfect bite-sized morsel.  I decorated these with some white chocolate, melted and dyed pink for Valentine's Day, but you could do any number of other non-holiday decorations like sprinkles or crushed nuts.

Ingredients:

3/4 cups butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 T milk

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used regular size)

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and stir until well combined.

Next, add the flour and mix until it is all incorporated.  Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.  Make tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before dipping them in the melted chocolate.

 When the cookie dough is almost done chilling, melt your chocolate chips.  I always do mine in the microwave, but you could also use a double broiler.  Stir in the vegetable oil with the melted chocolate to thin it out a bit.  Coat each ball in the chocolate and place them back on the baking sheet.  Place the tray back in the fridge to chill until the outer shell dries.  If you are adding nuts or sprinkles, do this while the chocolate is still wet. 

I melted some white chocolate chips and added pink food coloring to make "frosting" to decorate the truffles.  I piped it through a zip lock bag.  It was a little thick but it did the trick.  Serve in mini-cupcake holders.  Enjoy!

Cranberry-Almond-Chocolate Quinoa Cookies

You can justify making these (and eating them!) because they are made with quinoa, a super healthy ingredient.  It adds a little texture to the cookie but you don't really taste it in there with all of the other goodies.  We used all purpose white flour, but you could make them even healthier by using some wheat flour instead.  These are great for desert, or even for a quick breakfast- considering they have all of the ingredients you might eat in a bowl of granola.

Ingredients:  

1 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour 

1 t kosher salt 

1/2 t baking powder 

1/2 t baking soda 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar 

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey 

2 large eggs 

1 t vanilla extract 

1/2 t almond extract 

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled 

1 cup old-fashioned oats 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup slivered unslated almonds 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.   In a mixing bowl, combine butter, both sugars, and agave nectar or honey.  Beat with an electric mixer or by and until smooth and well combined.  Add the two eggs and both extracts and mix thoroughly.

Next, add the salt, baking powder and baking soda, and flour to the bowl and mix until it is all incorporated into the batter.  Finally, add the quinoa, oats, cranberries, chocolate chips, and almonds to the bowl and stir until just combined.

On your baking sheets lined with parchment paper, place balls of dough (1-2 T each depending on how large you want your cookies) about one inch apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.  Place on cooling racks after you remove them from the oven.  Store in a zip-lock bag or air-tight container.

Sesame Cookies

I know what you're thinking... sesame seeds and cookies don't really go together.  That's what I thought too, but out of desperation for something to make with our leftover homemade tahini, I came across this recipe on Epicurious.  I was hesitant, but I didn't want it to go to waste so it was really my only option.  The cookies turned out great- they had a delicious nutty flavor and almost melted in your mouth.  The sesame seeds on the outside didn't overpower the actual cookie either.  Have these with some blackberry jam for a fancy twist on peanut-butter and jelly.  These little cookies were so tasty that it would be worth it to make tahini just for them!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup tahini

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup sesame seeds (white or black) for rolling (Again, I recommend getting these from a Hispanic or Japanese grocery store so they aren't as expensive)

Directions:

In a stand mixer (or by hand) mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then, add tahini and vanilla and mix. 

Next,  add baking powder, salt, and slowly incorporate flour until mixture is well combined.  (It will be a bit crumbly.)  Form it into a ball or log, and wrap it up in plastic wrap.  Chill for one hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare your pan with parchment paper.  Begin forming tablespoon-sized balls with your hands and roll them in the bowl of sesame seeds.  We started with white sesame seeds, and then decided on a white/black combination.  There's no difference in flavor between the two.

Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, about 2 inches a part. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are puffed and starting to crack on the outer surface.  Remove from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet an additional 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.





Enjoy with a glass of milk!