Cooking for Seven: Cookies

Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts

Hey y'all! Two posts in one week, what what!

I'm thinking about starting a series called "Phone Friday" where I share a quick recipe with photos provided by my iPhone. What do you guys think? Do you like the idea of a Casual Friday post?

Often times I'll make something that's utterly delicious, but I simply don't have the time to drag out my camera, pose the food perfectly and edit the photos. In other words, there's some awesome recipes I wish I could share with you guys but never get the chance.

Let me know in the comments if I should do more of these!

But about these cookies. My gripe against cookies is that they're often overly sweet. However, if you cut back on the sugar too much you mess with the texture. Adding a sprinkling of coarse salt on top is a wonderful solution. It balances out the sweetness of the cookies nicely. The added crunch is quite pleasant as well.

Notes:

These cookies are pretty soft and crumbly. Please to not over bake unless you like your cookies on the firmer side.
In addition to the salt the sucanat and demerara provide a bit of crunch as well.
I did, of course, cut back on the sugar a bit. If you like your cookies pretty sweet you can go ahead and add 3/4 cup each of the sugars.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted slightly from Baking Chic

Printable Page

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
scant 2/3 cup sucanat
scant 2/3 cup demerara
1 large egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chip
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add the sugars and mix for a few minutes. Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla.

3) Dump your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the mixer. Mix on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4) Form the dough into flattened balls with your hands. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the bottoms are just browned, 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with the coarse sea salt while still warm. Allow to cool on pan for about 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Store in an airtight container for a few days.

Note: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own. I would never share something with you guys if I didn't care for it.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have made dozens of recipes for guest posts on other blogs over the years. It has taught me so much about writing, photography and communicating with other bloggers. It would be sad if they were forgotten over time, so I've decided to compile some of my favorites here...

Zand Gebak. These little shortbread cookies spread with espresso butter and melted chocolate are seriously addicting. And I placed in DMBLGiT with this photo! I was very proud.

Red Curry Coconut Noodles | Buttered Side Up

Red Curry Coconut Noodles. This was my first ever guest post for Tasty Kitchen. I was so very nervous. But the recipe turned out delicious and I loved the photos.

Via Cappuccino Muffins. Need I say more?

This Salted Caramel Budino was heavenly. Layers of chocolate wafers, custard, salted caramel and whipped cream. Oh yes.

Glorious Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms - pretty and full of flavor.

Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata. They sound (and taste) fancy, but they're simple to make.

You can check out all of my posts for the Tasty Kitchen Blog HERE. I've had so much fun creating for them over the past 3+ years.

Have a lovely Monday!
Erica

Monday, March 31, 2014

My Favorite Guest Posts, Part 1

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Pretzel Crust

These are the best chocolate chip cookie bars I've ever eaten, if I do say so myself. A soft and melty cookie layer accompanied by a crunchy, salty pretzel crust. Mmhmm.

Make sure you stop by the Good Life Eats blog where I shared the recipe for these yummy bars.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust

This was originally posted on March 14, 2011 on Cooking for Seven. I still think this is an awesome recipe, so I'm re-posting here. Enjoy!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies | Buttered Side Up

Why is that something as ordinary as chocolate chip cookies is one of the most delicious treats? Perhaps its very familiarity is what makes it so scrumptious. They bring back days spent at Grandma’s as a child; afternoons spent mixing up cookies with my sisters; sneaking spoonfuls of dough.

Here’s the recipe that we have used for years. Just within the past months my sister & I have modified the recipe to our tastes: reducing the sugar and adding some toasty pecans. They were a splendid hit, even with our critical Dad. He informed us that they were the best cookies he ever ate. He freaks out if we suggest changing the recipe slightly.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Mrs. Fields’ recipe

Printable Page

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 twelve-ounce bags bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped coarse

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F.

2) Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer set to medium-high. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

3) In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips & nuts.

4) Place golf ball sized pieces of dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, or just until the edges and bottoms begin to brown.

5) Allow to cool on the cookie sheets a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 30 cookies

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This Wednesday was Dad’s birthday. Finding I didn’t have a present, I decided to bake him some biscotti. I was a little concerned he wouldn’t like them. Twice before I have made biscotti - and failed miserably. However, this batch turned our quite well (perhaps due to the fact that I actually followed the recipe).

“Those were good,” he said the next day. “Those are good.”

I am pleased and satisfied.

.

:: Chocolate & Almond Biscotti ::

Ingredients:

1 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarse
1 cup + 2 tablespoons softened butter, divided
1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (120z) bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325° F. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture with the mixer on low and beat until well combined. Stir in the almonds. If the dough is too wet to handle, stir in an additional 1/2 cup of flour.

3) Butter 2 large baking sheets. Divide the dough into 3-4 portions and shape into long, flattened logs on the baking sheets, about 5 inches wide and 5/8 inches thick.

4) Bake the logs in preheated oven for 27-30 minutes, or until firm and slightly browned. Transfer logs one at a time to a cutting board and cut diaganally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange sliced back on the baking sheets and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

5) Line two large baking sheets with wax paper. Melt the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter in a double boiler. Place in a rectangular baking pan and dip the bottoms of the biscotti in the chocolate. Place the dipped biscotti onto the wax paper lined baking sheets and place in the freezer to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.