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Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

29 Aug

A storm is was brewing. With cabin fever hitting me hard, I found myself baking and eating all weekend long. Would the power go out? Would we really be stuck inside all day long waiting for the hurricane to destroy Manhattan before our very own eyes? Alas, I think I slept through the worst of the storm. It was not a terribly destructive storm. On the good side, I was prepared with these salted chocolate chip cookies and some homemade peach pie (recipe from Joy) with vanilla ice cream just to be sure we were well-desserted.

Every person has his/her own preference for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. A lot of the differences in baking depend on the temperature of the dough before it goes in the oven. Cold dough works best in my experience. If you are looking for a more soft and cake-like texture reminiscent of an old-school Toll House chocolate chip cookie, you might also be interested in these classic chocolate chip cookies.

I made the dough for these salted chocolate chip cookies at the beginning of the week and have slowly been baking the cookies off little by little. Just as they came out of the oven, I sprinkled a few flecks of sea salt over the top of the cookies. That salty sweet combo…it always gets me. (See: cocoa brownies with sea salt)

Make. Bake. Dunk. Eat. Repeat. Enjoy.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

from DavidLebovitz

makes about 2 dozen cookies, well, depending on how much raw dough you nibble on, and depending on how large you bake your cookies

If you are using unsalted butter, 4 ounces (8 tablespoons, or 115g) of butter has about 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon of salt in it.For the rest of us, you could simply swap out unsalted butter and add another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.4 ounces (115g) salted butter, at room temperature (I used unsalted butter)

2/3 cup packed (110g) dark or light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup (180g) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt (I used 1/2 t. sea salt and 1/2 t. kosher salt)

1 1/3 cups (200g) coarsely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I just used chocolate chips)

optional: 1 cup toasted nuts, coarsely chopped

more sea salt, for sprinkling on top just after the cookies come out of the oven

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar just until smooth and creamy.

2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Stir the flour mixture into the beaten butter until combined, then mix in the chopped chocolate (including any chocolate dust) and the chopped nuts.

5. Cover and chill the batter until firm. (It’s preferable to let it rest overnight.)

6. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

7. Form the cookie dough into rounds about the size of a large unshelled walnut. Place the mounds evenly spaced apart on the baking sheets, and press down the tops to flatten them so they are no longer domed and the dough is even.

8. Bake the cookies for ten minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies look about set, but are not browned.

9. Remove from the oven and quickly tap the top of each with a spatula, then return to the oven for two to five more minutes, until the tops of the cookies are light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool.

Storage: The cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to five days in an airtight container. The dough can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for one or two months. Feel free to keep the dough and just bake off a few cookies at a time. Moderation, folks.

>Kiss n’ Swirl Meringues

17 Apr

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Little bites of heaven. Sweet, but not too too sweet, melt-in-your mouth heaven. 4 egg whites whipped up to make 2 cookie sheets filled-to-the-brim with mini meringues.


I experimented with different ways of piping.

kisses…


n’ swirls…


so pretty, oh my.


Egg whites, sugar, a pinch of salt, and a dash of vanilla make these treats have more of a toasty marshmallow flavor than an eggy flavor.

Springy, colorful, satin-like pillows of sweet. AND, these pretties are gluten-free, fat-free, Kosher for Passover, perfect for a light Easter treat, or just a sweet after-dinner delight. Love ’em, eat ’em.



Kiss n’ Swirl Meringues

From EatGood4Life

4 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring (all you need is 1-2 drops)

1. Preheat oven to about 200-250 degrees F. In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment (or by hand), whip your egg whites with pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. SLOWLY add the sugar, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the egg whites form a lovely glossy shiny look. This should take about 5 minutes or so. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the food coloring as you wish (I saved some white, then I added 2 drops of red coloring for pink meringues, then 1 drop of blue for purple meringues).

2. Spoon the mixture, a little at a time, into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Bake for about 1.5 hours, turning once while baking. The meringues should be dry and crisp and easily lift off the parchment.

Cinnamon “Toast” Biscotti

1 Feb


Before I get to biscotti, I have two important drinks to discuss:


1. Kombucha. After about 5 or so bouts of trying this mushroom-bacteria-fermented drink, I still cannot get myself to enjoy it. I liked the snazzy beer-looking bottle and I was intrigued by the idea of the pineapple ginger combo; however the taste was just a no-can-do. One sip was all it took to make me cringe. I apologize, but I just don’t think I can become a Kombucha drinker, something about floating cultures in my beverage irks me.


2. Milk. I can definitely dig milk. Lately I can drink a LOT of milk. I especially like to put a tablespoon of chocolate sorbet in my milk and stir until dissolved. The result? A glass of refreshing chocolate milk. These days I’m also into dunking cinnamon “toast” biscotti in my milk. Moo.

These biscotti taste like cinnamon toast but in cookie-form. Crunchy cookie form that turns into sweet, milk-absorbing (also tea/coffee/hot chocolate-absorbing) cookie form. Cinnamon sugar heaven.

Oh, and if you are on a biscotti kick, these lemon cornmeal biscotti with cranberries and walnuts really hit the spot, too.

Cinnamon “Toast” Biscotti

from Joy the Baker, my hero
recipe found on epicuriuos.com
makes about 24 cookies

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

For Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 beaten egg (for brushing biscotti before baking)

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange two baking racks in the upper portion of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Also whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the down and beat in the egg followed by the egg yolk. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter all at once. With the mixer or just with a spatula, bring all of the ingredients together until a somewhat stiff dough is formed.

Divide the dough in two on the two making sheets. Shape each half of dough into a 9-inch long and 1 1/2-inch wide log. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake the two sheets on two different racks in the oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets for even baking and bake for 20-25 more minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven but keep the oven on. Let biscotti cool until able to handle. Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch wide diagonal slices. Place biscotti cut side down on baking sheet and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Bake again until pale golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

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Nonfat Gingersnaps

14 Sep


I absolutely love ginger molasses cookies with little bits of candied gummy ginger mixed into the batter. My favorite ginger cookie is from Bakesale Betty, an infamous bakery and sandwich shop in Oakland, CA.

I saw this recipe for nonfat gingersnaps in David Lebovitz’s newest cookbook and was curious to see if they were actually going to taste good without butter or egg yolks. Well, they definitely do not taste like the rich, melt-in-your-mouth cookies from Bakesale Betty. They are different, but I like that.

I made these cookies twice now. The first time I was a bit disappointed and so I made a lemon-creme filling (pretty much had butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice + zest). I just craved the fat. But now, after making them a second time, I like the cookies the way they are. No fussing with lemon-creme filling. I made criss-cross patterns using a fork before baking the cookies, and I really like the way they came out.


And for all you health nuts out there, these cookies have no fat but they do offer tons of sass, or shall I say spice? And my favorite thing about them is the candied ginger bits. These cookies are real thick and chewy. I have been enjoying them with some ultra smooth, silky Straus yogurt (plain, non-fat yogurt) as a mid-afternoon and evening dessert.


Nonfat Gingersnaps

from David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert

makes about 20+ cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup mild molasses
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped Candied Ginger (I purchased mine from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup granulated ginger
big pinch cinnamon

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the ginger, cloves, and pepper.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the brown sugar, applesauce, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg whites and beat 1 minute. With the mixer running on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 1 minute more. Stir in the candied ginger. Cover and refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and big pinch of cinnamon.

Using 2 spoons, a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop, or your hands, drop balls of dough a few at a time into the sugar-cinnamon mixture, coating heavily with the cinnamon sugar. They will be sticky, which is normal, and don’t worry if they are not perfectly round. Place the balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (I actually took a fork and flattened them criss-cross pattern like a peanut butter cookie).

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until the cookies feel just barely set in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

**STORAGE: The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months. The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about 3 days.

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>Lemon Ice Cream with Graham Cracker Crumbs

2 Aug

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No, I did not buy this ice cream from the corner store. Yes, I made this ice cream from scratch with real lemons, some quality dairy products, a touch of sugar, and lots of love. And I added crumbled graham cracker crumbs (I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat cinnamon graham crackers) to this ultimate lemon ice cream just because, well, what the heck, right?!

Lemon ice cream with graham cracker crumbs. Eaten out of some fancy china, eaten out of the container, or eaten straight from the ice cream maker…it’s just that good…


Lemon Ice Cream with Graham Cracker Crumbs

adapted from Tartlette

Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar or 2/3 cup agave nectar
pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream

cinnamon graham crackers or gingersnaps, broken into tiny bite-size pieces

In a non-reactive bowl, mix the lemon zest, juice, sugar, and salt. Refrigerate 1-2 hours to blend flavors.

Pour your 2 cups of cold cream into a bowl or bucket and set a fine mesh strainer over the top.

In a large bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks to break them up. Heat milk to a bare boil in a large heavy saucepan. Pour the milk over the eggs, stirring constantly, and return combined mixture to the saucepan and gently heat until the mixture slightly starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour through the fine mesh strainer into the cold cream.

Set the milk and cream mixture over a larger bowl of ice water until cold. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Combine the milk/cream mixture with the lemon slush mixture. Spin in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. In the last few minutes of churning, add your graham cracker crumbs.

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