Tag: cookies

Zach’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 3/4 cups (248g) all-purpose flour, scoop and level to measure
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 12 Tbsp (170g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or mix-ins of your choice – see notes)
  • Maldon sea salt flakes to sprinkle on top, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place butter into cast iron skillet and put into oven as it preheats. Once melted, leave about 1 tbsp of butter in pan and put the remaining melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Allow the melted butter to cool down a little bit before slightly adding additional ingredients.
  • Once cooled, add the following to the bowl with the melted butter: brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt.
  • Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and stir until combined.
  • Sift in flour and baking soda, then stir until combined.
  • Mix in chocolate chips.
  • Scoop dough out into prepared skillet and spread into an even layer.
  • Sprinkle with Maldon flaked sea salt, if desired.
  • Bake in preheated oven until cook appears slightly under-baked in center, it will continue to cook from the residual heat of the pan for a few minutes once removed from the oven, about 18 to 20 minutes.
  • Spoon out and serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired or let cool at least 30 minutes to cut into slices.

NOTES

The above recipe is a template. Feel free to add in any number of mix-ins. One of our favorites is the addition of marshmallows (that have been halved and pressed into dough), white chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces. I like to press in additional chocolate chips on top for decoration purposes. Not to mention topping with flaked sea salt!

Enjoy!

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Countdown to Christmas: 25 Days of Baking Traditions

When my children were growing up, Christmas was always the time of year that my love language of baking went into overdrive! I miss the days of multiple Christmas trees and outdoor decorations, but one of the things I refuse to give up as my children get older is showering them with baked goods during the holidays. For me, straight from my kitchen is straight from my heart!

And this year? Well, it was time to document family favorites so that my children can start their own traditions with their own families when the time comes.

♫ It’s tiiiIIIiiiime! ♫

Hopefully you can bring a little bit of childhood nostalgia into your own home this holiday season and for many years to come.

Merry Christmas, kiddos! I love you so much.

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Ritz Peanut Butter Crack Sammies

INGREDIENTS

  • Ritz crackers
  • Almond bark (at least 3 squares)
  • Peanut butter (or spread of your choice such as almond butter, cookie butter, Nutella, melted Rollo, etc.)
  • Toppings of your choice (see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Decide how many treats you wish to make and make sure you have 2 Ritz crackers for each.
  • Spread peanut butter on half the crackers.
  • Prepare any toppings you may have for easy access is the next steps will have to take place quickly to ensure that the toppings are able to be placed on almond bark coating before it hardens.
  • Melt almond bark and spoon a small circle of warm, liquid almond bark on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  • Immediately place the cracker with peanut butter directly on top of the almond bark so that it will form a coating on the cracker for a bottom.
  • Quickly do this for every bottom half of your treats.
  • Once all the peanut butter topped halves have been placed atop their corresponding almond bark circle, place the remaining cracker half on top of the peanut butter to form your cracker sandwich.
  • Using a fork or other utensil, drizzle remaining almond bark on the top of your cracker sandwiches.
  • Immediately top with any toppings you may prefer. For me, that is some honey roasted almonds that I pulse in a blender or food processor, a few sprinkles, and a chocolate chunk or chopped candy bar that I may have on hand.
  • Place in refrigerator to set and then enjoy!

NOTES

This is not so much a recipe than a treat that is made whenever I’m trying to use up leftover almond bark, usually after making Audrey’s Oreo Truffles. The ingredients are never the same … just a mixture of delicious things I have on hand at the time. However, the ingredients pictured (crushed honey roasted almonds, a few sprinkles, and a chopped mini Hershey bar) is one of my favorite combinations! They are addictive and honestly worthy of making on their own, especially for Halloween. See below for how to decorate them for a spooky mummy treat!

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Audrey’s Favorite Oreo Truffles

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package of mint Oreos
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 block)
  • 1 package of white almond bark
  • Sprinkles or additional crushed oreos
  • Plastic fork

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add 1 package of mint Oreos to a stand mixer.
  • Starting off slowly, crush Oreos until it forms a paste. Some pieces will still be larger and crunchy.
  • Add in 4 ounces of cream cheese and mix until combined. If needed, add additional cream cheese from remaining block until it reaches desired consistency. I like to use as little as possible to ensure that the tartness of the cream cheese does not overpower the mint Oreo flavor.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, form balls and place onto lined cookie sheet.
  • Please dough balls into freezer for about 15 minutes while you prepare almond bark.
  • In a ceramic mug, place a few cubes of the almond bark to melt in microwave.
  • Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir, if needed. Continue to microwave in 10 second increments until bark is fully melted.
  • Take your plastic fork and remove all the tines except the middle one.
  • Once dough is chilled and bark is melted, begin coating your Oreo balls by spearing each ball with the single tine of your plastic fork. Lower the cold dough ball into the melted bark.
  • Once coated, place the truffle onto your prepared lined baking sheet. Use a small bit of bark on to cover the hole left behind by the fork tine and swirl to decorate, if desired. The coating should immediately begin to harden so any sprinkles or toppings should be added at this time.
  • Repeat process until all truffles are coated.

NOTES

Get creative! Feel free to use any flavor of Oreos and know that your decorative topping choices are unlimited! I have always wanted to use the Golden Oreos and top with pink almond bark & crushed freeze-dried strawberries for a Spring version, for example. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Buttons (Also: Peanut Butter Blossoms)

Original recipe can be found here: Peanut Butter Blossoms – Preppy Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (188g)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling (100g)
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 36 Hersey’s chocolate kisses unwrapped (or miniature Reese’s PB cups for Peanut Butter Blossoms – see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, unsalted butter, sugars and salt. Cream together by beating on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Scrape down the bowl. Add the flour and baking soda and beat on low speed just until combined.
  • Scoop the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Coat in additional granulated sugar if desired. Place on a prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies look puffy and cracked and the bottom just start to turn brown. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. (The cookies will crack and that’s okay!) Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan, until the chocolate is set. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

NOTES

When making Peanut Butter Buttons, I like to press the tip of the Hershey Kiss into the cookie once slightly melted. This helps with stacking for storage. And while sprinkles are always a favorite for special occasions, my favorites will also be rolled in turbinado sugar instead.

And while I use this recipe primarily to make Peanut Butter Buttons, I also use the base recipe to make Peanut Butter Blossoms. For Blossoms, I press the prepared dough into mini muffin tins and bake about 10 minutes, until edges are lightly golden but still soft and gooey in center. Once out of the oven, I press unwrapped miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into the center of each cookie while still warm. Once cookies are cooled slightly and set, I remove the cookies from the muffin tins and allow to cool on a cooling rack. No matter which way you prepare this dough, it’s the perfect amount of peanutty sweetness!

Please visit the original recipe via the link provided at the top of the page or watch the video embedded below for additional information about this amazing recipe.

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Mexican Sprinkle Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • Sprinkles for the occasion

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cream butter and sugars together in mixer.
  • Add salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just to combine.
  • Add in your egg and vanilla. Mix just to combine.
  • Add in flour and mix in until combined.
  • Form dough balls and then chill dough in the fridge for at least 5 minutes.
  • Roll dough balls in sprinkles and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

NOTES

This recipe was discovered via TikTok. The original creator who shared this recipe is C’s Kitchen.

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Snowball Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp almond extra
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped pecans
  • Additional powdered sugar to coat cookies (about 1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Whip together butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy.
  • Add vanilla and almond extracts to creamed mixture.
  • In another bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: AP flour, salt, cornstarch
  • Add your dry to your creamed ingredients in 3 parts.
  • Fold in your nuts.
  • Put combined dough into fridge for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Once dough is chilled, use a small cookie scoop to place cookie dough balls onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Allow at least an inch between cookie but know that they do not really spread. You can fit about 20 cookies on one baking sheet.
  • Bake cookies in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Cookies will be very blonde. DO NOT TOUCH once removed from oven.
  • Allow cookies to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Once slightly cooled, place cookies on a cooling rack to finish cooling off completely.
  • Once cookies are completely cooled, coat cookies in additional powdered sugar. Be gentle as they are delicate.
  • Enjoy!

NOTES

Original recipe discovered via TikTok: Angela Kay’s Kitchen. We called these Mexican Wedding Cookies while growing up. They are a fav!

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French Vanilla Crinkle Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • French Vanilla box cake mix (or cake mix of your choice)
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • powdered sugar to roll cookies in for crinkle texture

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the red velvet cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir until a thick dough forms. Chill the dough for about 15-30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
  • Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the dough into balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Roll each ball in powdered sugar until fully coated. For a better crinkle effect, roll them twice in powdered sugar.
  • Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
  • Cool and Enjoy: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy your delicious red velvet crinkle cookies!

NOTES

These are just typical cake mix cookies, and any flavor cake mix will do. The cake flavor in the preview image is birthday cake flavored, for example. However, there’s something special about using the French Vanilla box mix for these treats. It provides almost a cheesecake-like flavor that is our favorite. Enjoy!

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Lacey Almond Thin Cookie Recipe

I originally found this recipe listed as Wedding Cookies, but the results were not what I normally associate as such. These cookies more closely resemble a lacey Almond Thin. I feel like the original recipe author perhaps forgot an ingredient when posting (an egg, maybe?), but the results were these rich, thin cookies that became my favorite contribution to the Christmas cookie season.

Let the baking madness that is a hallmark of Christmas begin!

Also: These are AMAZING cold. I’m talking straight-out-of-the-freezer cold! Trust me on this one …

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3 ounces of cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cream together the first 5 ingredients.
  • Fold the flour and pinch of salt into the creamed mixture.
  • Place dough into fridge to chill for 30 minutes while heating oven to 350 degrees.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, place 8 dough balls evenly spaced onto ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Place cookies into a 350-degree oven for 14-18 minutes (or until golden brown).
  • Cookies will be spread when cooking and become VERY delicate. They are done when edges are lacey and golden brown. I like the edges very lacey and messy as the crunch is spectacular.
  • Allow to cool almost completely before coating with powdered sugar.
  • Store cooled cookies in fridge (or freezer!) until serving.

This recipe makes about 16 cookies.

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Mom’s Crispy Oatmeal Cookies: A Timeless Treat

Memories …

Lunchbox treats. Afternoon snacks. Offerings to Santa.

These cookies are a warm embrace.

My mother would make these for many occasions, and every time I nibble one of these delicious, crispy oatmeal cookies, I am immediately transported to my childhood. When making this recipe, I can see my mom’s delicate handwriting in her little yellow recipe notebook, the well-worn pages marked by messy fingertips.

This recipe is a treasure.

These cookies are my youngest son’s favorite, and I hope that all of my children will have the same sensory memories that I share of my dearly departed mother whenever I smell these baking in the oven.

Noah, Zach, and Audrey? I love you so much.

350 degree oven / Ungreased Cookie Sheet

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 3 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, if desired (and we never did)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cream shortening, sugars, egg and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then slowly introduce to the creamed mixture until well combined. Add in the oatmeal (and nuts, if desired).

Divide the dough in half, placing half of the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper or foil, rolling each dough into a log and wrapping tightly. Cookies can be baked immediately or frozen.

When ready to bake, slice cookie dough into thin slices, placing each slice on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook at 350 for 8 – 10 minutes. Cookies will be done when the edges become slightly golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and let cool on a wire rack.

NOTES

These are old-fashioned cookies that will bake flat and crispy (akin to the Tate’s brand) instead of thick and cakey (Crumbl, for example).

We prefer our cookies slightly underbaked, golden crispy edges with a soft, chewy center. This is around the 8-minute mark with most ovens. Once removed from the oven, I finish the warm cookies with a sprinkle of Maldon flake salt for the satisfying, salty crunch!

… and don’t forget a tall glass of milk.

Have a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe? Please share!

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