Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Best Way

Here is the "Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Cookies", which is a wonderful reference. For a basic recipe, and a few of my personal insights, follow the instructions below. 

Makes about 16 large cookies. Recipe can easily be doubled.

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp butter

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips/morsels

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg, beat until fluffy. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 24 hours.

Remove from fridge 15 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Use about ¼ cup dough for each cookie. Space several inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or maybe more, checking every couple minutes (yeah, it’s a pain, but every oven is different) until the cookies are relatively flat on top and not gooey in the center, but still slightly soft to the touch.

Meringue Mushrooms with Cardamom Poached Pear and Marmalade Ice Cream

Maple flavored meringue mushrooms

Cardamom, saffron, lemon, and red wine poached pears with poaching liquid reduction

Grapefruit, lemon, and orange marmalade ice cream made with yogurt

Double Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

COOKIES

Peppermint Bark Cookies, from Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
  
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3 ounces)
• 2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.

Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

When cool, chop cookies into desired sizes, about penny-sized if using for cupcakes, or larger if eating as cookies. If desired, crumble extra cookies and add to cupcakes just before baking for a special surprise.

CUPCAKES

For cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water
• Crushed peppermint bark cookies or 1 1/4 cups mini bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. Beat in vanilla, half of flour mixture, then 1 cup hot water. Add remaining flour mixture; beat just until blended. Let batter stand until cooled and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter among muffin papers (about ¼ cup batter each).

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely in pans.

For ganache:
6 oz white chocolate (or 1 cup white chocolate chips)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp creme de cacao
Red, green, or blue food coloring, (optional)

Melt white chocolate chips over double boiler (or carefully in microwave). Stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream, reheating if necessary. Stir in 1 tbsp creme de cacao and a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Chill until spreadable.

Assembly:

When cupcakes and ganache are cool, melt 3 oz dark chocolate plus 1 tsp canola oil in microwave or on the stove.

Using pastry bag (or ziplock bag with a hole cut in the tip, if desperate), apply ganache to cupcakes in a spiral motion. Drizzle with melted chocolate, and top with a bit of peppermint bark cookie, or cookie crumbles, if desired.


Some cupcakes may fall apart or crumble. Not to worry! With any leftover cupcakes and frosting, cake pops can be made!

CAKE POPS:

Leftover cake
Leftover frosting (ganache)
Leftover chocolate, melted
Skewers, straws, or Popsicle sticks
Sprinkles, special sugar, or cookie crumbles (optional)

Crumble cake pieces until they are fine crumbs. Adding a teaspoon of frosting at a time, combine cake crumbs and frosting, just until the crumbs hold their shape when formed into a ball. Form each into a 1 1/2 inch diameter ball, and place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Place in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Melt leftover chocolate. Dip each cake ball into the chocolate, return to parchment paper, and immediately spear with skewer, straw, or popsicle stick. Quickly garnish, and return to freezer briefly, to harden.

Can be left at room temperature. Serve at room temperature.

Cookies and Cream Cake

This cake incorporates components from Oreos, chocolate chip cookies and milk.

...a killer cake. Literally.

Chocolate Oreo cake:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1 cup crushed oreos

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, or three 8-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Mix in boiling water - the batter will be quite thin. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle each evenly with oreos.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then tap the cakes out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate chip cookie dough filling:

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

3/4 C unsalted butter, melted

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 T vanilla extract

6 T milk

1 cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients, thoroughly. When Oreo cake is cool, invert one cake, so the oreo side is facing down. Spread chocolate chip cookie dough filling evenly over top. Top with second layer cake, Oreo's facing up.

Frosting:

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp gelatin
1 tbsp water

Combine gelatin and water, and let sit for several minutes. Microwave for 1 minute, or until clear liquid. Whip the cream right before frosting the cake (ideally right before serving). Add the sugar. When cream begins to form soft peaks, whip in gelatin at high speed. Frost cake.

Garnish with extra Oreo crumbles and/or chocolate chips. Serve thin wedges with milk.

Hazelnut Shortbread

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cardamom
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup ground or finely chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Beat butter, sugar, salt, and cardamom until light. Add flour and stir until completely combined. Stir in hazelnuts. Press into 2 9-inch round cake or pie pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden (be sure to check shortbread a few times toward the end of baking to avoid brown edges-they will taste burnt). Cool slightly in pan, slice into wedges, and serve, or remove to cooling rack.

Nanaimo Bars

Slowly melt over low heat while whisking together:

1/2 c. butter
5 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

When butter has melted, stir in:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Pack mixture into ungreased 9"x9" pan. Place in refrigerator. Cream together in stand mixer:

1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
3 tbsp milk
2 1/2 tbsp Birds Custard Powder
2 c. confectioners sugar

Spread over crumb mixture in pan. Chill until firm. Over low heat or double boiler, melt:

1 tbsp butter
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Spread over the chilled custard mixture. Chill until firm.

Cut into small bars/squares and serve.

Butterless (or vegan) Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies can be vegan if egg replacer is used instead of egg and soy milk is used in place of milk.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp dark molasses
3 tbsp milk or soy milk
1 egg (or equivalent egg replacer, with water added if called for)
3/4 cup flour (all purpose or whole wheat, or you can experiment with gluten-free flours!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Grease two cookie sheets (you may need another depending on cookie spacing). Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, and molasses in small sauce pan. Heat over low heat, until peanut butter softens, and sugar granules disappear. Remove from heat. In separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder together. Beat egg into peanut butter mixture. Stir in vanilla. Pour peanut butter mixture into flour mixture, and combine throughly. Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll about a tablespoon of cookie dough between palms, then coat with sugar. Place each ball on the greased cookie sheet, and flatten with a fork, so that the marks of the tines cross perpendicularly. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to darken slightly. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut butter (includes nutella)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups white or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts (optional, and certainly recommended if available)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Cream nut butter, butter and sugar together. Beat in egg until fluffy. Combine all dry ingredients (not including the hazelnuts). Stir into butter/sugar mixture until no streaks are left. Fold in the hazelnuts, if using. Scoop dough onto greased cookie sheet in tablespoon sized balls. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm on top, and slightly browner around edges.

Vegan No-Bake Cookies

Vegan No-Bake Cookies:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almond or peanut butter, preferably chunky
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Combine first 4 ingredients. Combine over medium heat until sugar melts. Add oats and cocoa powder. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until mixture is shiny. Cool off the heat for a few minutes, form into cookies, and refrigerate.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oats
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy milk


Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine first five ingredients. In separate bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter, oil, and soy milk. Slowly add dry mixture to peanut butter-sugar mixture. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet, and flatten with a spoon, fork, or your fingers before baking. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up when cool.

British Flapjacks

Not seasonal, and certainly not pancakes, but one of the best, and simplest cookies I've ever tasted. With a caramely flavor very similar to that of Dutch Stroopwafels, they are about 1,000 times easier to make. Some people will tell you that quick cooking oats are the key, but some prefer the chewier texture obtained by using old fashioned oats.
Based upon a recipe from Bon Appetit.


British Flapjacks:
makes 16 cookies


Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup* (if not available, use corn syrup or honey)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)
Pinch of salt

* A type of syrup popular in Great Britain; available at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and British import shops.


Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves, and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt; stir until coated. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in even layer.

Bake until top is golden (edges will be darker), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares; cut each into 4 triangles (mixture will still be soft). Cool completely in pan before serving.