In A Nutshell

These are good-old, stand-by cookies. The original recipe comes from the Quaker Oats carton top. I have two little problems with cookies in that I often can't stop eating them after they come out of the oven and also that I only like them when they are fresh out of the oven (shortbread-type cookies being the exception). So to counterbalance these issues, I have taken to scooping all the dough onto cookie sheets and freezing the individual balls of dough (except for the batch I'm making right then and there); once they are frozen I take them off the cookie sheet and put them into ziplock bags with baking instructions written in marker on the outside of the bag. When I have a taste for cookies, I remove 2-- that's right, only 2 per customer!!! and thaw them on a small cookie sheet (this only takes about 1/2 hour) and bake. I get my freshly baked cookies and by default, control my intake. The other advantage is that you can have them on hand and bake them in a pinch for an ...

These cookies also come from BH&G 100 Best Pumpkin Recipes. They are soft and delicious- almost more like a little cake than a cookie. A couple of notes to self: I didn't have enough icing for all the cookies-- I think I spread it on a little too thick so either make more icing or use a thin veneer for each cookie. Also, don't crowd them on the cookie sheets; use 3 cookie sheets to give them space to spread out and bake. This uses 1/2 can of pumpkin but you can feel free to double the recipe in order to use the whole can. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 t baking powder 1 t baking soda 1 t pumpkin pie spice 1/4 t salt 3/4 plus 2 T canned pumpkin (half of a 15-oz. can) 1 egg 1 t vanilla 2 cups flour Preheat oven to 350º; beat butter for 30 seconds and add the next 5 ingredients (through the salt). Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping occasionally. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Add flour just until combined. Drop by 1/4 cup scoops (I ...

Does anyone remember those little Martha Stewart magazines called 'Everyday Food'? I loved those mini-mags! That is the origin of these most awesome delights- sort of a brownie in cookie form. And the best part is you only have to use one pan! I love that! As always... slightly adapted from the original. 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 8 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate (Aldi and Trader Joe's both have great chocolate!) 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1 cup chocolate chunks or chips 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans 1 cup dried cherries maldon sea salt for sprinkling on top Preheat oven to 350º. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder. Whisk in the sugars and then the eggs until smooth. Add the flour, salt and baking powder. Gently fold in the chunks, pecans and cherries. Refrigerate the dough, covered, for 30 minutes. Using a cookie scoop...

This recipe comes from a friend in my bunco group; April is an amazing cook/baker and I often badger her for recipes. I love these because they are dainty, tender and very very lemony. I picture having these at Downton Abbey with tea... 2 1/4 cup flour 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 cup sugar 3 heaping tablespoons lemon zest 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp 1 egg 1 t vanilla extract Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl (or not). Combine sugar and lemon zest; rub with your fingers to work the zest into the sugar until very fragrant. Add the butter and cream until very light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla until smooth and then flour mixture; beat only until combined. Preheat oven to 350º; using a 1 T cookie dough scoop, scoop onto parchment lined rimmed baking sheets (I was able to get 48 cookies if I didn't eat any dough). Press down gently with two fingers to flatten the dough a bit. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool and then spread glaze on top. Gla...

These just melt in your mouth.... and because you cut them into bite-sized pieces, they really don't have any calories. So there's that..... Adapted from Food and Wine magazine. 1 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup plus 2 T cornmeal 1/2 t salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp 3/4 cup powdered sugar 2 t grated orange zest 1 t vanilla (or 1/2 t vanilla plus 1/2 t orange extract) Beat the butter and powdered sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the orange zest, vanilla extract and salt. Add the flour and cornmeal and beat at low speed just until dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disk or square, wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 350º.  Roll the dough into an 8" round or square that is 1/2" thick. Cut the dough into 1/2" long strips and line them up on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 1" between them (I managed to cram them all on one because I ate like half the raw dough....). Chill the strips for 30 minutes and ...

This recipe is adapted from The Kitchen is My Playground ; I like to make the caramel sauce myself (the best caramel recipe ever!!! from The Pie and Pastry Bible ) rather than use the candies and also I leave off the chocolate drizzle from the original recipe because it seems downright superfluous. A sprinkle of Maldon flaked sea salt takes these to beautiful and dizzying heights! The leftover caramel sauce is great on ice cream. Cookie : 1 cup flour 1/3 c cocoa powder- (I like Valrhona) 1/4 t salt 8 T (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1 large egg, separated plus one additional egg white 2 T milk 1 t vanilla 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped Combine the flour, cocoa and salt (being lazy, I skip this step-- but this is what you're supposed to do). Beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy- this takes a few minutes. Add the egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Add the dry mixture and mix until combined. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 1 ho...

These cookies are so yummy... I like to use salted, roasted pistachios rather than raw unsalted because I think they add more depth to the flavor; the recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit magazine. I really love cookie recipes that you can make ahead of time and bake when needed. 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) 3/4 t salt 1/2 t baking soda 3 sticks (12 oz.) butter 1 1/2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar 1 t vanilla 1 egg white 5 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine 1 cup salted, roasted pistachios, chopped Maldon sea salt (for sprinkling on top) Cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy- about 4 minutes. Whisk the dry ingredients together (I skip this step) and add to the butter on low speed. Mix just to combine. Add the egg white and mix. Slowly mix in the pistachios and the chocolate. Divide dough into 4 and form into logs about 1 1/2" in diameter. Chill at least 4 hours (logs...

The following is a biscotti recipe that I recently tried and loved the results.  In the past I have attempted other biscotti recipes and was always disappointed by the rock hard results.  These were nicely crispy, but not a chore to bite into.  I probably shouldn't be too surprised that the recipe was a success - it comes from the almost always good Smitten Kitchen home cooking blog. 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/3 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon orange liqueur 1 tablespoon almond extract 1 tablespoon orange zest 1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds 1 large egg white, whisked until foamy 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. Mix together sugar, butter, eggs, extracts, orange liqueur, and zest. Add flour mixture to s...

I love these little cookies; they are just so darn cute! Not too sweet either, very tender and plain but in a nice way. This is from Food & Wine magazine. 2 sticks (8 oz. or 227 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus another 1 cup for rolling after the cookies are baked 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 t vanilla 1 1/2 cups flour In a food processor, pulse the butter along with the 1/2 cup powdered sugar until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and process until a soft dough forms. You may need to scrape the bowl once. Don't overwork the dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; I don't like to use the Silpat mat for these cookies because it darkens them too much. Roll each section of dough gently into a 12" rope and cut each rope into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange on the baking sheet. You can put them very close together- they won...

This is my favorite cookie ever; it is really more like a pastry than a cookie-- light, crisp and not too sweet. I am forced to admit, however, that they are a pain in the ass to make. They are time-consuming and don't yield a lot of cookies. The method I'm about to describe is imprecise and vague, but despite all this, I hope you'll try them anyway.... 8 oz. 4% fat, creamed or small curd cottage cheese 2 sticks (8 oz.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes 2 cups flour 1/4 t salt sour cherry and apricot preserves In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, salt and flour (or with a pastry blender); add the butter and process just until the dough comes together. This is a lot like a pie dough or pastry dough so you don't want to overwork it. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape into squares; wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. I like to take out the dough for maybe 30 minutes before I'm going to roll it out so that it ...

This recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa Parties ; after trying many different recipes, I have to say that this is my favorite; they are tender and perfect. If you like raisins in your rugelach, you can add them in with the filling- I'm not a fan. 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup sugar plus 9 T 1/4 t salt 1 t vanilla 2 cups flour 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 1/2 t cinnamon 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed smooth in the food processor 1 egg beaten with 1 T milk for the egg wash Cream the butter and cheese until light; add 1/4 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Add the flour on low speed and mix just until combined. Form the dough into a ball and cut into 4; flatten each piece into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. For the filling: combine 6 T sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 t cinnamon and the walnuts. Roll each disc of dough into a 9" circle; spre...

This recipe is adapted from Food and Wine magazine; I made a couple of changes, the biggest one being the baking time. Sometimes I wonder if anyone tried out the recipe over there at F&W prior to publication because the 30 minute baking time they suggest seems absurd.  Conveniently, you can freeze the cookie dough logs and thaw them in the fridge the night before you want to bake them. This allows you to have freshly baked cookies at your leisure during the busy holiday season. 2 sticks (8oz.) unsalted butter 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 t salt 1 t vanilla 2 cups flour 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped sugar for sprinkling With the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar, salt for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping once or twice.  Add the vanilla and then the flour on low speed and mix just until the dough comes together. Add the pecans and mix on low speed only until incorporated. Divide the dough in half and form into 2 inch diameter logs. This sound...