Posts Tagged ‘butter’
Shortbread Cookies
July 3, 2012 | 
Author Shortbread is not something I make with any sort of regularity. Nor can I recall my last craving for it outside of the short period of time that trefoils are sold by Girl Scouts. Seriously, that might be the only time of the year I eat shortbread unless it’s in the form of a crust for a bigger dessert. But one day I finally formed a spontaneous craving.
Do you ever crave melt-in-your-mouth shortbread? Because these quite literally do melt in your mouth. You can thank the cornstarch and powdered sugar for that. I even added some festive sprinkles to keep you in the spirit for tomorrow, July 4th – Independence Day!
It was tempting to make shortbread truffles out of the raw dough since it lacks eggs. Next time…
I know you are probably wondering what that delicious red dip is pictured with these cookies. Rest assured it will be shared in a guest post on Peanut Butter and Peppers, July 11th.
SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Makes approximately 6 dozen 1-inch cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup sprinkles, optional
Directions:
- Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Add sprinkles, if desired, and fold in until distributed.
- At this point, if the dough is too soft to roll, you can refrigerate for an hour or two.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookies sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper, set aside.
- Roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shape (I used a 1-inch shaped cookie cutter). Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7-10 until just set and edges have not yet begun to brown. Cool on wire racks.
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes and Bakeify Blog.
Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Holidays, July 4 | 
Tags: butter, cornstarch, powdered sugar | 
8 Comments »
Garlic Bread Pizza Crust
Remember the bake sale I hosted last week to benefit The House of Mews 2012 Annual Food Drive? Well last night I swung by on my way home from work and hung out with Holly and the kitties for a little bit. I took a few photos so that you can see where all that money raised went and can be seen on Facebook, but here is one just as a teaser:
By tomorrow all the bakers should have sent out the goodies to their winning bidders, so if you are not already enjoying your treats they should be arriving soon!
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When I saw Jessica post this pizza crust, it immediately reminded me of Hounddog’s pizza in Columbus, OH. Covered in butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese – which by the way has been my favorite pizza crust for years, even throughout the 5 since I graduated (crap has it really been that long since I was an undergrad??). Le sigh, memories… But strangely I have never attempted to recreate this glory of a crust on my own. So thank you very much Jessica, for bringing this crust back into my life other than when I pay a visit back to that wonderful place.
Another thought occurred to me while still drooling over this crust (I want to lick the picture on my screen right now). How insanely good do you think this would be if it were also stuffed with basil and goat cheese from another pizza crust recipe I’ve posted (also from Jessica at How Sweet It is)? Which strangely enough I shared exactly a year ago – totally unplanned. But bringing those two pizza crusts together into one is going to happen. And it shall be mind-blowing.
But first you need to make this as it is. You will have guilty dreams about it.
One year ago: Tomato-Pesto Pizza with Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Crust
GARLIC BREAD PIZZA CRUST
Makes 1 pizza
Ingredients:
1 recipe pizza dough
1 cup pizza sauce
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
Desired pizza toppings
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with pizza stone placed on the middle rack.
- Place rolled out pizza dough on a pizza peel generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Place a moist towel over the dough and let sit for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is rising again, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Mix it with the garlic and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
- Continue to make your pizza with your desired toppings. Transfer to the preheated pizza stone and using a spoon or pastry brush, douse the outside edges with the butter and garlic mixture. Bake the pizza for 23-25 minutes (or longer if needed, depending on your toppings), or until crust and cheese are both golden.
- While pizza is baking, melt remaining butter and combine with the last tablespoon of Parmesan.
- Remove pizza from over and immediately brush the outside edges with Parmesan butter, using it all up. Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan over top if desired. Serve!
Source: Adapted from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Entree, Pizza | Tags: butter, garlic, Parmesan, yeast | 23 Comments »
Review: Melt Buttery Spread & My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie
Awhile back Erin of Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts did a review of Melt. After seeing my comment, I was contacted by Miranda asking if I would like my very own stash to try out. Even though until then I had never heard of Melt, I couldn’t resist the idea of baking treats that are deceptively less sinful.
So what the heck is this Melt stuff anyway? It is a butter substitute, made of virgin coconut oil, flax seed oil, palm fruit oil, and canola oil, and is full of medium chain fatty acids (“good” fats) which our bodies burn as energy instead of storing as fat, and as a result boosts metabolism. It is also organic, gluten-free, cholesterol free, carb free, soy free, trans fat free and certified kosher.
The only way this butter alternative could get any better is if it cooked, topped and baked just like real butter. Oh wait it does? Well then, you’ve certainly impressed this butter-lover. But to test validity of this statement, I used Melt in my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie – Big, Fat, Chewy Multichip Cookies. If it can hold up in those cookies then I would be completely sold.
Aannnd it did! I now wish I had a lifetime supply of this stuff sent to me because I have yet to see it stocked in stores near me. The only thing I had to do differently using this butter spread was refrigerate the cookie dough before scooping onto the cookie sheets. The dough was a little soft due to the softer nature of Melt to begin with, but the end result was an even softer cookie than ever before with real butter! Sorry butter, you lost this fight.
I want to thanks Miranda, and the rest of the people at Melt, for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderful spread. I highly recommend it to anyone who can get their hands on it!
One year ago: Brownie Covered Oreo Pops
Disclosure: I received two free full-sized samples of Melt. Opinions are my own.
Basil Butter
Yesterday I completely lost all motivation to cook or bake. Good thing I had leftovers to eat for dinner or else it would’ve been a pretty big failure of a day in the food department. But sometimes it’s nice to not make more dirty dishes. Unfortunately I didn’t have any pre-made posts to fall back on for today, and worried I wouldn’t have anything to share on such a wonderful day as Friday. But then, I remembered the basil butter I had recently whipped up but totally forgot about.
This butter was made to be frozen for later use. I scooped out tablespoonfuls (with a lightly greased tablespoon to easily drop) and dropped onto parchment paper lined baking sheets which were then placed in the freezer overnight. Once frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag. Having the butter portioned out into tablespoons makes it easy to flavor vegetables or chicken dishes. Or you can just use it right away on whatever your heart desires. I want to put it on garlic bread to be honest.
BASIL BUTTER
Makes approximately 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Directions:
- In a food processor, chop basil. Add butter, lemon juice and pepper and garlic salt; blend until smooth.
- Drop by half-tablespoons onto a baking sheet; freeze. Remove from baking sheet and store in freezer bags.
Source: All Recipes
Petri Dish Cookies
Many bakers make gorgeously decorated cookies that look too immaculate for a regular day person to accomplish. It’s this thing called royal icing, and it involves outlining, flooding and a bunch of little decorating tools. Sounds kind of daunting, which is why it took me so long to try for myself.
Ever since I saw a picture of these petri dish cookies, the lab nerd in me knew I had to join forces with my baking-side to make them. Since our lab just moved into a new facility and the ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled to be today, I figured it was the perfect time to conquer my fear of royal icing. But I wasn’t about to do it without a little help. Thanks to Michelle at Brown Eyed Baker and her wonderfully helpful tutorial on “How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing“, I bring to you these slightly unappetizing-looking, yet completely adorable (okay maybe I’m alone on that one) petri dish cookies!
Although there are a lot of steps, it’s pretty simple when you break it all down (and assuming you have all the necessary tools).
PETRI DISH COOKIES
Makes approximately 30 3-inch diameter cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 batch royal icing (recipe below)
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
- Working with a stand mixer, perferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth. Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated – because this dough is best when worked least, you might want to stop the mixer before all the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough and finish the job with a rubber spatula. When mixed, the dough will be soft, creamy and malleable.
- Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide it in half. To make roll-out cookies, shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours. (Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Working with one packet of dough at a time, roll out the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper to a thickness of ¼ inch, lifting the plastic or paper and turning the dough over often so that it rolls evenly. Lift off the top sheet of plastic or paper and cut out the cookies – I used a 2-1/2 inch diameter round cookie cutter. Pull away the excess dough, saving the scraps for rerolling, and carefully lift the rounds onto the baking sheets with a spatula, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between the cookies. (This is a soft dough and you might have trouble peeling away the excess or lifting the cutouts; if so, cover the dough, chill it for about 15 minutes and try again.) After you’ve rolled and cut the second packet of dough, you can form the scraps into a disk, then chill, roll, cut and bake.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes, rotating the sheet at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Remove the pan from the oven and let them rest for 1 minute before carefully lifting them onto a rack to cool to room temperature.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.
- Outline the cookies with the royal icing. Place some of the icing into a disposable pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip and coupler and outline the outside of the cookie. Keep the tip about 1/2-inch above the cookie while moving it allows the icing to lay on the cookie more easily. Make sure that the outline is pretty well set before moving on to flooding the cookies (generally by the time you are done outlining the first ones are already dry).
- To the remaining icing, slowly start adding a few drops of water at a time, until the icing reaches an almost liquid consistency. The test here is to pick some icing up with a spoon and let it drizzle back into the bowl – the drizzle should disappear into the bowl within 10 seconds. Once you have achieved this, you are ready.
- Either fill a squeeze bottle with the thinned icing or transfer it to a disposable pastry bag with a 1/4-inch hole cut off the end. Now squeeze in the icing to almost completely fill the inside the cookie. Then take a toothpick and gently use it to distribute the icing to any empty spots. Sprinkle with white nonpareils.
- Allow to dry completely before storing. The cookies will keep at room temperature in a tin for up to 1 week. Wrapped well, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
ROYAL ICING
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp meringue powder
5-ish Tbsp water
1/8 tsp Buttercup Yellow icing color (this color is extremely close to the YPD media we use to grow yeast in lab)
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients on low speed for 7-10 minutes or until the icing loses its shine. Add more water by the teaspoon if it appears too stiff, or more powdered sugar if too thin. At this stage you want to be able to pipe it easily.
- Color the icing and then cover the container with a damp paper towel. It is key when working with royal icing not to allow it to dry out.
Source: Sugar Cookies from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 146-147. Royal Icing and Tutorial from Brown Eyed Baker.
Butterbeer Ice Cream
Butterbeer. Any Harry Potter fan knows what this drink is, but unfortunately the recipe for it was never discussed in any of the 7 books. Don’t you hate craving imaginary food? As a result people everywhere have been making up whatever they think it should taste like. I suppose Harry Potter World has the most “true” recipe I don’t think they are going to fork it over anytime soon. So while we all experiment with butterbeer, why not play around in other food genres? Dessert is always a good place to start, especially when the possibility of ice cream is involved. I will, after all, eat anything a la mode.
Searching around on the web I found many butterbeer recipes, as well as several cupcakes. Using the ingredient lists as inspiration I came up with this ice cream. I have no idea how close it is to tasting like the “real thing” but it’s more than just a little bit wonderful. And the butterscotch ganache drizzled over the top seals the deal. After nearly inhaling my first serving, the only thing that could make it better was to go to the movie theater an hour early to wait for the midnight showing of The Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I’ll give you a hint, that’s exactly what I did last night. And it was amazing! I wish I had had a bowl of this ice cream with me in the theater though. That would’ve blown my mind.
Also, since it is the last Harry Potter movie, I figured it wasn’t too obnoxious to also serve my butterbeer ice cream on top of Tracy’s Butterbeer Blondies (Sugarcrafter). Yea, my kitchen was a butterbeer factory last night = gloriousness! It also means serious gym time in my future.
ICE CREAM
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream soda
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter flavoring
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup buttermilk
3 egg yolks
Directions:
- In a small bowl, gently beat the egg yolks; set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the cream soda, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and butter flavoring. Heat until butter is melted and sugar dissolved, then allow the mixture to bubble for one minute (stir frequently as the carbonation with cause extra bubbling). Stir in 1/2 cup of cream until mixed thoroughly; remove from heat.
- Temper the egg yolks, then add to mixture slowly while whisking constantly. Add the remaining cream and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Allow to cool then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
- Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions until it reaches “soft-serve” consistency. Transfer ice cream to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal with lid. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Serve with butterscotch ganache (recipe below).
GANACHE
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Heat the butterscotch and heavy cream over a double boiler until the chips just start to melt. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted.
- Allow to cool slightly before drizzling over ice cream.
Source: The Spiffy Cookie original, inspired by several recipes on the web.
Posted in Desserts, Ice Cream | Tags: brown sugar, butter, buttermilk, butterscotch, cream soda, heavy cream | 24 Comments »
Blueberry Blondie Cheesecake Bars
Sometimes it’s hard to choose between a variety of desserts when you are trying to allow yourself just one. A cookie (usually the most obvious choice for me)? Or how about a slice of cheesecake? Jamie at My Baking Addiction solved that dilemma by creating cookie dough cheesecake bars. But if you are like me, that blueberry pie looks great too. The dilemma continues! Until I decided to swap chocolate chips for blueberries. Add a little lemon zest and you’ve got a sweet success in the oven. Totally worth making the A/C cry while it tried to battle the 100 degree temperatures outside, and the heat I created in the kitchen. Sorry A/C I’ll make it up to you, promise!
Ingredients:
CRUST
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
BLONDIE LAYER
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup blueberries
CHEESECAKE LAYER
10-oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Do not turn your oven off.
- While the crust is cooling, prepare the blondie layer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the blueberries by hand. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the Blondie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps (I flattened out each piece to evenly cover the cheesecake layer). Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.
- Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the blondie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Lift the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature
Source: Inspired by A Spicy Perspective. Adapted from My Baking Addiction.
Posted in Brownies & Bars, Desserts | Tags: blueberries, butter, cream cheese, graham crackers | 11 Comments »
Veggie Eggs Benedict
Last summer a couple friends and I went up to Ann Arbor, MI (Muck Fichigan!) to visit another friend attending Dental school, for her birthday. The morning before we all departed she took us to this place called Afternoon Delight for Breakfast. One of my most favoritest things to get for Breakfast is eggs benedict, and they had three different kinds to choose from. I went with the veggie-style and instantly fell in love. But I had almost forgotten about this wonderful experience until I saw on my food calendar, that not only is today doughnut day, but also egg day!
Unfortunately I could not exactly remember which vegetables were used, and their menu just says “assorted”… so I called them up and asked! I’m not shy when it comes to making phone calls to ask a (sometimes silly) question. Growing up I tended to be the only one making the phone call to order pizza – apparently others thought the pizza man was scary? Anyway, ingredient list in hand I knew what I would be having for Breakfast today, for National Egg Day!
My Bearnaise sauce didn’t come out to the perfect consistency, mostly because I overheated the eggs yolks and neglected to whisk them for a moment. Seriously, you need to constantly whisk! Next time I might try the blender method. But the flavor was spot on, so I really couldn’t complain. It’s a weekday after all, I can give myself a little slack for cooking in the early morning!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped calliflower
1/4 cup chopped zucchini
Salt and pepper
4 Eggs
1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese
2 whole wheat English muffins, toasted
1 recipe Bearnaise Sauce (below)
Directions:
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Cook and stir the broccoli, calliflower, and zucchini for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste; cook and stir about 2 minutes longer or until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. Set aside.
- Heat a sauce pan with 2 inches of water to a simmer. Crack 1 egg at a time into a separate small bowl or cup. Stir the simmering water with a spoon and
gently pour the egg into the swirling water. Repeat with the second egg (I poached two at a time). - Cook the eggs for 2-1/2 minutes, until the whites are cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain for a minute on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Spread 1 Tbsp of cream cheese onto each slice of toasted English muffin; top with veggies, egg, and Bearnaise Sauce. Serve seasoned with salt and pepper.
BEARNAISE SAUCE
Ingredients:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup hot melted butter
Directions
- Combine the vinegar, wine, shallots, tarragon, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan. Boil over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain vinegar reduction into a large bowl; set aside.
- Bring several inches of water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to low or medium-low to maintain the water at a bare simmer. Whisk the egg yolks into the vinegar reduction, then place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk constantly until the yolks have thickened and turned a pale lemon yellow color. The mixture will form ribbons when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Once the yolk has reached this point, remove the bowl from the simmering water.
- Slowly pour the hot butter into the egg yolk mixture while continuing to whisk vigorously. Do not stop whisking until all of the butter is fully incorporated or the sauce will separate. Once finished, the mixture will have become a thick and creamy sauce. Serve immediately.
Source: Inspired by Afternoon Delight. Eggs from Confections of a Foodie Bride. Bearnaise Sauce from All Recipes.
Posted in Breakfast, Dressing Sauces & Condiments, Sandwich | Tags: broccoli, butter, cauliflower, cream cheese, eggs, english muffin, shallot, tarragon, vinegar, wine, zucchini | 1 Comment »
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
For those of you that read my post on Friday, the good news is I am not allergic to Pomegranate! But that leaves the true explanation behind the rash = semi-bad news. I have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Yep, I was bit by a tick a few weeks ago and didn’t think anything of it other than “GROSS!”. My legs are covered in an icky (not itchy) rash but it has stopped spreading. Hopefully the medication starts to kick in to calm it down and cure me. In the meantime, I have to avoid dairy for two hours before and after the two pills a day I take. Can I just tell you how hard it is for a dairy-lover like me to schedule when I can and cannot eat it? Pain pain pain. I think I crave cheese now more than ever!
Speaking of dairy, yesterday was National chocolate chip day! I spent pretty much the entire day in the kitchen making these cupcakes, and Maggie came over to enjoy the adventure as well. I couldn’t think of any other item with chocolate chips that were worthy of such a holiday. Too bad I wasn’t able to drink glasses of milk most of the time while making these to go along with every amazing component. When the final product was complete, our eyes rolled into the back of our heads in pure joy. The cupcakes were still a little warm in the middle, leaving the cookie dough slightly gooey. Paired with the fluffy cupcake outside and the sweet creamy frosting, this is THE ultimate cupcake. And if that’s not enough there’s a mini cookie on top! Making sure you get your daily dose of chocolate chips (and 9-1/2 sticks of butter)!
In the directions it says to freeze the cookie dough filling overnight, but I just made mine in the morning, and froze them for about 6 hours until I baked the cupcakes.
COOKIE DOUGH STUFFING
Ingredients:
2 sticks softened, unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins.
- Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.
- Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls (golf ball sized). Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.
MINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips.
- Roll a teaspoon of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 1 inch apart.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 6-8 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.
FROSTING
Ingredients:
3 sticks softened, unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (I used dark)
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
CUPCAKES
Ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed (I used dark)
4 large eggs
2-2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 batch egg-less chocolate chip cookie dough, rolled and frozen
1 batch brown sugar frosting
Mini chocolate chip cookies, for garnish
Mini semisweet chocolate chips, for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full. Drop one frozen scoop of cookie dough into each cupcake. Do not press the dough down at all. Bake for 20-22 minutes until edges start to turn golden. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with brown sugar frosting, and top with a cookie and mini chocolate chips.
Source: Egg-less cookie dough from Picky Palate. Mini chocolate chip cookies adapted from Brown Eyed Baker. Frosting from Beantown Baker. Cupcakes from Annie’s Eats.
