thecookieblogger.com

living in seattle, it’s not surprising i’m surrounded by coffee. every street in my neighborhood boasts at least one coffee shop, though quite a few streets are home to two or three shops! it’s not uncommon to see locals holding their reusable stainless coffee mugs while they cross the street or sipping their java while they wait for the city bus. i admit i do enjoy a good cup of coffee, but as odd as it may sound, my favorite cup of coffee hails not from seattle, but rather from 3000 miles away — a fair trade company located in vermont called green mountain coffee roasters. i love their decaf breakfast blend and highly recommend it!

i also love a good cup of espresso, and especially love including espresso in baked goods, adding a deep, rich flavor reminiscent of a good morning shot! king arthur flour offers an espresso powder which works beautifully in baked goods. these cookies, combining the two popular flavors of espresso and chocolate, are a delicious ‘pick-me-up’ for a mid-afternoon snack! happy munching!

espresso crescents
ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup of sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vietnamese cinnamon
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (melted to drizzle atop cooled cookies)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. in your mixer bowl, add all ingredients. with your mixer on the lowest speed, mix ingredients until they come together to form a stable dough.
3. scoop about 1 tablespoon worth of dough, rolling into a log approximately 2 1/2 inches long, and shape into a crescent. place on prepared baking sheet.
4. bake for 15-16 minutes until cookies are set and firm, and the bottom is beginning to lightly brown.
5. remove from oven and immediately remove from baking sheet to wire rack to cool.
6. once completely cool, drizzle some of the melted chocolate atop the cookies. allow drizzle to completely dry before stacking!
enjoy!
yield: 30-34 cookies

warm summer days beg for refreshing tall glasses of iced tea. a perfect accompaniment to that cool drink are these light and tasty cookies. the hint of lemon comes from the frozen lemonade in the batter, and these cookies are truly ‘light as feathers’, so you can munch on one or two and not feel heavy or full. they are quick and easy to make and bake, and the recipe can easily be halved so you don’t need to have your oven on all day! Since they only bake for 8-9 minutes, you can whip up a batch or two in less than one half hour! let me know what you think!

lightly lemony sugar cookies
ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baker’s sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 can frozen lemonade, thawed (6-8 oz. can)
colored sugar for decorating

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. sift flour, sugar and baking soda into a large bowl. set aside.
3. cream the butter in you mixer bowl. once the butter is light and fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well until incorporated.
4. in three separate steps, add the thawed lemonade, and 1/3 of the dry ingredients mixture, blending well after each addition, until all lemonade and dry ingredients have been added to your batter. (note: it will be a soft batter.)
5. using your #40 scoop, drop approximately 2 slight teaspoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet. sprinkle a generous amount of colored sugar onto the top of each cookie drop (i use yellow or pale green sugar for these cookies.)
6. bake for 8-9 minutes until cookies are set and starting to brown slightly.
7. remove from oven, and with spatula, remove immediately to wire rack to cool completely.
enjoy!
yield: approximately 45 cookies.

cream cheese is a perfect way to add a bit more flavor and a lot more tenderness to your cookie crumb! these are quick and easy to make, and they are delicious! you can feel free to swap out the pecans on top for another type of nut, such as walnuts, or a few chocolate chips scattered on top and pressed into the top of the dough! whatever the topping, i hope you will enjoy these delectable treats!

pecan-topped cream cheese puffs
ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (do not use low fat or fat free cream cheese)
1 cup baker’s sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pecans (to press into dough)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. mix butter, cream cheese and baker’s sugar until light and fluffy.
3. beat in egg yolk and vanilla until completely mixed into butter mixture.
4. with mixer on lowest speed, add flour gradually. mix well.
5. refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, but not longer than 3 hours.
6. roll into 1 inch balls, and place on baking sheet. press pecan into center of dough ball.
7. bake for 15-17 minutes. remove from oven and baking sheet, and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
enjoy!
yield:approximately 34 cookies

the quest continues!! for those of you new to thecookieblogger site, you may not realize that i am in the process of what i have termed ‘the impossible cookie quest’.  more difficult than chasing windmills and possibly even more difficult than landing on the moon, this quest to recreate a favorite cookie from my childhood – the conti’s chocolate sprinkle cookie – has been haunting me for years. now that i live 3000 miles from all those italian pastry shops in the bronx, the only way to satisfy my craving for these delectable bites of heaven is to make them myself! but, i’m completely stumped. i’ve tried everything, including writing a letter to conti’s requesting their recipe. but alas, no response. and still no sprinkle cookie recipe.

so, as i muddle through my voyage to perfect this cookie, i have stumbled across another recipe that comes close in taste, but completely misses the boat on texture. oh well. it’s not what i was hoping for, but it’s quite good. with a bit of almond aftertaste from the extract, and a nice, light chocolaty taste from the real chocolate sprinkles direct from king arthur flour, they are light and refreshing cookies! a good choice for a light summer cookie!

chocolate sprinkle cookies v.2
ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

instructions:
1. preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. beat butter until light and fluffy
3. add sugar to butter and mix until well combined.
4. add egg yolk and almond extract until completely combined.
5. add flour and mix just until combined.
6. using a #40 cookie scoop (approximately 2 teaspoonsful), place dough 2″ apart on your prepared baking sheets. using the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar, press down to flatten each mound of dough.
7. bake for 8-9 minutes, until cookies just begin to color at edge. remove from oven and let cool for approximately 1 minute on baking sheet.  remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
8.  when completely cooled, dip one edge of cookie into melted chocolate, then dip in chocolate sprinkles. place on wire rack allowing chocolate to dry completely before stacking in airtight container.
yield: approximately 36 cookies.

in the summer months, i often find that thick, fudgy cookies are a bit too heavy and filling when outside temps are reaching into the 80s and 90s. in looking for a chocolate cookie that works well in the heat, i decided to give this meringue a try. the texture is light, and even though the chocolate and walnuts would probably be heavier in a traditional cookie, they literally float in these fudgy meringues. they especially work well when served with a nice bowl of fresh raspberries.

fudgy meringues
ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon shortening

instructions:
1. set egg whites in a mixing bowl to bring to room temperature.
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Add white vinegar, salt and vanilla to egg whites in large mixing bowl. beat with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form.
4. add sugar, slowly, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form and the sugar appears to be dissolved (depending on your mixer, this could be anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes.)
5. fold in the cooled (melted) chocolate and the walnuts. be careful not to overstir.
6. using #40 scoop (approximately 2 teaspoonfuls), drop onto prepared baking sheets. bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies puff up and outside edges look like they are beginning to split/dry.
7. remove cookies from oven, and move to wire rack to cool.
8. over low heat in a heavy saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate and the shortening. once melted, drizzle slowly over cooled cookies. allow drizzle to dry before stacking.
enjoy!

yield: approximately 20 cookies.

sometimes, you need a quick and non-fussy cookie, packed with lots of flavor. these cinnamon flats fit the bill. with only a few ingredients you are sure to have in your pantry, the dough for these cookies comes together quickly, and you can bake them immediately, or (as is my preference), you can roll them into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. easy and tasty, what more can you ask for?

cinnamon flats
ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoon baker’s sugar (or granulated sugar)
1 cup all-purpose flour
granulated sugar for rolling baked cookies

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 300 degrees. line cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. beat butter until light and fluffy
3. add almond extract, cinnamon and sugar. mix thoroughly so all ingredients are incorporated into the fluffy butter.
4. add flour and mix until dough ‘comes together’. this may take more than a minute at medium mixer speed.
5. shape in long roll, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour, or overnight.
6. slice cookies approximately 1/4 inch and place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
7. bake for 12-13 minutes. cookies will be firm. remove from oven.
8. cool for about 2 minutes on baking sheet. remove cookies, one at a time and dip in bowl with granulated sugar to coat cookies completely. move to wire rack to cool completely.
9. enjoy!
yield: approximately 26 cookies

dunkers, that’s what these are. excellent dunkers. what’s a dunker, you may be asking? well, it’s a cookie that’s crunchy and solid and is best served alongside a good strong cup of espresso or a nice warm cup of tea — and then you dunk it! the combination of the cinnamon and a small bit of lemon zest makes this a tasty cookie. and the glaze adds a nice polished look to the cookie, making it an excellent part of your after-dinner buffet table.

pre-glaze and pre-baking

post-glaze and post-baking

glazey crazy 8 cookies
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 egg
1 egg white

for glaze
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. beat the butter and eggs until pale, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. add the lemon zest and mix until incorporated
4. add whole egg and beat well.
5. add egg white and beat well.
6. add flour, baking powder and cinnamon. beat just until fully incorporated.
7. let dough sit for about 10 minutes to rest.
8. take enough dough (about 1 tablespoon worth) and roll into a 4″ rope about the width of a fat pencil (see picture above). twist the rope into a figure 8. place on parchment lined baking sheet.
9. bake cookies for 20 minutes – they will be lightly browned.
10. while the cookies are baking, make your glaze: whisk together egg white and confectioner’s sugar until creamy and smooth.
11. remove cookies from oven, lightly brush each cookie with the glaze mixture and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes of baking time.
12. remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
yield: approximately 40 cookies

sometimes, i just want a quiet, unassuming cookie to munch on with a glass of milk. nothing fancy, nothing too rich, nothing too elaborate – and one that’s easy and quick to bake. these chocolate cookies fit the bill. they are plain, no chips, no topping, no nuts. but that only allows the cocoa to shine – so use a good quality cocoa. for these cookies, i used the king arthur flour double-dutch dark cocoa and these cookies both look and taste scrumptious!

plain and good chocolate cookies
ingredients::
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups baker’s sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup double dutch dark cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. add eggs, one at a time, until each is well-incorporated into the butter mixture.
4. add vanilla and mix until blended.
5. add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. mix on low speed just until completely incorporated.
6. cover and refrigerate for at least 1.5 hours (this will help the sugar dissolve/meld into the batter and will make the dough easier to work with!)
7. roll into balls about 1″ diameter. place on parchment-lined baking sheet. flatten with fork dipped in flour (so the dough doesn’t stick to the fork)
8. bake for 8-9 minutes. the cookies will still be soft and puffy-looking, but the edge will be set.
9. leave cookies on baking sheet to cool for approximately 5 minutes. remove from sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
10. enjoy! if you want to ‘dress these up’ a bit, why not sprinkle a bit of confectioner’s sugar over them? they’ll look as pretty as they taste good!
yield: approximately 45 cookies.

i am a great big fan of cinnamon, and really love the vietnamese cinnamon that king arthur flour sells. the scent is intoxicating, and it is such a perfect addition to spice cakes and cookies.

these chocolate chip cookies are given that extra ‘kick’ by the addition of this cinnamon. the cookies tend to be more cakey than traditional chocolate chip cookies, but they stay chewy and are very tasty. they also smell really good!

cinnamon chocolate chip cookies
ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/4 pound)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vietnamese cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

ingredients:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. add eggs and vanilla extract. mix just until blended.
4. add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. mix just until blended.
5. stir in chocolate chips
6. using a #40 zeroll scoop (approximately 1 1/2 teaspoon), place dough onto baking sheet, about 2″ apart.
7. bake for 12 – 13 minutes, until golden brown. remove baking sheet from oven and let cookies cool for 3-5 minutes on sheet. remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
enjoy!
yield: about 28 cookies.

i have a long history of feeding theatre people… back when i was a company manager in regional and summer stock theatre, i fed dinner to actors and crew between shows on two-show days. i kept coffee brewed, round-the-clock meals served and energy levels up for stagehands working non-stop during load-outs and changeovers. i fed opening night audience members mingling with stars of the show with elaborate dinner and dessert buffets. and i often fed underpaid and overworked crew members just to keep their spirits up and be reassured that they were vital to the company. i even kept the post office busy shipping cookies around the country to road show crews who were a long way from home and grateful for some home-baked goodness.

one of my favorite traditions of baking for the crew during show load-out continues even to this day…on load-out days at my husband’s theatre, i lay out a spread of home-baked goods for them to enjoy during their coffee breaks. they seem to enjoy it, and it makes me feel like i’ve done a small part to support the arts!

here’s a picture of today’s spread. it’s not fancy, but the table’s chock full of good stuff. and i’ve found over the years that one of the most-requested cookies by stagehands the world over seem to be lemon bars. lemon bars always make me think tea parties, but stagehands just love these things. i think it may have to do with their moms making them when they were growing up. whatever the reason, these are really easy to make, and the result is just yummy. and they are as comfortable on a crew load-out snack table as they are on elegant china at an afternoon tea!

lemon bars
ingredients:
for crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

for filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups baker’s sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350°F. prepare your baking pan by lining a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with parchment paper, extending paper up sides of pan; set aside.
2. mix crust ingredients in a large bowl on low speed of your mixer until mixture is crumbly. Press the mixture evenly into the parchment-lined pan.
3. bake for 20 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven.
4. with a whisk, beat together filling ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended; pour mixture evenly over warm baked crust. (do not let the crust cool down)
5. return to oven and bake for 17 minutes or until the filling is set and not jiggling and bars are brownish around the edges.
6. remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. lift edges of parchment paper and remove bars from pan. pull away parchment for easy cutting – use a very cutting board and very sharp knife – and clean off your knife in between cuts since the lemon filling sometimes sticks to the knife and makes for messy cuts!
7. sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.
enjoy!!!
yield: about 24 medium-sized bars.

Makes 36-40 servings.