Sweet Potato Casserole Cookie Bars

I still had some sweet potato puree left in my fridge and decided to try out these beautiful cookie bars I saw on Pinterest. Mine are not quite as delicately cut, but here they are none the less. This is a basic cookie batter and then sweet potato puree is folded in at the end. I only made 1/2 of the recipe and it still made quite a bit. My daughter declared that they are delicious and the rest are headed to work with my husband. These would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving dinner or fall outing.

Have a great Thanksgiving! I hope you get to share it with your family and friends!

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole Cookie Bars
* I omitted the ancho chili powder
* I substituted 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice for the canela
* I made 1/2 recipe

TWD- Chewy Chunky Blondies

Nicole chose this week's TWD recipe, Chewy, Chunky Blondies. You can find the recipe on her blog- Cookies on Friday.

You can also find the recipe on a post from when I made these a couple of months ago- when we were taking dinner to a local homeless shelter.
I doubled the recipe to make sure that there would be enough to go around and they were wildly popular. My husband was lucky enough to taste one and he was wishing that there were more to sample.
I used Heath bits, pecans, and toasted coconut in my blondies.

Check out the TWD blog to see who else loved these blondies!

Dorie's Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Everytime we make dinner to serve at a local homeless shelter, I make sure to choose something fairly easy for dessert.
Bar cookies are just about the easiest thing to bake, in my opinion.
These particular blondies are full of just about everything. Chocolate, nuts, Heath bits, and coconut, make for a lot of add-ins.
I have seen them on other blogs over the past couple of years, but can't remember exactly where. I knew they would be good, just because they were Dorie's recipe, so I made 2 huge batches and ended up with an enormous amount of blondies.

Usually we don't have a single drop of food leftover, but somehow I managed to bring 1 or 2 of these back home.
My hubby was happy to sample them and of course, was hoping that there were more to be found. He was disappointed to know that they were all gone.

We have a definite crowd pleaser right here, folks!

Chewy, Chunky Blondies
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p.109)

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits (I used Heath Bits)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (I used toasted coconut)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Snickerdoodles are something that I remember having a few times growing up, but they weren't my favorite cookie or anything.
Some people feel different about them.
I saw these on The Recipe Girl's site and she is definitely a fan of snickerdoodles. You should read her post, it is really cute.

I made these on a friday afternoon, for an afterschool snack, just because.
I made 1/2 of the recipe and baked them in my 8x8-inch pan.
I might have underbaked them a little bit, but I ended up putting them in the fridge to help them firm up a little bit and they were fine.

I used one of my biscuit cutters to make little round cookie bars, instead of squares because it just makes it a little bit more fun.

These were a great little treat that my kids really enjoyed and they tasted even better the next day.

It's been so long since I have had a snickerdoodle that I can't really remember the exact flavor, but I think these taste exactly like their name- a snickerdoodle-y blondie.

Recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies

Recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies with a few additions/add-ins

Chewy Oatmeal Cookie/Granola Bars

This month for Secret Baker, we had a healthy theme. We were encouraged to bake something a little bit healthier than usual to send in the mail.
I went to my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook to find a recipe.

I decided to turn the Chewy Oatmeal Cookie recipe into bar cookies and made some changes with the add-ins so the finished product would be kind of like a granola bar.
This recipe contains whole wheat flour and old-fashioned oats for the whole grains.
I decided to use dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips as my add-ins.
I also subbed in honey, instead of using dark corn syrup, simply because I didn't have any dark corn syrup.

I put the batter in a 9x13-inch baking pan and estimated the baking time. I went with 25 minutes and when I pulled them out of the oven, they looked done.

I let them cool, and then cut them into bars. I sent 1/2 to my Secret Baker recipient and half to my teenage brother, who adores oats more than almost anything.

I didn't try a single bite of these! ( Part of my goal for 10in10 is to eat less sugar and I am doing really well at not sampling baked goods! Yay!)
I just hoped for the best.

My brother LOVED these. And the SB person I sent them to, said they were really good.

I also recieved some goodies from Leslie, who blogs over at Lethally Delicious.
She sent me The Barefoot Contessa's (Ina Garten) Granola Bars and Fruit and Nut Squares from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies. Here is a similar recipe.
Both of these treats were really delicious!
Thanks Leslie!


Chewy Oatmeal Cookie/Granola Bars adapted from King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking

3/4th cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
3 Tbls dark corn syrup (I used honey)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbls cider vinegar
1 Tbls vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups traditional whole wheat flour
2 cups dried fruit: diced dried apples, chopped dates, dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots, or dried fruit of your choice (I used 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I used 3/4 cup chopped pecans and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, corn syrup, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat in the egg. Add the oats, flour, dried fruit and nuts, and stir to combine.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through, (top to bottom, bottom to top), until they're beginning to brown around the edges but are still soft in the center, 14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

* I spread the batter in a 9*13 inch baking pan and baked them for 25 minutes.

More Christmas Cookies and Treats

When my sister was here visiting a couple weeks ago, I asked her what cookies she wanted me to make and send her for Christmas. I gave her some Holiday Baking Magazines and told her to pick as many as she wanted.
She folded down lots and lots of pages and then I narrowed it down to 6. I chose things that I could make all in the same day and then threw in a couple more treats at the end.

First up is Peppermint Bark. This is a Christmas goodie that my mom has made for quite a few years and she uses Martha Stewarts recipe. I actually like it better when you use almond bark instead of white chocolate, so that is what I did. I like to sprinkle some of the chopped candy canes on top, as well as mixing them into the melted white stuff. My hubby really likes this and so do my kids. Great gift.
Recipe for Peppermint Bark
My sister requested a molasses cookie and I decided I would make Dorie's recipe, because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. This time I didn't flatten my balls of dough, so I had smaller, chewier cookies. This recipe is so great that it really deserves a repeat.
I sent some of the last batch to my family, so they will be super excited to get more of them in the mail.

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
I saw this cookie in a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie issue and was intrigued by the combination of cornmeal and dried fruit in a cookie. I knew sending this cookie to someone else would be great, since most members of my family do not like cornmeal. The recipe originally called for dried cherries, but I subbed in dried cranberries because that is what I had in the pantry.
These also have orange zest and they aren't overly sweet. Great cookie.
Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

I saw this cookie in a couple of different Martha Stewart mags and remembered that Tracey made them a couple weeks ago. I figured bars are great for sending and these have all types of mix-ins, so they were added into the bunch.
I subbed in peanut butter chips for the butterscotch chips, toffee bits for the white chocolate and then, on top of that, these have chocolate chips, cut up caramels, and marshmallows.
What a combination. I think I will have to make these again. My son was upset that he didn't get to sample one.
Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars
My sister wanted these peanut butter bars. They were supposed to have Hershey's Kisses on top, but I thought they would send better if they didn't have those on top. They are a play on Peanut Butter Kisses, but easier to make because they are a bar. I used creamy peanut butter in these, instead of chunky.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

My sister chose these bars and I thought they were a great choice because they have green and red in them naturally. They have a basic butter, flour, brown sugar crust, which you prebake for a few minutes and then the cranberry-pistachio topping is added and they are put back in the oven to finish baking.
Great way to use fresh cranberries.
Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars
My sister also chose these pumpkin oatmeal raisin cookies. They are just like an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with pumpkin puree added to the batter. I made these into bars, simply because I was trying to bake 8 different things all in one day and it made it easier for me.
I wasn't too excited about these, but I did taste a small square and they really were good. Definitely more tasty then they might seem.
So, these are all the items that made it into my treat box. I sent a few of most of these cookies to my Secret Baker.
I also made a batch of Spiced Pecans and the upcoming cookie for Tuesdays with Dorie got thrown into the mix too.
Needless to say, after this day of baking, packaging and mailing, I was wiped out. It was worth it though.
I also threw in a picture of the Cake Pops I made last weekend for a birthday party. These are a fun little treat for a Christmas or Holiday get-together, if you need a fun idea.
How-to for Cake Pops
Pumpkin Raisin Oatmeal Cookies from Woman's Day Holiday Cookies 2009
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts (I omitted these)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Cake Pops

Spiced Pecans, S'mores Cookie Bars, Chocolate Gingerbread Bars, and Peppermint Brownies, oh & a Birthday Cake

I had so much fun this morning helping one of my best friends with her daughter's 8th birthday party. It was a tea party, very fancy. The cake I made was so cute. I had a great idea and it worked. Can't wait to get photos up of that cake.
I haven't yet, so these delicious treats will have to do.
The first thing here is Spiced Pecans. I made these a couple of weeks ago, along with the Holiday Biscotti as an idea for a Holiday Gift.
They were a big hit. They are coated in a sweet/spicy mixture. Mostly sweet, because of the cinnamon, sugar but also spicy because of the cayenne pepper and ground ginger.
Delicious. We couldn't stop munching on them. I am making a big double batch next week to send out with some cookies in the mail. Yum...
Next, is a treat that I made for one of the Thanksgiving Dinners we went to. I was asked to bring a kid-friendly treat and remembered some S'mores Cookies that I had seen awhile ago.
What is more kid friendly than something covered in marshmallows and chocolate?
I thought I would turn these cookies into bars and just made them in a 9x13-inch pan, instead of making individual cookies. I let the pan of cookies bake for about 23 minutes or so, and then I dumped on an entire bag of mini marshmallows and some chopped Hersheys milk chocolate.
Put them back under the broiler and let the marshmallows get really toasted.
These were very sweet (not like that is a surprise or something) and had to be eaten in small doses. They were good. The graham cracker crumbs in the cookie base made them taste like a real S'more.
Ooey and gooey, which is a great combination for kids, even if parents might not agree!
Next are Chocolate Gingerbread Bars. I threw these together for a potluck over Thanksgiving weekend. They came together really quickly and disappeared just as quickly. I think most people probably thought they were brownies, so they must have had a little surprise when they tasted the molasses/ginger. A great christmas treat.
Then we had some Peppermint Brownies. I saw this idea in a Holiday Baking magazine, but can't remember which one it was. My sister was visiting for Thanksgiving and we had a lot of fun with all these marshmallows.
We just made basic brownies and then covered them with marshmallows, chopped candy canes and drizzled melted milk chocolate over the top.
Gooey and delicious.
The last thing I wanted to share was a picture of the birthday cake my little girl got to share with her great grandpa. They share the same birthday, November 27th and we decided to celebrate with a sheet cake at our Thanksgiving Dinner. My mother-in-law requested the same cake that I made for her birthday back in July, so I just doubled it and tried out a new frosting recipe. The frosting recipe was really great to decorate with. It also had just a hint of cream cheese that was really delicious. I am definitely going to be using the frosting recipe in the future. You can find the frosting recipe at the bottom of this post. My sister helped me come up with the design for the cake. It was fun. The birthday girl and grandpa were very happy to share the cake and their birthdays with everyone.
Recipe for Spiced Pecans

Recipe for S'mores Cookies

Recipe for Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

Recipe for Vanilla Buttercream

TWD- Chipster Topped Brownies

This weeks' Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was picked by Beth, who blogs over at Supplicious. You can find the recipe for Chipster Topped Brownies over on her blog, or you can buy a copy of Baking: from my home to yours, which is exactly what one of the women with whom I shared this treat did. She called me, asked for the recipe, looked at the book and ordered one for herself. Smart woman!

Dorie really out did herself here. She makes an outrageous brownie batter and tops it with chocolate chip cookie dough. The 2 doughs combine during the baking process and make a delicious, decadent bar of gooey, chocolately yumminess. Even the batter was scrumptious. It made my little fairy dance with joy!

I didn't have any trouble spreading the chocolate chip cookie dough over the brownie batter- there was definitely enough to cover it. I used pecans in the brownie layer and milk chocolate chips in the cookie dough.

Luckily, I was able to take these to a little cooking thingie in my neighborhood and you bet they disappeared fast. Raves and more raves for this cookie-brownie combination. Check out what everyone else thought by going through the TWD Blogroll!

And in case you are wondering, we should be somewhere in New Mexico, Texas or Oklahoma by the time this posts. Keep your fingers crossed that we make it to Georgia by Friday!

Up Next- Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze

Fun for Kids- Turkey Burger on a Stick, Parmesan Popcorn and Peanut Butter-Oat Bars

Here are a couple of fun recipes for kids. I saw these Turkey Burgers on a Stick in the most recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and thought that they looked like a really fun lunch. I used smoked gouda as the medium-hard cheese inside and cooked them in my electric skillet. My kids really enjoyed them, dipped in ketchup. I tried one too and they were okay. The flavor of the evaporated milk, cornflakes and cheese was a little strange for me. Cute idea anyway. If I made them again, I would definitely play around with the ingredients.
My kids love popcorn. They want me to pop it constantly. I do it the old-fashioned way. I heat 3 Tbls of oil in a heavy-bottom pot and add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels. Then I put the lid on, but leave a tiny crack so some of the air can escape. My 2 year old loves watching it pop. I remember a neighbor growing up that used to make us popcorn smothered in butter and then she would sprinkle Parmesan on top. I reduced the amount of butter a little bit and this popcorn reminded me of being a kid.
The Peanut Butter Bars came about on a whim. We wanted a quick treat, preferrably a bar cookie. I just threw in whatever nuts I had, I think walnuts and put the mini chocolate chips on top. They were good. We got alot more than 20 bars though. I guess we cut them into smaller pieces.

Turkey Burger "Drumsticks"Jean Grub adapted From Every Day with Rachael Ray

February 2009
1 pound ground turkey breast
one 5-ounce can evaporated milk
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 ounces medium-hard cheese (I used smoked gouda)

In a bowl, mix the turkey, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, the onion and 2/3 cup cornflakes; season with salt and pepper. Divide into 12 portions.

Cut the cheese into 12 small sticks and thread onto each of 12 skewers.

Wet your hands with evaporated milk, then mold some meat around each cheese piece, shaping into 3-inch ovals.

Pour the remaining milk into a bowl. Add the remaining cornflakes to a plate. Dip each "drumstick" into the milk, then coat with the cornflakes. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry each drumstick until browned, about 12 minutes.

Parmesan Popcorn by Mary Ann

10 cups popcorn

1/2 stick butter, melted

grated parmesan cheese

Pour melted butter over freshly popped popcorn. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and toss to coat well.

Peanut Butter-Oat Bars from myrecipes.com

Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hour.

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, melted

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups regular rolled oats

2/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut

1 1/3 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I just sprinkled these on top instead of melting them)

1. In a bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in flour, oats, peanuts, and coconut until well blended.

2. Press dough evenly into a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan. For chewy bars, bake in a 350° oven until edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes; for crisp bars, bake until slightly darker brown, about 5 minutes longer. Spread with peanut butter. Let cool about 15 minutes.

3. Seal chocolate chips in a heavy 1-quart zip-lock plastic bag. Heat in a microwave oven at 30% power until chips are soft, about 2 minutes. Squeeze chocolate to one corner of bag, then use scissors to snip a very small hole in the corner. Squeeze chocolate in thin lines over peanut butter. Chill until the chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 bars

Up Next- Tuesdays with Dorie

Operation Baking GALS Round 4 --Team Meet Me in the Kitchen-Lt. Hopper Round-up

I found out that one of my friend's husbands was shipping out to Iraq, for the second time, and that his birthday was in November, so I decided to host the 4th round of Operation Baking GALS. Note- if you haven't checked out the new site, go and see it! I first met the Hopper's back in 2000 when I moved to Athens, Georgia. They only had 1 child then, (now they have 5) but, we hit it off and spent alot of time together. Lia helped me graduate from college by babysitting my newborn, even though she had 2 kids of her own and was pregnant. The payment was simply that we took them out to dinner a couple times a month. Pretty nice arrangement.
Carl re-enlisted in the army and the Hopper's ended up moving. We have kept in touch, mostly due to Lia being good at that sort of thing, and they are now in Alaska.
It is fun to be able to get this sort of event organized because there are so many people who are willing to share their time, talents, and baked goods, to get a homemade package out to our troops. Here is a round-up of what Carl will be receiving in the mail! Maybe he will receive one of the packages on his birthday-Nov. 24th. Thank you so much to my team for being willing to be a part of this great service- I appreciate your time, effort, and money spent. Thank you!!! Round 5 is going to be just in time for Christmas, so give of yourself and sign up for a team.

Pamela of Cookies with Boys sent those yummy Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies, Triple Play Peanut Butter Cookies, and Dorie Greenspan's Chewy Chunky Blondies. Read her POST to find out more about these and to get the recipes. Note- Carl already received this package already and was so appreciative- Thanks, Pamela- for getting your package out so early!

Shelby over at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch sent this Nutella Biscotti and Peanut Butter Cookies. I jokingly told her she should send the Biscotti to me instead- doesn't it look great? Go the her POST to get the full story and recipes!

Dona England, who informed me that she was not a blogger, but a great cookie baker, sent Pat's Chocolate Chip Bars ( pictured above, recipe below) and Peanut Candy Bar Squares that she found over at Bake or Break. Yummy!

Kelly over at Baking with the Boys sent Chocolate Coma Cookies, Mini Apple Cinnamon Muffins, and Oatmeal Scotchies. Great variety!

Audrey, (my older sister), of Bella&Piekna sent Mini Chocolate Chippers and Oatmeal Scotchies. thanks Aud!

UPDATE- Beth Rizzo sent Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Field&Stream and Outdoor Life magazines! Thanks, Beth!

I made Dorie's World Peace Cookies, below, and Prudy's Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Pieces- my son asked who made the World Peace Cookie recipe and I told him Dorie. He wanted me to pass on that those cookies got a double thumbs up!

Pat’s Chocolate Chip Bars (15×10 inch pan)

8 oz butter (regular)

1 1/4 cup of white sugar

1 cup of brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (Spoon and level)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

2 (12 oz) packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips (don’t cut back)

2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Cream the butter and sugars, beat in the eggs and vanilla.. Combine the dry ingredients and blend in. Add chips and nuts. Spread in a greased 15x 10 inch baking pan. Bake at 350′ for 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Pieces from Prudence Pennywise

(from Joy of Cooking)

1 and 1/2 cups flour (Prudy used half whole wheat)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup miniature Reese's Pieces Baking Bits

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, combine flour and soda. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Mix in the flour mixture. Add the Reese's pieces. Form into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes

World Peace/Korova Cookies from Paris Sweets and Baking: from my home to yours-Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Makes about 36 cookies

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

SERVING: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days they can be frozen for up to 2 months

Tomorrow- Cooking Light Night- Cornflake Crusted Halibut, Toasted Millet and Vegetable Confetti Salad, and Orange Mini Bundt Cakes