that's what she baked.

Adventures (and misadventures) in the kitchen from a novice baker.

Posts tagged cookies

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My new favorite. Have you had this stuff yet?!  I’d heard about this so-called “cookie butter” (well, that is actually what it’s called), but was very skeptical about it… Not that I needed another way to consume sweets, but on a recent trip to TJ’s it was time to give in. And give in I have. I can’t describe the wonderfulness of a spreadable cookie (not to be compared to spreadable cheese, not at all.. spreadable cookie is way more classy, right?). Anyway, I think this may become a new staple in my pantry. But something I need to forget I have every so often so it’s a nice surprise, and so I don’t go through a jar in a week.  Go out and get some. Treat yo’self. 

My new favorite. Have you had this stuff yet?! 

I’d heard about this so-called “cookie butter” (well, that is actually what it’s called), but was very skeptical about it… Not that I needed another way to consume sweets, but on a recent trip to TJ’s it was time to give in. And give in I have. I can’t describe the wonderfulness of a spreadable cookie (not to be compared to spreadable cheese, not at all.. spreadable cookie is way more classy, right?). Anyway, I think this may become a new staple in my pantry. But something I need to forget I have every so often so it’s a nice surprise, and so I don’t go through a jar in a week. 

Go out and get some. Treat yo’self. 

Filed under cookie butter sweets sugar cookies trader joes bread

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Last weekend when I made my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt I decided I wanted to save some to make ice cream sandwiches. They’re perfect for sandwiches because they’re soft. They are also perfect because they are delicious.  While I love love love these cookies, they are troublesome for me because I can’t get them to look how I want them to. Do I smush down the balls of dough before they bake or do I let it melt? There’s a fine line in my oven between under-baked and too crunchy (in my opinion). I need to heavily monitor where they are in the oven. I finally got “finishing” sea salt so you can see the salt, which I really like. They still taste pretty much, ballin’, a favorite of friends and family. But if I were to have a bakery, I’d need to figure out how to make these better before putting them behind glass and asking people to pay for them. 

Last weekend when I made my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt I decided I wanted to save some to make ice cream sandwiches. They’re perfect for sandwiches because they’re soft. They are also perfect because they are delicious. 

While I love love love these cookies, they are troublesome for me because I can’t get them to look how I want them to. Do I smush down the balls of dough before they bake or do I let it melt? There’s a fine line in my oven between under-baked and too crunchy (in my opinion). I need to heavily monitor where they are in the oven. I finally got “finishing” sea salt so you can see the salt, which I really like. They still taste pretty much, ballin’, a favorite of friends and family. But if I were to have a bakery, I’d need to figure out how to make these better before putting them behind glass and asking people to pay for them. 

Filed under chocolate chip cookies sea salt baking ice cream sandwiches sweets sugar

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Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt: A Recipe

Ingredients (yields 2 dozen cookies)

  • 1 cup flour (I used 100% white whole wheat flour.. it’s from Trader Joe’s, and my recipe is based off of the one on the side of the bag)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter (of course at room temperature… I usually cube mine first, too)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon into a medium bowl, set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer and big bowl, combine butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla to your butter/sugar mixture. 

Slowly add in your dry mixture. Fold or mix in chocolate chips. Go ahead, taste some cookie dough.

Stop eating raw cookie dough. Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I usually use ice cream scoops to make cookies. Slightly smoosh the balls of cookie dough with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle pinches of sea salt onto each cookie (to taste). 

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. If you forget you put a second batch in the oven, and your oven is like mine, and the heat is significantly different on different racks, you’ll have some perfectly soft cookies (my favorite) and some equally delicious cookies with a nice crunch.

Enjoy!

Filed under baking chocolate chip cookies sea salt sugar recipe sweets

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Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt (recipe here) I’ve been on a salt kick lately. It’s just so good. What it does to enhance flavors makes such simple bites taste so yummy, making me crave more. Or maybe I just want more salt. Sprinkle it on avocados, cantaloupe, bread and butter, or fresh mozzarella with some tomatoes basil and oil. I just want an excuse to put salt on something.  I was feeling a bit down the other day and I saw a post of one of my new favorite blog’s A Beautiful Mess for Dark Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt Cookie recipe and I thought to myself, I should make that! So I didn’t actually use their recipe, which was a nod to a Martha Stewart recipe, but I used my own, which is a nod to a Trader Joe’s recipe on the side of the flour bag.  It helped get me out of my funk for the time being as well as fulfill some more of my salt craving. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt (recipe here)

I’ve been on a salt kick lately. It’s just so good. What it does to enhance flavors makes such simple bites taste so yummy, making me crave more. Or maybe I just want more salt. Sprinkle it on avocados, cantaloupe, bread and butter, or fresh mozzarella with some tomatoes basil and oil. I just want an excuse to put salt on something. 

I was feeling a bit down the other day and I saw a post of one of my new favorite blog’s A Beautiful Mess for Dark Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt Cookie recipe and I thought to myself, I should make that! So I didn’t actually use their recipe, which was a nod to a Martha Stewart recipe, but I used my own, which is a nod to a Trader Joe’s recipe on the side of the flour bag. 

It helped get me out of my funk for the time being as well as fulfill some more of my salt craving. 

Filed under cookies sea salt salt baking chocolate chip a beautiful mess recipe

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These are some of my goodbye cards (SPOILER ALERT… here’s the really big thing that I mentioned a while ago) from my school…

Yes, I resigned from my teaching job. I actually notified the school a couple of months ago, but last Friday was the last day of school year (before they go back in 2 and 1/2 weeks) and therefore my official last day. The week before, the students and teachers in the Middle School division had a goodbye party for me and it was so wonderful. They gave me presents and we sang the most perfect goodbye song and some of the kids got up on the microphone and gave me mini speeches. There was a lot of hugs and cupcakes. Of course I cried a lot, and I cried last Friday. I’m a big crier, if you don’t know me. It was a very bittersweet, goodbye… really, it was more of a “see you later” because Tyler still works there and I still live close, so obviously I’m going to visit, but I’m still allowed to be sad… “Why cry about leaving a stressful and tiring job to take some time and explore what else is out there for Cora?” you ask? Well for one, on top of the stress, or maybe next to it, the job can be rewarding, the community is phenomenal, the students and staff work so hard, I got to (or had to) be creative, all the time… it’s a very special place. And it’s been the biggest part of my life for the last 3 and a half years. And I left it.  

Filed under school related cupcakes cookies baking big changes