Winner of King Arthur’s 2024 Recipe of the Year, these Supersized Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ideal choice to celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Who knew there was such a thing??!!
These cookies are jumbo, very soft, and very buttery with notes of caramel due to the browning of the butter. Filled with chunks of dark chocolate, they will satisfy anyone’s CCC craving!
These cookies are very complex in taste but also very easy to make. There are a few additional steps that aren’t typical for a chocolate chip cookie but help create the most amazing cookies.
The first is that we’re using only brown sugar for a richer flavor. We are also going to brown the butter. This will enhance the caramel flavor of the brown sugar. I like using light brown sugar as the dark brown will create too much of a molasses flavor.
Once the butter is browned, add it to the brown sugar and salt to create a crumbly mixture.
Next, we make a tangzhong starter. This is something often used when making bread, especially milk bread. It’s similar to a roux (butter and flour paste) except we’re using whole milk and flour. For the cookies, it will help to give them height and softness.
Heat the milk and flour together to create a paste and then add to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Keep stirring as the tangzhong will melt the brown sugar and it will become like caramel.
Add the cold eggs and vanilla and finally the flour, baking soda and baking powder. The cold eggs will cool down the hot butter/sugar mixture.
Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk until the flour is absorbed completely.
The dough is very soft so we’re going to put it in the refrigerator to firm up while we chop the chocolate.
Add the chocolate chunks in and place the bowl back in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days to allow the flavors to intensify.
Scoop the dough into large balls (usually 2.25-inch diameter is best). You should only fit about 5 on each sheet so that they don’t touch when they spread out.
Bake for about 20 minutes, let cool for 15 minutes and then dig into the best chocolate chip cookies EVER!!!
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Supersized Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: 16 cookies
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Bake Time: 15-22 minutes per sheet
Total Time: 1 hour plus chill time 24 hours
Ingredients
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 & 3/4 cups (330g) unbleached bread flour, divided
- 2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate, preferably 60% to 65% cocoa content (use chopped wafers or bars for best results; if using chocolate chips, chop them roughly before incorporating)
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
To brown the butter, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. After several minutes, the butter will sizzle and may spatter. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan regularly, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s a dark golden brown color and brown bits start collecting at the bottom of the pan; the butter will have stopped sizzling and may also have a layer of foam on the surface.
Once the butter is browned, immediately pour it over the sugar mixture (be sure to scrape out the brown bits at the bottom) and whisk vigorously to combine; this helps dissolve the sugar slightly and creates the shiny surface of the baked cookies. (The mixture will stay lumpy and won’t become smooth at this point.) Set the empty saucepan aside to cool slightly.
To make the tangzhong, in the same saucepan used to brown the butter, combine the milk with 3 tablespoons of the bread flour and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly with a whisk and then a flexible spatula, until it’s thickened, paste-like, and starts to come together into one mass, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer directly to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Whisk until mostly smooth; some lumps of the tangzhong mixture are ok.
Add the eggs and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth.
Weigh or measure the remaining 2 & 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon bread flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the bread flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar, then add the baking powder and baking soda. Using a whisk or flexible spatula, stir until well combined and no dry spots remain.
Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. While the batter is cooling, use a serrated knife to roughly chop the chocolate into coarse pieces. Avoid chopping the chocolate too fine, as small pieces will melt when mixed into the dough.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and return to the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours to allow the flavors to intensify.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to warm up slightly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
Scoop the dough into 85- to 90-gram portions; a level scone and muffin scoop works well here. If you’re scooping by hand, the mounds of dough should be about 2 & 1/4″ in diameter. To make smaller cookies (that are still generous in size), scoop the dough into 50g portions using a jumbo cookie scoop.
Arrange the scooped cookie dough on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 3″ to 4″ apart. (Five dough balls fit perfectly on a half-sheet pan. The 90g cookies can be arranged in a 2-1-2 pattern; the 50g cookies can be arranged in a slightly staggered 4 x 2 pattern.) For consistently shaped cookies, roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball before baking.
Bake the large (90g) chocolate chip cookies for 18 to 22 minutes or the smaller (50g) cookies for 15 to 18 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies are browned, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure even browning. (For best results, bake one pan of cookies at a time.) Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheets until cool enough to handle, at least 15 minutes.
Storage information: Store leftover chocolate chip cookies, covered, for up to 5 days; their slightly crispy edges will soften and the cookies will maintain a soft texture. Freeze baked cookies for longer storage.
Chef’s Notes:
Use chopped wafers or bars for best results; if using chocolate chips, chop them roughly before incorporating.
To avoid scooping chilled (relatively hard) cookie dough, scoop the dough after about 1 to 2 hours of chilling and then return to the refrigerator to continue chilling for 24 to 72 hours. Follow the recipe as otherwise written.
For a more complex, less sweet flavor: Replace up to 1 cup (170g) semisweet chocolate with bittersweet chocolate (between 70% to 75% cocoa content).
To bake immediately (no overnight rest): Prepare the recipe as written through chopping the chocolate. Prepare a 9″ x 13″ pan with a parchment paper sling; lightly grease the shorter, exposed sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Fold in the chopped chocolate, and then immediately transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 350°F for 34 to 38 minutes, until well-browned and set. A toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs but no raw batter. Cool the cookie bars completely before using the sling to remove them from the pan and slicing.
Recipe by King Arthur Baking Company
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies are, well, perfect! Made in a saucepan (yes, I know, weird but cool), the deep flavors of butter and brown sugar flow through each bite. Studded with dark chocolate chunks and chips, they are delicious and riddled with chocolate. Could we ask for anything more? I don’t think so!
Begin by melting butter in a saucepan and adding the sugars. It will begin as a grainy mixture but as the butter melts the sugar, it will become more like caramel. Set it aside to cool before adding the eggs.
Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients and when the dough is no longer warm, add the chocolate chunks.
Chill for 30 minutes and then use a scoop to make balls of dough.
Add a few extra chocolate chips to the top of each ball and bake until golden brown in color. Once out of the oven, you can use a spatula, if desired, to form into perfect circles, or not. It’s up to you. I like a more rustic look, so I left them unformed.
Enjoy these delicious snacks!
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Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 8 minutes per sheet
Total Time: 30 minutes plus chill time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 & 3/4 to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and let it completely melt. Once the butter is completely melted (see notes if you would like to brown the butter), remove from heat and add sugars and whisk together until completely smooth and no longer grainy at all. It should look smooth like dark caramel. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to allow to come to room temperature before adding the eggs.
Stir in vanilla extract and eggs and mix until it is completely combined.
Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined. Check to make sure the cookie dough isn’t too warm before adding the chocolate. If the cookie dough is too warm, it will melt the chocolate. If it is warm at all, I suggest covering the pan and placing it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and fold in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. You can chill for 24-48 hours if you prefer. If you chill the dough for 24 hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour (to make it easier to scoop and to be less crumbly).
Preheat oven to 375°F. Use a cookie scoop and place 3-ounce chocolate chip cookie balls on light-colored baking sheets. The dough may be slightly difficult to scoop so I suggest using a cookie scoop. Roll into balls (make sure they look smooth) and press several chocolate chips or chunks on the top of each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until a light golden color. Do not over-bake! The cookies will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet once removed from the oven.
Form and shape your cookies after baking. After removing from the oven, take a spatula and press the edges toward the center to form a perfect circle, or take a glass slightly larger than the cookie and place it on the top of each cookie and just move it around the cookie until a perfectly round circle is formed.
Chef’s Note:
To brown the butter, melt butter over medium-low heat. The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan. Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow.elt butter over medium-low heat. The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan. Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow.
The butter will begin to foam and this is why it is important to stir often so you can see what is going on below the foam. Small brown bits will begin to form and that will be a signal that the butter is officially browned. Butter can burn quickly so watch carefully. It is better to pull off of the heat a little early instead of browning too long and risk burning it.
Recipe from Modern Honey
This is a big claim, but Better than Crumbl’s Mom’s Recipe Cookies are just that…better than the original. Many of you know Crumbl cookies. If you happen to live in a community that has these bakeries, you are in for a joyous visit every time you go there.
They rotate the flavor so you don’t often get “Mom’s Recipe” cookies anymore, but they could almost be called “kitchen sink” cookies because they’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in them! (That’s a weird old saying, btw, in case you didn’t know that!) Dark chocolate chips, oats, peanut butter chips, toffee bits…all the goodies are in these bad boys. Sprinkled with flaky sea salt, these will rank with the best cookies EVER!
I love that there isn’t a mixer involved in this recipe. Just combine the very soft butter, sugars and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir until creamy and well-combined.
Add the egg, followed by the baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the flour and oats.
Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and toffee bits. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes and then scoop balls of dough onto the pan.
Bake until medium golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Your mouth is going to say “Wow”!
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Better Than Crumbl’s Mom’s Recipe Cookies
Makes: 20 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup very soft unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for garnish, if desired
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips plus more for garnish, if desired
- 1/2 cup toffee bits plus more for garnish, if desired
- flaky sea salt for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Set aside.
In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, combine the very soft butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla. Stir until creamy and well-combined.
Add the egg and stir again until light and fluffy. Add the baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir until incorporated.
Mix in the flour then the oats and stir to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and there are no pockets of flour or oats.
Lastly stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and toffee bits. The dough will be stiff but keep working it until all the chips and bits are nicely distributed. Refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes. (This short chill time will help the dough from spreading a lot in the oven.)
Using a retractable scooper or a spoon, scoop up the cookies onto the prepared sheet pans. (I use a 3-tablespoon scoop for medium large cookies – you can go larger or smaller to your preference.)
Bake for 14-18 minutes or until medium golden brown.
Optional – Sometimes cookies will spread in the oven and get irregular in shape. I like to check these cookies at right around 12 minutes. If they’ve spread and/or aren’t nice and round, I use a metal spatula to push any irregular shaped cookies back into a nice round circle. This is also the time you can add a few extra chips and toffee bits to the top of the cookies for a pretty garnish. Then return the cookies to the oven to finish baking.
Sprinkle the cookies immediately with a bit of flaky sea salt, if desired then allow them to cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Store the cookies in an airtight container when completely cooled. These cookies can also be frozen after baking and cooling. Thaw completely before serving. You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls and bake them directly from the freezer, giving them a few extra minutes in the oven.
Recipe by The Cafe Sucre Farine
If you are a lover of thin crispy chocolate chip cookies, then these are for you!
Do you love Tate’s cookies? The thin, crispy ones in the green bag? If you answered yes, then this recipe is going to wow you. Using high butterfat butter, every batch bakes up crispy and golden. So, give these a try to round out your chocolate chip cookie repertoire!
In a large mixer bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the cold cubed butter and mix on low speed for a couple of minutes until the butter is broken down and resembles wet sand.
Add the eggs and vanilla and finally mix in the chocolate chips. You’ll notice that my chocolate chips have a white coating on them. This happens if there is a temperature fluctuation. They are perfectly fine and will melt nicely into the cookies, without any white “bloom” on them. In case you were wondering…
Place small scoops of dough onto a cookie sheet, top with a few extra chocolate chips and bake for 15 minutes per sheet.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cool completely on the pan.
Enjoy the crunch!
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Thin Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: 36 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes per sheet
Total Time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup extra creamy (82% butterfat) salted butter, cold and cubed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Topping:
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- flaky salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl. Mix on low speed for 1 minute to combine. Add cold cubed butter to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, until butter is broken down into small pieces and the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
Add eggs and vanilla to mixer bowl. Mix on low speed for 20 seconds, just until combined. Scrape down the paddle attachment and mixer bowl with a silicone spatula. Add chocolate chips and mix on low speed for 10 seconds, just until incorporated (do not over-mix dough).
Use a medium cookie scoop coated lightly with nonstick spray to form 1 & 1/2-inch balls of dough (approximately 28 grams each). Place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 9 balls of dough per baking sheet. Top cookies with chocolate chips (4 to 5 per cookie), pressing gently to adhere.
Bake cookies for 14 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown. Sprinkle tops with flaky salt and cool cookies completely on baking sheets (do not remove until sheets feel cool to the touch).
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Recipe from Tutti-Dolci
Sunflower Sugar Cookies are a gorgeous and delicious cookie meant to brighten up your day! They are perfect to adorn on any cake but in particular, this Sunflower Lemon Layer Cake.
These cookies start with my Perfect Iced Sugar Cookie Recipe and then, with some jimmies and a piping bag & tip, are transformed into these happy sunflowers!
These cookies will make everyone very happy!
Start by making a batch of Perfect Iced Sugar Cookies and cutting them into flower shapes (or scallops).
Once baked and cooled, make the buttercream by mixing unsalted and salted butter in a mixer on high speed until the butter becomes light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar followed by the milk and vanilla. Beat until it’s the consistency of peanut butter, adding more milk if necessary.
With about 1/2 cup of frosting, tint it dark brown or black. The remainder of the frosting will be tinted yellow.
Using tip #4 and a pastry bag, pipe a large circle in the middle of the cookie and then fill it with frosting. Add black or brown jimmies to the middle and press to adhere.
Use the yellow frosting with tip #352 to pipe 2 rows of petals going around the circle. Repeat this for all the remaining cookies.
Set aside to firm up.
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Sunflower Sugar Cookies
Makes: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1-3 tbsp whole milk
- yellow, brown gel food dye
- brown or black jimmies
Instructions
Make the cookies per the recipe and roll it to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into different sizes of flowers or scallops
Buttercream:
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the room temperature salted and unsalted butter and mix on high until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar little by little. Add in the vanilla extract and milk about halfway through adding the sugar to help the frosting come together. Start with one tablespoon of milk and work up to three if needed, depending on the consistency you want. I like to aim for a peanut butter consistency or thinner.
Pull out a half cup of buttercream and dye it brown or black. Color the remaining buttercream yellow.
Place the tip #352 into an icing bag and fill it with the yellow buttercream. Place tip #4 into the other icing bag and fill one with the brown buttercream.
Decorating the Buttercream Sunflower Cookies:
Draw a circle in the middle of the cookie with the brown frosting. You want this to be fairly big, as sunflowers have a big seed area. Then, fill in the circle a bit. Do this step for all of the cookies. Add brown or black jimmies to the brown circle of buttercream, gently pressing to adhere.
Use the yellow bag of frosting with the 352 tip attached to pipe two rows of petals going around the circle. Repeat this step for all of the cookies.
Let set at room temperature.
Chef’s Note:
This frosting will not get firm but will develop a thin crust over it.
If you’ve ever had Matzah Crack, then you know that Sweet and Salty Matzah Crunch is an over-the-top version. If you didn’t think it could get any better, think again!
A yummy caramel sauce is poured over matzah squares, baked and then topped with swirled melted chocolate, roasted salted almonds, toasted coconut flakes and flaky sea salt. Hmmm…gotta try it!
Spread out matzah in a sheet pan that’s been covered with aluminum foil and a sheet of parchment. Do NOT skip this step…you will probably decide to throw the pan out rather than attempt to clean it if you don’t cover it in foil! And you will hate me! Foil, it is!
In a saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Once melted, stir until the sauce comes together. At first it will separate and look awful. Keep stirring until it comes together. This will take a few minutes. When you feel it’s done, be sure that the sugar is all melted. Nothing worse than making this and having the sugar crystallize.
Pour the caramel sauce over the matzah and bake for about 10 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes and then spread melted milk chocolate over the top. Drop dollops of white and bittersweet chocolate over the milk chocolate and use a skewer or toothpick to swirl the chocolates together,
Sprinkle the nuts, toasted coconut and sea salt over the top and refrigerate for a few hours until it’s firm.
Cut into squares when you are ready to serve it! Enjoy!
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Sweet and Salty Matzah Crunch
Makes: 18 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes plus chill time 2 hours
Ingredients
- 4 pieces matzah
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 12 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 ounces (2/3 cup) roasted salted almonds, coarsely chopped or left whole
- 1 & 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) toasted shredded coconut or coconut flakes
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt (I used Maldon)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Cover an 18×13 inch rimmed cookie sheet with foil and then cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper. Do not leave this step out or you will be cursing me when it comes time to cleanup! Cover the parchment paper evenly with the matzah. You will have to trim some of the matzah with a sharp knife to make it fit into a flat even layer. You will have some matzah scraps leftover. Slather the scraps with salted butter and jam and eat.
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring every minute or so with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. This will take about 2-4 minutes. At one point it will look like the butter is separating from the sugar and it will appear to be an oily mess. Just keep stirring, it will come together again. Once mixture comes to a boil, switch to a whisk and whisk vigorously for another two to three minutes. Be sure the sugar has melted completely. Carefully pour caramel onto matzahh. Using an offset metal spatula, spread it out into an even layer.
Place baking sheet into oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes until the caramel topping is golden brown and bubbling.
While caramel is baking, place milk chocolate in a glass bowl and melt in microwave on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir and melt for a further 10-20 seconds if not completely melted. There may be a few lumps, just stir and let sit for a few minutes to completely melt.
Repeat melting with white and bittersweet chocolate.
Remove caramel-covered matzah from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Pour milk chocolate over the matzah and smooth it out into an even layer with an offset spatula.
Drizzle the white and bittersweet chocolate over the milk chocolate. Using a wooden skewer or the tip of a paring knife, swirl the wet chocolate to make a marbled design.
While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with almonds, coconut and sea salt. Chill pan for several hours until chocolate is firm. Peel off foil and parchment paper and place marble matzah crunch on a large cutting board. Using a very large sharp knife, cut matzah into large squares. For an 18×13 inch pan, I usually get about 18 pieces. Store matzah crunch in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps well for about 2 weeks. That is, if no one else in the house knows it’s there!
Recipe from Salt & Serenity
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies are a wonderful special treat! Very easy to make and so delicious with a crunchy crackly exterior and a soft melty interior, studded with mini chocolate chips. What could be better?!
People will say that they don’t make meringues. They think they are too difficult. Well, I’m here to tell you that they are simple to make and the only reason you shouldn’t make them is if it’s extremely humid out (the meringue will sweat and become chewy if it’s too humid).
Begin by whipping the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer until medium peaks form. Gradually add half of the sugar and continue to beat. Add the vanilla and vinegar along with the rest of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the mini chocolate chips,.
Drop teaspoons of meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meringues sit for 30 minutes in the oven. This is important to keep the meringues from cracking. When cold air hits the baked meringues it will crack them. Even if that happens, they will still be very tasty!
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely.
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Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Makes: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes plus cooling time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup (6 ounces) mini chocolate chips, plus extras for garnish (if desired)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place egg whites in bowl of stand mixer. Add salt and beat until medium peaks are formed, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Add vanilla and vinegar; continue beating. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating on medium high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes total.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop teaspoons of meringue on cookie sheets. If desired, add a few chocolate chips to the top of each macaroon. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven off and let meringues sit in oven another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on sheet pans set on wire racks.
Store in air-tight containers. Do not refrigerate.
Chef’s Note:
Don’t ever make meringues on a humid day! They will “weep” and be gooey. Instead, they should be crisp and chewy in the inside.
The festive Jewish holiday of Purim wouldn’t be the same without the traditional sweet cookie known as Hamantaschen. These delicious triangle-shaped filled cookies are easy to make and so fun to fill. The shortbread cookie is buttery and tender, not moist, not dry…just right!
Purim is a holiday that celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from oppression in Persia. The main villain in the story is an official of the regime named Haman. He wore a triangular-shaped hat which is why we poke fun at him and his defeat by making the cookies into triangles. They are not only delicious but meaningful as well!
For the shortbread dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, softened butter, egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla in a bowl. Use your hands to mix it all together incorporating the butter. Try not to overmix it.
Roll the dough and cut out 3-inch circles. Place a dollop of your filling in the middle of the circle (I used Nutella and raspberry jam…not together, but in separate cookies).
Brush the outer 1/2-inch of the circle with egg white and seal the top of the circle together. Seal the bottom two edges of the circle together, forming a triangle. Place them on a cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until you preheat the oven.
Bake the hamantaschen until just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack. Let cool completely and sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.
If you want, you can add extra filling to the opening of each cookie. I used a pastry bag with 1/4-inch snipped off the end.
As well, if you use strawberry or raspberry jam as your filling, you can brush a little egg white along the top edge of the oping and sprinkle with pink coarse sugar. It just gives it a festive look!
One issue that can happen when baking hamantaschen is that they open up during baking.
First, this is very common and happens all the time. It is a problem if all or most of the cookies open up. Here are some reasons and tips on how to avoid it:
- Too much filling. Add less than you want. For a 3-inch circle, use about one teaspoon of filling, the size of a Hersey’s Kiss (also a great filling), or three chocolate chips. I always use a piping bag to refill the cookies after baking.
- Brush the dough with egg white or water before shaping the dough. This is kind of “gluing the cookies.”
- Freeze or refrigerate the dough for about 30-60 minutes before baking. This way, the cookies will be set before they spread and open.
- The dough is too thick. Roll the dough no thicker than 1/4 inch (I prefer the dough to be 1/8-inch thick).
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Hamantaschen
Makes: 32 medium hamantaschen
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes per sheet
Total Time: 1 hour & 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (225g)
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 4 tbsp sour cream (60g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup Nutella, poppy seeds filling, or jam for filling
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
Line two cookie pans with parchment paper.
Place all ingredients, except Nutella and powdered sugar, in a big bowl and mix with your hands until a dough is formed. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into four pieces.
Flour the surface of your work area and roll each piece 1/8-inch thick.Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles.
Mount the center of each circle with one teaspoon of the filling. Use the egg whites and brush some around the edges of the cut circles. Form a triangle by lifting each circle with your index fingers and pinching the corner where the dough meets. Repeat with the other two corners.
Place the shaped cookies over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer for 20-30 minutes while the oven is heating. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just starting to brown along the edges. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack.
Let cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops and , if desired, place a bit of filling into a piping bag, snip off 1/4-inch of the bag and fill the opening a little fuller.
Chef’s Note:
If using jam, I like to run a little of the egg white over the opening edge and sprinkle some pink coarse sugar over to give it a festive look (see blog post).
There will be lots of pastry dough left over from when you cut the circles. You can gather it together and re-roll it to make more cookies, but the dough may become a little overworked and crack. My raspberry hamantaschen in my blog are the result of overworking the dough. They still taste great, but don’t look quite as pretty. I just hated to waste all of that dough!
Recipe adapted from One Sarcastic Baker
Valentine’s Day Shortbread Cookies are a simple way to say “I love you”! These cookies are so tasty and so very easy to make. They come together in no time and the kiddos will have a blast decorating them!
This is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe (one of my faves!) so you don’t have to dirty up extra dishes. The dough comes together in about 5 minutes and it doesn’t need to be chilled before rolling (after rolling, I like to chill for an hour or so) and you can re-roll the extra bits after cutting the cookies without any discernible changes in the taste or texture. The cookies don’t spread in the oven so they keep their shape and don’t need extra space between them on the baking sheet. All-in-all, it’s a very amazing recipe!
Stir the butter until it’s smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and make sure it’s incorporated in the butter. Finally, add the flour and corn starch. The dough will be shaggy but you will gather it together, turn it onto a work surface and knead it a few times until it comes together.
Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and use a round or heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. You can use different size cutters, too! Place them on the baking sheet and refrigerate for an hour. Bake for 12-14 minutes per sheet and then let cool.
To make the frosting, use a stand mixer and add the butter. Beat until it is light and creamy and then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and salt. Continue to beat until frosting is whipped and fluffy.
Divide it into 3 or 4 bowls, depending on how many colors you want and add gel food coloring to each bow and mix. Using different tips, pipe frosting onto cooled cookies.
Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Valentine’s Day Shortbread Cookies
Makes: 24 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 12-14 minutes per sheet
Total Time: 1 hour plus 1 hour chill time
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, very soft
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk or heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- red, pink, purple gel food coloring
Instructions
Cookies:
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place soft butter in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until nice and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together by hand for about 30 seconds until well blended. Add the flour and cornstarch. Stir until dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. The dough will be a little shaggy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a ball. Knead 5-6 times until fairly smooth and all the small pieces are worked in. Form into a ball again and flatten with your hand to form a flat disk.
Turn the disk to coat both sides with flour. Roll out the dough to an approximate ¼-inch thickness. Keep work surface, dough and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour.
With a round cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and transfer to them to the prepared pans with a thin, metal spatula. Re-roll scraps as many times as needed to use up the dough.
Place cutouts in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Repeat with the second pan of cutouts. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
For the Frosting:
With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes.
With the mixer on low, add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated.
Divide frosting into 3 bowls and add food coloring as desired to create three different colors. Using a variety of tips and piping bags, decorate cooled cookies. Have fun with this!
For a special dessert without a lot of fuss (maybe for Valentine’s Day?), try Vietnamese Espresso Profiteroles. The light and airy profiteroles are filled with Vietnamese Espresso Ice Cream and topped with spicy ganache to make an absolutely delicious treat!
I can feel some of my awesome readers rolling their eyes when I say “not a lot of fuss” but it’s kinda true! The profiteroles are so easy to make, the ice cream is made a day ahead along with the ganache, and all that’s left to do is fill them. A fun treat is to bring them empty, but sliced, and let your guests fill them and top them how they like.
There are great hacks like not bothering to make the ice cream and using a great store-bought gelato or ice cream. Same with the sauce…you don’t have to make the ganache. Store-bought fudge or caramel sauce works beautifully! But, you do have to make the profiteroles, so let’s get going!
To make the profiteroles, heat the butter, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan until the butter is melted. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully incorporated into the liquid. Keep stirring vigorously until the batter starts to stiffen up and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan.
Place the dough in a stand mixer and mix for a minute or so to release some of the steam and add cracked eggs to the dough. Turn the mixer to medium until the dough is glossy and soft.
Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch open tip and pipe rounds onto a sheet pan. Bake for about 15 minutes and then lower the heat. Continue baking while rotating the pans for another 20-30 minutes until the puffs are entirely golden brown.
Let the puffs cool completely on the baking sheets.
Meanwhile, make the ganache and allow ice cream to soften slightly.
To assemble, split the cooled profiteroles in half horizontally. Place a large scoop of ice cream on the bottom of each half. Place the top half of the puff over the ice cream and drizzle warm spicy ganache on top. Serve immediately!
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Vietnamese Espresso Profiteroles
Makes: about 20 profiteroles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour plus freezer time (make ice cream a day ahead)
Ingredients
- Vietnamese Espresso Ice Cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (150 grams)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- Spicy Ganache, warmed
Instructions
Make the ice cream and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to assemble the profiteroles.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and place racks in the center and bottom third of the oven. Butter two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup (240 grams) water over medium heat until the butter is melted. Do not let the mixture come to a boil or the water will evaporate. Add the flour all at once and use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the liquid until it is fully incorporated. The mixture will look like a stiff pancake batter. Keep stirring vigorously over medium heat and the mixture will slowly start to get stiffer and look more like loose dough and less like batter. It will lose its shine and become more matte as well. Stir continuously for 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough starts to leave a film on the bottom of the pan.
Remove the dough from the heat and place it in a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, mix the dough for 1 minute on medium-low speed (this will allow some of the steam to escape and the dough will cool slightly).
Crack the eggs into a small pitcher and whisk to break up the yolks. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add the eggs to the dough. When the eggs are all added, turn the mixer up the medium and beat for about 45 seconds until the dough is glossy and shiny and soft like gluey mashed potatoes.
Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip or cut the corner so that the hole is about 1 inch in diameter. Pipe out round puffs onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches in diameter, spacing the puffs a few inches away from each other.
Place the baking sheets in the oven, one on each rack. The heat of the oven will immediately start turning the liquid in the dough into steam and it will cause the puffs to inflate.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the puffs have expanded and have started to turn golden brown, then turn the oven down to 325°F. Continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheets and switching their positions after 10 to 15 minutes, until the puffs are entirely golden brown like honey.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets on a wire rack. (At this point the unfilled puffs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Refresh in a 325°F oven for 5 to 6 minutes if at room temperature, 8 to 10 minutes if frozen, the let cool again before continuing.)
While the puffs are baking and cooling, make the ganache. If it has been refrigerated, melt it before using by placing it in a metal or heatproof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water and stirring until warm and melted.
If the ice cream is too hard to scoop, remove it from the freezer 10 minutes before assembling.
To assemble, split the cooled puffs in half horizontally. Using a 1/2-cup ice cream scoop or measure, place a large scoop of ice cream on the bottom half of each puff. Top with the top half and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the warm ganache on top. Serve immediately.
Recipe from Pastry Love