levain cookies

Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" TV show was on the other day & I was barely paying attention until I heard the words "Levain" and "cookie." I have talked about those heavenly cookies here before while visiting NYC. Not exaggerating, they are the best cookie of my life. So of course the only thing to do is to attempt recreate them. 

I used this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. The dough is actually very simple to make - you just form them into huge balls and bake them (I actually froze some dough balls for later... which was a smart move, because after one of these cookies you'll be stuffed). They were so good, especially right out of the oven. If I can't have the real Levain cookies, this is definitely the next best thing! Make them on a rainy day and you won't regret it. 

ina's mocha chocolate icebox cake

breakthrough. I think I may have just improved an ina recipe. yes, the food goddess, ina garten. how arrogant is that? she's got this delicious recipe for a mocha chocolate icebox cake, but you see, it calls for layering in box cookies. now I'm sure that these $8 tate's cookies that she calls for in her recipe are tasty. however, as a lover of cookie cakes (that place in the mall is the best), I thought it would be better to give this cake a soft cookie crust bottom. so if you ever decide to make ina's cake (which is surprisingly easy), I highly recommend switching it up & giving this method a try. because I'm no ina, but I do know a good cookie cake when I meet one, and this is a winner. and a happy mother's day to my mom & grammie, who also agreed.

 {make cookie dough -I used a bag mix *gasp*-  & spread into bottom of spring-form pan}

 {bake it for about 15 minutes}

  {let the cookie cool & make the mocha topping. spread on top of cookie. let chill overnight}

  {chop up some chocolate shavings for the top to hide any imperfections}

{cut a big slice because if not, you'll have to go back for seconds}

lemon icebox cookies

for those of you with an overabundant supply of lemons from lemon trees this season, this martha recipe is a very easy & tasty cookie recipe. I used meyer lemons, but any lemon will do. and the best part is, you have to freeze the dough, so you can make it a month ahead & have it ready to go when your sweet tooth calls or when guests pop by.

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, salt, and lemon zest until combined. Add butter and process until sandy. Add egg yolks and lemon juice; pulse until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each into a 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 1 month).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spread granulated sugar on a piece of parchment; roll logs over sugar to coat. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

linzer cookies

one of our neighbors, gisela, is this sweet little german lady with the coolest accent (think a grandma heidi klum). she just retired, so I wanted to take a little something over to congratulate her. but the problem is... she is an incredible baker & I highly doubted there was any way I could impress her with my mediocre american baking skills.

but as I was looking through around online & in my baking books, I came across this recipe for raspberry linzer cookies, which is a version of the very famous austrian dessert, the linzer torte (& heck, austria & germany are practically the same, right? right?). I've always thought linzer cookies were beautiful, so this was the perfect opportunity to make them.

they were quite a bit of work, I must confess, but they turned out really beautiful & delicious. gisela appreciated the fact that I made something from her home country.
if you would like to give the cookies a try, I basically used this recipe. the dough is the trickiest part - it's hard to roll because it crumbles easily. but in the end, it was worth the effort.

snowflake sugar cookies

I made & decorated some sugar cookies for a work party last week & they got such great reviews, I thought I'd share. I recommend making the cookie dough a few days in advance, only because it will make the whole process feel like a lot less work! I use this recipe for the dough and this recipe for the royal icing. 

{snowflake cookie cutter found at michaels, which robert said looked like phallic symbols. I must agree}

{roll out dough & cut cookies. work fast, the dough must be cold}

{using an offset spatula, spread royal icing on the cooled cookies. you can also outline them first with icing in a bottle & then fill, if you are patient enough- obviously, I wasn't}

{decorate with sprinkles and nonpareils}

mint chocolate chip cookies

I made & packaged these mint chocolate chip cookies for some friends & they all said they really enjoyed them. I just used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe & substituted the plain chocolate chips for a bag of mint chocolate chips. to me, nothing beats an original chocolate chip cookie; but these were a nice change.

XV in savannah

our good friends celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in savannah this weekend. we had a wonderful time celebrating with them & their friends & family.  the theme was XV, the roman numeral for fifteen (and their last name also happens to start with "x"). I made some desserts for the party on friday- vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting & "anniversary" sugar cookies (that I didn't have enough time to decorate how I had planned). cupcake flag template from martha found here, & then I just customized them in photoshop.

chocolate crinkle cookies

a few nights ago, robert made a delicious dinner, so I felt the need to keep up the quality with a homemade desert. I've had this recipe forever, but probably haven't made them since college: chocolate crinkle cookies. they're a little crispy around the edges and oh-so-soft in the center. I made a batch & froze the rest for a later occasion... like tonight.

chocolate crinkle cookies

ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours (or freezer for 1 hour if you're like me & can't wait that long!)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls (using a spoon helps). Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.