Posts tagged bars & cookies
salted caramel + chocolate chip cookies

classics are classics for a reason.

when i worked in fashion, no matter what we made, the best colors were always black, white and grey. it never mattered how pretty the red or purple was, the people always wanted black.

and cookies and cake seem to be no different. no matter how creative my flavors or designs are, chocolate chip is always a winning cookie and chocolate is by far my best selling cake.

they are classics. and while i don’t believe in messing much with classics, i do think there is a little bit of wiggle room for improvement.

and a sure fire way to improve upon any tasty dessert is with salted caramel. that little extra dose of deliciousness takes the classic chocolate chip to the next level.

salted caramel + chocolate chip cookies

serves: 24-36 cookies (dependent on the size of your cookies)

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

bake time: 12-18 minutes (again dependent on the size of your cookies)

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 2 cups + 2 tbs all purpose flour. 2 tsp corn starch. .5 tsp baking soda. .5 tsp salt. 6 oz melted butter, cooled to room temperature. 1 cup brown sugar. .5 cup sugar. 2 eggs. 2 tsp vanilla extract. .5 cup salted caramel. 1 cup rolled oats. 1.5 cup chocolate chips. parchment paper. baking sheet.

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start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees f. in a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine both of your sugars and the butter.

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mix until well combined.

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add in your vanilla extract and your eggs, one at a time. when all the wet ingredients are combined.

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add in your dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix until just combined.

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add in the oats, chocolate chips and the caramel and mix until just combined.

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allow your dough to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes so it is much easier to work with.

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when you are ready to bake, spoon your dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. bake the cookies for 12-18 minutes. this is very dependent on the size of your cookies. I went for a larger cookie so i baked for the full 18 minutes. my husband usually makes a smaller cookie and he bakes for 12-14 minutes and starts checking them to make sure everything is going well at about 10 minutes.

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once the cookies are slightly browned on the edges but not crispy on top, remove them from the oven. allow them to cool slightly and then place them on a rack to fully cool. enjoy warm or at room temperature and you can store them in a tin or something airtight for up to 5 days. if they last that long.

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xo, a

salted caramel + chocolate chip cookies

serves: 24-36 cookies (dependent on the size of your cookies)

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

bake time: 12-18 minutes (again dependent on the size of your cookies)

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 2 cups + 2 tbs all purpose flour. 2 tsp corn starch. .5 tsp baking soda. .5 tsp salt. 6 oz melted butter, cooled to room temperature. 1 cup brown sugar. .5 cup sugar. 2 eggs. 2 tsp vanilla extract. .5 cup salted caramel. 1 cup rolled oats. 1.5 cup chocolate chips. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees f. in a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine both of your sugars and the butter. mix until well combined. add in your vanilla extract and your eggs, one at a time. when all the wet ingredients are combined. add in your dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix until just combined. add in the oats, chocolate chips and the caramel and mix until just combined. allow your dough to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes so it is much easier to work with. when you are ready to bake, spoon your dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. bake the cookies for 12-18 minutes. this is very dependent on the size of your cookies. I went for a larger cookie so i baked for the full 18 minutes. my husband usually makes a smaller cookie and he bakes for 12-14 minutes and starts checking them to make sure everything is going well at about 10 minutes. once the cookies are slightly browned on the edges but not crispy on top, remove them from the oven. allow them to cool slightly and then place them on a rack to fully cool. enjoy warm or at room temperature and you can store them in a tin or something airtight for up to 5 days. if they last that long.

lemon squares

at this stage in my life... scratch that... at pretty much every stage of my life, i am not above getting free stuff. in fact, i love free stuff. so when a family friend was offering up homegrown lemons i said gimme. gimme like... a lot. thinking that each lemon would only yield a couple tbs of juice, i greedily grabbed up about a dozen perfectly ripe meyer lemons. 

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except, these are super lemons. they are literally the juiciest lemons i have ever had the pleasure of squeezing. 

one of the beauties of social media is that i can get instant feedback on what to do with an ingredient. i'm all about giving the people what they want. so get ready for lemon bars. and lemon tarts. and lemon chicken. and lemon cocktails. and candied lemon. and lemon scones. yeah. you got the picture. get ready for lemon. 

lemon bars
serving size: 12 squares
prep time: 30 min + overnight
bake time: 45 min
total time: 1 h 15 min + overnight
shortbread crust. 10 tbs unsalted butter. .5 cups powdered sugar. 1 large egg yolk. 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt.

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lemon filling. 1 large lemon, peel removed, thinly sliced. 2 tbs lemon fresh lemon juice. .75 cups granulated sugar. 2 tbs all-purpose flour. 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted. 2 large eggs. powdered sugar to dust.

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combine the granulated sugar, lemon slices and lemon juice in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 f. 

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using a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and egg to start the crust. when completely combined, mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. knead gently just till you form a ball. gently press the dough into a lightly buttered 9 inch square or rectangular baking dish. refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

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while the dough chills, whisk together the lemon and sugar mixture with the remaining flour, melted butter and eggs.

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when completely combined, pour the filling into the pan and bake until edges are golden brown. about 45 min. 

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cool. slice. sprinkle with powdered sugar. serve.
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xoxo
a

lemon squares
serving size: 12 squares
prep time: 30 min + overnight
bake time: 45 min
total time: 1 h 15 min + overnight
ingredients:
shortbread crust. 10 tbs unsalted butter. .5 cups powdered sugar. 1 large egg yolk. 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt.
lemon filling. 1 large lemon, peel removed, thinly sliced. 2 tbs lemon fresh lemon juice. .75 cups granulated sugar. 2 tbs all-purpose flour. 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted. 2 large eggs. powdered sugar to dust.
combine the granulated sugar, lemon slices and lemon juice in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
start by preheating your oven to 350 f.
using a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and egg to start the crust. when completely combined, mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. knead gently just till you form a ball. gently press the dough into a lightly buttered 9 inch square or rectangular baking dish. refrigerate for 10 minutes.
while the dough chills, whisk together the lemon and sugar mixture with the remaining flour, melted butter and eggs.
when completely combined, pour the filling into the pan and bake until edges are golden brown. about 45 min.
cool. slice. sprinkle with powdered sugar. serve.