#17. Sesame Jam Thumbprints

I have the soundtrack to Hamilton stuck in my head, and all those lyrics about the American Revolutionary War made me think about the Boston Tea Party, which made me think of tea, which made me think of...you guessed it: cookies. 

In pondering what type of cookies pair best with tea (and what type of tea), I have decided to eschew pontificating (hah!) on the minutiae of what might define a 'tea cookie' vs. a 'non-tea cookie' and assign only two requirements.

First, the cookie must look reasonably cute/pretty as it functions as much as adornment for a tea tablescape* as it does as a snack. Second, it must benefit (i.e., taste even better) via a dunk in your tea of choice.

Jam thumbprints in my mind satisfy both of these requirements, and making them afforded me a convenient way of using more of my father-in-law's delicious homemade jams. Yes, he makes jam from scratch in multiple flavors. Also, the cartoons for the labels for his jam. And chairs, for that matter. Show-off.

Sesame seeds may seem like an odd choice, but ironically, I like their crunchy "nutty" contrast to the fruity soft jam better than that actual nuts would provide. They also make these cookies smell wonderful in the oven.

*Sorry but if smize gets to be a word, so does tablescape.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup of sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• 2 cups of flour

• 1/2 cup sesame seeds (more if needed)

• 3/4 cup of your father-in-law's homemade jam 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.. Using a hand-held mixer, beat butter and sugar until combined and creamy.

3. Add in eggs and vanilla extract.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

5. Gradually add in dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture, beating well.

6. Place dough in fridge for 30 minutes.

7. Roll dough into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter. Coat liberally in sesame seeds.

8. Press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of the cookie. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm. Or longer, if you want really toasty, roasty sesame seeds.

10. Enjoy with a mug of milky Earl Gray.

#16. (C)raisin Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

There's something I absolutely adore about the contrast between fibrous oats and the chewy dough in the classic oatmeal cookie.

But why must dried cranberries play second fiddle to raisins with respect to America's favorite variation? Equal opportunity extends to baking, yo, and this mindset prompted me to swap the latter for the former when making these (c)raisin* caramel oatmeal cookies.  Yes, the caramels were leftovers, but with an extra dash of salt to the mix, they shine like new. 

Finally, I prefer nutmeg over cinnamon in my oatmeal cookies for its subtle bite.

*This post not sponsored by Ocean Spray. YET.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 3 cups quick cooking oats

• I cup dried cranberries

• 1 cup chopped caramels

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs, then add vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

4. Using a spatula, gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture. 

5. Add in oats, stirring thoroughly. Then add in dried cranberries and chopped caramels. Batter will be thick and chunky.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely unless you enjoy burning your tongue on molten caramels.

#15. Cream Cheese Cookies For Pasqua!

For Easter cookies, I'm starting simple. And killing two birds with one stone by using up ingredients prone to spoilage, like the bar of cream cheese I bought a few days ago in anticipation of a bagel breakfast that never happened. 

Cream cheese adds a slight dairy tang to these otherwise standard sugar cookies as well as tremendously enhances the moist texture. WHAT'S REALLY FUN THOUGH GUYS IS WHEN YOU COLOR THEM FLUORESCENT PINK AND GREEN.

And decorate some with those silver ball things that may or not be carcinogenic. They look pretty, though.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• Food coloring of your choice (go bold!)

Wow, that's pink!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.

3. Slowly incorporate flour.

4. Divide batter into batches for however many different colors you want to dye your cookies.

5. Add drops of food coloring to batches until you have achieved desired hue.

6. Mold batter into one-inch balls. Coat with decorations if you're feeling fancy.

7. Space evenly on baking sheet. Bake approximately 11-13 minutes.  

14. Potato Chip Cookies - St. Patrick's Day Retrospective

Okay, guys, here's the deal. I hate to admit it, but the Irish don't have a rich history when it comes to developing their own cookies. Or, for that matter, sweets. Or, actually, for that matter, food. Thanks to the feckin' Brits' control over Ireland and, specifically, their land distribution practices, the Irish had to rely on the potato for sustenance since that crop was one of the few that (usually) grew well in their meager land allotments.  So, it was all tato all the time, which, as you can imagine did not inspire much diversity in cuisine. And, of course, the shit really hit the fan when a destructive fungus caused a blight in potato production. 

So, I wanted to make potato cookies on St. Patrick's Day as a reminder in some ways of how far Irish cooking has evolved in just over 100 years. The island is now home to some of the best restaurants in the world led by game-changing chefs who are using local ingredients to make elegant innovations of Irish classics as well as some who are doing their part to preserve tradition by churning out elevated versions of Irish staples.

Most of the recipes I found (and there weren't many) that used regular ol' potatoes didn't interest me. HOWEVER, when I stumbled upon a plethora of potato chip cookie recipes, then I really got excited.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch chips

• 1 cup crushed potato chips

• additional crushed potato chips for coating

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla extract and beat until well-blended.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients, beating well.

5. Using a spatula or large spoon, mix in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and crushed potato chips.

6. Form dough into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter. Coat balls in crushed potato chips and place on baking sheets, evenly spaced.

7. Bake 10-12 or until desired firmness. (I like a gooey cookie.)

#13. Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching and as a woman of second-generation Irish descent it is my cultural duty to consume as many green things as possible in the days approaching March 17th. Tinging cookies simply with some food coloring is a cheap trick, but one, I think, made more forgivable if the the source of the flavor of your baked goods is naturally green.  Like mint!

This is why I give zero fucks about coaxing an emerald hue out of the frosting for these cookies via a few drops of McCormick food coloring. 

And for all the omadhauns who will cry foul at this post for its lack of 'authenticity' when it comes to a 'real' Irish cookie, look for my #14 post.

Ingredients (Cookies)

• 1 cup  flour

• 1/4 cup baking cocoa

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients (Frosting)

• 4 cups powdered sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1 tsp mint extract

• 4 tbs milk

Save some for the sandwiches!!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside

3. In a separate (larger bowl), cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with hand-held mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture until thoroughly incorporated.

5. Drop equal-size scoops of dough evenly apart on sheets. Using an ice cream scoop really helps! Place in oven and bake approximately 17 minutes until surface is a bit wrinkly and cookies are only slightly soft to touch.

6. Transfer cookies from sheets to cooling racks. Cool thoroughly. If not, you will be very sorry.

7. In a medium bowl, beat 2 cups of powdered sugar with butter until creamy. Add salt and mint extract until thoroughly combined.

8. Add remaining (2 cups) of powdered sugar and milk, mixing well.

9. When your cookies have cooled sufficiently, place approximately 1 tablespoon of frosting on underside of one cookie. Top with another cookie. It's really not that hard.

10. Repeat for as many cookie sandwiches you desire. Consume any excess frosting as a 'snack' to tide you over before a cheeseburger dinner.

#12. Oh Snap! Caramel Ginger Snaps

I think it's a damn shame that ginger snaps/bread/basically any baked good featuring ginger are too often relegated to "seasonal" status.  Ginger is delicious all year round and its ability to add some tongue-tingling spice to sweets without scorching sensitive palates and giving rise to torrential runny noses is truly unique. I challenge you to try the same thing with chili powder.

I added caramels for some buttery contrast to this basic recipe for chewy gingersnaps, which, by the way, one could argue is an oxymoron if you subscribe to the idea that the 'snap' part of the name is designed to reflect the easily breakable, crisp texture of the cookie. I don't.

When making these cookies, it's important to remember that the caramels should only be slightly melted when you remove your tray from the oven. Five minutes rest time on the tray renders them the perfect consistency from the latent heat.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 24 caramels

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then beat in egg.

3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture.

5. Shape dough into balls roughly 1 and 1/2 inches in size. Press one full caramel into the center of each ball. 

6. Bake 11-13 minutes. Remove trays from oven. Let cookies rest on trays for 5 minutes or until caramels are just about to ooze all over the cookies.

7. Eat immediately and with caution if you have loose dental work. 

#11. Lemon Polenta Cookies

This post could also be titled, "Why I Need To Invest In Quality Piping Tips." Because when you get to the part of the recipe that calls for shaping your batter into elegant corrugated swirls and discover you only have icing bags but no tips, you have to try very hard not to make your polenta cookies resemble yellow poop logs.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I found a lovely recipe for polenta cookies in my Martha Stewart cookbook,  and adapted the recipe to give them a more lemon-forward flavor. Sorry, Martha. 

I like how gritty texture and earthy taste of the cornmeal are tempered via the inclusion of some citrus. Though heavy on the butter, the light flavor of these cookies makes it dangerously easy to eat half a dozen in short order. Fortunately, these cookies freeze very well should you want to create a stopgap to prevent you from downing the whole batch.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour

• 1 cup polenta or cornmeal

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons lemon extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, polenta, and salt until thoroughly combined.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until thoroughly combined. Add egg and egg yolk, mixing well. Add lemon extract.

4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients (large bowl) and combine thoroughly.

Now, what you should do:

5a. Fill piping bag fitted with star tip with batter. Dispense into lovely swirls onto your baking sheet.

What I did.

5b. Shout, "FML!" to the kitties. Spoon batter into piping bag. Cut off point so batter dispenses just in long even tubes. Dump, er, dispense batter and shape by hand into spirals and braids.

6. Bake cookies for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

#10. Bridey's Quintuple-ish Chocolate Cookies

When I kid, I often gave up chocolate for Lent. GOD I WAS SO STUPID. While I'm not a chocoholic, I love it enough such that depriving myself of all cocoa products for 40 (or more, depending on if you cheat on Sundays) days was not good for my soul. Or for my friends and family who bore the brunt of my crabbiness.  This cookie uses five different forms of chocolate I happened to have on hand but you can easily swap out the listed varieties for others. Key, however, is including different types with varying cocoa content...and that can even mean zero, as in the case of the Hershey GOLD bar, hah!! But I forgive it for not being a 'real' chocolate bar because it has chocolate's good friend, the pretzel.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 cup cocoa

• 1 pinch salt

• 1/4 cup butter (softened)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 2 Golden Hershey Bars (broken into pieces)

• 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

• Melting chocolate for dipping (as much as you want)

Save some batter for the cookies...

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Line one cookie sheet with parchment paper (for baking); line one more (for drying).

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa thoroughly. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, blend butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla using a hand-held mixer on medium speed.

5. Gradually add mixture of dry ingredients to wet, beating to combine thoroughly.

6. With no ceremony or pretension, dump chocolate chips, shattered GOLD bars, and chopped dark chocolate into batter. Stir vigorously with a spatula.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, depending on how chewy you like your cookies.

8. Cool cookies completely, and I mean completely. Shove the baking tray in the freezer if you get too impatient.

9. Place a few large hunks of melting chocolate in a bowl devoid of even the smallest drop of water or moisture (any will cause the chocolate to 'seize'). Melt slowly in 30-second intervals using the low setting in the microwave. 

10. Immediately dip entire cookie into bowl, coating all surfaces. Place on second baking sheet and garnish with sprinkles. Cool completely.

11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 as necessary depending on how many cookies your dough yielded. Hint: there should be at least three. If not, I suspect you ate way too much batter.

#9. Cornish Fairings

I am a Ginger who happens to love ginger. Considering my sensitivity to spice, I surprise myself with how much I enjoy a really fiery ginger ale like Boylan's or a heavily spiced gingerbread. Although I have been fortunate enough to have spent a considerable amount of time in England (the perks of being a Dickens scholar and having a terrific friend who lets me stay with her in South Kensington), I had never encountered Cornish fairings. Maybe I was distracted by all the Millionaire's Shortbread, of which I consumed roughly a million pieces per visit. 

The word "fairing" originally referred to any sort of goody vended at British fairs but eventually came to specifically represent a type of biscuit or cookie usually made with ginger or other baking spices. The "Cornish fairing" became a household name in the late nineteenth century when one intrepid Cornish manufacturer began mass producing them for mail orders. 

Golden syrup can be found online, or at most shops that specialize in foreign and/or British comestibles, like Rice Village's The British Isles Shop. You can use maple syrup, but the extra investment/errand is worth it for its distinctive, buttery, honey taste.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 2 tsp nutmeg

• 4 tsp ground ginger

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup caster (very fine) sugar

• 5 tbs golden syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.

4. With a sturdy spatula, add butter in small chunks until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Small, greasy ones, that is.

5. Add in sugar. Then gradually stir in golden syrup.

6. Flour your hands slightly, then shape dough into a large ball. Refrigerate for about 30 min.

7. Place golf ball-size pieces of dough on cookie sheets, leaving ample room in between.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until balls have spread flat, turned golden brown, and assumed a crinkly surface texture.

9. Cool on wire racks. Enjoy with a cuppa.*

*That means 'tea' in British.

#8. Peanut Butter Coconut Sandwich Cookies

It's so hard to say goodbye...to my giant roll of Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough. But this day had to come because even processed dough has a shelf life. I was very pleased with how my PB S'mores Cookies turned out, and the classic Peanut Butter Blossoms failed to disappoint.

I knew I wanted to experiment with sandwich cookies for my final recipe and just slathering some grape or strawberry jelly in between two cookies was too lazy even for me. Some sort of sugar fruit pairing seemed appropriate, but I also wanted to test the potential compatibility of peanuts with coconut, which are infrequent bedfellows in the Western baking world. (South Asian savory fare: an entirely different story.)

And Jimmies, because, why not?

Ingredients

• 1/3  roll Pillsbury™ refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

• 1/2 cup sprinkles

• 3/4 cup shredded coconut

• 3/4 cup (or so) cherry pie fillings

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Using a spatula, combine dough with sprinkles and shredded coconut.

3. Shape dough into an even number of balls. 

4. On ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, place balls 2 inches apart.

5. Bake 9-13 minutes until golden brown. COOL COMPLETELY.

6. Top underside of one cookie with approximately 1 Tablespoon of cherry pie filling. Top with another cookie to form sandwich.*

*If you can't handle this instruction, you probably should not be allowed to use an oven.

I found the coconut added a certain cream flavor that complemented the slightly tart cherries and balanced the strong peanut taste, akin to how that cool glass of milk pleasantly tempers a a thick peanut butter sandwich.  

In my Marvel movie, I am the Queen of the Universe and only my opinion matters. Barring the release of that film, I want to hear what you think. Honesty is welcome. Alternative facts are not.

#7. Red Velvet Sugar Cookies

I interrupt my regularly scheduled program of peanut butter cookies in the spirit of a certain February the 14th holiday. Full credit for this slightly adapted recipe goes to the lovely Christina Lane (Texas native!), the baking maven behind "Dessert For Two."

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 Tsp baking soda

• 1/8 Tsp fine salt

• 6 chocolate peanut butter hearts 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Stir very well to combine.

Think my red food coloring was a bit too old.

3. Sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt evenly over the dough, and stir just to combine.

4. Using a spatula (or your floured hands), press the dough flat and evenly in the bowl. Divide dough in half and shape into 2 balls.

5.  Roll each dough ball lightly  extra granulated sugar. Form approximately 3 smaller balls from each of 2 larger dough balls (6 small balls total). 

6. Space evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they spread, start to crackle and appear dry on top.

7. Cool completely. Press chocolate peanut butter heart into the center of each cookie.

8. Transfer cookies to fridge to allow hearts to set (without melting!).

Eat with gusto with someone you love.

#6. Peanut Butter S'Mores Cookies

As promised in my previous recipe post for Peanut Butter Blossoms, I am using one roll of Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough to churn out three different types of cookies. #aimhigh And because it's Fat Tuesday, I think something decadent is appropriate.

Herbes de S'Mores

If peanut butter cookies weren't by themselves sufficiently rich, let's move farther toward the cloying end of the spectrum by adding what I call to call herbes de s'mores, i.e., chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.

Ingredients

• 1/3  roll Pillsbury™ refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows

• 1/2 cup (or so) graham cracker crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Using a spatula, combine dough with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in graham cracker crumbs.

4. On ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, place balls 2 inches apart.

5. Bake 9-13 minutes until golden brown.

Consume while still warm with a cold glass of milk adjacent. 

#5. Pillsbury's Peanut Butter Blossoms

Guys, I have this thing about the Dough Boy. The Pillsbury Dough Boy, that is, not a specific member of the U.S. military forces who served in the Spanish-American War. His endearing giggle and various charming facial expressions can easily persuade me to buy any Pillsbury product, no matter how unnecessary. I am especially susceptible to purchasing anything with a package that features him sporting a terribly cute costume. Although I am loathe to admit blind adulation for any corporation, even one historically devoted to baking, I make an exception for Pillsbury and its native son, the Dough Boy. 

So, Pillsbury cookie recipes that use Pillsbury products are going to be a part of Year of the Cookie. Brace yourself, if necessary, and please check your snobbery upon clicking your mouse. I bought a ginormous roll of discounted Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough and plan to use it to make at three different types of cookies in the spirit of diversity and versatility.  Peanut Butter Blossoms are a Pillsbury classic and remain one of their most popular cookie recipes of all time. Via its credited inclusion of Hershey's Kisses, this recipe also represents a collaboration between two of my favorite companies.  A most profitable one, I'm sure, that required thousands of dollars in attorney fees. 

*Note: the slightly edited recipe represented below is for full batch. In practice, I scaled it down by about 2/3 because I am using only part of the roll.

Ingredients

• 1  roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

• 3 Tbs sugar

• 36 Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls; roll in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, place balls 2 inches apart.

2. Bake 9-14 minutes until golden brown.

3. Immediately top each cookie with 1 milk chocolate candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing.

Tip: Store Hershey's Kisses in freezer prior to incorporation in order to ensure they don't melt immediately all over cookie. 

#4. Vanilla Rose Cookies With Rose Creme Filling

A while ago a dear friend gifted me this baking cookbook and only just now am I digging into all the marvelous recipes for cookies, bars, etc. The book's recipe for rosewater cream sandwich cookies caught my eye immediately given my burgeoning obsession with this ingredient, which I use often in making Syrian desserts.

When making this recipe, I detected a small error, namely that the amount of powdered sugar prescribed in the  recipe produces a filling more akin to a glaze than an icing. Perhaps, actually, the proportion is intentional, but for the purposes of making cookie sandwiches, you really need a sturdier, thicker inner adhesive. Thus, I have adjusted the amounts of sugar and rosewater below.  The resulting cookie is most, fragrant, slightly sweet and perfect with Earl Grey tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter (softened)

• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (plus extra to coat 

• 4 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

• 3 tsp rose water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar.

4. Stir in flour and salt gradually.

5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Form dough into balls (as large or small as you want your sandwiches) and roll balls lightly in remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.

7. Bake until the lightest of brown (12-18 min). Cool completely.

8. Blend cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and rose water.

9. Mete out icing between two cookies for sandwiches. I'm sure you can figure it out.

#3. Salted Caramel Maple Syrup Cookies

A few months ago I was contacted by the lovely crew at the Maple Guild, a Vermont-based, locally-owned harvester of maple syrup and manufacturer of maple syrup products, including water, vinegar, and cream. They were kind enough to gift me samples for a review in Houstonia and I have wanted since then to experiment using their syrups in baking

But thus far I've only been pouring a shit ton of the stuff on my flapjacks. 

Feeling slightly more ambitious this weekend, I decide to make a modified version of this recipe for maple syrup drop cookies using not the Maple Guild's "regular" but rather their Salted Caramel infused version. I know--Iivin' on the edge.

As you can see from the picture, the cookies turned out a bit flat. Not the fault of the recipe, mind you, but rather the cook, for she may have only added half the recommended amount of baking soda because she was too busy watching up on RHNYC. The cookies were still very chewy and delicious, with a distinct salty inflection I adored.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 cup salted caramel maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 4 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda (DON'T FORGET)

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar; add egg, maple syrup and vanilla until well blended.

3. Whisk together flour and baking soda. Add this mixture to creamed mixture and combine thoroughly.

4. Using an ice cream scoop (or your own paws), shape into one-inch balls and place on cookie sheets, evenly spaced.

5. Bake for 9-11 minutes.

#2. Hershey's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

When I posted on facebook requesting ideas of how to use my three-pound Hershey Bar, many people assumed I had received it as a gift. Because who in their right mind would purchase such a monstrosity? 

THIS GIRL!!!

Also save your breath if you're inclined to educate me on how inferior Hershey's chocolate is to every other type in the universe. I know there is better chocolate out there, but I was raised on Hershey's and it will always taste delicious to me.

I decided to incorporate a few blocks of these massive cocoa brick in a slightly tweaked recipe from my Hershey's Homemade cookbook, which I have had for over two decades. The pages are almost all stuck together due to my double-checking ingredient amounts with mid-baking sticky fingers. I will never get rid of it.

The oats in these cookies are more for texture than for taste, since the presence of cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks leave little room for anything but chocolate flavor. And that's just fine.

Tip: Do not overbake these cookies. Gooeyness is essential to appreciating the intense pockets of chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks) , softened

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup light brown sugar packed

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa

• 1/2 cup chunks chopped from the World's Largest Hershey Bar

• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy; blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake 11 to 13 minutes. 

Make sure you have cold milk on hand.

#1. Martha Stewart's Rosemary Butter Cookies

Since rosemary is my unofficial official Ingredient of the Month and thanks to the Metro Yeoman, we have a sh*t ton growing on our roof, it seemed natural that I incorporate it somehow into my cookie adventures.

And love her or hate her (I am in the former camp), Martha Stewart has some damn fine cookie recipes, including this one for Rosemary Butter Cookies. I didn't coat mine with more sugar or cornmeal because I wanted a softer cookie, though I imagine doing so would provide a pleasant crunch that would complement the sweet botanical notes.  As the name promise, butter dominates the flavor profile but is tempered by the rosemary. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 egg white, beaten

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1/2 cup fine sanding sugar

Directions

1. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, rosemary, and salt, and mix until combined.

2. Halve dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper-towel tubes to hold shape, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Brush each log with egg white; roll in sanding sugar. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

The Challenge: 57 Different Cookies

If I could have only one food with me while marooned on a desert island, an increasingly attractive option as the Era of the Cheeto administration drags on, that food would be chocolate chip cookies. I never, ever get tired of them, though overly dry versions do make me wary.  

This innate love of the chocolate chip cookie also led me to eventually recognize my greatest love. When my then-boyfriend told me he was from Whitman, Massachusetts, where the Toll House chocolate chip cookie was created, I knew he was The One. 

As a result, they are my default cookie, my comfort cookie, and what I bake more often than not when I offer (or are requested) to bring cookies. 

But 2018 is all about getting out of that comfort zone and for me this translates into venturing beyond the realm of the plain chocolate chip by learning the history and origins of other types of cookies and trying my hand at making them myself.  Taking a hint from Heinz, I'm going for 57 different varieties. Stay tuned.