Chocolate and Caramel Chip Cookies

The other day I found these chocolate baking discs at Whole Foods and I did a cartwheel!  Just kidding, I've never in my life been able to do a cartwheel.  I legit feel jealous of four-year-olds that are able to hurl their bodies around in airborne circles.  I don't get it?!  Even as a limber kid (I was never limber), my body was like "if you try this, you will die."  It's fine, really, I just stuck to beautiful somersaults (except I couldn't do those either). 

What was I talking about again?  Oh yes!  Chocolate!  I've seen the bittersweet dark chocolate discs before, but the bottom ones in the picture are called "dulcey" and they are creamy, toasty, caramely discs of cocoa goodness.  I highly suggest you go to Whole Foods to see if you can find them, or click on that link above and have a heart attack over how expensive chocolate can be (don't worry - they were $11 at WF - maybe a Mother's Day gift??).  Then I suggest you chop them up and throw them in your favorite salted chocolate chip cookie recipe...

(Like these.)

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

After posting these Lobster Toasts the other day, someone wrote on my Instagram that they could be named Manchester By The Sea Lobster Toasts.  Get it?  Oscars?  You get it!  THEN, I flashed these bad boy cookies in an Insta story and someone wrote...wait for it...that they could be Nutella-la Land Chocolate Chip Cookies.  BOOM.  Man, I wish I could take credit for that.  I also wish I could take credit for these cookies, but I can't.  You can find the recipe HERE.  However, I can take credit for making them, right?!  And you can too!  If your children think Nutella is a food group like mine do, then you should most definitely make these.  Because then you can take credit for being a superhero.

Doubletree Cookie Recipe

I am sitting here, swimming in holiday cards, literally drowning.  I started yesterday and was actually enjoying myself!  The girls were napping, my son was at the neighbor's, we had a fire going, football on the TV, Christmas music in the background... I was drinking beer.  It was all very enjoyable.  Now, however, I've been at it for hours while my daughter is coloring all over herself (I swear she started on paper) and HOW AM I ONLY THROUGH THE J'S??  Also - and I'm warning you this is disgusting (I am disgusting) - I was eating an arugula salad as I worked and then realized that a piece of lettuce ended up on an envelope after I licked it.  Ummm... now I'm wondering how many cards that I've already licked are going to come with leafy vegetables FROM MY MOUTH.  

Told you, so gross.

Guess what's not gross??  These cookies!!!  It's cookie season!  You can and should eat a new cookie every day, in fact.  It's a holiday rule that I made up just now.  I saw these as I was perusing the internet and while they may look like just another chocolate chip cookie, they might be one of the best I've ever had!  It's a copycat recipe for a cookie that the Doubletree hotels serve, which I wasn't familiar with, but now I want to rush there to see if they are in fact this good.  Two things I found interesting about this cookie: the addition of lemon juice and cinnamon (a tiny amount of both), and pulsing the oatmeal in a food processor until it's super fine.  I guess that's actually three things, but leave me alone.  For whatever reasons, I have a feeling that's why they are wonderful!  Make them!  

You can find the recipe HERE.

Update: I'm at the K's.

Girl Scout Cookies on TODAY

If you are like us, you bought way too many Girl Scout Cookies.  Then you realized how many you had, and started handing them out to family, friends and complete strangers.  Of course, after finishing the boxes you DID keep, you felt very sad.  But I have a solution!  Make homemade versions of my personal favorites - Tagalongs and Samoas - at home!  I was on the Today Show this morning demonstrating my recipes.  If you missed it, you can view them and the segment here.

Photos by the lovely Samantha Okazaki

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Brownies

These are just stupid.  In a good way!  But they're stupid.  I mean, is it really necessary to make brownie batter and then decide to stuff a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough in between the dark chocolate goo?  No, it is not necessary, it is stupid.  And brilliant!  Stupid brilliant.  Do I sound like Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes yet?  Right then.  Bloody hell, what a dumb treat.

Ok, let's push my attempt at dry, British humor aside and discuss how good these really are.  Incredibly rich, difficult to eat more than a few bites, but delicious!  And very simple to make.  Just throw together your favorite brownie (boxed or homemade, mine were Ghiradelli), then your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (I used this one), and layer away.  I went brownie batter, cookie dough, brownie batter, but the creative possibilities are endless!  Bake as directed on the brownie box (although you might need to add 5 more minutes) and enjoy your stupid, dumb treats.  

Brown Butter Peanut Butter Blossoms

Good Morning!  What did you do this weekend?  I was flying solo so I gave my kids 11 baths (to kill time... they've never been so clean) and we made Christmas cookies!  I can't wait to share them with you this week.  What are your favorites to make?  I love to stick to my usuals as well as try out new recipes.  Believe it or not, I don't make these classic Peanut Butter Blossoms every year but I knew my kids would love to unwrap (and eat) the kisses (also killed a lot of time).  I followed this recipe with one variation: I browned the butter on the stove and let it cool in the fridge for a bit before mixing it in with everything.  If you're wondering why I did that, well, I happen to think browning butter makes everything better.  Especially when there's peanut butter involved!

So tell me... what else should I make this year?    

"Brookies"

This cookie is bananas.  Half chocolate chip, half brownie cookie.  Now that I know how easy it is to make two different doughs and roll them together into one perfect cookie, I think the possibilities are endless, don't you?  WHAT UP, CHRISTMAS COOKIES?!  I'M TALKING TO YOU, BOO.  Sorry I don't know what that was.  I used this recipe but I cut the chocolate chip cookie dough in half.  I've written the word "cookie" way too many times in this post.  Cookie.  

Pumpkin Gingersnaps

Pumpkin is everywhere right now (I mean, check this out), and we're suckers for it.  I'm surprised we all don't run out to buy pumpkin flavored toothpaste!  (Don't steal that idea, it's mine.)  I gave you some pumpkin ideas last week, and now here's another: Pumpkin Gingersnaps (click there for recipe).  These are delicious... soft and chewy, and rich with all the flavors of the season... cinnamon, spice and pumpkin of course!  Pumpkin.  Pumpkin.  If you say that word a lot it starts to sound really weird.  Also who puts a 'p' and a 'k' right next to each other??  Pumpkin lovers do.