Lucky for all of us, Ebony has started blogging.  In the past years, I have had the pleasure of not only becoming her friend but working with her and getting a sneak peek “behind the curtain” at Snow & Graham.  You know what I have learned?  That woman can churn out creative designs and ideas like Prince can write hit songs.  They just seem to come to her.  Now, thanks to the immediacy of blogging, we now all get more Ebony, more often, more of the time.  Feast on her ideas and inspirations here.

This recent post about how to make cupcake wrappers is complete with instructions and even a downloadable PDF template.  If you (or when you) fall in love with her Snow & Graham papers, you may use the code WHIPPED at checkout to receive 10% off your online orders.  Happy Cupcake Wrapping!

Well, I was in to it at first. I planned to make many different kinds of cookies, like last year when I made these and these and these and these. Instead, it got to be too much and the dog-eared magazines and bookmarked web recipes led to excessive option paralysis and drove me straight back to the plain old chocolate chips.

These are almost like Toll House except different. I think the sugar ratio is a little different. What really intrigued me was the melted butter. I don’t know why melting the butter makes this banana bread so good. But, it seems to be part of the secret. I wondered if melting butter might also be the secret to the best chocolate chips.

I am not ready to say that I have found the best basic old chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time. But, I might be close.

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Mom’s Big Book of Baking by Lauren Chattman

2 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cream cooled melted butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts if you are using them. Place in the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes or up to 6 hours to let the dough firm up.

Drop batter by the heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Balls of dough may be placed on parcment sheets, frozen and transferred to ziplock bags in the freezer. Frozen cookies may be placed in the oven direclty from freezer.

Bake cookies until golden around the edges but still soft on top, about 10 minutes (a minute or two longer for frozen dough). Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely)

The warming ginger in this compote is such a nice match with the sweet pears. A touch of vanilla made it even more fragrant. When I returned to the office with a few jars of the Pear Ginger Compote, I was again reminded why I so like my neighbor. He was so excited with my creation that he ate nearly the entire jar with a spoon. He went on to suggest that next year we spend a whole day tending to his tree’s harvest and then to head to a farmer’s market with our product… just for one day… just to see what it is like. That idea is right up my alley. Late next Fall, keep your eyes peeled for a readhead with an open hatchback and jars of Pear Ginger Compote.

Although I don’t have the patience for canning, this would make a wonderful gift this holiday if you jarred it and gave it with a few recipes. This compote would be nice with pork chops and tastes great over oatmeal.

Pear Ginger Compote
about 8 cups pears cut in approx. 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until pears are very tender. Mash lightly with a potato masher to desired consistency. Continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes until some liquid has cooked off.

I put the warm compote in clean recycled jars. It lasted in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies are sort of like Thanksgiving Turkeys. Everyone wants to be famous for them and cooks often keep their secrets close to the chest. I was surprised to look back in my Desserts & Sweets Recipe index and see that I had not posted a Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Although I am not 100% loyal this recipe, it is my standby and the one I make most often.

This recipe came to me via email, practically back when email was just invented. The print out is in my recipe binder and I just checked it to find along the bottom: America Online: Friday September 11, 1998. Funny, that was when that date didn’t mean anything out of the ordinary.

Perhaps you have seen this email chain. A woman claims that during a lunch at Neiman Marcus, she asked for the recipe to the delicious chocolate chip cookies. The server says it will be two-fifty to buy the recipe. She agrees, only to find that her bill includes a $250 charge, not the $2.50 charge she had envisioned. To get her money’s worth, she emails the recipe to anyone and everyone she knows and asks them to pass it along.

Well, I don’t know whether there is truth to it but the recipe is delicious and with the dozens of times I have made it, I have helped the angry woman get her money’s worth!!! The cookies are particularly different due to the ground oatmeal and shaved chocolate bar added in.

This recipe yields a ton of cookies. So, I would suggest cutting it in half for a normal sized batch or make it all and freeze the dough or give some away! I recently schemed up a new cookie gifting idea: Put wrapping paper around small oatmeal containers or Trader Joe’s coffee containers and stack up cookies inside. (Paper in photo is from my favorite, Snow & Graham.)

“Neiman Marcus” Cookies
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal
24 oz. chocolate cips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 8oz. dark chocolate bar, grated
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Measure oatmeal and then blend in a blender or food processor to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, shaved chocolate nuts and stir until combined. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes between 50-80 cookies.

Although I am desperately trying to diet a bit, I fell prey to two of these the other day at my friend Marianne’s house. I just cannot resist baked goods. I suppose I will have to just compensate with more exercise!

I have always been a fan of oatmeal cookies. These were especially good with a heaping cup of shredded coconut mixed in with the usual suspects (nutmeg, cinnamon, walnuts and chocolate chips). Marianne got the recipe from a commemorative cookbook made for a friend who was married. Great idea for showers and bachelorette parties… ask each guest to contribute a favorite recipe and make copies for all who attend!

Happy Cookie Baking!

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cups salted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 heaping cups uncooked oats
12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir together in separate bowl flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing well. Stir in oats. Fold in nuts, chocolate chips and coconut. Spoon cookies on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen 2 inch cookies.

In Italian, the word “biscotto” means “biscuit” or “cookie.” More specifically, biscotti are named according to their original method of baking. The root words “bis” and “cotto” literally mean “twice” and “baked.” (I am just full of information today!) It is this important twice baking step that will provide you with the crunchy, dunking biscotti that I love so well!

Biscotti will keep in an airtight container for about a week. So, if you live alone, don’t be afraid to make yourself an entire batch. You’ll work your way through them. Also, these cookies are a great baked good to ship as gifts since they last so long.

Italian Almond Biscotti
1 cup almonds with skins
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 teaspoons milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on baking sheet and tast them until fragrant – 5-6 minutes. Let them cool and then coarsely chop them. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl. Add 2 of the whole eggs, the egg yolks and vanilla and mix together with an electric mixer until just combined. Dough will be dry but should be able to be formed into a cohesive log. If not, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until just combined. Add almonds and mix in.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and work and divide in half. Shape into a flat log about 3 inches wide, 10-12 inches long and less than one inch high. Place logs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Beat the remaining egg and brush the logs with the egg. Bake for about 30 minutes or until logs are firm to the touch.

Remove logs and let them cool on a rack. Slice the logs into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay them on their sides on the baking sheet. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Cool again completely.

Variations: Instead of almonds, you can add dried cranberries and orange zest. Or, dip the biscotti in your favorite chocolate.

Whew… nothing like a cookie cutting and decorating project to keep you busy for awhile. I thought these bunnies and chicks would never end. Incidentally, this recipe yields about 5-6 dozen small cookies.

Over Christmas, my sister made these cookies. I chose one off the platter because it looked so pretty. I am a sucker for sprinkles. I ate about five more because they actually tasted so good! I’m not sure of your experience, but often the cookie cutter cookies look fun but don’t taste much like anything. Thanks to the sourcream in the dough and almond extract and buttermilk in the frosting, these are a bit cakey and much more flavorful. One of the reasons I love buttermilk and sourcream in recipes is that it often yields a less “ultra-sugary” sweet treat.

The frosting is a bit thicker than most I have used so it is more of a spreading job than a cookie painting event. Extra detailed cookie cutters probably aren’t a great match for this recipe as the thicker frosting hides some of the detail of the cookie shape. For me, the flavor trumps this concern!

Sour Cream Rolled Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, then sour cream and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together seperately. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Roll out fairly thick. Cut wtih large cookie cutters. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray. Bake at 325 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies completely before frosting and decorating.

Almond Cookie Frosting
1 stick margarine at room temperature
1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 lbs. powdered sugar
Milk or Buttermilk added to desired consistency

Cream margarine and shortening. Add flavoring and gradually beat in powdered sugar. (it gets very dry) Add milk or buttermilk one Tablespoon at a time to get to desired, spreadable consistency. Separate and add coloring as desired.

I challenge anyone to produce a cookie recipe with less ingredients! Only two! And, these look fun and taste yummy. The chow mein noodles produce the crunchy/salty that matches oh so well with the chocolatey/sweet. Many of those who received my mixed cookie plate this season were pleasantly surprised by these tangled bites.

Spider Cookies

12 oz. Chocolate or butterscotch chips
12 oz. Chow Mein Noodles
(Use approximately equal parts of any chocolate or chip and the noodles. Just add the noodles little by little until all are liberally coated)

Ideas:
-Use white chocolate for albino spiders!
-Try some flavored chocolate like a smooth praline bar or some Exotic Chocolate Chips like curry & coconut or ancho & chipotle chili.
- Mix in 1/2 cup of peanut butter
- Mix in peanuts or nuts.