My own tried-and-true recipes for home cooks.
Pistachio Chunk Cookies
From ChatGPT: My delicious pistachio chunk cookies are a nut lover's dream come true. These soft and chewy cookies are loaded with generous chunks of crunchy, roasted pistachios that add a rich and savory flavor to every bite. Made with the finest quality ingredients, these cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and salty, making them a delightful treat for any occasion. Enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea, or simply indulge in them on their own for a satisfying snack. Each bite is a burst of pistachio goodness that will leave you wanting more. Treat yourself to these delectable pistachio chunk cookies and experience pure nutty bliss.
Pull-Apart Challah
Cannoli Cookie Sandwiches
That’s why these cookies were born. Out of necessity, out of a mold-less desire, out of lust for ricotta filling. I had the idea that you could just make the same cannoli dough, punch them out as circles with a cookie cutter, fry them flat, and then assemble them as cookie sandwiches. Easy enough! The idea mostly works. I think they tend to puff up quite a bit more in this shape because there’s no mold keeping the air bubble at bay. It seems like a blessing in disguise though because it contributes to this lighter-than-air feeling when you sink your teeth into these cookie sandwiches.
Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
So why make these cookies? Truthfully, they’re transcendent. I have never had a cookie like this before. I don’t actually know if I’ve ever had meringue on top of a cookie before now that I think about it (and I’m tempted to continue the trend). The balance between sweet/buttery sugar cookie dough, sunny/tart/zippy lemon curd, and just-sweet-enough/caramelized meringue can’t be beat. Sure, you could just make a regular ‘ole lemon meringue pie. But that’s no fun! And this way everyone gets a perfectly perfect lemon meringue pie (cookie) all to themself.
Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti
Picture this: a cozy winter evening, a steaming cup of your favorite coffee or tea, and a plate of these heavenly biscotti by your side. The air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of ginger and cocoa, setting the perfect scene for a moment of pure bliss. Whether you're a seasoned baker looking for a new recipe or a dessert enthusiast eager to embark on a flavorful journey, this Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti recipe is sure to become a staple in your repertoire.
The Ultimate S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
The journey of trying to make this cookie. I knew the bar was high. I couldn’t disappointment myself and follow the tarnished history of miserable s’mores-flavored confections. Of course, I brought out the usual heavy hitters for the matter: browned butter, flaky salt, and dark brown sugar. But to get the real toastiness you get from s’mores, that childhood nostalgia flavor, I made the jump to use malted milk powder in the dough. That’s what gives these cookies their edge, their flavor oomph. Also, holding back the amount of chocolate is key. S’mores are about ingredient balance: too much chocolate and the graham and marshmallow goo are too muted.
Feta Buñelos with Honey
This recipe comes from the Truffle and Egg blog. I saw her video go viral on Instagram a couple of months ago, bookmarked it, and finally decided to make them myself. I’m reposting the recipe here to post include Imperial measurements (yay America!) and also I felt like these buñelos needed, nay, deserved a large hit of honey and flaky salt to finish. It’s the sweet-salty-cheese combo between the honey and the feta that’s incorporated into the dough itself that makes these amazing.
Beet Citrus Salad with Sesame Goat Cheese
I love beets. Most people do not. I feel like one of my purposes is to convince people that beets are in fact delicious orbs of vegetable heaven. That means pairing beets with naturally and popularly “yummy” things like oranges, goat cheese, sesame, honey, and lemon. The combination of beets, citrus, and goat cheese though is not necessarily new. So how do you make this combination interesting? I rely on a little warm goat cheese moment to provide the intrigue: coat the goat cheese in a sesame crust, give it a little sear, and use it as a protein-rich-creamy-fatty salad topping. The interplay of the warm goat cheese with the just-out-of-the-fridge citrus is truly heavenly. The beets are there as the foundation.
Pistachio-Stuffed Raspberry Cookies
My brain immediately went to Librae Bakery on Cooper Square in Astor Place, famous for their rose-pistachio croissant that perfectly straddles nuttiness and floralness. But with Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted these cookies to be naturally pink. That’s where incorporating ground-up freeze-dried raspberries into the dough comes into play, imparting lovely fruitiness. So that’s where I ended up—a largely similar recipe to the almond version, with some tweaks for the pistachio fans and the Hallmark-promoted day of love.
Key Lime Pie Cookies
Unlike with my almond and pistachio croissant cookies, key lime pie cookie recipes do exist in some form on the internet and I’m pretty sure Crumbl had a version of these, too. BUT, all of those versions are fake key lime pie cookies. What do I mean by fake? They’re a graham cracker cookie with a key lime pie-flavored frosting spread on top after baking, often made with cream cheese. Yuk! If I’m going to have a key lime pie in cookie form, I want it to be as close to the original as possible, which means baking the filling. The type of cookie most eligible to handle such a task: the humble thumb print. Usually, teeny tiny and crumbly, thumb print cookies are forgettable. When you make them absolutely massive as I do here, and ensure the cookie stays moist through a quick bake time, they become sensational.