more chocolate chip cookies

These were made following the famous Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe. I'd make these again.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
2 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. instant espresso powder
3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugars at low speed for about 15 seconds. In a mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients, and beat into butter mixture at low speed. Stir in espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Drop 2 tablespoons batter onto greased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned around the edges.

shake shack

Shake Shack makes unbelievable burgers and frozen custards. So good.

chocolate chip cookies

The search for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie continues. These were much thinner than I'd like, but they made good ice cream sandwiches!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Gourmet, October 2003

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter on prepared sheets. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

mini quiches

I made these mini quiches to serve as hors dourves. I used a round cookie cutter to cut out pie crust. I placed the dough rounds in a mini muffin pan, and filled each pastry with my standby quiche filling.

chicken poppers

One of my little sister's guilty pleasures is chicken poppers. She flipped over these!

Chicken Poppers

Boneless chicken breast
1 c. buttermilk, well-shaken
2 tbs. Sriracha sauce
1 c. flour
Salt and pepper
Canola oil

Heat 3-4 inches of canola oil in a heavy pot.

Cut chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Place buttermilk and Sriracha in large bowl. Season flour with salt and pepper, and put in a paper bag. Drop chicken in buttermilk, and dredge in flour.

When oil is hot, carefully drop in chicken poppers. Fry until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.

pecan pie muffins

These were tasty little bites. As promised, they were pecan pie in muffin form.

Pecan Pie Muffins
From allrecipes.com

1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chopped pecans
2/3 c. butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 18 mini-muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

popovers

These are great, right out of the oven, with butter and jam.

Popovers
From Gourmet, January 1991

1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
melted butter for brushing the popover pans

Into a bowl, sift together the flour and the salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring, and stir the batter until it is smooth. In a preheated 450 degree oven, heat a 6-cup popover pan for 5 minutes, or until it is hot. Brush the cups with melted butter, and fill them half-full with the batter. Bake the popovers in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees, and bake the popovers for 20 minutes more, or until they are golden brown and crisp.

chocolate mocha heath bar cake

I made up this cake for my Heath-loving mom to celebrate Mother's Day. It was my first time using this recipe for yellow cake, and I was not entirely satisfied with it. I was looking for a moister, more tender cake. I plan on trying another recipe next time. I loved the way the mocha frosting turned out, and I think it would be great to frost a chocolate layer cake.

Chocolate Mocha Heath Bar Cake

For cake:
via Smitten Kitchen

4 c. plus 2 tbs. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 c. buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, until well-combined. At low speed, beat in buttermilk. Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Divide batter amongst pans. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Invert on rack and cool completely.

For chocolate buttercream filling:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1/2 c. cocoa powder
4 Heath Bars, chopped

Beat butter until fluffy. Add in sugar, vanilla, chocolate, and cocoa powder. Stir in chopped Health Bars.

For mocha buttercream:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 tbs. instant espresso

Beat butter until fluffy. While chocolate is still warm, mix in instant espresso, to dissolve. Beat sugar, vanilla, and chocolate-espresso mixture into butter.

Layer cakes with chocolate-Heath filling. Frost top and sides of cake with mocha buttercream.

peanut butter kiss cookies

These are a tasty variation on the Chocolate Chip Kiss Cookies that I have made before. They melt in your mouth!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

For cookie:
From Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies, epicurious.com

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 c. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. packed golden brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs

Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in both sugars. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of dry ingredients into mixture. Add eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

Drop 1 tablespoon of dough into mini-muffin pan. Bake until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for 5 minutes. Place chocolate in center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

cranberry pistachio biscotti

These are my mom's favorites. The add-in's give this biscotti and nice, chewy texture.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
From Bon Appetit, December 2003

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 c. shelled natural pistachios

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 /4 inches wide) Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to the touch, but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Carefully transfer logs to cutting board. Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices, cut side down, on remaining prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.