cookies

• Mix the white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add 1/3 cup of the cinnamon sugar mix followed by the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Beat to incorporate. Add 1 egg yolk along with the vanilla. Gradually add the flour, pausing to scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times.
• Using hands, knead the dough until it fully comes together. Lay out two long stretches of plastic wrap. Roughly divide the dough in half and form it into tube shapes of the same size on each sheet of plastic wrap. Encase the dough in plastic, rolling it to smooth the edges and compress the dough. Chill the dough in the fridge for least 4 hours or as long as a few days. Save the remaining cinnamon-sugar mix.
• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Place the remaining egg yolk in a bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a sharp knife or bench knife to slice the dough into 1/2-inch coins. Brush the top of each round with egg yolk, then dip coated surface into the cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place rounds spaced out on parchment.
• Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until cookies are set. Let cool on pan a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

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• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time followed by the milk and both extracts. Scrape the bottom of the bowl.
• In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to the wet mix to create a cohesive dough (and it makes a LOT of dough!).
• At this point, the dough can be divided to rest in the fridge or placed in the freezer for weeks. If the cookies will be made today, chill the dough, covered, for about 30 minutes. (Note that if the dough is chilled for a longer time, it will need to sit at room temperature for a bit to become soft enough to roll out.)
• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Parcel out using a 2-inch inch cookie cutter. Place spaced out a bit on cookie sheet. If using colored sugar, sprinkle atop each cookie to coat. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until set. Let the cookies idle on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process to make more cookies. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
• The full batch of cookies will make 100-120, dependent on the thickness.

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Make the blondies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• In a big bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
• Place the melted butter into a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, ground coffee, and salt. Stir to combine.
• Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan and level out; an uneven spatula makes that easy. Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake 27 to 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely.

To complete with glaze

• Mix together the melted tablespoon butter and extract. Gradually whisk in confectioners’ sugar. Add teaspoons of water, as needed, until the glaze is thick but can be drizzled. Place it in either a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip or a sandwich bag of which a corner will be snipped off. Drizzle glaze over blondies in a rough crosshatch pattern. Let glaze set for 1 hour before cutting blondies into squares. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. If making these in a warm place, put waxed paper between the stacked layers of blondies.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
• In another bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually combine the contents of both bowls. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to place rounded balls of dough spaced-out on the cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transitioning cookies to rack. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• In a big bowl, beat together eggs, butter, and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the brownie dry ingredients and gradually add them to the egg mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside 1 cup of the brownie batter for the topping. Scoop the rest into the prepared pan and use an uneven spatula to even it out.
• In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese blocks, cookie butter, and sugar. Once that is blended, add the egg and milk. Use an uneven spatula to spread the mixture in a thin layer across the top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the reserved brownie batter on top. Use the tip of the uneven spatula or a butter knife to create swirls.
• Bake pan for 35 to 40 minutes, until the very middle passes the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack for an hour, then place in fridge to completely chill. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Slice up and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Keeps for at least 3 days.

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• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Gradually mix in the flour and pie spice. Roughly divide the dough in half, flattening each portion into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Tuck into the fridge overnight.
• Let dough sit out about 20 minutes to warm up enough to roll out. Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured flat surface, roll out one disc of cookie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Portion out using the cookie cutter. Press the top of each round into the topping mix and then set, spaced out, on prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies ae set. Let sit on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining dough, reassembling scraps to create more cookies. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.

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