Bready or Not: Mocha Shortbread
Combine the awesomeness of shortbread and chocolate in a single pan!
I loved shortbread from the time I was a kid and we’d buy those precious boxes of Walker’s Shortbread at the Fresno Highland Games. Now you can buy Walker’s everywhere, but in the late ’80s and 1990s? It was a real treat.
This chocolate shortbread is a real treat, too. It creates tender yet firm bars that combine all the best of buttery shortbread, mocha, and espresso.
I first made this by mixing in mini chocolate chips (replacing the cocoa nibs in the original recipe). When I wanted a good cookie recipe to mail during an Arizona summer, I thought of shortbread because it ships and keeps so well, but chocolate chips would melt. Therefore, I made the recipe again with melted chocolate in the dough. The versions tasted the same and the new version shipped cross-country without any issues.
I think the biggest issue here is that it tastes so good–especially with coffee or tea–that there’s a tendency to gobble down shortbread bars as if they are potato chips.
Bet you can’t eat just one!
Modified from Mocha Shortbread as printed in Martha Stewart Living.
Bready or Not: Mocha Shortbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips either kept whole, or melted in microwave to blend into dough; the latter ships well, even in summer heat
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x13 baking pan with foil or parchment, and apply nonstick spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is very light, about 2 minutes, then stir in the vanilla extract and espresso powder. Mix about one more minute until it's smooth.
- Slowly pour in the flour mixture and mix until it just comes together. Add in the chocolate (either in chips or melted). Press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Press plastic wrap over the top and use that to smooth the dough with your hands or a spatula. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least an hour and up to a day.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Leaving the dough in the pan, use a knife to slash the dough into small rectangles and then use a fork or chopstick to poke holes in top of each bar.
- Bake until set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes, then re-cut bars. Let it cool completely then use the foil or parchment to lift out the shortbread and separate bars. Store covered up to one week.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Philly Biscoff Fluffernutter Cookies
A while back I shared my recipe for Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars. I couldn’t help but ponder ways to mix up the recipe. What if I did a cookie version? What would I use for a base recipe? This put me in mind of my Philly Chippers recipe. So, as though summoning Captain Planet, I combined elements to create something awesome.
The Philadelphia cream cheese in the mix creates a lush cookie dough. These are soft and dense in the best kind of way. The addition of Biscoff spread adds a touch of mildness. Mind you, you could also use nut butter instead (which is what Fluffernutter is all about, really).
I chopped up chocolate bars instead of using my usual chips here. The effect was awesome. Oozing pools of chocolate, people!
The marshmallows create pockets of sweetness. It’s a different kind of sweet than the richness of the dough, so it creates these complex layers of OMG. I ended up with about 40 cookies using a tablespoon scoop.
A Bready or Not original recipe combining my Philly Chippers recipe and Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars.
Bready or Not: Philly Biscoff Fluffnutter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter two cubes, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup Biscoff spread
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 ounces chocolate chopped (about two bars)
- 2 cups mini marshmallows about 1/2 bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cream together the butter, cream cheese, Biscoff spread, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and slowly incorporate them with the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate and marshmallows and incorporate.
- Use a tablespoon scoop or tablespoon to drop dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool.
OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Happy New Year! Let’s celebrate with a cookie.
Just one. It’s about time for those resolutions, right?
Is that big enough? That’s a whole cast iron skillet of cookie, right there.
There are a lot of reasons to make a massive cookie. You could top it off with ice cream scoops and drizzle and dig in with a few people you don’t mind sharing germs with. Or you can look at the clock and realize that this sucker cooks up fast and you don’t have to worry about batches.
Plus, you can do what I did and make the dough the night before. Then when I needed to serve it up for brunch, all I had to do was preheat the oven, plop my dough in the skillet, and bake.
Add whatever chips you want. Add nuts. Mix up the flour–I did this with a mix of wheat and all-purpose (and no one could tell!).
It’s very goopy if you eat it fresh out of the oven. If you want it solid enough to cleanly slice, let it rest about 30 minutes.
Tweaked from Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, October 2013.
Bready or Not: Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon for the skillet
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour worked well with 1/4 cup wheat and 3/4 cup all-purpose
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- The dough can be made the day before baking. In a large bowl, combine with butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips or other additions last. Wrap with plastic wrap to chill in fridge overnight or for several hours, at least.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add a tablespoon of butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven for a few minutes.
- On the plastic wrap, form the dough into the rough shape of the skillet. When the butter has melted in the skillet, pull it out and rotate it to cover the base with butter. Carefully add the cookie dough, and using a spatula, press it in to the edges.
- Bake until the cookie is golden brown and just set in the center, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, at least, or 30 minutes if you want it set enough to slice.
OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars
You want something chewy, minty, and luscious? Here’s your new favorite cookie bar.
I used mint chocolate chips from King Arthur Flour here but you can substitute any kind of mint chocolate chips you get from the grocery store. I do love the seasonal colors of these particular chocolate chips!
[The bars, right before baking.]
These bars are kind of amazing. They are EASY. They look like they are more work-intensive than they are. The results really impressed me because they are so chewy, even the side pieces. The mint flavor is definitely there but it doesn’t knock you upside the head; if you want it heavier, add an extra splash of extract. Another note: after a day, the mint flavor in the bars gets even stronger.
You’ll definitely want to chill this before you slice into bars. I store them in the fridge after that because I live in Arizona, but these might be okay at room temp for you folks who actually experience winter.
My husband loves mint chocolate. These bars have his full endorsement.
Modified from Recipe Girl.
Bready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer:
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oats quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups mint chocolate chips
Instructions
Mint chocolate filling:
- Place semi-sweet and/or milk chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan. Heat on low, stirring often, until everything has melted and the mix has thickened. Remove it from the burner and pour in the peppermint extract and stir. Let the pot cool until about room temperature.
The cookie dough:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper (the combination aluminum foil/parchment paper works well here) and lightly butter or use nonstick spray. Have paper overhang the sides for easy lifting later.
- Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with the butter mixture. Add mint chocolate chips last.
- Place about half the cookie dough in the prepared pan. It will be sticky, but drop it in dollops and smooth it to the edge as best you can. With a solid layer on the bottom, now dollop the cooled chocolate from the saucepan. Use an offset spatula to smooth it to the edges. Plop the rest of the cookie dough on top and don't worry if some chocolate shows through. The dough will ooze out and even as it bakes.
- Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few hours, then place in fridge to completely set. Cut into bars. Store in sealed container in fridge or on counter.
OM NOM NOM!
Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop: Chewy Cardamom Cookies
I saw a retweet on Twitter earlier this month about a cookie exchange blog hop. Despite my deadlines and stress, I couldn’t help but perk up in interest. COOKIES! BLOG HOP! This is so my sort of thing.
The Blog Hop originated with Linda Poitevin and I was tagged by Debra Vega, who shared a tasty looking recipe for Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I had a tough time deciding on what cookie recipe to share, but I decided on one of my old favorites: Chewy Cardamom Cookies.
This recipe makes chewy, spicy pillows. They are the perfect cookie leading right into Christmas. They smell divine, and the taste is just as amazing!
The rules of the blog hop ask participants to tag four authors in turn, but you won’t be smote for tagging more or less (… or will you?). In any case, I tag Dawn Bonanno and Pam Wallace! Their cookie posts are due in a week, 12/23.
Bonus Bready or Not: Chewy Cardamom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon ground cinnamon heaping
- 1/4 cup molasses [could try substituting honey]
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and shortening until creamy. Add in the brown sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon.
- Add the molasses and egg, and once that's combined, slowly mix in the flour.
- Using a teaspoon scoop or spoon, shape dough into small balls and roll in the cardamom and sugar.
- Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are slightly cracked. They will be pillowy--if too much so, flatten the next batch with a spatula or glass, if you wish.
Makes about 45 cookies, teaspoon-size.
OM NOM NOM.
Read More
Bready or Not: Maple Pecan Pepitas Cookies
Maple, maple, maple. I love maple. It’s only right to transition with a cookie that is perfectly fall or Christmas–both its flavor and appearance.
Have you ever had Pecan Sandies from the grocery store? These are kinda like that, but better. They boast a strong, clean maple flavor. I loved the combination of pecan bits and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds); they both crunch, but in different ways.
Plus, look at the red and green colors! Perfect!
These are fridge cookies. That means you roll them into logs, like so, then keep them in the fridge for a day or two, or freeze them.
When it’s time to bake them, just slice. Sometimes the dough crumbles a bit because of the nuts. That’s okay. Just mush it together again.
As shortbread-style cookies, these will also keep exceptionally well–days, and probably for over a week, if you can make them last that long. I’d bet they are great for mailing as gifts, too.
The gift of maple-flavored things is the gift of happiness and love.
Recipe modified from Jo Ann Kurtz’s Maple Pecan Refrigerator Cookies recipe, as featured in Relish Magazine (December 9th 2012).
Bready or Not: Maple Pecan Pepitas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 Tb real maple syrup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup pepitas
Instructions
- Beat the butter for several minutes, until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Add syrup, egg yolk, and extracts. Stir in the flour and nuts.
- Divide dough in half. On plastic wrap, shape the dough into long log shapes about 1 1/2 inches or so high. Completely wrap the logs and stash in fridge until firm, at least two hours. They can also be frozen.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Slice logs into 1/2 inch thick rounds and set on parchment papered or greased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies are set and just barely tinted with color.
- OM NOM NOM.
