Salted Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

You've heard the saying, perfection doesn't exist. As much as oftentimes we can have our own idea of what a perfect version of any particular thing is, we know that that idea of perfection is likely to be different from the person next to us. We all have a different perception of what perfection is. For example, while I felt that Beyoncé's Lemonade was a perfect album (even though I skip 'Sandcastles' every time it comes on), the Grammy judges felt that Adele's 25 was closer to excellence. I think it's crazy, but hey, we all have our own opinion of what's perfect. This is especially true when it comes to food, and most specifically, the beloved chocolate chip cookie.

Image by Chatelaine. 

Over the past year I've kept seeing charts breaking down "cookie logic," otherwise known as the "lite" science behind what makes a perfect chocolate chip cookie. From looking at these charts, I discovered that my idea of a perfect chocolate chip cookie is very different from say, Chatelaine Magazine's. In Chatelaine's chart (shown above) they believe that the perfect chocolate chip cookie is represented in the bottom right cookie. While I certainly wouldn't turn down a bite of that cookie, I felt the top left or right cookies were both closer to my idea of perfection. Using the search terms "perfect chocolate chip cookies" on some of my favourite food websites, I found an array of all sorts of different cookies that respected foodies deemed "perfect." It really puts in perspective how delusional the idea of universal perfection truly is.

For myself, my ultimate "perfect" chocolate chip cookie is a thin cookie with both semi-sweet and/or dark chocolate chips and pieces, with slightly crisp edges, a soft interior/centre, and some salt to combat the sweetness. I remember seeing an image of what I would have considered to be "perfect" chocolate chip cookies in an old William's Sonoma Cookies cookbook that I adored. They were those same thin cookies that I just described, and to me they looked like heaven. I never even made them, more swayed by the assortment of other interesting cookies that were unfamiliar to me, and have now misplaced my cookbook, but in my head those thin chocolate chip cookies will always be my idea of a perfect classic.

With the urge to make the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies on the last day of this past beautiful long weekend, I turned to William's Sonoma once again, searching for their idea of a perfect cookie. Though their perfect cookies looked very different from the ones that I drooled over in my old book, I figured it would be a good start in terms of recipe development. To make the cookies a little bit more of my own and closer to my idea of perfection, I chose to swap some of the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the recipe for shards of chopped 90% Lindt Chocolate, as well as subbing part of the vanilla extract for bourbon, and topped them all off with one of my favourite ingredients, Maldon Salt.

Though I truly thought it would take me a few tries to get to achieve my perfect cookie, I am so happy to say that this recipe is it! I know I'm often prone to hyperbole, but the fates of the world were kind enough to deliver perfection to me. With crisp, slightly caramelized edges, chips of chocolate to bite into, with little bits of dark chocolate throughout, a soft interior that doesn't crumble when you bite in, and, of course, that crunchy, clean-salty taste from the Maldon Salt, these thin wonders are my idea of perfection. What's your idea of a perfect chocolate chip cookie? Try mine and let me know what you think! Tweet me your thoughts: @thisgingerrose.

Note: I like to use a quick-release cookie scoop for dropping my balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet to keep my hands clean and create uniform cookies. 

Adapted from Williams Sonoma 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 Tbsp. white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp bourbon

1 heaping cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup 90% Lint Chocolate, chopped into small shards

Maldon Salt for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter with brown and white sugar on medium-high speed for 2-minutes.
4. Add egg, vanilla extract, and bourbon and mix at medium-low-speed until well blended. 
5. At low speed, add the flour in three-additions, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl before each new addition, and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and Lindt shards. 
6. Drop 1-Tbsp-sized pieces of dough onto prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-inches of space between each (see note). Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of Maldon Salt immediately, and allow to cool slightly while on baking sheet (about 2-3 minutes), and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Listening To:
Love Is Alive - Louis The Child Feat. Elohim 

Melitta Media Breakfast

Me (Danielle Rose) getting a tutorial on how to brew the perfect single cup of Melitta coffee

Being a loud and proud feminist, my favourite business success stories are that of feminists before their time. Melitta was established in 1908 when founder Melitta Bentz was sick of getting grinds in her cup of coffee. With determination to create the perfect cup of coffee, Melitta started experimenting with different types of homemade filtration systems. She landed on what is now the most commonly used type of coffee filtration, the paper filter. So yes, Melitta Bentz (a woman!) was the inventor of the coffee filter! How cool! 

It was a delight to be able to hear about the history of the Melitta brand from Melitta representatives David Viola, Ian Buckingham, and Donna Gray last Thursday as they invited myself, along with a selection of other media representatives, to attend a Melitta-inspired breakfast at the beautifully chic Maman Bakery & Café. As we sipped on seemingly never-ending cups of Melitta's popular Deluxe roast (a medium-dark European blend), we learned about Melitta's commitment to maintaining their reputation for delivering the perfect cup of coffee by covering everything from bean to cup. Today, the family-owned company is proud to call themselves the number one coffee filtration company in the world! 

While I've always been a dark roast kind of gal, thinking that I liked my coffee nice and strong, I had no idea that a medium-dark roast is actually the most ideal type of coffee bean, as the more the beans are roasted the more they will pick up on the carbon flavour from roasting, which ultimately takes over the true taste of the bean. Additionally, I learned that it is actually a misconception that darker roasts have more caffeine, as a lighter or medium roast actually does. As it turns out, as the beans are roasted, the level of caffeine represented in the beans is reduced. 

So what else helps to contribute to the perfect cup of coffee? While yes roasting and filtration is key, you must also consider the freshness of the beans as a major factor in making the perfect cup. Ideally the beans should be roasted right before being ground, and ground right before brewing. It only makes sense that whole bean coffee is the freshest, as their is less surface area that is in contact with oxygen, therefore the bean goes stale at a slower rate. With this in mind, it was recommended to resist the urge to buy large quantities of beans or grinds to have stocked in your cupboards, and instead buy small amounts at a time to ensure the freshest beans. Lastly, one of the major factors in creating the perfect cup is heat. Heat is vital in ensuring the proper extraction process from the beans, which means that water must be boiling! 

With the small event held at the renowned Maman Bakery & Café, we of course had to try some coffee-inspired treats created by their pastry chef. The baked goods were created using Melitta's European blend, which is bold yet smooth, with a sweet finish. A coffee-flavoured eclair and Madeleine were both created exclusively for the event, but I have to say, I think they should both stay on the menu! Both treats were incredible, with a subtle hint of coffee that shined through, yet didn't overpower the rest of the pastry. 

Lucky for us, Maman was lovely enough to provide me with recipes of both of the treats that I could share with you! Below is Maman's recipe for their Coffee Madeleines. Keep your eyes peeled for the fantastic eclair recipe, which I will be sharing in a separate post.

Treats from Maman, including the Coffee Madeleine

Coffee Madeleines 
Recipe provided by Maman bakery & Café

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

0.6 tsp baking powder

7 tsp butter

1 tsp Deluxe - European Blend Melitta Coffee

1/4 tsp lemon zest

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Sift flour with baking powder. 
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Let cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk eggs with sugar for about 5-minutes. Mixture should be bubbly. Add the flour mixture, melted butter, Melitta coffee, and lemon zest. Stir until just combined.
4. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
5. Butter Madeleine pan and add the dough so that it fills 2/3 of the mould. 
6. Bake at 425ºF for 5-minutes, then reduce heat to 390ºF and cook for an additional 10-minutes. 
7. Let cool to room temperature. 
8. Unmould the Madeleine and allow to fully cool. Serve! 

Listening To:

Summer Friends - Chance The Rapper

Pistachio Macarons

Two weeks ago was my boyfriend Chris' 26th birthday. With this being our first birthday celebrated together, the pressure was on to make sure Chris felt extra special on his day...especially when I had been dropping sneaky hints about what I was arranging for his day for weeks (talk about digging yourself into a hole!). As I've mentioned before in my post on how to make French macarons, Chris was the number-one supporter of my macaron making, signing me up for a Parisian macaron making class at Le Dolci for Christmas, and sending so much positive feedback my way after trying my hand at making macarons all on my own. Chris and I share so many things in common, and yet another one of our many similarities is that both of our favourite flavours of macarons is pistachio. That was it. I knew that in order to get the biggest smile on that bearded face of his on his birthday, was to present him with a box of homemade pistachio macarons. The only problem? Getting my hands on pistachio paste, a silky-smooth paste made from ground pistachios, that is incredibly hard to find in Toronto. 

Chris had mentioned to me (that sneaky devil) that apparently the Cheese Boutique in Etobicoke is one of the only places in the city that sells the rare paste. With time running out, and a crazy busy schedule, trekking out to the Cheese Boutique wasn't a viable option. I was ready to throw in the towel and attempt to make a buttercream filling sans the paste. Happy I was not. Knowing that all the top patisseries in the city use pistachio paste in their macarons, I was pretty bummed by the thought of my macarons not resembling our favourites that we had come to know so well. It's at this moment that my superhero once again came through for me. Oh...you didn't know that I had my very own superhero? I've talked about her before, but you probably know her by the title "mom". My mom is my very own superhero, saving my ass time and time again, there to step in right as I begin to raise my white flag. Despite telling her that there wasn't a chance she would be able to find the paste in such short time, in a matter of five-minutes that clever mother of mine had tracked down the paste! Literally right across the street from where I work, is a specialty food shop that carries the paste. Ararat International Fine Foods is my idea of heaven on earth, filled with unusual gourmet foods from Europe, the Middle East, and Canada, with jars of pistachio paste right at the front counter! With everything I needed to make patisserie-shop-quality pistachio macarons, I was ready to once again take a chance at making those damn difficult, finicky French cookies.

It felt great to have so much confidence making macarons this time around, now having the experience to really get the feel for the right texture for each step, as well as perfecting my folding, piping, and french meringue-making techniques. I felt relaxed and composed, as opposed to stressed and frantic, which is how I felt the last time...much of which, had to do with using way too small piping bags, resulting in the sticky almond flour batter getting ALL over me. Like ALL over me. On my clothes, up my forearms, in my hair, on my face....EVERYWHERE! So note: use large piping bags!! I also learned this time around that you can't be impatient with letting your macarons rest once you've piped them. You want them to me matte, and have formed a shell on top from drying. Not allowing them that drying time will result in your macarons cracking or bursting once placed in the oven. Lastly, I learned that although you don't want your macarons to wiggle around too much before removing from the oven, they can do so just a bit. To test whether your macarons are ready to be removed from the oven, I lightly tap the top of one to see if it wiggles. This time I waited for the macarons to be firm before removing them, which I quickly discovered results in a very dry, crisp, and crumbly macaron. The texture you are aiming for is crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside, which means waiting for your macarons to be fairly firm, but still have a very slight wiggle to them when tapped. Although the flavour was there with the delicious buttercream filling made from pistachio paste, I wasn't too pleased with that dry, crisp, and crumbly texture. 

Unable to make them all over again, and knowing that Chris would appreciate them no matter what, I wrapped up 26 dry, yet tasty macarons in a personalized birthday box for Chris. The hunt for the paste and the labour to make those tricky French cookies was all worth it as soon as I saw Chris' face light up at the sight of them (they did look pretty damn perfect!)! He tasted one right away, and despite the less than perfect texture, he absolutely loved it! I was so happy to discover that leaving the macarons out at room temperature for a night, rehydrated them and made them the perfect patisserie-shop-like texture! Success! I feel like a macaron-making pro! 

Big thanks to Madalina from Duhlicious for supplying me with a fantastic recipe for Pistachio Buttercream Filling! I turned to Duhlicious for the recipe once again, after having so much success with  her recipe for macarons and Lemon Cream Cheese filling. If you're interested in learning to make perfect Parisian macarons, I highly suggest signing up for a macaron making class at Le Dolci with the talented Madalina as your teacher!  

Click here for a recipe and guide on making macarons!

Click here for the recipe for delicious Pistachio Buttercream Filling!

Listening To:

Noah and the Whale - Five Years Time

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French Macarons

About four years ago I had my first french macaron experience. I had just gotten hired as a counter girl and barista at La Bamboche, a Japanese/French fusion patisserie known for their macarons. Despite the fact that I was working at one of the top places in the city to get the Parisian treat, I much preferred indulging in their fresh-baked croissants and lemon tarts, rather than the many flavours of macarons. After trying a couple flavours of macarons, I found the little cookies much too sweet for my palate, and quickly turned away from them.

The sheer temptation of having so many different flavours, all dressed up in beautiful pastel shells, with a new feature flavour appearing each month, not to mention hearing the sighs of pleasure escape from the mouths of the many regulars that would come in to indulge in macarons each day, made it impossible for me to stay away from the confection. All it took was a few more tastes for me to be completely hooked. No longer did my mouth pucker from the immense sweetness, as I tickled my taste buds with flavours such as caramel seasalt, espresso, pistachio (my favourite!), and even lavender. As I continued working at La Bamboche, I watched as the macaron craze took off and became the new "it" treat in Toronto, with pastry shops popping up in every nook of the city featuring this special french cookie. Although it was much easier to buy macarons in Toronto, it was still rare to hear about anyone attempting to make them in their own home. Working at the patisserie, I knew just how complex the process of making macarons were, seeing how fickle and time consuming they can truly be, and never even considered that I would ever take an interest in making them myself. 

All that changed this Christmas when my boyfriend Chris got me a gift certificate for a Parisian Macaron Making class at Le Dolci. As much as I appreciated the thoughtful and generous gift so early on in the relationship, I have to admit that the thought of a macaron making class really intimidated me. As the date of my scheduled class approached, I started to get anxious about the idea of a hands-on class, making something so notoriously difficult. Yes, I was nervous about the class and how I would fare next to the other participants, but more than anything, I was freaked out over making them on my own after...or failing at them on my own after. I couldn't possibly accept a macaron making class as a gift and not even try to make them on my own. It was happening. The pressure of succeeding at making the treat, both in the class and out on my own, was increased tenfold by the fact that Chris just so happens to be a fantastic cook. With so much hype built up around my own "skills" in the kitchen thanks to my food blog, I was so incredibly nervous about living up to the hype in front of my new boyfriend. Talk about pressure!

Much of that pressure was immediately relieved as soon as the class at Le Dolci began. The class, which was led by the very charming Madalina Paul of Duhlicious, was so unbelievably informative, allowing us participants to learn all the tips and tricks to macaron making that I had never before read about online. That hands-on experience was so incredibly beneficial for me, being able to feel first hand exactly what the proper texture should be in each stage, with Madalina guiding us through the techniques every step of the way. I walked out of that class with a recipe, a ton of hand-written notes, a box of macarons that I could proudly say I made along with the class, and, most importantly, I walked out confident that I could recreate those delicate little cookies all on my own.

After another personal one-on-one macaron making lesson from Danielle at Sweet & Splendid Bakeshop, I was more than ready to take on the macaron by myself! I very carefully followed each step to macaron making, making sure to follow every single note that I jotted down from Madalina. It was when I was folding the egg whites into the almond flour mixture that I was sure that everything had gone macawrong! I was positive the texture was off. Although I could have very well tossed everything in the trash at this point to save myself from wasting any more ingredients, I took a deep breath and prevailed, trusting my instincts of when to stop folding and begin piping.

I must have sat on the floor in front of the oven the entire time those shells were baking, so eager to see if I had found macaron success. Sure enough, after adjusting the baking time (my shells needed about 3-5 extra minutes in the oven), my macaron shells turned out almost perfect! I can't describe to you how happy I was to find such success my first time making them on my own! The shells were crisp and chewy, with the texture just slightly off due to my shells being a little too large. I proudly packaged up the most aesthetically pleasing macarons for Chris, so excited for him to taste my success! The look on his face as he took his first bite of my Lemon Cream Cheese Macaron made that long, difficult, and messy process of making macarons all worth it! As much as I was pleased to impress my guy, more than anything, I was so proud and pleased with myself for tackling the difficult treat with such success.

Chris, thank you so much for encouraging me to go outside of my comfort zone and test my skills in the kitchen by making these treats. It's something that I never thought I would be able to do on my own, and it's because of you that I was able to take that leap and find such success with it. You are my official macaron taste tester!

Macaroon: A dense and moist cookie made with coconut and typically dipped in chocolate. Principal ingredients are coconut, egg white, and sugar. This cookie is characterized by its dense coconut peaks and chocolate base. Source: Duhlicious

Macaron: A light meringue-based and almond biscuit filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam. Principal ingredients are egg whites (whipped to stiff peaks), sugar, almond flour. The confectionary is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), and flat base. The outer "shell" is delicate and brittle, and the interior is mildly moist. Source: Duhlicious

Note: 90g is approximately 3 eggs whites

Note: Use the filling of your choice!

Tip: Fresh eggs do not whip up as well as aged eggs.

Tip: Use large piping bags.

Tip: Don't be impatient when allowing your piped macarons to rest before placing in oven. You want them to form a shell on top.

Tip: To test whether your macarons have baked long enough, lightly tap them. They should not wiggle too much, just ever so slightly.

*This is an Italian meringue as opposed to a French meringue. An Italian meringue is ideal because it is near impossible to over mix. The taste and texture remain the same.

Recipe by Duhlicious

Macaron Shell

Ingredients:

65g water

250g sugar

90g egg whites, room temperature

gel or powder food colouring (do not use liquid!)

250g almond flour (also known as almond meal)

250g icing sugar

90g egg whites, room temperature

Directions:

1. Gently and slowly stir together the water and 250g sugar until combined. You want to stir gently and slowly so that crystals do not form.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil. Allow to cook, without stirring at all, until it reaches the soft ball stage. Using a pastry brush, brush water along the sides of the saucepan to deter crystals from forming around the sides of the pot. 
1. Test for the soft ball stage by dipping a spoon into a glass of ice cold water, then dip into the centre of the sugar and water mixture, and then quickly back into the water. Feel with your fingers to see if you can form into a soft, gummy ball. You will reach this stage after the string stage, in which the sugar mixture will feel stringy between your fingertips.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (make sure the bowl is spotless!), beat 90g of egg whites at moderate speed. Once the egg whites begin to look like a bubble bath, very slowly begin pouring in the sugar syrup, holding the saucepan higher than the mixing bowl so that it pours out in a thin, continuous stream. Increase speed to high and beat until the bowl is almost cool to the touch (its likely to retain a bit of warmth) and the egg whites form stiff, shining, upstanding peaks. You want to be able to turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out.* 
4. Combine almond flour and icing sugar in a food processor, pulsing until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and very fine. Sift into a large bowl and set aside. (I like to do this step ahead of time and set aside!) When the meringue is just about ready, fold in the remaining 90g egg whites into the almond flour and icing sugar mixture, along with a small amount of the food colouring.
5. Carefully fold the meringue into the wet almond mixture, adding a little at a time (should take about 3 additions). Stop folding when the mixture is evenly combined and is the viscosity of lava or molasses. When piped, the macarons should hold a peak of about a second or two, and then they gradually find their round shape and flatten out.
1. This is where you have to get a feel for when to stop mixing. It's easy to over or under mix at this point. Try scooping some of the mixture up and dropping back into the bowl. The mixture should slowly and gradually flatten back into the rest of the mixture in the bowl. If it holds its shape when plopped back in the bowl, you may need to continue folding for another 10 strokes or so. Continue folding and testing as needed until you have reached the "lava" viscosity.
6. Pipe macarons onto a heavy parchment-lined sheet pan.
1. If you do not have a heavy pan, layer two pans on top of each other, but I would still advise investing in at least one heavy pan. I got mine for a mere $15.
2. Lay your printed macaron circle-shape guide under the parchment.
3. Tack down the corners of the parchment with some macaron batter to ensure the corners do not fly up when baking.
4. When piping, pipe vertically (don't hold the piping bag on a slant!) until batter fills the circle-shape guide. Pipe with your dominant hand, gently squeezing the batter, with your other hand guiding. When bater fills the circle-guide, quickly and carefully swirl your wrist, and stop piping so you are not left with peaks. My apologies, because this step is much easier to show than to explain.
7. Rest macarons until they appear dull and are no longer tacky to the touch. Bake at 275ºF on the middle rack in a convection oven (310º for non-convection) for 10 minutes. To test for doneness tap the top of a macaron, if the bottom wiggles, it should bake for longer. Allow the macarons to cool before removing from pan and transferring to a cooling rack.
8. Once completely cool, fill with ganache, buttercream, or other filling, and carefully top with the other shell half. Macarons are best enjoyed 24hrs after filling, allowing the shells to set and the filling to rehydrate centres. 

Recipe by Duhlicious
Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Ingredients:

150g cream cheese, at room temperature

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature

zest of one lemon

1/2 - 3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Stir in the lemon zest. Gradually add icing sugar to taste. 

Listening To:

Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Last week, when reading over my entry on my Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce, I couldn't help but wonder why I chose to go the savory route when I was hit with pumpkin inspiration due to the constant flow of comments on the now extremely popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. I know I didn't want to make a drink (I retract my statement in that last entry about me being horrible at making coffee, I used to work at a café and pastry shop and I can make one mean cappuccino, latte, and macchiato using an espresso machine) but how come I didn't choose to make a pumpkin spice dessert to go along with a warm drink? The truth is, my taste buds like to go back and forth between craving sweet and savory all the time. Just a few weeks ago all I could think about was herbs, spices, meats, etc. choosing chips and dip as my after-dinner snack as opposed to a baked good. And yet here I am now, finding myself scouring the cupboards, fridge, and freezer for any hint of a dessert after each and every meal, choosing pancakes and waffles for breakfast rather than my old standby toast and a fried egg. So sure enough, being in my sugar and spice and everything nice mode while reading the pumpkin ravioli entry, I was struck again with seasonal pumpkin inspiration. I imagined the perfect little dessert that I could take with me to work to snack on that would epitomize all of my favourite things about Fall, just as I had with my Pumpkin Ravioli entree.

After spending more time than necessary looking at an abundance of pumpkin spice food porn, searching all the many pumpkin spice recipes that are available on the internet, I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies. I found a simple recipe for Pumpkin Spice cookies on allrecipes.com that sounded promising, so out came the leftover pumpkin in the fridge, the sugar, flour, KitchenAid, and even a mortar and pestle for hand grinding my spices! I was all set and ready for pumpkin spice heaven! Other than grinding my own spices, this recipe was incredibly fast and quick to follow, and truly the only reason why I hand-ground some of my spices was because I only had whole cloves and nutmeg in my cupboard, so I had to make due. The cookies turned out really yummy, but of course I always have my revisions. This brings up a whole new topic that I feel the need to discuss.

It's tricky when you still consider yourself to still be a fairly new cook (I know I've been cooking for as long as I can remember, but I still have SO much to learn!) and want to try out all the fantastic sounding recipes that you come across online, in magazines and books, etc. You want to share a delicious recipe with everyone, but do you really have the right to when the recipe is not your own? I consider my blog a resource that people can use to obtain tasty and simple recipes that they can feel confident has been tested in a home kitchen. And true, I always cite where I have gotten the recipes that are not my own, but I still feel strange about publishing a recipe that people, if they do not read the entry in full, may assume to be my own. After much thought, I decided that the only way that i can feel confident delivering these recipes to you is if I offer something valuable that the recipe and website is not already offering such as special tips, tricks, and revisions that I feel allow you to take the recipe a little bit closer to perfection. So although allrecipes.com's recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cookies was great, I feel that my recipe, complete with my own revisions, will be your new Fall favourite! With a texture soft like cake with a crunch and nuttiness from chopped walnuts, the sweetness of the pumpkin, and the kick from the spice, these cookies truly succeed in epitomizing Fall!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt, and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter with the white and brown sugar. Add the pumpkin, egg, and 1 tsp vanilla and beat until creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients, walnuts, and raisins, making sure to not over-mix.

3. Drop onto a lined cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls, flattening slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Best eaten warm out of the oven, but cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Listening To:

	M83 - Midnight City .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

Whether you're a beginner cook or a seasoned pro, everybody seems to have their old standbys. You know what I'm talking about, the ol' faithfuls, the meatloaf, spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, chicken parmesan, whatever it may be, you've got that recipe down pat so you could very well make it in your sleep. It's hard to stray from a recipe that you have become so comfortable with, especially when you know how delicious the results are! For me one of my most frequently made baked goods is biscotti. I have been making Williams Sonoma's recipe for Almond Cranberry Biscotti for years now, and it has become such a staple in my home that my sister has started baking them regularly as well. Ever since making our first batch years ago we've been telling everybody that they are simply "the best". So when my mom began hinting (pretty much with a sledgehammer with "hints" such as "we haven't had that biscotti in a while" or "I sure miss your biscotti" and even "my coffee would be better if I had biscotti on the side", all classic lines that she undoubtedly picked up from my aunt Angie) I knew it was time to whip up another batch.

With a half full (feelin' positive these days) bag of pistachios in the house that were just about to near their end, I decided to switch up my regular biscotti recipe and try Giada DeLaurentis' recipe for Holiday Biscotti. There's nothing particularly festive about these biscotti other than their colour. The combination of green pistachios, ruby red cranberries, and white chocolate drizzled on top give the biscotti their holiday name. Because it's only the beginning of Spring and I'm not much of a fan of chocolate drizzled or dipped with my biscotti, I decided to skip the white chocolate drizzle. The biscotti turned out better than I could have anticipated! I loved the flavour of the pistachios, and, just as always, I loved the chewy tart bites that the dried cranberries added to the cookies. What also stood out for me was that great brightness that was introduced into the cookie thanks to adding lemon zest. But above all, I was impressed by the texture of the biscotti. Perfectly crumbly, with a great mouth feel, these Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti make it into my top ranking due to their perfect texture!

As soon as the biscotti were all eaten up, I found myself already brainstorming other biscotti flavour combinations. Whenever I find a recipe that knocks my socks off, I try and break down the recipe and turn it into a guide so that I can use the guide next time to create my very own recipe.

An obvious update to the biscotti recipe would be switching up the pistachios for other nut varieties, as well as switching the dried cranberries for other dried fruits, or even types of chips like chocolate, white chocolate, toffee, peanut butter, etc. From here think about the background flavours. In this particular biscotti, the lemon zest acted as a great base flavour for the other additions, but there are so many more possibilities to try! Other citrus fruits like orange would be a great addition, add in some of the zest and even the juice. Or think of different extracts like vanilla and almond. This is where you can really get creative and make your signature old standby your own!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt at high speed until mixture becomes pale yellow in colour. Beat in the eggs one at a time at medium speed.

3. At low speed add in the flour in 3 stages, mix until just combined. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

4. Turn dough out onto the parchment or silpat mat. Form dough into a 13-inch long log. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

5. Place the log on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until pale golden. Let cool and serve with your favourite hot beverage.

Listening To:

Beyonce - Run The World (Girls)

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Hamantaschen

Purim, a holiday that, to be completely honest with you, I don't know much about. I can only recall celebrating the Jewish holiday Purim a handful of times, yet it is one that I look forward to every year. Come to think of it, the reason why I like any holiday doesn't have anything to do with the holiday itself, but more about celebrating and spending time with my family. Although I do remember enjoying all of the fun activities that came along Purim (winning costume contests, playing all different types of games, and making new friends), it was making Hamantaschen with my Baba (what I call my Jewish Grandmother) that really stands out in my mind.

For years it was solely my Baba that would take on the big task of making an abundance of these sweet and healthy little triangles, but after breaking her hip several years ago, it became much more difficult for Baba to get around. Although Hamantaschen are very easy to make, they can be quite time consuming when made by yourself. The process goes much faster and smoothly if you have one person rolling and cutting dough, and someone else doing the filling. I knew Baba could use an extra hand, so I offered to help her out, setting up a little Hamantaschen production line for us to work on. Although it was a couple years ago that we had our Hamantaschen-making day, I still vividly remember how special that day was for the both of us. We spent our time assembling the Hamantaschen swapping stories about celebrating Purim and other Jewish holidays in the past, and Baba's old house and the games she used to play with us in it. By the time all of the Hamantaschen were assembled and baked, we had perma-smiles on our faces, having had such a great time together and proud of the big plate of tasty cookies we had made so lovingly.

So by now I guess wondering, what the heck is Hamantaschen? Well...Hamantaschen are little triangle-shaped cookies filled with different types of fillings like poppy seeds (traditionally used...although not my cup of tea), dried fruit, fruit preserves, chocolate, cheese, and more! I grew up eating prune Hamantaschen, which no, does not sound very appetizing, but when combined with sweet golden raisins, fresh and juicy orange, and nutty and satisfying walnuts is actually quite tasty! Because Hamantaschen are not too sweet, it's easy to clean off a whole plate of them in no time at all...and still consider having more!

Recipe by The Pleasures of Your Processor

Ingredients:

Prune Filling

1 medium seedless orange

12 oz. package pitted prunes

1 1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

2 tbsp sugar

Dough

1 medium seedless orange

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp baking powder

2 3/4 cup flour

Directions:

Prune Filling

1. Cut orange in quarters but do not peel. Process half of the orange until fine. Add half of the remaining ingredients and process until fine. Transfer processed filling to a bowl and repeat with remaining ingredients. Store in fridge until ready to use.

Dough

1. Cut the orange in quarters but do not peel. Place in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine. Add the eggs, sugar, and oil and process for 10 seconds. Add baking powder and flour and process with several on/off turns, just until flour is blended into dough. Do not overprocess. Dough should be very sticky

Assembly:

1. Prepare the filling and dough as directed.

2. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and flour each piece lightly. Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, on a well-floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. Using a circle-cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into 3-inch circles. Place a small spoonful of filling in the middle of each circle. Bring up the sides of the dough to meet. Pinch the ends together to form a triangle. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400º for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Listening To: The Morning - The Weeknd

Click here to download the whole The Weeknd mixtape House of Balloons.

If people are giggling at the juxtaposition of certain songs with my content, I feel you! I just select whichever song I've been listening to the most lately, or at times what I was listening to while making the dish.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Less than a week till Christmas, which means jingle bells a-ringing, carolers singing, cookies baking...oh and long line ups, crowds, crying children, and most of all, stress from not having all of your Christmas gifts ready in time! Sure it's a pretty pessimistic way of looking at the holiday season, but let's face it, that's a reality when it comes to Christmas shopping during those last two weeks before the big day. So if you're like me and you still have those few last minute gifts to get, take my advice and avoid shopping altogether! I don't know about you, but it seems like no one even has a Christmas list this year anyway. Whenever I ask anyone about what they would like for the holiday this year, I always get the same few responses, either "I don't know", "I don't need anything", and lastly (and the most sappy of all) "just time with you". I have to admit, that I'm actually one of those people this year who doesn't have anything on my list. I'm at a point in my life where I would much rather receive something personal and/or sentimental rather than some new clothes or jewelry.

So this year when my mom was stressing over what to get her staff for Christmas, we decided upon homemade baked goods. Sure, there are some nice gift baskets out there, and hey, who doesn't need another Santa figurine (I kid!), but a nicely gift-wrapped bag of homemade treats tops any gift you can buy at the mall. Making homemade treats as holiday gifts allows you to give the people you care about something unique, personal, and most importantly, it shows that you took the time to make them something really special.

One of my favourite cookies, and a good ol' no fail standby, is my Almond Cranberry Biscotti. Perfect for gift giving, this biscotti has just the right amount of sweetness to keep everyone happy, it's really easy to make, looks pretty and festive with flecks of ruby red cranberries, and the best part...drum roll please...you can make these cookies as much as a week in advance because of their dry and crumbly texture. Because we were giving the biscotti as gifts, we thought it would be extra special to give two different flavours of biscotti. So I developed a recipe for Chocolate Almond Biscotti. Although the most prominent flavour in the cookies is chocolate, they aren't too sweet, making them a great accompaniment to your morning coffee. I promise you, your friends and family will light up like a Christmas tree when you hand them a beautiful bag of my homemade biscotti!

Tip: If you prefer your biscotti on the sweeter side, melt some semi-sweet chocolate to drizzle over the baked biscotti. This also makes the biscotti look more "store-bought".

Ingredients:

1 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped

1 1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at high speed until light in colour and the mixture no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, at low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and combine at low speed.

3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour to the sugar and egg mixture in several increments, while mixing at low speed. Stir until just combined.

4. Stir in the almonds. Separate the dough in half and, on a floured surface, form each half into a log about 3 1/2 - 4 inches in width. Carefully transfer logs to a lined baking sheet and bake at 350º for 30 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and carefully transfer logs to a wire rack. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

6. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Lay cookies on their side on baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool and serve with coffee. Store in an airtight container.

Listening To:

Marilyn Monroe - Santa Baby

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Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Man is it getting cold in Toronto...yeah, yeah I know the last few days have been mild, but with some of my best friends sending me email updates several times a week, retelling stories of their travels in HOT HOT HOT Australia, I can't help but feel that cool Toronto chill a little more than usual. Although I consider myself to be much more of a savory food craver than a sweet one, it's cold, rainy, and windy weather like today that has me craving all things sweet. Not a day has gone by since the weather declined that I haven't stopped my parents, right in their tracks, and asked them if they happened to pick up a dessert on their way home from work. Pie? Cake? Donuts? Baklava? ANYTHING?! It's hard to hide the sound of desperation in my voice.

After all the times my mom thought of me on her way home, bringing me little pastries, a pie on sale, or a danish, I figured I owed her a dessert of my own. I decided to make this one a little bit more healthy to make up for all of the other sweets I had been consuming in the previous weeks. So I pulled out my trusty Williams Sonoma: Cookies cookbook to hunt for a great oatmeal cookie recipe. As I often do, I wanted to add my own little touch to their cookie recipe. Ever since not having pecan pie at Thanksgiving I haven't been able to get pecans off my mind, so I decided to substitute in pecans instead of the suggested walnuts. I also added in some dried cranberries. The cranberries were my favourite part as the beautiful deep red cranberry confetti added another textural element to the cookies, as well as a fantastic tangy flavour to cut the sweetness. The cookies were just what I was craving! Chewy, sweet, nutty, with a touch of tartness, the only thing you'll be craving after this is a warm blanket and a glass of milk.

Note: I also reduced the amount of nutmeg, as I am not the biggest fan of the spice, so feel free to add more to your liking.

Tip: Because these cookies are flecked with beautiful red cranberries, they would make great healthy holiday cookies!

Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma: Cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/4 cup - 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. In a medium-large saucepan, over low heat, melt butter, then remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat in both the granulated and brown sugar until blended. Add the egg and beat again.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together into a bowl. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Add the rolled oats, pecans, and dried cranberries and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a baking sheet or line with Silpat mat or parchment paper. Drop tablespoons of the cookie batter onto the sheet, making sure to space cookies at least 2 inches apart. Using a metal spatula or the palm of your hand, flatten each mound of batter. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. For chewy cookies, let cool on hot pan. For crispy cookies, let cool on wire rack.

Listening To:

Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Almond Cranberry Biscotti

When people think of their favourite cookies, biscotti isn't usually what tops peoples lists. The crumbly, dry cookie, known as an accompaniment for coffee and tea often goes forgotten when people consider baking cookies. I'll admit, I've always liked biscotti, but if I ever had the option of a chocolate chip cookie or a biscotti, I would always choose the chocolate chip cookie...well, that is, until I made these!

My Almond Cranberry Biscotti is one of my favourite cookies! Unlike many biscotti, which are hard as rocks, this biscotti is more like a dense, crumbly cookie, rather than an airy, hard, dry one. The almonds give the cookies a great nutty and sweet flavour, as well as texture, while the chewy cranberries add a hint of both sweet and tart flavour. A subtle addition of orange zest makes these biscotti really stand out. The orange zest brightens up the flavour of the cookie, while remaining almost completely unnoticed. I have made these biscotti so, many times I may as well have the recipe tattooed on the back of my hand! You have got to these with your next morning coffee!

Tip: If you don't have an orange on hand for the orange zest, simply use about 2 tsp orange juice. The zest has a more pronounced flavour, but orange juice will still do the trick!

Tip: Serve these cookies at your next brunch!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp orange zest

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixture, cream the butter and sugar together, at high speed, until light in colour and the mixture does not feel gritty when rubbed between fingers.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, at low speed, until just combined. Add the vanilla and combine at low speed.

4. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the flour to the egg mixture in several small increments, while mixing at low speed. Stir until just combined.

5. Stir in the almonds, dried cranberries, and orange zest.

6. Separate the dough in half and, on a floured surface, form each half into a log of desired size (about 12 inches long).

7. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and transfer logs to a wire rack. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

9. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Lay cookies on their side on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool and serve with coffee! Store in an airtight container.

Listening to:

Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

Annual Christmas Cookie Bake

Every year, just a few days before Christmas, my family goes over to my Oma's house to make her signature Christmas cookies. Having made (and eaten!) these cookies for as long as I can remember, they have become one of my all-time favourite cookies. They are similar to the Dutch butter cookies that you ca purchase in tins, but about 10 times better! This may be due to a few ingredients that sets the two apart, but I'm convinced it's because we all make them together, resulting in a much more tasty cookie. 'Love' really can be a secret ingredient, and it seems that every Christmas that ingredient shows up to be mixed into Oma's Christmas cookie dough.

This year everyone seemed to be very busy around Christmas time, so it was just my two cousins and I helping Oma make the cookies. Although my cousins lost interest in cookie making and decorating after about an hour (they found their video games far more interesting), I couldn't get enough! All year long I look forward to our Christmas cookie baking day, so I don't mind spending the whole afternoon rolling, decorating, and baking cookie dough. Thanks Oma for another great year of Christmas cookie baking!

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

I'm finding it hard to believe that Christmas is only days away. After spending last week basking in the Cuban sun, coming home to Christmas songs and decorations just feels kind of odd to me. Christmas is my absolute favourite holiday and my favourite thing about Christmas is the food...sorry family...you're awesome too, but lets face it, our Christmas meal tops the list! So I decided to get myself into the Christmas spirit. Yesterday I spent the day laying out all my christmas gifts for everyone so that they're ready to be wrapped, and then made Christmas cookies. I have a Martha Stewart: Holiday Cookies magazine from years ago that I turn to every holiday. All of the cookies look so beautiful and delicious that I can never pick which ones to make, so I always end up making the same ones, Almond Shortbread Stars. The Almond Shortbread stars taste amazing, but this year I wanted to try something different. My eye immediately landed on Martha's Chocolate Crackle Cookies. These cookies looked so beautiful and festive, I just had to give them a try! Boy am I glad that I did! The cookies turned out incredible! Super chocolaty and moist, and gorgeous to boot! I was pleased to learn that these cookies remain soft and gooey even after cooling, making them taste like little brownies. Serve them at your holiday celebration!

Note: To make a double boiler, put about 2 inch worth of water into a small pot. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pot making sure they are sealed tight (you want the steam to stay inside the pot). Also make sure the bowl is not touching the water in the pot. Place your chocolate in the bowl. A double boiler allows the chocolate to gently melt so that it will not burn.

Tip: when forming your dough into balls, try not to make them larger than 1 inch. The larger the dough balls, the less crackling effect.

Ingredients:

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (1 cup if using chocolate chips)

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 pound (1 stick or 1/2 cup) room temperature butter

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

about 1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate on low heat. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.

5. Add the melted chocolate, and mix to combine.

6. Add the flour mixture alternately with milk. Mix on low speed until just combined.

7. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap. Carefully pour the cookie dough onto the plastic wrap and wrap all around. Form your dough into a disk shape, while still in the plastic wrap.

8. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

9. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Pour the icing sugar into a small bowl.

10. Form the cookie dough into about 1 inch balls and roll in the icing sugar to generously coat.

11. Place the coated balls on a baking sheet leaving space in between to allow for the cookies to spread.

12. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the sugar coating splits.

13. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Note: I came across an issue with this recipe while I was melting my chocolate. I used chocolate that was not stored properly. After I had melted my chocolate I tried a taste and could immediately taste that something was off. I had to dump that chocolate and start over again with properly stored chocolate. It is important to store your chocolate properly so that you do not come across this issue.

A Lesson in Storing Chocolate:

• Store in a slightly cool environment (about 60-70º F).
• Store in an area with low humidity. The area should be dry.
• Make sure it is not in direct sunlight. A dark environment is best.
• Keep away from any foods or substances with strong odors.
• Some people swear by storing chocolate in their wine fridge due to the controlled temperature. Give it a try!

Nutella Cookies

I know in my last entry I said that it was time to start thinking healthy, but come on, who could resist these decadent Nutella cookies?! I can barely resist Nutella to begin with but put it in the form of a cookie and I'm a gonner!

I got the recipe from here but changed it slightly. I figured while we're going all out and making these already sinful cookies, what's another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips! Trust me, the chocolate chips make this cookie sooo much better!

Tip: If you buy the hazelnuts whole with skins on, toast them lightly and then rub them with a towel. Most of the skins will come right off and whatever is left on is ok to leave.

Note: If you don't have any unsalted butter on hand (as I did not) it is ok (although many pastry chefs would kick me for saying this) to use margarine. It tastes just as good!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt (if unavailable, regular salt is fine)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Cream the ingredients together, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.

5. Hand stir in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until JUST combined. Add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips until JUST combined.

6. Using a teaspoon measure, spoon out cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds evenly apart so they will not spread into each other when baked. Bake until lightly golden around edges, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cook.

7. ENJOY!