August 16, 2011
Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks, is one of my favorite food blogs. Her photographs are beautiful, her food is homey and approachable, and her recipes are dependable (I’m never disappointed)! I also appreciate her focus on natural, whole foods and ingredients and strive to have a natural kitchen like hers (although, I’m nowhere close).
That being said, these chocolate puddle cookies aren’t the kind of cookie you usually see on her site—she wasn’t even sure about posting it since it didn’t have a natural twist (no whole grains or natural sweeteners here). However, let me say that I am glad that she did post this recipe because it has become a new favorite of mine. These cookies take care of any chocolate cravings and they have the most amazing texture—light and fudgy at the same time. I dare you to make these and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
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See more: Chocolate • Cookies • Gluten Free • Nuts
August 10, 2011
One day my husband said to me, “You make a lot of really good desserts, but sometimes all I want is a chocolate chip cookie.” Ever since then, I have been making chocolate chip cookies pretty regularly to appease him. However, he likes his super soft (no doubt this is a direct result from eating too many Subway cookies in college) and I tend to prefer ones that have more texture. So consequently I’m always looking for new recipes that will satisfy the both of us.
My absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie is from New York City’s City Bakery. The cookies are huge and in my opinion have the perfect texture—crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the center. A 2008 New York Times article gave me some insight into what makes the City Bakery cookies so yummy: 1) they chill the dough for 36 hours so that all the ingredients can meld together to produce a better flavored and textured cookie and 2) they make large 6-inch cookies to ensure that the cookies are both crisp and chewy. With research in hand, I have tried to recreate this cookie at home, but still haven’t quite got it. This thin and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe is as close as I have gotten so far. If you are looking to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, I suggest you try this one out!
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See more: Bakery Inspired • Chocolate • Cookies
August 9, 2011
My love for lemons runs deep. I can’t go a day without using one or a week without buying more of them. I like starting my day out with a cup of hot lemon water, I make vinaigrettes and marinades with them, I use them to keep cut fruit from browning… you get the picture. But one thing I definitely don’t do enough of is use them as the main attraction in a dessert. Lemon cookies, cakes and pies sound wonderful, so why aren’t I making them?
When I saw this recipe for a lemon tart, I knew it was meant to be. I was imagining it to be a lemon square in tart form and it’s not too far from that. The tart itself is, well, very tart (in the lip puckering sense) and sweet—kind of like really good lemonade. And my addition of the raspberries makes this tart even better (trust me)!
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See more: Fruit • Lemon • Tarts
