Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

 

Sometimes it's the most simplest and straightforward cookie that will do, and this time it would be the classic chocolate chip. With no extraordinary ingredients and no chill time, except for a handful of chopped walnuts, its crunchy nutty golden texture has all the buttery sweetness you can hope for in such a colossal drop cookie.  

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 

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makes about 3 dozen

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup lightly pa red dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Stir to combine.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture. 

Drop cookie dough from a spoon about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies become golden brown.  

Peanut Butter Cookies

 

What more can be said about a classic cookie recipe that hasn't been said already... it's a classic for a reason and a comforting one at that. Using crunchy peanut butter gives them an extra nutty flavour and subtle crunch to their already crispy buttery flavour.  

Peanut Butter Cookies

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2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºF). Line a baking sheets with baking parchment.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl and using a hand held mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs and vanilla. Then gradually add the flour mixture, beating well after each addition. 

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Flatten each in a criss-cross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not sure why I haven't posted a chocolate chip cookie recipe before, it's certainly not a lack of making them, many chocolate chip cookies have been created and ate. Perhaps because of its classic cookie status I felt the need not to. With many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, trial and error, seem relevant and plausible, plus I am sure quite a few have their favourite go to recipe, like I most often do. However, with most recipes I bake, I research recipes, I read multiple recipes, and I tweak recipes, until I am content and go forward with a recipe; at times being dependant on what I have on hand, ingredient wise, to create that recipe. This is one of those times where multiple factors came in to play and resulted in one delicious cookie! - JD     

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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3/4 cup (1 and 1/4 sticks) soft unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 x 300g package dark chocolate chip morsels 

112g (half of a 225g package) of white chocolate chip morsels

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (170ºF). Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

In a small bowl, gently melt the butter. Allow the melted butter to slightly cool for a few minutes.

In another bowl, combine the flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine then add the dark and white chocolate chip morsels to the flour mixture, stir again. 

In a large bowl combine the dark brown and caster sugars and add the slightly cooled, melted butter and beat together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture, in three additions, to the butter sugar mixture until just blended.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet, making sure that the cookies are about 3 inches apart. (While one batch is baking, pop the bowl with the remaining cookie dough in the refrigerator until ready to bake the second batch. I, did not do this and found that the second batch of cookies spread just a little bit more than the first batch.)    

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking tray for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Iced Chai Shortbread

Making shortbread is one of my holiday musts. I always enjoy coming up with different flavours to this basic buttery biscuit. That is not to say that this classic recipe can not stand on it's own, rather by adding different ingredients unleashes this biscuit from it's festive roots and may be enjoyed... devoured anytime for any occasion. You may already have a favourite shortbread recipe, and if you do, then add two teaspoons of chai spice baking blend, and finish by fully icing or drizzling the top with an Empire icing.  

Iced Chai Shortbread

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1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 icing sugar

1 cup flour 

2 to 3 teaspoons Chai Spice baking blend

3/4 cup of butter, softened

Pre heat over to 300ºF.

In a large bowl combine the corn starch, icing sugar, flour, and Chai Spice blend.

Blend in the softened butter and blend until soft and smooth. Once the dough has formed, you can chill the dough for an 1 hour if too soft, shape into balls, no larger than a walnut and place on an ungreased, unprepared cookie sheet. Press each ball of dough gently with a lightly floured fork or like I did with a bottom of a smooth glass that has been lightly floured. 

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool. When cool drizzle or ice with an Empire icing, Royal icing, or a simple drizzle icing.

Notes: I found that by 15 minutes the shortbread was nicely golden around the edges.     

If you are pressed for time or do not want to be bothered with make icing, you can always by a pre-made decorating icing tube. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD