Graham Cracker S'mores Cookies

As we know...I've made S'mores Cookies before. I made those Chocolate Insomnia Copycat Cookies not that long ago, and awhile back I even stuffed some s'mores inside of cookies. But Michael asked me to make some cookies for him to bring to work, and for some reason he suggested I make s'mores cookies. So I decided to make a new version.

I decided to keep it OG with these cookies. A chocolate chip cookie dough with a BUNCH of ground graham crackers in it is the base (and ohmygawwwd that dough is insanely delicious) and then there are chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to bring the trinity of summer desserts together!

All the yumminess of a s'more...without quite so much of a mess. Or need for fire.

I'm the messiest eater ever. And s'mores are messy to eat for anyone-so for me it's double the messiness. I usually have stuff smeared all over my face and need a wet napkin with me to aid in the clean up. These cookies don't require such up-keep.

Also, Michael's coworkers love love loved them. Of course. And gobbled them up and told their significant other's that they needed to step up to my level.

Mission accomplished. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Rice Krispie Treat

Sometimes you bake a giant chocolate chip cookie (like...even by my big-cookie-lovin' standards). And sometimes you form a rice krispie treat around it. And then you have an inception treat--a delicious ccc within marshmallowy rice krispie goodness.

Now I'm gonna tell you right now--even I don't advise that you just have a mega-giant ccc stuffed treat. I'm gonna firmly advise that you cut that thing into wedges. It's the smart thing to do. Your tummy will thank you. Plus...it makes eating it much easier. As much fun as it is to have a "I'm gonna need a bigger mouth" moment....seriously. You'd need a bigger mouth.

And then you get to comfortably bite into a crunchy-yet-gooey krispie treat exterior and be met by a chewy chocolate chip cookie. And I'm a big fan of having it slightly warmed up, so you get an extra gooey factor. But that's just me.

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Swirled Meringues

Remember how we made that creme brulee last week that used 4 egg yolks? Remember how I said I had the perfect way for you to use those leftover egg whites? HERE IT IS!

Gaze upon the most glorious meringues of all time:

Crisp and light and airy and chewy--these are facts about meringues. And they're even better when you swirl dark chocolate and salted caramel in them and top them with a bit of sea salt. It's like magic. 

They were so magical (and the recipe made so many) that I felt I needed to share them. I gave some to a bride I met with (whose wedding was on Saturday, actually) as well as my boss, Val (and her husband, Darrin-who was pretty stoked to be getting gifted with treats). Val & Darrin loved them, as did Michael, as did I.

Really-there's no reason to make any other kind of meringue cookie, in my opinion. Because once you go caramel and chocolate...you don't go back, ya know? Sometimes we spoil ourselves.

Salted Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies sorta kinda blew me away. Like...I didn't expect cookie made with whole wheat flour  and coconut sugar to be JUST AS GOOD as really really good chocolate chip cookies. Michael made fun of me because I ate 3 of the cookies the day I made them, and a fourth the next morning. --The recipe only makes 10 cookies so I ate nearly half within 24 hours. BUT THEY ARE SO GOOD! And they're definitely infinitely better when fresh-make sure to keep that in mind. They get less good every day that they're leftover. They do stay soft, though! Which is pretty nifty.

Now....these are definitely not really healthy cookies. I mean...they still have butter. But a little extra betterness in the form of white whole wheat flour (DO NOT substitute regular whole wheat flour, it will not taste the same. White whole wheat flour has a lighter texture and more mild flavor) and coconut sugar never hurt anyone, did it? Nah-it's a nice little perk. A perk that seriously--when you have one of these cookies fresh and warm...you'd never know. You'd just think, "These are some darned good chocolate chip cookies!"

And they are.

Darned.

GOOD.

So. Do we like soft and chewy cookies with complex flavor? Do we like melty dark chocolate contrasting with little bites of sea salt? Do we like deliciousness?

You're here. Of course you do!

{Vegan & Gluten-free} Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are pretty miraculous. They're really delicious, and chewy, and awesome. They also happen to be gluten-free and (if you use vegan chocolate chips) vegan. 

WHAAAAA??! 

I know. Like I said-miraculous.

BTW--HOW adorable is that little glass bottle thing in the background?? Michael's mom has a few of those on display in her dining room and I've been eyeing them for awhile. Since she's moving, she's trying to get rid of a lot of stuff, so she happily gave me one! (She offered to give me a bunch more stuff but...I don't have the space lol) I knew they'd be perfect to include in a cookie shoot and i was right!

Honestly, these cookies just taste like a delicious almond butter (or peanut butter) oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I would never have guessed that they're vegan and gluten-free. They're really really delicious. And, I felt like they were healthy enough to eat for breakfast....

But you know. You do you.

Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Sometimes I make cookies. And sometimes I gift 95% of those cookies away. This is the fate that befell these cookies--they were like beautiful little ambassadors, endearing me to my mother-in-law and aunt-in-law and Michael's best friends and his coworkers. 

Also, I'm super sorry because I meant to share these cookies with all of you last week buuut then I got sick and didn't do anything so I'm sharing them with you today. They're totally worth the wait though! Swearsies realsies.

Now I will confess-even though oatmeal almond butter cookies SOUND kinda healthyish...I mean..there's still a lot of butter and sugar. So they're not really. BUT they are super chewy and delicious and kind of comforting and, as I've said, the perfect gift-giving cookies. They're tasty even when room temp (and you know I love warm cookies), they're sturdy enough to travel or ship (these will be included in my brother's birthday care package), this recipe makes A BUNCH, and...yeah. Tasty tastiness you guys. Give 'em a go!

Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When I saw Ambitious Kitchen share these cookies...I had no intention on making them anytime soon. But then How Sweet It Is raved about them. And I realized I had all the ingredients on hand. So I made the best decision ever and decided to give them a try. And they're one of my all-time favorite healthier cookie recipes.

Michael's really becoming a cookie connoisseur, I'm a little proud of it. I like to think I'm responsible. I decided not to tell him there was anything different about these cookies but he immediately was like "Hmm...they're a little nutty. The texture is different too-is there almond butter in these?" And I mean...almond flour...he wasn't too far off. I then came clean and he just shrugged and ate the rest of the cookie happily. Ahh how far we've come.

That reminds me of a funny story-we were voting early for the upcoming primary and I was apparently just out of sorts that day because I kept asking questions and then seeing there were very obvious answers around me. And Michael kept teasing me every time. The people at the election office were getting a kick out of it and the one older woman asked if I was sure about him. I then informed her we were married so I'm fairly stuck with him. She giggled and said well a sense of humor is always good for a long lasting relationship. I agreed. And then glared at my oh so funny husband.

Anyway--back to the cookies. 

They're chewy. Just a little bit nutty (part of why I'm so impressed Michael picked up on it). The coconut sugar gives them a deliciously complex and almost caramelized flavor. Gooey dark chocolate chunks are the things I dream of...and sea salt on top because I firmly feel all ccc's need it. My cookie jar was a happy place when these resided there. And they couldn't be easier to make-you just mix them up in a bowl, you don't even need an electric mixer! And there's no chilling required soo...you can pretty much have cookies in your belly in less than 30 minutes. SCORE!

Chocolate S'mores Cookies {Insomnia Copycat}-Guest Post at JavaCupcake

I know, I'm posting on a Tuesday, it's chaos!! I'm posting today because I am actually guest posting over at JavaCupcake today and this is NOT one you're going to want to miss!

Have you ever heard of Insomnia Cookies? They're located in college towns and they deliver warm and delicious cookies pretty much all night. I do not live within delivery range of one, however I do live near a town that has one and I've been lucky enough to sample some of their delectable treats and I have a favorite...a favorite that I crave so much that I needed to recreate it at home!

And that is where this recipe comes in! My brother and I both favor Insomnia's S'mores Cookies and I am proud to say that these are almost an exact replica! They're a large, chewy, and super chocolatey cookie filled and topped with melty chocolate chunks, gooey mini marshmallows (which also toast while they bake, adding to the s'mores-iness), and crisp pieces of graham cracker. *sigh* They're delightful.

They're so good that I HAD to share-I froze some to bring to Josh when I see him at his airforce basic training graduation (I also intend to make another batch to ship to him when he's out of basic) and I gave one to our maintenance guy, and one to Michael's work friend Jessica (she may or may not have texted me saying how amazing these looked....meaning I obviously had to be nice and give her one!) And I'm sharing them with all of you PLUS the wonderful peoples over at JavaCupcake--

click here to go check out the recipe and say hi!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cookies

The ageless struggle: do I bake these cookies or just eat all this delicious dough?

It's plagued us for eons. 

SO-when I saw my girl Baker Bettie's post with Chocolate Chip Cookie DOUGH Cookies...I mean...I HAD TO TRY THEM! Obviously. Who are we talking about here? MEEEE.

As it turns out...this is more of a method than a recipe (although the recipe below uses Baker Bettie's fave chocolate chip cookies and is pretty darned awesome)--it's essentially just baking the cookies at a higher heat for a shorter time so that they're delightfully underbaked inside. Turns out...I've done this (partially by accident) many times in my past so I was actually pretty familiar with it. No complaints, though! I am never going to turn down a warm, ultra-gooey cookie (plus, they're pretty gooey even when not warm)! Now...is it what I thought? No--for the best-of-both-worlds between cookie/cookie dough I'm sticking with my cookie dough balls. BUUUT...again...I got to eat some tasty tasty cookies because I made these. And I'm never complaining about that. And if you haven't tried this method already...you should def. give it a shot--at least once! Put it on your bucket list or whatev.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS EVE! YAY YAY YAY! And I'm sure you probably have all your holiday cookie stuff figured out...but...in case you don't....might I recommend these lovelies?

These miiight be my current fave choc/pb cookie. Cuz....they're a super chocolatey base with a hint of peanut butter flavor, and they're loaded with melt-y chocolate and peanut butter chips! Double the chocolate, double the peanut butter!They're nice and sturdy on the outside (so great for gift giving or putting on a cookie plate) but chewy and delicious inside. This recipe also makes a good amount of cookies--I actually froze half the batch when I made them so that I could easily just pop them in the oven for Michael's work Christmas party (and we just ate the first half of the batch ourselves :P).

I loved them. Michael loved them. My brother loved them. Michael's coworkers gobbled them up. 

Look...what I'm saying here is...Santa works hard all year and he deserves some of these cookies left out for him tomorrow night!!! Mkayyyy?

My Favorite Cookies {for the Holidays!}

In the past I have shared holiday gift guides with all of you. last year I shared kitchen tools, the year before that I shared homemade gift ideas and the year before that I did as well! But this year I want to share with you my absolute FAVORITE cookies from this blog. Holiday baking season is upon us and I know I have a lot of cookie recipes, and it can be hard to tell which ones are the best. That is what this list is for: my tried and true favorites that myself, my hubby, and my friends and family can all attest are phenomenal.

Happy baking!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite straight up chocolate chip cookie recipe. They're big, chewy, gooey, and have delicious browned butter and sea salt on top. THE BEST!

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies

Serious chocolate decadence--thus far they're my favorite chocolate cookies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These have been a staple in my repertoire for years--they're sturdy, a rich chocolate-peanut butter cookie base, and have peanut butter cups all up in them! Yay!

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Cookies with Sea Salt

This is one of my favorite cookie bases for mix-ins and this is my favorite version of it, thus far. They're seriously giant cookies and the textures are perfection.

Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies

I have adapted this recipe so many times--in this post I stuffed them with salted caramel, and recently I used only toffee chips and stuffed them with chunks of Heath bars for Thanksgiving, and my family is STILL raving about how good they are!

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
The first cookie recipe I ever adapted on my own. It's still a favorite--they're super chewy, have browned butter in them, and dark chocolate and mini marshmallows offset each other in such a delightful way. (I've made them with milk chocolate for people who don't like dark but I find that to be way too sweet, the dark chocolate really helps balance them.)

Pecan Laceys
Gorgeous cookies that are seriously delish and would look very impressive on a cookie tray.

Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you want a super sophisticated, super high quality chocolate chip cookie--this is the recipe to use!

Browned Butter, Salted, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
You may be noticing a bit of a theme with browned butter...it just makes everything better! As does sea salt. And that is why these are my favorite peanut butter cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is a very classic chocolate chip cookie recipe with one very special ingredient---coconut oil instead of butter. So, you can make these dairy-free (if you use dairy-free chocolate chips) but honestly you'll never be able to tell that these are made with coconut oil instead of butter. They're just tasty! I've made mini versions of these for my family a few times.

THE Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat Recipe
If you've ever had the pleasure of tasting a Levain chocolate chip cookie then you will be SO excited when you see that you can literally make a perfect copy cat at home with this recipe. The cookies are GIANT and just...delicious. Fact.

Brown Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies
Dark brown sugar, toffee, brown butter + toasted pecans...this is a recipe for complexity and overwhelming cookie nirvana.

Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Look...this is not an easy recipe. I have no guarantees on how it will turn out for you (I mean..it didn't turn out right for me but I didn't care because it was STILL outstanding)--what I do know is that this is the most popular recipe on my site and that it is an incredibly delicious cookie. And I'm actually thinking I should tackle this one again soon.

Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Isn't the title enough to explain why this is a favorite?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
This is one of the rare cookie recipes that I make over and over again, for just myself (and Michael...I guess...) it's the best of both worlds between cookie dough and cookies. They're insane. So good. Trust me.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Chewy and crunchy and taaasty.

The New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie
I realize there are a lot of chocolate chip cookies on this list but...they're all amazing in their own way! These ones were dubbed the best by The New York Times (and it's my 2nd most popular recipe) and it is with good reason!

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
And here is my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe! Again...browned butter makes all the difference! They're big and chewy and yummmyy.

Pecan Pie Cookies

I was tasked with making cookies for Thanksgiving (so that there was a "less heavy" option than pie--I would like to note that this was for my Irish side of the family, obviously not the Italian side because...no such thing as "too heavy")--but, even though I was making cookies, I decided I wanted one of them to be a classic Thanksgiving dessert. Which is why I decided to try pecan pie...in cookie form.

So...um...how exactly do we make pecan pie into cookies? Actually...they're sort of like little flat mini pies when you get down to it. You cut out circles of pie crust dough, curl up the edges to form a little well, and you put in some pecan pie filling. Bake 'em up, drizzle some yummy chocolate on there, maybe a touch of sea salt because...well...you know me and how I feel about that. And there you go-pecan pie cookies!

My picky family were fairly wary of these guys at first, but I am happy to say that they won over my aunt, who thought she didn't like pecan pie, and my grandma-who brought a bunch home-and my cousins. Pretty much everyone tried one, which is a pretty big feat. And I was so excited I had some leftovers to bring home, because then Michael and I got to enjoy them---because yeah we loved 'em. Especially chilled! Pecan pie is usually served chilled so it really shouldn't be surprising that these are better that way too.

I love how flaky and chewy the pie crust base of these cookies is. I love the sweet and nutty pecan filling. And I love how the chocolate drizzle adds a bit of extra decadence and the bit of sea salt balances all the sweet. And it's cookie season. AND pie season. So...what I'm saying is...'tis the season for you to bake these pecan pie cookies! Santa would certainly appreciate them ;)

Brown Sugar Lava Cookies-T-Sugars #BakeTheDifference

These might not be the prettiest things I've ever made but...haven't we learned that sometimes the tastiest foods are the ones with a bit more...character? Yes, I think we have. Sooo instead I ask that you focus on the moist brown sugar-y goodness of these cookies, and the melted chocolate centers, and the lovely powdered sugar dusted over them like snow.

Speaking of sugar...guys...I have GOT to tell you about T-Sugars! T-Sugars is a Belgian specialty sugar company that has been around for 175 years --!!! Guys...that is a LOT of sugar experience! AND they have just launched in the US which means all we have the opportunity to get our hands on the good stuff (currently you can find T-Sugars products at your nearest HEB store-or you can order online)!

Now...in case you were wondering what kind of sugar I'm specifically talking about...there are a few different products, but I am specifically talking about their Belgian Cassonade Sugar and Icing Sugar Mill, which T-Sugars were kind enough to send me to try!

That picture right there? That is showing off how revolutionary the Icing Sugar Mill is--seriously...I hate making a mess whenever I want to dust powdered sugar on top of a dessert and the Icing Sugar Mill (which has a sifter built right in, so all you have to do is twist) makes it so insanely easy and gives you an amazing amount of control, too. 

Now...what is Cassonade Sugar? It's like brown sugar...but BETTER. It has no additives, is all-natural, and is softer and has a finer texture than tradition brown sugar. The texture means it stays fresh longer (no more rock hard sugar!), doesn't clump up, AND it dissolves easily, so it can be used to sweeten beverages in addition to being FANTASTIC in baked goods (here are a ton of amazing recipe ideas!)

Which is exactly why I wanted to make a recipe that really lets the Cassonade Sugar shine and allowed me an opportunity to get decorative with the Icing Sugar Mill. These cookies are actually a brown butter, brown sugar blondie base (helpful note: Cassonade Sugar can be used as an exact substitute for brown sugar) with melted dark chocolate centers. They are chewy, rich, and full of that perfect sweet, caramelized brown sugar flavor--and the dark chocolate centers help offset that sweetness.

These cookies are good. T-Sugars are good. Facts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Nutella Oreo Cookies

There's like...a lot going on with these cookies. They have no flour or butter (in the actual cookies, there may be some in the Oreo's) but they DO have peanut butter, nutella (or nocciolata, which I used), cocoa powder, and...obviously...Oreo's (or other brand of chocolate sandwich cookie-I like Newton-O's).

Suffice it to say...these are little bites of rich, flavorful, amazinggg cookies. The kind of cookies that are perfect to binge-ing on while you watch Magic Mike XXL (Don't act like you haven't seen it! Fun fact--My mom and her friends hated it and said the "dancing" was way better in the first one. Like...what? I'm like "Mom...it's no worse than the first one. You're crazy." But I digress.) They're the kind of cookies that you want to give to your friends and family so they'll love you forever and be impressed with your mad cookie skills.

I've got another reason you should consider these cookies for your holiday baking: they're chewy and gooey on the inside but sturdy on the outside, making them ideal for shipping or traveling with.

Also...Santa would totally love 'em. Just saying.

At Thanksgiving, Michael's aunt was complaining that I hadn't shared a cookie recipe in too long. Well, Cindy, this one's for you! I told you I had one coming!!

In all fairness, though, I get disappointed when I go awhile without cookies too. 

Don't we all?

Giant Double Chocolate Cookies

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLAAAAATE!!! I love it. You love it. We all love it. And this week's recipes are both full of chocolatey goodness. Huzzah!

But today is today and we're gonna focus on these chocolatey treats: giant, chewy, chocolate cookies with chocolate chips (and sea salt on top because duh)!

To be honest (or "tbh" as the kids say) I kiiind of feel like these could have been chocolatey-er...like...if I'd added more cocoa powder maybe? They were just a touch not rich enough. But I'm also sort of a chocoholic to extreme levels. It's like that super dangerous bad boy that you know isn't good for you but you can't help yourself from being drawn to it...

...sorry. High school me had a bit of a bad boy obsession. I know better now.

About the boys. Not the cookies. If loving decadent cookies is wrong I don't wanna be right! Anyway, other people insisted these had plenty of chocolate, and after eating enough of them I was inclined to agree that they were probably right. And I certainly had no problems with continuing to eat lots of 'em. So there you have it.

Pinch of Yum's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know...I've shared so many chocolate chip cookie recipes. Why share more?

Um...if you're asking that question...why are you on my website? That's crazy talk! OF COURSE we always need more chocolate chip cookies! ALWAYS! You silly, I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways. Now we can talk about these cookies in peace and happiness.

Full disclosure--these are not my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. They're not even that high up on the list. BUT I do like them...a lot. And they come from one of my favorite blogs, Pinch of Yum, and when she raves about a recipe like she did about this one I HAD to give it a try. And I have NO REGRETS. Because...I've made a lot of outstanding cookies. It's not these cookies fault that I have insanely high cookie standards. And they were also really really delicious so...like I said. No regrets.

They're soft. Yet crunchy (thanks to the raw sugar). And complex. And chewy. And gooey. And sweet-but with just enough of that saltiness that I love with my desserts. Yes....I definitely am happy that I was able to enjoy these. And I know you will be too!

Pumpkin Cookie Bars with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these pumpkin bars for 100% unselfish reasons.

I made them for Michael's boss, my brother, and you.

See....I may have mentioned it before but Michael and I pretty much despise all things fall. We do not like this season. And one of those things includes people pumpkin-ing all the things. Mind you, I enjoy a nice piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but aside from that...no pumpkin for me, thanks.

But then Michael's new boss made a request. And my brother (who is leeeaving for the airforce in a couple months!) was all "oooh yeah!" and I thought to myself..."The readers will want this."

So I did it.

I made these. You're welcome everybody.

First let me explain what I made. These are a spiced pumpkin sugar cookie bar (which I made even more pumpkin-y with the addition of pumpkin spice flavored butter that I had) that are then frosted with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting (which I, again, amped up with that pumpkin butter).

Since-like I mentioned-these bars weren't really up mine or Michael's alleys I'll give you the impressions from other people (although I will confess that I tried-and liked-the frosting. It was a nice amount of sweet without being too much):

Josh: "I was expecting them to be gooey but I really like them-the pumpkin flavor is just enough."

Michael's coworkers: Well....they disappeared in like 5 minutes flat. And one of them said he really liked the texture and flavor and that the ratio of frosting to bar was perfect-nothing overpowered anything else. (I will note that Michael's coworker Angela said the frosting was too "cream cheesy" but the aforementioned fellow told her she was insane. So...do with that as you will.)

You (probably): OMG I LOVE THEM YAYYY PUMPKIN ALL THE THINGS!

I dunno, just guessing :P

Brown Butter Toasted Coconut & Toffee Cookies

"Kayle make a dessert for Hawaii-an themed Sunday at Grandma's."
"Kayle make cookies."
"Kayle I don't like coconut, can't you make something using pineapple--"

NO! NO PINEAPPLE! I WILL USE COCONUT AND YOU WILL ALL LOVE IT!

And they did. So there..

OH HAIIIII!

Sorry about my little re-enactment of the convos that led to these cookies. I felt like you should've been there with me. Anyway, as you can see I was tasked to make a tropical cookie and I chose to use coconut because...well...I love coconut and have a bunch of it right now. So I decided to use this base recipe but really punch it up by adding browned butter (of course) and just-more toasted coconut and toffee. Because...yum. And there's still oats in there 'cuz they add awesome chewiness to the texture.

For the record, many of my family members who insisted they didn't like coconut loved these. (They also said they weren't very coconut-y and I was like "uhhh yes they are. You're a crazy person.") They are very chewy yet crunchy and the toffee and coconut....mmm! A couple people said the flavors reminded them of a Samoa....and....yeah....that's awesome. I wish I still had some left over because I know my friend Carla (of the Chocolate Moosey) would totally love them and today she and I are having a HANG OUT DAY! We're spending the day out and about in Cleveland (since I visited her in Pittsburgh last) and pretty much eating all the food. If you want to follow our adventures I'm sure we'll be posting to our instagrams so check out @kayleblogna and @chocolatemoosey.