Something Saturdays (1/30/16)

Last weekend's work wasn't too bad--I was working in my hometown so I ran into a girl from high school, my old preschool teacher, and one of Michael's coworkers. My Uncle Brian and cousin Brianna, David (Michael's best friend), and Michael all stopped in to see me as well. Kohl's was actually having 70% off on suits so Michael ended up shopping (he hasn't purchased a suit since he was 16) and he got SUCH a nice dark grey suit that would originally have been $280 and he got for $84! Yay! He looks so nice in it :) Saturday, after work and suit shopping, we had dinner with Michael's mom. After dinner I got a WONDERFUL surprise-my brother called me from basic training! He needed help getting some information for his security clearance so it was sort of rushed with me trying to find info but he was able to tell me that he's doing well and we were able to say we loved and missed each other :) Also he cleared up the address situation for his letters-he's getting everything but the letters that we're sending to the updated address are getting to him more quickly.

Otherwise this week has been fairly low-key. I rewatched all the Rugrats movies, lol. They hold up! Totally made me cry though (esp. Rugrats in Paris....I forgot about the whole "Chuckie doesn't have a mommy" storyline.) I miss Rugrats, that was a legit show.

This weekend, starting yesterday, I'm working at the International Motorcycle Show in Cleveland. Today is my long day but hopefully it'll all go well!

If you're a book lover like me...then this list will be way too real (esp. #4!)

Omigosh...please let this happen. (Princess Diaries 2 and/or Chris Pine fans...this is for you!)

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell dancing in Africa to...Africa...is everything.

Thick Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

One of the few things that I mostly keep standard on the whole "eating things seasonally" (I'm not not talking about vegetables--I'm talking like ice cream is for summer kind of thing) is that I usually only drink hot chocolate in the winter. But I'm also super picky about it--like...when I tell people that I only drink water and they make the weirded out face and then I inform them that I do occasionally drink orange juice or really good hot chocolate. It's true. I need it thick. I need it rich. None of that watery/milky cocoa powder gunk for me. RICH AND THICK! The ultimate epitome of this is Max Brenner's Italian Thick Hot Chocolate, but now that I no longer live in NYC I do not have easy access to that nectar of the gods (although I'm intending to try a copycat recipe soon) so I have to try out other versions myself!

One easy way to make any hot chocolate richer is to add in peanut butter. Instant yum. Which is why this is now def. one of my favorite homemade hot chocolates-rich, creamy, fairly thick, and peanut butteryyyyy! I really need to have heavy cream in my fridge at all times-can you imagine how tasty a peanut butter whipped cream would be on top of this??! I can--and it's DARN TASTY!

Mind you, I also fully loved my idea to put some toasted marshmallows and chopped peanuts on top. Although I will admit the peanuts might have made it a bit too chewy...hmmm...not sure. Regardless, I enjoyed it. Still not quite as thick as I'd like, but def. better than almost any version I've tried at home thus far. And Michael said it tasted like a melted candy bar, which is pretty much my meter for if I'm going to like it or not. And if you're a smart cookie like me, then you'll love it too!

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!

Something Saturdays (1/23/16)

This week flew by for me! Did it do the same for you guys?? Michael had Monday off from work, which was nice since this week he started back at school. This is semester is going to be TOUGH. So...on top of his normal 40+ hour work-week he also has his normal 3 classes (3 hours apiece, for a total of 9 hours) he ALSO has practicum, which means he'll be working at the counseling center for another 8 hours a week. So...it's going to be hard, and I'm going to miss him :(. Luckily he doesn't start practicum until next week so we got a little bit of time together. 

Last weekend Michael called his "farewell tour"--we spent the earlier part of Saturday hanging out with my aunt and cousin, and then spent some time with Michael's mom that evening. Sunday we got to have dinner with and hang out with Michael's dad and stepmom. It was super nice!

I mostly worked on stuff and relaxed. I also got my 1st letter from my brother in basic training! I was so excited, because there's been some drama over the address for him so our mail has been taking forever to get to him--so for awhile he hadn't gotten any letters from me and that made me so sad :(

This weekend I'm working--I'm promoting Gaiam at a local Kohl's. It should hopefully be fairly simple. Wish me luck!

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.

Quick & Easy Homemade French Bread

I think this is my new favorite quick and easy bread recipe! I was honestly shocked by how simple it was to throw together and then you just have to wait about an hour for it to rise and about half an hour for it to bake and then...TA DA! French bread!

I think my current favorite use for this recipe is for garlic bread--that's what I made it for initially when we had Michael's friend over for dinner. You can make it the day of or like a day ahead of time and it helps you make seriously delicious an brag-worthy garlic bread (seriously...look at people's faces when you tell them you made the whole thing from scratch, even the bread. They will be impressed!) Slightly crusty on the outside, nice and chewy on the inside. Gotta love a delicious and easy recipe for homemade bread, am I right??!

Something Saturdays (1/16/16)

This week was fairly uneventful--I sort of ended up getting sucked into a book vortex (AKA I CAN'T STOP READING!) so...yeah that limited my time somewhat. But on Monday David, Michael's best friend, came over for a bit and on Wed/Thurs there was some driving back and forth between Youngstown to get Michael's car fixed by his cousin. Yesterday evening we went over to David's and got to spend time with his daughters (the twins, 6, and Isabelle, 2) since they were in town. It's always so fun and I miss them tons. Today my aunt and cousin are coming up to have lunch and see our place and then later Michael's mom is coming up to hang out and see our Christmas decorations before we take them down lol. Tomorrow we are going to church and then spending some time with Michael's dad and stepmom.

Best Healthier Dessert Recipes

It's January which means...many of us have New Year's resolutions, right? And most of us probably have vowed to be healthier in some way. SOOO...in an effort to help out-I thought I would share some of the best/my favorite healthier dessert recipes from the blog! Because...life isn't living without dessert, and with these recipes there's NO REASON to give it up!

I've shared a couple other healthy recipe roundups, check them out here:

Healthy Recipes to Start 2013 Right!

Healthiest Recipes from 2013

(top to bottom, left to right):
(all of these recipes are soy-free)

3 Ingredient Almond Butter Cookies
These cookies are literally just made with almond butter, a little bit of sugar (you can unrefined sugar-such as raw or muscovado sugar), and an egg. So they're gluten-free, dairy-free, low fat, and can be refined-sugar free.

Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars
Peanut butter, applesauce, and egg-whites keep these delicious gooey bars low-fat. Oats make them chewy and wholesome. They're also gluten-free and dairy free--although I will warn there's still a decent amount of sugar in these.

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Brownies
These are def. my fave healthy brownie recipe! They're chewy and super chocolatey and insanely decadent even though they're gluten-free, low-fat (once again the fat in these comes from healthy almond butter!) and they're only sweetened with honey and just a tiny bit of brown sugar.

Healthy Flourless Nut Butter Cookies
Here's the breakdown--these cookies are sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and have a crazy short ingredient list. And they're soft. And delicious. And taste like your favorite nut butter. And there's a wonderful bite of dark chocolate (which I guess you could opt out if you want to be really healthy but...antioxidants?) and that lovely contrast from the salt. And...they might be paleo? I'm not terribly informed on the paleo diet but regardless...these are keepers.

{Healthier} Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl "Cupcakes"
These cupcakes are made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, egg whites, TWO bananas, and  swirl of peanut butter. They also have unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips which are perfectly fine. And...and I mean...there's also a little bit of all purpose flour, sugar, and some peanut butter chips. But not much of them! So-they're def. still a low-fat, fairly guilty-free treat.

Pumpkin Pie with Whole Wheat Crust and Cinnamon Caramel Whipped Cream
Skip the whipped cream for an extra healthy version of this pumpkin pie that is made with real pumpkin puree and has a whole wheat pie crust.

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is one of my oldest healthy cookie recipes. Small changes make these cookies better for you: whole wheat flour, a smaller amount of butter (with some coconut oil or applesauce to help make them low-fat) and a smaller amount of sugar!

Caramelized Pecan Banana "Ice Cream" with Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl
Admittedly, this recipe is MUCH healthier without the caramelized pecans and the chocolate hazelnut swirl. Considering this banana "ice cream" is literally made with pureed frozen bananas that create an ice-cream like texture. The banana "ice cream" itself is fat-free, gluten-free, vegan/dairy-free.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles
This is one of my favorite candy recipes-these pecans taste indulgent but are actually healthy! Peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut oil, and honey are all that are needed to create this not-so-sinful, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, low-fat treat!

Healthier No Bake Cookies
No-bake cookies are a comfort food for me, so I love that this recipe tastes delish while being low-fat, gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free.

Chocolate Chantilly
Silky, sophisticated, irresistible chocolate chantilly (AKA chocolate mousse) that is made with only dark chocolate water, and a bit of sugar. So...yeah--low-fat, gluten-free, and vegan/dairy-free (depending on the chocolate you use).

Healthy Oatmeal Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Another tasty cookie that is gluten-free (yay oats!), has just a little bit of brown sugar (seriously...2 tbsp.-it's nothin!), and dairy-free, with peanut butter and egg-whites keep it tasty and low-fat!

Healthy Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies 
This has been one of the biggest healthy dessert game-changers for me. It literally tastes like a chewy and perfect chocolate chip cookie even though there's a healthy secret ingredient: CHICKPEAS! They're low in sugar, gluten-free, low-fat, and dairy-free/vegan and they blog my friggin mind.

Chocolate Chewies
These cookies aren't meant to be healthy but, since they're meringues, they're naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-fat (they do have a good amount of sugar in them, though).

Peanut Butter Oat Balls
These are a super tasty treat/snack that are also filling (thanks to oats and flaxseed meal) and, of course, they're gluten-free, dairy-free, low-fat, and even sugar-free (aside from chocolate chips).

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
Finally, these truffles could not be easier, more yummalicious, or simpler in terms of ingredients: they're just made with peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate! Making them low-fat, low in sugar, and just all around awesome!

Phyllo Potato Pastries

Truth be told everyone...I've been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things in the kitchen and with the blog post-holidays. Does anybody else feel somewhat adrift? ...No? Just me?

Ok that's cool. I'll do better y'all, pinky promise!

Now...this is a pretty classic Kayle recipe--there's potatoes...and there's carbs. But it's fun and different and kinda classy (I think) because flaky and delicious phyllo dough is wrapped around shredded and seasoned potatoes and onions and it's all baked to tasty perfection.

I think these are great especially as an entertaining food--because the recipe makes a lot, and there's something about phyllo dough that just screams "I'M FOR GUESTS!" to me *shrug*. Unfortunately we were not having any company when I made these so it was up to Michael and I to eat them all. And if any eaters were ever up to the task...it was us. 

They're quite delicious and I'm definitely keeping them in mind next time I need something to bring to a party!

Something Saturdays (1/9/16)

Last weekend Michael and I saw The Good Dinosaur (which I describe a bit in the movies/tv section) and then later got dessert at this restaurant we like that's downtown, Beau's on the River. Sunday we went to church (for the 1st time in way too long) and then had dinner with my cousin and her girlfriend. It was a really nice weekend :) Then the week was fairly uneventful, Michael mostly worked and I mostly cleaned. I did have to go to the dentist for some fillings (blech) and then afterward I went to my mom's to go through some of the stuff from my old room---choosing what to throw away, give away, store for later, take now, or put in the "there's a good amount of sentimental value but I'm not sure what I'd do with this" pile. It was fun to see all the stuff, but hard to sort through it.

Yesterday we had Michael's friend AJ & his wife Sarah over for dinner-I made pot roast, garlic bread, roasted broccoli, and lava cakes for dessert. Everything was a hit! :) Tonight we're having Michael's brother, Christopher, and his girlfriend, Katie, over and we're super excited for that too! And tomorrowww my family is getting together for games and food so there's that too. Busy, but fun! :)

Pies and Plots, The Cooking Actress, Wishes and Dishes, & The Spiffy Cookie New Year's Cookbook Giveaway! (CLOSED)

I have a little New Year's treat for you all today! Laura, of Pies and Plots, decided she had a bunch of amazing cookbooks that she wanted to giveaway to a lucky someone and she included myself, Ashley of Wishes and Dishes, and Erin of The Spiffy Cookie, in the fun! So use the widget below to enter <3 :

My Favorite 15 Recipes of 2015

My Favorite 15 Recipes of 2015

Every year I do a roundup of the top recipes of the year:

Top 11 of 2011 

Top Recipes of 2012 

Top 13 Recipes of 2013 

Top 14 Recipes of 2014

This year I'm doing another one, but a little bit different. This year is a roundup of MY favorite recipes from 2015! In no particular order...

Something Saturdays (1/2/16)

So last weekend was fun-Saturday was a blast with Michael's dad's side (and we scored 2 free tickets to Cedar Point via the white elephant gift exchange!) and Sunday was fun with my mom's family. Buuut it was also really emotional because that night my brother went up to Cleveland and the next day my mom, my grandma, my aunt, and some of my cousins and I went up to see him get sworn into the airforce and say goodbye as he left for basic training. I've been crying a lot and just really missing my brother so...it's been a tough week. Michael's been great through it all, though.

New Year's we stayed super low-key, just hanging out at home and eating :P Today we're going to see a movie and then tomorrow night we're going to get together with a couple friends for dinner but, other than that, mostly we're just relaxing!

How did you guys spend new year's?

Best of 2015 on Instagram

Happy New Year!!

Before I look forward to this new year, I thought I'd look back at some stuff that happened last year...

I spent a ton of time with friends and family. I had the best bachelorette party ever. I had the best wedding ever AND the best honeymoon ever. My best friend moved to St. Louis. My brother joined the airforce. There have been some highs and lows but...I think this has been the best year of my life.

Something Saturdays (12/26/15)

Last weekend was fun! Saturday we hung out with Michael's mom and his siblings and we saw Star Wars (I thought it was pretty ok, Michael hated it---but he has a lot of emotional investment in the original movies so...he had a lot of issues with this new one. We won't get into it.) Sunday went with his dad, stepmom, aunt and uncle, and brother and sister-in-law to see the a capella group Straight No Chaser (they were super funny. My fave song they did was "Take Me to Church".) Then we went to Whitey's for burgers...they were pretty good (mine was smothered in caramelized onions!)

Monday I worked. Tuesday I hung out with my aunt and uncle and teenaged cousins and then we went to my grandma's and decorated cookies with more cousins and my other aunt and my brother and his friend Bryan. Wednesday I went over to my cousin Lindsey's to hang out with her, her husband, her daughter, and my brother. Thursday (Christmas Eve!) Michael and I went over to my Blogna grandparents and we had a delicious Italian dinner, opened gifts, hung out, and then Michael and I went over to his dad's to spend a few hours with his stepmom's family. On CHRISTMAS we had our first Christmas morning together and it was wonderful. Michael got me the 6th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I get Buffy every year :P) and 2 pairs of adorable and perfect elephant earrings! I looove them. And I got him a couple T-shirts and a sweater and he said he loved them too :). Then we headed over to his dad's to exchange presents with them and then we went to my mom's to spend a little time with her and Josh. My mom gave us a beautiful 1st Christmas ornament and Josh got me a BB&B gift card and Michael a couple T-shirts (Nightwing and Pink Floyd) and then we went over to my aunt and uncle's house to enjoy some food and mimosas. THEN we went over to Michael's mom's house and we exchanged gifts with his siblings and mom. We got a ton of DVD's among other things. We were then supposed to go to his grandpa's but Michael's sister, Shannan, was feeling sick so instead we decided to just hang out and spend time together there. We ate, watched a movie, played games. It was nice :)

And nooow today we have Crofford Christmas (Michael's dad's side of the family) and tomorrow is my mom's side of the family. Woo! I hope your Christmas is/was as full of love as mine <3

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas my friends!! I'll be spending this time enjoying my loved ones (as I hope you are able to do as well!) so I won't be posting again (aside from Something Saturday) for a smidgen bit.

Eat, drink, love, be merry!

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?

Roasted Garlic Potato Soup

Admittedly...this winter has been pretty mild so far. Like...no complaints here. BUT...I still want soup sometimes! And when I'm presented with a potato soup with roasted garlic and onions...well...I'm certainly not going to say no.

What's your favorite Christmas movie?? It's a tie for me: Muppet Family Christmas and Muppet Christmas Carol (yes...they're both muppet movies...do not judge me. Also...the runner up is How Elmo Saved Christmas. True story). Whatever your fave holiday flick...wouldn't it be wonderous to curl up by a fire, with the Christmas lights on, and watch your favorite holiday movie while eating spoonful after spoonful of this rich, creamy, soup?

I think so too. You need to carbo-load to help with all that present wrapping you have to do.

This soup is seriously thick and smooth and has that mellow, sweet roasted garlic flavor and the comforting taste of potatoes. And...I HIGHLY recommend topping stirring in some cheese. Seriously...it makes all the difference. It turns a good soup into a GREAT soup. 

Something Saturdays (12/19/15)

Last weekend was so fun! Saturday Michael and I ran a couple errands and got to check out a couple local Cuyahoga Falls businesses--best of all is a candy shop called Sugar-Luv. We were able to talk with the owner and the place is incredible: everything from scratch, real and just delicious! We ordered a gift basket for one of the gift exchanges. We also ate at a cute little family restaurant near our house. And then we went to a bar with my brother and his friends for one of his going away parties. Then we stopped by Michael's mom's and ended up taking his youngest brother Christopher back to our house so that he and Michael could have a sleepover :P Sunday I worked but then I went to see Mockingjay Part 2 with my mom and brother. More about that in the Movies/TV talk section. And then when I got home, Michael told me someone had left these 3 adorable Christmas decorations that had chalkboard paint on them! It took us over a day to figure out it had been his best friend, David--who apparently drove 30 minutes to our house, rang the doorbell, left the gifts, and then ran away before Michael got to the door. And then he just went home I guess? It was silly! But sweet lol.

Monday I went shopping with Jeanne (Michael's stepmom) for some clothes for them to get me for Christmas and I'm so excited because I looove the stuff we got! They also got me a couple new hangers for our stockings--those I was allowed to take home with me. We also got cookies from Insomnia Cookies (s'mores for the win!) and lunch at Bistro on Main in Kent. Then, later, I met up with my beauty team from the wedding and a local wedding planner so we could discuss and I could get a game plan on how to move forward for me with getting into wedding planning myself. Tuesday I did a whole bunch of stuff, errands and the like. Wednesday I had an audition and then my brother came over to spend time with Michael and I and he spent the night. It was so fun but it's breaking my heart because I think that's the last chance we'll have to really just hang until my brother leaves and it makes me sad :(

This weekend Michael's brother, Kevin, and sister-in-law, Emily, are in town so we'll be doing stuff with them. Saturday we're going with them, Michael's mom, their other brother Christopher, and Shannan, their sister, to see Star Wars and spend time together. On Sunday Michael's dad and Jeanne are taking us (and Kevin and Emily, and Jeanne's sister and brother-in-law) to see Straight No Chaser and out to dinner. It should be fun!

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.