Category: cookies

if you take a look at my post archive, you might notice that i’ve been going sweet-savory-sweet-savory to keep things interesting. and in planning out my baking schedule (yes, i keep a loose schedule), i realized that i had skipped one of my all time favorites. the first thing i ever learned how to bake.

is there any more comforting smell than chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven? of course, my mom’s chocolate chips cookies were the only ones i really enjoyed growing up. no refrigerated cookie dough in our house – only real butter and sugar. watching her bake seemed so effortless, but the end result was a transcendental experience. very rarely did the cookies make it off the cooling racks before being devoured by my sisters, brother and me.

when i started baking in college, i requested the recipe from my mom, and she mailed it on a 3×5″ index card as always. after baking the cookies for the first time, i called her to let her know that they came out great and that i was now an official accomplished baker. but i had to know where she got the recipe. i expected a story of the recipe being passed down from great grandmothers. instead, she asked me if had a bag of chocolate chips there handy. i did. “turn it over,” she said.

all these years, my mom had been making the nestlé toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe, a recipe that’s been on the back of every bag of semi-sweet morsels for about 70 years. i can still hardly believe it. but there’s something so indescribably perfect about the cookies she bakes, so i can’t bear to change a thing. to me, there is no better cookie.

i wanted to make something special this time, because these cookies are the last thing i will bake in my current kitchen. that’s right, i’m moving into a new place, leaving behind my 45 square food baking space that has served me so well for the past 2 years. the next time i post, it will be from a kitchen at least 3 times the size, so i’m ready to be spoiled by extra counter space and a full size oven with a working light.

i want to dedicate this post to my tiny efficiency apartment kitchen, because despite its limited size, i’ve never had any problem baking anything. it reinforces the idea that it doesn’t take anything fancy to produce delicious food that makes people happy. this is my old oven. modest, but never once let me down. thank you, old friend.

i’m proud to say that i grew up in a family where home-cooked meals and home-baked desserts were the norm. my mom seemed to have an endless supply of recipes for every occasion. so when i went to college, i found myself calling every week and asking for a new idea for dinner or dessert. rather than just emailing me recipes, my mom sends them to me the way she keeps them at home – on index cards. when the mail arrived, i came to expect a envelope thick with 5 or 6 index cards with hand-copied directions for my childhood favorites.

this brownie recipe straddles the line between cakey and fudgey, so you won’t have to choose. the only thing i’ve changed about my mom’s original directions is to add coffee. many desserts use freshly brewed coffee, but here’s the secret – i use instant coffee. it’s what i grew up drinking, so it’s what i have in my apartment at all times.

you’re going to want to stop yourself from adding more instant coffee after the first tablespoon. ignore your instincts and just keep adding more. the batter will smell and even taste too bitter before you bake it, but when the brownies come out of the oven, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the depth of flavor. these won’t last long after you put them out – and they’re great warm.

do you love apple pie? why am i even asking? of course you love apple pie. what if you could take an apple to eat on the go? well, i present to you these apple crumble bars: “they’re like mini apple pies!”

the most time consuming part of this recipe is dicing up 6 cups of apples. the hardest parts of this recipe are a) not eating most of the crisp granny smith apples as you dice them and b) not digging into the bars with a fork before you bake them.

spring is the perfect time to turn fruit into refreshing desserts (even though i’ve been eating these for breakfast). strawberries and rhubarb (actually a vegetable) are great this time of year too.

i’ve listed these apple bars as “cookies.” are bars cookies? is it anyone’s job to classify baked goods like this? anyway, enjoy!