Mocha Fudge Cookies

Fudgy baked goods are my favourite kind of baked goods!  These cookies are rich with chocolate-coffee flavour, chock full of chocolate chips and deliciously soft in the middle.

Recipe adapted from: King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
113g butter
210g brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp instant coffee powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

57g cocoa powder

206g flour

170g chocolate chips

170g chocolate chunks*

*(If you don't have chocolate chunks on hand, you can just use 240g chocolate chips; I used 170g dark chocolate chips and 170g white chocolate chips. You can use whatever type of chocolate you like!)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175C (350F).

2. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.

3. Mix the sugar, baking powder, coffee powder and salt into the melted butter until combined.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

5. Fold the cocoa powder and flour into the batter - the dough will be quite sticky, but don't worry, this is fine!

6. Mix the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks into the dough until evenly distributed.

7. Place tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto baking trays lined with baking paper or silicon mats.  You don't need to leave too much space between them as they don't spread out too much.

8. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.  They should have started to crack along the tops but still be soft when you poke them.  Don't over-bake them because you want them to be nice and fudgy!

9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy!

May The Fourth Be With You

Star Wars Day (May the 4th) was this week so it's the perfect time to post these BB8 cookies.

But really, you don't need an excuse to make them - look how adorable they are!

I used this sugar cookie recipe, royal icing and M&Ms.  BB8 is a really easy character to make as you only need circular cookie cutters.

I hope that everyone had a great Star Wars Day!

Hershey's Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies

One of my lovely friends gifted me with some Hershey's Kisses - I used them to bake some fluffy peanut butter cookies!

Recipe heavily adapted from: How Sweet It Is
Ingredients
125g butter
35g peanut butter
200g white sugar
40g brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
280g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Hershey's Kisses or choc chips (optional)

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 175C (350F).

2. Beat the butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat the egg and vanilla essence into the mixture.

4. Mix in the flour and baking powder until just combined.

5. Scoop heaped tablespoons of cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicon mat, leaving a bit of space between the dough balls.

6. Top each ball with a Hershey's Kiss or a chocolate chip.  Of course, you can also make these without the chocolate kisses!

7. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden.  You want the middle to still be soft!

8. Allow the cookies to cool on the trays for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies sans kisses

Enjoy!

Tahini Choc Chip Cookies

These are absolutely fantastic - they're the classic choc chip cookies we know and love, with an undertone of sesame provided by the addition of tahini in the batter.  They also have a great texture - chewy at the edges with a soft centre.

Recipe adapted from: My Name Is Yeh
Ingredients
125g butter
240g white sugar
110g tahini
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
155g flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup choc chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

Method
1. Cream the butter, tahini and sugar together until light and fluffy.  I use my stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla; beat together until combined.

3. Add the flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and salt to the batter, mix gently until just combined.

4. Stir through the chocolate chips.

5. Line a baking tray that will fit in your freezer with baking paper or a silicon mat.  Scoop out balls of dough; I make mine a bit bigger than tablespoon size.  If you make your cookies larger or smaller, remember that you'll need to adjust the baking time!

6. Place the tray of cookie dough balls into the freezer and let them rest there for 12 hours/overnight.  This really helps the cookies develop a lovely texture.

7. When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 160C (325F).

8. Place the cookie dough on baking trays lined with baking paper/silicon mats, leaving space between the cookies as they will spread!  You can bake as many or as few cookies as you like - store extra cookies in a seal-able storage bag in the fridge and bake them when you want them!

9. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes; the edges should be lightly golden but they should still be soft.  (Remember you'll need to bake them for a longer time if your cookies are larger.)

10. Let the cookies cool on the trays for a few minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Choc Chip Cookies (Not Without Salt recipe)

Ladies and gentlemen, I've found a new favourite choc chip cookie recipe!  It's very versatile - I like to make the dough into a large log then chop it up pretty thinly.  When baked, this gives the edges a nice crunch and chewiness while the middle stays softer.

In addition to dark chocolate chips, sometimes I add white chocolate chips, pecans or hazelnuts to spice things up a bit.

Recipe adapted from: Not Without Salt
Ingredients
225g butter
55g white sugar
55g raw sugar (or Turbinado)
340g brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
455g flour
1 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2 tsp salt plus extra for sprinkling
450g dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (360F).  Cream the butter and all sugars until light and fluffy.

2. Beat eggs into the mixture one at a time until incorporated, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. Beat in the vanilla essence.

4. Add the flour, bicarb soda and salt to the bowl, mix gently until fully combined - don't overmix.

5. Finally, add the chocolate chips!  If you're adding nuts, or anything else, fold these in as well.

6. Place tablespoons of dough on baking trays covered with baking paper or silicone mats.  Alternatively, roll portions of dough into logs and let them chill in the freezer until hardened, then chop into slices.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.  You want the middle to still be soft so don't over bake them!

8. Allow the cookies to cool a bit and then enjoy!  They're amazing when they're warm.

Soft, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are divine!  They have a nice crunch on the outside from being rolled in sugar, and the insides are chewy and soft.  You can also add choc chips if you like.

Recipe adapted from: Everyday Home Cook
Ingredients
125g butter
250g peanut butter (I used smooth)
185g white sugar
95g brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
194g flour
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Additional white sugar for coating the cookies

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F).

2. Beat the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add the white sugar and brown sugar, beat until combined.

4. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, beat until smooth.

5. Finally, add the flour, bicarb and baking powder and mix until combined.

6. Create balls of dough a bit larger than a tablespoon and roll them in white sugar.

7. Place the dough on baking trays covered with baking paper, spacing them out as they do spread.

8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden - make sure not to overbake as these biscuits should be soft.

9. Let the cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Choc Chip Cookies (Anna Olson)

I always love trying new choc chip cookie recipes - they're such a staple cookie and each recipe brings different results.  My favourite part of this particular recipe is the dough - it has a great blend of brown and white sugar, and the corn flour makes the texture really smooth (it tastes amazing!)

Recipe adapted from: Clockwork Lemon
Ingredients
125g butter
90g brown sugar
65g white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
195g flour
2 tbsp corn flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175C (350F).  Beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla, beat until combined.

3. Add the flour, corn flour, bicarb soda and salt - mix until fully combined.

4. Finally, mix the chocolate chips into the dough.

5. Create tablespoon sized balls of dough and bake for about 10 minutes.  The cookies should be golden on top.

6. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.  Or...enjoy them warm!

Giant Browned Butter Choc Chip Cookies

I've never made cookies as big as this before!

Of course, you can make them any size you like - personally, I enjoy bite sized cookies for easy snacking.

These particular choc chip cookies are full of flavour with crunchy edges and soft middles, and chock full of chocolate chips!

Recipe adapted from: Top WIth Cinnamon via Butter Baking
Ingredients
140g butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
100g white sugar
140g brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
230g flour
1 egg
160g dark chocolate chips/chunks (add more if you desire!)

Method
1. Start off by browning the butter.  Place the butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter starts to froth - watch it carefully and take it off the heat when it smells nutty and brown specks appear in the pan.

2. Stir the vanilla into the butter and set aside to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, bicarb, baking powder, salt and flour.

5. Mix the browned butter into the dry ingredients.

6. Add the egg and mix until combined.

7. Stir the chocolate chips into the dough.

8. Scoop the dough into balls the size of your choosing onto a baking tray covered with baking paper.  I did some bite-sized and some the size of my palm!  Make sure you leave enough room in between the cookies as they do spread.

9. Let the dough rest in the freezer or fridge for at least 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour (depending on how desperate you are to eat them...)

10. After they've chilled, bake the cookies for about 12 minutes (for large cookies)/9 minutes (for smaller cookies) or until they're golden brown and have spread out and puffed up.

11. Let the cookies cool for a bit after they come out of the oven, then enjoy!

As I usually find with choc chip cookies, they're best when warm and the chocolate's still melty.  Delicious.

Snickerdoodles

When one of my Mum's friends from America gave her a recipe for 'snickerdoodles' I had no idea what such things could even be.  It turns out that they're vanilla cookies covered in cinnamon and sugar.  The dough is delicious and the finished cookies are nice and crunchy on the outside, softer on the inside.  I recommend dipping these in some tea for extra yumminess.

Recipe adapted from: tasteofhome.com
Ingredients
125g butter
250g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
230g flour
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Sugar coating:
5 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 190C (375F).

2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat the egg and vanilla into the butter mixture until combined.

4. Fold the flour, bicarb soda and cream of tartar into the mixture.

5. In a small bowl, mix the white sugar and cinnamon together.

6. Form the dough into small balls (I use about a tablespoon of dough per biscuit) and roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

7. Place the dough on on a baking sheet covered in baking paper or silicone mats, make sure you leave enough room between the cookies as they will spread when baked.

8. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, you don't want to over-bake them as then they'll be too crunchy (unless, of course, you like that!)

9. Let the cookies cool on wire racks.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are beautifully soft and chocolatey, the peanut butter is present but not overwhelming.  Another great chocolate/peanut butter staple!

Recipe adapted from: How Sweet Eats
Ingredients
115g dark chocolate
250g butter
125g peanut butter
375g white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
310g flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
250g chocolate chips (more if required...)

Method
1. Melt the 115g dark chocolate in the microwave and set aside.

2. Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between additions.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

4. Add the flour, cocoa powder (sift this for best results), bicarb soda and salt, mix until combined.  It will be quite a soft dough but that's okay, once you add the melted chocolate it will firm up a bit; and you want these cookies to be gooey and soft in the end.

5. Mix the melted chocolate in, and finally fold the chocolate chips into the batter.

6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for a few hours.  I left mine overnight - you can just cool it for however long you like and bake it when you're ready.

7. When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 175C (350F).

8. Form balls of dough about 1 tablespoon in size (you can go bigger or smaller if you like, but make sure you adjust the baking time accordingly) and place them spread out on a baking tray covered with baking paper or a silicone mat.

9. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.  They should be soft in the middle still, you don't want to overbake these and lose their squishiness.

Peanut Butter Double Choc Chip Cookies

I make no secret about my love of peanut butter, and these cookies satisfy my cravings.  The combination of whole peanuts, dark chocolate chips as well as white chocolate chips really make them great.

Recipe adapted from: Brown Eyed Baker
Ingredients
115g butter
185g peanut butter
125g brown sugar
80g white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
200g flour
30g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanuts

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175C (350F).  If desired, at this time you can toast the peanuts under a grill or in a frying pan and then set them aside to cool.

2. Beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between the additions.

4. Beat the vanilla essence in.

5. Stir the flour, cocoa powder (it's best if you sift the cocoa!), baking powder and bicarb soda into the wet mixture.

6. When all ingredients are combined, add the dark and white chocolate chips as well as the peanuts.

7. Roll the dough into balls about 1 tbsp size (or whatever size you want them, just make sure you adjust the baking time accordingly) and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper or a silicone mat.  The oil from the peanuts may make the dough slide off them (especially if the nuts are toasted), but just squish them together in your hands and they'll be fine!

8. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.  You want the middles to still be a bit soft.

9. Let them cool (or eat them straight away...) and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Captain America & Winter Soldier Sugar Cookies

Ever since I saw this video, I'd been longing to create my own Captain America shield cookies.  To spice things up a little, I thought I'd also attempt Winter Soldier cookies inspired by Bucky's metal arm.

While I made these cookies with only cookie dough and food colouring, the same effect could be achieved by using coloured royal icing - however, I find that the cookie-only method provides a seamless blend between the colours and looks nice and natural.  I absolutely adore the way that they turned out!

I hope that you'll enjoy seeing how I created these cookies.  This simple sugar cookie recipe can also be used as a base for so many different creations.

Recipe adapted from: Gorgeous Biscuits by Family Circle
Ingredients
125g butter
125g caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
250g flour
2 tsp baking powder

Method - basic sugar cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (355 F).  Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla, beat until combined.

3. Fold in the flour and baking powder until a soft dough forms.

4. At this point, you can colour the dough with food colouring if you like.
Then, roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until it's about 5 mm thick.  Cut out your desired shapes with cookie cutters, place the cookies spread out on a baking tray and bake for about 12-15 minutes (until the cookies are light golden brown).

Method - Captain America shield & Winter Soldier cookies
The basic method I followed is shown here by Rosanna Pansino making Captain America ice cream sandwiches.  I definitely recommend watching the video to get a visual idea of what I did, though I'll go through it step by step below.

I started by making a double batch of dough, then dividing my dough into portions.  The smallest was coloured blue, medium amounts coloured black and grey, a medium amount left white and the largest amount coloured red.  To create the grey, I just used a small amount of black food colouring. 

I rolled small portions of the dough out and used a small star cookie cutter to make the stars for the centre of the cookies.  I baked these first so that I knew what size I needed to make the circle parts of the cookies.

To make the main part of the Captain America cookies, I rolled the blue dough into a log about the size of the star.  I froze the log while I mixed an egg white with a small splash of water to make an egg wash so all my different colours stuck together properly.

I rolled out some of the red dough into a sheet, then brushed the dough with a small amount of egg wash and rolled it around the blue log.  I put that in the freezer and repeated the process for the white and the rest of the red, until finally I had a complete log!  (For the Winter Soldier, I followed the same method with the grey and black dough).

I let that freeze some more, trying to take the log out and roll it every now and then to keep from forming a flat side.  You can also freeze it in a hand towel roll or something of the sort if you have it on hand so that it can rest in something curved.

After the logs had hardened sufficiently (I left mine in the freezer for a few hours while I went to work), I used a large, sharp knife to cut them into slices about 5 to 6 mm thick.  I baked the cookies for about 15 minutes.  The baking process made them spread out a bit and form nice circles when, as you can see from the photo above, they were far from perfect right after they were cut.

Once the cookies were cooled, I attached the stars.  I recommend using royal icing for this part, as it will ensure you get a cement-like seal and the stars won't go anywhere.

I'm rapt with how these cookies turned out - they were exactly how I wanted them to be and they looked amazing!