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It’s been a rough day… and there are only a few things that make rough days bearable. Wine, good workouts, and freshly baked cookies.  Some days require cookies! I found the recipe for these cookie bars here and think they turned out perfectly! I will definitely make them again. They are thick and chewy and if you catch one out of the oven – gooey. They are a wonderful alternative to individual cookies since you just dump the dough in a pan and bake. No rolling, no batches, no waiting… just bake and cut. Super simple and quick!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.

Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked.

Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

I knew from the moment I found this recipe that it was for me. They are all I thought they would be… and will go perfectly with a morning cup of coffee.

The original recipe said  it would make 4 doz cookies but I got about 35.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

2 cups of flour, plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 1 tablespoon for divided use

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened, plus 3 tablespoon for divided use

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar, plus ½ cup for divided use

1 egg yolk

¼ cup applesauce

1 tablespoon of light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoon of milk

Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Place ½ cup butter, granulated sugar and ¼ cup of brown sugar in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light in color. Add in egg yolk, applesauce, light corn syrup and vanilla and beat to combine. Turn off mixer.

Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, fold in flour mixture until just combined.  Dough may have some flour streaking. Do not over mix. Divide dough in half and wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place remaining 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and ½ cup of brown sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Now divide cinnamon and brown sugar mixture in two; one for each portion of halved dough. Set aside.

Remove one wrapped dough. Dough will sticky so place it between two large pieces of wax paper and roll out dough to 1/4inch thickness – trying to get it into a rectangle shape. Using a pastry brush spread 1 1/2 tablespoon of softened butter on dough. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top and gently press it into dough. Loosen the dough by putting a spatula underneath all the way around. Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Place roll seam side down on plastic wrap or wax paper and cover tightly. Repeat this once more with remaining dough and 11/2 tablespoon of butter, along with remaining cinnamon and brown sugar mixture. Place both rolled doughs back in refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

Remove chilled roll and cut into ½ inch slices.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

To make glaze:

Sift powdered sugar and add in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until drizzling consistency is achieved.

Assembly:

Drizzle tops of cookies with glaze and let stand at room temperature until glaze dries completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

It’s that time of month again… Anna Olson Bake Off Challenge!! This month was kind of family themed in that the first part of the challenge, snickerdoodles, were to be made with the kids and the second part was a berry jubilee dessert that involves alcohol and as well as a flambee element for the adults. Since Mel, my co-chef for the evening, and I don’t really consider ourselves adults we opted for the cookies – solo.

I had never made snickerdoodles before and have always been quite intrigued by them. The word Snickerdoodle makes me think of two things; a whimsical cookie and an American favourite. Have you noticed that snickerdoodles aren’t nearly as popular here in Canada as they are to our neighbours in the South?The recipe as a whole turned out well, they were super easy to make. My only gripe about them is that they are a little boring… definitely a coffee cookie! But in general they are just a little ho hum for me and are not something I will be making again anytime soon. Maybe if I cover them in jam…. Am I missing the point?

SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Makes about 3 dozen
1 cup  unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup + 1/3 cup sugar
2  eggs, taken directly from the fridge
1 tsp  vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp  cream of tartar
½ tsp  salt
¾ tsp  ground cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until fluffy and light.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cream of tartar and salt to combine, and then add to the butter mixture, blending well.

5. Stir the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Portion the prepared cookie dough by tablespoonfuls and drop into cinnamon sugar. Gently roll each cookie to coat it with the sugar and to shape them into balls and place them onto the prepared baking tray, leaving 1½ inches between them. Before baking, gently press the cookies with your palm to flatten.

6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are just lightly browned on the bottom. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Snickerdoodles can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Best with Coffee <3

Lightly, fluffy, and not too sweet these little gems are a perfect afternoon tea cookie. Or in my case – an afternoon champagne cookie! Every year a couple of girlfriends and I get together for a gathering in a park with wine and treats, to catch up and to slow life down for an entire afternoon. Although it rained, which forced us indoors, we had yet another successful and satisfying get-together. We managed to make our way through a few liquid libations and a whole batch of cookies, among other things. While Shanna preferred her cookies straight up, Sarah and I doused our cookies in strawberry jam – made by Henderson Farm, just outside of Kingston on Wolfe Island. Yum!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Makes 24 Cookies

Recipe from this blog.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted and reserved

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and set aside. If you would like to skip the parchment paper, you can always lightly grease or spray light-colored baking sheet(s) instead.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together with a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla; beat until well combined.  Scrape sides of the bowl, and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just until combined. Scrape sides of the bowl down with a spatula, and give once more stir just to ensure that you have incorporated everything.

Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl or pie plate and set aside.

Portion cookies with a spring-loaded scoop in generous tablespoon portions or scoop about a tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the powdered sugar and then place on the cookie sheet.  Cookies should be placed about two inches apart, as they do spread. Repeat with the rest of the dough. I found that the dough was very soft and slightly sticky.  If you have the same problem, you can always lightly dust your palms with powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown and the cookies are no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and let rest for three minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.