American Style Soft Baked White Chocolate Chip Cookies

My love of cookies has been car-eh-zeeee lately! I'm blaming the sheer simplicity and speed at which I can whip this cookie dough up. I call these cookies 'American style' because its not often you can get these soft baked cookies this side of the pond but they are fast becoming my fave cookies. The chewy centre and they way they melt in your mouth with a cuppa is beyond scrumptious.

This cookie dough is so versatile. It is the exact same cookie dough as my Chocolate Chip Cookies but with white chocolate chips. It is like a whole different cookie. It was sweet,creamy, crumbly on the outside, chewy in the inside. And the greatest thing about these is I baked some straight from freezer. So you always have homemade cookies on hand!

Recipe for Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 30

Ingredients

• 170g butter
• 150g demerara sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g White chocolate chips

Instructions

 

1. In a large bowl, beat your butter for 1 or 2 minutes to soften the butter. Add both sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. The demerara is quite a large grain so do not be alarmed if this does not cream to a smooth texture. Add your egg and vanilla extract and beat.
2. In a separate bowl, sift your flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda together. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Add your chocolate chip and mix slowly for a 30 seconds until evenly dispersed.
3. Wrap dough in cling film and put in freezer for 1 hour. These bake great from frozen.You can alternatively chill it in the fridge for 2-3 hours. But YOU MUST chill your dough. The key to a good cookie is to keep the dough chilled. Ever wondered why you put lovely round balls in the oven and they come out a crispy thin cookie? Well the taller and more chilled you have your dough the less "melting" time it has.
4. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (fan assisted). Roll a ball (tbsp approx) of your dough and place on baking sheet. Leaving space for each cookie to spread. Then pinch them with your fingers into a more triangular shape. This will make the cookies chunkier. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wired rack.

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday! I have a quiet a few cakes to do in the next few days so I'll see you all Tuesday with my weekend bakes :)

Shirley x

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

The cough continues friends and so does the easy peasy comforting recipes. I love to bake on Saturday mornings or at least have some freshly baked goods for Saturday morning but this weekend with the cough and lack of sleep. I needed something quick and easy. Something that was going to get rid of my sweet tooth but still be delicious and could be washed down with a cuppa!

These cookies are way too easy. There is no real 'work' involved. They are more of an American style cookie as they are soft baked. Firm and crumbly on the outside but soft and chewy in the centre. I'm really beginning to love this style. AND they bake in 10 minutes! No waiting around 'Watching the oven' (as I've been known to do on numerous occasions). This dough also freezes perfectly.

Feeling Peckish? Out comes the cookie dough, roll up a few dough balls on a baking sheet, into the oven. Ten minutes later you have freshly baked homemade cookies...*happy dance*

I've played around with A LOT of cookie recipes but these are the best. It will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on, just for the sheer simplicity of it. Most cookie recipes go for light brown sugar but I used demerara in these. It is like a whole different cookie. It does make the batter grainy but it adds a whole new dimension of flavour. I recently used this sugar in my white chocolate chip brownies and looking back they were by far the nicest brownies I've made. My sister has begged me to make them again and again. 

Recipe for Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 30

Ingredients

• 170g butter
• 150g demerara sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 230g chocolate chips

Instructions

 

1. In a large bowl, beat your butter for 1 or 2 minutes to soften the butter. Add both sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. The demerara is quite a large grain so do not be alarmed if this does not cream to a smooth texture. Add your egg and vanilla extract and beat.
2. In a separate bowl, sift your flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda together. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Add your chocolate chip and mix slowly for a 30 seconds until evenly dispersed.
3. Wrap dough in cling film and put in freezer for 1 hour. You can alternatively chill it in the fridge for 2-3 hours. But YOU MUST chill your dough. The key to a good cookie is to keep the dough chilled. Ever wondered why you put lovely round balls in the oven and they come out a crispy thin cookie? Well the taller and more chilled you have your dough the less "melting" time it has.
4. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (fan assisted). Roll a ball (tbsp approx) of your dough and place on baking sheet. Leaving space for each cookie to spread. Then pinch them with your fingers into a more triangular shape. This will make the cookies chunkier. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wired rack.

Enjoy!

Hope everyone is having a great day.

Shirley x

Almond Sugar Cookies

It has become somewhat of a tradition in our family to bake and decorate cookies at Christmas. I for one have no complaints about it. I recently have become OBSESSED with cookies,cookie decoration,piping, flooding and working with royal icing in general. I'm still only learning and am nowhere near any of the fantastic cookies you see about but I am determined to get there.

This year I decided to make a few changes to our usual sugar cookies. As you probably know I'm a huuuge fan of ground almonds so I decided on an almondy sugar cookie. These are definitely my go to sugar cookies from now on. I had to restrain myself (and my father) from eating just the dough.

This year we did some cute simple 'gingerbread men'. They were for my two year old nephew,who in the end spent more time playing with them than actually decorating them :)

Recipe for Almond Sugar Cookies

 

Ingredients

• 200g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg
• 50g ground almonds
• 300g plain flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add your egg and beat until well combined. Add your vanilla and almond extracts.
2. Sift in your flour and ground almonds into your mixture. Ground almonds tend not to be very fine, just be sure there is no lumps. Fold into mixture until dough comes together.
3. Place dough on cling film and press into flat round shape. Chill for at least 30 mins. I chill mine until it is quite solid. Pre-heat oven to 170°C. Then roll and cut into desired shape. Bake for 8-10 mins. Leave cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. And decorate!

Honestly couldn't be simpler. Hope everyone is nearly set for the big day. I am currently constructing my first gingerbread house so everyone please cross your fingers for me it doesn't crumble and fall apart. Lol!

Shirley x

Chocolate Drop Rainbow Cookies

I don't know why but American cookies are so different to what I consider cookies here. Cookies to me are always crunchy, which I'm not complaining about. I could (and have) polished off a packet of Maryland cookies all by myself........addictive!

So on a recent trip across to the states, I tried all different types of cookies. They are mainly chewy with a crumbly moist bite to them. My sister later informed me that you could get these kind of cookies here in places like Subway but I reckon they probably wouldn't be the same.

So when I came home all I wanted to do was replicate these moist chewy cookies. I tried a few different recipes and fought with the cup to gram converter many,many times. Eventually after four different batches, tweaking and changing up different ingredients. I got the perfect consistency of deliciousness. There is quiet a few ingredients in this recipe but it is pretty simple to throw together.

These cookies are sweet and moist. They have a soft chewy centre and a crunchy, crumbly outside. I added chocolate drops that taste like mini smarties. But I reckon you could add pretty much anything to it.

                                                  I'm dreaming of a chocolate hazelnut combo!

Recipe for Chocolate Rainbow Drop Cookies

 

Makes 25-30

Ingredients

• 260g plain flour
• 40g self-raising flour
• 1/2tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1tsp cornflour
• 170g butter,softened
• 165g light brown sugar
• 165g caster sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk,room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 130g chocolate drops approx

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Gradually add egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix well.
3. Mix together both flours,bicarb and cornflour in a bowl. Add to mixture until a dough is formed. Fold in chocolate drops. Do not over mix this dough. Wrap in cling film and roll into sausage shape.Chill dough for at least 30 mins but preferably overnight.
4. When chilled, form your dough into even quantities. Roll into sausage like shapes and stand them up on baking sheet. Chill again. The key to a good cookie is to keep the dough chilled. Ever wondered why you put lovely round balls in the oven and they come out a crispy thin cookie? Well the taller and more chilled you have your dough the less "melting" time it has. They still cook perfectly,they're just chunkier and more moist.
5. Bake for 8-10 mins.....no more.I used a fan assisted oven, they were done in 7 mins.
6. Leave on wire rack to cool. As always I did the warm and cooled taste test...they're pretty nice both ways!

                                              The best cookie I got was in a restaurant at The Grove in L.A.

                                      It was a cookie baked in a skillet, served warm, with ice-cream on top!

                                                              It's been months and I still think about it :)

                                                                                      Shirley x

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

 

I'm a huuuuge fan of peanut butter. At school I used to get in so much trouble with my friends who are clearly not peanut butter lovers ( aliens, I know), for bringing peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Ill eat it on pretty much anything bread,crackers,celery but to be fair its usual off a spoon :)

Peanut butter and chocolate belong together in my opinion. Instead of adding chocolate chips, I went right in with chunks. These cookies are soft and chewy and insanely moreish.They were really quick to whip up and bake within a few minutes. Absolute winner in my peanut butter lover book!

Recipe for Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

Makes 12 giant cookies

Ingredients

• 70g butter, softened
• 125g smooth peanut butter
• 60g light brown sugar
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 125g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 90g chocolate, chopped into chunks or use chips if you wish.

 

Instructions

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
2. Place the butter,peanut butter and sugars into a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy.Gradually add the egg until it is fully incorporated in the mixture.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder together and fold it into your mixture. You can do this by hand or on the lowest speed on a mixer.Add your chocolate chunks/chips and combine.Your mixture should be pretty much a firmish dough and easy to handle. 
4. Roll the mixture between your hands to create balls which can then be placed onto the baking sheet. The cookies can be as big or as small as you like but remember that the mixture will spread out when cooking so do not put them too close together.
5. Bake for 15-20mins or until lightly brown and the centre still gooey. Leave cool (if you can, I couldn't) on a wire rack.

 Finito! Whip up to impress any peanut butter lovers you know :)


 Shirley x

Christmas cookies

On a rainy Wednesday evening, Aishling and I decided it was time for some Christmas cheer so out came the cookie cutters and the greatest Christmas hits. These are just a few of what we made and to be honest not many made it to the icing stage. Aishling made some using fondant icing and I went for the piping bag.

Basic cookie recipe

 

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 300g plain flour, sifted

 

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg, then add the flour. Beat until smooth.
2. Remove from the bowl, halve and shape into discs. Wrap with clingfilm and chill for about an hour until firm. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Dust your work top and roll out your dough to 3mm approx and cut whatever you wish.
4. Line your baking sheets with non-stick paper and place your cookies on top. Chill for ten minutes or so and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just turning golden at the edges. Cool on wire rack.

This was Aishling's first time ever working with fondant so these are her pride and joy :)

I always make an extra batch of this dough and leave it in the freezer. Its soooo handy to have for a cookie emergency :)

Shirley x

Halloween Witches Fingers

The funny thing about these "witches fingers" I've found is, because they look so unappetizing people aren't inclined to eat them but Halloween can't be all about fancy cupcakes! I like the fact they look so gross lol!

Again this is up there with the worst of the worst photos but I shall up my photography game, I've really got to be less lazy and actually use my camera instead of my phone.....lazybones!

 

Recipe for sugar cookies

Ingredients for vanilla sugar cookies

 

• 200g caster sugar
• 100g icing sugar
• 300g unsalted butter, diced.
• 2 large eggs.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 500-550g all-purpose flour, sifted.
• Extra flour for kneading and rolling.

For decoration :

30-40 blanched almonds, cut into halves after the skin is removed
1 teaspoon dark cocoa powder + a little brush

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. In a bowl or in the kitchen mixer with paddle attachment, mix the two types of sugar, vanilla and the egg.
3. Add the flour and the butter and keep mixing just until the dough comes together.
4. Knead the dough lightly by hand on your flour dusted kitchen counter and wrap it well in cling film and put it in a plastic bag. Chill the dough for 2 hours or if caught for time I have put in the freezer for 30mins.
5. Take a small piece of cookie dough and roll it back and forth. You should make the finger long and thinly,think witch long and creepy. Pinch and form knuckles. Score with a sharp knife and transfer the fingers to the prepared baking sheet. Place a almond “nail” on the cookie fingers. Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Put your fingers in the oven for 12-15 mins until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling rack and leave cool completely. When cooled dust with a little cocoa powder and your cookies are ready!

Enjoy (or watch people make disgusted faces at them,either way they're great!)

Shirley x

Chocolate Chip Cookies

YAAAY! I'm back. I'm finally back on the baking track. The last few weeks have been so hectic I'm honestly sooo tired the whole time. I will admit that alcohol has a lot to do with it. If I go out on a Saturday night, I am not functioning properly until Wednesday, even Thursday and then another birthday rolls around on the Saturday! I'm  sooo old!

Anyway besides the birthday season kicking my ass, I've had a few baking disasters. One batch of burnt naan bread in the bin to be joined by a burnt batch of cookies a few days later. You know you are all over the place when you burn cookies. I have learnt to make my timer my best friend, I usually just guesstimate the time....ya lesson learnt!

By the way I must ask all you fellow bakers out there..... Does your oven smell of baked goods all the time? I LOVE IT! The other day G came home from work, the first thing he said was "hmmm what are you baking?" with a big smile on his face.........It was chicken! But my oven smells of baked goods all the time, Preheating my oven is like lighting a scented candle for me, crazy.....amm maybe :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

 

• 2 1/4 cups of plain flour  
• 1 tsp baking soda  
• 1 tsp salt  
• 1 cup butter, softened  
• 3/4 cup sugar  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar  
• 1tsp vanilla extract  
• 2 large eggs  
• 2 cups chocolate chips

 

Instructions

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Mix in you chocolate chips.
2. Place your mixture on to some film and roll into a sausage shape. Wrap parchment paper around this and place into the fridge for at least an hour but preferably over-night. You can actually freeze this too and cook straight from frozen.
3. Preheat your oven to 180 °C. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I love the way the chocolate stays gooey and melted even when cooled, I did add some white chocolate chips as well but they don't stay in melty,gooeyness form. Delicious none the less :)

Enjoy!

Shirley

St.Patricks Day Sugar Cookies

St. Patricks day is tomorrow! I'm looking forward to going into town to watch the parade,then head for bite to eat and then straight to the pub with family and friends. Paddy's day has always been a family day for us,every year we would watch the parade and then go to a nearby hotel with my grandmother,aunt and cousins but as we got older it just fizzled out. Now we have little Callum in our lives,its time to start making great memories of Paddy's day for him (and us!), lets just hope the rain stays off.

St. Patricks Day sugar cookies

Ingredients for vanilla sugar cookies

• 200g caster sugar
• 100g icing sugar
• 300g of unsalted butter, diced.
• 2 large eggs.
• 1 tsp of vanilla.
• 500-550g all-purpose flour, sifted.
• Extra flour for kneading and rolling.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.

2. In a bowl or in the kitchen mixer with paddle attachment, mix the two types of sugar, vanilla and the egg.
Add the flour and the butter and keep mixing just until the dough comes together.

3. Knead the dough lightly by hand on your flour dusted kitchen counter and wrap it well in cling film and put it in a plastic bag. Chill the dough for 2 hours.

4. Roll out your dough cut to desired shape (in this case shamrocks),put in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins depending on your oven.

5. Decorate! I used fondant to decorate these with little help of some edible markers.

 Here's how I made the shamrock,you can do it freehand but the heart shaped cutter made life so much easier!

Hope everyone has great and safe paddys day!

Shirley x