one cake two cake

The weather here has become absolutely gorgeous, sunny and blazingly hot. The only downside is that turning on the oven now seems like an advanced form of torture, so my weekend baking plans have all been abandoned. These cookies predate the sudden onset of summer though, back to a near forgotten time when I would huddle near my stove for warmth and dream of moving to California, land of eternal sunshine and ripe avocados. At least that’s how I imagine it – I’m visiting San Diego in the fall and am firmly expecting avocados on every corner.

I made these a couple weeks ago, when a friend requested his favourite cookie. White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are a classic bakery item, but surprisingly none of my cookbooks had a recipe for it, so I scoured the internet. It took me literally a day to decide which recipe to use (they’re all so different! what if I pick a bad one?), but finally settled on this recipe, which is much like the classic chocolate chip cookie, but with different mix-ins. These cookies are soft and chewy and have a great balance of salty and sweet. Two important points: make sure you use real white chocolate (it’s probably best to chop up a bar), and use roasted and salted nuts. Then you too can experience the salty sweet perfection! And if it’s too hot out to bake, just eat the dough. It’s pretty good too.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies – adapted from Whipped
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
10 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and salted, chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown, and centre is set. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I have to confess that after we were robbed last week, one of my first thoughts was ‘Did they take the food processor?” And then I ran into the kitchen to check.

Luckily, the burglars were not tempted by my large, clumsy, multi-bladed kitchen equipment (although apparently our laptops were more enticing). I celebrated by using it immediately! Which in my world means several days later. Sliced almonds were toasted until golden and aromatic, and then blitzed with flour and sugar. The resulting cookie dough was stuffed with dark chocolate chips and then baked until adorable.

I’m not usually a huge fan of almond desserts, but it works beautifully in these cookies and I think it’s largely because they’re freshly toasted and it’s not too sweet. The cookies are chewy and flavourful, and they’re cute enough to make a good gift. Mine were a little, um, authentic looking, as I am no Martha Stewart, but the originals, baked at Smitten Kitchen, are prettier partly because she uses large baking discs. I couldn’t really justify buying yet another kind of chocolate, so made it with chocolate chips. I tried a few different kinds and would recommend either bittersweet or semisweet chips, because the milk chocolate ones obstinately refused to melt and just kind of looked weird. You could also top them with mini chocolate eggs, just in time for Easter!

Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

• 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips (I recommend bittersweet or semisweet)

Pulse hazelnuts, sugar, flour, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. (Be careful not to grind to a paste.) Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter, egg, and extract until combined well. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop level tablespoons of dough 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Roll dough into balls, then chill until slightly firm, about 10 minutes.

Press 2 or 3 chocolate chips firmly into the top of each ball of cookie dough and bake, 1 sheet at a time, until tops are pale golden and undersides are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely.

The media lied to me! Despite my massive consumption of their much-touted ‘superfoods’ – mainly in the form of cheap sushi (fish oils!) and things with cranberries baked into them (antioxidants!) – I have somehow come down with a sniffly nose, scratchy throat, and a case of flu denial. Sure, I didn’t get the flu shot, but I reasoned that I am tough and such. This is clearly just a minor cold and will be gone by tomorrow.

Anyhow, even though the cookies I’m about to talk about didn’t save me from this cold, they are still definitely worth making. They’re an awesome oatmeal cookie packed with three kinds of chocolate chips and fresh cranberries, and then drizzled with more chocolate to top it all off. They tasted wonderful. They had that great sweet-tart combination you get with cranberries, and they were sooo crispy and delicious right out of the oven. I was worried that they would get hard overnight, but they actually stayed soft for quite a few days. Also, they’re really pretty! Much fancier than a typical chocolate chip cookie, but just as easy and delicious. They’re an excellent addition to your holiday baking, and a great gift as well. I gave some to a friend and he liked them so much that he ate five for breakfast. Although he did regret that.

Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies – from Epicurious

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Topping

• 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light brown, about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Gently microwave chocolate until melted and smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies . Let stand until chocolate sets, about 1-2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)