Tag: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Weekend Finds 11:20:17: Thanksgiving 2017

November 20, 2017November 20, 2017

Weekend Finds 11:20:17 | Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

It is not the weekend, but it’s about to be a long weekend (Thanksgiving yesssssss) and maybe you need some help. Large groups of people trying to make decisions together stress me out, so let me try to help you avoid that situation with a few finds that will hopefully make your life easier this week.

Marion Cunningham’s Yeasted Waffles: You have mouths to feed, and this recipe makes roughly 13-15 waffles, depending on your waffle iron. Yes, you have to start them the night before. But it’s worth it for the airiest, crispiest waffles in existence.
Bon Appetit’s Thanksgiving Issue: I am often excited to read my monthly issue of the magazine, but they killed it with this year’s Thanksgiving issue. The recipes are simple and clean, classic but new. The articles are great. If you get a chance to pick it up, I’d highly recommend it.
Speaking of Bon Appetit, these potatoes. I like mashed potatoes as much as the next guy, and we all know that the more butter and cream and garlic you add, the better. I made these yesterday (it was probably the first time I’ve followed a recipe for mashed potatoes in a while) and they were the Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Period.
I have always wanted to make Thomas Keller’s Leek Bread Pudding, and Thanksgiving seems like the perfect time. It’s basically stuffing. Maybe I’ll be able to convince my family to add it to the menu.
If you are feeling the crunch of Thanksgiving and you are still looking for a few last minute dishes to add to your menu, or you need a side to bring over to a potluck dinner, try Food52’s Automatic Thanksgiving Menu Maker.
This is the season when I think there are a few things you always need to have in your house, what with all the entertaining and parties and such: cookie dough in your freezer (this is my favorite recipe because the butter doesn’t have to be room temperature), mulling spices, and fixings for at least one simple cocktail. My go to cocktails are ones that are low on ingredients and easy to remember the ratios. A Negroni is 3 ingredients, all in equal parts, and a Last Word is 4, also in equal parts. Easy and delicious and guaranteed to keep you cozy by the fire or soothe any tensions between extended family members…

SaveSave

Weekend Finds 12:15:13

December 15, 2013February 7, 2017

It’s time for weekend finds!

1. Chefs Feed

Chefs Feed // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — The Chefs Feed homepage

My latest neat food-oriented website discovery is Chefs Feed, a website where you can look up chef recommended dishes, restaurants, and chefs in your town. Who better to trust than these experts themselves?

2. Winter Fruit Whiskey Mash

Winter Fruit Whiskey Mash from A Beautiful Mess // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Winter Fruit Whiskey Mash from A Beautiful Mess

This winter drink looks delicious. If I were in a rush, I would probably skip the persimmon simple syrup (though I think I need to give persimmons another try), and head straight for the muddled orange and pomegranate.

3. Reclaiming Provincial

Reclaiming Provincial // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Reclaiming Provincial

I found this blog through another blog (now I can’t remember which one), and I’m pretty happy about the discovery. With recipes like smoky cardamom ginger-molasses cookies and crispy sweet potato roast with herbed coconut creme fraiche, they seem unique, interesting, and the photos are beautiful.

4. Easy roasted chicken

Chicken Legs inspired by FoodSwoon // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Chicken Legs inspired by FoodSwoon

The other day Jonah and I bought some whole bone in, skin on chicken legs, and it was my job to figure out what to do with them. After some research, I based my creation on this recipe from FoodSwoon, except instead of doing either garlic or herbs or butter, I did all three. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Peel a few garlic cloves and cut each one into a few pieces, and pick a few herb leaves (I used sage). Peel back the chicken skin and place the sage and garlic underneath (I did probably 3 cloves and 6 sage leaves per leg), then tightly and carefully re-wrap the skin. Rub each leg with half a teaspoon of butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45-55 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (Also, FoodSwoon looks like it will quickly become a recipe resource for me.)

5. Mulled Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mulled Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from London Bakes // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Mulled Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from London Bakes

I went out for drinks and a white elephant gift exchange with some former co-workers the other night, and the place we went had some mulled wine, which I promptly ordered. When they asked what I got, and I said “mulled wine!” with all the enthusiasm that one ought to have when you say that phrase, all I received in return were blank stares. THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF MULLED WINE. I was sad for them. We’ve made mulled wine and cider a couple times this year, and I can’t get over how much I love mulling spices in anything. So this recipe for chocolate chip cookies with mulled brown butter from London Bakes seems pretty decadent and incredibly perfect. I love the idea of using orange chocolate for the chips as well, just to tie everything together. (Also, the inspiration recipe from Top with Cinnamon also sounds wonderful.)

Friday Finds 6:28:13

June 28, 2013February 5, 2017

1. Chocolate Chip, Apricot, and Espresso Cookies

Friday Finds: Chocolate apricot espresso cookies by Orangette // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Chocolate apricot espresso cookies from Orangette

I made these chocolate chip cookies with apricot and espresso from Orangette while in Seattle. They were warm and rich and oh so lovely. I definitely recommend for a cooler than usual summer day.

2. Homemade Ice Cream

Friday Finds: Ice Cream Recipes from Food52 // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Ice Cream Recipes from Food52

I can’t wait for it to get hot enough that all I want to do is make ice cream. It has to be pretty warm for me to not want to use my oven, but I have faith that it will happen. I need it to, so I can try some of these amazing looking flavors.

3. Homegrown Garlic!

Friday Finds: Homegrown garlic! // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Homegrown garlic!

Jonah harvested our first head of garlic, and it just makes me so excited! Jonah gets any and all garden credit. He took the initiative, drove me to the garden store, and did most of the digging around in the dirt. And man oh man, have I been reaping the rewards! Fava beans? Broccoli? Kale? Lettuce? Garlic scapes? And now garlic? Yahoo!

4. Bollywood Theater

Friday Finds: Bollywood Theater // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Bollywood Theater

Bollywood Theater, probably my favorite Indian restaurant in all of Portland is opening a second location near my office (and it’s crazy reasonably priced!). So… that’s a dangerous thing.

5. Corn

Friday Finds: Mexican Street Corn Salad by Love and Lemons // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Mexican Street Corn Salad by Love and Lemons

Corn is back, and with it, lots of corn filled recipes: My roommate Carmelle has the most amazing cornbread recipe that we made for commune dinner this week, I made risotto with fava beans and corn (recipe coming soon), and this tried and true corn salad. Next up? This Mexican street corn salad looks crazy good.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

November 11, 2012February 4, 2017

When you have found possibly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever, it is hard to find recipes for chocolate chip cookies that still inspire you. You know what I mean? It’s like, well I found the best ones, so why not just make those? I’ll tell you why: while they are delicious, they require buying fancy chocolate (instead of just using the perfectly good chocolate chips you already have in your kitchen) and sifting. I’ll sift for Thomas Keller, but only so often.

So when I wanted to make cookies a while ago but not the fanciest best ones ever, I went to one of my favorite (food) blogs: Orangette. I have used this blog before, but I have re-fallen in love with it since reading the author’s book, A Homemade Life. Now, I feel that Molly Wizenberg and I were meant to be friends, and I am determined to make it happen. If you like reading about food, I definitely suggest it. There are also recipes in it, so if you don’t like the story, you can at least make some delicious food. Anyway, she had this recipe for whole wheat chocolate chip cookies that just looked so simple and divine… So I made them.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼- and ½-inch pieces, or bittersweet chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or just butter them. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (if you’ve got it. If you don’t, I advise bringing your butter to room temperature before you mix it). Bring the mixer up to a lower speed and mix JUST until the butter and sugars are blended (this should take about 2 minutes if your butter is cold). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Add the vanilla, mix. Now add the flour mixture, and mix on a low speed until it is just mixed (have you noticed a key with this recipe is not over-mixing it? Honestly, that goes for most recipes. But moving on…) Add in your chocolate and mix. This is where it gets tricky, as the dough is fairly dry. Just do the best you can.

Using a spoon, put ~3 Tbl. sized scoops of dough on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between the cookies (I would say at least 2 inches, 3 to be safe). Mine didn’t spread as much as the ones on Orangette, but always better safe than sorry. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. I have found, when it comes to baking cookies, that I need to take the cookies out of the oven sooner than I think I do… I have a tendency to over-bake. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Enjoy with a nice glass of cold milk.