Macaroons

My sister and I love macaroons; we fell in love with them when we bought a box at Whole Foods. I wanted to try to make them so found a recipe from AllRecipes.com. The smell of coconut is intoxicating!

4 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour cookie sheet. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla, almond, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar and whip until stiff. Toss together flour, salt, and coconut in a separate bowl; fold into egg whites. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 18 - 20 minutes or until golden. Allow cookies to cool.

The first time I made these I noticed it was too wet and when I baked them they did not come out as coconut mounds, more like a flatter cookie. Next time I added more coconut flakes until mixture was more coconut than mix so the shape held better.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

For my fiance's brother's birthday, instead of a cake I made him a stack of chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. I used the chocolate chip cookie recipe that is on this blog (all purpose flour instead of whole wheat this time though!). I let the cookies cool completely. Then put vanilla ice cream between two cookies, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and put them in the freezer to set. They came out really well except the only complaint was that they were SO big, but SO yummy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from BonAppetit magazine (April 2007 issue). I have made classic chocolate chip cookies many a time but wanted to take a try at the chocolate dough ones. The magazine had this as a cookie to make ice cream sandwiches with; I just baked them and ate them alone and they were pretty good. I brought them to work and by the end of the day only crumbs were left.

2 cups all purpose flour (I substituted whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 12 oz package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Use electric mixer to beat butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in both sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla, and dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Drop 2 big tablespoonfuls batter onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until cookies are dry but soft to touch, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Serve with cold glass of milk for dunking. Delicious!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love baking cookies but feel so guilty when I eat them! So I took the traditional Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe you find on the chocolate chips bag and substituted whole wheat flour. The cookies come out delicious. They're probably just as sinfully delicious as the all purpose flour ones but somehow I feel a bit healthier. The first couple of times I made these they came out too soft but I baked them a little longer (15 minutes) so they were firmer and kept their shape. Remember the secret to getting the cookies soft and the correct consistency is the order you blend the ingredients. Many people like to blend all the ingredients at once which can save you some minutes but will likely get you a harder or cake-ish cookie. The directions on the bag are point on. One of the biggest things is blending the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla into softened butter. I remember melting butter to save time and this doesn't get you the soft cookies you want. To soften butter, let the butter sit for about an hour outside the fridge till it is creamy. These have become one of my favorite cookies to have around the house when family comes to visit.