Sugar Cookies

Let's bring it back to the classics -- sugar cookies! My friend wanted something chewy, soft, and sugary, and I like that this recipe incorporates lemon zest into it. Unfortunately, I didn't have my zester at home so I just shaved off the skin of the lemon with a knife, so some of the pieces were a bit chunky. When my friend ate these, he actually liked that there were "raisin-sized chunks" of chewy lemon skin in the cookies. Hahaha... ohh how mistakes can turn out surprisingly well sometimes. Yay. Picture by me, and recipe by Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
• 2 large eggs
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
3. Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
4. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. (try not to overbake them if you want chewy ones, otherwise they'll be pretty crispy.
   

(see the huge chunk of lemon zest?)

Wordle

Wordle makes word collages out of the text on your blog. This is what Wild Manatee Bakery has so far :)

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chewy & Crunchy Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies -- C&C CCCC, anyone?

I love checking Martha Stewart's "Cookie of the Day" updates, and this one caught my eye because they not only sound tasty but looked delectable as well! (see pic below)
The different flavors and textures of chewy tart cherries, crunchy sweet toffee, and smooth and rich chocolate work together and balance the sugary oatmeal dough to form a symphony in your mouth. Haha, sorry this is so corny... But really, this recipe is pretty straightforward and will leave people craving for more! Credits to Torrie Hallock for the recipe.




Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 cup dried cherries (Can be found at Trader Joe's...I cut mine into smaller pieces)
  
• 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup toffee pieces (Chocolate-covered Heath Bar bits, yum!)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
2. In a bowl, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add the egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add the vanilla; mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and mix on low speed until well combined. Add the oats, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine after each addition. (At this point, I chilled the dough because I was busy... but I think chilling the dough helps it stay together and lets the flavors really mix and soak in together... Also, other reviewers formed them into logs and then cut them into rounds before baking)
4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat, spacing 2 inches apart. (These cookies spread a LOT and come out pretty thin, so be sure to leave enough space!)
5. Bake cookies until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days. (Since you want these to be semi-chewy, be sure not to overbake them! They will continue to bake while cooling on the baking sheet. They will come out really thin, so parchment paper definitely helps with the lifting of them off the sheet.)