Baking

VIRTUAL BAKING WITH MAMA

January 31, 2022 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Up For The Challenge

At the start of 2021, I hadn’t seen any of my family in over a year due to the pandemic. My mom and I have always enjoyed baking together and so we decided to create a virtual baking challenge for the year. Each month, we chose a bake that neither of us had ever attempted – that alone was a challenge as we both have years of baking experience. We baked each recipe on the same day and then did a video chat to compare our results, discuss what we might change about the recipe (if anything), and review how easy or difficult we felt it was. You can find the virtual baking reviews on my Instagram video series titled “2021 Baking Challenge”. In the mean time, here are the links to the recipes we made along with some brief discriptions. *None of these recipes are my own.

Top Three

I’m giving you the full list of virtual baking recipes, month-by-month, below. But I know you want the short version so here is my top three. Be sure to check out my descriptions below for more detail though. Drumroll please… Coming in at #3) January – Tarte Tatin. #2) April – Burnt Basque Cheesecake. And my #1) October – Beef and Potato Pithivier. I never would have guessed that the savory bake would be my top choice but the belly wants what the belly wants. I’m already looking forward to making it again soon.

January – Tarte Tatin

This one had me nervous. I thought it would be really complex in skill level. As it turns out, the hardest part was finding the right size pan. I would add some warm spices next time to make it a little more flavorful. Overall though, I found it to be relatively easy to make and I loved the crispness of the crust.

February – King Cake

This King Cake itself was heavenly! We purchased our decorations here so as to get the colors just right and to ensure we had the traditional baby to add under the cake. My only issue was that the filling did not disburse evenly throughout the cake. Next time I make this, I will roll the dough out and spread the filling evenly before rolling it up. (*This is the only recipe we used that came from a cookbook rather than online.)

King cake topped with icing and green, purple, and yellow sprinkles.

March – Almond Puff Pastry

Possibly my least favorite recipe from the entire year. The filling was delicious but I had trouble with the puff pastry itself. If I were to make this again, I would purchase pre-made puff pastry dough but still use the homemade filling. Not only would pre-made dough give you quality texture and rise, it would save a lot of time.

April – Burnt Basque Cheesecake

If you want an easy, luscious dessert, this is the one for you. The creaminess is unlike any you’ve had in a traditional cheesecake. Just 5 ingredients and no crust. You will need a large food processor or blender and a spring form pan as well as some parchment paper. It looks burned but the flavor and texture are out of this world.

May – Cannolis

There are some things in life left best to the professionals. Cannolis definitely fall into that category for me. The flavor was fantastic. However, I had a lot of difficulty keeping the shells wrapped together as I fried them. I also generally don’t like dealing with the mess of frying things.

June – Pavlova

This is a show stopper!! The white fluffy meringue topped with fresh fruit is absolutely stunning. I know I didn’t get the texture of the meringue just right (I believe I over baked it) but it was still delicious. To me, this would be worth practicing and perfecting the techniques in order to get it just right.

July – Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is NOT an American style pudding. This is a European style dessert which is what Americans would consider to be more of a cake. I was fascinated by how this was made. The sweetness of the cake itself comes mostly from dates. The toffee sauce gives it a more sugar sweet topping. I appreciated learning how to use dates in ways I’d never thought of before. It essentially looks like a brown blob in the end but it really is yummy.

August – Black and White Cookies

These NYC style cookies are huge and have a cake-like texture. I found it mildly difficult to get a clean line between the chocolate and vanilla icings. I’m sure a little more practice and review of how different people approach it would come in handy. Otherwise, this is a very manageable recipe. If you’re craving a taste of NYC, these are a great way to achieve it.

September – Clafoutis

Let me first say that I am a texture person with food. I’d never eaten a clafoutis before so I’m not sure if we got the texture wrong or if I just don’t like the texture of this dessert. I wanted to like this so badly but it turned out to be a huge fail for me. Again, this may very well be due to my own texture issues rather the quality of the recipe itself.

October – Beef and Potato Pithivier

Our only savory bake of the year. This one also had me pretty intimidated on the technique. However, it turned out to be basically a pie without the pie dish. It was much easier than I anticipated! I actually made the dough on one day, the filling the next day, and then put it all together on the third day. This worked out beautifully for my busy schedule. I wish the recipe had given more specific ideas on how to flavor the filling but the rosemary and garlic I added turned out fantastic. I highly recommend this one!

November – Sugar Spice Pear Gallette

We chose this recipe in honor of my late brother, Ron – it was a favorite of his. I followed the recipe as directed except didn’t add all of the sugar mix to the top. Mine lacked flavor because of this. Mom, cut the sugar measurement in half but kept the full measurements of the spices and said her’s was very flavorful. Overall an easy recipe to make and could be made even easier if you used a store bought pie dough.

December – Stollen

This was one of the more involved recipes we made all year. We candied the citrus peel ourselves and made our own marzipan. You just can’t beat homemade quality on these ingredients. I’d say it was worth the time and effort but I would tweak the marzipan to leave out (or at least reduce) the rose water based on my own flavor preferences. We both also decided we will wait to coat the loaves with powdered sugar for when we are ready to serve it rather than when it is fresh out of the oven. We will also roll out the marzipan, lay it over rolled out dough and then roll them up together rather than do the rod of marzipan in the middle. This would give a more even distribution of flavors, textures, and moisture.

Next Challenge

Although the official year of virtual baking is over, the challenges will still continue. Life is busy so we aren’t shooting for a new bake each month. However, we do plan on completing a virtual baking challenge a few times throughout the year. What would you like to see us bake?

PUMPKIN BREAD

November 5, 2019 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

There are days when I want to challenge myself in the kitchen. Then, there are days when I just want something easy to make. I’ve been spending a lot of time baking challenging desserts lately. It gives me a great sense of pride to accomplish a recipe from my baking bucket list but it can also take a great deal of time and energy. Life is about balance though and I am thankful for easy recipes! These are my go-to when I want something homemade with limited effort. These are also the recipes that are great for passing along to friends.

When I create recipes, I want them to be achievable, not stressful. My goal is for even a beginner baker to be able to have a successful outcome. Something easy to make that is beautiful on its own and tastes amazing. Quick breads are exactly that. Now that we’re in November, I’m hitting up this pumpkin bread recipe on the regular. It is such a hit with friends and a perfect addition to any get together. Flavorful, moist and easy to make. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this beautiful pumpkin bread.

PUMPKIN BREAD

Flavorful, moist and easy to make – I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this beautiful pumpkin bread.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 Tablespoon unsalted pepitas (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar together. Mix in pumpkin puree then add in eggs and vanilla.
Stir in half of the dry ingredients. Add milk and stir to combine. Stir in remaining dry ingredients.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with pepitas. Bake 55-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Notes

In a pinch, you can sub the brown sugar for white sugar. The brown sugar brings out the flavors of the spices a bit more but you’ll get a taller rise from the bread with white sugar.
You can butter and flour your loaf pans if you don’t have parchment paper.

Keyword Pumpkin, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Loaf, Pumpkin Spice

TURMERIC SPICE MUFFINS

September 10, 2019 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

My daughter loves muffins. Like REALLY loves them. I think she’d eat muffins for every meal if we let her. Unfortunately, she’s not into having fruit or grated veggies in her muffins right now – I think it’s a texture issue. So, I won’t be making my favorite, blueberry muffins, any time soon. I don’t want to fill her muffins with chocolate chips every time either so I’ve started experimenting with flavors and spices. To my surprise, and delight, my girl gave me her stamp of approval on these turmeric muffins. “Mama, I like your muffins” is pretty high culinary praise when your critic is only two years old.

Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine wants to donate all the muffin stumps? My brain goes to that show every time I make muffins. To be clear, I do eat my muffin stumps and I enjoy them. This particular recipe did something amazing inside the stumps. I tried various amounts of turmeric with each revision of the recipe. The flavor would change slightly but the color ended up with an ombre type of effect regardless of how much turmeric I added. Cut one of your muffins in half before biting in and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Maybe Elaine wouldn’t have been ditching all those muffin stumps if they had been this pretty inside.

Tips

You can freeze these muffins and then reheat as needed – about 45 seconds in the microwave should do it.
The sugar topping is completely optional but it does add a nice texture and sweetness.

Turmeric Muffins

Turmeric gives a balance between sweet and savory in these ombre shaded muffins.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup milk
Optional: course sugar such as turbinado or demerara for sprinkling on top.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Add milk then remaining dry ingredients.
Scoop batter into muffin pan, filling each cup two thirds full. Lightly sprinkle each muffin with course sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Keyword Breakfast, Muffins, Turmeric, Turmeric Muffins

Looking for other breakfast ideas?

Savory Spinach Turnovers

Farm-Style Biscuits

Vanilla Almond Granola

Rhubarb Bread

August 20, 2018 by Sarah Baade 6 Comments

Rhubarb. I feel like I need to admit that prior to this recipe, I had never eaten rhubarb. I’m not a big fan of celery and it just looks like giant pink celery so why would I want to eat it? What is particularly astonishing about this situation is that strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my dad’s favorite desserts. I grew up with this pie being made in my household somewhat regularly. Still, I never tried it. As I sifted through my grandma’s recipe box I knew I needed to get over myself and give this a go.

I feel like you need to know your fruits and vegetables in raw form before cooking with them. So, I did it. I took a bite of raw rhubarb – BITTER!!! Clearly sugar is needed to balance this out, no wonder I’ve only ever seen it in desserts. I also tasted the batter before pouring it into the loaf pans (I know, I was risking salmonella with the raw egg). I was expecting it to be sweet like a muffin or pumpkin bread but it was actually quite mild. My second confession for this recipe is that I was starting to think this might be my first fail of Grandma’s recipe box. I. Was. Wrong! The brown sugar crumbles on top added just the right amount of sweetness to make this bread completely delightful and the bitterness of the rhubarb subsided as it baked. Alright, rhubarb lovers of the world, I get it and I’m now a member of your club!

Tips:

Sometimes your hands are better tools than anything you can buy. I found it easiest to mix the topping ingredients together by hand.
You can grease your loaf pans if you don’t have parchment paper.

Rhubarb Bread

Bread:

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ cups diced rhubarb

½ cup walnut pieces

Topping:

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, slightly softened

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two loaf pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together all bread ingredients in order listed. Pour equal amounts of batter into each loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients. Sprinkle equal amounts of topping over each pan of batter.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until test until a test stick can be inserted and removed clean. Once loaves are baked, let cool 20 minutes before removing from pans. Slice and serve slightly warm or let loaves finish cooling on a wire rack.

Original recipe source unknown. Recipe has been modified from this version for the purpose of this blog.

Potato Chip Cookies

April 16, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

As I look through my grandmother’s recipe box, I realize that she saved far more dessert recipes than any other kind. I can relate! For years, I have cut out recipes and carefully taped them into notebooks by category. I have a notebook for main dishes, one for sides and one for drinks. Each of these is partially filled. Then I have two notebooks for desserts that are overflowing. No lie, I have loose cut out recipes tucked away in the back of each one. Perhaps it is time for another notebook? I clearly started this habit pre-Pinterest but I still enjoy flipping through those pages and seeing the “love” (okay, mess) and notes that I made on some of those recipes. You know it is a really good one if there are stains all over it!

So as to live up to my grandmother’s standards, I decided it was time to make another dessert. There are so many to choose from in that recipe box and eventually I hope to get to most of them – have no fear, I will not resort to the shrimp Jello recipe I found. I’ve been wanting something unique rather than classic lately so I’ve opted to update her recipe for potato chip cookies. After a quick google search, I learned that this is more common than I thought (even Martha Stuart has a recipe for them!) but the butterscotch chips set this recipe apart from any other I’ve seen.

Tips:

If you’re not a fan of butterscotch, swap those chips out for chocolate.
I used plain ridged potato chips for this recipe. I placed them in a large zip lock bag and then rolled over them with a rolling pin until they were evenly crushed.

Potato Chip Cookies

Makes 4 ½ dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

11oz package of butterscotch chips

2 cups crushed potato chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in eggs then stir in vanilla and baking soda. Gradually mix in flour. Stir in butterscotch chips then stir in crushed potato chips.

Scoop teaspoon-sized mounds of cookie dough onto lined cookie sheet, leaving 2-inches between the cookies. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and transfer the cookies to cooling racks.

Potato Chip Cookies - Slice Of Honey Blog

Original recipe source unknown. Recipe has been modified from this version for the purpose of this blog.

Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies

December 26, 2017 by Sarah Baade 10 Comments

I’m Hooked

I used to think sugar cookies were the ultimate iced Christmas cookie. They are certainly a classic but let’s be honest, they are really just sugar on sugar no matter how beautiful they are. Why not add some flavor to the sweetness? Enter these yummy Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies. Over the last few years I have developed a love for ginger bread. That spice blended with a bit of sweet icing is absolutely delicious. Add in a hint of lemon and I’m hooked; you’re going to have to hold me back from eating the entire batch of cookies!

Soft ginger cookies topped with bright lemon icing.

No Chill Required

Let’s get into the details on these Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies. The first thing I always want to know about a cookie recipe is if I need to chill the dough. Good news, no chill required for these! Preheat your oven and then combine all of your dry ingredients in a bowl. In your stand mixer, beat the sugars, molasses, and eggs. Then gradually add the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Keep in mind this dough gets relatively thick which is why I choose to use my stand mixer. Once combined, roll dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet 2″ apart. Bake 14-16 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack. Using a fork or whisk, combine icing ingredients until there are no more lumps. Top each cookie with desired amount of icing. Enjoy!

Plate of 3 ginger cookies with white icing.

Tips:

If you prefer a thin glaze instead of icing, add extra milk to the icing until it is the consistency you desire.
If you need to approach this recipe in steps, tackle the cookies one day and ice them the next day.

Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies

Sarah Baade

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 36 Cookies

Ingredients

For the Ginger Cookies

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup molasses

For the Lemon Icing

zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, ginger, cloves, salt and baking soda.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat brown sugar with granulated sugar and butter. Add eggs and molasses. Mix in dry ingredients 1 cup at a time.
Roll cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on the parchment paper. Leave 2-inches between the cookies. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and transfer the cookies from the parchment to cooling racks.
Once cookies are cooled completely, add icing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until powdered sugar fully mixed into milk (there should not be any lumps). Spread icing over cookies as desired.

Notes

If you prefer thicker icing, consider doubling the icing recipe.

Keyword Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Ginger Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Holiday Recipe, Homemade Cookies, Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies

Looking for more holiday cookie ideas? Check these out!

Peppermint Sugar Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

November 21, 2017 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Thanksgiving is all about sharing a meal with those you are thankful for. I’ve lived all over the place so spending time with family by blood is not alway an option for this holiday. However, I have been incredibly blessed to make friends who are dear enough to be called family. Some I had known for years before being invited, others I had only known for a few months. Regardless of the age of friendship, it is incredible to gather around a table and express gratitude. Even in years that life has brought challenges, ESPECIALLY when life has brought challenges, there is plenty to be thankful for. A roof over my head, friends/family to lean on or celebrate with, food on the table (even if not in abundance). I hope that this year, you will be spending time with loved ones and celebrating the wins and/or overcoming the losses of the year together.

While I haven’t been a life long pumpkin lover, I knew I needed to try this recipe from my grandmother’s recipe box. What a joy to have her with me in spirit as I made this pie for friends. This pie is the perfect balance of both pumpkin and pecan. For those of you who can’t decide between the two flavors, this is your solution!!! Grandma also gets bonus points for this recipe because it is so amazingly easy. The hardest part is getting it into the oven without spilling the filling. Check out the tips below for help with that.

Tips

If you are using pre-made pie crust that is in an aluminum tin, place it on a baking sheet before pouring the filling in and keep it on the baking sheet even while baking it. The tin is flimsy enough that it is easy to spill the filling while transferring it to the oven if you don’t have the support of the baking sheet.
If you are using a roll-out pre-made pie crust and placing it in your own glass/metal pie dish, go ahead and put a baking sheet in the oven on the bottom shelf. If you happen to have any filling bubble over the edge of the crust the baking sheet will catch it and save you from a mess in your oven.

For those wanting to be more decorative with the pie, you can customize your crust by imprinting the edges with items you can find in your own kitchen. For this one, I used the handle of a measuring spoon so get those cute little dots. You can absolutely sprinkle the pecan pieces all over the top. I chose to make a circle out of the nuts near the crust edge before sprinkling the rest.

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE

Sarah Baade

Why choose between pumpkin and pecan when you can have both? This pie is the perfect marriage of both flavors and is incredibly easy to make.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9" pie crust
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 oz canned pumpkin
1 cup dark corn syrup
2 Tablespoons butter melted and cooled
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line pie dish with pre-made pie crust.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, pumpkin, corn syrup and butter. Pour mixture into pie crust.
Top with chopped pecans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until filling does not jiggle.
Once cooled, serve topped with whipped cream.

Keyword Dessert, Pecan, Pie, Pumpkin

*Original source of this recipe is unknown. Directions are slightly modified from my grandmother’s recipe card.

Strawberry Pastry

September 17, 2017 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

God bless the person who decided pastries were an ideal breakfast food! Can I get an “AMEN”??? That sweet, carb loaded goodness might not actually be part of a healthy, balanced diet but it certainly does give me motivation to actually eat breakfast. My eyes don’t exactly light up the same way when presented with a bowl of plain oatmeal.

Homemade pastry is particularly delicious but it is also time consuming. I don’t have a lot of spare time these days so I fully embrace the pre-made puff pastry sheets found in my local grocer’s freezer section. Slice it, shape it, fill it and you’ll have beautiful little delights that fit in the palm of your hand. Whether you want to share these treats with friends is totally optional – I’ll admit I ate most of these myself.

Tips:

Be sure to pull the pastry sheets out of the freezer ahead of time. It takes about 30-40 minutes to thaw out.
The strawberry mixture will end up with some juice in the bowl. Try to avoid scooping the juice onto your pastries as it will leak out and get a bit messy.

Strawberry Pastry

Ingredients:

16oz strawberries, sliced

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 tablespoon orange zest

17.3oz package puff pastry sheets, thawed

Glaze:

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine strawberry slices, orange zest, sugar and corn starch.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 squares. For each square, gently fold diagonally in half to form a triangle. With a sharp knife, slice dough ¼ inch from each edge – slices should not quite meet at the corner. Unfold triangle, you will have two L shapes framing an inner square. Fold the corner of one L over to the opposite corner of the square. Do the same with the other L. Dough will now have a diamond shape. Fill inside of diamond with strawberry mixture. Repeat folding and filling process for each square of dough.

Place each filled pastry on lined cookie sheet. Back for 15 minutes or until pastry begins to turn light golden brown. Let cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk orange juice and powdered sugar with a fork. Gradually add milk until glaze has reached desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over pastries.

Stir-n-Drop Sugar Cookies

July 4, 2017 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I used to spend hours baking and decorating cut out sugar cookies. It was like therapy for me, a way to tune out the rest of the world for a while. I still enjoy making sugar cookies but I just don’t have time for the detailed work that goes into decorating those cut out cookies. As I was sifting through my grandmother’s recipe box I came across this great recipe. As with most of her recipes, the original source is unknown. However, the internet is a great tool and I did find the modernized version of this recipe on the Betty Crocker website. Following the recipe directly left me with slightly burned cookies so I altered the baking time a bit and the second batch turned out slightly soft – just the way I like them! The original recipe also makes some pretty small cookies so I also changed the amount of dough used for each serving.

Tips

If you aren’t a fan of lemon flavor, feel free to leave the zest out or swap it for another citrus flavor (lime, orange or maybe even grapefruit).
It is really easy to customize these cookies for holidays by changing up the color of your decorative sugar.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

2 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

¾ cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Additional colored sugars for decorating

Heat oven to 400*F. In a large bowl, beat eggs with oil, vanilla, zest and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Drop dough by the tablespoon full onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of a glass with butter or cooking spray. Dip glass into colored sugar then gently press on ball of dough until dough is ¼-inch thick. Repeat on each ball of dough. Bake 5-6 minutes or until edges of cookies start to turn golden brown. Transfer cookies from cookie sheet to cooling rack and let cool completely before eating.

Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

April 9, 2017 by Sarah Baade 5 Comments

I learned two things while creating this recipe. First, this dough was NOT meant to be biscotti. Second, it doesn’t matter because apparently, my family doesn’t care for biscotti anyway. When I tried making this dough into biscotti it was a huge fail. The edges were burning and the center was puffing up. However, one bite into the middle puffy area and I knew I needed to find a way to use this dough for something else.

Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - Slice of Honey Blog

Take two and I discovered success in cookies! I have served a lot of different cookies to family, friends and co-workers over the years. I have never received more complements than I have with these cookies. The rustic appearance gives the impression that these might be a crispy cookie but they are actually quite soft inside. The bonus is that they still taste great dipped in coffee so feel free to indulge for breakfast.

Tips:

This dough is thick. Be sure to use a stand mixer so you don’t burn out your electric hand mixer.
If you need to approach this recipe in steps, combine your dry ingredients and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap until you’re ready to finish the recipe.

Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons butter (room temperature)

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup raw macadamia nut pieces

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat brown sugar with granulated sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients 1 cup at a time. Stir in macadamia nuts and chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of cookie dough and place on the parchment paper. Leave 2-inches between the cookies. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and transfer the cookies from the parchment to cooling racks.