Recipe: Double Chocolate Cookies

I love chocolate so naturally one of my favorite cookies are Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Cookies. Straight out of the oven, the warm cookies ooze hot chocolate chips as you bite into them.

I prefer to eat them cooled, when the chocolate chips are solidified and the rest of the cookie is soft. I have them with a cup of hot orange pekoe tea (clear thank you), which is absolute perfection.

Variation: Instead of chunks of milk chocolate, I lazily threw in chocolate chips. And, instead of making over-sized cookies, as suggested, I made them a standard cookie size, using my OXO cookie dough scoop. I ended up with over 4 dozen cookies, perfect for sharing.

Recipe for Double Chocolate Cookies are found here.

Mouth Watering Goodness

It's been a good day so far. I found my missing Ray-Bans! I was afraid that I'd dropped them on the street and that some stranger was walking around with my prescription sunglasses. It's a funny thought but I was sad at the possibility of losing my favorite sunglasses.

Another good thing - eating the tastiest shortbread ever. I really wanted to eat the whole thing but that would have been bad, right? These Almond & Sugared Rose shortbread cookies contain sugared rose bits, rose water and natural rose oil. Can you imagine how lovely they are?

I picked up a pack at the One Of A Kind Show but you can get them online or in their Toronto store by appointment. Yes - that's how awesome they are.

The most brilliant shortbreads by Coach House Shortbread Company

Pic Source: Coach House Shortbread Co.

Recipe: Spice Cookies

This is what happens when my plans fall through - I bake. Last night I made Sweet Paul's Spice Cookies.

I had everything in my pantry and the recipe was easy enough but I didn't like this part - "divide the dough into 30 pieces and roll each piece to a ball".

I hate touching dough and it's the reason why I hardly make bread. Anyway, instead of dipping my hands in the sticky-ish dough and rolling 30 balls, I grabbed my cookie dough scoop and just plopped the raw dough balls into a little bowl of sugar, coated them and then placed them on a cookie sheet. SP's recipe says it makes 30 cookies but I ended up getting 51 cookies using the scoop method.

After they cooled (and I ate some), I wrapped and boxed 10 cookies as a thank you gift to someone using bakers twine. (I picked mine up at Crate & Barrel.) This is a great stress free recipe for the holidays which I plan on gifting.

You can find Sweet Paul's recipe here.

Recipe: Earl Grey Tea Cookies

New featured product: the Ghost Series Linen Tea Towel.

I styled our latest photoshoot with Earl Grey Tea Cookies (from Martha Stewart's Cookies). Recipe can be found here.

I looked through a few books and finally settled on this recipe. I was looking for something different, light in flavour and easy to make.

I wasn't sure what to think of these at first but now I really like them. The flavour in this cookie is so light and delicate and the texture resembles shortbread.

Gift Idea: I was going to see my mum briefly so I gift wrapped some cookies for her. I did this by rolling the stack of cookies in a sheet of vellum. Then I taped the sides of the roll and then folded and taped the bottom. I finished it by tying a lovely green grosgrain ribbon on top. Idealy if you were to give these as a gift, include a nice handwritten tag stating what type of cookie you are gifting.

::: Nathalie

Treats for your tummy and a good cause.

Last week I mentioned that I would be partaking in the bake sale at work. Funds raised went to The Cancer Society's Relay for Life. With some advanced prep work, I baked a mini army of Sugar Cookie bunnies and my infamous Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Butter Cream frosting. Both recipes can be found on good old Martha's website.

I'm happy to say that my goods sold out (along with almost all the others, but ya know).

::: Nathalie

Banana Cupcakes

Makes 12

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Honey Cinnamon Frosting

• 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

Days Off

I've been battling a cold for a few days now. At this point I can't tell if it's getting better or worse.... Here's a quick post on my weekend escapades. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies from Martha Stewart

Weekend breakfast, Dutch Baby with Strawberries

My bracelet collection from The Lime Shop

New Copper/ Leather Friendship Bracelet

Next edition of iPhone Cases

Now, off to bed.

::: Nathalie