Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whether you like crispy, chewy, or cakey cookies, one should always have their go-to recipe!

Finding the RIGHT chocolate chip cookie recipe can take many tries, for me, from the time I began to bake about four years ago, I only now have found my perfect cookie recipe!

I used to follow the recipes on the back of the morsels chocolate chip bags, and while they are not bad, they certainly aren’t the best. But again, it all depends upon your taste in cookies!

My favorite type of cookie is crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle. After countless attempts, and many packages of butter later, I think I found the perfect cookie recipe.

It’s a salted browned butter chocolate chip cookie!

The browned butter gives these cookies a nutty and caramel flavor. For the chocolate, I only use 60% cacao. I find the semi-sweet too sweet.

Also, I ALWAYS chop my chocolate, even if they are chips. For this recipe, for example, I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet morsels and chopped them. Chopping the chocolate allows them to melt into the cookie evenly, giving you more chocolate per cookie and you won’t have whole unmelted chips in the cookies (the worst).

After you give these a try, Im sure they will become a go to!

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Ingredients 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1½ cups bittersweet  chocolate, chopped

• Flaky sea salt

Recipe

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter stirring the pan occasionally, allow the butter to foam, until it browns, about 5 -7 minutes. Pour into a bowl, and allow it to cool.

2. In an electric mixer, pour the browned butter into the mixer bowl with the two sugars. Beat them together until all combined.

3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Reduce speed, beat in the flour mixture until all combined.

5. Fold in the chopped chocolate.

6. Chill for at least a half hour, overnight preferably.

7. Preheat to 375 degrees.

8. Using a cookie scoop, scoop them onto a lined baking tray. Bake until edges are golden brown, around 10-12 minutes. 6 minutes in, or until they begin to puff up, bang the cookie tray and again when the cookies are done to create a crinkle effect.

9. Finish them with flaky sea salt.

   Recipe from Bon Appetit

Cranberry Orange Chocolate Tart

First Monday of December, and I am in full holiday baking mode!

I’m starting the month off with this festive cranberry curd tart, made with chocolate graham crackers and a cranberry curd with orange juice and zest and topped with sugared cranberries!

This showstopper tart is sour and sweet and a great quick dessert to make for any holiday party.

Cranberries tend to be just a Thanksgiving time kind of berries, but since they are so good for you, I am on a mission to try to use them all year round. Thinking about adding them to a nice pork roast or even to a grain bowl If you have any ideas, let me know, and we will try them together!

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

• 8 oz. fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, plus 4 oz. for topping

• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping

• 2 large eggs

• 1 large egg yolks

• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

• 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest, divided

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice

• Pinch of kosher salt

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Recipe

Chocolate Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, pulse chocolate grahams until finely ground. Pour sugar and melted butter, pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Place mixture into tart pan and press evenly into the bottoms and sides of the pan. Blind bake the crust by placing a piece of parchment paper, or aluminum foil on top of the crust. Pour in pie weights, or dried beans.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes

5. Carefully remove the parchment/aluminum foil with the weights, or beans, and allow to cool.

Filling

1. Bring 6 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

3. Cook cranberry purée, egg, egg yolk, orange zest, orange juice, salt, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.

4. Stir with a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, around 10 minutes (might take a few minutes longer). Let cool until just warm.

5. Using an electric mixer ,or whisk, beat curd.

6. Add butter a piece at a time and incorporate after each addition until curd looks lighter in color and texture. Pass through a sieve, then scrape into crust and chill until firm, at least two hours 2 hours.

Cranberry Topping

1. Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute.

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.

3. Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar.

4. Top tart with cranberries as you like.

Braised Lamb Shanks & Creamy Polenta

First snowfall of the season and boy did it take us by surprise in New Jersey! 

There is probably nothing that I enjoy about the winter other than the excuse to stay in and cook! 

One of my ultimate favorite comfort foods are these beautiful Lamb Shanks. I think visually they seem a little daunting to people; however, this recipe is easy, foolproof and can make any beginner cook look like a master chef! 

The lamb shanks are rubbed with spices, and cooked in wine (oh yes), and served alongside creamy polenta.

The polenta is simmered to ensure a beautiful creamy and thick consistency that will absorb the sauce from the lamb.

If polenta is not your thing, egg noodles go exceptionally well with this dish!

Happy Weekend and Happy Cooking!

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Ingredients

Lamb Shanks

• 3 medium lamb shanks

• 4 medium onions, sliced

• 6 garlic cloves

• 4 tbsp of tomato paste

• 3 tbsp of paprika

• 1 bunch of parsley, coarsely chopped

• 8 tbsp of butter, cut in small pieces

• 1/4 cup of olive oil

• 2 cups  white wine

• ½ cup water + 2 tbsp

• 3 tbsp of coarse salt & pepper

• 3 bay leaves

Polenta

• Kosher salt

• 6 cups water

• 1½ cups coarse polenta ( I used Bob’s Red Mills)

• ¼ cup unsalted butter

• ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

• Freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Recipe

Lamb Shanks

1. Set the oven to 425 F

2. In a mortar, grind garlic, parsley and salt into a paste. Mix in the paprika, pepper, tomato paste,  2 tbsp of water and olive oil.

3. Rub the shanks with the mixture.

4. Place the seasoned meat in a large roasting pan, top with sliced onions, bay leaves and butter.

5. Pour in the wine and the rest of the water (½ cup) around the meat.

6. Roast for 1 ½ hour , basting every half hour .

7. Serve with Polenta.

Polenta

1. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low, whisking constantly, add in the polenta.

3. Cook, and whisk often  until polenta is thick and smooth, 20–25 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter and ½ cup Parmesan to polenta and whisk until melted and incorporated.

5. Serve warm, top with extra Parmesan.