Brown Sugar Cookies Are Underrated!

I have to say, I love the sugar cookie. I remember a few times in high school, my friends and I would go out and buy a tub of refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough and demolish it. Yum.

Well, these days, after some time in commercial kitchens, I'm happy to say that my palate has become a bit more refined. Brown sugar is one of my favorite ingredients to bake with -- it's flavor profile so much more delicious and complex than regular 'ole sugar. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the molasses and nutty tones of brown sugar enhance any pastry (and it tends to keep longer).

That being said, Brown Sugar Cookies might be my favorite kind of cookies. That's kind of a big deal for me. Anyway, after baking up a few batches a few days ago, I thought I would share my recipe with you. These cookies go great with summer fruits -- both berries and stone. They also make wonderful ice cream sandwiches. No matter how to eat them, I can promise you this: you are going to love them.

Annie's Brown Sugar Cookies
** This recipe makes a ton of cookies -- it can easily be halved, or I would bake half and refrigerate the rest. The dough keeps well for a few days this way.

Ingredients:

7 oz unsalted butter, divided (5 oz browned, 2oz cold)
1/4c. sugar
2c. brown sugar (I usually use light, but you could make these even better by using 1c. dark and 1c. light)
1 egg + 1 yolk
1T + 1t vanilla extract (I sometimes use about 1/2 of a vanilla bean if these are for a special occasion)
10 1/2 oz. AP flour
1/2t baking soda
1/4t baking powder
1t salt (I like to use Kosher salt)


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg & yolk slowy and then beat on high until light and mousse-like. I find that really whipping the eggs adds a lot of volume to these cookies. Add the extract. Mix until well incorporated.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Either whisk together or sift and with mixer on low, slowly add to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined (don't overmix or the cookies will toughen up)
4. Use cookie scoop or spoon to evenly place dough on silpat or parchment-lined sheet pan. These cookies will spreada bit, so give them some room.
5. Bake for about 15-18 min. I always say, bake them "until they are done." That means different things to different people. I like these underbaked, so about halfway through, I turn them and then take them out when they look juuuust underbaked. They will come out soft and billowy, but will flatten and settle once they're cool.
6. Cool them for about 10 min on the pan and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. ENJOY!

Let me know what you think of these! I love to get feedback, so comment or RT on twitter. Thanks!

Um, YUMMMM!

Nutella Self-Frosted Cupcakes

I will be making these as soon as possible. Try not to eat your monitor.

Do the Hanks-y Panksy

Good morning, foodaholics!

Annie here. So I went to Hank's Oyster Bar on Friday night. REDONK DELISH! I started with a glass of a Syrah - Grenache blend from France. It was wonderful -- not too fruity but not too tannic. Their list of wines by the glass was pretty good. I also tried a Torrentes (white), which was crisp and light, after I polished off my glass of red.

Sitting down to dinner, I had a sampling of oysters from NJ, VA, and WA. The Washington State oysters weren't too briney and had a hint of sweetness -- they were definitely my fav. I also enjoyed the NJ oysters but found the VA ones a bit too fishy tasting and smelling for me. Not that they weren't fresh, I guess they were a little too potent for me.

I then tried an octopus appetizer with farro. Very tasty! For my entree I had the crabcakes, which came with fries and some coleslaw. They were delicious. Tons of fresh crab and not too much else obstructing the delicate crab flavor. The fries weren't bad either.

I can't wait to go back to Hank's and try all of the other tasty items on the menu, which I think changes frequently. I don't think they take rezzies, so get there early or be prepared to have a few drinks at the small, usually crowded, bar.

The Cadillac of Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I know, I know... it's been WAY too long since we've posted. Hopefully, that will change as I, Annie here, resolve to get better about describing my exploits in the kitchen.

That being said, I love to experiment with classic recipes -- trying to add some secret ingredients here and there to add extra levels of flavor and/or complexity. With this recipe for Cadillac Chocolate Chunk cookies, I wanted to see how much I could enhance them by adding some of my favorite go-to (albeit, expensive) baking items -- Tahitian Vanilla bean, a touch of almond extract, brown butter and orange blossom honey. These cookies aren't quite perfect, a little too thin for my taste, but they came out absolutely DELISH!

Feel free to try these at home if you can get your hands on some good quality vanilla beans. If not, just ping me and it will be a nice excuse for me to do some more baking!

Ingredients:

2 c. + 2T AP Flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 egg
1 yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1 Tahitian vanilla bean -- split, seeds removed (save the pod for making vanilla sugar)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. orange blossom honey (clover honey is fine too)
6 oz -- divided (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter (salt brings out the sweetness in these cookies, but unsalted is fine if you don't have any)
10 oz semi or bittersweet (or both) chocolate baking chunks (chips are fine too)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prep your cookie sheet(s).
   
2. Sift and combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Make the brown butter: Take 4 oz/1 stick and place in a saucepan over med-low heat. Heat the butter until it begins to smell nutty and turn a golden brown. There will be brown bits in suspension. Keep an eye on the butter while doing this - it can burn if you aren't careful. Be sure to swirl or stir often. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator to cool.
4. Cut up remaining 1/2 stick of butter and place in stand mixer. Add brown sugar and cream until fluffy. Add sugar and honey and continue beating. Add the cooled brown butter and beat on high until nice and fluffy.
5. Adjust speed to low and slowly add the egg, yolk, extracts and vanilla bean. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you mix and add. Gradually increase speed and beat until light and fluffy (again). I like a lot of volume in my batter.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down in between additions. Do not over mix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix on low until just combined.
7. Feel free to chill the dough for a while or overnight. That will let the flavors develop -- especially the vanilla bean. When you're ready, use a cookie scoop to divide the dough on your sheet (I love the half-size sheet pans with silpats). Be sure to leave plenty of room between dough balls, as these will spread a good amount.
8. Bake for about 10mins. Watch them carefully -- take them out just underbaked, as they will continue to cook when you take them out.

Let me know what you think. I'll be happy to bring in a few samples :-).

Yummy yummy in our tummies!

Welcome to Jodi and Annie's world of food! We'll post our favorite spots in the Arlington and greater DC area. We'd love your feedback on our posts and feel free to add your own recs as well!

Happy eating!