Desserts

Walnut-Topped Ginger Drops

Leah Short — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 14:25:15 +0000

These Walnut-Topped Ginger Drops were the surprise favorite from Cookie Baking Day 2018. I chose this recipe because I like to have a good variety of cookies, or else I end up with all chocolate! I thought these were so unique with the candied ginger and cardamom. The cookies are almost cake-like and barely sweet, so the touch of vanilla chip drizzle on top is perfect. I wasn’t sure if these would appeal to everyone, but they were the #1 cookie that my coworkers talked about!

What I really love about these cookies is how they are decorated. The one walnut on top with the drizzle looks so cool to me. It was hard finding whole walnut halves, but it can be done! If all you have are walnut pieces, those would look just fine on top. You could also substitute pecans or almonds for the walnuts. Another fun decorating twist is to color the vanilla baking chips. With Valentine’s Day coming up, these would be a fantastic dessert with pink drizzle!

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Eggnog Cookie Logs

Leah Short — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 17:20:42 +0000

Oh, hi! (waves) Yep, I know it’s January and we’re all thinking about eating healthier, but I want to talk about cookies! As most of you know, my mom and I bake several batches of cookie each year known as Cookie Baking Day. It’s a super fun tradition and this year we got fancy with matching aprons and Christmas pins. We’re adorkable. So, enjoy your celery sticks, but bookmark these Eggnog Cookie Logs for next year. I’m not a huge fan of drinking eggnog, but anything flavored eggnog is fair game. We first made these cookies years ago, long before I had a blog, and they were the one cookie for which I had recipe requests.

They can be a bit tedious to make since you have to roll out the dough, but once you get going, it’s not such a big deal. The cookies are barely sweet, which I love because that makes the frosting perfectly suited for them. They taste great without it, but that bump of sweet frosting really gives it a nice flavor. Plus it’s double nutmeg with some in the cookie and some sprinkled on top. If you didn’t want to bother with the log shape, you could definitely use a cookie scoop and bake them in rounds. Perfect for the holidays with a big cup of cocoa!

Other goodies from Cookie Baking Day 2018:
Cream Cheese Spritz
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Walnut-Topped Ginger Drops (stay tuned!)
Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies (stay tuned!)
Chocolate Guinness Cookies (stay tuned!)

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Leah Short — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 14:58:36 +0000

My coworker Katherine made these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles several times this year and from the first bite I knew they’d make the Cookie Baking Day list! People rave about these cookies and I can taste why. It’s the best of the classic snickerdoodle, plus pumpkin and more spice. They are so moist and almost cake-like. Perfect for this time of year with a big glass of milk!

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Tropical Chewies

Leah Short — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:00:09 +0000

New to Cookie Baking Day were these Tropical Chewies. We usually bake only two of the same type of cookies from year to year, so it’s always fun to have something new on the menu. These cookies are full of goodies: white chocolate chips, almonds, macadamia nuts, and coconut. If you’re a white chocolate macadamia cookie fan, you’ll love these!

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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Leah Short — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 15:34:41 +0000

It’s hard to believe after so many years of Cookie Baking Day, that we rarely bake peanut butter cookies. I think it’s because I thought they’d be too time consuming with the rolling and fork-squishing (ha!). This year I was feeling nostalgic for all those classic favorites and guess what? Making Classic Peanut Butter Cookies was easy! Especially if you tag team like my mom and I do. I’m the scooper and roller, she’s the fork-squisher.

I love these cookies! I’ve never tried them with crunchy peanut butter, but I’d bet they’d work just as well. These are soft, but you can bake them a minute or two longer and they’ll be crispy. Whatever your cookie texture preference, these are for you!

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Sugar Plums

Leah Short — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 15:18:02 +0000

I have been itching to get in the kitchen and make candy, so yesterday my friend Laura came over to make Sugar Plums (and other goodies)! There are several sugar plum recipes out there, some include figs and other spices, but I was sold on this one because of the orange zest.

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The PC Muffin

Leah Short — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 19:47:17 +0000

The PC Muffin is my absolute favorite muffin from Fido here in Nashville. Funny thing is I discovered it at a different coffee shop. A few years ago I worked down the street from a coffee shop that sold Fido goodies and my standing order was a café au lait with a PC Muffin. So, so good for breakfast. I would crave this muffin daily. It’s a jumbo muffin and it’s heavy and dense and one of those baked goods that gets better the next day.

That coffee shop stopped selling Fido goodies, and yes, I could go to Fido to still get my muffin, but it wasn’t as convenient and I was just heart broken. I lucked out and found a Nashville cookbook at my library with recipe! Jackpot!

The PC stands for pumpkin chocolate chip and although that combination may sound weird, the two go very well together. See Pumpkin Brownie Swirl Pie, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread for more proof! (Sorry to all those instagrammers who voted no to that combo…you’re missing out!)

I ended up making a double batch so I could share these muffins with my coworkers. It was funny to see their faces when they saw the jumbo muffin. You could make these in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll need to adjust your baking time. Now I can have them any time I want with no lines!

Yield: 10 large muffins

The PC Muffin

Fido's pumpkin chocolate chip muffin

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275F. (Note: I made a batch at this temperature and they weren't quite done. Next batch I baked at 300F and it worked better.)

Combine the sugars, oils, applesauce, pumpkin, and eggs in a mixer with the paddle attachment on middle speed until evenly mixed.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, about 1/3 at a time, until evenly mixed on low speed.

Spray a large muffin tin with cooking spray or use muffin liners. Scoop about 3/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The muffins may need about 5 more minutes if the toothpick has batter stuck to it.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nashville Chef's Table by Stephanie Stewart-Howard

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Holiday Pantry Cookies

Leah Short — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 17:36:04 +0000

Merry Merry Christmas! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends. These Holiday Pantry Cookies are the last from Cookie Baking Day 2015. The name is very fitting because the flavors in this cookie are what you’d find in your pantry around the holidays. Pistachios, cranberries, coconut, and white chocolate. It’s no surprise why they were a favorite this year!

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Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Cookies

Leah Short — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 15:14:27 +0000

How long has it been since you had Reese’s Pieces? Every time I think of them, I instantly think of E.T. If you were a child of the 80s, I’m sure you do, too! The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is as classic as it gets. Last year we made M&M’s Cookies, so this year we turned to Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Cookies! I always forget how good those peanut butter bites in a candy shell taste.

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Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leah Short — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 15:23:40 +0000

I loved the way the Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies looked for Cookie Baking Day. So festive with the colored sprinkles and just so darn fun! You could really play around with the color of the sprinkles and make these for just about any occasion. Green, white, and red sprinkles would be really festive for the big day coming up soon!

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