Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

Have I ever mentioned that Izzie and Denny complete me? That Meredith is my on screen double? How about that when Addison left it broke my heart like how Mark's abs make me melt? Grey's Anatomy, people. This yunk is good minus that horrible third/four season slump. All is forgiven. I'm nearly finished the seventh season and considering I started during our trip, that is damn impressive. Pathetic yet impressive. 

But it is almost unbearably depressing at times. I once was sobbing for a solid hour and a bit over Denny. Post breakdown, I called Bo to tell her what happened. She had already seen it but made me tell her what had happened causing the hysterics to fire up again. That son of a gun.

So if you happen to be as down and out due to fictional problems that you live vicariously through, make some bright and shiny cookies. Talk about a way to soak up your sorrows and fill up your bellay. The tart lemon smell is refreshing and the raspberries add a neon, discotheque mood minus the strobe lights. It's uplifting, promise.  

Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies
Roughly adapted from here

cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
filling
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup raspberry jam

cookies Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter (still warmish) with the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Whisk in the milk and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be pretty soft so refrigerate for about an hour. Make the filling (below) in the meantime. Or don't if you roll like that. Preheat the oven to 350º. Drop dough in 1/2 tsp balls* onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about one and a half inches between cookies to allow for them to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. 

filling In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the raspberry jam. Cover and cool in the fridge until ready to use.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling on one of the cookies and sandwich with another. Makes about 24 small sandwich cookies.

* I had used a larger sandwich scoop, as seen in the photos above, but I highly recommend a small scoop. The cookies will spread and they are much easier to eat when the sandwiches are smaller. It is also easier to eat smaller sandwiches thinking it's healthy. Obvz.

(Vegan) Caramel Rocky Road Bars

I am immobile. For the first time in two years I attempted the Grouse Grind. Along the way I told my brother he had four options. 1. I turn around, 2. I go in to cardiac arrest, 3. He pushes me off a cliff to end my misery or 4. I trek out into the forest to find a bear to maul me and I put myself out of misery. Did I mention that I hate hiking? 

By the end though it was as if my body was so numb with pain and rain that I felt like Rambo coming out of that forest. I told my brother he should have carried me around the corner with blood on his cheeks and a bandanna on his head to impress our Paps. He did not think this was a brilliant idea. Stupid logic always ruins great ideas. These bars were a great idea to devour post-hike-that-nearly-murdered-me. This photo looks like a chocolate caramel burial ground. And I mean that in the best possible way. These bars are so chewy and get way better two to three days later. But I unfortunately only had one square left that was hidden after three days so good luck with that.

(Vegan) Caramel Rocky Road Bars

Adapted from Alice Medrich

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp natural cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil

1 tbsp distilled vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

6 ounces (dairy-free to be vegan) milk chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup (vegan) quartered chewy caramels

15 marshmallows, quartered

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9 x 9 pan with foil and butter and flour it. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the liquid mix over the flour mix. Mix with a spatula until just smooth. Fold in half the chocolate, half the pecans and all the caramels. Scrape the batter into the pan evenly. Distribute the marshmallows over the top with the cut sides up. Press slightly into the bars. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate and nuts over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the batter no longer jiggles when nudged. Cool on a rack. Lift the edges of the foil to transfer to a cutting board. Slide a metal spatula underneath the bars to remove the foil.  (I clearly did not do this. I just cut and devoured as I went.) Cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. Keep in an airtight container for 3 days. Makes sixteen squares.

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

For the third time, this post has not saved. That means that it comes up blank or with a single sentence. I am about to drop kick this computer to Abbotsford. The dam world wide web is the devil's craft. There was a teacher at my high school who told us that the internet was demon work. I am starting to see where he was coming from. 

This should have been posted years ago. Not because the internet hasn't been working for years or that I made them years ago but because this combination is what my body runs on. Maple and pecans were born together. (This is an assumption, not a fact.) Thus they were reborn together in these cookies. Holla.

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Martha

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon pure maple extract
2 3/4 ounces (1 cup) walnuts, coarsely chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the oatmeal, coconut, flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and maple syrup. Heat until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda with the boiling water. Immediately stir this mixture into the melted butter until combined. Add the maple extract; stir into the oat mixture. Fold in pecans. Form heaping tablespoon sized balls. Place about an inch and a half apart. They don't really spread. Flatten each of the balls slightly. Bake until golden brown and set, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Makes about 2 dozen.

Salted Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

Will I ever win? 

Only time will tell
You got to suffer to remember how well
that are our ideals never really marched in time
That's the bottom line
Jilted lovers and broken hearts

Is it sad that this song makes me think of baked goods and me? The lyrics do speak to me because I am currently "suffering" from lack of eating baked goods. And "our ideals", baked good's being to made of butter and all things delicious and mine being to devour them and remain petite, don't exactly "march in time." "That's the bottom line." And as a result we are "jilted lovers" left with "broken hearts."

There you have it. Songs do not just refer to people! They are supposed to appeal to everyone and I will interpret it as I may. Truth be told, this South Beach thing is not going to horribly. I've broken a few rules though. The suggested serving for peanut butter is one teaspoon and I went through a thirty two tablespoon jar in eight days. You can do the math. Well if you can't that is an average of a quarter cup a day. Hooooops. It was also my best ol' pal Lee's birthday and I made her some of these and had to test them for poison. Don't want to kill anyone.

Salted Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies

Adapted from Baking Bites

These are so chewy (props butter and buttermilk.) The salt definitely provides an excellent contrast to the sweet chocolate cookie as it always does. I seldom make full chocolate baked goods because my family doesn't go nuts for them but these were the greatest exceptions ever.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tsp water
2 cups milk chocolate chips
fleur de sel for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring occasionally, until brown bits form at the bottom. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Go make your breakfast, read the paper, hit up some coffee or something of those sorts. Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the browned butter (still warm) with cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in sugars, vanilla extract, buttermilk and coffee. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread. Sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Ho baby, these are amazing hot, warm, you name it.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

This is by far one of the greatest things I have made recently. Everyone that had them said they were the greatest, the best, amazing, etc. And this is well deserved. This recipe was in my huge list of bookmarked items to do and I did it on a whim. It was one of my smartest decisions. They are easy peasy too. That scientific term should sell anyone to make these.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Adapted from Love and Olive Oil 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup cream
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
 14 oz. milk chocolate candy coating 
Fleur de sel for sprinking

Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add cream and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill dough for minimum 1 hour. When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1" balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Immediately sprinkle with fleur de sel because the coating hardens quickly. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week (though good luck making them last that long). Makes 6 dozen.