#Cookiecares Project

A big part of why I enjoy baking is knowing the smiles it brings someone else. Whether it’s a birthday, a shower or just a surprise batch I’ll never miss the opportunity to see my treats help improve someone’s day.

As COVID-19 essentially shuts down many people’s businesses and we all social distance to cut down on spread, I’m reminded of those who can’t stay home. There are so many essential workers who don’t have the option to stay home. The simple act of staying home seems so easy when you think about those who don’t have that option! I can’t imagine the stress this puts on these heroes and their families, but to anyone who doesn’t have a choice to stay home thank you for your service!

Social distancing has been a difficult thing to explain to my four year old son, Charlie. He misses his friends, school and even just trips out to a library or museum. We try to keep it simple and talk about it as a cold, something he understands. As I try to explain to him over a pancake breakfast that the “cold” hasn’t passed so no play dates, I remind him that there are some parents that still have to go to work. He immediately runs and grabs his elderberry gummy and suggests we need to give them to more people to stop this cold. While the sentiment was there, I told him gummies were a hard thing to share but he liked the alternative suggestion which was cookies. After he ran to grab his “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” recipe book, he walked me through all the cookies we could make.

While we didn’t make those featured in his book, we decided to do a mix of some of our favorite chefs with some of our favorite cookies for this #cookiecares project (you’ll find links below). A local nurse agreed to take the cookies to work to share with her coworkers and we hope that these cookies will help to bring a smile to a hero working hard during these difficult times! These are stressful times for ALL and I’m sure one of the below cookies will help bring a smile.

Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies are just that, truly outrageous and amazing! I dare you to eat just one.

Abby Dodge’s Lemon Melt-aways are made with only 4 ingredients and remind me of warmer days to come (also features great flavor twists in her cookbook if you aren’t a lemon fan).

I’ve never met a baked item from Sarah Kieffer I don’t like. Her Chocolate Sugar Cookies don’t disappoint!

Michele Rosen, although better known as Paleo Running Momma, has creatively found healthier ways of baking. Her Chunky Monkey Cookies are some of the thickest cookies I’ve seen without any refined flour or sugar.

Lastly, I made my Oatmeal Scotchies for delivery. They are a favorite of mine and bite size to easily be eaten on the run. It contains brewers yeast and flaxseed for added B-vitamins and protein. I dare you to eat just one.

I’d be remiss not to mention the gummies that Charlie wanted me to make for the workers. Danielle Walker, another paleo chef I highly recommend, has a great “cold buster” gummies.

S’mores Blondies

Summer and s’mores go hand in hand for me. This past year we let my 3 year old have his first s’more. He had only known marshmallows to be an after sledding treat in his hot cocoa. After he got over the initial shock of us “burning” the marshmallow, his face lit up after one bite. Despite his new love of s’mores, his memories with marshmallows seem deeply rooted with winter memories; he’s been asking for the “jingle bells” song now! With these bars, s’mores can be enjoyed all year long and here’s to hoping my sons memories of marshmallows will extend past winter.

1 cup + 1 tablespoon graham crackers, divided
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup [2 sticks] unsalted butter, room temperature
1 packed cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate*, coarsely chopped into chunks, divided
3 cups mini marshmallows

*Tip – Chocolate chips contain stabalizers so won’t melt as well for topping. Consider using chocolate bar for topping if using chips for bars.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Coat the inside of a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the speed down to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine, stopping to scrape down the bowl if necessary. Slowly add the graham crumb mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in 8 ounces of the chocolate with a spatula. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and use your hand to press the dough into a even later.

Bake on the lower rack of the oven until the bars are golden at the edges, 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the surface. Return the pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until the marshmallows are golden. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle 2 ounces of chocolate crumble over the top. Return the pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 2-5 minutes until the chocolate has melted and marshmallows are roasted. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs over the bars and allow to cool for 45 minutes before cutting.

Raspberry Crumb Bars

After what feels like a impossibly long winter, we are finally catching glimpses of Spring here in Connecticut! As soon as the weather turns, I’m quickly hoping and wishing for fresh produce, but the reality is we still have a while until it’s growing locally.

This Raspberry Crumb Bar recipe gives me that taste of what’s to come in Summer, but since it’s made with jelly, you can enjoy them anytime you need a reminder of warmer days to come!

As Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I’m reminded, now that I am a mother myself, just how much work it is to be one! While it’s great to celebrate our moms, it’s also important to celebrate ourselves as mothers.

Near Mother’s Day weekend, I always try to plan a celebration for all the moms from my moms’ group to “celebrate us.” Usually, we begin with brunch,  then  head to a spa for some much-needed, oft-neglected pampering. It’s a special time where we take a moment to think of how far we’ve come over the past year. The time with our little ones goes so fast, but I love taking that time with my village of moms to celebrate all of our accomplishments. And of course, I bring treats!

For the last two celebrations, I have made this Raspberry Crumb Bar. While I made this most recent version with whole wheat flour to make it more nutritious, you can substitute for all-purpose flour.

Celebrate YOU and make a batch tonight, you deserve it! =)

1 cup [2 sticks] butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 oz raspberry jam (recommend Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves)
2/3 cup granola (recommend Back to Nature Vanilla Almond Granola)
¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer/medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until combined. Lower the speed and add vanilla.

 In a small bowl, mix together flours and salt; slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it forms a ball. Gather 2/3 of the dough, and press into the bottom of a 9 inch square pan, leaving ¼” border along the edges. Spread the raspberry jam in top of the dough, leaving the ¼” border uncovered. With your hands mix the last of the dough with the granola and crumble over the top of the jam, covering most of the surface. If using additional sliced almonds, sprinkle on top of the crumble.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until lightly brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.  

Note – if you prefer to use all all-purpose flour, use 2 cups all-purpose and omit the whole wheat flour.

Oatmeal Scotchies

While in college, we all would love opening our mailbox to find the package slip. No, it didn’t mean my Amazon order arrived (that wasn’t really a thing back then); it was a care package. I remember getting my first package within a few weeks of my arrival at Hobart & William Smith from my Grandma Bunny. Knowing my Grandma, I was sure it was some baked goods of some kind, and I ran back to my dorm to see what it was.

Even before opening, you couldn’t miss the smell of popcorn. I opened the box to find my grandma used actual popcorn as packing peanuts, and hidden within the popcorn was a bundt cake, cookies and even a sheet set (all thankfully in plastic). My grandma would repeatedly send me these popcorn boxes while I was in school, and the smell of popcorn would always draw my friends over for a visit and a treat. All, including the popcorn, was always devoured by me and my friends.

One of my favorites cookies of hers were her Oatmeal Scotchies (aka oatmeal butterscotch cookies).  And don’t worry –  if you’re not a fan of butterscotch, you  can easily substitute with chocolate. Unlike my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I make these bite-sized, so they’re much more manageable for a snack. I used to always make a batch of these after my son’s birth since they were a quick, easily accessible snack. Unlike my grandma’s recipe, I added in flaxseeds and brewers yeast to help with self care in those early days, but both are totally optional when making!

1 cup [2 sticks] butter
3 cups old-fashion rolled oats
1 ½ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoon brewers yeast (optional)
3 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
11 oz butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk oats, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, brewers yeast and flaxseed together, set aside. In a standing mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg and egg yolk in and mix well. Add flour mixture and mix until batter is just combined. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips until the butterscotch is just incorporated. Use a small spoon to form 1” balls.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown, taking care to not overbake. Remove baking pans from oven and let cookies cool on a wire rack until cool.

Note – to make ahead combine and store in freezer for up to 3 months in a airtight bag. Bake when ready to enjoy!

A cookie unlike any other…

I was never one to get too excited over a chocolate chip cookie, unless of course it was still in cookie dough form or fresh from the oven where the chocolate was still melting! At my first job out of college, I worked in recruiting and being so client focused around the holidays we would get TONS of food and beverage gifts. The kitchen would be piled high with sweets and snacks for anyone to help them-selves to (although the alcohol sent never quite seemed to make it to the kitchen). You can imagine my lack-luster excitement when clients sent over a box of chocolate chip cookies.

My co-worker Stephanie told me I never had a cookie until I tried one, I rolled my eyes and cut into one of the largest cookies I had ever seen (picture hamburger size). After reluctantly trying, I was hooked, it was the BEST cookie I had ever had. Somehow it tasted fresh from the oven and the middle was so soft you almost thought it wasn’t fully cooked yet. I took note of the bakery, Levain Bakery, hoping to find their recipe online, which of course it was not. After realizing that sadly the internet can’t find all things, I attempted to recreate the cookie. First attempts were too thin, too dense or too small, and after many trials, I got as close as possible! Those of you who know Levain bakery, I did scale down the recipe from there 6 oz. cookie to 3 oz. but if bigger is better for feel free to make on the larger size. Hopefully any of you that aren’t quite sold on the chocolate chip cookie will have a new favorite!

½ lb [2 sticks] unsalted butter, cubed
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli chocolate chunks)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder and cornstarch together, set aside. In a standing mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs in, one at a time, and mix well. Add flour mixture and mix until batter is just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips until the chocolate is incorporated. Use a large spoon to form balls (I use a scale and make mine 3 oz. each).

Place on the baking sheets and place in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 20 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, taking care to not overbake. Remove baking pans from oven and let cookies cool on a wire rack until cool.

Note – to make ahead combine and store in the freezer for up to 3 months in a airtight bag. Bake when ready to enjoy!