White chocolate & caramel oat cookies

Crispy and aromatic cookies with beautifully caramelised bottom. They are everything you need in this cold and dark winter season.

Makes about 18 cookies:
*inspired by the recipe from food52

- 150g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- vanilla
- 170g softened butter
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 free-range egg
- 150g rolled oats
- 100g white chocolate, chopped
- 50g caramel fudge, chopped


1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the egg and mix well.

3. Combine the flour with salt, baking soda, nutmeg and vanilla and add to the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a stand mixer until you reach an even, smooth dough. Finally, mix in the oats, chocolate and chopped fudge.

4. Form the dough into walnut-size balls and place them on a lined baking tray. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool before serving.

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Pumpkin bread chocolate chip cookies with maple syrup

I especially like to bake in fall/winter season. It's this time of year again when the kitchen smells like warm, yeast dough and we don't mind adding cinnamon to literally everything. I've decided to celebrate the beginning of autumn with these little pumpkin bread cookies which will easily warm up your heart and mind even during the coolest and darkest days. 

Makes about 25 cookies:

- 250g (1 cup) pumpkin puree

- 60ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup

- 190g (1 cup) sugar

- 125ml (1/2 cup) canola oil

- 1 large free-range egg

- 300g (2½ cup) flour

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp cloves

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- pinch of salt

- 150g (1 cup) dark chocolate chips

1. Place the maple syrup in a saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes until aromatic and slightly thickened. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, sygar, oil and egg until combined. Mix in the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

4. Line the trays with parchment paper. Measure 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie and place them on a tray leaving a wide spaces between (cookies will rise a lot). Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden-brown on edges. Serve while still warm with a glass of milk and softened butter.  

 BON APPÉTIT ! 

Wholewheat peach & basil oatmeal cookies (sugar-free)

Incredibly healthy, soft and delicious cookies filled with sweet peaches and fresh basil, which - I must say - is my favorite flavor combination of all times. 

Makes about 12 cookies:

- 100g (1 cup) rolled oats

- 90g (3/4 cup) wholewheat flour

- 1,5 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 free-range egg

- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1 medium-size peach (about 150g), chopped

- 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves 

1. In a large bowl stir the oats, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the egg, butter, honey and mix until combined. Stir in chopped pach and basil. Refrigerate for 40 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

3. Scoop the batter (about 1 heaping tablespoon for each cookie) onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. 

BON APPÉTIT !

Rosewater madeleines with maple syrup, chocolate & pistachios

Last week, I finally got myself a madeleine form and these little French cookies just had to be on my to-do list. They are incredibly soft, almost like a spong cake and also so easy to make. You can try on them as many flavor combinations you like and people will love you for serving them on tea parties. 

Makes about 30 mini madeleines:

COOKIES

- 70g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar

- 2 free-range eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 100g (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 115g (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

- 70ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup 

- 2 tbsp rose water

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

- 100g semi-sweet chocolate 

- 100ml double cream

- handful crushed pistachios (optional)

1. Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, melted butter, maple syrup and rose water. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

2. Grease the madeleine forms and dust them evenly with flour. Using a teaspoon fill the molds with chilled batter. Set in the fridge for 1 hour. 

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden-brown. Immediately remove from the molds and leave to cool completely. 

4. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and chocolate, stiring frequently until smooth. Take off the heat and let sit for couple minutes. 

5. Dip half of every cookie in chocolate and top with some crushed pistachios. Wait for about 30 minutes or refrigerate to help the ganache set faster. 

BON APPÉTIT !

Peanut butter & chocolate cookies II ( df / v )

My first ever post on this blog featured a recipe for chocolate & peanut butter cookies, which are - no doubt - my favourite combination of flavors. Today I had a special job to find a way of making these beauties dairy-free (for someone allergic to milk products) and still tasting as alike as possible. All in all, I guess they turned out pretty nice!

Makes about 20 small cookies:

- 200g (7 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 180g (6.3 oz) crunchy peanut butter
- 80g (1/3 cup) sugar
- 1 free-range egg*
- 100g (3/4 cup) flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp baking soda
- vanilla

*for vegan option: combine 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2 tbsp warm water and leave for 3-4 minutes to thicken. 


1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

2. Using a water bath, melt 100g of chocolate chips and leave to cool slightly.

3. Mix the sugar, peanut butter, egg, vanilla and melted chocolate until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix again to combine.

4. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips. If the dough seems dry and it is hard to incorporate the chocolate, try adding a tablespoon of water.

5. Form a walnut-size balls, tranfer to a baking tray and press gently with your hand. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

BON APPÉTIT !

Wholewheat chocolate chip cookies

Yes, I did it again. I made cookies! But these are not your usual chocolate chip cookies - they are 100% wholewheat, extremely soft and melt-in-your-mouth ones. Believe me, you would never guess there is not even a pinch of white flour in them!

Makes about 20 cookies:
adapted from Food52: Genius Recipes

- 230g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 260g (1⅓ cup) sugar
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 350g (3 cups) wholewheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 160g (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped


1. Preheat the oven to 175C (347F) with a fan.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after adding. Mix in the vanilla.

3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and mix well until your dough is smooth. Stir in the chocolate and place the bowl in the fridge for 2-3 minutes.

4. When the dough is ready, take it out of the fridge and using an ice cream spoon, scoop the dough on a lined trays, leaving at least 5 cm space between them.

5. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.

BON APPÉTIT !

Christina Tosi's oatmeal cookies

I've never had any special idols that I could follow in my life, but if I were forced to name one person close to that, it would definitely be Christina Tosi. Her Milk Bar is one of a kind and the sweet stuff which she brings to life there is simply amazing (cereal milk ice cream? YES PLEASE). Christina herself is truly a woman of passion, great imagination and love for everything full of sugar and butter. Testing her recipes is my favourite thing to do so I just wanted to share one with you. 

Makes 18 cookies:

- 200g (14 tbsp) butter, softened

- 80g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

- 80g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

- 2 free-range eggs

- vanilla

- 150g (1+1/4 cup)

- 200g (2 cups) old-fashioned oats

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp salt

+ powdered sugar for coating

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

2. Beat the butter with sugars until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again to combine. Then mix in the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. 

3. Using an ice cream scoop, measure the dough and form it into a golf-sized ball. Coat evenly with powdered sugar and place on a baking tray, 5cm apart. 

4. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool completely.

BON APPÉTIT !

World's best chocolate chip cookies

I should probably change the name of my blog to something cookie-related. I think there is no such thing I love to bake more than them (you can obviously see it in my posts). Cookies are just adaptable - they are perfect on the go, as a gift or to simply nibble at in the middle of the night. 

My jar of Nutella is still half-full so I turned to it once again during my recipe hunting. Thereby, we have ANOTHER recipe involving the famous chocolate and hazelnut spread. And I am not even slightly ashamed, especially when cookies like these are being born. They can melt every heart and there is never too much of them. Never. 

Makes 15 large cookies:

- 1/3 cup Nutella (about 3 heaping tablespoons) 

- 110g butter, softened

- 1 free-range egg

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- pinch of salt

- 200g all-purpose flour

- 2 tsp (20g) corn flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 80g white chocolate, chopped

- 80g dark chocolate, chopped

1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar with nutella, butter and egg until creamy. 

2. Add flours, soda and salt and mix again to combine. Stir in the chocolate. 

3. Using a large ice cream scoop, portion the dough into mounds and place them on a tray. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can also leave them overnight). 

4. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Lay the chilled cookies on a baking tray - remember to make large spaces between. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are quite firm and centre is still soft. Leave to cool completely. 

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Nutella cookies

Okay, let's be serious. You are now able to experience one of the most addictive things in the world. 

These little guys may look innocent but I advise you to treat them with no joke. If you like nutella (I honestly do not believe there is someone who doesn't ), you will probably fall head-over-heels in love with them. I'm writing here a small serving just to be sure you won't accuse me of causing an obsession.

Ingredients for 12 cookies:

- 1 cup Nutella

- 1 free-range egg

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 60g flour

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes.

3. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls and place on a lined baking tray, widely spaced. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until you can see little cracks on top.

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Flourless chocolate chip & peanut butter cookies

There are only a few posts on this blog and yet there's no way to hide my love for peanut butter. I make it every month just to be sure I always have a jar on hand. You never know when you will be in need ; )

These cookies are amazing. Just like almost every sweet thing created by Nigella, it takes only a couple minutes to make and still they surprise you with great, original flavors. When the cookies are hot, they can be a little bit crumbly but they tend to soften when left in a container for a day or two. 

Ingredients for about 16 cookies:
*recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's new cookbook "Simply Nigella"

- 230g smooth peanut butter (preferably homemade or as natural as possible)
- 100g light brown sugar
- 1 free-range egg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 50g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter with sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the egg and vanilla.

Combine chopped chocolate with the cookie batter, take a large spoon and start placing a walnut-size balls on a lined baking tray.

Press lightly with your hand and then bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges turn golden.

BON APPÉTIT !

Cantucci

Another Italian recipe. I can't really help it as the mediterranean flavours are the closest to my heart. When we were younger, these crusty Tuscan cookies used to sit on our kitchen counter all the time but one day they were gone not to be back for a long time. Few days ago, the younger part of my family started to mumble about them quite a lot and I've set myself a challenge to recreate the exact taste of the store-bought cantucci that were once our favourite snack. 

Rumours has it that somebody somewhere tried to soak them in coffee or sweet wine but we prefer to eat them plain, at the same time trying not to break our teeth.   

Ingredients for about 40 cookies:

- 500g flour 

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 200g caster sugar

- 2 free-range eggs + 2 egg yolks + 1 egg white 

- 1/4 cup of water

- 1 tbsp amaretto

- 200g roasted almonds, whole

- zest from one orange

- pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

In a large bowl, combine the orange zest with sifted flour and baking powder. Make a hole in the middle and add two whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, water, amaretto, sugar and salt. Mix roughly and knead the dough with your hands while gradually adding the almonds. The dough should be pliable, if too dry or wet, try adding some more water or flour. 

Form two long rolls (3cm in diameter) and place them on alined baking tray before flatting them slightly with your hands. Coat each one with egg white. Bake for 15-20 minutes, remove from the oven and cut in 2,5cm diagonal slices. 

Bake the cookies for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.  

BON APPÉTIT !

Peanut butter & chocolate cookies

These cookies are an ultimate favourite in our house. Everyone loves them and I wouldn’t hesitate to say that they are also one of the best things under the sun. Besides, the frequency with which they land in the oven speaks for itself. If you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as I do, you must give them a try!

Ingredients for about 12 cookies:

- 250g good quality dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

- 100g good quality milk chocolate, cut into small pieces

- 75g cane sugar 

- 85g butter, softened

- 100g peanut butter 

- 1 gree-range egg

- vanilla

- 100g flour 

- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/3 teaspoon baking soda 

- 100g salted peanuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360F.

Using a water bath, melt 100g of dark chocolate. When slightly cooled, combine in a large bowl with sugar, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and blend again. Stir in the remaining chocolate pieces and nuts.

Start taking a heaping tablespoon of dough and forming it into balls, then place them on a baking tray, leaving a fairly large distances, and slightly flatten each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges seem a  little darker. When ready, leave to cool completely before removing the cookies from the tray. 

BON APPETIT!