Dark Chocolate Chunk, Pistachio, and Sea Salt Cookies

3 cups flour

1 tsp. sea salt

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

½ cup sugar

1½ cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups chopped pistachios shells removed

2 cups chopped dark chocolate

Sea salt for sprinkling on cookies

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Stir in the pistachios and chocolate chunks.

Scoop tablespoons size balls of cookie dough. Place balls on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle cookie dough balls with sea salt.

Bake cookies for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

This recipe can be found here.

Pound Cake Cookies

For the Cookies:

1 cup sugar

Lemon zest, from one whole lemon

11 Tbsp. butter

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

For the Glaze:

1¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In large bowl, stir together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant. Add butter to the sugar and beat until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until combined.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto leaving 2 inches between each.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden. Rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Let cool completely.

For the Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk. Spoon or pipe glaze over cookies. If desired, immediately sprinkle cookies with sparkling sugar.  Allow glaze to harden before serving.

Notes

Refrigerate leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.



This recipe can be found here.

Italian Lemon Shrimp

Shrimp

1 stick butter

1 lemon

1 pkg Italian Dressing Seasoning

Melt 1 stick of butter in pan.

Slice lemon and layer on top of melted butter.  Place a layer of fresh shrimp on top.  Sprinkle seasoning evenly over shrimp.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Serve

This recipe was found on facebook with no attribution

Brown Butter Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies

10 Tbsp. butter, sliced

2½ c flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ c light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c pecans, chopped

½ c powdered sugar

Place the butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam. Continue to cook, whisking (or swirling the pan) frequently until the butter becomes an amber color, this should take 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Add the granulated and brown sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the cooled butter into the sugars and mix on medium speed to combine. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing just until smooth.

Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Mix in pecans. (Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop dough into 1- tablespoon sized balls. Roll each ball into the powdered sugar and place onto the prepared pan, about 2- inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes (for soft cookies) or 18-20 minutes (for crisp).

Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

This recipe can be found here.

Harry Potter's Butterbeer Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix, dry

¼ cup instant butterscotch pudding mix, dry

2 large eggs

1 additional egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. imitation butter

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 pkg toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the pudding, eggs, additional egg yolk, vanilla, and imitation butter. Beat for about 1 minute.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, ½ cup at a time and mix until combined. Then mix in the toffee chips.

Scoop the dough with a medium scoop about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes.

Cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

This recipe can be found here.

Maple-Pecan Snickerdoodles

2½ cups flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup butter, softened
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg maple chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, and vanilla until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.  Add flour mixture in gradually.  Stir in chips and nuts.

Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Roll or scoop into 1¼-inch balls, rolling in sugar mixture until coated.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 11-12 minutes or just until centers are set.  Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 



This recipe can be found on a package of Nestle Toll House Maple Flavored Morsels

Greek Quinoa Salad

1¼ cups quinoa, rinsed
Kosher salt
1 15 -ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ seedless cucumber, chopped
3 large plum tomatoes, chopped
½ red onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano, plus more for topping
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
¼ cup halved pitted kalamata olives

Bring 1¾ cups water, the quinoa and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium low; cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork; let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, toss the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the oregano in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and let sit 10 minutes.

Pulse the feta, 2 tablespoons water and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a mini food processor until smooth, adding up to 1 tablespoon water, if needed; season with salt and pepper.

Divide the lettuce among bowls; top with the warm quinoa, the chickpea mixture and olives. Drizzle with the feta dressing and sprinkle with oregano.

Zucchini Chips

2 zucchini
2 Tbsp. olive oil
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C). 

Cut the zucchini into thin slices. Place the slices on a large cutting board or a tea towel placed on the kitchen counter.

Salt carefully and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove excess liquid with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Brush or spray oil on the zucchini. Place the slices on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Place the baking sheets in the oven and slowly cook them until the chips have turned a nice brown color. Set a timer and check after an hour. If they do not appear crisp, lower the heat to 150°F (75°C) or lower and continue to bake them until they look dry.

Make sure to pay attention towards the end. Burned zucchini has a bitter flavor. Shift the positions of the baking sheets in the oven to make sure the chips cook evenly.

Remove the chips from the oven when they are dry and let cool on a rack (without the parchment paper). Enjoy as they are or serve with a dip.

Tip!
Experiment with different seasonings. Try cayenne, or garlic and parmesan. Trust your instincts!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Wraps

(I forgot to take a photo of the entire wrap)

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tsp. ground cumin

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Romaine lettuce, for serving

1 avocado, thinly sliced

¼ cup sour cream, for serving

In a large bowl, stir together shrimp, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until combined, then let marinate in the fridge 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add shrimp and marinade cook until pink, 2 minutes per side.

Assemble wraps: Add shrimp and avocado to lettuce, drizzle with sour cream, and garnish with cilantro.

Southern Pecan Bread

1½ cups light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1¼ cup butter, melted

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ cups self-rising flour

1½ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil or parchment paper. Coat lightly with nonstick spray and set aside.

Combine both the sugars and butter, mixing on low until combined. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and salt and turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 1 minute until smooth.

Mix in the flour until just combined. Fold in the pecans.

Transfer mixture to your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center is just set and the edges are lightly golden.

Cool completely in the pan, and then cut into squares.

Notes

Store, airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you don’t have self-rising flour: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour = 1½ tsp. baking powder + ½ tsp. kosher salt.

This recipe can be found here.