Salted Choco Choco Chip Cookies and a New Addition to the Fam

 

These days, if your cookie doesn't have salt on it, you're a total square. When I was a kid, nobody wanted a salty cookie. That would be like asking for pie with motor oil on top. But now, salting desserts is all the rage: cookies, mini-cakes, ice cream, chocolate bars. Sugar has decided that salt is the Romeo to her Juliet, and she can no longer function alone. 

Despite being a serious dessert lover, and being well-aware of the popularity of salted sweet treats in recent years, I've never had a salted cookie. And I certainly hadn't made my own before now. Every time I thought about it, it seemed like an unnecessarily risky move for a batch of cookies that I knew would be delish on their own. Not this time, boys and girls - full salt ahead.

I decided that a salty topcoat would be most delicious on a dark chocolate cookie (I decided correctly). This batch was a chocolate cookie base with white chocolate chunks. I used vegan buttery spread because that's what I had on hand that day, but butter can be swapped in no problem. Or, in the alternative, you could replace the egg and white chocolate chips to make vegan cookies. For the sprinkling of salt, I found that two pinches of sea salt per cookie was just the right amount. Your gut will tell you to stop after one pinch, but ignore it. Go for two pinches. And make sure you're using large grain sea salt. Tiny grains of table salt won't have the same flavor effect.

The result? Real good cookies. The problem? Salty cookies, much like pretzels or chips or any other salty snack make you want to keep eating them. Mmmmm, that salty cookie was so yummy and salty, I'm thirsty for another. Ooooooh, those two cookies make me want a third even more! And let's not talk about the compulsion I felt for a fourth. Needless to say, they're dangerous. Just make sure you're in a portion-control state of mind when you bake these suckers. Or bring them to a big party where they're sure to go quickly.

And another thing, unlike any other cookie I've ever encountered, these guys are best after they are completely cooled. When you eat them warm out of the oven, the salt doesn't mesh as well with the cookie flavor - it's as if you were eating a regular cookie with some salt sprinkled on ex post bake-o. But once they have a chance to cool, the salt magically becomes one with the cookie and you have a perfect, sweet cookie with the faintest savory bite.

And in other news...

We got a new dog! I usually like to tie the concepts of a post together, but I'm not even going to attempt that here. Dogs don't go with chocolate cookies. Period.

This is our new baby! How cute is that face?!! Her shelter name was Mocha, which we both wanted to change, but nothing else stuck, so Mocha it is. She is 9 months old and we got her from the Washington Humane Society on Georgia Ave. The staff was great, especially the adoption manager. 

If you're looking to add a four-legged member to your family, I urge you to check out your local shelters and rescues before going to a breeder. So many wonderful doggies and kitties already exist and are just waiting for someone to love. If you live in the DC metro area, check out any of the following organizations that help to place pets with the right owners: 

• Washington Humane Society
• Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
• Washington Animal Rescue League
• Homeward Trails Animal Rescue
• Labrador Retriever Rescue
• Greyhound Welfare

There are a surprising number of breed-specific rescues if you're looking for a certain kind of dog and almost every county has an SPCA or Humane Society - just google what you're looking for. I don't know about all of the shelters, but I know that Lucky Dog has adoption events where they bring their dogs to a neighborhood in DC, MD and VA on weekends so that people can see who's available for adoption. Check the websites to see when they're making a visit to your area. And if you're not looking to adopt a pet but wouldn't mind some temporary furry company, shelters are always looking for foster homes.

In the meantime, you can enjoy looking at our new pride and joy. Aaaaah, I love her!!

Salted Choco Choco Chip Cookies
adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Makes 20-22 cookies

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 
1 stick Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread (or butter) 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar 
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla 
3/4 cups white chocolate chips
sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa together. Cream Earth Balance with sugars, egg and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing with an electric mixer. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop cookies onto a cookie sheet and lightly press each one down using your fingers. Sprinkle each cookie with two pinches of sea salt.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool. Do not feed to pets, no matter how cute they are.

Cherry Bars and Cherry Blossoms

This just in: while cherry blossoms may have been in season for the last two weeks, cherries were not. I had the brilliant (but probably not so novel) idea to do a cherry dessert in the spirit of the Cherry Blossom Festival that has been going on here in DC. I was so excited about this plan that I stopped at Capitol Hill's local gourmet kitchen shop, Hill's Kitchen, straight off the metro after work to buy a cherry pitter. Shortly thereafter I arrived at the grocery store to discover that my only cherry options were frozen ones. Fresh cherries won't be around these parts until June. And thus my food education continues.

Oh well, the cherry show must go on. I decided to bake some cherry bars for my friends Allison and Mike (you may recall Allison as the MacGyver of baking), and their new little munchkin, Lucas (because you know my motto, babies call for bars). I first met Baby Lucas in the hospital before he was even a day old (my first time seeing a baby so new!). Since he was fresh out the oven, he kept his little arms and legs all curled up to his body as though he was still confined to a belly. I've loved him to bits ever since.

Lucky for me, mom emails out a single photo of her little cutie every few days so I can see him grow even when I can't fit in a visit. Nothing fancy, just a pic that she takes with her phone. I think the single photo every few days method is GREAT. Honestly, I might not always have time to peruse a lengthy album right away (though they are still appreciated!). But I always have time to open an email and have a smiling baby face looking back at me.

And now, drumroll please.... Here he is! He was actually awake and smiley for a lot of the visit, but I was too busy playing with him to get any photos. So you'll just have to enjoy him in this equally cute snoozing shot. Mom, dad, baby and I took a stroll around town (we may or may not have stopped for delicious cupcakes at Baked & Wired). Two stranger-ladies were so enamored by Lucas that they conspicuously pointed and started talking about him (is that what happens when you carry around a baby?). Allison graciously gave them a good look at babes and then we shuffled along. She's a good sport. (Sidebar: I've heard that stranger-ladies will go as far as to touch pregnant bellies. NOT OK, ladies. If I ever have a pregnant belly and I don't know you, hands off or you might get smacked.)

And for good measure, here are some photos of the blossoms:

Cherry Bars

Makes 16 bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
zest of one lemon
10 tbs. (1 stick + 2 tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks 
1 egg
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. frozen cherries (sour if you can find them)
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup white sugar (for mixing with cherries)
1 tbs. cornstarch

Thaw the cherries completely and lightly press into a strainer to drain, getting out as much excess liquid as possible. Roughly chop the cherries so that they are halved. If lots of liquid is coming out, drain again. Set cherries aside.

While cherries are thawing, cut butter into chunks and place back in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir flour, sugars, baking powder,  salt and lemon zest together. Mix the egg and butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your hands until the butter is incorporated and the dough forms pea-sized bits. A pastry cutter is ideal because you want the butter to stay cold. Using your hands warms the butter up, but, honestly, your hands are the only tool that will work besides a pastry cutter. Dough will be crumbly.

Pour half of the dough in a 9" x 9" square baking pan and pat down evenly.

Again, making sure all excess liquid is out of the cherries, stir cherries together with lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Pour cherry mix into pan (if there is a lot of liquid, spoon cherries into the pan using a slotted spoon). Spread remaining dough over top of cherries. I like my top crumb to be a little smaller than the bottom crust, so I had a bit of dough left over. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden-brown. Pack up and bring for a picnic under your favorite blossoms.

Babies Call for Lemon Lime Bars, Obviously

These bars are the best dessert I’ve ever made. True story. The mix of lemon and lime was inspired by one of the first food blogs I ever visited, Technicolor Kitchen (the author lives in Brazil and is always doing amazing things with fruit), and adapted to fit my love of whole wheat pastry flour (WWPF) and shortage of citrus juice.  WWPF lends itself more easily to baking than regular whole wheat flour, and, in my humble opinion, its flavor is so much better than white flour. WWPF just has more personality. It’s like the Stephen Colbert of flours. I have yet to substitute whole wheat pastry flour for white flour and get a bad result.  

This batch was for the mom and dad of Mikayla, the newest baby on the Hill (confirmed: she’s gorgeous). Mom and dad seem pretty chill about the whole parenting thing, aaaaaand I love it. Kind of like I love these bars. Illustration: dad Chad always said he’d be back out for Saturday morning bike rides right after baby M was born; the peanut gallery thought he was nuts. I’m pretty sure Chad was back in the saddle before his little girl turned a week old. Mom Kirsten probably won’t be long to follow (but we cut her a little slack considering she DID birth a child).

Lemon lime bars are super easy. And should you have only lemons or only limes that you want to use up, go for it (the base for this recipe is actually straight lemon bars). My number one tip is that if you don’t have a handheld citrus juicer (like the one pictured above), buy one. Now. You will never regret it. I balked at the fact that it cost $12, but I’m telling you, it paid for itself in spades. It juices and strains all in one and it gets every last little drop of juice out of your citrus fruit. Look, you can get yours here for even less! The one limitation is size - sadly, it's too small for navel oranges. But it will handle all your lemon, lime, tangerine and clementine juicing needs like a dream (because everyone has tangerine juicing needs, duh).

So let's all send Mikayla some Xs and Os and enjoy some lemon lime bars.  

 

Lemon Lime Bars with Whole Wheat Crust

adapted from lemon bar recipe in Baking Illustrated (by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine)

Crust

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix until incorporated. Line a 9x11 pan with aluminum foil (for thicker bars, use 8x8 pan and expect longer cooking times). I used cooking spray on the foil, though it probably wasn't necessary - baker's choice. The pan does not need to be fully lined, but the foil should hang over the two long ends of the pan so that the bars can be removed from pan prior to cutting. Press crust into lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.

Filling

1 cup sugar

3 tbs. whole wheat pastry flour

3 eggs + 1 yolk

zest and juice of 1 lemon

zest and juice of 1 lime
pinch salt

powdered sugar for dusting

Mix sugar and flour. Whisk eggs and stir into sugar and flour. Stir in zest, juice and pinch of salt. The original recipe I used called for 2/3 cup total fruit juice. My fruits produced less juice than this and it was fine. If the fruits seem firm at the store, maybe grab an extra one or two lemons/limes to supplement the juice (or if you like a more tart bar). Pour topping onto hot crust and put in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Filling should be mostly non-jiggly. 

Let bars rest in the pan for 20-30 minutes after baking, then lift out using the foil edges. Let cool fully on a baking rack before cutting (bars will firm up a lot). Dust with powdered sugar. Dusting after cutting creates a bit more of a mess, but it allows you to cover any nicks from cutting.

Makes 15 bars