Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister Wendy helped make these cookies! She wanted the recipe so here we go! Not mentioned are our special additions of quick oats (Bobs Red Mill) and chopped candied pecans (Trader Joes). Maybe 1/2 cup each. Recipe from Baker’s Illustrated. 

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus I egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or paste- Trader Joe’s)

1 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and

lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325

degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment

paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt

baking

together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix

the butter

and sugars until thoroughly blended.

Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just

until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant ¼ cup of the dough into a ball.

Following the illustrations on page 433, hold the

dough ball with the fingertips

of both hands and

pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90

degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join

the halves together at their base, again forming a

single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's

uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on

the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spac-

ing them 2½ inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown

and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers

are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating

the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom

halfway through the baking time. Cool the cook-

is on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from

the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Apple Cake

 FRESH APPLE CAKE

---

1 (2 layer) size box Duncan Hines spice cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk or water
1/4 c. oil
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. peeled, chopped apples
1 c. nut meats: hickory nuts, pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13"x9"x2" or 2 (9") round cake pans or Bundt pan. Combine mix, eggs, milk or water, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg in large mixer bowl. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed until well mixed. Dredge the apples and nuts with flour. Gently stir in apples and nuts. Bake 60 minutes or until cake tests done.

Frost with Caramel Frosting, your choice or if baked in 13"x9"x2" pan, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Zucchini, Rice and Cheese Gratin

 From Smitten Kitchen

• Butter for dish
• 2 1/2 pounds (about 1 1/8 kg) zucchini
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond brand, use 1 1/2 of other brands)
• 1/2 cup (90 grams) plain, uncooked white rice
• 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) olive oil, divided
• 2 large cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) all-purpose flour (optional)
• 1/2 cup milk, as needed, although water or broth of your choice would work just fine [1/2 cup needed for streamlined directions, less for original]
• 2/3 cup (55 grams) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish, or 2 smaller 1-quart dishes (as I did, with the intention of freezing one).

Prepare zucchini: Wash zucchini and trim ends. Halve lengthwise, and if seeds are particularly large, core them out. Coarsely grate and place in a large bowl.

Prepare remaining ingredients: In a large frying pan, cook the onions slowly in 3 tablespoons oil for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and translucent. Raise heat slightly and stir several minutes until very lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add uncooked rice and sauté for another two minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Assemble gratin: Transfer to bowl with zucchini and stir together with 1/2 cup liquid of your choice and all but 2 tablespoons cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake gratin: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until rice within is cooked but not mush. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil, drizzle top with remaining olive oil (or dot with butter), sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake uncovered until browned and crisp on top, about another 10 to 15 minutes. For extra color, you can run it under the broiler for one minute at the end.

Cowboy Cookies

Great recipe! Be sure to use “rounded teaspoons” when scooping out the dough. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 cups rolled oats 
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients. Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

• Step 3

  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing.

Stellina Warm Tomato Salad

 I have fond memories working here briefly as a waitress 10 years ago, with a wonderful crew. Stellina, Watertown, MA is just a memory now but this trademark appetizer platter is great! 

Brownies

 from https://www.inspiredtaste.net/

Easy Fudgy Brownies From Scratch (Our Favorite)

• PREP 15mins
• COOK 30mins
• TOTAL 45mins

Our favorite brownies recipe from scratch. You only need one bowl, a saucepan, and a spoon. In the first step, we ask that you melt the butter with sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. This process ensures that crinkly top that we all love. You can do this step in the microwave, but I do find the stovetop method to be more consistent.

These brownies aren’t too sweet. If you are like us and find yourself reaching for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these are most certainly for you. Use natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder for these (cacao powder works, too). I especially love using Droste Cacao (a Dutch process powder).

Makes 16 Brownies

YOU WILL NEED

10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process

1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use slightly less if using fine sea or table salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large cold eggs

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

DIRECTIONS

• PREPARE BATTER

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).

Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering.

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water). Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty; it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour.

Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot. Stir in the vanilla with a spoon. Then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.

When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be thick). Beat vigorously here. You want to see the brownie batter pulling away from the sides of the bowl (if you do not have the strength to do this by hand, use a hand mixer). Stir in nuts, if using. Spread evenly in lined pan.

• BAKE BROWNIES

Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out with a few moist crumbs. As a visual test, brownies are done when the edges will look dry and the middle still looks slightly underbaked.

Some readers have found they need to bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes. Brownies are easy to overbake so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the visual and toothpick test as your guide.

Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 16 squares.

ADAM AND JOANNE'S TIPS

• These are on the bittersweet side – we like that, but if you are more into milk chocolate than semi-sweet or dark, these may be a little bitter for you. Some readers have had success with adding a bit more sugar to accommodate.
• This recipe is slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies found in many of her cookbooks. Here’s one of them: “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts” If you love dessert as much as we do, buy it. You won’t regret it.
• Some readers have had problems with the fat separating during baking. Since the recipe calls for so much butter and so little flour, it is vital that the batter is beaten vigorously enough so that it emulsifies. Otherwise, you risk the fat seeping out when baking in the oven. Just after adding the flour, you should be beating for about 40 strokes until the batter becomes very thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1 brownie / Calories 158 / Protein 2 g / Carbohydrate 21 g / Dietary Fiber 2 g / Total Sugars 16 g / Total Fat 8 g / Saturated Fat 5 g / Cholesterol 42 mg

Raspberry Soufflés

A classic French raspberry soufflé recipe made with fresh raspberry puree! This beautiful pink soufflé makes an elegant summer time dessert!

Ingredients

For the Raspberry Puree:
12 ounces frozen raspberries thawed

For the Soufflé:
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1½ Tb cornstarch
1/2 cup raspberry puree 
juice of one lemon
4 egg whites room temperature
pinch of cream of tartar
pinch of kosher salt
2 Tb granulated sugar
powdered sugar for dusting
fresh raspberries for garnishing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F  

Grease four 10-ounce (roughly 4½-inch wide) soufflé ramekins generously with butter, and then coat the ramekins with a thin layer of granulated sugar - shaking to remove any excess sugar. This step will help the soufflé rise and brown evenly. 

Place the ramekins on a small baking sheet and set aside.

Prepare purée: 

Purée the thawed frozen raspberries in a blender until very smooth. 

Strain through a fine meshed sieve. 

Discard the seeds and reserve four ounces of raspberry puree to the soufflés.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, first amount of sugar, and cornstarch until thick and pale yellow in color. Whisk in the raspberry puree and lemon juice. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt, and whisk over low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the granulated sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites until they reach soft peaks.

Add a small amount of beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture, and whisk in gently. Fold in the remaining egg whites (some white streaks may remain).

Pour the mixture carefully into the center of the ramekins, and smooth the tops with a spatula. Run your finger along the edges of the ramekins to remove any excess batter from the sides (this can cause the soufflés to rise unevenly).

Carefully place in the oven and bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove, dust with confectioners sugar, and garnish with raspberries. Serve immediately.

This recipe will yield extra raspberry puree. 

Add the extra puree to your favorite smoothie mix, yogurt or bubbly beverage.