They did the mash, the Monster Mash.

A simple batch of cookies is sometimes the best answer to a problem. Especially if that problem is a class Halloween party that’s coming up this afternoon. These are the literally the best cookies. They are filled with all your favorite things - then you just pop an eyeball on top before they bake! Spooky. Spooky simple.

Monster Mash Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 cup butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups dark chocolate chunks

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup mini m&m’s

eyeball candies

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars until creamy and lightened in color.

STEP 2

Add eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 3

Add in dry ingredients until just barely incorporated.  Then add in the chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, and m&m’s - mix well.  It’s great if they break up a little bit.

STEP 4

Scoop dough onto a cookie sheet and place an eyeball on the top of each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned but the center is still light brown.  Let rest 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week – but no longer!

At the beach we eat a ridiculous amount of Drumsticks. We even started buying the little ones so we can feel less guilty when we eat them daily. It was only a matter of time until I turned them into a cookie for the summer. These are a simple summer recipe - the only added step is the topping, but I think we can all agree the topping is the best part of the Drumstick!

We finally get to go back to the beach this week - but only for a few days. This time in life - raising teenagers - means our summer is a lot of driving kids around or being on hand for their friends to come over. I’m embracing it. At some point they won’t need me and I’ll be at the beach all the time. And eating way too many Drumsticks.

Drumstick Cookies

makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

12 ounces white chocolate chips

6 ice cream cones, crushed

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup peanuts, chopped

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy. Do not rush it.

STEP 2

Blend in dry ingredients until it’s nearly combined.

STEP 3

Pour in white chocolate chips and cone bits and combine completely. Scoop batter onto a baking sheet and bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Let cool.

STEP 4

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil. I use the microwave on 30 second intervals. Dip each cooled cookie and sprinkle the top with the the chopped peanuts.

Serve warm OR add vanilla ice cream to the center and make an ice cream sandwich!

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I had a prepackaged snickerdoodle recently and I almost died. It was gross. It was crusty and dry and flavorless. Snickerdoodle cookies should be light and fluffy! They should melt in your mouth! They should have a delicate cinnamon flavor with a little crisp of sugar on the edges.

These are those cookies. They are epic with a cup of coffee, a glass of milk, or even a cocktail if you’re into that.

SnickerDOODLES

makes 4 dozen cookies

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 ½ cups flour

for rolling

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar and butter.  Blend in eggs, milk, and vanilla until completely incorporated. 

STEP 2

In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.  Working in three batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet incorporating fully after each addition.

STEP 3

Roll two ounce balls of dough and press into cinnamon & sugar mix.  Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown on the edges.

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Did you gain the freshman 15 in college? No worries if you didn’t - I gained it for all of us. At least three of us. Maybe four. I really loved everything I found in college and these study treats were a clear reason I gained more weight my freshman year than I even gained pregnant. Even making test batches all week have me desperate to find my will power - especially when I landed on THE recipe.

This is it! Were you a Gamma Phi in the late 1990’s in Seattle? Then you remember these bars. We stood out front of the dining room doors waiting for them to open so we could descend on the platter set out for us. I hadn’t thought of them in years except that a girlfriend’s daughter is going through rush this fall and I started dreaming about all of the things I ate in college. These are at the top of the list.

As you might imagine from a dessert bar from institutional cooking, these are crazy simple. The most time you’ll need is to let them cool before cutting. Most of the process happens on the stove, and then the bits are pushed into a brownie pan. Don’t be shy when you push. These bars sticking together is critical.

I did try to upgrade ingredients. I attempted to replace corn syrup with honey. Nope. I attempted a high quality peanut butter. Also, nope. The key here is inexpensive peanut butter, the creamiest one you can find, and regular old corn syrup.

Study Treats

(a.k.a. No Bake Peanut Butter Bars)

makes 16 squares

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup corn flakes

2 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

STEP 1

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with oil. Set aside.

STEP 2

In a saucepan, melt together corn syrup, brown sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Stir regularly and remove from heat as soon as it’s smooth.

STEP 3

Stir in both cereals until completely coated. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and push down well.

STEP 4

In a microwave proof bowl, melt together the chocolate and shortening. I put it in the microwave for one minute, then stir completely. Then another 30 seconds to make it totally smooth. Pour immediately on the cereal bars and smooth out over the top.

Chill for at least one hour before cutting.

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These cookies became my favorite and almost surpassed traditional chocolate chip cookies in my house.  I made these last week and the kids went crazy. That’s when I realized I’d never posted them here! I’ve been making them for 100 years and I can’t believe I haven’t shared them with you yet. These are really good. Like really.

The trick is to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find.  Cheap ones often leave a chalky flavor to the finished product.  The good stuff creates a smooth chocolate flavor that permeates the cookie entirely.  I also discovered in my testing of these cookies that the critical step is to blend the cocoa with the butter and sugars. Cocoa powder is a dehydrated product - I discovered that if I “rehydrate” it with the butter, it cooks up to a gooey texture. Most recipes include cocoa powder with the dry ingredients, but then it doesn’t have time to rehydrate and it turns to a dry flaky consistency.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Dutch Process cocoa powder

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.  Add cocoa and incorporate on low speed.  Increase to high speed and beat until mixture lightens in color. 

STEP 2

Beat in vanilla then eggs, one at a time, incorporating completely after each egg is added. 

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture slowly and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

STEP 4

Drop one inch balls of dough on a cookie sheet using a small ice cream scoop.  Place cookie sheet in hot oven and cook 10-12 minutes until cookies are no longer shiny on top.  Let cool on cookie sheet 10 more minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you prefer the classic? Here’s my chocolate chip cookie that is literally the perfect chocolate chip cookie!

We spend A LOT of time watching baseball. As if it weren’t enough that we spend time watching 12 year olds play baseball, we also seem to watch MLB, college ball, and the occasional t-ball game when we see one at the park. It’s sort of taken things over right now.

So my brain is making way more baseball style meals and treats than any family actually needs. If you are done with family, then sorry - you can just move on and wait until later this week. BUT if you have a kid playing baseball or t-ball, then this is THE PERFECT SNACK!

You will be parent of the year if you do. If there are peanut allergies on the team or concerns of peanut allergies, you can just leave them out. But the parents will think you really went over the top and make things extra special - and after all, isn’t extra special what we’re going for?

When you make these, make sure you check the popcorn so they don’t have kernels. There can be a lot of kernels left with some popcorn and even when the kernels pop, they sometimes leave hard casing parts. Especially if you are serving to children, make sure there is nothing they can choke on!

Cracker Jack Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup Spanish peanuts

1 1/2 cups popped popcorn (make sure no kernels!)

1 cup carmel bits

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars until creamy and lightened in color.

STEP 2

Add eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 3

Add in dry ingredients until just barely incorporated.  Then add in the popcorn, peanuts, and caramel bits and mix well.  It’s great if they break up a little bit.

STEP 4

Scoop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned but the center is still light brown.  Let rest 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week – but no longer!

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I recently went on a streak where I made cookies with a variety of cereals. I literally raided the cabinet in the kitchen and made cookies - the kids have been big on Lucky Charms this last week. So I made cookies with them! With the white chocolate, the vanilla, the crushed up cereal, and the marshmallows - these are epic. And they are so simple you can whip them up just in time for classroom parties, friends coming over, or just to be festive in your own house!

The big lesson I learned is that these are definitely a margarine cookie. I never make margarine cookies if I have the option. Occasionally I make them for my dairy free kid so I don’t feel guilty when he eats them. These cookies are best with margarine. Let’s not get high and mighty about ingredients on these - we’re putting Lucky Charms in there too - these aren’t health food. There is no fooling ourselves that these are anything other than a junk food treat. But a delightful one. These are amazing. And trust me - with butter instead of margarine, these turn out flat and weird.

Lucky Charm Cookies

makes 24 cookies

1 cup Crisco (1 stick)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1 cup crushed Lucky Charms cereal (no marshmallows)

1 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the margarine and sugar until smooth. The add eggs and vanilla. Whip until light in color.

STEP 2

Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the mixture. Do not add the marshmallows or the chocolate chips just yet. Blend the mixture until it’s just combined.

STEP 3

Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spoon to stir in the chocolate chips.

STEP 4

Scoop onto a baking sheet and dot with at least three of the marshmallows. Bake 12-15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

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The first Oreo cookies I saw in a cookie had the batter wrapped around an Oreo and that seemed overly fussy. I made these several times before I figured out that what the tricks are:

• White chocolate chips! It’s the same flavor as the filling so it’s PERFECT

• Don’t stir in the Oreos until the last second

• Make the cookies like you’re making a cake. It’s the only way to make them cake-y!

These are the perfect playdate, dinner out, kid’s night cookies - but if you try them with a roasted marshmallow inside, you will be SHOOK. I can’t even. Tell me what you think and what you make them for!

Cookies & Cream Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups flour

1/4 cup milk

12 Oreo cookies, crushed

1 cup white chocolate chips

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and whip until fluffy. 

STEP 2

Combine cornstarch, baking soda, and flour in a separate bowl. Add half of the mixture to the butter mixture and combine. 

STEP 3

Pour in milk and mix again.

STEP 4

Add remaining flour and mix until just combined. Then stir in the crushed Oreos and chips until just combined. 

STEP 5

Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until just browned around the edges. Let cool. Keep for up to one week in an airtight container. 

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When I was a kid I hated butter pecan ice cream. It was my dad’s favorite but I found it unsettling that there were crunchy nuts hidden in the smooth ice cream. It was disorienting. But, because it was my dad’s favorite, it was always in the freezer - and it was often the only thing left. So I ate a lot of butter pecan ice cream.

Eventually, I started to really like it. I love pecans, the butter flavoring is unbeatable, and when I had one with some caramel crumbles with it - I was convinced, it was a worthwhile flavor after all.

As with most flavors I love, I decided to turn it into a cookie. A rich cookie full of butter flavor and crispy pecans, and - the best part - a praline crumble.

The secret is the make the praline first with finely chopped pecans. Then stir it in to the cookie at the last minute when you add the chopped pecans. The two different kinds of pecans is how you take these cookies from good to epic.

You can substitute walnuts for pecans if needed. My aunt had a bakery for a million years and the secret to her pecan rolls were walnuts. Pecan pie = walnuts. Walnuts have a very similar flavor but in the Pacific Northwest, they are loads cheaper than pecans. Since pecans are my favorite nut, I always have a bag in the freezer - but it’s great to know you can make the swap if you need to!

Butter Pecan Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup praline crumbles (recipe below)

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together the butter and sugar. Blend until creamy.

STEP 2

Add in the egg yolks and vanilla. Blend until combined, scraping down the sides. Stir in the flour until combined.

STEP 3

Stir in the pecans and praline crumbles but don’t over mix the batter.

STEP 4

Scoop the batter and bake 12-15 minutes until browned on the edges. Remove and let cool before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for one week.

Pecan Praline Crumble

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon brandy

1/2 cup chopped pecans

STEP 1

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.

To make the pralines, heat the sugars, evaporated milk and butter to a boil over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer - get everything up to 235 degrees or the soft ball stage. The best trick is to stir until it starts to boil, then stop stirring and let it go.

STEP 2

As soon as it comes to temperature, stir in the brandy and the pecans. Keep stirring. Stir for one minute until the mixture begins to thicken.

STEP 3

Pour out the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and let cool. Once completely cooled, chop into tiny pieces.

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There is a bakery in Rossland, Canada that makes the most epic cookies ever. They are made with browned butter and dusted with flaked salt across the top. If that wasn’t enough - this bakery dots the top of each cookie with the chocolate ‘chips’ that are in the cookie.

It’s ridiculous how good they are. After eating more than my share of them, and going back to buy more, I decided I should figure out the recipe. So I figured out the recipe. The hardest part was finding the chocolate chips that were the right shape. They need to be flat and round - not like the ‘drops’ that you can usually find.

The bakery also uses dark chocolate. I could not find dark chocolate in these ‘chips’ but I am constantly on the hunt and I will find them one day and turn them into these cookies and we will all eat them in one sitting.

When you’re making the cookies, the tricks are:

• Browned butter is not a job to do when you’re in a hurry. It’s a fine line between brown butter and burned butter. Also, you should do it on low heat which means it takes FOREVER.

• Salt the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven and dot them with the extra chocolate. Both things need to melt into the cookie and cool together to make it work.

• This batter gets weird as it cools down. I recommend baking them off quickly. I have two ovens here, but you can also put two cookie sheets into the oven as long as they are both in the center of the oven.

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Hooper’s Dupers”

makes two dozen

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cup chocolate pieces

salt flakes

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and continue to cook, whisking, until the butter turns brown and begins to separate into solids. Catch it before it gets too dark. I like it to be about the color of dark amber. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

STEP 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together the butter with both sugars. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.

STEP 3

Add the flour and baking powder. Blend until just barely combined then pour in one cup of the chocolate chips. Mix well.

STEP 4

Bake 10 minutes. When the cookies are done, immediately sprinkle the top of each one with flake salt. Top each cookie with two chocolate chips and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for one week.

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My famous chocolate chip cookies

The original, the OG, inspired by Ruth Wakefield’s original recipe. And if you don’t know who that is, you’re in luck! The post has the whole history of the cookie.