Meet my neighbor, Emily.

She loves animals.

She’s a vegetarian, but loves vegan foods, as well.

She’s crazy, but in a fun, full-of-life and laughter kinda way.

You know me.

I bake cookies…

…and I love butter.

Butter is the foundation of almost everything I create. If someone told me I couldn’t eat it anymore? Well, let’s just say the words ‘death and destruction’ come to mind, but that’s just me. Obviously, not everyone feels this way.

I give you the Vegan Peanut Butter au Natural. It has no animal products whatsoever! That’s right, it’s butter-free, egg-free and it just so happens to be gluten-free, which means it contains no flour.

All kidding aside, this cookie is sensational!

Created for you, Emily, and all people out there who love their four-legged friends and choose animal-free goodies.

But…I still love butter, y’all.

Wanna hear the truth?

I’m a sensitive person.  Please, no negative comments about my singing, baking or weight.  Outside of that, I’m pretty easy-going.  Or, at least I think so…in my head.

Recently, I’ve been working on some new cookies.  The first one came out really well.  It’s called the Hawaiian.  It’s an amazing combination of pineapple, coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate.  I love it!  Everyone who has tasted it, loves it.  Proud, that’s what I am…proud to have created it.

The second one didn’t fare so well; I won’t bother with its name.  All of the people who tried it, including myself, had mediocre reactions, at best.  I knew it wasn’t finished, yet I sent it to a friend anyway.  Why did I do that?  Am I some sort of masochist or something?  But that’s not what’s truly bothering me.

It’s the third cookie that’s bringing me down.  You see,  specialty cookies have been my latest obsession.  The newest  one is called the Pick Me Up.  It’s a dark chocolate cookie with dark chocolate chunks and chocolate covered espresso beans.  That’s right…whole espresso beans!  Now, I know not everyone is going to love this cookie.  That’s why it’s in the ‘specialty’ category.  Duh…it’s special!  But it still hurts when people say they don’t care for it.

Now, it’s a well known fact that I seek approval through my cookies, but more importantly, I crave honesty.  My friends are the first to test my cookies because I depend on their truthfulness.   Snuda gave me her honest opinion about the Pick Me Up and I respect her for that.  She doesn’t enjoy the crunch of an espresso bean.  She isn’t a big fan of the brownie texture.  She’s my friend.  She pulls no punches.  That’s the way friends ought to be.

Still, I’m wondering again…why did I send her that cookie?

Was I excited?  Definitely.

Am I masochist?  Maybe…but let’s stick with my exuberance. The Pick Me Up is my 15th cookie.  It’s dark, sweet, and intense…kinda like me.

You want some?

It’s a sad, sad day, folks.  Wait…where is that box of tissues?  Found it…now, I’m ready.

Last night I realized one of my cookies isn’t stellar.  I didn’t think it was possible, but I was so wrong.

The invitation read: Party!  Fun, Food and Drink!  Well, there’s just one thing missing from that scenario-Mondo’s Morsels!  I started cracking eggs.  When I was finished I’d baked 7 different types of cookies, including the Coffee Toffee.  It’s an unpopular cookie, but I thought it was due to the fact that not that many people had tried it.  Wrong again.

I got to the party and like that-the cookies started disappearing!  I expected nothing less.  Like I said before, “It’s what I do.”

Um…but here’s the disturbing twist.  At the end of the night, there was a bunch of them still on the dessert table.  What?  You’ve got to be kidding me?  Nope, there was nothing left, except for the Coffee Toffee and my tears.

Farewell, old friend.  Apparently, you won’t be missed.

Last weekend I found myself surrounded by pinks, purples and sparkly tissue paper.  No, I don’t have a daughter obsessed with the latest Disney movie, but I do have a friend who’s the Maid of Honor.

Yep, that’s right folks, here we go again with the Super Cute debacle.  Except this time it’s not a baby shower, it’s a bridal shower.   Lord, give me strength.

Ramona, the MOH, needed party favors for eleven people.  “Look no further,” I exclaimed with a false sense of security.  I wasn’t as intimidated as the last time, but I wasn’t looking forward to the arts-and-crafts portion of the assignment.  As luck would have it, I was provided with the bags, stickers and tissue paper.  Whew, what a load off my mind!

Since the Super Cute was covered I was left to concentrate on what I do best…cookies.  I made three different kinds, Peanut Butter Au Natural, Double Chocolate and The Holy Grail.

The cookies were placed in a cellophane bag for freshness and to keep the bags from getting greasy.  All in all, I was simply delighted with the end result.  I hope the bride was too, but how could she not be?  Super Cute plus Mondo’s Morsels equals a happy tummy and a big ole’ smile.

The D-man is on a special diet.

Oh, in case you didn’t know, the D-man is my best friend, web designer, photographer and confidant.  His diet is a combination of many things: gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and soy free.  Umm…that’s a little too much freedom, if you ask me.

Needless to say, baking dessert for him is not so easy.

After butter, the first thing I reach for is sugar-typically brown.  Since it’s on the banned list, I’ve had to improvise.  When you can’t have  sugar, visit this place for the next best thing.

The Bennett Honey Farm is amazing!  They have at least 10 different kinds of honey and let you taste each one.  That’s right!  If you’ve never experienced it before, I highly recommend a honey tasting.  Clover isn’t the only flavor, folks.  Currently, my favorite is Eucalyptus.  Although, Wildflower is a close second.  I use it for honey mustard chicken, lemonade, and now…nut & honey cookies.

I never thought I’d enjoy a sugarless cookie…I thought wrong.

Nut & Honey Cookies
adapted from Elana’s Pantry

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
5 tablespoons honey, hopefully Eucalyptus
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and walnuts
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together honey, butter and vanilla
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Place dough in the refrigerator while preheating the oven
5. Form dough into walnut sized balls
6. Place balls on Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and press them down with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake at 350° until lightly golden, 10-12 minutes
8. Cool and serve

Makes about 20 cookies

Before this weekend, the answer was a resounding ‘no’, but after…?

Let me tell you about my weekend.  It was filled with boxes, ribbons, tags, tape, stickers, cello bags, and 100 cookies.  That’s right. 100 cookies!

Let’s play a little game, shall we?  It’s called ‘if you’re going to bake 100 cookies…’

If you’re going to bake 100 cookies…

• make sure all 7 doughs are made the day before you bake;
• make sure you have the necessary ingredients, don’t go to the store for powdered sugar, three quarters of the way through;
• make sure you start baking first thing in the morning, not at 4pm;
• make sure your ribbons are pre-cut, boxes unfolded, stickers placed, tape measured, scissors sharpened;
• make sure to tear the Afro from your scalp early because you’ll be too busy to do it later!

Argh, what was I thinking?

The truth of the matter is I was totally clueless when a new friend, Mitch Berlow, asked me to bake for his wife’s surprise baby shower.  I had never done one before, so I accepted the challenge, then promptly started freaking out.

When I think of baby showers I think of all things frilly and super-cute.  My friends would be the first to tell you that’s just not me.  I don’t do ‘cute’,  let alone ‘super-cute’, but here I go by the grace of god.

Determined to make it work, I turned to my super-cute friend Patty.  She’d  done a baby shower two months before, and used my cookies.  After busting a gut she gave me some ideas, but I was still worried.

It took me every last minute to procure all the necessities.  I went to Chinatown, Michael’s, Jo Ann’s, Target, Hallmark, plus Paper Mart, and no one wants to go to Paper Mart…it’s in Commerce for Pete’s sake!

Needless to say I succeeded.  The Super-Cute challenge has been conquered!  The party favors arrived on time and now I’m a teeny bit wiser, when it comes to baby showers.  The project was everlasting, incredibly detailed and hard work, but I enjoyed it…except for the freaking-out part.

Let me begin by saying…I’m a sucker for a beautiful chocolate chip cookie.  It’s like how guys react when they see a hot chick.  They think, “How do I get me some of that?”  Don’t lie guys…you know you think that way.  I’m not hating.  I’m the same way…just for cookies.

Well, the New Yorker fits the bill.  Not too crispy and not too cakey, this cookie has supermodel-beauty.  Perfectly sculpted with the chocolate chips staring you right in the face.   And yet…this cookie is a cheat!  Yeah, you heard me right.  Who puts peanut butter in a Chocolate Chip Cookie?  That’s not kosher!  Well,  you know what I mean.

Bill Yosses, the chef who crafted this recipe, worked under the legendary french pastry chef, Pierre Herme.  If his intent was to make an incredibly alluring chocolate chip cookie, then he’s successful.  But…if it looks like a chocolate chip cookie, shouldn’t it taste like one?

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie, according to the New York Times Dessert Cookbook.

• 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. light brown sugar
• 1/4 c. hazelnut paste or peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped out
• 2 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars.
3. Add peanut butter, beating until smooth.
4. Add eggs and vanilla pulp.  Mix until smooth.
5. Sift together all dry ingredients and gradually add to the butter mixture.
6. Mix in chocolate chips.
7. Drop heaping tablespoons on prepared cookie sheets and flatten them slightly.
8. Bake until lightly browned, 9 to 12 minutes.

My buddy and Taste Engineer, Patty, owner and sole proprietor of Zen Pup, loved this cookie.  I must agree, it tastes pretty good.

What’s great: You don’t have to refrigerate it for a few hours beforehand.  It’s going to be pretty no matter when you bake it.

What sucks: The peanut butter overwhelms the classic vanilla flavor.  It tastes good, but not necessarily like a chocolate chip cookie.

Traditionally,  the vanilla flavor is the base, complemented by scrumptious morsels of bittersweet chocolate.  But who am I to argue with someone who studied under the great Chef Pierre Herme?   Wait a minute!  I’m me!  I’ll do whatever I want!

All in all,  the most attractive chocolate chip cookie doesn’t always taste the best.  And if you remember anything kiddies, remember this: ultimately, flavor kicks beauty’s ass every time…especially, in L.A..

It’s official!   I’m declaring July 5th Snickerdoodle Sunday!  Well…not really, but it’s a catchy title, no?

While perusing cookie blogs this weekend, I found one entitled lovin from the oven.  Kim, owner of said blog, had some very cute pics of Snickerdoodles on her site.  Now, I’m not a huge fan of Snickerdoodles, but I certainly wouldn’t turn one down-know what I’m saying?  Plus, quite a few of my friends request that I add them to my ever-expanding repertoire.  So…here goes.

Kim’s Snickerdoodle Recipe

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Except for halving the recipe, I followed it to the letter.  The results were mixed.  The first set I baked came from room-temperature dough.  This cookie spreads like crazy which bothers me to no end.  As far as aesthetics, it was a bit darker than I like, but that’s my fault.  I baked them on a rack set one level above the middle.  That’s not good when you’re setting the oven to 400 degrees.

Since the first batch was flat, I decided to refrigerate the dough and bake some up the next day.  Smart choice.  In my opinion, this dough needs to be cold when baked.  It will puff up nicely and keep the expansion to a minimum.  Otherwise, it will stretch to the size of a saucer-and nobody wants that, right?

The Results

Flavor:  I like the fact Kim uses mostly brown sugar in this recipe.  It keeps the cookie moist.  Something is definitely missing, though.  Perhaps, I should delete the vanilla.  It cuts into the tang of the cream of tartar.

Aesthetic:  Baked up beautifully with the cold dough.  Although, I might have to do something about the sugar to cinnamon ratio.  My preference leans toward the lighter side when it comes to cookies.  Next time, I will bake on the middle rack.

Texture: The cookie was a little wet in the middle due to a shorter baking time.  In any case, I should’ve waited until the cookie was completely cooled.  Sorry…warm cookie alert.

Overall: This cookie isn’t great, but it’s a great place to start.