Tahini Butter Cookies

I believe I've mentioned it before, but that won't stop me from saying it again, I LOVE tahini. Over the past several years I've begun to use it more and more in all sorts of things. My first real introduction to tahini was when I started making my own hummus. I'm sure a lot of other people have the same experience. While I liked it well enough at that time, it wasn't until I'd been using it for a while that I truly fell in love. Now I could use it in almost anything. It's great in salad dressings (check out this salad for an example), sauces, and granola to name just a very few. One of my favorite uses is as an alternative to peanut butter on a piece of toast. Slather on the tahini and drizzle with a touch of honey, it's a heavenly combination. 

And yes, tahini is definitely a great addition to cookies! I've been wanting to try this for a little while now, so I had a free morning this week and I whipped up a half batch of these wonderful tahini butter cookies. They are simply wonderful, especially for someone who loves tahini as much as I do. They are incredibly tender and buttery (surprisingly very reminiscent of these snowball cookies) and are covered with a sweet coating of powdered sugar and cinnamon that bakes into a moist and tender crust on the outside, almost like a built in icing. And as for the flavor, the tahini really shines through. It's savory nuttiness is a wonderful contrast to these sweet and delicate morsels. If you already love tahini like I do, or even if you've never had tahini in your life, you must make these cookies!

It often happens that I'm just too lazy to get out an extra bowl and pull out a few extra ingredients to make toppings, or icings, or coatings for various things, but I managed to find the energy to pull out the powdered sugar and cinnamon to roll the dough in before baking these cookies and I'm so glad I did. It really added a lot to the cookies, both in texture and flavor, so I highly recommend this additional step. I also thought the almond pressed into the center of the cookie was just too cute to skip, I think it really elevates the look of the cookie, but of course you wouldn't have to add them to the top if you don't want to or don't have any almonds laying around. They will still be wonderful without it.

Tahini Butter Cookies
From Pretty. Simple. Sweet
Ingredients

• 1 cup (140 g/5 oz) all-purpose flour, sifted
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup (75 g/2.6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g/2.8 oz) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g/3.5 oz) tahini
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for rolling
• Whole almonds, for garnish

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and tahini on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up before shaping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a pan with parchment paper.

Using an ice cream scoop or level tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough, about 1 inch diameter (15-20 grams each). Roll in powdered sugar-cinnamon mixture and place onto prepared baking sheet. Set an almond in the center of each ball, gently pressing to slightly flatten the cookies (they don't spread a lot during baking so make sure to press them down as well as you can without causing them to crack open.)

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies look cracked and just begin to brown at the edges. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer gently to a wire rack to cool completely.

No Bake Gingerbread Oat Bars

The new year has arrived, time sure does fly. A lot has happened in the past year, and a lot is going to happen in 2016. I can't believe that I am going to graduate this year and start residency. This is so exciting, and yet completely terrifying at the same time. One day at a time, that's the way to do it. 

Anyway, on to these no bake oat bars. I had been looking for a no bake oat bar to have on hand for a quick snack for those afternoons where you suddenly realize that you didn't eat enough for lunch. These are the perfect solution; hearty and dense, packed full of all those whole grain oats, chewy and perfectly sweet. I was in the Christmas spirit when I made these, so I added a little bit of molasses for that delicious gingerbread flavor. These bars sliced up beautifully, they won't crumble and fall apart on you like it seems so many no bake bars do. If you want a simple and delicious snack for the upcoming week, I highly recommend these tasty bars. 

Like I said, I added a bit of molasses to this recipe for a gingerbread flair, but if you'd rather not have that flavor, go ahead and replace the molasses with a little more honey. The melted chocolate on top makes these bars extra special, but if you're looking for something a little more simple you could always skip it, but I do highly recommend a little chocolate, it's just so good. And although I haven't tried it, I think you could easily add some dried fruit and/or nuts to the mixture for a little extra punch of flavor. I may try experimenting with that soon! Whatever you decide, enjoy!

No Bake Gingerbread Oat Bars
Adapted from Tutti Dolci
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 grams) cashew butter (or your favorite nut butter)
• 1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
• 2 tablespoons (40 grams) molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups (240 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup (15 grams) puffed kalmut
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• Sea salt for topping, optional

Directions
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Combine cashew butter, honey, molasses, salt, and cinnamon in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla, oats, and puffed kalmut until combined. It will be very sticky and thick. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and use a spatula lightly coated with nonstick spray to press evenly into pan. Try to work quickly, it firms up as it cools. 

Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave in 15-30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate over bars and smooth with an offset spatula, then top with flaky sea salt if using. Place bars in the refrigerator and chill until set. Lift foil to remove bars from pan and place on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife. 

Christmas Cookies - 2015

Almost a week later, but here it is, the last of my Christmas cookie posts, and probably the most anticipated! Every year my sister Lara pulls out the meringue powder and whips up a batch of sugar cookies beautifully decorated with royal icing. This year was no exception. And even though she had to whip these together pretty quickly this year, they still turned out just as gorgeous as ever. Enjoy!

Check out previous year's decorated Christmas cookies for ideas and recipes

2011

2012

2013

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I have to quick share these cookies while the sweet memories of Christmas are still not too far from everyone's minds. They were one of the cookies on the Christmas cookie platter this year, and were included in the bags I delivered to the neighbors. I do have to say that they were absolutely fantastic! A great double chocolate cookie is difficult to find. I've shared several on the blog, and while I adore my Death by Chocolate Chip Cookies, they have so much melted chocolate in them that they can be a little more expensive to make, not to mentioned incredibly rich (not that I'm complaining!). Finding a recipe with just cocoa powder has left me disappointed in the past, but these cookies are not included in that disappointment. 

These cookies are thick, soft, and super chocolatey. The addition of peppermint extract around the holidays is a wonderful touch, but they can be made without the mint flavor at any time of year. Throw in some espresso powder instead if you have it, another great combo. Dipping in some white chocolate sprinkled with candy canes was the perfect touch for Christmas, it really ups the festiveness of these already amazing cookies.

The only thing you want to make sure of when making these cookies is that you have at least a couple of hours to let the dough chill in the fridge before you shape into balls and bake. The dough is just too soft when it is first made. As long as you have the extra time these cookies are quick and easy to make. They really are a favorite of mine, a new go-to recipe when all I need is chocolate!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (53g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 large candy canes, crushed

Directions
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes - if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Scoop dough (I liked about 25 grams of dough each, if you have a scale, I made a few larger one first at 50 grams and I actually liked the look of the smaller cookies better) and roll into balls and place on the baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes rotating once during bake time. The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Melt the chopped white chocolate in a microwave: placing the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the white chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate. Repeat with the rest of the cooled cookies. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set. Once set, enjoy!

Cardamom Walnut Snowballs

It's Christmas week and I'm on break! I've been taking advantage of my free time by doing one of my favorite things - baking Christmas cookies! Since I have so much to share and only a few more days to do that yet, I'm going to post a couple additional recipes this week. Today I'm sharing these festive cardamom walnut snowballs. They are really quick and easy to make, and they are absolutely delicious, plus, they're just so darn cute! And since there's not even a hint of snow on the ground (it's going to be 60 today!! What??) these cookies are the only way we're going to have a white Christmas this year! 

These little butter cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender, buttery and nutty, and not overly sweet. It's a perfect combination. I love the mild walnut flavor combined with the somewhat citrusy, herbal character of the cardamom. If you don't have any cardamom you can skip it, but I highly recommend getting some and giving it a try if you haven't tried it before. All-in-all, a wonderful addition to your Christmas cookie platter!

Other than grinding up some walnuts, this is a super basic recipe. Cream some butter and sugar, add in the dry ingredients, mix it up and you're good to go. There's not even any eggs. Once the cookies are cool you just roll them in some powdered sugar and you're done. You can roll them a second time in the sugar to get an extra heavy dusting, or just leave them after the first time. They're cute and delicious either way!

Cardamom Walnut Snowballs
Adapted from American Heritage Cooking
Ingredients

• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cups finely chopped walnuts, divided
• 1 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar, for coating

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a food processor pulse half of the walnuts until they are finely chopped; remove and set aside. Add the remaining nuts to the food processor and pulse until medium grind (no big chunks remain).

In a medium bowl combine the flour, walnuts, cardamom and salt; whisk to combine. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until well combined. Add all the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.

Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and then roll into balls.

Bake until the bottoms are golden and the tops are beginning to brown, 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will be dry and crumbly.

Cool the cookies 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Place powdered sugar in a large plastic bag. Working with two cookies at a time. Toss gently to coat and place back on the wire rack.

Allow the cookies to sit at least an hour, up to overnight, and then repeat the tossing in powdered sugar.

Yields: 24 cookies

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

School is out! And that means one thing - it's Christmas cookie time! I love holiday baking and now that I am free for 2 weeks it is time to fire up the oven and get the cookie party started! This year is bittersweet to me because it is my last official "Christmas break". I think I may cry a small tear. I know, most people don't get a Christmas break until they're 28 but when you're in school for forever you have to find small victories once in a while! So I'm going to revel in this last official break and enjoy every minute of it. 

I've made a few batches of cookies this weekend and the first one I want to share is this cranberry pistachio biscotti. If you take a look around my blog you might notice that I have quite a few biscotti recipes, I just love the stuff. It's so easy and delicious, and something a little different from the norm. The instant I saw this festive biscotti pop up I knew it was on the list for 2015. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't think you will be either. So grab you own mixer and start baking!

This was a new recipe for me, which always makes me just a little bit nervous. You never quite know how much biscotti is going to spread. But there was no need to worry here, the cookies baked up beautifully. My only disappointment was not having quite enough pistachios to fold in. I threw in what I had and just made the best of it, but if you can, try to get the entire 3/4 cup mixed in. It just adds even more to the festiveness of this deliciously crunchy cookie. 

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

• 2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (75g) pistachios
• 3/4 cup (120g) dried cranberries
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Add in the cold butter and mix until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and mix until everything is just barely moistened. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and with floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times. If it's uncontrollably sticky, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(s) of flour into the dough. With floured hands, divide the dough in two and place each half onto a baking sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long roll, patting down until each is about 1/2 inch thick. 

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.

Bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices. Set slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once while baking. The cookies may be slightly soft in the centers with harder edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. As the biscotti cools, it becomes crunchy. 

Pumpkin Oat Cookies

The other week I grabbed a large can of pumpkin while at the grocery store with no specific purpose in mind. It's fall, so I knew I would have no problem finding something to do with it. One of my favorite things to do with canned pumpkin, which I have been doing all week, is to throw it in my morning breakfast smoothie. Add a couple shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg and it's pumpkin pie for breakfast - but healthy! I love added vegetables to my breakfast and not even noticing. 

As soon as I got home with the pumpkin though, the baking bug hit. I just needed to bake something pumpkin-y! After a little browsing I finally decided on this pumpkin oat cookie recipe. The oats with the pumpkin seemed like the perfect combination. I added in some pecans and dried fruit and the whole thing came together to create a soft and buttery treat, the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner snack. 

The original recipe for these cookies was described as being crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. I actually did not find this to be the case. However, that's is not necessarily a bad thing. My cookies ended up being very soft all the way through. I did like that they didn't spread too much while baking, ending up quite puffy and beautiful. 

Had I had the choice, I would have added chocolate chips to the cookies as the original recipe called for, but since I didn't have any chocolate in the house I had to go a different route. I threw in some chopped pecans and dried fruit which did not disappoint either. I loved how the nuttiness of the pecans mixed with the toasty oats. Dried fruit for sweetness helped finish them off. A comforting fall cookie for any occasion. 

Pumpkin Oat Cookies
Adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron
Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) flour
• 3/4 cup (60 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 cup of add-ins (chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc)

Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter with the brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, and vanilla.

In another bowl stir together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined. The mixture should pull away from the edges once all the flour is added. Stir in whatever add-ins you are using. Cover the dough and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferable overnight.

On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until very lightly browned at the bottom/sides.

Remove from the oven and allow to set for another 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire cooling rack.

Yields: about 1 dozen cookies (I got 13)

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

I had three very black bananas on my counter a few days ago that needed to be used. So when this banana oatmeal bar popped up on one of my recipe searches and called for 3-4 bananas, I knew what I needed to do. It was the perfect way to use those bananas up and provide me with a breakfast treat for the upcoming week. I love killing two birds with one stone! 

Another bonus; these bars are pretty healthy. Most of sugar comes from the bananas, with the addition of just a bit of brown sugar for a little extra sweetness. There is actually no wheat flour in these bars either, just oat flour that I made in my food processor. Chocolate chips and a few walnuts added in bring the whole thing together into a tasty and hearty bar. 

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup applesauce, but I rarely have applesauce in my house, so I just used an egg instead and it worked out just fine. It also used 1/4 cup maple syrup that I replaced with just a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. I cut back a little on the sugar, using only 2 tablespoons, but if you like things a little sweeter you can go ahead and use the full 1/4 cup.

I also didn't put tons of chocolate or walnuts into the bar, but feel free to use more if you want. It's really just a preference thing. Play around with it and find out what you like best!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Adapted From Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cup (185 grams) oats, ground into flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas (14-15 ounces total)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1.5 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 ounces walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 inch square pan with baking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together oat flour cinnamon, soda, powder and salt. In a medium bowl, blend the bananas, vanilla, egg and brown sugar until well combined and mostly smooth.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend to combine. Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir until evenly distributed. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely and slice.