Brown Butter + Sea Salt + Rolo + Toffee Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hellooooo, longest recipe name ever.

I made these cookies for three reasons:

1) I was bored and couldn't find anymore cat videos to watch on the YouTubes.*

2) I had leftover candy and mini-chips left from making these that I wanted to use up in an actual recipe, rather than just eating them by the handful.

3) I decided that I wasn't that hungry for dinner and would rather just let a massive 437 calorie cookie take its place. Balanced, right?

I knew I wanted to stuff the leftover candy into a chocolate chip cookie, and decided to try out a new base recipe. I turned to Monique's Brown Butter & Sea Salt cookies. Pardon my French, but holy crap. I think I yelled worse expletives (out of delight, not anger!) than that when I first bit into one of these. These are truly the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Alton Brown's "The Chewy" has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years, but the next time I make traditional chocolate chip cookies I'll be using this recipe at my base. If you like your chocolate chip cookies with chewy edges and soft middles, you'll love these.

While I made these cookies in an effort to use up random ingredients, don't let that deter you from actually purchasing these ingredients specifically for this recipe. I've stuffed candy into chocolate chip cookies more times than I can count, but this has probably been my favorite combo yet. You get the delicious sweet and salty flavor from the Heath chunks and the sea salt sprinkle, and chewy chocolatey-caramel chunks in each cookie.

*Lies!

Here's what you'll need for 13 large cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% because I had it on hand, but any fat level should work)
15 Rolos, frozen for at least 1 hour and chopped into quarters
1/2 cup chocolate covered Heath bar chunks (these are sold in a bag in the baking aisle, but if you can't find them, feel free just to chop up a few candy bars)
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.

Next, brown your butter. If you've never browned butter before, allow me to direct you to this post, since Jessica took photos of the process and explains it more eloquently than I probably would.

Set your browned butter aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat together the browned butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating on low speed until just combined. Fold in the Rolos, toffee chunks, and chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (mine held about 1/4 cup,) drop balls of dough on the cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the tops are still moist. They will continue to bake on the baking sheet, so don't be afraid to take them out when they look under-baked. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Source: Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Pumpkin Spice Granola

 

I wake up ravenous every single morning. My growling stomach at 6 am is way more reliable than any alarm clock my money can buy. The second I'm out of the shower in the morning, I'm in the kitchen scavenging for food. I'm definitely a creature of habit when it comes to my weekday breakfasts. 90% of the time I eat oatmeal, an egg and cheese sandwich, or Greek yogurt with granola. This is usually my granola of choice, but as you may have gathered given that I write a blog about cooking, I prefer to make things homemade whenever possible.

When I came across this pumpkin granola on Kristin's gorgeous blog earlier this fall, I immediately knew it would make it onto my fall cooking list. It was so simple to make that I think it's going to replace my normal store-bought brand of granola, unless a bout of extreme laziness hits. This makes an enormous batch - a little over 6 cups. I tend to use granola as more of a garnish - a small scoop on top of yogurt for some crunch, rather than eating it mixed with milk like cereal, so this should last me quite awhile!

This granola is totally customizable. Prefer walnuts to pecans? Throw 'em in. Dried apricots instead of raisins? Chop some up and toss them in too. This granola has a light pumpkin flavor, and a lot of fall spice. Make sure to let it cool completely before storing it, so that it doesn't get soggy! Added bonus? Your house will smell like you have about 50 pumpkin candles burning at once since this is so deliciously fragrant!

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Stir in brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Add the oats, cranberries, raisins, pecans, coconut, and pumpkin seeds to the bowl. Stir to evenly coat with the pumpkin mixture.

Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring well at the 20 minute mark. It will not be crisp when you remove it from the oven, but it will crisp up as it cools. Allow granola to cool for several hours before storing.

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Source: Adapted from Pastry Affair

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Soup isn't usually one of those foods where I lack self control. That unfortunate characteristic is usually reserved for foods like brownies, risotto, and macaroni and cheese. Ya know, health food. With soup I can usually have a small bowlful for dinner with a salad or some crusty bread, feel satisfied, and call it a night. However, with this soup I really just want to sit on the floor with the pot in my lap, and eat it straight from the ladle like a weirdo. It is SO good. With ingredients like bacon, garlic, pasta shells, and Parmesan cheese would you expect any less?

Little by little it's getting cooler here in Virginia, and this was a perfectly delicious, perfectly cozy fall dinner for the past couple nights. This was my first time making this soup, and I can already tell that it is going to become a fall and winter staple for me!

The original recipe called for either bacon or pancetta. I really wanted to use pancetta but my grocery store was regrettably out. Thanks a lot Whole Foods. I recommend using the pancetta over the bacon if you can find it, because it is extremely difficult to mince bacon. I never noticed how slippery it was until I attempted to cut it into tiny little pieces. There was a lot of cursing, and I almost threw a handful of bacon at the wall in a fit of rage, which really would have only been hurting myself.

This soup is very thick when it's leftover - it becomes more stew like. Feel free to add up to 2 cups more broth if you want it soupier.

Here's what you'll need: 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 slices of bacon, minced
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/4 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta shells
Parmesan cheese and finely chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and onions, and saute for 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, and pour in the tomatoes (with their juices), sage, and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the broth and beans, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pasta to the soup, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Garnish with cheese and parsley, and serve immediately.

Makes about 10 cups of soup.

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Source: Adapted from Shutterbean, originally from the Williams Sonoma Beans & Rice Cookbook