Cookies & Bars

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies

December 15, 2014 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

It’s Monday! That’s the bad news. But it’s not really bad news because Mondays are just days, aren’t they, and we’re all in this together and it’s almost Hanukkah and also Christmas so let’s just get into it and make some cookies! Okay?

Let’s do it.

Blondies are considered cookies, yes? I’m going with yes. Because they feel like a cookie in your hand. They taste like cookies. They’re chewy and substantial and tender, stuffed with butter (two and a half sticks! Get after it.) and and gingerbread spice, and also some white chocolate, too. Like cookies! They’re just, you know… square.

And what’s wrong with being square, anyway? Huh?

I mean, so what if ~~someone~~ a cookie is into re-reading Harry Potter on a Friday night and just saying no to drugs and wearing regular tops that aren’t cropped? …SO?

Layoff me, gosh.

I mean, um, layoff the cookies. They’re mine and I’m not good at sharing.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies! To make your Monday a little bit sweeter. Warmer, too, and richer with spice. Happy almost-holidays!

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Homemade Oreos (Fauxreos)

August 22, 2014 by mollygilbert520 9 Comments

It’s Fridaaaaaaaay! Hallelujah.

And we have OREOS! On our minds and in our mouths. It’s going to be a good weekend.

I made these little beauties as a knee-jerk reaction to a few things that happened this week. First, I ran my credit card through the washing machine, so that was fun for everyone. Then I made friends with a giant spider crawling up the wall of my bedroom (totally awesome) and, finally, a bunch of the (very lovely, I might add) wedding invitations I sent out last week showed up in my mailbox, all marked-up and ugly-like, because the post office is a big fat idiot. I’d like to return YOU to sender, post office. And then shove like 5 homemade Oreos (fauxreos?) in my face.

I’ve been wanting to make my own Oreos for awhile now, but never went for it because it seemed like kind of a hassle. For the record, it’s totally not. The simple dough comes together (without the help of an electric mixer, I might add) quickly, and the cream filling is a breeze of butter and sugar.

And the real secret here? …Salt. (Kosher salt.) There’s a generous amount of it in the chocolate cookie dough, and then an extra pinch is whisked into the filling, too. It really helps balance the sweetness of the cookie and compliment the deep, dark chocolate flavor we’re going for.

So what are you waiting for? It’s milk’s favorite cookie! And it’s the weekend! Homemade Oreos should probably happen. Dunked then crumbled. (Heyo.)

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Cherry Cashew Sesame Bars

May 15, 2014 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

Tonight, I’m taking a red eye flight. By myself, which means that instead of nodding off on Ben’s shoulder, I’ll probably (accidentally) drool on a stranger. I’m also going to be the sneezy/sniffly girl on the plane — you know, that girl. Everybody hates that girl! Rough.

But it’ll all be fine because, when I wake up bleary-eyed from my unrested, sniffly, drool-covered airplane snooze, I will be in Miami. Miami! I’ve never been, but I hear that everyday’s like a Mardi Gras, everybody party all day, no work, all play, okay? (Where’s Will Smith when you need that guy?)

I’ll be there for BlogHer Food – a conference for food bloggers (this is a real thing, and I find it both hilarious and amazing). I’m excited to meet some fellow bloggers and, since this is my first time going, find out what this conference thing is all about. Will you be there, too? Get in touch!

I’ve never been to Miami before, but I envision eating a bunch of cuban sandwiches and possibly running into LeBron James. What else should I look out for down there?

In the meantime, I’m packing up the essentials – maxi dress, sandals, swim suit, business cards – and plane snacks. For long trips, I like to pack my own snacks so I don’t have to rely on unreliable airport/plane food. Do you ever do this? I like to make my own sandwiches, and usually some cookies, too (nothing brightens a miserable in-air experience quite like a homemade cookie). Tonight, in the name of portability and good health, I’m packing these homemade cherry cashew sesame bars.

I adapted these guys from Megan Gordon’s beautiful new book, Whole Grain Mornings, which I’m just loving these days. The bars are sturdy and flavorful, packed with good things like cashews, toasted sesame seeds, rolled oats and dried cherries. The bars, which you can cut as large or small as you please, are surprisingly filling and easily wrapped in some parchment for the road. They’re great for a quick breakfast or, in my case, a fuss-free plane snack (post boarding and pre-drooling, probably).

See you in Miami, friends!

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Joy’s Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 8, 2014 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

I know what moms like.

It’s not difficult. Moms like some peace and quiet. Moms like it when you pick up after yourself. They like when you call them just because. They like when you have a good and stable job (I’m told).

In my mind, moms like planting perennials and picking up the sticks that fall off the trees in the front yard. They like cleaning out the attic and doing back exercises on the living room floor, also cozy nightgowns and eggs benedict. Moms like nudging and puttering, in general. Or maybe that’s just my mother?

It’s a fact that all moms like warm chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven and laced with brown butter and dark chocolate. Especially when they didn’t have to make them.

This is Joy The Baker’s recipe. Girl knows her cookies. These have crisp outer cookie shells and soft, gooey insides. They’re rich in flavor and comfort and love. Like moms. Let’s connect the dots this Sunday! If nothing else, your mom deserves a cookie.

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Chewy Gingerbread Chocolate Chunk Cookies

December 13, 2013 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

Gingerbread chocolate chunk cookies! They’re the tenderest things, with the perfect chew. The way they yield when you first bite them is an eye-closing thing. And then the gingery spice hits you and the chocolate chunks put up a fight with some richness and heft. So good. I’m pretty sure Santa wants these cookies. He must! With a tall glass of milk and extra helpings of coziness and goodwill.

Well, eff Santa, because I accidentally ate all the cookies and now they’re gone.

…Oops. I’m sorry, Santa.

But am I, really? I mean, I’m a Jew with a Christmas tree, so I’m sort of an expert in sending mixed messages/disappointing my elders, anyway. Ah, well.

Kids, don’t be like me. Don’t just eat the cookie chunks out of that pint of ice cream, and then put it back in the freezer. Don’t accidentally kill all the plants you own. Do wear real pants instead of leggings sometimes, and please, for the sake of Christmas, save some effing cookies for Santa.

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Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chippers

October 8, 2013 by mollygilbert520 15 Comments

Gather round you friends of mine (we’re Wilderness Girls and it’s coo-kie time)…

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? No?

Okay then. All times are cookie times, at least in my mind. It’s never a not good time for a cookie. Or a double negative.

What’s your philosophy on the subject of cookies?

Maybe you’re a thicker-cookie-with-some-oats kinda gal. Or maybe you prefer a crispy-edged, sweet-and-spicy molasses and brown sugar kind of cookie? There’s a chance you’re a fan of a smaller cookie (to make your muscles look bigger), like these little cornmeal cookies. Or maybe you’re trying out a gluten-free (but peanut-butter-full) lifestyle?

The point is, we’ve made a lot of cookies here, you and me. There were the snappiest of gingersnaps, chewy snickerdoodles that taste like the holidays, fancy chocolate French macarons, shortbread cookies chock full of pistachios, New Yorkish black and white (and pink!) cookies, cookies to bring (deeply chocolate) world peace, and at least four different variations of that classic, the chocolate chip cookie. And that’s not even the half of it.

So what’s one more cookie, really? I think it’s only fair that we explore all of our options.

This recipe is for the thinnest, chewiest chocolate chip cookies that you ever did see. They taste deeply of caramel and are almost lacy, their chocolate chips bursting like topographical mountains from the flattest of cookie plains.

What do you think? Are you into it, or do you require more body, a little extra umph, in your chocolate chip cookie? I didn’t think I’d love these, since I’m more of a classic, medium-thick cookie gal, but I was wrong. I couldn’t stop reaching for these flatsos — their intense, caramel flavor is addicting, and I like the way you can almost fold them on top of themselves before taking a big, chocolatey bite.

Thin and chewy chocolate chippers – get into it! It’s cookie time.

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Choco-Latte Chip Cookies

August 7, 2013 by mollygilbert520 6 Comments

Cookies help me think. And cookies with milk chocolate chips and espresso in them? Hours of thinking in my future. Look out, people.

You know what I mean, though? Mixing and measuring. Scooping and baking and cooling. Inhaling all of the warm, cookie smells. I feel less tense just thinking about the process. Baking is a relaxing ritual for me, one that lets me either bliss out and think of absolutely nothing when I’ve got too much on my mind, or helps me sharpen up my brain clatter and focus on what’s important.

Today I’m calling upon the focus. The writing-a-speech-for-your-sister’s-wedding-day kind of focus. I’ve got 30 days until game time, but so far no speech. (Help!) Granted, I haven’t actually tried to get anything down on paper yet (don’t tell Emily), but the pressure is on. (Help!) I mean, I’m a writer! This better be good. (Help!!) Maybe you can help? In exchange for cookies?

Go ahead — have a cookie. Then tell me — what should I do? Should I be teary and sincere? Or should I take the funny route? I know it’s a highly personal project, but I need to know — what are your best speech-writing tips?

I (and my sister, probably) thank you in advance. But we probably shouldn’t tell her about this. Okay? Cool. Another cookie for you.

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Chocolate Spring Flower Cookies

March 29, 2013 by mollygilbert520 4 Comments

I’ve been feeling weird lately, and also having some bizarre dreams. I don’t know what it is, but I kind of feel like I’m paddling around in what I think is my Grandma’s pool but is actually the ocean? Like my body and mind are out of sync, maybe. Generally just kind of off my game, as of late. Does that ever happen to you?

Could that bit of bad ricotta be to blame? Or maybe the full moon? Newman? Maybe the news of Wisconsin’s first-round loss in the (NCAA basketball, for all of you ~~normal~~ unfortunate people without a Badger-obsessed father) tournament is responsible for my funk. My own personal sort of March Madness. I don’t know, but it’s weird, this feeling, and I need to figure out a way to shake it.

I’m a list-maker; the process of writing lists helps me feel in control of my own destiny (even if I don’t check off every last thing on it, the act of writing organizes my brain, I think). In that vein, here is a list of things to help beat the occasional funks:

Chicks in top hats.
Phone calls with sisters.
Brisk walks along the water (bonus points for a walk that ends with a trip to Swensen’s for ice cream).
Easter cupcakes.
I hate to admit this, but green juice. It makes us feel good. And until we buck up and spring for a juicer, $9 for “local, organic, cold-pressed” juice will have to be acceptable. …Yes, I too can hear myself. Oy.
(Finally!) Starting season 1 of Downton Abbey. Lord Grantham rules.
Instagram. Can’t get enough. Sorry I’m not sorry.
Bake-spiration, mostly here.
Baking cookies with a fabulous friend. Chocolate ones, all dolled up for spring.

Alright, funk. We’ve got cookies now. Get lost.

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Hazelnut Marmalade Linzer(ish) Tart

March 22, 2013 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

The other day I ate bad ricotta. Not like, “I’ve had better ricotta before, this is kind of meh-tasting.” Nope, I mean I ate bad ricotta. I’m talking well past the expiration date and straight-up funky. I ate kind of a lot of it, too, before realizing.

How does a person do this, you might ask? Well, I can confidently state that if you are feeling sort of sniffly and put rancid ricotta on a toasted English muffin and then top it with a fried egg, chances are high that you will eat the whole effing thing before realizing that the ricotta has gone the way of one of Michael Jackson’s most popular songs.

Ugh.

But! Turns out I’m fine. Aside from being generally disgusted, I felt no ill effects of the naughty ricotta cheese. And then I found food redemption in a jar of Seville orange marmalade for $3.50 from Trader Joe’s.

YES.

Sweet, bitter, and versatile on toast or tarts, this marmalade is one of my favorite finds of late. And the best part? Marmalade doesn’t go bad.

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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

March 10, 2013 by mollygilbert520 13 Comments

Hello, friends! A lot’s been going on over here.

Firstly, I got contacts. For my eyes. I’d been avoiding it for awhile, but the necessity of fixing my terrible vision made itself clear last week when, during a game of pick up field hockey on some multi-purpose turf fields, I yelled over to a guy on the sidelines, ostensibly waiting his turn to join the game — “Oh, hey, do you want to sub in?”

Which really would have been fine and rather accommodating, except for the fact that, upon closer inspection, the guy turned out to be a 14-year-old boy in a baseball uniform waiting for his mother to come pick him up, looking at me like I’d just sprouted another head. Oops.

Contacts! Fine.

The second thing that happened this week was the official one-year anniversary of my cross-country move to SF. One whole year! A year ago, I was packing up all of my things and eating oreo cake and taking a nervous flight, and then unpacking all of my things in a new and small and lovely apartment. With a boy! I mean, whoa. The whole living-with-a-boy reality was hard to grasp at first, but it set in firmly that first morning in our new place, when I abruptly discovered that we were out of toilet paper. Who doesn’t buy extra rolls of toilet paper?!?

Boys, that’s who.

I learned that lesson quickly, and Ben and I haven’t had any (fine, many) issues (toilet paper-related or otherwise) since. It turns out that this boy is an expert pasta maker, a skilled note-leaver/cartoon draw-er, the dapperest of dance partners, and an enthusiastic helper in the effort to ration our newly acquired boxes of Girl Scout cookies. A good man, clearly.

Thirdly, this week was K.Gro’s birthday! For those that don’t know her, K.Gro is special. She is a bff/cousin extraordinaire and a recent inductee into the ranks of the gluten-intolerant. Happy gluten-free birthday, K.Gro! Naturally, I thought some cookies were in order. They’re my first foray into gluten-free baking and I have to say, all gluten aside, these are good. Their texture is perfection: crispy-shelled and soft-and-chewy-crumbed. Flavor-wise, these are deep and full of chocolate – not quite as peanut buttery as I’d prefer, but I’m the kind of person who’d prefer everything to taste more like peanut butter, so that should come with a grain of (sea) salt. Which is also essential to the recipe.

So tell me — have you tried gluten-free baking yet? What are the tricks of the gluten-free trade? Leave word in the comments — inquiring (and cookie/cake/bread-loving) minds want to know!

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