Hard Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

Hard Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

It's kind of funny how these cookies came about. I couldn't decide between an apple pie cookie or a snickerdoodle for the last recipe. Then just randomly I saw that the food network did an apple cider snickerdoodle, so the idea came from there. I changed it up by adding some of my favorite hard cider, Samuel Smith's organic hard cider. The liquor cooks out, but if you wanted to make these with just regular apple cider you totally could do that instead!
This cookie would be very good with an apple cider glaze too.

1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 stick, unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons hard apple cider (I used Samuel Smith's organic hard cider--you may also use regular apple cider instead)
1 tsp REAL maple syrup
1 egg
1 apple*, cored, peeled and shredded (using a food processor or cheese grater--I would use an apple with a more sturdy base... don't use a soft apple like a pink lady, etc. A granny smith or gala would do well)

*You must use a real apple for these cookies. I made the mistake using dried apples and when baked inside these cookies, they stay kind of hard. So trust me, use real apples!!

topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp apple powder*

oven @ 375 (or 350 if your oven runs hot, like mine does)

- combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy
- add the egg, maple syrup, and hard cider. Mixture will look somewhat curdled--this is OK.
- in a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients, then add to the butter mixture and mix until well incorporated.
- add the shredded apple

line cookie sheets with parchment paper, then make the topping:

- combine all ingredients in a bowl
*note: to make apple powder you will need freeze dried apples. I use the organic Just Tomatoes Brand. Puree the apples in a food processor until no large chunks remain. Then sift through a fine mesh sifter until you get about 1 tsp of powder. You may also add a few chunks into the topping if you're feeling crazy!

Take a tablespoon size of dough and roll into a ball, then roll around in the topping until fully covered. Place about 2-3" apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and lightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

This seems to be happening a lot lately, but these cookies tasted much better the following day. Something magical must be happening during the night, maybe some little elves are coming and sprinkling magical dust on them... or more likely it's probably just that the ingredients have time to meld together. But either way, these are better the next day!

Chocolate sandwich cookies

So, I wanted to make some sort of chocolate sandwich cookie... kind of a mix between a homemade Oreo and a whoopie pie. But I didn't want the chocolate cookie to be really hard, or too cake-like. I wanted just a normal cookie; crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
I also didn't want this to be just your basic chocolate cookie with vanilla filling. That has been done over and over! 
I decided to add a bunch of coconut to the cream filling along with some almond extract which kind of started to remind me of an almond joy, minus the big pieces of almond. I also went just a bit further and added some cream cheese into the frosting, just because I seem to be on a cream cheese kick lately and it sounded good!

I have to be honest with you guys. I was not all that excited about these when they were freshly put together. All I could really taste was chocolate cookie. The flavors didn't have time to come together. But, oh man, after sitting in the fridge overnight... they were almost exactly as I had imagined.

I think the only thing that I will change next time I make these is to toast the coconut before adding it to the frosting. Also I would add more frosting in the middle and roll the cookie in some toasted coconut so it would stick to the frosting bulging out of the sides.
Feel free to do these steps when you make this cookie, if you so desire. Don't get me wrong these cookies were quite delightful with out all this added hoopla too. Your choice my friends!

Also, in case you were wondering... this is recipe is super duper easy!

Chocolate coconut & almond cream sandwich cookie recipe:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of sugar (I felt like the dough was a little grainy with sugar... if I were to do these again I would only add 3/4 cup of sugar-just a personal preference though)
1 egg*
1 stick, plus 2 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350

- In the bowl of a food processor add combine the flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder, salt & sugar. Pulse until just combined.
- Add the butter and pulse until combined, then add the egg and pulse until dough comes together in a mass.

note: depending on the humidity, you may need to add an extra egg if your dough seems dry, just pick some dough out if it comes together when you squeeze your fingers together, then you're good with 1 egg... if it's crumbly and doesn't stick, add another egg.

- scoop out dough with a tablespoon, roll together and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 2" apart,  then with the palm of your hand flatten the dough slightly.

another note: once baked the tablespoon size of dough ball made giant sized cookies, about 3" and I was hoping for a bit smaller cookies. So you may want to take smaller amounts of dough, more like a half of a tablespoon or so. Unless of course, you want giant sandwich cookies!

- bake cookies for about 10 minutes. Place on cookie racks and cool completely before adding the filling.

While cookies are cooling make filling:

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup coconut
5-10 tablespoons of powdered sugar

- combine butter and cream cheese in stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until creamy and all the lumps are gone. Check out these more detailed instructions, on how to make a killer frosting.
- add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reached your desired sweetness.
- add the coconut and almond extract, and mix until well incorporated.

Spread frosting over half of the cookies and put together with un-frosted cookies. Then if you can handle it, store in a airtight container overnight in the fridge before eating. I promise you, they will taste better!

There you have it, a coconut almond cream chocolate sandwich cookie!

S'more cookies

This recipe was adapted from My Baking Addiction

2 sticks softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 full graham crackers (go here for perfectly yummy homemade graham crackers)
about 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

- smash graham crackers either in a food processor or with a wooden spoon in a bag, set aside any large chunks for placing on top of your cookies
- combine smashed graham crackers, flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside
- cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer
- add the sugars until combined and fluffy
- add the eggs 1 at a time, then add in the vanilla
- add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until incorporated
- add the chocolate chips, and marshmallows (set a few marshmallows aside to add to the top of each cookie, if desired)

Scoop out dough with a tablespoon and set on baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2" apart. Place extra chunks of graham crackers & chocolate chips on tops of cookie balls
Place cookie sheets in freezer for about 10 minutes, then bake at 325 for about 8 minutes, then open oven and place a few marshmallows on top of each cookie, bake for a few more minutes or until golden brown.

Eggnog Cookies

I had a dream about these cookies before I made them. I had seen recipes for eggnog cookies before but all the pictures I saw the cookies were flat, and thin and they looked crispy. I really wanted a puffy and light, cake-like cookie. Thankfully, these cookies turned out exactly as I wanted!

2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs ground nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
2 tsp whiskey (I used Pendelton-this is also optional, you may use vanilla extract instead)
2 eggs
1/2 cup eggnog

eggnog glaze (optional)
1/4 cup eggnog
about 5-10 tablespoons of powdered sugar (amount depends on thickness desired)
1 tsp whiskey *optional

- cream butter, and both sugars in stand mixer until fluffy
- add eggs and whiskey and mix until well incorporated
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- alternate adding flour and eggnog to butter mixture starting and ending with the flour
- mix until incorporated
- scoop out a tablespoon size onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350

eggnog glaze
whisk together the eggnog, whiskey (if using) and sugar until you get a thick, but spreadable glaze. drizzle over cookies, & top with freshly grated nutmeg

Cinnamon Honey Graham Cookies

Okay, these technically say "cracker" in the name, but they are totally cookies!

Graham Cracker cookie recipe:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes and very cold

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon of molasses

5 tablespoons of whole milk (or cream works too)

1 tsp vanilla

For topping:

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

- Combine the flour, sugar, soda, salt & cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Or you can whisk together in a a bowl. 

- Next add the butter and mix until you have coarse meal. If using a food processor use the pulse method until you have the desired consistency. If mixing in a bowl, mix with a fork or cut the butter in with a pastry tool.

- in a separate bowl mix together the honey, molasses, milk and vanilla. Then add to the flour mixture and mix until the dough barely comes together. 

- dump dough out onto lightly floured piece of plastic wrap and pat into a flat square, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight. 

- remove from fridge and roll out dough about 1/4" thick, cut into squares using a pizza cutter, or cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.

-place onto parchment lined baking sheets, and sprinkle topping on top of each cookie, then stab each cookie with a fork making about 3-4 rows of holes. Then bake in a 325 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. 

Enjoy y'all!

Chocolate walnut cookie bars

Chocolate Walnut cookie bars, recipe:

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
3/4 cup cane sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350, grease baking pan (any size will do)

- combine flour, soda, salt & cinnamon
- cream together the sugars and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- add the eggs & vanilla
- add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine

Once dough is combined, add the chocolate & walnuts and mix until incorporated

Dump dough into greased baking pan, and spread out evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden around the edges. Let cool in pan then cut into squares & serve warm!

Everything but the kitchen sink

I've been wanting to make cookies like this for awhile. They're like a granola bar, only better because they're a cookie!

I really put a lot of different things in these cookies, feel free to change it up how ever you'd like though. I'm pretty sure I'll never make them the same way twice!

This recipe is really easy, I told you that I was going to keep it simple this year.

Everything but the kitchen sink, cookie recipe:

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup M & M candies
1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice. I used cranberries, blueberries & pomegranate seeds (about 1/4 cup of each)

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper

- Cream the butter in a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachement, with the sugars

- Add in the eggs and almond extract

- In a separate bowl combine the flour, soda, salt, espresso, nutmeg and cinnamon. Then add to the butter mixture until just incorporated.

- Add in everything else (oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, almonds, chocolate chips, M & M candies and dried fruit) or whatever you feel like adding.

- Scoop out with cookie scoop and place on parchment lined baking sheets about 1" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.

- Then stuff your face, because apparently that's what you do when you eat these cookies, because they are "like crack" and most of my co-workers couldn't stop eating them!

 

Carrot Cake Cookies

When telling one of my work buddies about my 10 days of cookies, she suggested I make carrot cake sandwich cookies. After hearing her description of these, and being a big fan of carrot cake myself I instantly went on a quest to find the perfect recipe. I ended up taking bits and pieces from a few different recipes and making my own version.

When I made these cookies, I of course had to take them to work and have my co-worker buddy test them out... I had to make sure they were up to par, you know! Luckily for me, she loved them. Yay!
One of my other co-workers called these cookies a "carrot cake ball of deliciousness". I thought it was funny, and I like that name much better than "carrot cake cookies".... it's way more fun!


So I'm changing it!


Recipe for: "Carrot Cake Ball of Deliciousness"


You can make these several ways: As a plain ole' cookie. Or a cookie with yummy frosting on top... or you can make a sandwich cookie (i.e "ball of deliciousness") Of course I tried all three, just for fun!


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese softened
1 tbs molasses
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2-3 cups grated carrots (depending on how carrot-y you like them, I added 3 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice-this is also optional)


- Melt butter, and set aside to cool
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the eggs & sugars until fluffy
- add the cream cheese, vanilla, molasses and melted butter to the egg mixer and mix on low until combined
- in a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, soda, powder & salt)
- add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Add the carrots and nuts (if using) and mix until just combined.


Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or up to a few days. I made my dough about 3 days before I actually baked it!


Remove dough from fridge and let come to room temp, about 10 minutes or so. Using a cookie scoop (i.e small ice cream scoop) place dough balls about 1-2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 325 until golden around the edges.


Now, if you want to go the frosting route here is my very own super special recipe for maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting that I use on my carrot cake. Man you guys are super duper lucky for getting this recipe. Seriously! This has been a secret until now. And it's no so much about all of the ingredients that go into it, but it's about the process that makes this frosting so good. This is one of the best frosting's we make! At least I think so!


Maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting:


2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
about 3 tbs REAL maple syrup (you have to use the real stuff for this guys, no corn syrup crap!)
3-5 tsp ground cinnamon (the amount depends on how cinnamon-y you want it)
15 to 20 tbs powdered sugar* (approximately 1 cup)


Note: This first step is crucial! If you don't get it right, you'll have lumps of cream cheese and butter in your frosting, and nobody wants that! You also must make sure that your butter and cream cheese is SOFT. Like seriously soft... leave it out on your counter for a few hours (depending on the temperature of your kitchen-you may need to leave it out longer), or if you don't have time for that you can nuke-it in the microwave for a few seconds until it's soft. But be careful NOT to melt the butter you guys... you want soft spreadable butter, not melted! Got it? OK, now you're ready!


- mix the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium for about 2 minutes, then mix on high for a few more minutes or until no lumps remain and mixture is light, fluffy and creamy. Note: mixing time can vary... so just mix until you get that light fluffy texture and no lumps remain.
-then, add the cream cheese and do the same thing... mix until there are no lumps and the butter and cream cheese are well combined, light and fluffy.


Note: during this creaming of the butter and cream cheese you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl several times to make sure everything is getting incorporated. Remember you don't want any lumps!


- now that you've got a fluffy, creamy mixture of butter and cream cheese with no lumps (yay), add the maple syrup and whip until incorporated. You can taste the frosting at this point and determine if you want more maple syrup (honestly, I usually add a bit more-but I always go by taste when making my frosting and never by measurements).


- add the cinnamon

- then add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, do not add it all at once. By adding it 1 tablespoon at a time you are allowing the sugar to be well incorporated and also by doing this I find that you always end up using less sugar.
I have seen recipes where people are adding up to 4 cups of sugar... and I really hate frosting that is super duper sweet. And this frosting is not! It is, what I think, just sweet enough. You don't want a nasty overly sweet frosting that overpowers your cookies (or cakes or whatever) What's the point in even having the cookies if you're going to do that? You might as well just make the frosting and eat it by spoon fulls. Seriously. I hate really sweet frosting.

Anyway, as I said earlier, I always go by taste rather than measurement so add a few tablespoons then taste... add a few more, and taste again. Do this until you get the desired sweetness. I rarely add more than 20 tablespoons. Also with this frosting you must remember that you're adding maple syrup as well. This will add a bit of sweetness too.


So there you have it, my special (no longer secret) maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting. 

Ball of deliciousness

Plain old cookie

Frosting on top

C Cookies

What are "C" cookies you ask? They're a little concoction I came up with after having a delightful molten lava cake with caramel and cashews. It was so delicious it inspired me to create these cookies!

This is a Salt City Bakery original recipe... so I hope y'all feel special that I'm sharing this one with you!

Chewy & Crunchy Chocolate Caramel Cashew Cookies
See all the C's in that name? That's why I called them "C" cookies... because it's so much easier than saying "chewy and crunchy chocolate caramel cashew cookies". Betcha can't say that 10 times fast! Yeah, neither could I.

3/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup dark dutch process cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light-either works)
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup crushed cashews
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped up salted caramel bits*

- mix butter, sugars, egg, egg yolk and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy

- whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda & salt

- add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined

- add in the cashews, caramel & chocolate chips and mix until well incorporated

- scoop out desired amount (depending on how big, or small you want your cookies) onto parchment lined baking sheets. Then place baking sheets in freezer for 10 minutes, meanwhile preheat oven to 350.

- remove cookie sheets from freezer and bake for 12-15 minutes

*The caramel I used in these cookies was a delightful Fleur de Sel (salted caramel) from a sweet little shop called Have it Confections, and is hands down THE. BEST. CARAMEL I have ever had. This caramel is seriously SO good, you guys, I wouldn't lie!
The shop owners really know what they're doing, and you can tell they really love what they do. It certainly shows in their goodies, no only by the way they taste and all of the fine ingredients they use, but even in the way they package their goodies and their customer service! Phenomenal! So I couldn't resist using it in my cookies.

The shop is on Etsy, as you know (only a minor obsession of mine!) Go order your a bunch of bars just to eat, or even use in these cookies! Also when checking out their shop you MUST try their cloud 9 caramel, and their French hazelnut nougat. I seriously dream about this stuff! They also have really good homemade marshmallows... and that's saying a lot coming from me, because I hate marshmallows. I saw their hazelnut swirl marshmallows and couldn't resist, especially knowing how good all of their other sweets are, I knew their marshmallows would be divine, and they are!

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

If you've ever been to Trader Joe's and gotten their pistachio's you know, that they're some of the best pistachio's out there. At least I think so anyway. Unfortunately I live in Utah, and do not have access to a Trader Joe's, luckily my friend has family in Vegas and has to go down there a lot. I always make her bring me home at least a few bags to last me until the next time she goes, but they never do... because they're so damn good I can go through an entire bag in one sitting, by myself!
Anyway, what I'm trying to get at, is that I used Trader Joe's pistachio's in these cookies and not only was their green color beautiful but they were also the perfect combination with dried cranberries.

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated cane sugar
3 cups unbleached all purpose or pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios

Preheat oven to 350

- cream butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- add sugar and vanilla to butter
- in a separate bowl combine the flour and salt
- add flour mixture to butter mixture
- add in cranberries and pistachios and mix on low until incorporated

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and combine with your hands until everything is incorporated and you have a big dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove from fridge and roll out 1/4 inch thick, cut out cookies using whatever cookie cutter shape you prefer and place on parchment lined (for cleanliness sake) cookie sheets.

These cookies make a beautiful and yummy gift for the holidays, just wrap them in a cellophan bag and tie with a red, green or even gold ribbon!

Second annual 10 Days of Cookies

Happy December everyone!

I hope you are all getting excited for this year’s 10 Days of Cookies!

I've been busy in the Salt City Bakery "test" kitchen these last few weeks trying out recipes, making up my own, taking lots of pictures and of course eating lots and lots of cookies (I've gotta test them out and make sure they taste good, right?)!
I had a lot of different ideas for this year’s 10 cookie recipes, but ultimately decided to go with some simple, traditional recipes. Some of them are my very own recipes (yay) and some are traditional classics adapted from other blogger recipes and cookbooks.
I am very excited about sharing these all with you, and hope you're just as excited to try them all out!
For those of you that are new to the 10 Days of cookies, this is my second year! Each day I post a cookie recipe and some fun pictures. And yes every single recipe, whether my own or adapted, I actually make and test them all out for you guys!

It starts every year on December 3rd, and lasts for.. yep you guessed it... 10 days.
See you guys on the 3rd!