Oatmeal Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

After a huge berry haul from picking this summer, we have an abundance of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries in the freezer waiting to be baked into deliciousness. Uninspired by the typical muffin and fruit crisp recipes. I was looking for something completely different to incorporate our frozen berries into. Finding this recipe on Pinterest was a dream come true! These cookies are close to a muffin top (Seinfeld dreams coming true - top of the muffin to ya...anyone?) but the best part is the burst of blueberry! If you're not a fan of blueberry I'm positive a raspberry dark chocolate combination would be just as good. These cookies are best served day of, still warm. 

Ingredients
Adapted from Lady and Pups

1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat your oven to 365 F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan on medium heat brown the butter (click here for tips) and then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, whisk in the white and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sea salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Gradually stir into the butter mixture. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Gently fold in the frozen blueberries, until combined, ensuring not to squish many berries in the process. Round 1 tbsp of the dough into a ball, place onto your prepared baking sheet and lightly press down. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned.

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

Okay, okay, I know I just wrote about pumpkin taking over the world, and butternut squash still holds a place in my heart, I promise! Last night though, I just really need some of that deliciously spicy pumpkin tastes and I needed it in the form of biscotti. It was one of those nights where I needed to clear my head and make something. I needed a project. I've made biscotti a couple times before, with some success, and was inspired by Cupcakes and Cashmere to give this pumpkin spice version a try. Though the drying times were a bit tricky to figure out, this italian cookie is coffee's perfect match - especially in this rainy weather. What made the cookies even better was a light drizzle of white chocolate. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs pumpkin and vanilla. Mix together the flour and pumpkin mixtures. Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl, combing all ingredients together, until it forms a ball of dough. On a floured surface shape the dough into two small logs approximately 1/2 inch thick and place on the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, until firm to touch. Remove from the oven, lower the temperature to 300 F, and allow the logs to cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice the logs, diagonally, into 1 inch pieces and lay face down onto the parchment. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the biscotti and bake for another 15 minutes. Allow the biscotti to cool for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, melt your white chocolate chips (I used about half a bag) in the microwave, in 30
second intervals. Pour into a ziplock bag, snip the corner, and drizzle over the biscotti. Allow to dry.

Grab your latte, cappuccino, espresso or whatever other hot beverage you're sipping and get dunking. One of the best parts of biscotti is they are a great excuse to have cookies for breakfast! If anyone questions it, say no words and pass them a biscotti, they'll understand.

Pumpkin Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

As soon as October hits it seems like pumpkin flavoured everything comes pushing to the scene, however I have yet to find a pumpkin baked good that are quite as good as these. Rewind to last thanksgiving and I was looking for pumpkin-y things to make that weren't pie. I was too afraid of pie, and Mom doesn't like pumpkin pie so I figured something mild in flavour was my best option. Browsing through Pinterest, as I do, I came across this fantastic cookie recipe. Though skeptical at first I gave 'em a whirl and lo and behold a new Thanksgiving tradition was born! These cookies are the perfect middle-ground between cake and cookie, the right amount of sweetness from white chocolate, and the bestest (that's a word right?) addition of tangy with the dried cranberries. They have been forever deemed our Thanksgiving cookie and already have me counting down till next year! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

1 egg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, powder and salt until combined. In a separate bowl beat together the pumpkin, sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Combine the pumpkin and flour mixtures together, and mix in the cranberries and white chocolate chips. Drop small spoonfuls onto the baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes, until the bottoms are slightly golden.


These are the ultimate fall cookie, they have every flavour you could want from fall all in a little bite sized treat - I was even eating them for breakfast, they're soft enough that I think they could pass for a scone if you need the reason! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

                Chocolate chip cookies are one of those classic homemade goodies that I think just about everyone has a nostalgic love for. Though I don't remember when I first tried baking them myself, I do have many memories of flipping through my Mom's and Nana's recipe collection for cookie recipes, whipping up the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag with my mom, and slicing up those rolls of Pillsbury cookie dough at sleepovers (and eating a whole lot more dough than actual cookies). Though the dough rolls are pretty darn good sometimes it can be hard to find a recipe that never fails - a recipe that can be deemed "the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever". In the mood to make cookies I was browsing through the Smitten Kitchen and found what she says is her favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I obviously had to try it out for myself! With some minor adjustments I can definitely say that these cookies are a keeper. Crispy edges, soft inside and just the right amount of sweetness make these milk's perfect partner.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 stick of cold, salted butter

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together the sugars and the butter. Beat in the egg, vanilla and baking soda until smooth. Whisk or sift the flour and then mix into the batter. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop small balls of dough onto the baking sheet (appx. 8-10 per run) and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool.

I made these bite-sized because I love just popping one in my mouth when my sweet tooth is around! I can't wait to make these again in the fall - sometimes theres nothing better on a cool day than a small snack of warm chocolate chip cookies, enjoy!

White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

When I'm feeling frustrated I usually need to create something in order to settle my nerves. As strange as it may seem, having a kitchen fail one morning (let's just say not every recipe is a good one) led to a very big kitchen win with my favourite ingredient, coconut. I followed this recipe and tweaked it a little to better suit my liking. To quote my mother "This is the best cookie I've ever had. You need to make more. We're so making these at Christmas. You could sell these!" They're great people, really really great. I hope you like coconut because they're coming at you.

Ingredients

75 mL solid coconut oil

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

2 tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (toasted)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream together the coconut oil and the sugar. Beat in the egg and coconut extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix it into the oil mixture on medium speed. Gradually add in the sweetened coconut until it is well distributed. Place small drops of the batter onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms are a light, golden brown. Allow them to cool

In the microwave melt together the coconut oil and chocolate chips. Lightly dip the tops of each cookie into the chocolate glaze and next into the toasted coconut and allow them to set.

After a delicious dinner we treated ourselves to a hot cup of tea and a couple cookies. I would suggest doubling this recipe because it doesn't make nearly as many as you'll want to be eating (about 16 cookies total).  They are light, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and oh so coconutty - this cookie is a keeper.

Adapted from this recipe.

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Scones

One of the best parts of heading up to the cottage is all the delicious food we get to eat. Even though our trips are only a few days long, they feel like mini vacations which also means letting ourselves pig out a little. When ordering some bread from work for the long weekend, Mom also wanted to throw in some scones to go with tea. The scones we make at the bakery are amazing but I decided to make some of my own this time, so I looked through my Pinterest boards and decided to follow this recipe.

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

6 tbsp cold salted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup frozen blueberries

1/3 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut the butter into small cubes and combine on medium-low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in the buttermilk. Gently fold in the berries just until they're evenly distributed. Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and form the dough into a circle (for smaller scones make two) about 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle some sugar overtop and cut the circle into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

These were great for breakfast, lunch or a snack in between. I warmed them up in the microwave and spread a little bit of butter inside, but they are also great with jam, clotted cream or even plain - just as they are! For some added sweetness try adding in some white chocolate chips, or make your own fruit combinations with what you have!

Chocolate Brownie Donuts: Three Ways to Glaze

     I've always been a foodie at heart. I remember asking for a blender for my twelfth birthday and the excitement that followed opening it, as well as my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer for graduation and a few other kitchen accessories in between, so it should be of no surprise that on my most recent birthday I received a donut pan. I've seen a few recipes on Pinterest for homemade donuts, and was definitely intrigued after trying out a few in some gourmet donut shops, so this week I put my donut pan to good use and made some of my own.

    Looking through various donut recipes I wasn't sure about the type of donut I wanted to make or how difficult they could be. Assuming (correctly, I might add) that anything chocolate would be  delicious I decided to try out this recipe for Chocolate Brownie Donuts. I am without words. My first attempt at donuts was beyond what my taste buds could handle - in a good way - and was welcomed with high praise from my family (and also exclamations of "why did you cut the recipe in half!?" but twelve donuts just seemed like a lot at the time!). I did try out a peanut butter glaze as the recipe suggested however I felt like experimenting so I added two other kinds into the mix - chocolate coconut and white chocolate peppermint - which brings us back to the title, chocolate brownie donuts: three ways to glaze.

Peanut Butter Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 

2 tbsp 2% milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk all the ingredients together and depending on your preferred consistency add more icing sugar, peanut butter, or milk. Dip the cooled donuts in and sprinkle with chopped nuts (I used almonds - mild in flavour but still with a good amount of crunch). 

Chocolate Coconut Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tbsp coconut oil, 

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, as before, depending on your preferred consistency. Dunk in the cooled donuts and sprinkle with the toasted coconut until well coated.

White Chocolate Peppermint Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Melt together the white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and peppermint in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, again, depending on your preferred consistency. Dip in cooled donuts and sprinkle with chopped chocolate pieces or crushed peppermint candies.

Surprise, surprise, the coconut was the favourite donut but that's not to say the peanut butter or white chocolate peppermint weren't equally delicious. These donuts are going into my hall of fame of baked goods for pure decadence. They are best served with a cold glass of milk, but I enjoyed them with what else but a hot cup of tea - and I dare you not to finish them all in one day!

Tip: When filling the donut pan, I found it easiest to fill a ziplock bag with the batter, cut the tip off and pipe them in to ensure they were filled evenly. You could also skip the sprinkling of nuts on the Peanut Butter Glaze by using crunchy peanut butter instead!