sprinklefingers

some nice people say some nice things. one of the best things that’s ever been said about one of my baked creations: tastes like a campfire in a sugar forest.

read all about it by clicking below:

i found this piece from the atlantic totally fascinating…much like we decipher what the images on coins (or kate middleton’s earrings) mean, this article features an examination of the images on an oreo cookie. additionally it covers the unsung heroes who created the molds resulting in embossed cookies.

maybe i’m a big nerd, but i love it!

image courtesy of the fine folks from the ny times.

people are nutty, aren’t they? sometimes i just don’t understand why folks do the things they do or say the things they say. but most of all, most of all, i don’t understand how people:

1. feel full.
2. detect that desserts are too rich.

i never feel full. pretty much no matter what i eat - or how much of it - i don’t feel truly full. and if i do feel full, i feel that way only for about 13 minutes and then am ready to start thinking about my next meal.

as for things being too rich - i actually think my inability to detect richness in desserts is what led me to a life of baking. so while most people can push a dessert plate away so dramatically while declaring, ‘oh, this is far too rich!’ i simply take the plate, open my mouth and scoop the remainders in. then i might burp and ask if anyone wants to go out for ice cream.

and speaking of ice cream, i came up with a dessert i think you should try. the recipe below is for 4 servings, but it’s totally simple to make more - scoop more ice cream, bake more cookies and heat up more sauce.

sticky toffee sauce sundaes
serves 4 

you need:

• best quality vanilla ice cream
• 4 oz sticky toffee sauce, warmed
• 4 toffee-pretzel-chocolate chip cookies, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

to make the sundaes:

1. plop 2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream into each bowl.
2. top the ice cream with the warm toffee sauce, divided equally among the 4 bowls.
3. next, scatter the cookie bits equally among all 4 bowls.
4. serve with soup spoons and a glass of water.

my favorite part of these sundaes: the ice cream gets melty and forms this delicious puddle of sweet gooey toffee goodness at the bottom of your bowl.

rich?
hell yes.
have another!

perhaps i’m revealing too much when i tell you that i’m beside myself with excitement because - drum roll - the season premiere of gossip girl is tonight!

and while i’m pretty darn excited about the show - did chuck bass really get shot? who helped him get out of that dark alley in Prague? - i’m even more excited about the night itself. three of my favorite lady friends are coming over to watch…AND we’re eating dessert. chuck bass + friends + dessert = perfection.

in honor of the premiere of gossip girl i set about creating a new cookie specifically for the night. something delicious that cries out for a big glass of cold milk (or a bowl of vanilla ice cream drowned in hot fudge…your choice.)

toffee-pretzel-chocolate chip cookies
make 22-24 large cookies

you need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup vanilla sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups salted pretzels, crushed
• 1 1/3 cups toffee bits (like heath)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• grey sea salt for sprinkling

make the cookies:

1. whisk together the flours, baking soda and kosher salt.
2. in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. mix on medium-high speed for 8 minutes. the mixture will be lightened in color and creamy thick.
3. add one egg. mix until it is completely incorporated.
4. add the next egg and the vanilla. mix again until completely incorporated and mixture does not look like it’s separated. (it will kind of regain it’s fluffy nature.)
5. add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
6. add the pretzels, toffee bits and chocolate chips. mix until incorporated.
7. scoop the dough out on to a wax paper-lined sheet tray using a 2 oz scoop or food disher.
8. sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a tiny bit of grey sea salt. trust me on this.
9. pop the sheet tray into the freezer or refrigerate the dough overnight. do not bake these cookies immediately after mixing. they need overnight to mellow & meld.
10. to bake refrigerated cookies: preheat oven to 350. bake cookies on a parchment lined sheet tray for 12-15 minutes or until golden around edges and set in the middle.
11. to bake frozen cookies: preheat oven to 350. bake cookies on a parchment lined sheet tray for 18-20 minutes or until golden around edges and set in the middle.

for longer freezer storage: after your dough balls have been in the freezer 24 hours, transfer them to freezer bags. label and bake within 3 months.

xoxo,
gossip girl.
sprinklefingers.

[tip: if you dish the dough out onto a sheet tray and plan to freeze it, flatten each ball of dough a bit with your palm. depending upon your oven and the temperature of your butter when it hits the oven, your cookies may not flatten out if you don’t do this. if you have a batch of cookies in the freezer that you didn’t palm-flatten, don’t worry! after they’ve been in the oven a while you can give them a little tap with a spatula and they’ll flatten right out.]