sprinklefingers

we’ve already established that i watch gossip girl. [shut it. it’s good!]

what we haven’t established is that i often watch with friends. while eating nachos. and drinking a bellini. high society, indeed.

the trouble with this? not many people know what a bellini truly is. here’s what it is not: champagne with fruit juice in it. remember, i didn’t say mimosa. i said bellini.

a true bellini is prosecco with white peach puree. and that’s it. no other fruit. not cava or champagne but prosecco. the bubbly-dry feel of the prosecco with the velvety-smooth texture of the peach…there’s nothing like it.

especially with nachos.

bellini

you need:

• champagne flutes
• 5 oz prosecco per drink
• 1 oz white peach puree (thawed if frozen) per drink

make a bellini:

1. plop the ounce of puree into the bottom of a champagne flute.
2. pour prosecco over.
3. stir gently.
4. turn on gossip girl and enjoy!

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.]

[note: i thought long & hard about this post. it really reveals a lot. promise me you won’t think differently about me after reading. promise? good. now, read!]

i’m planning a trip to new york with my older sister. if you knew her, you’d understand why i’m so excited.

sure, we fought like cats & dogs all through high school (we were only a year apart AND had to share a bathroom - can you blame us?) but in our 20’s we became orphans, and that drew us soclose together that she’s now like my third arm. weird, i know.

anyways, while we couldn’t agree on much in high school, we now agree on a lot - and at the top of that list? gossip girl. i know. i know. pathetic. but, really, listen to this (well, read this,) after my sister had her baby girl, i traveled to texas to visit and meet my sweet niece. upon arrival i explained that i’d cook all the meals, clean the house, do the laundry - whatever she wanted me to do - BUT i had to be sure to see the season premiere of gossip girl. and my sister was all, ‘gossip girl? whatever.’ and i was all, ‘seriously? let’s go to target RIGHT NOW and get the dvd’s so you’ll know what i’m talking about.’

we watched an entire season of gossip girl in 2 days. we only got up from the couch to get more cadbury mini eggs and an occasional bowl of ice cream. oh, and to take care of the newborn baby. THEN we made daddy babysit and went to see the GG premiere at a movie theater. and shared a GIANT milkshake. hell yes.

anyways, we’re going to new york. my sister has already called dibs on acting like blair waldorf all weekend while all i’m hoping to do is run into chuck bass.

oh, right. the point of this post in my food diary…in my search for the right hotel, i came across THE recipe for the grilled cheese sandwich ordered by chuck bass and eaten by a drunk serena van der woodsen in the pilot episode of GG. crazy awesome. (although, i can promise you i won’t be eating grilled cheese while in nyc. i’m saving myself for cookies at milk bar. burp.)