Cocoa Cookie Slices

The perfect cross between cookie and brownie, these cookie slices from Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break are as delicious as they are beautiful! The final result looks impressive, but I cannot stress enough how simple these are to put together. They are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, making them pretty close to perfection. Serve these with coffee or bring them to your next party - you'll be a hero.

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

Topping:
1 egg, beaten (unless topping with icing - see Tips & Variations)
Pearl sugar (or sprinkles)


Tools:
2 mixing bowls
2 baking sheets
Hand mixer
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Sharp knife
Fork (for optional design)


Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs and then add to creamed butter and sugar along with vanilla. Mix until blended. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder.
4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until dough forms. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and roll each into a 12-inch log. Place each log on the baking sheet leaving 2 inches between each. Press the logs to flatten out to 2 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Brush each log with a beaten egg (unless topping with icing - see Tips & Variations) and sprinkle with sugar. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. While still warm, cut each log diagonally into ~12 slices, then let cool completely.

Tips and Variations:

• Instead of pearl sugar (or sprinkles, in my case...), top with raw sugar before baking.
• In place of sprinkles or sugar, drizzle icing over the top by combining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3-4 Tbsp of milk or water, and 2 tsp vanilla extract.
• Make the dough ahead of time and freeze for an emergency batch!

Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of my favorite snacks of all time is a banana with peanut butter. It's great on its own and makes a pretty mean sandwich, too. This ridiculously easy recipe for Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Chip muffins takes that classic flavor combo and transforms it into something totally new (and maybe even better than the original)!! Happy snacking!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips


Tools:
2 mixing bowls
2 small bowls (for melting butter & beating egg)
Hand mixer
Muffin tin, lined
Cooling rack


Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, mash banana. 
   
   
   
   
   
2. Melt butter in one small bowl (I used my microwave), beat the egg slightly in the other small bowl.
3. Add sugar and egg to banana, mix using hand mixer. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Once combined, add melted butter and mix.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, powdered peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
   
   
   
6. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
7. After all ingredients have been incorporated, add chocolate chips and mix well. 
   
   
   
    
8. Evenly distribute batter into lined muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before digging in! 
   
   
   

Tips and Variations:

• Instead of powdered peanut butter, add 1/4 cup regular peanut butter to wet ingredient mixture and 1.5 cups of flour to dry ingredients; or leave out peanut butter and use only 1.5 cups flour.
• Wrap a muffin in a paper towel and heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds before enjoying! These are also incredible right out of the oven.
• Ditch the muffin tin and make this recipe into a delicious quick bread.  
  
  
   
  

Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe is adapted from a great NYT Cooking recipe for sandies, so the end result is beautifully light and crumbly!

These cookies are packed with peanut butter, offset by tangy dark chocolate chunks and finished with sea salt to balance all of these deep, indulgent flavors.

Eat them warm out of the oven or make a batch and let them sit for a day - the flavors marry together beautifully the longer these are left out - if they last that long!

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups peanut butter (I used chunky)
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups flour
1.5 bars of dark chocolate (3.5 oz bars) or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt


Tools:
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Large knife & cutting board if using
Cutting board
Hand mixer or standing mixer
2 baking sheets
Parchment paper
Cooling rack


Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Chop the chocolate bars into large chunks. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar using your hand mixer until smooth and well-combined. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Mix in peanut butter and eggs. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add flour and salt and mix until fully combined, then stir in chocolate chunks. 
   
   
   
   
   
6. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
7. Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop dough into mounds. Each scoop should contain about 2 tablespoons of dough. Pre-baked, the cookies will be rounded and ragged. Dip each ball of dough into the salt-sugar mixture and place onto pans. The cookies don't spread very much when baked so they can be placed close together. 
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool on racks for about 20 minutes before serving.

Tips and Variations:

• Use smooth instead of chunky peanut butter for a smoother texture.
• Add some smashed pretzel pieces for an extra crunch!
• Replace chocolate chunks with semi-sweet chocolate chips. 
• Add cinnamon to the salt-sugar mixture for an extra layer of flavor!

Cardamom Cinnamon Buns

Hello fellow bakers and culinary adventurers!

Back again after a short hiatus with a recipe rec from one of my favorite cookbooks, Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break.

This recipe requires a little bit of time and patience, as the dough needs to rise twice, but the end result is definitely worth the wait!!

Ingredients:
Dough:
7 tablespoons butter (almost a stick)
1.5 cups milk (I used almond milk)
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
4.5 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons crushed cardamom seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
7 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons crushed cardamom seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Other:
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar

Tools:
Saucepan
2 mixing bowls
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
2 baking sheets
Parchment paper
Optional: food processor

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in milk and heat until warm but before bubbles form.
2. In a small bowl, measure yeast and add 3 tablespoons of warm butter/milk mixture to dissolve the yeast. Set aside for a few minutes - bubbles will begin to form (this means the yeast has activated).
3. While the yeast is working, prep the cardamom. I used pods, which require a little extra work because the seeds need to be extracted and ground, but the resulting flavor is incredible because of the freshness of the ground seeds. Just crush the pods to release the seeds and blitz them in a food processor if available. Otherwise, crush them with the back of a spoon. I used about half of the pods in my container of cardamom for both the dough and the filling. 
   
   
   
   
   
4.  In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cardamom, salt; then add the activated yeast and the rest of the warm butter/milk mixture.
5. Mix with your hands until a dough is formed and can be made into a ball.
6. Move dough to a flat surface (does NOT need to be floured) and knead for 3-5 minutes until smooth. The dough should not be sticky (add a little flour if it sticks to your fingers).
   
   
   
   
   
7. Return the dough to the large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. 
8. Leave the dough to rise until it has doubled inside, about an hour.
9. Once dough has risen, make the filling by mixing all of the filling ingredients in a bowl until it becomes spreadable.
10. Push the air out of the risen dough and divide it in half. 
11. Move the first half onto a flat, unfloured surface and roll into a large rectangle, about 11x17 inches, with the long side of the rectangle facing you.
12. Spread half of the filling mixture on the dough, covering the entire surface, and roll it upwards.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Slice the roll into about 1/2-inch thick slices and place the rolls onto one of the baking sheets.
14. Pinch the end of each roll together so to prevent unrolling during the second rise and the bake.
15. Repeat for the second half of the dough, place tea towels over the baking sheets and allow them to rise for about 45 minutes.
    
    
    
    
    
16. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees.
17. After the second rise, beat an egg and brush it onto each bun. Next, sprinkle each with raw sugar and back for about 15 minutes. Take the buns out when golden brown.
18. Enjoy! These are best served right out of the oven.

Tips and Variations:

• Top with chopped almonds, powdered sugar, or honey instead of raw sugar.
• Top with an easy icing by combining 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix until smooth, adding more milk as necessary.
• Substitute cardamom for more cinnamon.
• Add cocoa powder for a chocolate version!

Rosenmunnar {Swedish Thumbprint Cookies}

This is hands down one of my favorite recipes of all time. Given to me by my dad, this classic Swedish cookie recipe only requires four ingredients and is incredibly fast, easy and versatile! They are perfect year-round, for every occasion and they are inexplicably delicious. Definitely one of my favorite cookies to make and to eat!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
Lingonberry preserves (I like using Felix)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Tools:
1 large mixing bowl
Sifter
Hand mixer
Baking sheet (ideally 2)
Cooling Rack
Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl.
3. Sift flour into creamed butter and sugar mixture until crumbly. Dough will not come together on its own.
4. Using your hands, roll dough into 1-inch rounds.
5. Make an imprint with your thumb and place on baking sheet.
6. Fill each imprint with a small amount of lingonberry preserves. Be careful not to overfill the cookies - the jam could overflow during the bake!
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
8. Allow to cool for ~20 minutes. 
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Tips and Variations:

• Use your favorite jam in place of lingonberry preserves. Strawberry or blueberry would work really well!
• Use homemade jam by combining 1 package frozen mixed berries with half a cup of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then let simmer until thick, ~20 minutes.
• Replace butter with coconut oil for a healthier, vegan version!