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!