Tartine's (Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson) Flaky Pie Dough

One (10-inch) pie or tart shell

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces

¼ cup cold shortening, cut into pieces

1/3 cup water, very cold

Cooking spray

Aluminum foil or parchment paper

Pastry weights or dried beans

1. To make dough by food processor: Put flour and salt in work bowl and process a few seconds. Add butter and shortening and pulse just until coarse crumbs form. Add water and pulse until the dough just begins to hold together.

2. To make dough by hand: Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Scatter butter and shortening over flour. Using a pastry blender or forks, cut fat into flour until the mixture forms large crumbs. Drizzle in water and stir and toss with a fork until the dough begins to come together in a shaggy mass.

3. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper and shape into a slightly flattened disk. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.4. To line a 10-inch pie pan, first spray very lightly with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness; begin rolling from center out toward the edge in all directions. Lift dough and dust surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll to a circle about 2 inches larger than pan. Carefully transfer dough to pan and ease into bottom and sides, pressing gently. Cut dough so there's about a ½-inch overhang, fold under and crimp or flute, or simply leave plain for a more contemporary finish. The unbaked shell will keep, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

5. To fully bake pie shell: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line shell with foil or parchment paper and add pastry weights or dried beans to cover the bottom; don't fill entire shell with weights. Make sure edge of dough is also covered with foil or parchment. Bake shell until the surface looks light brown, about 25 minutes; to check, lift a corner of the paper. Remove from oven and remove paper and weights. Return shell to oven and continue baking until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

6. To partially bake pie shell: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line shell with foil or parchment paper and add pastry weights or dried beans to cover the bottom; don't fill entire shell with weights. Make sure edge of dough is also covered with foil or parchment. Bake on center oven rack 15 minutes. Carefully lift foil and weights out of pan and with a fork, lightly pierce dough that has puffed up. Continue baking 5 to 8 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack completely before filling. (A partially baked shell should be used right away.)

Friendlyfood's Scones

(Nutrition)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.

Amy's Bread Cherry Cream Scones

3 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tblspn and 1spn Baking Powder
1 1/2 tspn Kosher Salt
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 1/4 cups Dried Cherries
2 2/3 cups Heavy Cream
1 large egg for eggwash
turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat over 400 degrees farenheit
In large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Stir in the brown sugar until evenly distributed than add dried cherries.
Make a deep well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour cream into the well. Stir until dough is soft for meding (should be completely moistened and soft enough to form easily into a disk that will hold its shape without speading). If dough is stiff add more cream.
Divide dough into two pieces shape each into a round disc about 2 inches thick.
Use knife or dough scraper dipped in flour. Cut discs in half and then cut each 1/2 into 3 wedges.
In a small bowl mix 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make egg wash. - brush on top and sprinkle sugar.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 350 degrees farenheit and rotate pans from top to bottom (3 racks)
Bake 10 minutes
Rotate from top to bottom again for 15-20 minutes.
Insert toothpick (should come out clean)
Oven may be turned down to 325 degrees farenheit if browning too quickley.
(keep up to two days)

if using fresh cranberries chop 2 1/2 cups whole cranberries with light brown sugar 1/2 cups

Jacque Torres Chocolat Chip Cookies

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Thomas Keller's Chocolate Bochons

Butter and flour for the timbale molds
3/4 cup flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (12 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, just slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into pieces the size of chocolate chips
Confectioner's sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 16 (2-ounce) timbale molds or fleximolds. Set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, or in another large bowl if using a hand-held mixer, mix the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very pale in color. Mix in the vanilla.

3. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to a day.)

4. Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold two-thirds full.

5. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test one cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. It should come out clean but not dry (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate).

6. Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the timbale molds and let the bouchons cool upside down in the molds, then lift off the molds. (The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.) To serve: Invert the bouchons and dust them with confectioner's sugar. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Mark Bittman's Swedish Pancake

Don’t stir the batter any more than is necessary to combine the ingredients; it will make the pancakes tough. Cook them, over fairly high heat, in a lot of butter. These are so rich and delicious they can be served with nothing more than a dusting of confectioners' sugar. But they are sweet enough so that you can serve them with lingonberry or other tart preserves or even a little lemon juice. Yogurt or sour cream also complement the pancakes nicely.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter, more for cooking
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Method

• 1. Separate eggs, and beat yolks in a medium bowl with sugar and salt. Add milk and flour alternately, stirring gently after each addition, to form a thin, smooth batter. Stir in melted butter. (Batter can be covered and refrigerated at this point for up to a day.)
• 2. Beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gently stir them into batter; do not worry about fully incorporating them.
• 3. Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat; when a drop of water skips across it before evaporating, it's ready. Melt some butter in pan, and, using a tablespoon, scoop up a bit of batter and put it in pan. Cook as many pancakes at once as will fit comfortably, turning them when they are brown. Total cooking time is less than 5 minutes per pancake.
• 4. Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Bridge Creek Heavenly Hots Silver Dollar Pancake Recipe

4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cake flour
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar

Procedure

1. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended.

2. Add the salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream, and sugar, and mix well. A blender works fine for this step.

3. Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is good and hot, film with grease, and drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle--just enough to spread to an approximately 2 1/2-inch round. When a few bubbles form on top of the pancakes, turn them over and cook briefly, no longer than 45 seconds.

Marc Meyer's Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (4-ounces) ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
Grated peel of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Butter for the griddle

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with a fork until blended, do not overmix.
Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease griddle with butter. As soon as the
butter is melted, pour pancake batter onto griddle. Cook until batter begins to bubble or
pancakes are golden. Flip and finish the other side. Serve pancakes warm with pure maple syrup

Gina DePalma's Ricotta Pound Cake

(makes one 9-inch cake, about 10 servings)

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh whole-milk ricotta

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter, dust it with flour, and tap to knock out the excess.

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream togther butter, ricotta, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds with blunt side of a small knife, then beat them into batter along with vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients to combine them, scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat batter for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Give the pan a few gentle whacks on the counter to remove any air pockets. Bake cake for 15 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until the cake springs back lightly when touched, the sides have begun to pull away from the pan, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 to 35 minutes more. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto the rack to cool completely.

Dust cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar before serving it; the flavor is best on the next day. Any leftover cake may be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake also freezes beautifully, wrapped in plastic, and place in a large, sealable plastic bag.

From “Dolce Italiano”

Thomas Keller's Chocolate Chip Cookies

(makes about thirty 3-inch cookies)

Thomas Keller writes in the book: This is our version of what is arguably the best cookie ever. I like to use different chocolates, one sweeter, one with a more complex bittersweet balance. After you chop the chocolate, sift it to remove any tiny fragments to give the cookies a cleaner look. If you like softer cookies, don’t underbake them, just mist them with water before baking.

2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

5 ounces 55 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces

5 ounces 70 to 72 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces

8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably molasses sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Position racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Sift flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir in the salt.

Put chips in a fine-mesh basket strainer and shake to remove any chocolate “dust” (small fragments).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat half the butter on medium speed until fairly smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in chocolate.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold dough with a spatula to be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated. The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers. (Defrost frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator before baking.)

Using about 2 level tablespoons per cookie, shape dough into balls. Arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between them, because the dough will spread. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating pans halfway through baking.

Cool cookies on the pans on cooling racks for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with second batch of cookies. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Note: If your brown sugar has hardened, soften it in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds.

Pierre Herme's Brioche Nanterre

Note – The recipe suggests crumbling the fresh yeast directly into the flour. The yeast has to be crumbled very finely.
- place the crumbled fresh yeast into a small bowl with two tblsp of warm water (just add a bit more flour because the dough will be stickier) OR
- use instant yeast (7g)

500g strong white flour (around 4.5 cups)
12.5g fresh yeast
50g caster sugar (fanny: this gives a brioche that is not sweet nor savoury, so if like me you like your brioche on the sweet side, I recommend you use 85 to 100g)
7 eggs
1 tsp salt
400g unsalted butter, at room temperature (1.7636981 cups)

for the glaze
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp caster sugar

Directions

Pour the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Ass the crumbled fresh yeast and sugar. Mix on medium speed and add four eggs. Mix again then add the 3 remaining eggs, one at a time.
Once the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, add the salt and the butter cut into small pieces. The dough is ready when it comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl again.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Lift the sticky dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough with your fist and put it back into the bowl. Cover with cling film again and place in the fridge for 1 1/4 hours. Press down the dough to check if it has risen agan, then remove it to the work surface and gently punch down to deflate.

Butter four 18 x 9cm loaf tins. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, then divide each portion into four. Roll each piece of dough into a ball on a non-floured surface. Set four balls closely side by side into a tin. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Leave at room temperature until it has doubled in size. Brush with glaze (just mix everything).
Using a pair of scissors, cut a cross in each ball. Bake into the oven, preheated to 180°C for 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Pierre Herme's Pistachio Waffles with Chocolate Cream

The raisins
½ cup golden raisins
1 1/3 cups water
1 ½ tablespoons honey
3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 to 6 threads of saffron according to your taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in tablespoon cold water

put the raisins in a strainer and rince them under running water for a minute. Toss the raisins into a medium saucepan along with the water honey, ginger, and salt and pepper and bring to the boil. As soon as the water bubbles, turn the heat to its lowest setti ng and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the raisins are puffed.

Using a slotted spoon scoop out the raisins and ginger discard the ginger. Save the syrup , and put the raisins in a small bowl. Whisk the saffron and cornstarch into the syrup and bring to the boil. Strain the syrup over the raisins. Let the mixture cool to room temperature then conver and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. (The raisins can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

The Waffles

1 large egg white at room temperature
½ cup chilled heavy cream
½ cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
½ cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 ½ ounces skinned pistachio nuts coarsely chopped

Beat the egg white until it is stiff but still glossy: keep it aside. Now, whip the heavy cream until it holds medium peaks: keep this aside as well.
Whisk together the flour and baking powder and set them aside for the moment. Working in a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, milk, sugar, and salt. When the ingredients are blended, use a rubber spatula to fold in the beaten egg white, followed by the whipped cream. Don’t worry about being thorough at this point. Slowly and gently fold in the flour mixture with the spatula. Still working gingerly, fold in the melted butter and then when it is fully incorporated the pistachio nuts. You’ll have a thick mixture one that will look more like a cake batter than a traditional waffle batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to settle and chill for 1 hour.
About 10 minutes before you are ready to prepare the waffles, preheat your waffle iron. If you want to hold the finished waffles for up to 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees fareheit. Lightly butter or spray the grids of your iron if necessary; brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.
Spoon the batter onto the hot iron- the amount of batter you need will depend on your waffles (in most cases, one waffle will need ½ o ¾ cups of batter). Using a metal spatula or wooden spoon, smooth the batter evenly across the grids. Close the lid and bake until the waffle is browned and crisp. If you’re going to serve the waffles now, transfer them to a cutting board; if you’re going to keep them until you finish the batch, place them in a single layer on a rack in the preheated oven. Continue making waffles until you finish the batter ( The waffles can be made ahead, cooled and kept covered at room temperature for up to 6 hours or wrapped airtight and frozen up to 1 month. Before serving, dust the waffles with confectioners sugar and run them under the broiler to reheat them and caramelize the sugar.)

To serve

Deep Chocolate Cream chilled

For each serving cut a waffle in half on the diagonal and place one half of the waffle in the center of a warm dinner plate. Put a scoop of chocolate cream in the center of the waffle, lean the other half ofg the waffle against the cream, and spoon some of the raisins and their saffron syrup around the waffles. Serve immediately, while the waffles are hot and the cream and raisins are cold.

Eleven Madison Park's Two Day Madelines with Brown Butter

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, more at room temperature for buttering molds

5 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more for flouring molds

Large pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Grated zest of 1 lemon.

Directions

1. In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter, and cook until it begins to smell nutty and turns brown. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

2. In a mixer fitted with a whisk, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer, and sift flour, salt and baking powder over eggs. Fold together with a spatula. Pour in butter and lemon zest, and fold together. (At this point you could fold in a number of dry ingredients, like finely chopped nuts, ground cardamom, orange zest or coconut.) Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a small (about 1/4-inch) round tip. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a madeleine pan (small or large molds). Pipe batter into molds, so they are three-quarters full.

4. Bake until madeleines form humps and are nut brown around edges, 6 to 8 minutes, longer if using large molds. Remove from oven, and bang pan on a countertop to release madeleines from molds. Carefully lift off any that stick. Place in a napkin to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Francois Payard's Classic Financiers

9 tablespoons butter, more for molds

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup almond flour or 1/2 cup whole unpeeled almonds

1/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons cake flour

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions

1. Generously butter 12 2-by-4-inch rectangular financier molds (measured at the top). Refrigerate.

2. In a small pan over medium low heat, heat butter, occasionally swirling, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Sift sugar over almond flour. (If using whole almonds, process with sugar in a food processor until mostly fine.) Add both flours, salt and baking powder, and gently whisk to combine. Add egg whites one at a time, whisking just to combine. Do not overwork or the cakes will be tough.

3. Add vanilla to butter. In a steady stream, whisk butter into flour mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 3 hours.

4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Set molds on a baking sheet. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag that has a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe mixture into molds, filling halfway. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until browned and springy. Remove from oven, and cool 2 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely on rack. Serve plain or dusted with powdered sugar, or warm, with ice cream.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/24/dining/the-pastry-chef-s-rich-little-secret.html?pagewanted=all

Pichet Ong's Chinese Walnut Cookies

5 ounces (about 2 cups) walnut halves
1 3/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Toast walnuts on rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes, shaking nuts halfway through. Cool.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed with 1/2 cup walnuts and the salt until walnuts break up.

3. Scrape down bowl, add sugars, and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl and add flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape dough onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees, and grease 2 baking sheets (or line with parchment). Scoop 1/2-inch rounds of dough, and place them 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press a walnut half on each cookie. Bake cookies, rotating pan halfway through, until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 5 dozen cookies.

Bill Yosses’ Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup unsweetened hazelnut paste or peanut butter (all natural, no oil added)

2 large eggs

2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped out

2 1/3 cups AP flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

12 oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate of choice

Cream the butter and sugars in the large bowl of a free standing mixer. Add the nut butter/paste, beating until smooth (I used al natural peanut butter). Beat in the eggs and the vanilla beans, scraping the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, and combine at low speed until the dough comes together. Mix in the chocolate. Cover the dough with plastic wrap (or transfer to Tupperware) and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon ice cream scoop, drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the cookie sheet—I got 12 exactly onto my cookie sheet.

Bake until lightly browned, 9-13 minutes. Cool the cookie sheets on a cooling rack before removing the cookies.

Rose Levy Beranbaum's Buckwheat Blini

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups milk, warmed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3 large egg yolks (3 1/2 T)
• 1 large egg white (2 T)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter

Directions

1. DAY BEFORE: proof yeast by mixing dry yeast, 1/2 t sugar, and 1/2 c of milk (warmed to lukewarm). Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

2. Stir in the buckwheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of warmed milk.

3. Cover and allow to stand in a warm place for 2 hours.

4. Stir in the all-purpose flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk until smooth.

5. Add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and salt.

6. Mix well, cover, and allow to stand in a warm place for 1 hour.

7. Refrigerate overnight. The batter should be thick and have bubbles all over the surface.

8. Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beater is raised and fold into the batter.

9. Beat egg white until soft peaks form and fold into the batter.You will have about 8 cups of batter.

10. Pour scant 2 T of batter onto a hot griddle, lightly greased with the clarified butter between each batch. Cook until puffed and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds or until lightly browned.

11. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking the inside of the blini. Makes about 70 blini.

Matt Lewis' (Baked) Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Mixture will look light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
3. Add the flour mixture, bit by bit, mixing after each addition.
4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Cover the bowl tightly and put in the fridge for several hours (Baked suggests 6; I did 2 and they were still delicious).
6. Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
7. If you want big cookies, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 2-tablespoon sized balls. If you want smaller ones, use two teaspoons (one to scoop the dough and one to release it). Use your hands to shape into perfect balls and erase any imperfections. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies, 12-14 minutes for larger cookies. Make sure to rotate pans at the halfway mark to ensure even baking. They're done when the edges are golden and the tops are just starting to lose their shine.
8. Remove pan from oven and cool on wire rack. They are great warm, but you could also let them cool, if you're so inclined.
9. These babies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Doubt they'll last that long though.

Next door neighbors, Carol Goldenberg, Carrot Cake

3 C grated raw Carrots
Chopped Walnuts
Ground Walnuts
1 can crushed Pineapple

Mix

2 C sugar
1-1/2 C vegetable oil
4 Eggs
3 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2-1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 C Flour

-Add Carrots & Walnuts

-Bake in greased & floured pan 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes

This will make more approximately 1 cake and another ½ of a cake


Cream Cheese Icing

Room Temperature: 1 8oz Cream Cheese

1 stick of Butter
1 lb Confectioner Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla

Beat together adding the Sugar a little at a time until you reach the right consistency.

Pichet Ong's Banana Bread

1/3 cup (78g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup (155g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (85g) honey
1/2 cup (72g)packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (228g) mashed ripe banana,dotted with black spots all over, from the freezer (or baby bananas)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup (130g) plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream
1 cup (155g) chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet), optional (I used about 1/2 cup)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly butter an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

Put the butter, honey, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a mixer bowl, and beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the bananas and vanila and beat on medium speed until the mixture looks lumpy, about 1 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium low and beat in the egg until well incorporated. Turn the speed to low, and gradually add in the sifted flour mixture. Mix just until no trace of flour remains, about 10 second. Taking note not to overmix the flour. Add in the yogurt, and mix until the batter has only a few remaining white streaks about 5 second. If you like, stop the mixer and mix in the yogurt by hand instead. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, if desired. (I sprinkle the chocolate chips on the batter after it has been poured into the pan.They will sink slightly into the batter after baked)

Transfer the batter into the greased pan and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes or until the tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool completely on rack.

Pichet Ong's Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/3 cups (4 ounces/113 grams) finely shredded Unsweetened dried coconut
• 2 cups (11 ounces/310 grams) all purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup (8 ounces/226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (6 ounces/169 grams) packed dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 ounces/169 grams) sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2½ cups (11 7/8 ounces/336 grams) bittersweet pistoles or

• bittersweet chocolate chips, or roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate (see Notes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Spread the coconut on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

4. Put the butter, both sugars, the salt, and cooled toasted coconut into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla. Turn the mixer speed to low and add half the flout mixture. When incorporated, add the remaining flour and mix until no traces of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. If you have time, cover the dough tightly and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days, before baking.

5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Scoop the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and put 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until brown and crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

CHEF’S TIP: Creaming the butter with the coconut maximizes the cookies’ distinctive nuttiness, which provides a great backdrop for the rich, deep flavor of bittersweet chocolate. Be sure to use unsweetened coconut here—not only does it taste much better than the sweetened variety, it also makes these cookies crumbly and crisp.

Pistoles, which are flat rounds of chocolate, are a convenient proxy for chopped chocolate, and I often use them in brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chips can be used in cookies but are not good for melting.

Whatever its form, all chocolate keeps well in a dark, cool place at room temperature for up to 6 months. Keep it away from spices and other strong aromatics in your pantry, as chocolate readily absorbs different scents. If you are buying in bulk, wrap the chocolate tightly and store in the freezer for up to one year. Finally, if your chocolate develops pale creamy-white spots, what is called “bloom,” don’t worry: it’s not spoiled, and the spots will disappear when the chocolate is melted.

Magnolia Bakery's Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c chunky style peanut butter
3/4 c sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 c peanut butter chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisscross pattern but do not overly flatten cookies. Lightly sprinkle cookies with sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack and cool completely.
Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Union Square Cafe Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter, soft
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c AP flour
1 1/4c cups rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 oz semisweet chocolate (I've made it with more, or milk, or whatever - it works)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter or parchment (or preferably silpat) two cookie sheets.Cream butter and both sugars together until "smooth and fluffy". Add egg and vanilla and blend thoroughly (I add the vanilla to the egg first). Add everything else to the bowl except the chocolate. Mix on low to incorporate. Fold in the chocolate by hand with a rubber spatula. 12 cookies per sheet, 2tbsp each, flatten. Bake each sheet separately for 9 minutes "until the cookies have spread and puffed slightly, but have not browned". Cool for 10 mins, then put on a rack.