Sunday Tradition

In our house, Sunday is a day that the kids and I get in the kitchen together. With busy schedules Monday through Saturday, Sunday is the one day we’re home together as a family and can carry on this weekly tradition. I love being in the kitchen with my kids, and I love even more seeing their excitement about being in the kitchen and creating something.

More often than not, we’re making cookies together. If your kids are eager to bake with you, I think cookies are the perfect place to start. The recipes are usually easy to follow and don’t require too much time or effort.

And now that Westin is older, I have found that it’s easier for me to step back and observe that try to control the process too much. In fact, Westin is now the one ordering Avery and me around! We’ve spent years baking together, and to see him know and understand the process is so fun for me!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

For yesterday’s weekly family baking day, we made my favorite peanut butter cookies. I’ve been making these cookies since I was a teenager, so they hold a special place in my heart. I’ve tweaked (and perfected – if I do say so myself) the recipe over the years and am so excited for you to try them.

These cookies are soft and chewy, and are filled with loads of the best peanut butter chips. Seriously! I recommend only using the Reese’s peanut butter chips. I don’t think any other brand even compares!

I like these cookies underdone just a bit and then cooled for about 10 minutes. They also store well in an airtight container. I’d recommend warming them again for about 10 seconds in the microwave after they’ve cooled completely.

Enjoy!

The post Irresistible Peanut Butter Chip Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Irresistible Peanut Butter Chip Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

While chocolate chip cookies are my all-time favorite cookie, I do love a good snickerdoodle cookie! “Good” is a crucial part to that statement. A dry, flavorless snickerdoodle is never worth my time, but a soft and chewy snickerdoodle, with a slightly crispy edge, that’s also full of flavor is something dreams are made of!

As simple and classic as this cookie is, there’s definitely good versions and not-so-good versions.

Why use brown butter?

Browning butter is a simple way to elevate your cookies and desserts. Brown butter adds a lovely depth of flavor, richness and even a bit of nuttiness to cookies. It really takes a dessert to the next level. In fact, I love using brown butter in cakes too. Have you tried my Brown Butter Cake yet? Definitely add it to your list!

The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe with Brown Butter

The other week I set out to work on my own recipe for snickerdoodles, one that would be memorable and become a fan-favorite in my house and right here on the blog. After a few rounds of recipe testing, I’ve landed on what my family and I think is the best snickerdoodle recipe.

How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. This is an important step as it cooks the butter and brings out the flavor in the cookies. You don’t need to stir much during this process. Just make sure to keep your eye on the butter once it’s melted. It’s done cooking when you start to see brown specs at the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. It doesn’t need to be set before using in the cookies.
2. Make sure to use cream of tartar AND baking soda. Cream of tartar gives this cookie it’s signature tangy flavor and chewy texture. It also helps to create the cinnamon-filled cracks as the cookie bakes. The baking soda helps the cookies to rise as well.
3. Roll the cookie balls into a cinnamon-sugar mixture. In fact, do it twice to ensure the cookies are completely covered in cinnamon-sugar before baking.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 9 to 10 minutes, just until the edges look set.  These snickerdoodle cookies need to be soft and chewy so be sure not to overbake them.

How to Adjust This Recipe for Thicker Cookies

While I like my snickerdoodles on the thinner side with a chewy center, I know many of you may prefer a thicker cookie. Here are a few ideas for creating a thicker cookie from my recipe:

• Increase the flour by ¼ to ½ cup.
• Don’t use melted butter – instead, after you’ve browned the butter, place it in the refrigerator to get become a solid again.
• Refrigerate the cookie dough before baking it.

More Cookie Recipes to Love

Cookies

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Cookies

Easy White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies

Cookies

The Best Biscoff Cookies You’ll Ever Eat

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Snickerdoodle Cookies

Flavorful and chewy snickerdoodle cookies with brown butter.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Snickerdoodle, Snickerdoodle Recipe, Snickerdoodles

Servings 30

Ingredients

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (6.8 g) cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon (8.2 g) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until brown specs form. (See blog post above for more details).
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown butter ,1 ¼ cups granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about two minutes.
• Mix in the eggs and vanilla and stir until well combined
• With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
• With a 1.5 inch cookie scoop (about 1.2 ounces), scoop cookie dough and roll into balls.
• Stir together the ¼ cup granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place onto the baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
• Bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes. They may look slightly underdone, but once they cool completely, they'll have a soft and chewy center.

The post The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe with Brown Butter first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe with Brown Butter appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Westin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Cookies came in a close second to Avery’s Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in our Family Food Wars. These cookies are inspired by the Levain Bakery chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, but are a chewier, thinner version with white chocolate chips.

Westin’s recipe was really solid! His original version baked pretty flat, so my goal in revising it was to give it a little more structure. To achieve that, I used a little less granulated sugar, added ¼ cup flour, included more peanut butter chips and swapped the white chocolate callets for white chocolate chips.

Check out his recipe below and let us know what you think!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chips

Gooey and delicious chocolate cookies with peanut butter and white chocolate chips.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate peanut butter and white chocolate chip cookies, cookies, peanut butter chips, Westin’s cookies, white chocolate chips

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, cold
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (33.3 g) cocoa powder, we like to use Extra Brute Cacao Barry cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 3/4 cup peanut butter chips, we HIGHLY recommend using the Reese's brand
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• flakey sea salt, optional

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
• Add the flour, cocoa powder baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Stir in the peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips.
• Using a cookie scoop (I used a 1.69 oz cookie scoop – LINKED HERE) and place on the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• This recipe will give you 21 cookies at that size.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. They will look slightly underdone. That's okay! Let them cool completely and they'll set but still be gooey and soft.

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Westin’s Food Wars Recipe) first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Westin’s Food Wars Recipe) appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Family Food Wars Winner

In case you missed it, our Family Food Wars was pretty intense last weekend! I had the kids work with a few clues and create their own cookie recipe from scratch. Make sure to check it out here if you haven’t seen it: Family Food Wars: create your own cookie recipe.

It was a close race, but ultimately, Avery brought home the WIN with her Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. She made soft and chewy cookies with a caramel and peanut butter base, using caramel extract and smooth peanut butter. She then added dark chocolate chips, Butterfinger pieces, and Rolos. So good, right?!

Westin made a delicious chocolate cookie with peanut butter and white chocolate chips. Also an amazing cookie and barely lost to Avery cookie.

Honestly, both cookies were so amazing and I was so impressed.

I made a couple small tweaks to each recipe and got the thumbs up from both kids to share them with you.

Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let’s start with Avery’s cookies.

The flavor profile she chose was caramel, chocolate and peanut butter. To start, she added caramel extract and peanut butter to her cookie dough base. Based off my clue sheet (which you can find HERE), she used a half cup butter (to make a half batch) and went with a little more brown sugar than granulated sugar to get a chewy texture.

I thought her ratios for everything were pretty spot on. The only thing I ended up changing was adding a little more baking soda and add-ins.

NOTE: for the true soft and chewy texture, be sure you don’t overbake these cookies. I suggest baking them for 9-10 minutes. They should look slightly underdone. Once they cool, the centers set more and maintain the chewy texture.

This recipe makes 19, 1.7 oz cookies

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Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chew caramel peanut butter cookies, filled with chocolate chips, Butterfinger pieces and chocolate covered caramels.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Avery’s cookies, Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60 g) peanut butter
• ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 egg, cold
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) caramel extract
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) baking powder
• 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Rolos or other chocolate covered caramels, chopped
• 1/2 cup Butterfinger candies, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the egg, the caramel extract and the vanilla extract.
• Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder, and mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Stir in the chocolate chips, the Butterfinger pieces and the chocolate covered caramel pieces.
• Using a cookie scoop (I used a 1.69 oz cookie scoop – LINKED HERE) and place on the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• This recipe will give you 19 cookies at that size.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. They will look slightly underdone. That's okay! Let them cool completely and they'll set but still be chewy and soft.

The post Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Avery’s Winning Food Wars Recipe) first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Avery’s Winning Food Wars Recipe) appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Biscoff Sandwich Cookies

I’m so excited for you to try my new Biscoff Sandwich Cookies. I created this recipe on a whim one lazy Sunday afternoon and my family went bananas for them! The cookies are made with Biscoff cookie crumbs and Biscoff cookie butter. Two of these delicious soft and chewy cookies are combined with a soft and creamy Biscoff cookie butter filling. Sounds delicious, right?! THEY ARE!

I won’t even bore you with a long blog post. Everything you need to know about these cookies is in the recipe and instructions. They’re super easy to make and will be snatched up by your family and guests in minutes!

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Biscoff Sandwich Cookies

Soft and chewy Biscoff cookies with Biscoff cookie butter filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword biscoff, Biscoff cookies, Biscoff sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 16 (125 g) Biscoff cookies, pulverized to a crumb
• 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 1/2 cup (120 g) smooth Biscoff cookie butter
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, cold
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract

For the Filling

• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• ¾ cup (180 g) smooth Biscoff cookie butter
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted

Instructions

For the Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the Biscoff cookie crumbs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cookie butter until smooth.
• Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until, fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the eggs and vanilla until well blended.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Using a spoon or cookie scoop, form tablespoon size balls of cookie dough. This recipe will make 70 individual cookies, 35 full cookie sandwiches.
• Place the cookie dough about 1 to 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. (I fit 20 on each of my pans).
• Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the filling.

For the Filling

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cookie butter on medium-high speed until smooth.
• Stir in the powdered sugar and beat for an additional two minutes.
• Using a piping bag, pipe buttercream onto one of the cookies and sandwich it with a second cookie.

The post Biscoff Sandwich Cookies with Biscoff Cookie Butter Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Biscoff Sandwich Cookies with Biscoff Cookie Butter Filling appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

One of my dad’s favorite treats as a kid was his mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies. I remember him telling me over and over again how they were the best cookies he’s ever had and no one could make them better than grandma. Over the years, any time we would visit my grandma Margaret, she always had a fresh batch of her cookies waiting for us. I loved opening the tupperware and having the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hit my nose. It’s a memory I’ll never forget and one I try to recreate often. These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are my version of Grandma Margaret’s classic cookies. 

How I perfected this recipe

I never did get my grandma’s recipe before she passed away (I’m pretty sure it was the Nestle Tollhouse recipe from the chocolate chip cookie bag), so over the years I’ve tried dozens and dozens of chocolate chip cookies – baking them myself and taste testing at different bakeries across the country – to find my favorite version of this classic cookie. Through all this “research,” I’ve landed on two favorite recipes actually. The first is Jacque Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies and the second is this classic soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. The recipe for these cookies is simple, foolproof, and utterly scrumptious!

Now, any time my dad comes to visit me, I try to have a batch of these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies waiting for him. And, according to him, they’re better than his mom’s cookies. He could just be saying that because he’s my dad, but I’d like to believe it’s the truth.

I recommend using semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips in these cookies and adding a little sea salt on top after they’ve baked. And don’t forget to enjoy these chocolate chip cookies with a nice, cold glass of milk!

Enjoy!

Find me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more recipes, tips, and fun!

The post Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Levain Bakery Cookie

Hi friends! Today I’m talking about my favorite copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip cookie!

Forgive my absence from writing this past month! I was out of town for work a little more than usual, and I’ve also been in town baking cakes and teaching cake classes. I have so many new cake flavor ideas I’m dying to test out and share with you! But I had to put those on hold for a bit longer. I was recently in New York where I visited (again) the popular Levain Bakery. After getting home I simply couldn’t wait another minute to recreate their Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie. This is one of my all-time favorite cookies EVER!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip

I know Levain is probably best known for their Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie, but in my opinion the Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie takes the cake! (Their oatmeal raisin and dark chocolate peanut butter cookies are pretty amazing, too!) Maybe I’m a little biased because I’m shamelessly obsessed with peanut butter. There must be something about peanut butter, as even The Silos have a peanut butter based Magnolia cookie – I have a copycat recipe for that one as well. But even non-obsessed PB fans love this cookie because it’s simply delicious!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

Like the classic Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie is slightly undercooked on the inside, but perfectly cooked on the outside. (They are literally baked to order!) The cookie is filled with baking chips, making it thick and rich!

Testing ingredients

Getting it Just Right

Levain is known for the massive size of their cookies. They don’t mess around, people! Each cookie is weighed out to 5.75 ounces before going on the baking sheet. That sounds huge, but it makes the cookie what it is.

 

The Levain cookies are also known for being packed with baking chips (and nuts, in some cases). For my copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookies, the chips and nuts help to create the height. I put nearly a bag and a half of peanut butter chips in my cookies here, which I think is perfection! 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

 

Enjoy!

 

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Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Thick, rich, and chewy, these chocolate peanut butter chip cookies will have you thinking you’re sitting on West 74th Street at the popular New York City bakery.

Servings 8 Large cookies

Author cakebycourtney

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cup (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (76.6 g) cake flour
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) dark cocoa powder (I use Extra Brute Cacao Powder – Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder is a good alternative)
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
• 14 tablespoons (197.75 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 bag 10 oz., plus ⅓ cup Reese’s Peanut Butter baking chips*

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Whisk together. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cold butter and sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the whole egg and egg yolk and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 30 more seconds.
• Turn the mixer on low speed and add the dry ingredients in three separate additions, only mixing until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Stir in the peanut butter chips.
• Measure 5.75 oz. of cookie dough and shape into balls. Place 4 cookie dough balls on the baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes. 
• Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes and then serve while still warm. To eat later, heat a cookie in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. 
• *Please don’t use any other brand but Reese’s! I’ve tried every peanut butter baking chip out there and these are simply the best. They make a huge difference to the flavor of the cookie and any other peanut butter chip just wouldn’t be the same.
• **This is about a bag and a half.

The post Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

As many of you know by now, my love of Biscoff runs DEEP! It hasn’t taken over my obsession for peanut butter, but it’s a close second. The flavor is just so rich and warm and delicious. Plus, it is proving to pair with so many flavors! Check out how I’ve used Biscoff in the past:

Biscoff Inspired Cakes

The Most Delicious Biscoff Cake with Biscoff Filling

Peach Biscoff Cake with Cheesecake Filling

Delicious and Easy Biscoff Strawberry Cake

Oatmeal Biscoff Cake with Biscoff Buttercream

Tender and Moist Biscoff Banana Bread

The Most Delicious Biscoff Bundt Cake

Unforgettable Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake

Pumpkin Biscoff Cake with Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

That doesn’t even COVER them all! Ha!

See… true love!

And while I do have a Biscoff Brownie Cake, I have yet to do a simple chocolate and Biscoff cake.

Chocolate Biscoff Sheet Cake

For my Chocolate Biscoff Cake, I decided to keep it simple and bake it as a 9-inch x 13-inch sheet cake. Did you know you can make ANY of my cakes as sheet cakes? You don’t need to change anything except the bake time. You’ll add about 10 minutes more to the time given in one of the recipes for my layered cake. When you make a sheet cake from my layered cake recipes, you may want to reduce the buttercream by half. Notice below, the buttercream is half of the amount that my normal recipe would produce. It’s the perfect amount for a sheet cake.

How to Make Chocolate Biscoff Cake

To make the chocolate Biscoff cake layer, we’re using my Biscoff cake recipe with the addition of cocoa powder.

Steps for making chocolate Biscoff sheet cake:

• Beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for about three minutes to ensure the texture is smooth and fluffy. The sugar should mostly be dissolved and the color of the mixture should look lighter in color.
• Gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition. After all of the eggs are added, be sure to mix the batter on medium-high speed until the batter is smooth and all of the ingredients have come together. If the batter looks chunky or curdled at this point, it’s likely your wet ingredients were too cold or you didn’t mix long enough.
• Alternately add the flour mixture (which includes the Biscoff cookie crumbs and cocoa powder) and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Bake the cake at 325 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

How to Make This a Layered Cake

If you want to make this a layered cake, you will simply use three 8-inch round cake pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. I would also recommend doubling the buttercream recipe.

Piping Tools

For the piping design, I used the Wilton 1M piping tip and the silicone piping bag from my shop.

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Chocolate Biscoff Cake

Moist and flavorful chocolate Biscoff cake with Biscoff filling and chocolate Biscoff buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginner, biscoff, chocolate, Chocolate Biscoff Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 18 Biscoff or Speculoos Cookies
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (59 g) good quality dark cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar packed
• 4 large or extra large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE FILLING

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at, room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) Biscoff spread or other cookie butter
• 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar, sifted

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 3/4 cups (169.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 4 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (125 g) smooth Biscoff cookie butter
• 2 1/2 cups (325 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• generous pinch of salt
• This is enough buttercream to pipe or spread on a 9-inch by 13-inch sheet cake. If you turn this cake into a layered cake you will want to DOUBLE the recipe.

Garnish

• Biscoff Cookies

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your 9-inch x 13-inch rectangular pan with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottom with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• Place the Biscoff cookies in a food processor or blender and pulse until the cookies are finely ground and resemble flour.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the Biscoff crumbs, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat the mixture for a few more minutes, until the mixture is smooth. It’s not done until it looks cohesive, meaning, it shouldn’t look curdled, but more like buttercream.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until it has all been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

FOR THE FILLING

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and Biscoff spread or cookie butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• Heat the cream and chocolate chips together in the microwave for about 45 to 60 seconds. Stir the mixture until the chips are melted. If the chocolate isn’t melting enough, heat the mixture again for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. We want the ganache to be close to room temperature before adding it to the butter.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and Biscoff cookie butter on medium-high until it’s light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the ganache mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat until silky, smooth.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Assembly

• When the cake is cooled to room temperature, evenly spread the Biscoff filing on top.
• Using the wilton 1m piping tip and a piping bag, pipe on the buttercream. Alternately, you can spread the buttercream over the filling, using an offset icing spatula.

The post The Best Chocolate Biscoff Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Chocolate Biscoff Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

Nothing says Christmastime like sugar cookies! While ginger is probably my favorite flavor and smell of the season, sugar cookies are the treat I’ll always associate with Christmas because we made and decorated sugar cookies for neighbors every year growing up.

And let me clarify – mom made the cookies, us kids did the decorating!

I’ve carried on the tradition with my kids, using the best sugar cookie recipe out there. It’s the Rich family cookie recipe from my in-laws and it’s absolute perfection.

For this Peppermint Sugar Cookie, I’m simply adding peppermint extract and some crushed candy cane on top.

What is the texture of this sugar cookie?

This sugar cookie is soft and fluffy. If you want your sugar cookie to be a little crisper (like my mom), then you’ll want to roll the dough a little thinner than I recommend in the recipe.

Does this sugar cookie hold its shape?

It’s so fun to use different shape cut-outs with sugar cookies. These cookies will fluff up a tad and don’t hold sharp, crisp edges unless you roll the dough thinner than I recommend. I recommend using circle cookie cutters or other cookie cutters that don’t have too much detail to them.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

For the buttercream, we’re using my classic vanilla buttercream recipe and adding a little peppermint extract. You will love how light and fluffy this peppermint frosting is.

To get this delicious homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in depth instruction for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s an overview with a quick picture tutorial for making the best vanilla buttercream:

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

To decorate these peppermint sugar cookies, I simply grabbed a small star tip, a piping bag and crushed peppermint candies.

How many sugar cookies does this recipe make?

This recipe makes about 36 medium cookies (about 3-inch circle) or about 78 small cookies (1.5 inch circle). You can certainly split the recipe to make less!

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy White Chocolate Peppermint Biscoff Cookies
• Best Ever Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies
• Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Tender and soft peppermint sugar cookies paired with a peppermint buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Peppermint, Peppermint Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookies

Servings 2 dozen, depending on size of the cookie cutter

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightyly cold
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) peppermint extract
• 5 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 3 tablespoons (44.3 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs, vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and place the cookie dough 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
• Freeze the cut dough for 10 minutes and then bake for 6 to 7 minutes.
• Cool completely before frosting.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, peppermint and salt. 
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until nearly white.
• Before frosting or piping, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula to push out the air pockets.

The post Mini Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Mini Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Biscoff Cookies

Friends! Oh my goodness, these cookies are about to change your life. These are the kind of cookies you will want to stand on your rooftop and shout to the world about. Haha, ok, maybe that’s a little exaggeration… or maybe not. I’ll let you decide.

These delicious cookies are inspired by my Biscoff Cake. It’s one of my most popular cakes thanks to the Biscoff cake layers, Biscoff filling, and white chocolate buttercream. The combination is killer.

For the cookies, I added the cookie butter to the cookie dough, along with white chocolate chips and Biscoff cookies, AND I also put two teaspoons of the cookie butter inside each cookie. You’ll want to eat these cookies slightly warm so you can get the full effect of the melted cookie butter with each bite.

Ingredients You Need for Biscoff Cookies

Stock up on Biscoff butter (cookie butter) for these cookies. You’ll need a lot. There’s over a cup of the cookie butter in the dough, plus you’ll need another cup for filling each cookie with two teaspoons of the cookie butter.

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Biscoff butter (or other cookie butter brand of your choice)
• White chocolate chips
• Biscoff or speculoos cookies

How to Make the Best Biscoff Cookies

These cookies are super similar to my Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies. The biggest difference is that we’re adding Biscoff butter to the center of the cookies.

After you’ve made the dough, you’ll then use a large cookie scoop, (mine was about 3.5 ounces) to scoop the cookie dough into 20 cookies. Break each cookie in half, imprint each cookie dough half with your thumb, and fill one side with 2 teaspoons of Biscoff butter. Put the two cookie dough halves together and shape into a ball.

And that’s it! The recipe for the best Biscoff cookies you’ll ever eat. If you want more tips and recipes on all things cake (& occasionally other desserts like cookies) follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney!

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• The Perfect Churro Cookies
• Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies
• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies
• Guilt-Free Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Biscoff Cookies

Soft and chewy Biscoff cookies filled with Biscoff cookie butter, Biscoff cookies, and white chocolate chips.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword biscoff, Biscoff cookies, cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 20 large cookies

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 1 1/2 cups (375 g) creamy Biscoff butter, or any cookie butter
• 1 1/4 cups (275 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/4 cups (225 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 2 teaspoons (6 g) salt
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 12-14 Biscoff cookies, broken into chunks
• 3/4 cup (187.5 g) Biscoff butter, to fill the cookies

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, Biscoff butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about one minute. 
• Add the eggs and beat until just combined.
• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. 
• Stir in the white chocolate chips and cookie chunks.
• Using a large cookie scoop, (mine made 3.5 ounce cookies), scoop the cookie dough into 20 cookies. Break each cookie in half, imprint each half with your thumb and fill one side with 2 teaspoons of Biscoff butter. Put the two cookie dough halves together and shape into a ball. Repeat for all the cookies.
• Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on top. Do not over bake. In fact, I like these underdone just a little. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
• Makes about 20 large cookies.

The post The Best Biscoff Cookies You’ll Ever Eat first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Biscoff Cookies You’ll Ever Eat appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Edible cookie dough has become quite the craze, and I totally understand why! Sometimes it’s way more appetizing to eat the raw cookie dough than to eat the actual cookie. I first made this cookie dough a few years ago when my sister shared with me a similar recipe that I died over. I knew I had to make my own (& incorporate it into a cake, of course), so here is the best ever edible cookie dough recipe I know you’ll love!

This edible cookie dough recipe comes from my Sprinkle Cookie Dough Cake. This cake just screams “Happy Day!” to me, doesn’t it for you too? I love the bright pink color with the sprinkles and of course the cookie dough balls on top. And the fun just keeps on coming once you cut into the cake! It has the cookie dough in between each vanilla cake layer along with vanilla buttercream. So, so good. 

This would be such a fun option for a smash cake or birthday cake. You can of course switch up the buttercream color to fit the celebration. I always like to use Americolor food gels because the gels provide a much more condensed color (compared to food coloring). This means you don’t have to use as much to get the desired color you’re going for. This is a huge win because no one likes getting stained teeth from their dessert!

Anyway, let’s get back on track to the most exciting part of the cake–the best ever edible cookie dough recipe. My recipe calls for mini chocolate chips and sprinkles, but feel free to add in your choice of fillings (candy, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, etc.) with whatever you love most!

Best Ever Edible Cookie Dough Recipe

To make the edible cookie dough, you’ll need:

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (150 g) mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup (75 g) sprinkles 

First, combine the butter and sugars in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 2 minutes–or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Lastly, stir in the mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.

IMPORTANT TIP: What makes the cookie dough edible is cooking the flour first to kill any bacteria. To do this, you’ll evenly spread the flour over a baking sheet and bake it for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees F. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t brown. Allow the flour to cool to room temperature before using it in the cookie dough.

Best Ever Edible Cookie Dough Recipe

OK, let me know if you think this is also the best ever edible cookie dough recipe! I know I usually talk about cake, but sometimes I like to talk about cookies too, and this time, cookie dough. All the sweet things deserve some love, right?! But I hope you love this edible chocolate chip cookie dough as much as I do! Come let me know over on Instagram. You can follow me @cakebycourtney–I can’t wait to chat!

The post Best Ever Edible Cookie Dough Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Best Ever Edible Cookie Dough Recipe appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

I love finding decadent treats and learning how to recreate them into a cake. I feel like it is my calling in life! And cookies are no exception. Cookies are so delicious and the only way they would taste better is in cake form, right?! I’ve made quite a few cakes inspired by cookies, so I put together my 5 cookie-inspired cakes you have to try. I hope you enjoy!

Cookie-Inspired Cake #1: Magnolia Cookie Cake

My Magnolia Cookie Cake is inspired by my copycat Magnolia Cookie recipe that I (and I know so many of you) love! I’m guessing these cake layers will taste unlike any other you’ve ever had. They are hardy and chewy like a cookie, but it’s cake! I used my go-to peanut butter frosting for this cake to finish it off and it’s soo good! 

Cookie-Inspired Cake #2: Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Cake

Like many of you, my favorite Girl Scout Cookie is the Samoa. I had been wanting to make a cake inspired by this cookie for a while, so I was elated when I finally nailed it! My Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Cake is unique because you stack it in acetate paper and then refrigerate/freeze it to help it stay in place. When ready to eat, you remove the acetate paper and you have this beautiful naked cake look. And the taste is even more amazing! I know you’ll love this one.

Cookie-Inspired Cake #3: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is not only inspired by the classic cookie, but by my son Westin too. Back when I first made this cake, he and I would watch the Kids Baking Championship every week on Food Network together. On one of the weeks, the challenge was to make a cookie cake. And then the wheels in my head started turning. I had a lot of fun inventing the recipe for this one (which you can read more about in the original post) and decorating it with Westin. This one definitely tastes like a moist and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!

Cookie-Inspired Cake #4: Cookies and Cream Cake

This Cookies and Cream Cake is truly one of the best cakes ever! First of all, I use my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I worked on that cake recipe for years and now I would dare say it is the perfect chocolate cake. And it pairs so well with the sweet vanilla buttercream that coats the cake. And there are elements of the Oreo cookie all throughout the cake! I recommend crushing up the Oreos in a blender or food processor to keep your buttercream super smooth when you spread it on your cake. I know you will love this one!

Cookie-Inspired Cake #5: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

I had a close friend tell me to recreate the cookie cupcake from the Sprinkles store in Las Vegas. She said it was the best thing she ever put in her mouth, so of course, I was up for the challenge! That’s where my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake comes from. Take note that I use dark chocolate for a reason in this recipe! You lose the chocolate flavor a little bit when baking this one, so using the dark makes the chocolate stand out enough when finished. This cake is filled with a chocolate cookie crust, yellow chocolate chip cake layers, brown sugar frosting, and chocolate chip cookie crumbs. You will love every bite!

5 Cookie-Inspired Cakes You Have to Try

Alright, what do you think? I told you these are 5 cookie-inspired cakes you have to try! Which one will you be trying first? Come follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney and let me know! You can also find all the tips and tricks you need for all things cake. Happy baking!

The post 5 Cookie-Inspired Cakes You Have to Try first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 5 Cookie-Inspired Cakes You Have to Try appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Best Ever Cowboy Cookies

I love an easy, quick-to-whip-up dessert and cookies always fit the bill! I’m a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, but decided to level up my Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and turn them into Cowboy Cookies.

What Are Cowboy Cookies?

While the origins of a Cowboy Cookie are not entirely known (some say cowboys were eating something similar in the 1800s while out on the trail), they were made popular by former First Lady Laura Bush. Back in 1992, Family Circle magazine started a political bake-off during election year, where presidential candidates released family recipes during their campaign. To up the ante, Family Circle asked the wives of each candidate to submit recipes and then readers baked both and voted for their favorite. The results of the bake-off almost always predicted the winner of the election too!

In 2000, Laura Bush debuted her Cowboy Cookies, beating out Tipper Gore’s gingersnap cookie recipe. These oat-filled, pecan-filled, coconut-filled chocolate chip cookies have been a crowd favorite ever since.

How Do You Make Cowboy Cookies?

To create my Cowboy Cookie recipe, I started with my Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. To account for the oats, pecans and coconut, I removed a cup of flour and added more leavening agents, as well as cinnamon. I love cinnamon in my cookies!

To make Cowboy Cookies, you’ll make a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and dump in all the extras. I toasted my pecans and coconut to amp up the flavor, but it’s not necessary.

While these cookies bake and cool on the thinner side, the texture is perfection! Crispy around the edge and soft and chewy in the center.

Ingredients You Need to Make Cowboy Cookies

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Shredded coconut
• Pecans
• Chocolate chips
• Old fashioned rolled oats
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon

Can I Substitute the Pecans in Cowboy Cookies?

Yes, you can absolutely switch out the pecans for another nut of your choice. Walnuts would be the perfect replacement. If you have nut allergies and can’t do any nuts, I’d recommend replacing the nuts with Rice Krispie cereal or additional coconut and oats.

What Cookie Scoop Should I Use?

I like to use 2.25″ cookie scoop for my cookies. THIS brand is one of my favorites.

You can certainly use a smaller scoop. Just make sure to adjust your time by a few minutes – closer to 8 to 10 minutes.

Best Cookie Recipes

In the mood for more cookies? I’ve got you covered! Give these favorites a try:

• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
• Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
• Copycat Magnolia Cookie
• Guilt-Free Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Cowboy Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies with oats, toasted pecans, toasted coconut and a hint of cinnamon.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword chocolate chip cookies, cookies, cowboy cookies

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (300) g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (5.2 g) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar packed
• 2 large or extra large eggs slightly cold
• 2 cups (300 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup toasted coconut
• 1 cup toasted pecans

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the eggs one at time and mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. 
• Stir in the chocolate chips, oats, toasted coconut and toasted pecans.
• Using a 2.25-inch cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are slightly golden brown. The top may look a little soft. That's ok! The cookies will continue to bake a little while they cool.

The post Best Ever Cowboy Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Best Ever Cowboy Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

There’s no point in holding these back another day. I teased you enough with the recipe development on my Instagram stories! Plus, we could all use a win right now, so here’s the recipe to my new Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s not a lot to explain about these cookies, except that they are incredibly delicious and easy to make. Win win!

Ingredients You Need for This Recipe

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Nutmeg (just a pinch!)
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Dark chocolate chips
• Maldon salt

How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• You’ll start this recipe by browning the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. You’ll know the butter is done when you smell the warm nutty flavor and see the brown specks gathering at the bottom of the pan.
• Turn the heat off and let the butter cool slightly, but there’s no need to let it solidify!
• Combine the melted brown butter to the brown sugar and stir until combined.
• Add the egg, yolks, and vanilla and stir until smooth.
• Next, you’ll stir in the dry ingredients.
• Chop the chocolate chips a bit and gently stir into the dough.
• Scoop the dough into 3-ounce balls and bake at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool about 10 to 15 minutes and dig in!

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT: My favorite cookie scoop

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Cookies
• Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies
• Best Ever Cowboy Cookies
• Guilt-Free Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies with brown butter.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword brown butter, Brown butter chocolate chip cookies, Brown Butter desserts, chocolate chip cookies, cookies

Servings 12 (3 oz.) cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted and browned (instructions below)
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, a pinch
• 8 ounces dark chocolate chips, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter is slightly brown in color and has brown specs throughout. Allow to cool slightly but no need to refrigerate to harden.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the melted brown butter and brown sugar together.
• Add the vanilla, egg, and egg yolks and mix until smooth.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, salt and pinch of nutmeg. Stir to combine.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Scoop 3 oz. balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are slightly golden brown. The top may look a little soft. That's ok! The cookies will continue to bake a little while they cool.

The post The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Is it just me or does a cookie craving never go away? There’s nothing better-tasting than a soft and chewy cookie, still warm from getting baked in the oven (well, except for cake!). If you’re looking for a delicious cookie recipe to satisfy your craving, any of these recipes are up for the task. Here are 5 soft & chewy cookie recipes you’ll love.

I’ve had a lot of fun inventing different cookie recipes over the years, and the ones on this list are some of my absolute favorites! Soft and chewy is the only way to eat a cookie, and these recipes do not disappoint. I hope you enjoy these recipes and they become a go-to recipe for you and your family! 

Be sure to check out the original posts I linked for each recipe, so you can get all the tips on making the ultimate soft and chewy cookies. 

5 Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love 

Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipe #1: Gingersnap Cookies

If you’re missing the holidays, these soft & chewy Gingersnap Cookies will take you right back to them! A soft and chewy gingersnap cookie is one of my favorite cookies on the planet. I know gingersnap cookies are traditionally hard and crunchy, but I promise once you taste these you’ll never want to have them any other way. 

Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipe #2: Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies

I love how you can tell how soft and chewy these will taste just by looking at the Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies. This recipe is a super easy one to make, so if you’re a fan of Butterfinger, this could be the first recipe to try from the list. These could easily become a family favorite in your home, just like it has for mine!

Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipe #3: Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies

The secret ingredient to these Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies is the potato chip and pretzel crack filling. Most recipes for this type of cookie just throw in the pretzels and potato chips, but I make an actual crack filling that you bake before adding it to the cookie dough. This method will help you get that crunchy contrast with the soft and chewy cookie.

Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipe #4: White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies

Raspberries have been on my mind, so I added this White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookie recipe to the list! (I think it must be from all the raspberry Valentine cake recipes I just added.) There’s a special tip on how to carefully add in the Biscoff spread at the end. You can check that out on the original post before baking!

Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipe #5: Churro Cookies

I actually used a box of cookie mix for this Churro Cookie recipe. I know, but it’s not what you’re thinking! For this recipe, I teamed up with Food Stirs. They create mixes using high-quality ingredients (i.e. they use real ingredients that are free of artificial preservatives, dyes, and flavors). As much as I love baking from scratch, I also love the convenience of baking from a box mix, especially if you’re baking with kids. 

P.S. The cinnamon chip ganache these cookies are dipped in will change your world! 

5 Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

I can’t wait for you to try these 5 soft & chewy cookie recipes you’ll love! Let me know which one ends up being your favorite over on Instagram. You can follow me @cakebycourtney. I hope you stick around because that’s where I share all my tips and tricks on baking cakes. And occasionally some other desserts, like cookies as you can tell! 

The post 5 Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 5 Soft & Chewy Cookie Recipes You’ll Love appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

How do you feel about buttercream frosting? For me, I absolutely love it. (But you probably would have guessed that.) I just can’t get over how it tastes incredible AND can make a cake look amazing too. I’ve had a lot of fun with buttercream over the years, so I thought it was about time that I made a post on everything you need to know about buttercream frosting. 

In the post, I’ll go over the best types of buttercream frosting and then a few tips on how to use it when creating unique designs for cakes. Once you make buttercream a few times, it’s usually pretty simple to do every time after! It especially makes it easy when you have the right tools to make it (that goes for baking cakes too). You can check out my post here on the tools that I recommend for baking! I promise the right tools make all the difference.

You can always sign up for my cake course too, where I can teach you how to properly use the tools, which will save you a lot of time and frustration! It can be challenging to use cake tools, especially if they’re new to you. I’d love to show you a thing or two with them, so you can have the best baking experience each time! 

The Best Buttercream Frostings

#1: The Best Buttercream Frosting for Cookies

I love this buttercream frosting for cookies. It’s so light and fluffy, making it easy to frost with. Decorating sugar cookies is always a family affair in our home. It’s such a kid-friendly activity (if you don’t mind a little mess) and some of the best memories can be made during this time.

Go ahead and have the cookies baked beforehand, or you can buy unfrosted sugar cookies. That way you can enjoy the fun of frosting without the worry of baking them first. With Christmas right around the corner, this would be a fun thing to do and maybe it could even become a family tradition! 

#2: The Best Vanilla Buttercream

OK, I know this is the same recipe as the buttercream frosting for the cookies, but I wanted to keep them separate because they focus on different things. This vanilla buttercream frosting is the best because of the steps. It’s the HOW that makes this buttercream so silky smooth!  Every single step is important because those are what give you the best consistency for frosting cakes. Check out the post linked above if you want to know the breakdown of how to get the best buttercream! 

#3: The Best Chocolate Buttercream

Doesn’t my chocolate cake do such a good job of showcasing the best chocolate buttercream? Making this chocolate buttercream frosting is similar to how you make the vanilla, except for a few key steps. For instance, remember to heat the cream and chocolate together first and mix it into a ganache before adding it to the butter. This makes such a huge difference! You can click on the link above for the full recipe. 

5 Quick Tips for Decorating with Buttercream Frosting 

Here are a few quick tips for decorating with buttercream frosting. If you want more detailed tips and tutorial videos, you can try my cake course. You’ll learn so much and you’ll leave feeling like a much more confident baker. I promise!

Buttercream Tip #1: Sometimes two piping bags are better than one. 

Isn’t this such a fun cake? This buttercream dog cake was specially made for my daughter, Avery, per her request on her 8th birthday. When piping an entire cake, it’s better to prepare two piping bags and alternate them. Because you’re holding the piping bag for so long, the buttercream will start to get warm from your hand.

When you notice it starting to get warm, put it in the fridge to get back to the cool temp you want. While that one is cooling, you can use your second piping bag to continue your cake decorating. Cold buttercream is much better to work with because when it gets too warm it’s too runny and makes the design look sloppy. 

Buttercream Tip #2: Prep the buttercream design before you put it on the cake. 

At first glance, this buttercream rainbow cake looks harder than it actually is. But if you walk through the steps, you’ll see my secret and then you’ll be piping these cute little rainbows in no time! When piping with multiple colors in one bag and tip, it’s much easier for you to pipe the colors right next to each other on plastic wrap and then carefully fold them into your piping bag. Check out my step-by-step tutorial to see how I did it. 

Buttercream Tip #3: Timing is key for dyed buttercream.

Sooner or later, bakers have to figure out how to make colored or dyed frosting that won’t stain your teeth. Did you know if you leave your dyed buttercream frosting out for several hours (or even overnight) the color will become more saturated? This works best if you first give your buttercream a base color using gel food coloring, and then add the liquid food coloring afterward to help it become the true color you’re wanting. Check out my post for the full tutorial! 

Buttercream Tip #4: Use a cake board to get sharp edges for a buttercream-frosted cake.

I guess this tip has more to do with using the right tools when decorating your cake, but it still connects to using buttercream! To get nice, sharp edges on your buttercream-frosted cake, you’ll want to use a cake board that is the same size as your cake. In my sharp-edged chocolate buttercream cake example (pictured above), I use an 8-inch cake board for my 8-inch cake that has naturally shrunken a little bit after being baked, making the board stick out around the edges just the right amount.

Placing the cake board on top of the cake makes it so much easier for you to frost the side of your cake without messing up the top of your cake. After freezing the cake for 20-30 minutes, you will carefully cut the cake board off and then add a dollop of buttercream frosting to the top and smooth it out. Click here for the full tutorial. 

Buttercream Tip #5: Use a cake scraper to make buttercream stripes.

I get asked all the time how to make cute stripes on a cake with buttercream frosting. It’s actually pretty easy. To start, cover the entire cake with one of the two buttercream frostings you’re planning to pattern stripes with. (I recommend covering it with the darker of the two frostings first.) Next, use your cake scraper to smooth it out, as you would normally. Put the cake in the freezer for a bit to help that layer settle.

Once you pull it out of the freezer, pipe the second colored buttercream frosting on to create the stripe effect. Use the cake scraper to smooth it out until you reach your desired effect. This will take longer than you think it will, trust me. But the end result is worth it! Check out my full tutorial here, along with a video on how to do it.

Everything You Need to Know About Buttercream Frosting

I’ve learned so much from working with buttercream over the years. While I may not be able to truly fit everything you need to know about buttercream frosting into one post, these are my best tips and recipes.  You’ll want to use them over and over again! I hope you have fun trying these out and I’d hear about it soon. You can follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and tricks on all things cake.

Other Tips You’ll Love

• Tip Tuesday: How To Fill Your Piping Bag
• How to Make the Perfect Birthday Cake
• Easy Baking Substitutions
• Tip Tuesday – Driving with Cake
• Tip Tuesday – How To Move Your Cake

The post Everything You Need to Know About Buttercream Frosting  first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Buttercream Frosting  appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Gingersnap Cookies

I have a great love for cookies. It’s not quite as obsessive as my love for cake, but it’s pretty darn close. Cookies were the first thing I baked with my mom, and what I loved to bake as a kid growing up. They’re easy. They’re fast. They’re delicious. What’s not to love about a cookie?

While my go-to cookie is a chocolate chip cookie (with dark chocolate), my second favorite cookie in the whole-wide-world is a gingersnap.

Why is it called a gingersnap cookie?

The traditional way of making this cookie creates a thin, crunchy texture – so when you bite into the cookie or break it in half… it snaps!

What’s different about a soft and chewy gingersnap cookie?

My soft and chewy gingersnap cookies have the same great flavor as a traditional gingersnap but aren’t crunchy. These giant, molasses and ginger-filled cookies have a soft and chewy texture when you bite into them. I added a little texture to the cookies by rolling them in coarse sugar.

What makes gingersnap cookies soft and chewy?

To create the soft and chewy texture of this cookie, I’m using all brown sugar, plus molasses.

Ingredients you need for gingersnap cookies

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Molasses
• Ground ginger
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Baking soda
• All-purpose flour
• Coarse decorating sugar

Tips for making gingersnap cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F for about 20 to 30 minutes prior to baking the cookies. This extra preheat time helps your cookies rise evenly.
• Start with slightly cold butter. Cold butter ensures your cookies don’t fall flat. Pro tip: cut your butter into cubes before adding it to the mixer to make it easier to beat.
• Beat the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes on their own, until light and fluffy in texture.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients before adding them to the mixture to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
• Roll the cookies in decorating sugar because will add a delicious crunch to the cookie, while also making it look extra gorgeous!

How many cookies does this recipe make?

This recipe will make 17 three-ounce cookies or 34 one-and-a-half-ounce cookies.

• 3-ounce cookies – bake them for 14 to 15 minutes.
• 1.5-ounce cookies – bake them for 12 to 13 minutes.

Christmas Cookies

Gingersnap cookies are one of my favorite cookies to make during the holiday season. I love gifting plates of gingersnap cookies to neighbors and friends. Can’t wait for you to try these delicious Christmas cookies this season!

Other cookie recipes you’ll love:

• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Best Ever Cowboy Cookies
• Melt in Your Mouth Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies
• Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Irresistible Snickers Cookies

Print

Gingersnap Cookies

Soft and chewy gingersnap cookies

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword cookies, Easy Cookie recipe, Gingersnap, Gingersnap Cookie

Servings 18

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly cold and cut into cubes
• 2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses, regular
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarse sugra

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Add the eggs and molasses. Beat until smooth, about another 2 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
• Using a cookie scoop, create 3-ounce or 1.5-ounce balls of cookie dough. Roll the dough in the coarse sugar.
• Bake 3-ounce cookies for 14 to 15 minutes.
• Bake 1.5-ounce cookies for 11 to 13 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before serving.

The post Best Ever Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Best Ever Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies

For me, this time of year is the cookie-making season! Every December, my mom would spend hours and hours making a variety of cookies to gift to our neighbors. She made sugar cookies, peanut butter thumbprint cookies, crinkle cookies, cluster cookies, and sometimes even lemon bars.

When December hits now, I just want to make cookies!

I have several cookie recipes on the blog that you can make any time of year:

• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
• Sugar Cookies
• Magnolia Cookies
• Cowboy Cookies

But these White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie with the white and red colors you get from the white chocolate chips and freeze-dried raspberries.

Ingredients You Need for White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies

You will love how easy these cookies are to make. Just ensure you have the following ingredients on hand when you whip them up:

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• White chocolate chips
• Freeze-dried raspberries
• Biscoff cookie spread

TIP: When you make these cookies, be sure to fold in the Biscoff cookie spread at the end. You DON’T want to mix the spread in completely. Instead, you’re looking to create streaks of Biscoff cookie butter.

Can’t wait for you to try these out and share with your friends and family like we’ll be doing! I think they’ll be a new favorite holiday cookie recipe.

More Raspberry Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Raspberry Oreo Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling
• Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
• Chai White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll
• Sweet and Salty Raspberry Pretzel Crunch Cake

Print

White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies with white chocolate chips, freeze dried raspberries, and cookie butter.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword biscoff, cookies, raspberry, White Chocolate, white chocolate raspberry biscoff cookies

Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
• 2 large or extra large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (150 g) white chocolate chips
• 1 cup freeze dried raspberries
• 1/2 cup Biscoff spread, melted

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the eggs one at time and mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. 
• Stir in the white chocolate chips and freeze dried raspberries. Carefully fold in the Biscoff spread, being careful not to mix it in, but allow streaks to remain.
• Scoop 2-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are slightly golden brown. The top may look a little soft. That’s ok! The cookies will continue to bake a little while they cool.

The post Easy White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Easy White Chocolate Raspberry Biscoff Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Halloween is just around the corner and after that we are in full swing with holiday baking! (Unless you’ve already started like we have at my house.) Cake obviously means a lot to me, but cookies are pretty high up on my sweet treat list too. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites in this post! Here are 5 delicious holiday cookie recipes. 

Baking cookies has become one of my favorite things to do with my kids. We love experimenting with different flavors together and of course eating them together. I hope they never grow out of this tradition with me! 

Sometimes I love a cookie recipe so much, I turn it into a cake. So, keep reading to see some delicious cookie cake recipes too that I’m sure you will love! 

5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes

Holiday Cookie Recipe #1: Classic Sugar Cookie & Vanilla Buttercream

My classic sugar cookie recipe is so soft and tender! It’s perfect for a kid-friendly activity for any holiday. (I’m showing Halloween cookies, but you can easily turn this into any holiday theme with different cookie cutters!) Plus, this vanilla buttercream pairs so well with it. Or, you could also try this buttercream recipe that is perfect for frosting cookies. I hope you and your kiddos have some fun with this recipe with cookie cutters and decorating! 

Holiday Cookie Recipe #2: Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze

This pumpkin cookie with maple glaze recipe is a family fall staple at my house. It has been in my family for years, so of course I had to include it in this cookie recipe post! The maple glaze paired with the pumpkin cookie is such a game changer! Just be sure to spread the glaze on the cookie immediately after its made to help it spread easily.

Holiday Cookie Recipe #3: Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies

These butter pecan caramel cookies are one of my new recipes! The flavor combination is sooo incredible! The pecan butter mixed with the caramel makes the perfect balance of sweet and salty. This recipe could easily become one of your favorite fall cookies.

Holiday Cookie Recipe #4: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are always in season, right? It’s such a classic cookie, and it never gets old. It’s a national favorite and my chocolate chip cookies could become your new go-to recipe! I did tons of taste-testing different chocolate chip cookies, so believe me when I say I perfected the chocolate chip cookie!

I love this cookie recipe so much that I transformed it into my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, and it’s a fan favorite so far! 

Holiday Cookie Recipe #5: Snickers Cookies

I thought my snickers cookies would be a fun cookie recipe to add to the list because it has Snickers inside as the secret ingredient! OK, it’s not really a secret, but it is what makes this cookie so delicious! If Snickers is your favorite candy, especially to snack on during the holidays, this recipe will easily become your favorite. 

5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes

As promised, here are a few of my favorite Cookie Cake recipes! I love Cookie Cakes for several reasons. They are full of texture and flavors that you can only get in a cookie, but it’s in a cake! It’s the best of both worlds. The secret is to have cookie layers throughout the cake paired with a delicious frosting to compliment it. Enjoy!

• Magnolia Cookie Cake
• Gingerbread Cookie Cake
• Santa’s Milk and Cookies Cake 

I’m excited for you to try my 5 delicious cookie recipes! Let me know which one is your favorite over on Instagram @cakebycourtney. I hope you make the best memories heading into the holidays. Happy baking! 

P.S. If you’re looking for some baking equipment to make your life easier, here are some of my favorites!

The post 5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes  first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes  appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies

My favorite candy at Halloween time is a Butterfinger bar. I don’t eat it any other time of the year. Just Halloween. For some reason, it just tastes better when I snag it from my child’s candy-filled pillowcase on Halloween night!

And with Halloween just around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to throw this yummy peanut butter and chocolate bar into a cookie.

Ingredients You Need for Butterfinger Cookies

• All-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder
• Peanut butter
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Butterfinger pieces
• Peanut butter chips

How to Make Butterfinger Cookies

You are going to love how easy these cookies are to make!

• You’ll start by beating your butter, peanut butter, and sugars together at medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add your egg and vanilla and mix until blended.
• With your mixer on low, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
• Stir in the Butterfinger pieces and peanut butter chips (if using).
• Bake at 350 for about 10 to 12 minutes.
• These cookies set really well as they cool. To keep that soft and chewy texture after they cool, don’t overbake them.
• I used a 2-inch cookie scoop. If you go with a smaller scoop, just make sure to bake for less time.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cowboy Cookies
• Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies
• Brown Butter S’mores Cookies
• Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Print

Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies

Soft and chewy chocolate peanut butter cookies filled with Butterfinger candy

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Butterfinger, chocolate, cookies, Peanut Butter

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 14 large cookies

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup (187.5 g) creamy peanut butter I use Skippy
• 1 1/4 cup (275 g) light brown sugar packed
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (25 g) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon 6 g) salt
• 1 8 oz. bag Butterfinger pieces
• 1/2 cup Hershey's peanut butter chips optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about one minute. 
• Add the egg and beat until just combined.
• Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. 
• Stir in the butterfinger candies and peanut butter chips.
• Using a cookie scoop (mine is about 2 tablespoons), drop cookie dough on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. These cookies hold their domed shape quite well. If you want them flatter, use the back of a tumbler and bake them for 2 minutes less.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. In fact, I like these underdone just a little. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
• Makes about 14 large cookies.

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Chocolate Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cookies

Growing up, frosting sugar cookies was a tradition for all the major holidays at my house, especially Halloween and Christmas. My mom usually did all the baking and then had everything ready for us kids to come in and decorate (you know, the fun part!). I have loved carrying on this tradition with my kids.

The best sugar cookies, in my opinion, are soft and chewy. So bake up my Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe and then follow these next steps to make the best buttercream frosting recipe.

Ingredients for Vanilla Buttercream

• Powdered sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Heavy whipping cream
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, follow these easy steps:

Sift your powdered sugar: First thing’s first – sift your powdered sugar! I know it adds a little time to the process, but it’s worth every extra second. It really is so crucial to making sure your buttercream is silky smooth. You’ll first measure your powdered sugar and then whisk it through a mesh strainer to get a super fine granule. I think this is the fastest, easiest way to sift powdered sugar.

Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes: I wish I could shout this one out to the world! Using semi-cold butter is key to ensuring your buttercream actually holds well and pipes with a nice shape. I recommend taking the butter out of your fridge about 30 minutes prior to making your buttercream. The butter should still be cold to the touch, but you’ll be able to make a slight imprint with your finger.

If the butter still feels too cold, just cut it into cubes and add to your mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.

We’re going to let the mixer soften the butter for us, without the butter getting too warm. It’s when the butter is too warm that it creates major problems for our buttercream.

Run the mixer at medium speed for about two minutes to beat the butter. You’ll notice it gets lighter in color and looks fluffy and smooth. This is perfect. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl and mix again for another 30 to 60 seconds.

Use heavy whipping cream: The heavy whipping cream is the star of the show here! I use it in all of my buttercream recipes and it’s such a game-changer. A few tablespoons will do unless otherwise stated in my recipes.

Beat for 5 minutes: With your heavy whipping cream added, it’s time for another critical step to making the best buttercream. Turn your mixer to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for five minutes.

Stir by hand: The final step to making the best buttercream is actually mixing your frosting by hand. Grab a spatula or big wooden spoon and stir the frosting for a few minutes. You’re trying to push out the air that the electric mixer created. Doing this will help so that you don’t have all the air pockets (holes) in your frosting.

Print

The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cookies

A light and fluffy vanilla buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Buttercream

Keyword buttercream frosting, buttercream frosting for cookies, easy buttercream recipe, frosting, how to make buttercream frosting, Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 3-4 tbsp (57.75g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp (8.4g) vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

To prepare

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 to 3 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

The post The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies

While I was baking my new Pumpkin Butter Pecan Cake (recipe coming soon), I started snacking on caramel baking chips. To balance the sweetness of the chips, I would throw in a pecan with every caramel chip. After a few bites, I stopped and realized I was loving the flavor combination. Almost instantly I was thinking about my Irresistible Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, made with nearly a cup of peanut butter. They are one of my favorite cookies and the recipe would be perfect for a pecan butter.

After I finished my cake, I got to work on the cookies. I made a few changes to the peanut butter cookie recipe, using more pecan butter and cutting out the milk because the texture didn’t need to be softened at all.

The colors may not be the most impressive, but I’m telling you – the flavor and texture of this cookie are sooooo incredible!

How to Make Pecan Butter

Homemade nut butter of any kind is truly so simple to make! Here’s everything you’ll need:

• 2 cups (300 g) chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp (13.6 g) olive oil
• Food processor

Combine the chopped pecans and oil in your food processor and mix until the mixture is soft and resembles a crunchy nut butter. The consistency should be easily spreadable.

How to Make Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Vanilla
• Pecan butter (recipe above)
• Caramel baking chips
• Light brown sugar
• Egg
• Unsalted butter

If you can’t order the baking chips from Orson Gygi, I just heard that Trader Joe’s now carries a sea salt caramel chip too!

Instructions for Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies

• After you’ve made the pecan butter, you’ll start by combining the butter, pecan butter, and brown sugar together in a medium-size mixing bowl on medium speed.
• Mix the ingredients until well combined and then add the egg and vanilla.
• Once all of your wet ingredients are mixed, turn your mixer to low and add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Stir in the caramel chips.
• Bake at 375 for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Brown Butter S’mores Cookies
• Guilt-Free Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Print

Melt in Your Mouth Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies

Soft and chewy pecan butter cookies filled with caramel chips.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword butter pecan, butter pecan caramel cookies, butter pecan cookies, caramel, pecan, pecan buttercream

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 23 minutes

Servings 14 large cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 1 cup (250 g) pecan butter see recipe in post
• 1 1/4 cup (275 g) light brown sugar packed
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 8 ounces caramel baking chips

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, pecan butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about one minute. 
• Add the egg and beat until just combined.
• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. 
• Stir in the caramel chips.
• Using a cookie scoop (mine is about 2 tablespoons), drop cookie dough on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly golden brown around the bottom edge. Do not over bake. In fact, I like these underdone just a little. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
• Makes about 14 large cookies.

The post Melt in Your Mouth Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Melt in Your Mouth Butter Pecan Caramel Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

I am SO excited for you to try my new Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies. And yes, you read that right! This cookie has ALL THREE of those delicious, flavorful elements. You are going to love it!

The idea for this cookie came from my friend Lisa. While lunching one day, she was telling me about a toasted oatmeal brown butter cookie she heard about from an LA eatery called All Time. The sound of toasted oatmeal and brown butter spoke to me immediately. We looked up the cookie, and while neither one of us have had it, we knew we loved it!

All Time uses a special white chocolate chip in their cookie, which would have taken me a little while to order and receive. And since I have no patience and wanted to try out this flavor combination ASAP, I grabbed toffee bits from my pantry and got to work.

Ingredients You Need for These Oatmeal Brown Butter Cookies with Toffee

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Old fashioned rolled oats
• Brown sugar
• Toffee pieces

How to Toast Oatmeal

The toasted oatmeal in this cookie is a serious game changer for me. First of all, your kitchen will smell amazing as you toast the oatmeal. Second of all, the flavor and texture is provides to the cookie is next level. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to make an oatmeal cookie again without toasting the oatmeal. In fact, I’m in love with it so much, I want to try using it in a cake.

To toast the oatmeal, I pour two cups of old fashioned rolled oats into a medium sauté pan and cooked the oats over medium heat, stirring frequently. You’ll know the oats are done when they start to turn golden brown and you can smell their beautiful aroma throughout the kitchen.

HOW TO MAKE BROWN BUTTER

To make brown butter, just cook the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Let it come to a boil and then watch for it to turn brown. You’ll see little brown specks too. That’s it! That’s when you know it’s done cooking. Once you’ve browned the butter, just let it cool for a bit. No need to get the butter cold again. Using it melted will be totally fine for these cookies.

What Texture to Expect in These Cookies

I played around with the amount of flour in these cookies and landed on two cups exactly. In my first batch, I did two and a half cups and the cookies were too thick. On my second round of testing, I used 1 ¾ cups flour and for me, it wasn’t quite enough. However, if you like a thin, chewy cookie, you actually may love using a little less flour like this.

The winner for me, however, was 2 cups of flour. It ends up giving you the best of both worlds – soft and chewy, with a little crisp edge.

My Favorite Cookie Scoops

I love a big cookie, so you’ll see most of mine are made with a 2 ounce cookie scoop. My favorite cookie scoops are THESE cookie scoops from Orson Gygi. Look for the 2 ounce size.

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Brown Butter S’mores Cookies
• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treat Cake

Print

Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword brown butter, cookies, oatmeal, toasted oatmeal, toffee

Servings 14 large cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter browned (see instructions above)
• 2 cups (440 g) brown sugar packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (160 g) oats toasted (see instructions above)
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6) g salt
• 1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the brown butter (can still be in melted form), brown sugar and eggs until smooth and light in color, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, toasted oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. 
• Stir in the toffee chips
• Scoop 2-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are slightly golden brown. The top may look a little soft. That's ok! The cookies will continue to bake a little while they cool.

The post Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Must-Make, Irresistible Snickers Cookies

These cookies are a must-make recipe for two reasons: one, they’re incredibly delicious and two, they’re incredibly easy and fast to whip up. Plus, who doesn’t love a cookie filled with peanut butter, chocolate and caramel?! I’m not sure I can think of anything better.

These cookies were created as a result of pulling all the baking chips and treats from my pantry to see what kind of cookies I could whip up as fast as possible. When those cookie cravings hit, it’s hard to ignore them!

Ingredients

The ingredients for these Snickers Cookies are pretty basic.

• Peanut butter
• Butter
• Baking soda
• Flour
• Salt
• Vanilla
• Milk
• Peanut butter chips
• Peanuts
• Chocolate chips
• Snickers
• Egg
• Brown sugar

How to Make Snickers Cookies

I love how easy cookies are to make, and how fast they can be made and baked! So when a sweet tooth hits, an easy cookie recipe is usually my go-to when I’m in a pinch. You may recognize this recipe from my Peanut Butter Cookies. The base is soft and chewy and the flavor is just one of the best! I switched up the chips and added peanuts, chocolate chips, and Snickers to this cookie. I love how versatile this dough is!

Steps for making these cookies:

• First, whisk together the dry ingredients and set them aside.
• Next, cream the butter (use cold butter) peanut butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy, about two minutes on medium speed.
• Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add in all of the dry ingredients. Mix on low just until no streaks of flour remain. Don’t over mix the dough.
• Stir in all the chips, peanuts, and Snickers.
• Form all of the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. 
• Place the dough balls on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Make sure you leave about 1 to 2 inches between each cookie so they don’t bake into each other.
• Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. You want to take the cookies out of the oven when they are set around the edges, but still very soft in the middle. The cookies will set up after they are out of the oven.
• Let the Snickers Cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

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Print

Must-Make Snickers Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies filled with peanut butter, peanuts, chocolate chips and Snickers

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Easy Cookie recipe, Snickers Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 14 large cookies

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup (187.5 g) creamy peanut butter I use Skippy
• 1 1/4 cup (275 g) light brown sugar packed
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) milk
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cup (225 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
• 1/2 cup Reese's brand peanut butter chips
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped Snickers

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about one minute. 
• Add the egg and beat until just combined.
• Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. 
• Stir in the peanut butter chips, peanuts, chocolate chips, and Snickers.
• Using a cookie scoop (mine is about 2 tablespoons), drop cookie dough on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Do not flatten these cookies like most peanut butter cookies call for.
• Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on top. Do not over bake. In fact, I like these underdone just a little. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
• Makes about 14 large cookies.

The post Easy to Make, Irresistible Snickers Cookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Easy to Make, Irresistible Snickers Cookies appeared first on Cake by Courtney.