Gingerbread Blondies

Blondies are fundamentally the same as brownies; but the difference is that brownies always have a chocolate base and blondies don't. Blondies can have anything from a sugar cookie-like base to an almond or peanut flavored base, and, like brownies, they can contain chunky mix-ins. These blondies are made with gingerbread spices, and white and bittersweet chocolate chunks. The contrast of the white chocolate to the bittersweet chocolate adds depth and an unexpected, but delicious, bite of bittersweet.

2¾ cups plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
1¼ tsp salt
1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
2½ sticks room temperature butter
1¼ cups brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1¼ tsp vanilla
1/3 cup molasses
8 oz. coarsely chopped white chocolate
2 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12x17-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and then line with aluminum foil. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and the spices in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown and white sugar on medium speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time and mix until blended. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until combined, then stir in the chocolate.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, but be patient. This may take a while because the batter is so thick and the pan in so big. Bake until the edges just start to pull away from the sides, about 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen.

Cardamom Cookies

Similar to Indian Chai, cardamom cookies get their flavor from cinnamon and, as the name says, cardamom. They are soft and chewy, and are complemented with perfect spiced icing. Cardamom cookies taste so much like Chai that, when I made these for my friends, they called them Chai cookies. These cookies are perfect with a scoop of ice cream or alongside a hot cup of tea.

for cookies:
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg

for icing:
½ stick butter, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Roll dough into balls and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing dough about 2 inches apart. Carefully press dough with a flat edge and bake until lightly browned, 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely. Remember, these cookies will be iced with a frosting that contains butter. If the cookies are still hot, the butter will melt and the icing won't hold up. It will just melt away!
In a large bowl, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add milk, cardamom, and cinnamon and beat well. Reduce speed and add powdered sugar. Spread icing on cooled cookies.

Recipe from Matt Boisen of Owatonna, MN.

Double Chocolate Brownies

My grandparents, who live in Indiana, came up to Minnesota to see my play this spring. Whenever family comes up to stay with us, we always like to have baked treats around the kitchen. It always seems to make a house feel warm and welcoming. So, we decided to bake these double chocolate brownies. Who doesn't like a warm, fudgy brownie for a snack or after dinner? Brownie Lovers: this is the recipe of your dreams.

6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a greased or buttered 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing an overhang. Grease or butter the parchment paper.
Put butter, chocolate, cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water- but don't let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the butter and chocolate have melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat until the mixture is pale, about 4 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan for about 15 minutes. Lift the brownies out of the pan with the overhang of the parchment paper. Peel off the parchment paper.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies

For the past four months or so, I was in West Side Story at my school- which explains my lack of postings over the past month or so. During that time, this play became the primary focus of my life. Practice was every day for about 6 hours a day, and started right after we got out of school. The cast really grew together and became one big family. On one of the last shows, I made these pumpkin cookies for the cast. Needless to say, they were a hit!

2¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp cinnamon
1¼ tsp ginger
¾ tsp nutmeg
1½ sticks room temperature butter
2¼ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cups evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low and add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.
Put about half the batter in a pastry bag (or a ziplock or plastic bag with the corner cut off about ¾ inch up). Make 1½ inch sized cookies from this onto parchment-paper lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, for about 12 minutes.

Recipe from "Martha Stewart's Cookies"