Angel Gabrielle Trailmix Cookies, Sophia's Browned Butter Bourbon & Toasted Pecan-Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and Homemade Butter Cookies

Angel Gabrielle Trailmix Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup Craisins

3/4 cup Shredded coconut

3/4 cup Chocolate chips

3/4 cup Chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Set out all refrigerated ingredients at room temperature.

2. Set oven at 350

3. Sift all dry ingredients

4. Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy on medium speed 5. Add eggs one at a time. Also making sure to clean sides of the bowl with rubber spatula to evenly mix all ingredients

6. Add dry mixture on low speed until thoroughly mixed and add vanilla

7. Lastly, add Craisins, shredded coconut, chocolate chips and walnuts to your liking

8. Scoop cookies onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

9. Once finished, transfer cookies to cooling rack for about five minutes

10. Enjoy!

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Sophia's Browned Butter Bourbon & Toasted Pecan-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted until browned

2 and 1/2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract

3 tablespoons (42 grams) bourbon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

8 ounces semi-sweet OR dark chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks

24 pecan halves, for decoration(optional)

1 tablespoon flaky sea salt(optional)

For Toasted Pecans:

Toasted pecans, chopped

Instructions:

For Toasting Pecans:

1. Toast pecan halves at 350 for seven-10 minutes

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, for four to five minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside until needed.

For Browning Butter:

1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook the butter. swirling the pan occasionally. Keep a close eye here. The top of the butter should become foamy. And you should hear tiny popping noises. The butter will develop into a rich amber color, with tiny brown bits at the bottom. And it will have a slightly nutty aroma. Once the butter reaches this stage, remove from heat immediately and pour into a large mixing bowl.

For Cookie Making:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder; whisk well to combine then set aside until needed.

2. In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine melted browned butter and both sugars and beat on medium-speed until well combined; about one minute.

3. Add in the vanilla and bourbon and beat until combined.

4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Turn mixer off. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, stirring only until the flour begins to disappear. Fold in the chocolate chunks and buttered pecans.

5. Cover bowl and refrigerate for four hours.

To Bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a large cookie scoop, divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and place onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each ball of dough for spreading.

3. Firmly press a pecan half on top of each ball of cookie dough.

4. Bake, one tray at a time, in a preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. If any edges spread out while baking, use a spatula and gently press them back in as soon as you remove the cookies from the oven.

5. Press extra chocolate chunks and pecans pieces on top of warm cookies. Then sprinkle with sea salt.

6. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Homemade Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 large egg(room temperature)

2 1/4 cup All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tbsp milk

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Instructions:

1. Make room in your refrigerator for a baking sheet so the shaped cookies can chill for 20-30 minutes. Without chilling, the piped cookies may over-spread. If you chill the dough prior to shaping, the dough will be too cold/stiff to pipe.

2. Line two to three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Or leave un-lined. If un-lined, do not grease the pan.

3. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, about two minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about one minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

4. On low speed, beat in the flour and salt. Turn up to high speed and beat until completely combined. On medium speed, beat in 1.5 tablespoons of milk. You want a dough that's creamy and pipe-able (but still thick), so you may need up to 2 or 2.5 Tablespoons of milk. The more milk you add, the more the cookies will spread so chilling in step 6 is imperative. I recommend keeping the amount of milk small and using a large enough piping tip, like the ones I suggest in the post above.

5. Add your large piping tip to the piping bag. Spoon a little bit of dough into the piping bag and pipe a 1-2 inch swirl or line on the prepared baking sheet. The reason I suggest only a little bit of dough to start is because the dough may still be too thick to pipe. If it's too thick, transfer that dough back to the mixing bowl and add another 1/2 Tablespoon of milk. If the dough is creamy enough to pipe, continue piping the dough in 1-2 inch swirls or lines, 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. See video above for a visual if needed. If desired, place a maraschino cherry in the center of the swirl or sprinkle the dough with festive sprinkles and/or coarse sugar.

6. Chill the shaped cookies on the baking sheet for 20-30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (177C).

8. Bake the chilled cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The cookies will spread like all cookies do, but not completely lose their shape especially if you chilled the shaped dough. If the cookies are smaller, they will take closer to 12 minutes. Keep your eye on them. They're done when the edges lightly brown.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. (Optional): You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 20-second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip the cookies in chocolate and top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature for about one hour or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

11. Enjoy!