Brown Butter and Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookes

 A FABULOUS cookie recipe from friends Dalene and Tanya! Thanks, ladies!

Using chocolate wafers instead of chips is a cookie game-changer. They spread as they melt, creating thin pockets of chocolate in each layer, and stay much softer at room temperature.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1.4-oz. chocolate toffee bars (preferably Skor), chopped into ¼-inch pieces

1½ cups chocolate wafers (disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao)

Flaky sea salt

• Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
• Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to browned butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a 1½-oz. ice cream scoop, portion out 10 balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3" apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 9–11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet to make 10 more cookies.
• Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.

Using chocolate wafers instead of chips is a cookie game-changer. They spread as they melt, creating thin pockets of chocolate in each layer, and stay much softer at room temperature. 

Roasted Vegetable Platter from Salt Fat Acid Heat

Beans
• 1 cup navy beans, dried
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
Roasted vegetables
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch steaks
• 1/2 head romanesco, cut into 1/2 inch steaks
• 1 bunch carrots (about 8), halved lengthwise
• 1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
Shallot vinaigrette
• 3 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
Remaining ingredients
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp za'atar seasoning, divided
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 4 ounces crumbled feta
• Maldon salt

Instructions

1. Rinse beans in cold water. Place in a medium bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Let soak at room temperature at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans and place in a medium sauce pot with 3 cups water, olive oil, salt and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Reduce heat and simmer on medium-low heat for about 45 minutes or until beans are fork tender. Keep warm.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Toss all vegetables in olive oil. Arrange on baking sheets, using separate baking sheets for each of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are caramelized and fork tender.
4. Make the shallot vinaigrette. Add shallots and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle olive oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pick fresh dill, parsley, and cilantro, discarding stems. Toss all together to make an herb salad.
6. Season beans with 1 tsp za'atar seasoning, 2 tbsp shallot vinaigrette, and 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the beans. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Assemble vegetables and beans. Plate cauliflower and romanesco steaks followed by the carrots and Brussels sprouts. Season with za'atar seasoning. Top with the beans, and crumbled feta. Drizzle shallot vinaigrette, top with fresh herb salad and finish with a sprinkle of Maldon salt. Serve warm.

Helpful Hints: All you have to do is cut the vegetables, toss them in oil, salt and pepper, and roast. Ideally, you want to place each type of vegetable on a different sheet pan. Each vegetable cooks at a different pace so you want to be able to remove the ones that are ready when it is the proper time. I was only preparing this dish for two so I put them all on one baking sheet but made sure to group the same vegetables together.

Make the shallot vinaigrette and fresh herb salad and you are ready to plate. First the vegetables, a little za’atar, then the beans, feta, vinaigrette, fresh herbs and Maldon salt. As I said, there are many components but they work beautifully to complement one another. 

Zippy Green Beans

I was first drawn to this recipe because of the name, specifically "Zippy." It seems like the perfect way to bring some zip to an otherwise delicious but same-ol' same-ol' Thanksgiving dinner. It was a winner so a couple weeks later I served Zippy Green Beans to some friends and one comment was how much easier they are to eat than "regular" long green beans (The Week magazine, where I found the recipe, says this is an Indian-style cut). I agree, much more civilized. And, the best part, you can do all the prep ahead of time, including cutting and blanching the beans, so at the last minute it's very quick and easy. Oh, and I cut the recipe in half and still have enough delicious beans to serve 6-8 people. The full recipe will feed a crowd. Hope you like them!

Kosher or sea salt
4 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut crosswise intro 1/2-inch pieces
5 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 tsp black mustard seed (or 1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard0
1 cup minced shallots
2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Set a large pot of water over high heat and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. When water in pot boils, add a generous few pinches of salt, then green beans. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute—just until the beans are a brighter green. Drain and immediately transfer to the ice-water bath; drain again once they are thoroughly cooled.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add mustard seed; as soon as seeds start to pop and sputter, stir in shallots. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallots are lightly browned on edges; reduce heat as needed so they don’t burn or scorch.

Add ginger and red pepper flakes, then green beans. Toss to coat evenly and cook until just warmed through. Taste, and add salt as needed. Serves 8 to 12.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Aren't these one of everyone's favorites? I made these for our Mexican-themed party on Sept 1, 2018 and they were a hit! SueV said they were the best she's every had! I mixed part walnuts and part pecans and double the whole recipe for 20 people. Also, I used the food processor to finely chop the nuts. After the discs of dough are chilled you can easily cut them with a long knife in a grid to make even pieces to roll into balls. Best way to "roll" the balls in powdered sugar... put powdered sugar in a ziplock bag and add about 5 little balls of dough at a time. Gently tumble until coated. I got about 70 cookies. My leftovers are now in the freezer :-)

• 1 cup (115 g) pecan pieces
• 1 cup (225 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (85 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup (145 g) powdered sugar, to coat the cookies

1 Toast the nuts on the stovetop: Place the nuts in a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they darken slightly and smell fragrant and nutty, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and let the nuts cool in the pan.

2 Crush the nuts: Once the toasted nuts are warm to the touch, but not hot, pour them into a quart-size sealable freezer bag. Seal the bag, and then use a rolling pin to roll and crush the nuts until they are crushed into a chunky powder. Set aside until needed.
(Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until powdery. Be careful of over-processing or the nuts will turn into nut butter!)

3 Mix the butter and sugar: Place the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together on medium speed until the sugar is absorbed into the butter and the buttery paste clings to the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds to incorporate.
4 Add the flour and salt: Mix on low speed. As the dry ingredients start to absorb into the butter-sugar mixture, you can increase the speed back to medium. Once all the flour is mixed in and a dough has formed, stop the mixer.

5 Empty the crushed nuts into the bowl with the dough: Mix on low speed to incorporate.
6 Chill the dough: Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the dough is firm.

7 About 10 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
8 Remove the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and form into 1-inch balls of dough. (If your dough chilled longer than 1 hour, you may need to let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature.) Roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar and place on the baking mat, spaced slightly apart.

9 Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown slightly on top and are golden brown on the bottoms. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes after baking.
10 While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the powdered sugar again. Return the cookies to the cooling rack and let cool completely before serving.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep well for at least a week.