Recently, I was digging through old posts when it occurred to me that I used to do a lot more baking. I can’t put my finger on why I stopped baking so much. Maybe it’s because the kids got a little older. Maybe it’s because I need to devote more time to work. Maybe it’s because I thought the baked goods were hurting my waistline. Really, it could be any of these things. But realizing that I am baking less was a little sad for me. I love having homemade treats for the kids when they get home from school.

So yesterday, with a mere 40 minutes before school pick up time, I tossed together these easy, fast cookie bars. They came out of the oven just in time for me to run to school — good timing, right?

These cookie bars are soft, chewy and so buttery. The ribbon of sweet chocolate runs through them, giving every bite a satisfying richness. Really, every bite is just bursting with smooth chocolate. How can you go wrong with semi-sweet, white and dark chocolate all mixed together? You just can’t.

And the leftovers? Perfect for an easy lunchbox treat today. Hope Will loved it.

Do you bake often?

Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars
yields 12 bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 oz dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment until it’s uniformly brown and grainy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well on medium speed to combine (about 1 minute).

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the stand mixer running on low, add a little at a time to the butter mixture until just incorporated. Add all the chocolate and mix briefly to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into one even layer as best you can — don’t worry if it doesn’t quite reach end to end though. The batter will spread while cooking.

Bake for 23-27 minutes, until golden. Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into 12 bars. Enjoy!

This morning felt like a baking kind of morning. I have a dozen recipes bookmarked to make from various cookbooks, but when I saw one for Oatmeal Macaroons in the 1936 tome The New England Cookbook, I was intrigued. These little babies are free of flour and butter and just sounded so interesting. Together with Paige, I whipped up a batch this morning.

Did I mention that they were super easy? We mixed up the cookie dough and had them baking in about 10 minutes. So simple.

These aren’t like your standard macaroons, which are little mounds of coconut heaven. No, these fall somewhere between that macaroon you’re familiar with and the French macaron, which is a billowy meringue cookie. It has the macaron’s light, airy and sweetness and a lightened version of the macaroon’s texture. They are great alone as a little sweet treat or spread with a little jam. They’re also perfect for a little afterschool treat.

Don’t forget the milk.

Oatmeal Coconut Macaroons
yields 24 cookies
recipe from The New England Cookbook, 1936

1 large egg white
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut (sweetened)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg white and salt. With the whisk attachment, beat until stiff peaks form. With the mixer running on medium speed add the sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.

Fold in the oats, coconut and vanilla extract. Drop by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between lumps.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until slightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.

Right now, I am sitting in a Starbucks, sipping a Venti Nonfat Peppermint White Mocha and praying I can finish this blog post and hit publish in the next six minutes — before I have to dash out of here and head back to get my daughter from ballet so we can head to my son’s school for his winter concert. It’ll be the second winter concert we’ve attended today, the first being my daughter’s this morning, and the third time I’ve been to the school today.

It’s that kind of day. And let me tell you, these biscotti — they are not for making on a day like today. While they aren’t hard to make, they do take some time and a little patience. And a dash of ends-justifies-the-means. Save this one for later this week, when you have a little time to spare — it’s totally worth making.

This biscotti is filled with chocolate (my favorite kind!) and has a light hint of coconut — it’s really subtle. These bake up perfectly crisp and are fabulous dipped in a cup of fresh, strong coffee.

You start by mixing up all the dry ingredients. Just stir them all together in a bowl. It’s really that simple.

Then you whisk together the wet ingredients and add them to the dry ones. Don’t be fussy about it — just pour it all in.

When you stir it together, it will look all crumbly — like it couldn’t possibly form a dough, let alone make those fabulous slices of crisp biscotti. Don’t worry. It will. This is the point where you turn the dough out on a floured board and knead it like crazy for two minutes or so.

Once it’s all kneaded, you form a log. I did it on the cutting board this time, but generally, it’s easier to do this directly on the baking sheet. Which ever way you do it, the next step is to pat it into a 1-inch-thick log that’s sort of rectangular shaped.

Then you bake it. This is what it looks like after the first bake. After this, you cut it into 1/2-inch slices and rebake it. Twice (once for each side of the slice.). Then it’s done. Well, once it’s cooled it is. You know what I mean.

These are perfect for packing up with a coffee gift card for teacher’s gifts. It’s what all of Paige and Will’s teacher’s got this holiday.

Or you could just eat them yourself with a cup of coffee. It’s a fabulous breakfast.

Now, I am off and running.

Double Chocolate Coconut Biscotti
yields about 2 dozen pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 egg white (from a large egg)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and coconut. In a smaller bowl, beat together the vanilla extract, eggs and egg white until well combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until it’s mostly combined. The dough will be crumbly and not come together at all.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead the dough with floured hands until it forms a mostly smooth ball.

Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a 1-inch thick piece, pushing the ends in until the dough is rectangular in shape.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer the log to a cutting board. Cut the biscotti into 1/2 inch slices (it helps to score it with a serrated knife and then cut with an extra-sharp knife straight down). Place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. It’s okay if they touch.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip all the slices and then bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool. The biscotti hardens as it cools.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Back in November, I told myself that this would be the holiday season where I went back to my old ways of baking a ton of deliciousness and giving it to family and friends. Then I woke up one day and it was ten days until Christmas … well, not really, but it sure felt that way.

I had a choice: I could do a little baking (I’ve been doing a little baking all along, but not much) and just forget about it. Or, I could get off my tush (yes, I said tush) and do something about it. I opted for the latter. So this past weekend, I whipped up dozens of confections and packed them up for gifting. It was a blur of mixers, baking sheets and lots of butter. And you know what? It was so, so worth it.

I love baking for others, especially around the holidays.

This week is all about the holiday treats here at Sarah’s Cucina Bella. And to kick it all off, I just had to share this recipe from Food Network Magazine’s December 2011 issue.

I made just a few changes — first, I used a medium cookie scoop to scoop out the dough, ensuring that I got a perfect 1 1/2 tablespoon ball every time. The recipe called for a scant tablespoon, but I really liked the slightly larger size. I also didn’t add the center — the Candy Cane Hershey Kiss — until after the cookies were baked. I wanted it to maintain it’s shape without any melting or browning. Oh, and adding that Candy Cane Hershey Kiss? Totally my idea.

These cookies are a rich, dense, chocolatey confection, almost brownie-like. The sugary coating gives them this fabulous coolness that almost mimics the minty center. I can’t tell you how many compliments I got on these. This recipe is a definite keeper.

Making these is pretty simple — though it does have a chill step. You start by sifting the dry ingredients and then mixing in the wet ones. The dough will be crumbly and seem like it will never come together. That’s when (and this is a step I added), you mix it by hand until it’s smooth and in a ball. Then the dough is chilled for 30 minutes.

Next, you scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoon balls of dough (with a cookie scoop, of course) and lightly roll them in your hands. Then you dip them first into granulated sugar then into confectioners’ sugar.

Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then you press each one down at the center with your thumb. Then they bake.

Finally, you press a Candy Cane Hershey’s Kiss into the center and let them cool completely. Oh, the deliciousness.

What’s the best thing you’ve made this holiday season?

Cocoa Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
yields about 20
adapted very slightly from Food Network Magazine, December 2011

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (for rolling)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
20 unwrapped Hershey Kisses, Candy Cane variety

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in the butter and eggs and stir to moisten and combine. When it gets all crumbly and uncooperative, use clean hands to knead the cookie dough together until it forms one smooth ball. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in a second bowl.

Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tbsp size) to scoop out balls of dough. Roll each first in the granulated sugar and then in the confectioners’ sugar. Arrange on the baking sheet leaving 1-inch between each ball. Once all the balls are rolled out, press down in the center with your thumb to flatten and leave about a 1/2-inch indent.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. Remove from the oven and immediately press one Candy Cane Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy.

Paige had preschool homework this week: decorate a paper ornament for school and (with my help) write about a favorite holiday tradition in class. (Yes, she’s barely 4 … don’t get me started.) When I asked her what tradition she wanted to put on her index card, I already had in the back of my mind that I would suggest baking if she wasn’t sure. But I didn’t need to suggest anything. Paige immediately answered “Baking and decorating cookies.”

I was excited. No, make that elated.

Baking during the holiday season is something I’ve done every year since I was a teen. It’s a holiday tradition — a comforting thing that has been a constant year after year. When I had Will, my baking habits intensified. I love making dozens and dozens of cookies and sharing them with everyone. But this year, I’ve taken a new approach. Instead of exclusively making my own recipes for cookies from Deconstructed Peppermint Bark Cookies to Connecticut Spice Cookies, I used some premade dough too.

It’s out of character for me, but this simple step has been a little freeing in a way. See, the cookies I usually make are all drop cookies. I just don’t do rolled dough and whatnot. But the premade dough is a cinch to roll out and cut with cookie cutters — which opens up a whole new world of cookie making and decorating for us. And this year, I just had to do the cut-outs too.

When I recently read Shaina’s post on Food For My Family about baking gingerbread, I really wanted to try it too. I had to. Those cookies were just so cute. But the thought of making the dough and then learning how to do cut-outs was a little much.

Fortunately, premade dough is available. The kids and I have made cut-out cookies with both premade sugar cookie dough and gingerbread dough. The gingerbread stays truer to form when baking, not spreading much. The sugar cookies however spread a lot, but still mostly keep their shape — well, sort of.

The great thing about this is that the kids can help throughout the whole process. They are able to cut the cookies (mini cutters are our favorite), help me arrange them on the tray and then decorate them after I’ve frosted the cooled cookies with a simple icing recipe (below). It’s hard to tell which part they enjoy most — but I suspect it might be the decorating since I let them go crazy with sprinkles.

When Clever Girls and Tempur-Pedic asked me to write about holiday comforts decorating cookies was the first thing I thought of. It is a huge comfort, and a joy since these are things I can share with all our loved ones.

Now, wish us luck. They kids and I have a lot of baking to do this weekend. It’s the last weekend before Christmas, after all.

Easy Cookie Icing
yields about 1/2 cup
adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp water (you may need up to 1/2 tbsp extra)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together the powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract until smooth, adding more water as needed (up to 1/2 tbsp more) to get the desired thick but smooth consistency. Transfer to a pastry bag, cut the corner and pipe as needed onto cookies.

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Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic’s Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

When Will and Paige tried these cookies, it was supposed to be a single cookie for dessert one evening. But then Will finished his and looked wistfully at the other cookies sitting on the table. I saw him, but didn’t let on. Then he made his eyes big as saucers and wildly licked his lips. When neither wistful nor obviously wanting worked, he finally said,”Mommy, can I have one more?”

I said yes. It was just so cute.

These Chocolate Pretzel Cookies are crisp rounds of sugar cookie, dusted with pretzels and drizzled with sweet milk chocolate. It ends up with this amazing texture.  And the flavor? It’s divine — a little savory, a hint of salty and perfectly sweet. No wonder Will wanted seconds so much.

General Mills recently contacted me about creating a holiday cookie recipe using their chubs cookie dough (apparently the official name for the rolls of dough is “chub” – who knew?). This idea came to me right away since it combines some favorites: chocolate covered pretzels and cookies in an all-new and delicious way. Also, this is a super easy recipe that only requires three ingredients — perfect for whipping up at the last minute, or just because.

To make these cookies, you start by scooping out balls of dough using a medium cookie scoop. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, I highly recommend getting one. It makes cookie making a breeze.

Once you have your dough balls, you roll them in crushed pretzels, coating them all over.

Then you arrange the cookies on a baking sheet, leaving at least two inches between them. This is important because these cookies will spread a lot as they cook. Bake ‘em up and let them cool on a wire rack.

Set the wire rack on a baking sheet lined with something like waxed paper or aluminum foil. This will make cleanup so simple.

Drizzle the cookies with melted milk chocolate. I use a spoon and carefully drizzle it onto all the cookies. Once the chocolate hardens, they are ready to devour.

See, I told you! Ultra simple.

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
yields about 14 cookies

1 tube Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
1 cup crushed pretzels
3 oz milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a 1-1/2 tablespoon (medium) cookie scoop, scoop out 18 balls of sugar cookie dough from the tube. Roll each ball in the crushed pretzels and then place on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving 3-inches between them. Continue until all the dough has been used (additional cookie sheets or multiple batches will be necessary).

Slide the cookies into the oven, taking care not to overcrowd it. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow the cookies to completely cool before transferring them to a wire rack. Set the wire rack on top of a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Break the chocolate into pieces and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until fully melted and smooth. Drizzle all the cookies with chocolate. Let harden before serving.

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by General Mills and Pillsbury for my time in creating this recipe and blog post. All opinions expressed are my own.

This morning, all I could think of was homemade cookies. All that time without power has sent me head first back into the kitchen — a good thing, no doubt. But I’ve also been busy with work, making sure that all my proverbial balls remained in the air throughout. So it was late afternoon before I finally cleaned out  my stand mixer bowl (banana pancakes were this morning’s breakfast for our extended family who arrived bright and early for a shower) and set out to bake a batch of cookies.

The flavor combination – Dark Chocolate Coconut Shortbread – is something my friend Rhian and I came up with this afternoon while chatting on Google Talk. She loves food as much as I do and is awesome about dreaming up flavors with me. I may just have to send her some now … or bribe her to make a visit with promises of homemade baked goods (I like the second idea better, personally). All it took was a mention that I really wanted to make cookies, and she was shooting out ideas and mere minutes later, I had a recipe in mind.

Oh, Dark Chocolate Coconut Shortbread Cookies … they are mouthwatering. The cookies have a buttery shortbread base that’s best eaten cooled. The texture is crumbly, but the cookies don’t break apart into bits (in other words, they don’t make a mess). Dotted with sweet bits of dark chocolate and coconut, every bite is a little different … a happy surprise. And since they aren’t overly sweet, Paige loved them as much as Will and I did. That’s a feat in itself.

The shortbread recipe is the same one that I use for my Shortbread Candy Cookies. It’s a tried and true that adapted easily for this recipe. If you make these, they are awesome with coffee – and don’t be shy about dipping. It’s totally worth it.

The trick to getting these into perfect little rounds is simple: You use a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto a cookie sheet. Then you simply press them into a circle with your hand … or a spoon if you prefer. Then they cook evenly. And since they are all the same size and shape, they are easy to wrap up for gifting too. (It’s not too early to think about your holiday cookie baskets!)

One last thing, completely unrelated to the cookies … Will was asking about my work today — about the recipes I create and how people read them. So I told him a little about my blog, something that he’s always known about but we’ve never really talked about. When he heard that certain friends and family members are among the readers, he insisted that he and Paige make an appearance today to say hi. I thought it was sweet.

What’s your favorite cookie combination?

Dark Chocolate Coconut Shortbread Cookies
yields about 30 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the butter and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together confectioners sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Add the sugar mixture to the butter mixture slowly, by the spoonful, with the mixer running on low. Fold in the coconut and the dark chocolate chips.

Use a small cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop) to drop the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about two inches between each ball. Press each one down gently with your hand or a spoon to make an even-height cookie round. Cook in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to four days.

Oh, brownies … served warm or cold, with ice cream or not, they are such a super treat. These ones, from an old family recipe, are thin but super fudgy brownies with a light, crackly top. Heavenly!

This recipe, called Agnes’ Brownies, is adapted very slightly from my handwritten and bound family cookbook. Agnes wasn’t a family member (or, at least I don’t think she was) — she was the local reverend’s wife and probably lived somewhere nearby my family (the church was walking distance from the family homestead).

These were part of last weekend’s bake-a-thon (but don’t worry … this isn’t turning into a sweets or baking blog. It’s just been that kind of week. We’ll be back to savory foods on Monday).

Back to the brownies …  If you are shy about homemade brownies made with melted chocolate, you aren’t alone. I was too. But you can’t beat the flavor of a really good unsweetened chocolate (I used Ghiradelli’s Bittersweet Chocolate for these) and the ensuing fudginess.

And here’s a little tip I learned recently: If you want your brownies to look as fudgy as they are, cut them using a plastic knife. It totally works.

Agnes’ Fudgy Brownies
yields one 8×8 pan of brownies

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch oven-safe baking dish with cooking oil spray.

In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring constantly. Once its completely melted and combined, remove from heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Drizzle the chocolate mixture in while continuing to stir.

Sift together the baking powder and flour and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Tap gently to even out the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool before cutting into squares.

When it comes to desserts, my sweet tooth knows no bounds. It’s something that Will inherited from me. That little guy loves cookies, cakes … anything sweet. Paige, on the other hand, is less sweet-addicted. Sometimes she wants dessert, other times she simply says “No, thank you.” Now, offer her some fresh mozzarella and she’s a happy girl. It’s kind of amazing, shocking and unbelievable all rolled up together — at least to this sweets lover.

This little, easy dessert? It’s a fabulous dreamy thing for this sweets lover. It starts with soft, lightly sweet madeleine cookies. They are bathed in a layer of caramel. Then, they’re sprinkled with freshly toasted coconut, which is a little nutty and has a nice crispness to it. Finally, milk chocolate is drizzled on top adding a glorious richness.

For the base – the madeleines – I used ones made by the company Donsuemor, which were a perfect introduction to this French confection. They’re available online or can be bought in stores like Fairway (Connecticut and New York).

The flavors are a riff on my favorite Girl Scout Cookie – Samoas. Oh, my kryptonite. I’ve been known to eat whole boxes without sharing. In a couple of sittings, of course. Not recently, of course. Honest. Really.

Anyway, once you’ve glazed, sprinkled and drizzled, you can either eat these babies hot or chill then until you are ready to eat. Either way, they are divine. And easy. Did I mention easy?

Oh, how cookies tempt me.

Toasted Coconut, Caramel and Milk Chocolate Madeleines
yields 12

12 madeleine cookies (recommended: Donsuemor)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup caramel topping
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate

Set a wire cooling rack on top of paper towel (you can line a baking sheet with paper towel, if you’re concerned about mess). Lay out the madeleine cookies on the cooling rack.

Warm a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the coconut and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from the burner and transfer the coconut to a bowl.

Add the caramel to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds. Stir. It should be loose and warm, so it’s easy to pour. If not, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.

Drizzle the caramel over each of the madeleines. Continue until all of the caramel has been used. Immediately sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double broiler. Drizzle over the top of the cookies.

Serve warm with forks or chill until ready to serve.

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Disclosure: I was provided with cookies for the creation of this recipe. However, I wasn’t compensated monetarily for this and all opinions expressed are my own.

When I was a little girl, I would sometimes curl up in my grandmother’s bed in the early mornings, where she’d tell me stories of our family and sing to me in French. She called Connecticut home, though she lived more of her life in New York than Connecticut. Still, the Nutmeg State was where our family’s homestead was located, where she’d spend summers on the shoreline with her mother, sister, aunts and cousins. It was where holidays were spent, gathered around a big table.

By the time I was born, the family homestead – a Victorian house and farm – had been sold and much of the family had relocated to Cape Cod. But the house is still there, just a few miles from where I live now. It’s no longer a home or a farm though. The land has been sold off, and the house loosely converted into offices.
Still, it retains the charm and magic that captivated my family for nearly 70 years.

I spent summers here as a child with sandy feet and salty wet hair from the Long Island Sound and for the last 10 years, I have called it home.

When Better Homes and Gardens asked me to represent Connecticut in their State Cookie Contest, I said yes right away. A state cookie? No problem! Naturally, I turned to the recipes of my Connecticut Yankee family.

This recipe is adapted from our family cookbook, The Moulding Board, a 30-year-old book that combines recipes from my extended family and diary pages from my Great-Great Grandmother compiled by my cousin Barb. A former neighbor at our family’s homestead, Mrs. Phil Webber, used to make these cookies for my Great-Great Aunt Sarah, my namesake.

Fresh nutmeg ... grate it with a Microplane

For my rendition of these classic cookies, I’ve replaced shortening with butter, changed the method a little and added nutmeg — in honor of Connecticut (which is the Nutmeg State. Don’t ask me why – I don’t know either).

They’re soft, a little chewy, with a rich flavor and a slight bite. They’re sweet but not crazy sweet. They would be amazing served with coffee, shared on a sunny front porch with a cousin or neighbor.

EDITED: You can vote for your favorite cookie in the BHG State Cookie Contest. I’d be honored if you voted for my Connecticut Spice Cookie.

Connecticut Spice Cookies
yields about 2 1/2 dozen

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp molasses
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the unsalted butter, egg, sugar and molasses until well combined. The mixture should look a little like mousse.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. I like to use a whisk for this — so easy.

Change the stand mixer’s blade to your paddle attachment. Turn it on to its lowest speed and add the flour mixture a little at a time, until its fully combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet leaving about 2-inches between them.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Though I wasn’t compensated for this post, I was provided with a Better Homes and Gardens baking sheet. The baking sheet is available at Walmart and cooked very evenly. I do have an opportunity to win a prize with this recipe though, and if I am in the top five, I will have a BHG giveaway for you.