Double the Cookie!

 

Everyone loves an Oreo, and almost as many love peanut butter cookies, so why not have both? Elise Thomas, who wrote the new cookbook, Eat Dessert First, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Oreo-stuffed peanut butter cookies. Essentially a standard peanut butter cookie with an Oreo in the center. Elise told Tonia that she knows a little something about cookies, as she's the CEO over Cookie Co headquartered out of Redlands, California. It's a growing cookie shop with locations all over Southern Cal, along with 26 franchises. Now, Elise wants you to enjoy her quality cookies anywhere, even if you don't have a Cookie Co nearby!

Two Cookies In One!

Everyone loves an Oreo, and almost as many love peanut butter cookies, so why not have both? Elise Thomas, who wrote the new cookbook, Eat Dessert First, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Oreo-stuffed peanut butter cookies. Essentially a standard peanut butter cookie with an Oreo in the center. Elise told Tonia that she knows a little something about cookies, as she's the CEO over Cookie Co headquartered out of Redlands, California. It's a growing cookie shop with locations all over Southern Cal, along with 26 franchises. Now, Elise wants you to enjoy her quality cookies anywhere, even if you don't have a Cookie Co nearby!

This Fudge Is a Winner

 

Literally! That's because it comes from a cook who knows how to clean up at county fair all across the country. Linda Skeens, who wrote the new cookbook Blue Ribbon Kitchen, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen with her recipe for Blue Ribbon-winning Peanut Butter fudge. One of the rubs against homemade fudge is that it doesn't stay firm, but Linda has a trick she promises will fix that fudge and make it so you'll think it came directly from the candy shop. Linda says being a blue-ribbon winner is great, but you need to know you're not going to always get it. She told Tonia sometimes you get the red or the white ribbon, or even no ribbon at all. But keep trying!

• 1 stick butter, plus more for greasing
• 12 ounces heavy cream
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1 packed cup brown sugar

• 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (16-ounce) jar peanut butter

1.

Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan with butter.

2.

In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter and add heavy cream and both sugars. Stir until well-blended and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Let boil, stirring frequently for 7 minutes.

3.

Remove from heat and add the marshmallow crème, vanilla and peanut butter. Stir until smooth, then pour into the prepared pan and chill in fridge until set. Cut into squares and serve.

Cookies Are Always Fun...

...but sometimes the same-old, same-old standbys like Chocolate Chip Cookies or Peanut Butter Cookies can get a little long in the sweet tooth. With that in mind, authors Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about their new cookbook, Fabulous Modern Cookies! It takes the traditional recipes and sets them on their sides! Case in point, a delicious spin on the cookie batter where they use what they call Bronze (or Brown) Butter to put a spin on these taste treats. By doing that, they told Tonia the different butter offers a toffee-esque flavor profile that is incredibly delicious. They also take peanut butter cookies and put an East Asian spin on things, by offering a Peanut Satay cookie. Is it different? You bet! Is it delicious? Absolutely!

Unbleached all-purpose flour - 3 cups /425 grams

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Unsalted butter, at room temperature - 16 tablespoons/227 grams

Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup /100 grams

Light brown sugarPacked - 1/2 cup /100 grams

Egg, at room temperature - 1 large /50 grams (weighed without shell)

Instant espresso powder - 2 teaspoons

Pure vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Whole roasted coffee beans - 1/2 cup/ 35 grams

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, and cream together on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, espresso powder, and vanilla until the mixture is uniform.

3. Reduce the mixer to low speed, and mix in the flour mixture until combined and no dry flour is visible. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the beater with a silicone spatula to make sure all ingredients have been incorporated.

4. Place the coffee beans in a bag, such as a 1-quart resealable storage bag. Crush the beans coarsely, using a heavy object, such as a rolling pin or the bottom of a small pan. The goal is to still have small, crunchy nuggets of coffee bean that are smaller than 1/4-inch chunks but not a fine powder. Stir the crushed beans into the cookie dough, using a silicone spatula.

5. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half of the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Stack the paper-covered sheets of dough on an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet, and refrigerate until cold and firm throughout, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

6. Position two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350F. Line two 18-by-13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

7. Use a coffee bean shaped cookie cutter (or any shape) to cut your desired shapes from the dough and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies. If you don’t have a coffee bean–shaped cutter, find an oval or ellipse that seems reasonably close. Drag the back of a butter knife through the center of the cookie to draw that central coffee bean line. (Be sure to use the back of the knife—you just want to draw a line, not cut through it.) These cookies keep their shape well, so you can crowd the pan a little more than with cookies that spread more during baking. But keep them about 1 inch apart for proper heat circulation.

8. Bake until the edges are just starting to brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Halfway through baking, rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Large (over 4 inches) or delicate shapes should be allowed to cool completely on the sheets to prevent breaking. Repeat with the remaining dough, rerolling the scraps of dough, if necessary, once the baking sheets have completely cooled, or prepare additional baking sheets. After cooling, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.