Sam's Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies

These treats may have the nostalgic look of classic peanut butter cookies, but they hold a punchy little secret: a generous amount of spicy hot cayenne pepper, and a perfect amount of salt to go with it. The recipe comes from Samantha Seneviratne's new book, The New Sugar and Spice, which is so chock full of great recipes that I have dog-eared pretty much every page. I mean, hello Hot Honeycomb Candy, Plum Galettes with Hazelnut Frangipane, and Bay Leaf Rice Pudding! I can't wait to bake more from this book this fall and winter, so many of the spice-forward recipes seem like they would be a perfect fit for the holidays.

The inspiration for these chewy-crunchy cookies was Hot Mix, which is a super tasty spicy-salty snack mix, and dang, those flavors translate perfectly. Salty-sweet-hot snacks are my jam. When I made these guys I thought I had peanuts in my pantry, but discovered late into the baking process that I definitely did not (ehem, that's what happens when you don't do your mise en place...). I used chopped up cashews instead and they were fab. 

Oooh and you guys are all so lucky because Elizabeth over at Brooklyn Supper is hosting a giveaway of this very book right now. Visit her blog to enter, seriously, you want this on your shelf. 

Sam's Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies

makes about 2 dozen cookies

From The New Sugar and Spice: A Recipe for Bolder Baking by Samantha Seneviratne

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for pressing

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup natural, well-stirred unsweetened peanut butter

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cayenne, and baking soda. In a large bowl, stir the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peanuts.

Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place on the prepared sheets at least 2 inches apart. Using a fork dipped in sugar, gently press a crisscross pattern in the top of each cookie, flattening it out to a 2-inch circle.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown around the edges and on the bottom, 12-14 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheets on the racks, then move them to the racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Tara O'Brady's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to title this post "Tara O'Brady's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies" or "Tara's I need a chocolate chip cookie right now cookies" but both seemed a little wordy for a post title. l know that people are very specific/loyal/devoted to their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, and you may be thinking to yourself,  does the world really need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? The answer is a resounding yes. These cookies are perfect: sweet, salty, generously studded with chocolate with crisp edges and chewy centers.

I have made and loved Ashley's chocolate chippers (from her blog and her mix) and the NY Times recipe is also great, but it calls for two types of flour and that's just too fussy for my everyday cookie needs. Tara's recipe is an amazing, I need a cookie right now, type of cookie. There is no softening of butter, or letting eggs come to room temp necessary. You do have to chop your own chocolate for best results, which to be honest, is one of my least favorite kitchen tasks, but it's worth it for these cookies. You don't have to age the dough for perfectly crisp/chewy cookies, although after the dough rests overnight they are even better. I was lucky enough to test this cookie recipe last year, and I have practically been sitting on my hands wanting to share it with you. Now that Tara's beautiful cookbook: Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day, is out in the world I finally can!

Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Seven Spoons by Tara O'Brady

makes about 28 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, chopped

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces, semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

flaky salt, to finish

Preheat the oven to 360°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over the lowest heat possible, stirring occasionally. Take care that the butter does not sizzle or bubble which means it's losing moisture.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just combined. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients until barely blended. When things are still looking a bit floury, stir in the chocolate until all of the ingredients are just combined.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and arrange them on the prepared pans, leaving 3 inches between each cookie. (At this point you can refrigerate the dough, loosely covered, overnight.)

To bake, sprinkle each cookie with a bit of sea salt and bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, the move to a wire rack to cool completely.