2nd Annual Blogger Cookie Swap - Nutmeg Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love cookies! and I love Christmas cookies! 

Because I love to be in a sugar coma from cookies starting December 1st through December 31st, I decided to once again participate in the Food Blogger Cookie Swap. This is my second year (and the cookie swaps second year), and it as always is so much fun. The anticipation of cookies coming in the mail is almost more than I can bear! :) 

Thank you to my awesome cookie swap matches! It's always so fun to learn about new bloggers. 

I got some yummy Ginger Molasses Cookies from Allix @ The NonPareil Baker

Sweet and delicious Oatmeal Cranberry white chocolate chip cookies from Kristen @ The Slender Kitchen

And perfectly chewy and unique deep dish chocolate chip cookies from Sarah @ Sensibly Sara

This year I decided to do a twist on my browned butter molasses chocolate chip cookies. These just went up a whole notch! I found a similar recipe to mine that got all crazy delicious in the Ruche holiday recipe guide. 

These cookies have a hint of coffee, a hint of nutmeg, sweetened condensed milk, and if all that weren't enough, you brown the butter for the most amazing flavor combination. They are intense, but wonderful... and I guarantee you won't be able to eat just one. 

So, I made them all, surprisingly got them all packaged up instead of eating them, and sent them to my matches. Even made a few for friends since they were so yummy. Packaging is half the fun in this cookie swap. Here's how I decided to package mine up this year - hope they made it ok! :)

 

Happy Cookie Swap! 

Nutmeg Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Adapted from She Runs, She Eats - Ruche Holiday Recipes)

Print Recipe

Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp ground coffee
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. In a skillet, place butter and allow to melt. Keep cooking for a few minutes until most of the large foam bubbles disappear and butter is golden brown and nutty smelling. I know, very official. :) Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

2. In a large bowl, mix together coffee, flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine cooled browned butter and brown sugar until combined. Follow this with the sweetened condensed milk, egg, and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth. 

4. Stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture and continue stirring until all flour is completely mixed in. 

5. Mix in chocolate chips and stir until combined. Mixture will be thick. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350. Roll about 1 1/2" balls of dough. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper approximately 1" apart, and press dough down until flattened. Bake cookies for ~13-15 minutes (depending on if you use a metal pan or not), until tops of cookies are crisp and slightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on baking tray and transfer to cooling rack to complete cooling. 

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The Great Cookie Swap 2011 - Gingersnap Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies

A few weeks ago, on twitter, I saw that Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil was going to be hosting a cookie swap! It was such a fantastic idea that I had to join in. She had a sign up where bloggers could sign up, get matched up with other bloggers, and exchange a dozen cookies by mail with three other bloggers. What a great way to get to know some other bloggers, taste some yummy cookies, and make some Christmas cookies myself!

Here were some of the cookies I got!

Jessica from The Novice Chef sent me these really delicious peanut butter sandwich cookies. They taste really close to these - which is so funny, because it's one of my families FAVORITE cookies!

Then I received these delicious bits! Yummy Chocolate Caramel Cookies from Heather at FarmGirl Gourmet. They reminded me of Salted Caramel Cookies - and they taste divine with peppermint ice cream!

Lastly, I received Pumpkin Suicide Cookies from Melanee at The Best Life Lived. They were a delicious batch of fall wrapped in a cookie that had a twist of a chocolate chip cookie.

Now I'm in a cookie coma from trying out all of these cookies!

And for myself, I had to decide on the cookie. It was a hard choice, but then I found the cookbook for Miette at the library. Miette is a great bakery in San Francisco/Oakland, and they have the best gingersnap cookies. You can find them all year round, and every time I'm in the Fairy building, I pick up a package. So when I found the cookbook... and the recipe for the gingersnaps was in there... it was a go! I made some small adaptions to the recipe, and made it a sandwich cookie with cream cheese frosting!- so so good.

So I sent a batch to Patricia, Chung, and Emily. Hope you ladies enjoyed them, and hope they made them in one piece! :)

Gingersnap Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies (Adapted from Miette Bakery cookbook)

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Generous 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon crushed crystalized ginger

2 teaspoons fresh ginger puree (grated with a microplane)

granulated sugar for sprinkling

For Frosting

1 8 ounce package cream cheese frosting, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 pound (box) powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

1. Sift together both flours, salt, and spices in a bowl and set aside.

2. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy for 3-4 minutes. Then add the honey and molasses, continuing to mix until fully incorporated.

3. Add the flour and spices to the butter and sugar mixture in three small batches, mixing until just combined. Stir in the crystalized ginger and ginger puree just until combined.

4. Form the dough into a round flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out to cut into shapes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface to 1/4" thick. Cut with a scalloped round cookie cutter, place on the lined cookie sheets approximately 1/2" apart. Sprinkle the cookies with the granulated sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are browned. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

7. For frosting, beat all ingredients together until well mixed. Frost a small amount on a cookie, and sandwich them together. Enjoy!

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A Spring Blog Party

I heard about this Thoughts of Spring blog party that Lynette over at Dancing on Weathered Ground is hosting, and thought it sounded like so much fun! Spring is so close here in California we can taste it.... except for those random few days of rain that still keep coming out. So, I thought this might be fun to join in in order to get everyone in the mood for spring.

If you'd like to participate, just head on over to Lynette's blog and link up (there are a lot of good prizes you get entered in for as well when you enter). Meanwhile, she gives you a list of things you can answer to be a part of, or you can create your own post. It's a great way to meet new people and find others out there who are wanting to meet new people too!

First, I thought I would start, by telling a little about me!

This is me! For my day job, I'm an occupational therapist at a non-profit. I work with kids with varying disabilities, and get to do visits in the families home - seeing them on a one-on-one basis. For my "other" job (and let's be real, we all have "others"), I love to cook, bake, host dinner parties, and entertain, hence the Cooking Vent. I also love to run and am currently training for my second half marathon in April.

This is me and my handsome hubby Archie. I love this picture. It looks like we're in some old world village in Europe or something, but it's really right here in California. My husband's a pastor - he's the worship pastor at our church South Bay Church. Or as he affectionately refers to himself, "The minister of Rock & Roll". He is in charge of all the creative elements of the service as well. He's amazing at what he does, and we feel so completely blessed to be part of such an amazing team.

This is my pup Capo. He's 7! He's a German Shepherd and Whippet mix, loves to run with us, chase balls, chase squirrels, chase kids, chase grass, you get the picture! He's a LOT of fun, loves to cuddle, and is pretty much spoiled rotten since he's our only kid right now.

1. If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?

I know this sounds so cliche, however, I would totally choose to live right where I am! Isn't this the most beautiful scene you've ever seen? It's 30 minutes from my house!!! You seriously can't ask for anything more gorgeous!! It almost looks fake. And the best part is, I can get this, mountains, flat land, just about anything I want, all within an hour drive - all while the weather is PERFECT! Don't get me wrong, I would love to visit other places, and am super excited to do so (Italy in October, hopefully China next summer), but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

I think the other factor in living here is that I know we are exactly where God wants us to be. We moved out here 2 1/2 years ago to start South Bay Church, and we know we are in the center of His will. Can't beat that feeling!

2. What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?

It would have to be a serious toss up between this and this

Christi's Catering Cinnamon Rolls Browned Butter Molasses

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Especially when you get the help of these cutie pies! How stinkin' cute are my nephews and niece?!

3. When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?

I would have to say always "talk less"! Unfortunately, I'm not much good at social situations. I'm willing to admit that, and totally okay with that. However, it gets me in trouble sometimes, because I just find myself talking (okay more like rambling) because I get a little nervous in those situations. I do so much better one-on-one, and always find myself going over things a thousand times in my head about what I said to so-and-so at a certain outing/gathering.

Of course, it's probably one of those things that they don't even remember me saying it, but I have found myself going back and apologizing later just because I can't get it out of my head. I know it makes me a weirdo, but like I said, I'm willing to admit it! :)

4. What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift)

Hospitality - it's one of the things that always comes up on the personality style tests to find out what you are gifted at. I truly enjoy having people in my home, cooking someone a good meal, throwing a party for someone, and making them feel so special and loved that someone would take out the time to spend specifically on them.

One of my favorite things to do is host dinner parties. Nothing completely fancy - just a gathering of a few people, a menu thoughtfully planned out, fellowship and good conversation that is specifically focused on each individual that has come. My tank is always completely full at the end of the evening, and I don't even mind the dishes! :)

5. What is your comfort food/drink?

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Drink = Coffee - I seriously have at least 2-3 cups a day! My husband and I are probably obsessed. And we're willing to admit it.

Food = Sweets... Preferably Chocolate.... Must be home made (if's a baked good). I'm pretty much good with any kind of cake, brownie, cookie, yeah. If it's bad for the waste line, it's a comfort food for me! :)

So that's all for me... how about you? Where would you choose to live? What's your comfort food, and what do you love to get a whiff of? Tell me about you, and remember, if you want to link up on your blog, check out the box at the top. Also, you don't have to have a blog in order to win the prizes on her site. See her page for rules.

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