Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear Megs,

These are so good. Soooo good. Really, whatever cookies you're eating right now, these are better than them. For real. These are fluffy and gooey and melt-in-your-mouthy all at once.

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans (optional but unless it'll kill you recommended)
sea salt, coarse

0) Preheat to 375.
1) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, and salt.
2) In a larger bowl, "cream" olive oil and sugars. It will get soupy, but it won't really get fluffy like it does with butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly in between, and then add the vanilla. Now you can put the mixer on high for a minute, just to fluff the eggs out, but don't do it for too long because olive oil can turn bitter if overworked.
3) Add flour gradually.
4) Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
5) Using your awesome cookie scoop that you got for Christmas, scoop out blobs of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. No need to flatten - these will melt into gorgeous little blobby puddles. Which actually sounds sort of gross, but you won't think so when it's cookies.
6) Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of each cookie.
7) Cook for just long enough.
8) I defy you not to spoil your dinner.

Love,

Linz

Blondies for Grown-Ups

Dear Megs,

Today I had to make a dessert to bring to a Super Bowl party (WHO DAT!!!!), and was inspired by a blondie Alex got yesterday at Scratch Bakery, but I wanted to sex it up a little. So I added a few things. These were delicious, but in the future I won't melt the butter before mixing, because though I like a gooey bar-cookie, these were a little too gooey. Serious yum, though.

BLONDIES FOR GROWN-UPS
2 sticks butter (melted)
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 c flour
1/4 c cognac or bourbon (I used Hennessy)
1/2 c toffee chips
1 c dark chocolate chips (I was out, so I used 4 squares of semi-sweet baking, chopped coarsely)
1 c chopped pecans
zest of 2 oranges

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour (I used Pam baking spray, my new love - it's so easy) a 9x13 baking pan. Mix butter and sugar (cream butter and sugar if you decide not to use melted butter). Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Mix in extracts and booze. Mix in salt, baking powder and flour, then fold in nuts, candy, and orange zest. Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on how gooey you like them. I tried 30, until the middle was just set, but after eating one, I stuck them back in the oven for 15 minutes. They were still really moist and rich even after that.

Love, Linz

Eclairs with Blood Orange Cream and Cognac Ganache

Dear Megs,

Today I had several new accoutrements to put to use, and I decided that, since I didn't sleep too well last night, I did not have the wherewithal for actual work. So, I decided to try making éclairs, which seem so fabulous that I thought they'd be hard. They aren't!

You don't need these:



Or this:



to make éclairs, but they do make things easier. And kitchen toys are fun.



Eclairs with Blood Orange Cream and Cognac Ganache

Pastry
1/4 c unsalted butter
1 c water
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c flour
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 400. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, salt, and water to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat to med, and add flour and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well with a wooden spoon, smushing the flour mixture against the sides of the pan to break up lumps. It will seem like it doesn't need more cooking, but do this for 2 minutes anyway. It's ok if some sticks to the bottom.
Remove pan from heat and scrape dough into a different bowl (like, say, the bowl of your new stand mixer, with the paddle attachment) and add eggs at room temp one at a time. Beat continuously as dough separates and then comes back together.
If you want that eclair shape, you'll need a plastic bag or pastry bag fitted with a jumbo star tip. Otherwise just put some dollops of dough on a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake 45 minutes or so, until dough is light and poofy and golden brown (if desired, brush with lightly beaten egg for shine).

Cognac Ganache
4 square bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream
1 t light corn syrup
1 T cognac
Scald cream without allowing it to boil. Remove from heat, and add chopped chocolate, corn syrup, and cognac. Wait a few moments, then stir until smooth.

Blood Orange Cream
1 c whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
zest of 1 blood orange
1 c heavy cream
1 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
Scald the milk without allowing to boil. At the same time, whisk yolks and sugar until pale. Add cornstarch and salt, continuing to whisk. Pour the hot milk into egg mixture slowly, continuing to whisk. Return to saucepan, ever whisking, for several minutes, or until cream thickens considerably.
Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl; whisk in vanilla and orange zest. Chill in fridge for about an hour.
Beat cream, powdered sugar, and remaining vanilla until stiff. Remove pastry cream from fridge and whisk to smooth. Beat about 1/3 of whipped cream into the pastry cream, then fold the rest in to lighten the cream.

Assemble by gently cutting pastry in half, plopping filling in the middle, and spooning warm ganache over the top. Refrigerate.