As the saying goes, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.” Let’s just say I’m a planner. I had thought that by the age of 25 I would be married with two children and have a Colonial-style house, a white picket fence, and a Volvo wagon. As life would have it, as I sit here writing this at the age of 40, I have never been married, and at the age of 35 I became a single mother to the most amazing little girl. I work full-time as a stylist and manager of my best friend’s spa, I’m a landlord, and I have a small photography business. I also have an amazing support group consisting of family, friends, coworkers, guests of the spa who have become family over the years, and a wonderful boyfriend. My life is not as I had “planned” it (and come to find out, I don’t even like Colonial-style houses!); regardless, I wouldn’t change a thing.
When I was 29, I bought my first home. It was a two-family home; I had the upstairs and my tenants had the downstairs. For the very first time I had a full kitchen — my very own kitchen! I also had people to cook and bake for, which I was very excited about. I had a few cookbooks, but it made me crazy to see the recipes; in my eyes they were far too complicated. I wanted a straightforward cookbook that used as few utensils and dishes as possible. So, I decided to write a cookbook that would meet my own standards and make baking easier.
Over the years I have listened to people tell me how complicated and time-consuming it is to bake. When I explain to them what I do with my cookies, mixing everything in one bowl, they get excited. Most cookie recipes call for mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately, but I’ve found this isn’t necessary. By adding the ingredients to the bowl in the order I’ve listed them, your dough will come together perfectly. It’s easier and simpler, and you will have one less dish to clean!
You will fall in love all over again with baking, thanks to the simplicity of these recipes. Even if you have the busiest of schedules, you have time to whip up a batch of delicious cookies. In as little as 30 minutes, you can combine all your ingredients into one bowl, mix, bake, and come out looking like a gourmet baker. No time to bake? No problem. In about 10 minutes, you can make the dough (in the morning, at night, or whenever works for you) and pop it in the fridge; bake it within 24 hours.
I hope this book will make your life a little easier and a little sweeter.
This is where I make your life even simpler and tell you everything I used and where I found it.
Mixer: I use a KitchenAid electric stand mixer to put together my dough, and I highly recommend it. You could also use an electric hand mixer or just mix the dough by hand (if you have big muscles!).
Oven: You can use any oven to bake these cookies. I have used three ovens (two regular electric ovens and one convection oven) to test these recipes, so the timing should be pretty accurate.
Butter: I have used both salted and unsalted butter in my cookies, and honestly, it doesn’t make that much of a difference. If you like your food a little on the salty side, use salted butter; if not, use unsalted butter. Use what tastes good to you, and enjoy!
As for the temperature of the butter, if you have an electric mixer, like I do, you can use cold butter right from the fridge. If you’re mixing by hand, it’s best if the butter is at room temperature (it usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to soften when pulled from the fridge) or softened in the microwave. I never use melted butter; it makes flat cookies.
Extracts: I use a lot of different extracts. You can buy some extracts at the grocery store, or shop online (I buy most of mine at www.beanilla.com).
Nuts, dried fruit, caramel bits, and marshmallows: If I can’t find one of these products locally, I buy it online (I like www.nuts.com, www.nutsinbulk .com, and www.superiornut.com). Caramel bits have been a challenge for me to find. Nestlé has them, and I have bought them at www.nuts.com. As far as marshmallows, I use Kraft Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits. They come in a container like the kind that holds grated Parmesan cheese. The marshmallows look just like those you would find in a packet of hot chocolate. Or you can use regular old mini marshmallows. Just remember to use parchment paper when baking with them.
Cookie sheets: I love my cookie sheets; they’re nothing fancy. I use two Calphalon 12- by 17-inch cookie sheets that have a nonstick coating, making them a dream to bake cookies on. You could also use regular (not nonstick) cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper.
Scoop and spatula: I use a metal cookie scoop; it looks like a mini old-fashioned ice cream scooper. You can buy one just about anywhere. All of these recipes call for either a 1-inch or a 11⁄2-inch scoop. Metal is best, as the dough seems to stick to the plastic ones. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a regular spoon to measure out heaping spoonfuls. I use a silicone spatula made by Prepology when I need to scrape the sides of the bowl. It is heat-resistant, so I can also use it for melting chocolate. I use a plastic spatula on my nonstick cookie sheets because metal would scratch them.