Dessert

Rocky Road Cookies

The huge chocolate chocolate chip cookies -- one of the food stars of my car's 18th birthday.

Ingredients	Step
	Preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
1 c. butter, cold, cubed 1 c. brown sugar ½ c. white sugar	Cream in a mixer for at least 4 minutes (time it!).
2 eggs 1 t. vanilla	Mix in. Mix for at least 1 minute, scraping as needed.
½ c. (60 g) cocoa powder 1 c. (120 g) cake flour 1½ c. (180 g) AP flour 1 t. cornstarch 3/4 t. baking soda ½ t. salt	Combine in a large bowl. Then fold into the wet ingredients, leaving some streaks because there's more dough working to come.
1.75 c. chocolate chips 2 c. mini marshmallows 3/4 c. cashews, chopped	Stir in.
	Roll the dough into 5-6 oz. balls (roughly baseball size). Press a few extra chocolate chips and marshmallows into their tops.
	Bake 9-11 minutes at 410 degrees. After removing from oven, use a silicon spatula to press the edges to the center to make each cookie round again. Let them rest on the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan to cool fully on a rack.

Source: modernhoney.com from Levain Bakery

An easy, light, thin cake.

Ingredients	Step
	Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9" round pan (springform is helpful).
1 c. flour 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt	Whisk together.
1/2 stick butter, ideally softened 2/3 c. white sugar	Beat together until pale and fluffy.
1/2 t. vanilla 1/2 t. lemon zest. (optional)	Add. Mix in.
1 egg	Add. Beat well.
1/2 c. buttermilk	Alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to make a batter. Smooth into prepared cake pan.
1 c. raspberries	Scatter on top. Do not push in.
1.5 T. sugar	Sprinkle on top.
	Bake til golden and a toothpick inserted at center removes cleanly, ~15 minutes.
	Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then turn onto a cooling rack for 10-15 (until warm).

Source: Smitten Kitchen

The soft and gooey chocolate chip cookies we made with Asher, which disappeared within 36 hours.

Ingredients	Step
	Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 full size baking sheets with parchment.
3 c. AP flour 1 t. baking soda ½ t. baking powder 3/4 t. salt	Combine dry ingredients.
2 sticks butter, softened 1 c. white sugar 1 c. brown sugar	Cream together.
2 eggs 2 t. vanilla	Beat in until fluffy.
	Incorporate dry ingredients.
12 oz. chocolate chips (2 c.)	Mix in.
	Roll into balls. Bake 6-10 minutes, until just barely starting to brown.
	Cool on baking pan for 2 minutes, then remove to rack.

Source: joyfoodsunshine.com

A dense cake that can hold up to heavy, wet fruit like strawberries or peaches.

Ingredients	Step
	Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put parchment in bottom of 9" cake pan.
1 stick butter, softened 1/3 c. white sugar 1/3 c. brown sugar 1 t. vanilla zest of 1 lemon	Beat together on medium-high, periodically scraping, until light, fluffy and creamy (~5 min). (No joke -- don't skimp on this. It's the secret to the cake.)
2 c/255 g AP flour 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt	Whisk together.
2 eggs	Add eggs one at a time, scraping between each.
3/4 c. buttermilk	Incorporate by halves with flour, just until no large lumps remain.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick	Fold in to batter. Transfer batter and smooth.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick	Scatter the second half of the berries atop cake.
3 T demerara sugar	Sprinkle atop cake.
	Bake until puffed, deeply golden on top, fully baked where strawberries meet cake, and pulling away at sides (~45-50 min).
	Let cool completely, then remove from pan.

Source: NYT / Alison Roman