Browned Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know that's a mouthful, but it is a mouthful of incredible flavors. Browned butter is all the rage these days, but I've been using it for about 20 years. We discovered how tasty it is accidentally. One Thanksgiving my brother Tim was making his pecan pie when he forgot about the butter that was melting on the stove. When he remembered it, it was well past melted and on the verge of being burned. Without giving it a second thought, he used it anyway and it was the best pecan we had ever had, so it's became our tradition to use browned butter. And salted caramel? Delicious. The salt brings an extra dimension to the buttery goodness of the caramel. And I know I don't need to say anything about chocolate chip cookies. EVERYONE likes those. So, why not combine all three into one decadent cookie? Why not indeed. Here's what you'll need:

  • 2 1/4 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 sticks butter at room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1 TBL vanilla
  • 1 tsp molasses
  • 23 caramels (random number, but it's how many I had...) 
  • 1 C dark chocolate chips
  • flaked sea salt

Start by browning 1 stick of the butter. If you've never done this before, don't worry because it's easy. Melt the butter over medium heat.  

Let the butter continue to heat. It will start bubbling and spitting and that's okay. It just means the water is cooking out. You will notice that the foam will start to brown slightly. At this point, watch it closely so that it just browns and doesn't burn. As soon as it is a nice amber color, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl. 

Stick the bowl in the refrigerator to cool slightly while you make the dough. If you're not making the dough right away, leave the butter at room temperature so that it will cool without firming up again. 

Unwrap the caramels and cut each one into four pieces. I've tried using the caramel candy baking bits, but I don't like how much they harden after baking, so I prefer to just cut up my own. 

In your mixer, combine the brown sugar and the remaining stick of butter., mixing until they are totally combined. 

Add the granulated sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes until it's lighter in color and starts to get fluffier. 

Add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses and beat until light and fluffy. 

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. 

Stir in the caramel. 

Next, stir in the chocolate chips. 

Scoop dough out onto parchment lined baking sheets and sprinkle a small amount of flaked sea salt to the top of each cookie. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes or until golden brown. 

Perfection! 

Enjoy! 

Lynn

    Browned Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

  •   2 1/4 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  •     1 tsp kosher salt
  •     2 stick butter at room temperature
  •     2 eggs
  •     1 C brown sugar
  •     1/2 C granulated sugar
  •     1 TBL vanilla
  •     1 tsp molasses
  •     23 caramels (random number, but it's how many I had...) 
  •     1 C dark chocolate chips
  •     flaked sea salt

Start by browning 1 stick of the butter. As soon as it is a nice amber color, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl. Stick the bowl in the refrigerator to cool slightly while you make the dough. If you're not making the dough right away, leave the butter at room temperature so that it will cool without firming up again. Unwrap the caramels and cut each piece into four pieces. I've tried using the caramel candy baking bits, but I don't like how much they harden after baking, so I prefer to just cut up my own. In your mixer, combine the brown sugar and the remaining stick of room temperature butter, mixing until they are totally combined. Add the granulated sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes until it's lighter in color and starts to get fluffier. Add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Stir in the caramel. Next, stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop dough out onto parchment lined baking sheets and sprinkle a small amount of flaked sea salt to the top of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes or until golden brown. 

Chicken Salad Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I'm a sucker for a good rotisserie chicken. I really can't pass them up. Their versatility makes them ideal to have on hand. The problem for me is that in a house with 2 people, a chicken is too much for one meal. One of my favorite things to do with the leftovers is make chicken salad because it's great for lunch and snacks. But after a day or so, what do I do with the chicken salad that's still left? I have to make something that changes the chicken salad enough that Hubby doesn't notice that we're eating it again. That's when I came up with stuffed poblano peppers. He loves them! Winner!! Here's what you'll need:

Start by opening the peppers. With a sharp paring knife, make a horizontal cut through the top layer of the pepper just below the stem. Then make a vertical cut through the top layer from the horizontal cut to the bottom of the pepper. Gently open the pepper and remove the seeds.

With a spoon, fill the pepper with the chicken salad.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the pepper is warmed  through.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Scalloped Potatoes

This is Mom's recipe, although it's not really a recipe as much as it is an assembly. The ingredients are basic and you probably have them on hand any day of the week, although I will confess to having to go to the store for milk today. Total bummer, but worth it in the end. When we were kids, scalloped potatoes and ham were a favorite meal. This is basically that dish without the ham and served as a side. They are creamy, buttery and wonderful. I'm partial to the top layer that has a little bit of a crispy bite. The is the most basic variety, but it's easy to change it up by adding in some veggies or cheese or meat. It's good with roasted poblanos and fontina, or cheddar and ham, or proscuitto and mozzarella and fresh basil. Once you master the basic recipe, the sky is the limit on the different varieties you can make.  Here's what you'll need:

  • Yukon gold potatoes
  • butter
  • flour
  • milk
  • salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

One of the most important things about making theses potatoes is to try to make all the slices the same thickness so that they cook evenly. I use a mandolin which cuts them exactly the thickness I set it for and it's about ten times faster than doing it by hand. Just be really careful about your hand while you're using it. It's not a time saver if you cut yourself and have to go to the hospital... 

After you've sliced all your potatoes, it's time to start layering. Spray your casserole with nonstick spray and arrange your first layer of potatoes. You'll want them to overlap and if your potatoes are really thin like these, go ahead and do 2 layers.  

Next, season that layer with salt and pepper. It's important to season each layer as you go. 

Now sprinkle with flour. You want to have a light layer of flour covering the potatoes. 

Now dot with butter. I cut about a teaspoon off of the stick, then pinch little pieces off and drop on the flour. 

Just keep repeating those layers until you've used all the potato slices. 

Now pour on the milk. You want enough milk so that you can see it just below the top layer of potatoes. 

Place the casserole on a foil lined baking sheet. Don't skip this step. Almost every time I make these, some of it boils over and you don't want that mess in your oven. Place the pan in the oven, uncovered, for about an hour. I say about because it's going to depend on how thick your slices are and how many layers you have. You can check for doneness by sticking a fork in them like you would a baked potato. 

When they are fork tender and golden on the top, take them out of the oven. At this point, you basically have a pot full of molten hot lava, so be very careful. Wait at least 15 minutes before you serve them.  

Enjoy! 

Lynn