Desserts – Page 2 – The Salted Table

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Goo Goo Cluster Recipes, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Nashville Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Chocolate

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

This summer heat is working me over like crazy and even the sweat beads on my brow are becoming frustrated. Its like the sun has a vendetta and its unleashing hell and taking names, literally. But as far as I’m concerned it could never be too hot to eat chocolate or break into a textbook chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookies are my sacred-kind of childhood snack and you may call me a snob when it comes down to it. I mean, cookies run rampid on the inter webs, being stuffed with nutella and laced with truffles for the so-called ‘real foodies’ but you can keep those. I’m somewhat of a purist when it comes to the circular, sometimes amoeba-shaped little puckets that pair so well with cold milk and shakes alike. Yes, milkshakes and cookies are sheer perfection, just ask my inner eight year old, he’ll tell you all about it.

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookies, Chocolate Recipes, Nashville Food Bloggers, Bloggers, Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Goo Goo Clusters were the equivalency of currency in our home and a treat to be savored upon the completion of one’s chores. My mother kept them tucked into the third shelf of what was better known as the snack cabinet. There were bags of Doritos, Moon Pies, Oreos and Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, because those were my dad’s vice along with bottled coke.

I remember being in the line at the grocery store and spying the sweet treat laced with peanuts and dipped in chocolate sitting snug in the silver packages on the shelf. They were always calling my name and appealing to every desire in my four and a half foot being. Whenever I received my allowance I typically bought whatever I saw first because the money was ‘burning my pockets’ as my mom would say, and back then you could find the Goo Goos three for a dollar. So quite naturally I bought six.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I find joy in partaking in the most simplistic forms of dessert. I have a great appreciation for those creatives who taking something ordinary and make it extra-ordinary, but at the heart of it, all I desire is the textbook chocolate chip cookie, a moist slice of chocolate cake with the perfect amount of frosting, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce. I went on the search for a cookie recipe that gave me the crunch around the edges, the chew in the center and the cookie that when you bit into it, nothing else matters and just for a moment–for a brief and satisfactory moment, you are the only person that matters. And I hope to give that to you today with these cookies. Now, remember to read all the way through the recipe before you begin, and definitely space your cookies the three inches apart because the nougat and caramel will cause your cookies to spread significantly, but thats not a bad thing in this case. Enjoy.

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melt slightly & allow to cool slightly
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Nielsen Massey vanilla
2 cups chopped Goo Goo Cluster chunks (Original & Supreme)
1/2 cup of %60 cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cover your sheet pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.

3. Beat together melty butter & sugars in a large bowl with a Kitchen-aid mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, but do it gradually so you don’t have a mess on your hands, about 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a bowl & add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to the butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until just blended, then stir in Goo Goo chunks & chocolate chips.

4. Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, placing the portions 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheet pans.

5. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Remember that oven temps vary so keep an eye on your cookies. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue baking off the rest of your batter and cook it off.

Note: I have tried this recipe after dough has been frozen so I’m not sure how well it would work out but if you try it let me know!

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

macerated strawberries and a farewell to Spring

macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

When I was a child tracing the cracks of sidewalks with my tender bare feet I knew nothing of the joy that each season had to offer–I was simply on a mission to find things in the dirt and release them from the soils firm grip. It seems like yesterday Nanny was walking across the decrepit bridge to the garden in search of the overnight harvest. She would pluck a basketful of tomatoes that were tugging at the vines and grazing the moist dirt below. The Serrano peppers would be swaying in the breeze as if wanting to chime like bells on the veranda. It was indeed summer and spring was leaving behind the last of the wild berries that grew up against the fence. The old wooden fence where you could occasionally catch a glimpse of our neighbor’s dog’s eyes glaring at you in the sun. I avoided getting to close to that fence in fear of shrilling barks being directed my way with great force–and laced with disdain and contempt for my existence. That is what I knew of dogs then, not now.

macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

I remember only having a few strawberries to eat from those bushes because they didn’t produce much fruit and I’m not sure why. But it may have something to do with the local plants in Oak Ridge contaminating our water supply, I kid, we had much supply of vegetables that never lacked the ambition of sprouting forth–only the strawberries. I was a lover of strawberries when I was a child but I was a meticulous eater of sorts, only chasing the lush red fruit and leaving the slightly bitter and tangy hull behind. This relationship was and is still the same with many other fruits today, don’t judge, you simply like what you like and we are who we are. macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

macerated fruit, strawberries, Delvin Farms, buy local

In my family, I simply can’t recall anyone ever macerating strawberries or fruit. It just wasn’t ‘a thing’ in my family. My mother and Nanny both used the gelatin in a tub when making desserts if Nanny wasn’t putting it in Jell-O mold for a church potluck. My father’s mother was the rinse and eat from the pint kind’ve of woman, and the resident baker, my cousin Carnell would typically bake them into a cake that would be lathered with strawberry frosting. It wasn’t until my mother in-law came into the picture some eleven years later that I would actually know and love the art of macerated strawberries. I’m sure I came across it in some format or another throughout culinary school but nothing that stuck like when the MIL made them. macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

There’s nothing like strawberries in season that will create a flutter in your heart and an excitement of your palate when you bend down to pluck it fresh from the vine. The experience of that tender bite kissed by sun, releasing that sweet juice into your mouth and without warning the corners of your lips begin to curl up the sides and you’re smiling ‘something serious’ that just can’t be contained. The strawberries you’re feasting your eyes upon in the post today are from the lovely folks at Delvin Farms and some from the folks at Kelley’s Berry Farm. I won’t lie to you I picked both of them up at East Nashville Farmer’s Market because I like to spread the love event though I occasionally have my bias depending upon the product. But I couldn’t fight the urge to have these berries in snacking distance so I sat them in the front seat, and if you know anything about Nashville traffic, it’s a nightmare. I came to an abrupt stop and the berries began to cascade in slow motion through the air and onto my ‘freshly cleaned’ car floor (wink). Well, there was no way I would be able to separate them and I don’t think the berries minded being blended so everyone was happy and now we’re spreading the love for two companies, so win win.

As you all know it’s kind’ve of a pain in the roo to put recipes into a formatted display in which you can just scroll down to the bottom and make it. I’m a talker and I’m going to tell you what to do to have this deliciousness in your mouth sooner than later. Not to mention, I love that it encourages you guys to actually read the content though I know there are those of you who hate it (sorry, not sorry)! macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

All you need are some fresh local strawberries or some Driscoll’s or whatever store brand you can get your hands on will work. I know that I caught you kind of late with this post because strawberry season has ended for us here but you may be lucky. And be warned that most mass producers pick strawberries before they’re ready so macerating them is never a bad option. Always rinse your strawberries off unless you have a little country in you, like myself, then you eat them in the car on the way home from the market. Cut the berries into whatever size you prefer and toss them in to a couple of tablespoons of granulated white sugar. I recommend two tablespoons of sugar per pint of berries you have. Toss the berries in the sugar to give them an even coating in a bowl that’s not metal. Let them set in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes occasionally giving them a little stir to insure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Once you have a nice syrup in the bottom and fruit has weeped just a little, you have a perfect bowl of macerated strawberries ready to be devoured. This is great to do with your kids, it makes the perfect topping for a slice of cake or a scoop of ice cream and this process also works well with peaches, plums, pineapple etc. And if you desire to use raspberries or blackberries you’ll want to crush some of the fruit to encourage juicing.

macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

You can find this recipe on Steller Stories and please follow along for quick recipes and creative happenings in my life. I really hope you guys enjoy and I’d love to hear what you’re doing with your seasonal fruits!

macerated strawberries on The Local Forkful

Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Peanut Butter Chocolate Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies More than the perfect chocolate chip cookie filled to the brim with chocolate-y goodness, a crispy rim and a chewy center is a chewy center. This has always been and always will be my favorite part of any cookie. So you crispy cookie people may want to move on. As a child, I endured the crunchy rim and saved every last moist bite of the center until the very end. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap was the perfect opportunity for me to flex my cookie making abilities and create this idea cookie that had the perfect chew. Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

But enough about my love for chewy cookies, let’s talk about the cause! The Food Blogger Cookie Swap was created by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen to benefit Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. I’m beyond flattered to be apart of such an awesome cause seeing as how my father-in-law and wife both fought cancer and live to tell the story. It’s a beautiful thing when my love for dessert can be used to fuel research for such a life-threatning illness. And not to mention, the thought of receiving three dozen of cookies is a no-brainer, yes please! Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap

I was thrilled like many other bloggers to receive my holiday inspired cookies and I’m already looking forward to next year. I mean, who doesn’t want cookies in their mailbox?Below, I have shared a photo of the cookies I received with a link to the blogger from whom it came from as well as a recipe for cookies! So I hope you enjoy and think about participating next year, you won’t be sorry.

Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter softened
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Tucker’s Nut Butters (Cashew Butter)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey vanilla
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces %67 Olive & Sinclair Chocolate (chopped)
3 Tablespoons Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a non-stick cookie sheet or silicone mat.

In a standing or electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until fluffy. Add in the cashew butter and peanut butter to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Add it slowly to the wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or lined Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Break up the almond paste and add to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop. You can make your cookies larger or smaller if you like but remember to change cooking temp accordingly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are just a light golden on the top and outside and slightly undercooked in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. And try to contain yourself, they are ridiculously delicious straight out of the oven, not that I’d know or anything…

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap — Peppermint Blossoms via @stracciatellabella. You can visit her at http://www.stracciatellabella.blogspot.com

Butter Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap — Butter Cookies via @kelly_ldbaking. You can visit her at http://www.longdistancebaking.com

Gingerbread Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap — Ninja-bread cookies via @norhang. You can visit her at http://www.frommetovuu.com

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate I feel as though the holidays snook in the back door on me this year. There I was mowing the grass and lounging at farmer’s market sorting through summer’s harvest and before I knew it, it was time for windbreaker’s and flu shots. But nonetheless, I love the holiday season and the first sighting of fiery leaves are an indication of warm family gatherings, the crackling of fire places and bottomless eggnog and hot chocolate. Check!

If you’ve been following along with me here at The Local Forkful long enough, then you know I’m a believer in eating dessert first, no shame necessary, because my sweet tooth is insatiable and we won’t discuss my gummy candy addiction, at least not in this post. Today, I made you a dessert that embodies the spirit of the holiday season to me–I mean, chocolate, pumpkin, graham cracker and marshmallows…how can we go wrong? (we can’t.) So dive head first into this delicious little holiday pie infused with some Olive & Sinclair goodness!

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and delicious food. Luckily, the food blogging community is all about these things as well. To celebrate the holiday, Meghan from Cake ‘n’ Knife and Susannah from Feast + West are hosting Blogsgiving Dinner. There are 20 awesome blogs sharing 52 recipes

The idea is based on the old-fashioned progressive dinner party, in which you’d eat each course at a different guest’s home. Each blogger is bringing one or more dishes to the party on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, so be sure to stop by each one and get some ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to check out today’s recipes for entrees, salads and side dishes.

We’ll be posting to social media with the hashtag #blogsgivingdinner. Hope you can join us! Blogsgiving Dinner 2014

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

2 cups roasted pumpkin or squash (pureed
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
smidge of kosher salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 tsp. Nielsen Massey Vanilla
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Temper Chocolate

1.5 ounces %67 Olive & Sinclair Chocolate
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Graham Cracker Crusts

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker
3 tbsp. AP flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 ounces unsalted butter (melted)
smidge of kosher salt

method

1. Using your fingers, combine graham cracker, flour, salt, sugar together and add butter one tablespoon at a time until mixture holds ball form when squeezed, set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together salt, pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and eggs in a bowl until smooth; set aside.

2. bring a small pot of water to a rolling simmer. chop the chocolate up and place it into a non-reactive metal bowl with the oil. stir chocolate with wooden/plastic spatula until chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and set aside.Do not leave unattended.

3. Heat oven to 375°. Place 3 tbsp of crust mixture into the bottom of a cupcake pan and using your fingers press the mixture around the sides and leave a pool in the center to pour the pie mixture into.Pour filling into crust; drop a dollop of chocolate into the center and swirl a toothpick around to create a design, bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle, but avoid piercing an area with chocolate. about 20 minutes.

4. Turn your oven on low broil or whip out your blow torch and go to town. While waiting for the oven to come up to temp, strategically place marshmallows on the top of the mini pies. Place under broiler with the door cracked and wait, do not walk away from the pies, once they are a light brown, remove and let cool to room temperature before serving. And I always recommend a scoop of ice cream.

Here is the rest of today’s menu. Go check out what the other bloggers are providing for your holiday feast!

Dessert

Grandma’s Pecan Pie from The Wetherills Say I Do

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting from My Cooking Spot

Gluten-Free Apple Berry Crumble from Twin Stripe

Paleo Pumpkin Pudding from Wit Wisdom Food

Cranberry Almond Coconut Bars from Love & Flour

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate from The Local Forkful

Poached Pears with Salted Maple Caramel Syrup from Home at Six

Sweet Potato Pie from Think Fruitful

Nutella Pumpkin S’mores Tart from bethcakes

Gluten-Free Acorn Squash Spice Bars from I Cook. I Eat. It’s Life.

Drunken Pecan Pie Bars from The Speckled Palate

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

Three Decades and Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies I simply don’t know where to begin. It’s been thirty-years of life here on this earth, breathing in this air , writing down my thoughts in books with tattered and torn edges. Thinking about ways to make life one big coffee break on a patio in a foreign country, or maybe just in my own backyard? What is age truly? Simple numbers on a piece of paper awaiting to be marked off in a brisk motion lined with disdain and contempt for yet another year of aging? Or maybe I’m being a bit dramatic?

It’s been thirty years, and in those thirty-years were born my insatiable love for ~~food~~–I mean chocolate. I’m not sure what to share with you. I feel as though at times my life has been such a roller coaster ride–one in which I wanted to get off of many-a-time. But I can truthfully say that “I wouldn’t change a thing.” And yes, I’m fully aware of how cliché that statement is but it’s too late to drink coffee and wait for fresh phrases to surface.

If you look back over your past and find that there are things that you desire to change. You end up living a life stuck in the past and you become a victim of your past mistakes–living like this can be debilitating and you’re worth more than that, I’m worth more than that. Life is to be learned from and we are only to focus on the future not the past. I’m looking forward to what the next three decades will bring. I mean, just in the last ten years, I found my beautiful wife, we fought cancer, moved to Nashville where we have successful careers and purchased our first home. Now, I’m not insinuating that life has been idea, there’s a whole slew of bumps in the road, grey skies and unplanned events that are meant for another post. But that’s enough ranting for now, let’s talk cookies. Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

My wife, Jenna, is no baker and she refuses to pretend to be and I’m ok with that because if need be, my girl can bake break-apart cookies like a champ. She’ll tell you that her mom tried to get her in the kitchen and she declined with pleasure every-time. So I wasn’t surprised when she walked in the door with one of my favorite desserts, chocolate chip cookie cake! Ahhhh, it’s a beautiful thing and has been one of my favorite birthday gifts since I can remember and oh yeah, I occasionally get a jones for Pillsbury funfetti or strawberry cake. Guilty!…judge away!(#noshame).

I feel like I have been blessed beyond all that I deserve. God has been so good to me despite my constant neglect of Him in my life from day-to-day. You know, when you feel as though life is just too busy to stop and pray or simply tell Him thank you for that brisk wind beneath your chin. Life is a thing of beauty and I look forward to another three decades of taking it all in, appreciating the little things more often and stopping to say, thank you for a life I never could’ve created.

So clearly, my wife and I are fans of chocolate. It’s safe to say if dessert comes up in conversation, we’re typically on the same page unless I’m having a gummy candy craving. But these chocolate chip cookies have been taunting me from Food52 for quite some time now. I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect chocolate chip recipe that doesn’t need a ‘secret ingredient’, just the perfect balance of sweet and savory as it should be. There’s not a whole lot of things more satisfying than a well-executed textbook chocolate chip cookie and I know–I know, we could go around and around about salty over sweet and dark over milk, crunchy over chewy. But the truth is–for me, the ‘perfect’ chocolate chip cookie gives a little when you apply pressure with your finger, like a ripe avocado. The edges shatter and leave a trail of salty and bitter tip-toeing around your palate and last but certainly not least–the chewy center. I remember as a child eating the edges of the cookie first and the slow destruction of that chewy center always left me longing for one. more. cookie.

And this recipe I’m sure will leave you with the same nostalgic feeling of course, you must change some of the wording and make the story your own, so on and so forth. Enjoy these as much as I did last night. The last. day. of twenty-something. Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups French Broad Bar Chocolate (coarse chopped)
1 cup large bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup salted & toasted whole almonds, coarse chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 River Cottage Farm eggs
2 teaspoons Nielsen Massey vanilla extract

pre-heat oven to 375° F. Sift flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside. Mix together coarse chopped chocolate and chopped nuts. Set aside. On medium speed in a standing mixer, with the wire whip attachment, cream the butter and sugars until well mixed and light (you’ll notice a change in color). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add one egg. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add second egg. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides. Add vanilla. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides.

You’re going to add the sifted flour mixture in 4 rounds, stopping before adding the final round. For the first 3 rounds, mix at low speed just to combine, scraping down the sides between each addition. When you get to the final round of flour, add the chocolate chip/nut mixture. They will get a bit crushed. That’s okay. Mix until there’s barely a trace of flour visible. Don’t over-mix. Sometimes, it’s better to be safe and do the final bit of mixing by hand. Set up a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake one tray at a time or they will all cook at different rates. Make them spherical, not flat. The cookie size is up to you. I find the bigger they are, the better ratio you have between gooey interior and crisp exterior. 2 ounces is about right for that. Leave a few inches between the raw cookies. Place sheet pan in the oven. They cook relatively fast at this temperature. I didn’t bother setting a time. My internal cookie alarm is pretty good about keeping track. Somewhere around 8-11 minutes. Make some coffee and wait.

They’re done when they’re brown and crispy on the outer border and raw in the very center. Remove the sheet pan and allow them to cool for a few minutes, then, with a spatula, transfer cookies to a cookie rack to cool. And I must tell you the cookies are even better the next day, so if you can stand it, its worth the wait. If you’re not going to eat them right away, they should be frozen. If you’re not baking them off right away, portion them out with an ice cream scoop, place them on a sheet pan, and freeze them. Once they’re firm, store them in a sealable bag. Works great to bake them off when they’re frozen. Enjoy.