Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I apologize for the lack of posts but I moved recently, and my house is under construction [finally, its almost done!] and that includes my kitchen which is almost finished. So lack of kitchen, means lack of oven & mixer, and therefore lack of baking. Luckily, I was able to bake once at Josh's house which made me a very happy girl. I also started school again, so I am constantly baking but it's just not the same as in my very own stress-free kitchen at home.

I went to Fresh & Easy for the first time with Josh and on their candy aisle was chocolate covered toffee bits, and I just knew they would make for a delicious cookie add-in. Chocolate chip cookie dough base is so versatile and delicious that you don't even really miss the plain chocolate chips. You get a little added crunch from the toffee and an additional sprinkle of salt on top rounds off into the perfect salty sweet cookie bite.

Simple & comforting.

Pain de Mie

Soft, fluffy, fresh-out-of-the-oven white bread is the best kind. This is definitely not the wonderbread that was put in your lunchboxes throughout elementary school. During my breads class this was probably my favorite bread to make because its such a staple pantry item in most households. Being able to make it fresh and by scratch transforms this simple sandwich bread into something completely wonderful.

The butter, the salt..you can taste all of the ingredients in it. It is not just a bland slice bread. Add some honey if you desire and make it a honey-white bread. It is delicious just on its own.

Browned Butter Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies [w/ Maple & Cardamom]

Growing up I always hated oatmeal cookies. I was convinced they were only the 'healthy' cookies that my grandparents and their friends ate, especially the ones with raisins. I could tolerate the ones that had chocolate chips in them. Things have changed though, and while I still do not like oatmeal-raisin cookies, having fun with flavor combinations can turn a dull oatmeal cookie into something completely wonderful.

When you brown butter, it becomes rich and nutty which is a perfect way to transform these cookies. Brown sugar and maple syrup compliment each other perfectly and instead of the typical cinnamon that goes with this cookie, how about cardamom? Its very potent, but the perfect pinch brings these cookies to a whole other level. I would definitely recommend these to those who are not a fan of oatmeal cookies, because that will become a thing of a past.