Whenever I walk into a bakery, my eyes are always drawn to anything pink. Pink cupcakes, cookies, donuts or anything with pink icing will inevitably come home with me. This probably started in childhood. Most bakeries back then, including the bakery my aunt always took me to, had pink boxes, so I associate it with delicious, freshly baked treats. Maybe pink desserts do taste better or maybe our minds just tell us that. Either way, if you love pink treats, you’ll love these cookies.
Pink velvet is similar to red velvet, but without the cocoa powder and red food color. The texture should be somewhat velvety, like red velvet cake. I have yet to taste a velvety red velvet cookie, but I think the texture of these cookies is pretty velvety as long as they’re not over baked. Pink velvet desserts are typically vanilla flavored. I upgraded the flavor by adding a touch of cherry flavoring. It’s not enough to give you cherry flavored cookies, but it will add depth to vanilla flavored treats. It’s an old bakery trick that I learned years ago that adds a fruity note in the background.
For best baking results, I recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients, especially your dry ingredients. If you love baking, you should invest in a food scale if you don’t already have one.
To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies TikTok video, click here. To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies Instagram video, click here.
Print Recipe
Pink Velvet Cookies
Pink vanilla flavored crinkle cookies with chewy exteriors and soft, velvety centers
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
Beat egg whites into butter mixture in two addition, until well combined.
Beat in extracts until well combined.
Add gel food color, a little at a time with a toothpick, until desired shade of pink is reached. (Adding remaining ingredients will lighten the color slightly.) Beat until evenly distributed.
Add flour mixture to batter and beat just until combined. Mix in white chocolate chips if using.
Roll dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. I used a #30 portion scoop.*** Roll dough very generously in powdered sugar. Place two inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake until cookies are puffed and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
*The cherry flavoring in this recipe is not intended to make a cherry flavored cookie. The addition of cherry flavoring adds a subtle fruity note. You can also use pure cherry extract. Use a bit less (scant 1/2 teaspoon)  because extracts tend to be stronger than flavorings. DO NOT use imitation cherry extract. It has a medicinal flavor that will disappoint you. If you want your cookies to be cherry or strawberry flavor, reduce vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon and  use 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons of natural cherry or strawberry flavoring.
**To find the pink gel food color I used, click here.
These cute kitties were created two years ago as a special request by someone who grew up playing with Webkinz. Do you remember the Strawberry Cloud Leopard? It was a cute pink Webkinz plushie. The cookies are made of tender, buttery shortbread dough. They get their natural color and flavor from freeze dried strawberries. Mini chocolate chips are added to make the adorable leopard spots. To watch the Strawberry Cloud Leopard Shortbread Cookies Instagram video, click here.
I recently brought back the heart-shaped version of these cookies on social media, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Currently, the price of eggs is very high. These cookies don’t contain eggs, which is so helpful right now. They make a perfect shareable Valentine treat.
Print Recipe
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Tender strawberry shortbread cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips
Process the freeze dried strawberries to a powder with a small food processor or a clean spice grinder. Pass the powder through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, powdered sugar and salt together.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the freeze dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Fold in 1/3 cup (57g) of mini chocolate chips for the leopards or 1/2 cup (85g) of mini chocolate chips for the hearts.
Divide the dough into two portions and form into disks. (Alternately, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.) Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the cookies into your desired shapes. I used a 4-inch tall cat cookie cutter** for the leopards and a 3-inch tall heart cookie cutter for the hearts.
Place the cookies about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. To prevent excessive spreading, refrigerate the cut cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking, especially if your dough becomes warm as you work with it.
Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and the edges barely start to turn light golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. (Smaller cookies will need a shorter baking time.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) of powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
Beat in eggs in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the extracts and the melted chocolate and beat until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into 15 2-tablespoon size balls, 1 1/4 ounce (35g) each. Roll the dough balls generously in the reserved 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bak until the cookies puff and the tops are set, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooking rack to cool.
My fascination with Christmas cookies started as a child when my elderly neighbor used to bring over a tray of her homemade Christmas cookies every year. I loved the moment where I got to choose a cookie from the beautiful, interesting selection. In my humble opinion, I think a holiday cookie should be something special. It should be something that you don’t eat on a regular basis, maybe because it seems fancy or requires a little extra work to make. Or maybe it has a special meaning or a fond memory. These Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets check all the boxes for me. They have that something special a cookie needs to be the star of the holiday cookie tray…tender jam-filled chocolate dough, dipped in shiny chocolate with a pretty pop of red.
In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
Add powdered sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
On low speed, beat in flour just until combined.
Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and form into disks. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. If dough becomes too soft at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes then continue with recipe.
Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Top each round with a teaspoon of jam.
With a small food safe brush or with your finger, apply a small amount of water to the edge of half of each round. Fold over and press edges to seal.
Bake until tops of cookies look set, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
In a small bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth.
Dip cookies about 1/3 of the way into melted chocolate. Top with freeze dried fruit or sprinkles.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are traditional holiday cookies, probably because of the pretty, crackly powdered sugar covered exterior that reminds us of snow. They always seem to show up on cookie trays at Christmas time and I’ve loved them since I was a child. I decided to take my old favorites to another level by adding a surprise inside! Two years ago, I made some cookies with fudge filling that my family and friends raved over. They’re my Marshmallow Mudslide Cookies. To view the recipe, click here. I used the same concept for these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I filled them with a simple, smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature. The results were absolutely delicious!
Print Recipe
Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies with a smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature
In a double boiler or in the microwave*, melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth. Set aside to cool while preparing cookie dough.
Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in 2 cups (7 3/4 ounces) of powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
Beat in eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, until smooth. Stop to scrape bowl as needed.
Beat in melted chocolate until combined. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.
Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Don't skip this step.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough into 15 2-inch balls, 1 1/4 ounce each. Flatten each ball into a 3-inch disk. Place a fudge ball in the center of each disk and wrap dough around it, pinching edges together to seal. Roll dough balls generously in remaining powdered sugar.
Place dough balls three inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies puff up and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
*To melt fudge filling in microwave, heat for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted.
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: To make cookie dough one day ahead, prepare cookie dough. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate in a covered container up to 24 hours. To make fudge filling one day ahead, prepare filling and chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours.Â
I never imagined that I’d ever be posting a peanut butter cookie recipe. There are already crunchy peanut butter cookies, soft ones, chewy ones, and those peanut shaped store bought ones out there. I mean, do we even need another peanut butter cookie recipe? After I tasted this one, it’s a resounding YES! These soft, tender cookies combined with a silky, smooth filling are a new peanut butter experience that I had to share.
The key to getting the soft texture in the cookie, without being dry, is cake flour. So don’t substitute it, because it’s vital to achieve the correct texture. Make sure to weigh your flour for the most accurate results. The second important ingredient is heavy whipping cream. Just a little added to the filling gives it a luxurious, silky texture.
This recipe makes sixteen medium size peanut butter cookies, which will give you eight sandwiches. If you want more, you can double the recipe or make the cookies smaller. Smaller cookies will have a shorter baking time.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter and shortening until smooth.
Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
Set aside 1/4 cup (50g) of the granulated sugar. Beat the peanut butter mixture with brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch (3.8cm) diameter balls (about 1 1/4 oz or 35g each). Roll the dough balls in the reserved granulated sugar.
Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with a fork, making a criss cross pattern.
Bake until the cookies are puffy and start to crack around the edges, about 9-11 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. The cookies will be fragile, but they will firm up as they cool.
Place a spoonful of filling on the bottoms of half of the cooled cookies. Top with remaining the remaining cookies.
Peanut Butter Filling
In medium bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.
Beat in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Many people think of trail mix as a dry, chewy form of nourishment nibbled on during hiking or camping. Let me say that I think of trail mix as a highly customizable luxurious snack. That’s because I love to make my own delicious, personalized trail mixes by choosing my favorite additions. No hate to raisins and peanuts, but gorp is not allowed here. Chocolate covered nuts and fruit, step forward. Almonds, pecans, macadamias, pistachios, and cashews, please enter. Dried cherries and blueberries, welcome friends. White chocolate chips and caramel chips, you made it. Chocolate espresso beans, we’ve been waiting for you.
I took my love of personalized trail mixes to the next level by creating these Chocolate Trail Mix Oatmeal Cookies. Everything I love about those wonderful add-ins is combined in cookie form, then dunked in melted chocolate. They become beautiful when you decorate the tops with the add-ins. I used freeze-dried raspberries for my cookie tops because of the tartness and vibrant red color. Feel free to choose your favorite combination of add-ins and get creative when decorating the tops. Your additions combined, minus the oats, should be about two cups.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
On low speed, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Fold in the oats, almonds, coconut, cranberries, pistachios and pumpkin seeds.
Place 1 1/4 ounce round portions (about 2 tablespoons) three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the tops are set and no longer shiny, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Combine the melted chocolate and coconut oil in a small deep container, wide enough to fit the width of your widest cookie. Dunk cookies about halfway into chocolate. Top with nuts and seeds.
A chocolate turtle is a confection made with caramel and pecans. The shape resembles a turtle, which is how it got the name. This is my version of a turtle cookie, loaded with plenty of delicious add-ins.
Print Recipe
Chocolate Turtle Drop Cookies
Chocolate cookies loaded with chopped chocolate, caramel chips, and toffee bits, topped with pecans.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Set aside 20 chunks of the chopped chocolate. Fold the remaining chopped chocolate, the caramel chips and the toffee bits into the dough.
Place twenty 2-inch size portions of dough about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I used a #24 portion scoop*)
Top each cookie with a chunk of the reserved chocolate and a pecan half. Bake until the surface of the cookies is set, about 10-11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
Lavender and honey go so well together. Bees know it, fairies know it, princesses know it. The flavor combination is so delightful in these cookies, that I decided to share them with you. In addition to delicious, compatible flavors, these cookies have a divine texture combination. The shortbread cookies have a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Together with the silky, smooth honey buttercream, they’ll make you feel fancy and regal. You’ll hold your head up higher, ring for your tea and declare that you do indeed deserve fine things!
Some people are nervous about baking with lavender because they don’t want their baked goods to taste like soap or perfume. That can be a concern if the lavender flavor is too pronounced. However, if you don’t use enough you won’t be able to taste it at all. There’s a fine balance. If you use the right amount, it will taste pleasant and have sweet undertones. I used two teaspoons of culinary lavender in these cookies, but you can adjust the amount to your tastes. You can start out with one teaspoon, bake a small sample of dough and taste it, to customize the flavor.
Speaking of tasting, my grandmother always said, “taste as you go.” This is also helpful when making the honey buttercream. Typically, when making other flavors of buttercream, you add more powdered sugar if your buttercream is too thin. In this case, adding more powdered sugar can make the buttercream too sweet. Once you have added the amount of honey that tastes good to you, you can add a little cornstarch if you need to stiffen it up a bit.
Print Recipe
Lavender Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Honey Buttercream
Tender lavender scented cookies with silky honey buttercream filling
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the lavender. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed, just until combined.
Divide the dough into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but not more than 8 hours.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch circles. Place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate cut cookies for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake cookies until the bottom edges are light golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.
Transfer cookies to a cooking rack to cool completely.
Pipe or spread about 1/2 tablespoon of buttercream on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
Honey Buttercream
In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add honey, one tablespoon at a time until desired sweetness and consistency is reached.
Mix in a pinch of salt to taste.
Mix in cornstarch, if necessary, to firm up buttercream. *See notes below.
Recipe Notes
*The addition of cornstarch helps to firm up buttercream without adding additional sweetness.
Once, some time ago, I made some soft, melt-in-your mouth cookies and posted them on the internet. A viewer got triggered and insisted that cookies must be crunchy. I have to disagree! Cookies can be crunchy, crisp, soft, chewy, sandy or anything your heart desires. These soft, pillowy cookies are light and airy like little clouds. They could almost be called little cakes. The texture is similar to whoopee pies, but not as sticky. They’re delightfully delicious and have been well-loved by my family for two generations. They’re perfect for a spring teatime treat or alongside a glass of lemonade at a picnic.
Print Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Cloud Cookies
Soft, pillowy cookies made with ricotta cheese and fresh blueberries, topped with a tangy lemon icing
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth Add the ricotta cheese, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. On low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.
Place rounded tablespoon-size portions of dough about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Top the cookies with additional blueberries. (If your cookie dough is sticky and hard to work with, refrigerate it just until it's easier to work with, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.)
Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies are lightly browned, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Top the cooled cookies with icing. Best eaten the day they're made.
Icing
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of lemon juice until well combined. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.
We’ve all heard our parents telling their childhood stories of walking miles to school and suffering worse hardships than we ever had to. My mom used to tell me stories like that, but she had a sense of humor, so her stories were always fun to listen to. She used to tell me about her friend’s mother, who would make big, delicious oatmeal cookies. My mom would trade her baloney sandwich nearly every day to get one of those cookies from her friend. She reminisced about those cookies so much, that I set out to make her some when I learned to bake. She and my grandmother would taste test batch after batch of my cookies over the years. I have probably baked enough oatmeal cookies to circle the earth. Okay that’s an exaggeration, but seriously I have baked quite a few. Of all the oatmeal cookies I’ve baked, these are one of my favorites!
Most of the time when you see fruit added to an oatmeal cookie, it’s dried fruit, like raisins or cranberries. That’s mostly because if you just dump fruit into your cookie dough, the fruit releases water, leaving soggy spots in your cookies. To solve that issue, for this recipe, I macerate the blackberries before baking. The purple blackberry juice that’s released from the berries is used to make a beautiful lilac icing to drizzle over the cookies.
In a small, light colored saucepan, melt 1/2 cup (4 oz or 113g) of butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and fragrant. Keep a close eye on it. It can go from toasted to burned very quickly. When you see brown particles form, remove from heat and immediately transfer the butter, including the particles, to a small bowl. Refrigerate until solid, about one hour.
Place the blackberries in a medium-size bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and toss to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes until the berries release their juices.
Drain the blackberries and reserve the juices.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the brown butter, softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract in three separate additions and beat until well combined.
Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Stir in the oats just until combined. Gently fold in the blackberries.
Scoop 1/4 cup sized portions of dough, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. *I used a #16 2-ounce scoop.
Bake until the cookie tops are set and the edges are golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Pass reserved blackberry juice through a sieve to remove the seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream and one tablespoon of the reserved blackberry juice until smooth. Add more blackberry juice, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.
