Fall! After a long, hot summer I always welcome the cooler nights I can spend hovering over a stove, standing in front of an oven, coaxing sweetness from squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears. Summer is for slicing up tomatoes, fanning them out on a plate, and eating them with salt and pepper (my meal of choice when I wasn’t eating cookies) and for tossing together salady concoctions of raw corn or shaved zucchini; by the end of the season I’m ready to really cook again.

This chili is a riff on the chili I always make, minus tomatoes, plus peppers and butternut squash, with shredded chicken in place of ground meat. The chunks of squash break down and help to thicken the chili.

This time I wanted to do something different from the usual cornbread accompaniment but still wanted it to be sweet. Sweet potato biscuits with flecks of sage made pretty, rustic toppers and brought to mind pot pie! Okay winter, I’m ready.

[/donotprint]Butternut Chicken Chili and Sweet Potato Biscuits

Chili, adapted from my go-to chili

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 to 2 jalapenos, minced
• 30 oz canned white beans, drained
• 1 1/2 to 2-lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 bottle of beer (I used Negra Modelo)
• about 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 to 3 Tbsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 to 2 canned chipotles in adobo, minced
• a few splashes cider vinegar
• cooked, shredded chicken
• salt and pepper
• olive or canola oil
• big bunch of cilantro, chopped
• shredded cheddar and sour cream for topping

Many people probably used Passover as an opportunity to diet, cut out the carbs and sweets for a week, eat more salad. I concocted two different types of flourless brownies and made ice cream sundaes with them every night.

The dilemma I face these days when I want to cook something is whether to try a new recipe or riff off something I’ve made before. I almost always go with the latter. I have a lot of favorite recipes at this point, and I’m much better at improvising. I’m also less afraid of screwing up. It happens. So when I realized I needed to make some flourless brownies to get us through the week (us meaning me), my very first thought was: well what would happen if I just made my favorite brownies and simply left out the flour? But then doubt crept in and I started Googling “flourless brownies” and became intrigued by a Nigella recipe that used almond meal. And these were good. Thick, superchocolatey, gooey. But also kind of grainy from the almond meal, a detail that could almost be overlooked when the brownie was cloaked in homemade vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce, but not so much when it was on its own. It rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t like the almond flavor, either. It made it taste, well, like a Passover dessert. Never what I aim for.

And so I decided to try my original idea; how badly could the combination of chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa, and eggs fail me, anyway? And it worked. These brownies tasted like the original version of themselves, but fudgier and wetter. And in my opinion those are two adjectives you definitely want describing your brownies. I preferred these to the almond-flour brownies hands down, but the husband was on the fence; he liked the thickness of the first ones. One caveat regarding both recipes: they produce such wet and fudgy brownies that at room temperature you kind of need to eat them with a fork. Or a spoon. If you’re minding your manners, that is. I actually prefer these brownies cold from the fridge; they’re easier to handle, and I like the firmer texture.

Flourless Brownies Version One, adapted from Nigella Express

Ingredients:

• 8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 8 oz (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup (7 oz) sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups (6.5 oz) almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line an 8-x-8-inch pan with foil and spray the foil.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler or in a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water.
3. Off the heat, whisk in the sugar and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the salt and almond flour.
4. Scrape into the prepared pan, sprinkle with flaky salt, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. It’s best to refrigerate these for a few hours before cutting (or you can just dig in with a spoon while they’re still warm).

Flourless Brownies Version Two, adapted from Fudgy Brownies with Chili and Sea Salt

Note: If you want thicker brownies, I’d suggest doubling this recipe and baking for 25 to 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 4.5 oz (9 Tbsp) butter
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 7 oz (1 cup) sugar
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-x-8-inch pan with foil and spray the foil.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate together. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
4. Scrape into the prepared pan, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 21 to 22 minutes. It’s best to refrigerate these for a few hours before cutting.

There aren’t many recipes that send me excitedly running to the kitchen these days, but this one? The moment I saw it, it was on. And I knew it would be delicious, I just knew, because the cardboard taste of matzo just doesn’t stand a chance against an aggressive coating of melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and coconut and an overabundance of toasted nuts and dried fruit. This granola is absolutely delicious. I just devoured two bowls of it and forgot it was made from matzo. Seriously!

So if you’re a granola junkie like me and are keeping Passover and are really missing your morning oats, run run run to the kitchen and make this. The original recipe called for mostly honey and a little maple syrup, but I used all maple syrup because I didn’t have honey. I was thinking about replacing the butter with olive oil, but then I didn’t. But you could. I threw in the coconut because I had it, and because coconut is delicious in granola, but you could leave it out if you don’t have it/don’t feel like buying it. Use any nuts and dried fruit you want. In short, matzo granola, like traditional granola, is infinitely adaptable, so have fun with it.

And while we’re on the subject of Passover, I’d like to direct you to this amazing flourless chocolate walnut cookie recipe that I tweaked this year with the purpose of eliminating the confectioners sugar, which, for many Jews, isn’t kosher for Passover. I used light brown sugar instead and added some chopped bittersweet chocolate and flaky sea salt to the mix, and I have to say, kosher for Passover or no kosher for Passover, they were some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten and got rave reviews from everyone at the seder. The leftovers were stolen. So make those. Those, this granola, you’re set. Passover what?

Matzo Granola, adapted from Chow.com

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp (2 oz) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (can use less)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups matzo farfel or about 5 sheets of matzo crumbled into very small pieces
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (I used half almonds, half cashews)
• 1 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cherries)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add the farfel and coconut, and stir until the mixture is uniformly moistened.
3. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through to prevent sticking and encourage even browning. Add the chopped nuts, stir to combine, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, stirring again halfway through.
4. Transfer the granola to a heatproof container and stir in the dried fruit. The granola will crisp up as it cools.

This is something you need to make, like, tonight or this weekend. It’s the cake that, when it’s on the menu, just has to be ordered, even in the face of more exciting options (not to say that you can’t then order two desserts). It’s gimmicky, to be sure, and not unlike a filet mignon: safe, uninteresting, and guaranteed to be good.

Made and served at home, these little cakes are even better because they’re so impressive. But they’re ridiculously simple to put together, and the measurements can be easily adjusted to make two servings for a hot date or ten servings for a dinner party. You can make the batter, fill your ramekins, and then just let them sit at room temperature for a couple hours (or in the fridge, if it’s going to be longer than that) until you’re ready to throw them in the oven. In 15 to 20 minutes (the perfect amount of time to digest your dinner a little, wash a few dishes, engage in a little chit chat, brew some coffee or tea), you’ll be piercing your own little cake with a spoon and grinning at the flow of chocolate lava. Resist the urge to lick your plate. Or don’t.

I made these for the first time over two years ago, and it took me until this Valentine’s Day to make them again. For shame! I adjusted the recipe a tiny bit: added salt and used better-quality chocolate, both of which made an improvement upon an already perfect dessert. I also lined the bottoms of my ramekins with buttered rounds of parchment for easier removal, something I’d definitely recommend. (Last time there were some “incidents” in turning the cakes out onto plates.) Finally, I added a dusting of confectioners sugar to the top. Presentation, people.

Molten Chocolate Cakes, adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 4 oz good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick (4 oz) butter
• 1 cup (4 oz) confectioners sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 Tbsp (1.5 oz) flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter or spray four ramekins, line the bottom with a round of parchment (trace the ramekin and cut out the circle from a roll of parchment), then butter or spray the parchment (or forget the parchment, at your own risk).
2. In a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring often with a rubber spatula until completely smooth.
3. Whisk in the confectioners sugar, then the eggs and egg yolks, then fold in the flour and salt. Divide evenly between the ramekins.
4. Bake 13 to 14 minutes. The sides should be firm and the center puffed but soft. The cakes may sink a little after you take them out of the oven.
5. Let cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to make sure the cake won’t stick to the sides. Invert onto a plate, peel off the parchment round, and dust with confectioners sugar or cocoa powder. Serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

This blog turned two over a week ago without so much as a happy birthday wish from me let alone a post to commemorate the fact, which says a lot about the sorry state of things over here. One year ago I had recently left my job as an editor and was working in my first kitchen, and it was great. Yes it was a bit draining, but I still managed to spend a good chunk of my free time cooking and writing, and I still enjoyed it more than anything else. Three kitchen jobs later, I’m feeling a little less excited. I still cook nearly every day, but it’s of a completely different type. I used to spend hours (hours! how did I have the time?) paging through my cookbooks and the Internet, bookmarking recipes I needed to make, making lists of when I was going to make them and post about them, going to the grocery store with long-ass lists. Now, I look in my cabinets and fridge, take stock of what’s there, and throw something together. I go to the grocery store and buy what looks good. If they’re out of something I wanted, I don’t freak out and go to another grocery store; I just buy a substitute or forget it altogether. I hardly ever follow recipes anymore, preferring instead to either use my head and wing it, or to make a variation or improvement upon a dish I’ve made before. Cooking this way is much less stressful. It also feels much less blogworthy.

Another thing that’s happened to my cooking: instead of always trying something new, I’ve been making the same things, or the same types of things or variations of those things, over and over again. And I’m not worried about it. There hasn’t been a meat dish on here since May 11. I don’t care. This scone recipe hails from the same cookbook the rye crumble bars came from. So what? I’m going through a kale/whole-grain flour phase and I’ve only had time to look at one cookbook recently.

At my current job I make a lot of scones, so why on earth would I want to make them at home? Well besides the fact that these are a bit special, made with butter that is liquefied and browned and then resolidified in the freezer (the component of the recipe that both repelled and attracted me), making a batch of scones at home and eating them warm and fresh from the oven is a completely different thing from churning out huge amounts of dough in an industrial mixer to ultimately be consumed by strangers I will never meet. And so now I truly appreciate the process of mixing cream in by hand, patting the dough into small disks, cutting it into slightly imperfect wedges, and baking it off for me and mine alone.

These scones are very similar to the oatmeal scones I was making at Bluebird, but these incorporate brown sugar as well as white, whole wheat flour, and brown butter, of course. They’re also bereft of dried fruit and nuts; I debated putting some in, but I didn’t want anything to interfere with the caramely flavor of the browned butter. I wanted to make sure I could taste it. More than flavor, though, browned butter imparts an aroma that is truly intoxicating, and it’s worth doing for this scent alone. You get it twice: first when you brown the butter, and then again when the scones are baking.

So here’s looking forward to another year. I hope that in addition to whatever else it brings, it brings me here more. Although I’m not going to make any promises, the outlook is good: cooking is still the closest thing to my heart. Besides Joey, that is. Oh, and the husband.

Brown Butter Scones, adapted from Good to the Grain

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (4 oz) butter
• 1/2 cup (2.4 oz) whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (3.3 oz) whole rolled oats
• 1/4 cup (2.2 oz/63 g) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1.85 oz/53 g) sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• granulated sugar or turbinado, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a high-sided saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan to encourage even melting. At first the butter will melt to gold, followed by white foam that bubbles around the edges and then moves toward the center. It sounds almost like popcorn popping. Next, the butter solids form a bubbling raft. Small brown flecks will dot the surface. Give the pan a swirl and continue cooking until the bottom of the pan is covered in dark brown flecks and your kitchen smells toasty. If the butter is about to overflow, stick a metal whisk in it and it will descend.
2. Pour the brown butter into a wide, shallow container, scraping all of the dark flecks at the bottom of the pan into the container (that color is flavor), and freeze until solid. The larger the surface area of the container, the faster the butter will freeze. This step can be done a day or more ahead of time.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or butter or spray it.
4. Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Cut the frozen butter into pieces and add it to the dry ingredients. Pulse until the butter is ground to coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. (You can also do this step by hand.)
5. In a small bowl, whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold together a few times to form a cohesive ball. Flatten the dough into a disk about 1 inch thick and 7 inches wide, taking care to soften the edges with your hands to keep them from cracking. Cut the disk into 8 wedges.
7. Place the wedges onto the baking sheet spaced a few inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones lightly with cream, then sprinkle generously with sugar.
8. Bake for 28 to 34 minutes, until the scones are browning around the edges and on top.

I am super in love with these. You can eat one for breakfast. You can have one for a snack. You can warm one up (or not) for dessert and top it with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream. You can pick one up and eat it like a slice of pizza (over a plate, please, to catch the crumbs, unless you have a dog, and even then) or you can plate a slice and eat it with a fork. And you can feel just fine about eating so many because they’re made with whole-grain rye flour, oats, and fruitalicious jam! Any jam you want!

They’re also quite buttery, with a goodly amount of salt in the crumb, which I love.

Now this recipe calls for rye flour, which I for some strange reason happened to have in my cabinet (impulse purchase?), but if you, understandably, do not, I don’t see why you couldn’t sub whole wheat or spelt or oat, or even all-purpose, although by then you’d maybe be missing the point, which is that whole-grain flours in baked goods totally rock (thanks, Kim).

Whole Wheat Crumble Bars, adapted slightly from Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 1/2 cup rye flour or another whole-grain flour like whole wheat or spelt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the crumble topping

• 1 cup oats
• 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp rye flour or other whole-grain flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 oz (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups jam, fruit butter, or compote (I used apple butter)

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 275 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
2. To make the crust, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and vanilla and stir until thoroughly combined. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the buttered pan. Put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes while you make the topping.
3. Add all of the crumble ingredients except the melted butter to the bowl of a food processor and process until the oats are partially ground, about 5 seconds. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with your hands, squeezing the dough as you mix to create small crumbly bits. Set aside.
4. Bake the frozen crust until golden and firm when touched, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 350 degrees.
5. Spread the jam, fruit butter, or compote of your choice over the crust and top with the crumble, evenly sprinkling it over the surface. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking.
6. When the pan is cool enough to handle but still warm, run a sharp knife around the edge of the crumble bars to loosen any fruit that may have stuck to the pan while baking and remove the ring. Once cool, cut into wedges.

These bars keep well at room temperature for up to 5 days.

So I know I just posted a kale salad recipe, but you can never have too much raw kale in your diet, kiddies.

And while that one was really more of a slaw composed of half kale and half Brussels sprouts, this one is a true salad with kale standing in for lettuce leaves, roasted cubes of butternut squash, toasted almonds, and crumbled aged cheddar. What’s common to both is that you feel supremely virtuous eating them. And since kale is so stubbornly hearty, in both cases the salads can (and should) be dressed in advance and eaten for a couple of days that way.

This recipe, which comes from a restaurant in the East Village that I’ve never been to and will most likely never go to, mentions a specific brand of aged cheddar to use, Cabot clothbound, and I wasn’t going to, just on principle. But when I asked the cheesemonger for an aged cheddar, that was precisely the one he pulled out, and before I could object he was shaving off some hefty slabs for me to taste, and once I tasted it and it was delicious, well how could I say no? Why would I say no? The recipe also called for some optional Pecorino for grating on top, which I optioned out of because I’d overdosed on cheese to the point of nausea the night before (it happens), but I’m sure the extra cheese would’ve made this salad even more divine, to state the obvious. But as was, it was perfect. Even the husband liked it (“Wow, I’m surprised at how good this is”) and he professes to not like kale. I’m in the process of turning him around. And now I might be one of those people (assuming these people exist) who use kale instead of romaine for their salads and feel secretly superior to their peers.

In fact, I guess I’m already one of those people. I made another kale salad just last night, with diced apples, cucumbers, walnuts, and more of that excellent cheddar, which I dressed in a lemon-mustard vinaigrette and ate so much of I may just be kaled out. For now, at least.

Northern Spy’s Kale Salad, adapted from Food52

Ingredients:

• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 bunch dinosaur or lacinato kale
• 1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled age cheddar, like Cabot clothbound (if you can’t find a good aged cheddar, use Parmesan)
• Pecorino or other hard cheese for shaving (optional)
• extra-virgin olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

The other day I was feeling nostalgic about the things I used to make at Bluebird, these muffins most of all.

They came into my life about a year ago, when a girl I worked with at another bakery made a batch for the shop and saved me one. I had it the next morning and was astounded by how good it was, how moist it had stayed overnight. So when I had free reign at Bluebird, this was the first muffin to go on the menu and the recipe I used as a spinoff for other flavors.

You can really use any type of apple you like for these. I used to use Granny Smith; their tartness contrasts nicely with the muffins’ brown sugary lids. But this time I used Galas, which were a little bit sweeter and just as good. I leave the skins on my apples for color and texture (and because I’m too lazy to peel them).

Everyone knows the muffin top is the best part, and so to maximize on this I fill my muffin cups to the very top with batter, actually well above the rim, and leave spaces in between so that the batter can puff up and spread and form a crusty-edged lid without running into the other muffins. If you only have one muffin tin though, well, you can’t worry yourself about this, now can you? Just make them.

Fresh from the oven, the tops are crunchy. As time goes on, the muffins get soft and stay moist, with a room-temperature shelf life of about three days. They freeze well; I’ve got about eight of these babies chillin in there now, and I think it’s time for one to get defrosted and into my belly.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 4 oz (scant cup) whole wheat flour
• 4.25 oz (scant cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) sugar
• 50 g (1/4 cup) brown sugar (preferably dark, but you can use either dark or light), plus another 1/4 cup or so for sprinkling
• 4 oz (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• 8 oz (1 cup) buttermilk
• 2 large apples or 3 small apples, diced (1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces)

These rugelach would’ve been a lot better if only I’d remembered how much I dislike orange marmalade and used another jam instead, like apricot. Or strawberry, even. Marmalade is so bitter! Is it just me? Also, the recipe made two to three times more filling than was needed, which I realized early on, and yet I continued to follow the instructions, faithfully slathering way too much filling onto the dough and struggling to roll it up into cylinders because jam was overflowing all over the place. And doing this four times, with four pieces of dough.

Although if the filling didn’t contain marmalade, its overabundance wouldn’t have been such a problem. But that still wouldn’t have saved these little pastries from looking awfully silly and unrugelachish. Come to think of it, though, why go through all the bother of making the filling, with the walnuts and the dried fruit and the simmering and the pulsing? Why not just use store-bought jam and call it a day? Is that blasphemous? Yes. Forget I suggested that.

The husband really liked these though, or claims to have. He said they were like the best hamantaschen ever, since hamantaschen never have enough filling but hello, I believe mine did. And if I was going for hamantaschen I would’ve made hamantaschen, but I was going for rugelach. And since I only baked off one of these cylinders, I have three more taking up room in the freezer that I sort of don’t ever want to bake because they’ll just make me angry.

Whoops, how’d that slip in there? And no longer bitter. Well, maybe still a little bit bitter.

Orange-Apricot Rugelach, adapted slightly from Leite’s Culinaria

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 2 large egg yolks

Another holiday season and cookies continue to frustrate and underwhelm me. Like why didn’t these bake up with a crinkle top as they were supposed to? Did I underbake them? (No.) Overbake them? (I don’t think so.) Scoop them too small? (Would that make a difference?) Bake them while the dough was too cold? Not flatten them enough? (Hate cookies.)

I don’t really mean that, hate is a strong word. It’s just that I continue to prefer every other type of dessert to cookies; but cookies are like a thing this time of year, and so I was doing my duty. These cookies are, in fact, Christmasy. They’ve got the requisite spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice) and a good amount of molasses and brown sugar. Their sweetness is pushed over the edge by being rolled in chunky sugar before baking, but you have to do it for the marvelous crunchy exterior it gives.

Whenever I’d make cookies in the past, I’d lament that there were so many cookies in the house now, and it took so long to bake so many sheets’ worth of cookies, but now what I do (duh), is scoop all the dough into balls and freeze most of them, just baking one or two trays’ worth the first day. This is what you do when you live in a two-person, one-dog household and never get invited to cookie exchanges. If I ever do get invited to a cookie exchange, though, I will make bar cookies or brownies.

A molasses bar cookie. With a crunchy sugar topping and a gooey center with maybe some crystallized ginger? Hmmmmm…next year.

“Momma! Stop writing about cookies and play the fetch game with me!”

Molasses Sugar Cookies, adapted from Food52

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (preferably dark, but I used light)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• turbinado, demerara, or granulated sugar, for rolling

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and molasses, mixing to combine well. On the lowest speed or by hand, stir in the flour mixture. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop dough into 1 1/2-inch balls (mine may have been a little smaller) and roll each ball in the sugar. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, and flatten each ball slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.