Recipes by Kate Bernhardt + Photography by Frankie Prijatel

We’re giving you permission to spoil your dinner. Snack on these sweet treats yourself, or gift to a friend…just remember to save a few for Santa.

Olive Oil Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large room-temperature egg
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ounces roughly chopped dark chocolate
• Flaked sea salt (for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie tray with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, olive oil, egg,  light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and  baking soda. Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in  roughly chopped dark chocolate.
4. Scoop dough using a 1-inch cookie scoop, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before topping with flaked sea salt.

Double Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Jessica Merchant, HowSweetEats.com

Makes 12-14 Cookies

Ingredients

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ¾ cup loosely packed brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup peanut butter chips
• 2 cups mini peanut butter cups

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Place butter, cut into pieces, in the bowl of your electric stand mixer and beat until the butter comes together. Add in brown sugar and sugar, and beat until combined. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Slowly add in the flour mixing on low speed. Beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
3. Separate dough into equal balls. Take each ball and pull it apart, then press a small handful of mini peanut butter cups into one of the dough pieces. Cover it with the other half of the dough, forming a ball around the peanut butter cups and covering them completely. Place dough balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Bake about 4 dough balls at a time, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until just slightly set. Let the cookies cool slightly before eating.

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Adapted from BromaBakery.com

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon brewed coffee (optional)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup flour

For frosting:
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

For chocolate topping:
• 4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Crushed peppermint candies (for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8″x8″ baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in vegetable oil,  sugar, eggs,  vanilla extract,  peppermint extract, salt, and brewed coffee (if using). Once combined, fold in cocoa powder and  flour.
3. Pour mixture into baking dish, spreading evenly to the edges. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan, about 1 hour.
4. While brownies are in the fridge, make frosting. In a standing mixer with a paddle, cream butter for 1 minute, then add powdered sugar, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and  whole milk; whip for an additional minute.
5. Once brownies are cooled, spread frosting evenly over the brownies. Return brownies to fridge for 15 minutes.
6. When frosted brownies are cool, melt chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between each increment.
7. Pour melted chocolate mixture over the frosting, spreading to the edges and smoothing evenly with the back of a spoon. Top with crushed peppermint candies and place in fridge for 1 hour to harden.

Frosted Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 3-4 dozen

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 large egg

For glaze:
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 box confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour,  salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to combine; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in molasses and egg until combined. Add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl and chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
4. Place cookie shapes on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
5. To make frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, whip egg whites to form stiff peaks. Mixing on low speed, add in confectioner’s sugar and ½ cup water. Mix until icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.
6. Spoon frosting into piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe cookies as desired.

Chai Rum Truffles

Adapted from Tutti-Dolci.com

Makes about 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ¾ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons rum
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (for dusting)

For topping:
• 4 ounces finely chopped white chocolate
• Chocolate sprinkles (for topping)

1. Whisk together heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger,  cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg in a heavy saucepan. Bring just to a boil over high heat, and remove from heat when cream begins to bubble.
2. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; strain cream through a fine mesh strainer over chocolate and whisk mixture until chocolate is melted and smooth. Whisk in  rum. Cover and refrigerate mixture until completely chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dust hands with unsweetened cocoa powder; roll rounded teaspoons of the chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls. Place truffles on prepared baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. For the topping, melt  white chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat-resistant bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Slowly melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until glossy and smooth. Transfer white chocolate to a small piping bag and drizzle over truffles; top with chocolate sprinkles.
5. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes to set chocolate.

Garbage Disposal Cookies

Adapted from Hollie Lansing

Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup crushed potato chips
• ¾ cup chocolate chunks
• ½ cup crushed salted pretzels
• ⅓ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ⅓ cup peanut butter chips
• ½ cup assorted sprinkles
• ½ tablespoon coffee grounds (yes, actual grounds!)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then let cool. In another bowl, whisk cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to combine. Add egg,  egg yolk, and vanilla extract; stir until mixed and smooth.
3. Gradually add in remaining ingredients; mix with a spoon or your hands until a dough forms.
4. Roll dough into 1 ½-inch balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the middles are just set. Let cool completely.

Spiced Raspberry Cookies

Inspired by recipe from 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

•  3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Raspberry preserves

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add  egg yolks and vanilla extract; beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine.
2. Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a round pastry cutter, cut out dough (reroll scraps if desired). Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. With a 1-inch snowflake cutter, cut out dough in center of half of the cookies. Bake until cookies are pale but set, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Once cookies have cooled, spread raspberry preserves on the non-center-cut cookies. Top with snowflake cutout cookies.

A shortened version of this article appeared in our Fall 2016 issue. Check it out here!