Bready or Not Original: Lemon Butter Cookies
Let’s say you need a lot of cookies. They don’t need to be fancy. You just need something sweet and good that kids and adults will both like. Well, these Lemon Butter Cookies might be just about perfect.
Another thing to know about this recipe: it makes a lot. The entire batch produces over 100 cookies. The nice thing is, though, it’s also a great recipe to divvy up. It’s no problem to keep half the batch wrapped in the fridge to make a day or two later, while the other half is frozen.
Or make them all at once and pretend you can swim through piles of cookies like Scrooge McDuck through his money bin.
The lemon flavor may make some people think of spring and summer, but I’m of the opinion that good food is good all year long. Plus, you can use different colored sugars to customize it for sports teams or holidays.
Bready or Not Original: Lemon Butter Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- cookie cutter
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup milk or half & half
- 3 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- colored sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time followed by the milk and both extracts. Scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to the wet mix to create a cohesive dough (and it makes a LOT of dough!).
- At this point, the dough can be divided to rest in the fridge or placed in the freezer for weeks. If the cookies will be made today, chill the dough, covered, for about 30 minutes. (Note that if the dough is chilled for a longer time, it will need to sit at room temperature for a bit to become soft enough to roll out.)
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Parcel out using a 2-inch inch cookie cutter. Place spaced out a bit on cookie sheet. If using colored sugar, sprinkle atop each cookie to coat. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until set. Let the cookies idle on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat process to make more cookies. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
- The full batch of cookies will make 100-120, dependent on the thickness.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Blondies
This Irish Coffee Blondies recipe is a long-overdue revamp of a recipe I first shared over a decade ago on the first iteration of Bready or Not on LiveJournal. I made it a few times after that, only for the paper to be buried amid many other recipes.
As I culled my recipe collection prior to moving, I rediscovered the print-out and knew I had to make it again soon because it’d help me use up some ingredients. Namely, sliced almonds and vanilla extract.
My husband now mostly uses k-cups for his coffee, a brewing method we didn’t have available back when I first baked this. I found that the 3 Tablespoons of ground coffee called for in this recipe were the exact contents of a Starbucks k-cup. I love when things work out like this!
This recipe would make a great dessert, but really, with the flavors, it’s even better for a breakfast or brunch. It’ll go great with coffee or tea!
Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Blondies
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Blondies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 3 Tablespoons ground coffee equals 1 K-cup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Glaze:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon water plus more if needed
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Make the blondies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a big bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Place the melted butter into a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, ground coffee, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan and level out; an uneven spatula makes that easy. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Bake 27 to 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely.
To complete with glaze
- Mix together the melted tablespoon butter and extract. Gradually whisk in confectioners’ sugar. Add teaspoons of water, as needed, until the glaze is thick but can be drizzled. Place it in either a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip or a sandwich bag of which a corner will be snipped off. Drizzle glaze over blondies in a rough crosshatch pattern. Let glaze set for 1 hour before cutting blondies into squares. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. If making these in a warm place, put waxed paper between the stacked layers of blondies.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
You cannot get a more classic American pairing than chocolate and peanut butter. These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies are a dose of delicious nostalgia.
These cookies contain some rolled oats, but I wouldn’t term them oatmeal cookies. They don’t have that much density. Rather, these cookies are light and chewy.
The dough doesn’t need any chill time in the fridge. Mix it and bake it right away.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- teaspoon scoop or spoon
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chunky or creamy
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats also called rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually combine the contents of both bowls. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to place rounded balls of dough spaced-out on the cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transitioning cookies to rack. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Blueberry Yogurt Bundt Cake
This Blueberry Yogurt Bundt Cake is really, really good, people. It has a soft, tender crumb and loads of fruit inside.
Plus, there’s some flexibility to the recipe. You can use Greek yogurt in vanilla or plain (you want it thick, not runny), or go with sour cream or crème fraiche.
You can flex with the berries, too. I used a mixture of frozen (not thawed) and fresh berries. If you use fresh berries, make sure they are washed and thoroughly dry. I had the fresh and frozen mixed in both layers within the cake.
This is the kind of bundt that is nicely sweet, not heavily so. This would be a showstopper for a breakfast or brunch for company, but is also divine as a dessert.
Bready or Not Original: Blueberry Yogurt Bundt Cake
Equipment
- large bundt pan
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Cake batter
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt or plain yogurt or sour cream, or crème fraiche
Filling
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or a mix
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar plus more if needed
- 1 to 3 Tablespoons half & half or milk plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Generously coat the interior of a large bundt pan with nonstick spray. If using fresh blueberries, wash them and gently pat them dry with paper towels, picking out any stems.
- In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternatively with the yogurt. Scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times during the process.
- In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the filling: brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Spoon about a third of the batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle about half the dry filling mix over the top. Sprinkle about half the berries over this layer.
- Repeat the process. Spoon about a third of the batter to cover the blueberries. Distribute the rest of the dry mix around the ring, followed by the blueberries. Top with the remaining batter. Use a spoon or uneven spatula to even it out across the top.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the middle of the cake comes out free of crumbs. Cool for 20 minutes in pan, then carefully invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely to room temperature.
Mix the glaze
- Stir together the confectioners' sugar and 2 Tablespoons of half & half or milk. The glaze needs to be thick so that it doesn't all run off. Add more sugar or milk, as necessarily, to get a thick glaze that can just dribble. Spoon over the domed top of the cake. Let set at least 20 minutes or place in fridge. Slice and serve. Store cake under a cake dome, within plastic wrap, or in individual slices encased in plastic wrap. As individual slices, it can be frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
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