Cookie lovers, this one's for you.
New York Times Cooking writer and video host Vaughn Vreeland, stopped by "Good Morning America" to celebrate the release of the Times' "Cookies" cookbook and share a few standout recipes.
On "GMA," Vreeland demonstrated how to make Chewy Brownie Cookies, a rich, fudgy treat, and previewed the sweet-and-savory Peanut Butter Miso Cookies that have quickly become fan-favorites.
Then on "GMA3," he returned to bake Blueberry-Lemon Almond Cookies -- a bright, citrusy recipe with a nutty twist -- and gave viewers another look at the crowd-pleasing Chewy Brownie Cookies.
Each recipe blends creativity with comfort, making them easy, flavorful options to add to your next baking session.
Read on for the recipes below.
"These citrusy and slightly almondy cookies are brimming with blueberries and the recipe yields a couple dozen cookies in just minutes, which means you can share them and still stash enough for yourself. The tender cakelike texture evokes pound cake, like a muffin top in cookie form, while its tangy glaze balances the sweetness of both the blueberries (frozen berries are often sweeter than fresh) and the cookie itself. Try finding frozen wild blueberries if possible; their smaller size makes them easier to incorporate into the dough and leads to more even baking, plus you get more blueberries per cookie. Enjoy them with a morning cup of coffee, alongside your afternoon tea or ahead of your evening nightcap."
Yield: 26 cookies
Time: 40 minutes, plus resting and cooling
Ingredients
For the cookies:
3 cups/384 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups/250 grams granulated sugar
3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
1 cup/226 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large whole egg plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups/200 grams frozen blueberries (preferably wild blueberries, for their diminutive size)
For the glaze and topping:
1 cup/123 grams powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Directions
Prepare the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the butter and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and smooth. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, and almond extract, and continue beating until fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until most of the floury bits have disappeared, scraping any extra flour from the sides of the bowl.
Add the frozen blueberries and fold them in by hand until evenly distributed.
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a 2-tablespoon (1-ounce) cookie scoop, scoop heaping mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each portion about 2 inches apart for 13 cookies per sheet.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans and switching racks halfway through, until the edges are lightly golden brown and the domed centers look dry. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies cool, prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon water. The glaze should be a pourable, honey-like consistency, so add more water in 1/4-teaspoon increments as needed until desired consistency is reached. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies, then freshly grate the zest of a lemon over the tops, if desired. Let the glaze set until it is no longer shiny, about 10 minutes, and enjoy! The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Takeaway tips:
"These cookies were the result of a happy accident. When the peanut butter ran out, similarly creamy white miso stepped in. The other ingredients were tweaked to offset the miso's savory character, and what came out of the oven was salty and sweet, crunchy and chewy. A brief stint in the fridge helps mellow the miso's bracing brackishness, and a roll in demerara sugar adds a subtle crunch that pairs well with the tender cookie."
Yield: About 18 cookies
Time: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups/225 grams all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 cup/220 grams packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar
1/3 cup/80 milliliters white miso paste
1/4 cup/60 milliliters chunky peanut butter
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup/105 grams demerara sugar, plus more as needed
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the miso and peanut butter and continue to mix at medium speed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated and mix a bit more if needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until the flour mixture is incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture in two batches until all of it is incorporated.
Place the demerara sugar into a small bowl. Working with one piece at a time, scoop out about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough (about 50 grams per cookie) and roll each portion between your hands until it is nice and round. (If the dough is too soft to roll, you can pop the mixer bowl in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm the dough up slightly.) Drop the piece of dough into the bowl of demerara sugar and turn to coat. Transfer each ball to a parchment-lined baking sheet, arranging them about 3 inches apart. Repeat with all of the dough.
Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight. (Even 15 minutes of refrigerator time will help the dough firm up, and the flavors meld. The longer the dough is refrigerated, the more mellow the flavors will be.)
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 F. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until crisp at the edges and slightly puffed in the middle. They should still be a bit underdone in the center. Pull out the baking sheet and hit it against a counter. Return to the oven to finish for 3 to 4 minutes. When the cookies are firm at the edges and slightly puffed in the center, pull them out and again hit the baking sheet against the counter. The cookies should appear flat and crinkly at the center.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container; they should retain their chewy texture for a few days.
Takeaway tips:
"The perfect union of two of America's most popular desserts, brownies and cookies, this recipe offers all the goodness of the former but bakes up in a fraction of the time. A blend of chopped chocolate, unsweetened cocoa and espresso powder lends enormous depth to the base of these cookies. The only time-intensive step in this recipe is beating the eggs and sugar, but don't skimp on that process, as it helps the cookies rise without any baking soda or baking powder, giving them structure and shine. Banging the sheet pan on the counter 8 minutes into the baking process creates fudgy cookies and helps create that hallmark cragged surface atop a tray of brownies."
Yield: 18 cookies
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
3/4 cup/113 grams finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup/42 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar
1/2 cup/107 grams packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup/90 grams all-purpose flour
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Tip:
For peppermint brownie cookies, replace the vanilla extract with 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract, and replace the sea salt with 1/4 cup/41 grams of crushed peppermint candy.
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Put the chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a small heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup. Melt the butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbling but not browned, about 3 minutes, then pour over the chocolate mixture. Without stirring, let the mixture sit so the residual heat can melt the chocolate thoroughly while you whip the eggs and sugar.
Put the eggs, both sugars and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. (If using a hand mixer, a large bowl will do.) Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pillowy and the sugars have begun to dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir the chocolate mixture until glossy and smooth. (If any solid pieces of chocolate remain, you can microwave the mixture in 10-second bursts until everything is melted.)
With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla and then the chocolate mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed, then add the flour and mix on low speed until only a few streaks of flour remain. To avoid overmixing, use a spatula to finish folding in the flour. The dough should be glossy and resemble a very thick brownie batter.
Using a 2-tablespoon (1-ounce) scoop, scoop a heaping amount of the dough into mounds directly onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, with the portions at least 2 inches apart, yielding about 18 cookies. Work quickly to ensure the cookies stay shiny once baked.
Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cookies have started to spread and take on a shiny outer surface, then remove the pans from the oven and whack them on the countertop a couple times to create a cragged top. (This also helps create a fudgier consistency.) Top with flaky sea salt and return to the oven to finish baking, for another 2 minutes until shiny and slightly puffed. Cool for a couple minutes directly on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Takeaway tips:
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