Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies

Whew! That is a mouthful of a title. I had a recipe from online that I kept changing/adding things to and thus the long recipe name.

How is every one's January going? This week most of America had incredibly cold weather and NY was no exception. The past couple of days have been below freezing with single digit wind chill.

I grew up in TX. There wasn't much cold weather and hardly any snow ever so I just thought if the temperature reached below freezing it would snow. As a 7 year old this made sense to me. I guess I never figured out that there would need to be clouds with rain as well...

If it's extremely cold where you live I have a suggestion. Bake bake bake! The oven will keep your place warm and smelling great. (And if you make these cookies, maybe have a little side drink of whiskey to keep your insides warm for a little bit!)

Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies (adapted from Delicieux)

Ingredients:
(Erika's Extras: I bought a kitchen scale for Christmas and used it for the first time with this recipe!)
150g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
50g of butter, cut into slices
80g of plain flour
1/4 tsp of baking powder
2 eggs
250g of caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
100g of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of macadamias chopped
3/4 cup of dried cherries (optional)
2 tablespoons of whiskey

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Soak cherries in whiskey. (This step is optional if you don't use cherries.)
4. Melt the chocolate pieces and butter in a double boiler over a stove.
5. In a mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until thick and pale.
6. Pour the melted chocolate into the beaten eggs and sugar and stir thoroughly before adding the whiskey and cherries.
7. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir thoroughly before adding the chopped chocolate, chopped macadamias and mix until combined.
8. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto the lined baking trays. The cookies will flatten out when baked.

9. Bake in the oven for 8 to 9 minutes and cool on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. If you put the cookies onto the cooling rack while hot they will become marked by the wires from the rack.

Bake well and prosper!

Whiskey Brownies

Last weekend I made a quick trip down to Florida to celebrate my Grandfather's 95th birthday. Yes! 95! Isn't that amazing? Definitely reason to party.

I am his youngest grandchild and therefore the hippest (naturally.) So, I made him whisky brownies since I know he likes to sip whisky every Friday afternoon.

My Grandpa is a very cool kat and very special to me. Being the youngest grandkid, I didn't get to make as many memories with my grandparents as my older siblings did. But since my Grandpa will probably outlive us all, I've had tons of fun times with him. I especially love my memories of his old house being surrounded by orange trees and us picking some to make into orange juice for breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast, I totally had these brownies for breakfast. And dessert. And second helping of dessert. They are so good! Plus, these are a perfect idea for St. Patty's Day parties!

Whiskey Brownies (adapted from the NYTime's Supernatural Brownie recipe)
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon of whiskey for the batter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional
2 tablespoons of whiskey for the topping

1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. (Erika's Extra: This recipe is so buttery I've never needed to use parchment paper.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. Pour in 1 Tablespoon of whiskey. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter.

3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Remove from oven and pour 2 Tablespoons  of whiskey(more or less according to taste) over the top of the hot brownies. (This will create a fudgey topping.) Cool in pan on rack.

Bake well and prosper!