Snow Day = Cookie Day

Y’all. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I am usually a ridiculously sound sleeper, but today I woke up at about 3:30 a.m. because the snow and ice outside were making weird crunching sounds and could not get back to sleep. Super bizarre.

So I watched Hulu for a little while (I’ve gotten hooked on “The Good Wife” lately and am catching up) and then got the itch to bake. I started looking for new cookie recipes online and found three that sounded good (and that I already had the ingredients for here at the house). Instead of just choosing one recipe, like a normal person, I decided to try ALL THREE recipes. (Ardmore neighbors: Stop by for a cookie! No, seriously. Please do.)

And so, in the wee hours, I whipped up Flourless Almond Butter Cookies, Blood Orange Poppy Seed Cookies, and Almond Blueberry Cookies:

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies (these are gluten free!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine almond butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and vanilla until fully combined.
• Scoop batter onto Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet (each rounded scoop of batter should be about the size of a small ice cream scoop) and space out on sheet, as cookies will spread while baking (I put four cookies on each baking sheet).
• Bake for about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Cookies will be very soft when removed from oven, but be sure not to overbake as they’ll get firmer as they cool.

Blood Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1 egg (at room temperature)
• 1 Tablespoon of blood orange zest
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy (about three minutes). Add the egg and orange zest and beat for 30 seconds.
• In a second bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add into butter mixture until just combined.
• Fold in the poppy seeds.
• Place heaping teaspoons of dough onto a baking sheet (lined with a Silpat or parchment paper, of course) and bake for 9-10 minutes.

Blueberry Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup whole milk (I used a mixture of 1% milk and half and half)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons citrus zest (I went with grapefruit)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted lightly
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

Directions

• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar, then add egg yolk and beat to incorporate.
• Add milk, almond extract, and zest.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold in the almonds, then the blueberries.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Drop rounded spoonfuls of the chilled dough onto a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet, then bake until cookies start to turn golden brown (roughly 15 minutes).

So…who’s coming over for cookies and coffee later?

Stay warm and safe, friends!