What would it feel like if vacations lasted forever? Would it feel as good as I think it would? Yes. Yes, it would.
Reality hits hard after you’ve had days to let your brain ease into a happy mush.
I’m not complaining. Does it sound like I’m complaining? Ok… maybe a little. It’s just hard to let vacation time slip out of my hands.
Maybe permanent vacation is like only eating these cookies for the rest of your days. Sure, they have both chocolate and vanilla, but you can’t eat cookies forever. They’d lose their cookie goodness. Maybe permanent vacation would somehow start to feel like work. Constant cookies and vacation? I’d be willing to experiment just to see how the two would treat me after a few years.
While I’m day dreaming of vacations past, I’d like to send a big fat thank you to my darling friends who hosted us this weekend.
Britt is one of my few friends who actually still has a land line. Phone with a cord!? Well done.
Seattle is a great city. A big thank you for all of your Seattle suggestions. I actually used to live in Seattle so this vacation was half sightseeing and half old stomping ground good times.
Now… cookies.
Salted Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart
These cookies are the perfect combination of vanilla and dark chocolate. They aren’t too sweet and the chunky sea salt really brings out the rich chocolate flavor. They’re pretty impressive for slice and bake refrigerator cookies. Can you dig it? I can.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, save egg white for brushing cookie dough
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or scraped vanilla beans from 1/4 vanilla pod
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons semi sweet chocolate, very finely chopped
- course sea salt
- Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla bean or extract. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Remove half of the dough; set aside. Add cocoa powder and chopped chocolate to remaining dough; mix on low speed until well combined. Turn out chocolate dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10-inch log, about 1-inch wide and 1/2-inch tall. Repeat with reserved vanilla dough. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the chilled doughs from the fridge. Brush the top of the chocolate piece with a bit of a remaining egg white. This will help the chocolate and vanilla stick together. Press the vanilla piece on top of the moistened chocolate piece. Press lightly. Rewrap dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If dough becomes too soft to slice cleanly, return to freezer until firm. Sprinkle course sea salt onto the chocolate half of the cookies. Press in lightly with fingertips.
- Bake until firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Chuck
Anything with a vanilla bean in it, has to be good. They look wonderful!
My Sweet & Saucy
These sound amazing Joy! The perfect cookies!
Claire Mason
I read this and thought it would be weird, but really, the salt brings out the chocolate to a much higher degree. So good!
Elle
Okay, I’m making these right now and my dough is really dry–I’m pretty sure I did everything right! Is there anything I can do to fix it? Or did I just forget something…?
Whitney
Sea salt and chocolate is the best combination!! Thanks for sharing htis recipe!
Amy
These remind me of a cookie I made once that was a checkerboard square. Such an ordeal to make but so pretty in the end!
BakingandMistaking.blogspot.com
Coco Bean
Ha ha I totally have been making these since they were the cookie of the day, ohhh, say last month I think. And I had the same idea with the vanilla bean addition. Yet again, you have trumped me though, with the extra chocolate and salt addition. I wanted to add a little somethin somethin to the chocolate part but was to scared to mess with it. Plus they were for a bake sale, so as long as they looked good, they sold well and I was in the clear!
Butterball
14 Tbs. of butter; Be still my heart!!! I’m hooked!
Dani
oh these look just awesome :)
HoneyB
These look beautiful!
The Duo Dishes
They look like dual colored dominoes..dominoes that you can eat!
StuffCooksWant
These look amazing and delicious and complicated. But the directions don’t sound complicated, so I must try them. Love the look of these…different and wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
Deanna
I will have to try these! Its that time of month when every night calls for some sugary dessert, my girls love it when I have to have sweets, because they know I will be baking.
Jennifer
I adore these cookies!!!
Elle
Wow. I love salted anything, and I have a feeling that these will be no exception. They’re beautiful.