But these are cookies with more cookies inside. Mind boggling, I know. A local bakery has these fabulous Cookies & Cream cookies, which are basically a buttery, chocolate chip-esque dough with crushed Oreos added instead of the chips. At first, I thought they sounded kind of weird…and then I tasted one. Genius. Pure genius. The crushed cookies add just a bit of texture and a sweet flavor that’s a nice change of pace from traditional chocolate chip.

I didn’t have a recipe to work from, so I decided to wing it and see what happened. I used this dough as the base (because really, it’s the best cookie dough ever) and added 1 cup of crushed mini Oreos in lieu of chocolate chips. To yield one cup, I crushed roughly 4 ounces of cookies. I chose the mini ones because they were on sale, but I next time around, I might use full-size Oreos (15 of them? 20?) and increase the amount to 1 1/2 cups, crushed. These were good – and many people told me they thought the sweetness level was just right – but I’d like a little more Oreo flavor in the next batch. I crumbled mine to a fairly fine consistency, but you could also leave some large chunks in the batter to mimic the texture of chocolate chips.

Some people fry their Oreos…I bake mine into bigger and badder cookies. It’s just how I roll.

Foe.

Peace summit.

I’m not sure what possessed me to make a pie on a particularly hormonal pregnancy day. My mind was reeling after hours of nursery furniture research (not as fun as it sounds) and if you’ve ever made a pie from scratch, you know it’s best to have a clear head when you embark on the challenge that is pie crust. But summer fruit…it calls to me. It begs to be cradled in pastry and consumed with a wide assortment of sweetened dairy products. I made a quick blackberry pie (with store-bought crust) last week when I visited my brother and sister-in-law in Oregon, and once I had a taste, I knew more fruit pies were in my future.

The filling was a no-brainer. California peaches are spectacular right now, and this recipe is a nice twist on a traditional peach pie. And unlike most fruit pies, it only requires one crust, using a streusel topping in lieu of the usual top layer of pastry. I accepted the challenge and embarked on a crust making adventure that landed my first attempt directly in the trash. Why? Well, it combined butter and shortening, and I have come to the conclusion that because the two fats are different textures, it’s hard to mix them together and get a uniform consistency (i.e., those “pea-sized crumbles” of fat coated with flour). Consequently, rolling such a crust is a giant pain in the rear. I nearly turned to a frozen pie crust when I remembered my mom’s technique: use only shortening, and don’t chill the dough before you roll it out. It goes against most recipes you see for pie crust, but it’s how she learned to make it, and hers is pretty darn tasty. You can see my finished product, above, and while it’s far from perfect, I have to say it rolled out MUCH easier and tasted good, to boot.

So despite my love of butter, I may be a Crisco convert. And once again, mother knows best.

My sweet husband hosted a brown bag lunch to glean baby advice and parenting tips from his more experienced coworkers. It was a wonderful idea, and just one small example of the type of father he’ll be. Corey is a researcher, a planner, someone who investigates all possible solutions before settling on the most practical course of action. We all know children do not always follow a predictable path, so it’s a good thing Corey also happens to be the most easy-going and flexible man on the planet.

He asked me to bake something as a thank you to those who attend his event. Chocolate chip cookies were the easiest and most transportable option, and as I stirred up the dough I got to thinking about my own potential as a parent. For most of my 20s, I questioned whether the whole parenting thing was even for me. I loved (most) kids, but I also loved the freedom to do what I want, spend what I want, act how I want with no real responsibility to anyone other than myself and my spouse. I had great younger siblings and a fabulous niece and nephew to dote on and spoil if I was so inclined. I also had a dog who put me through the canine version of the terrible twos for most of his terrier life. Life was pretty good, as is, and my fear of change made me wonder how I could handle an addition to my small family.

The answer lies in chocolate chip cookies.

Baking has always been a selfish process for me. I almost always share the goods with others, but I select recipes based on my own tastes and preferences and use the experience to relieve stress and escape into my own little (sugary) world. It’s hard to bake with friends or family and not try to take over the entire process and do things my way.

Having a child will change all of that. Instead of rushing through the process, I’ll show her how to measure the ingredients, to stir them together, to carefully scoop dough onto a prepared pan. I’ll care less about the look of the finished product, and more about the pride my daughter will feel as she presents a lopsided cookie made especially for her daddy. And instead of giving most of my baked goods away to friends and coworkers because I don’t want so many empty calories at my beck and call, I’ll save most of them for our little family and show my child that on certain days, it’s totally necessary to have cookies and milk for lunch.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies*

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

makes about 16 cookies

* Yes. They really are perfect. Even better than this recipe, I’d say.

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

14 tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)

1/2 c white sugar

3/4 c packed brown sugar (recipe suggests dark brown, but light brown is also acceptable)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 c chocolate chips

optional: 3/4 c chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 and line two large baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Sift or whisk together the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Put 10 tbsp of the butter in a medium skillet set over medium high heat. Allow the butter to melt for 2 minutes and begin to swirl it around the pan, allowing it to brown. Keep the butter moving so it doesn’t burn. Browning should take about 3 minutes and you’ll know it’s done when it smells nutty and it has a dark golden brown color. Remove the pan from the heat and use a heatsafe spatula to transfer the butter to a large, heatsafe mixing bowl. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of cold butter to the melted butter, and stir gently until it is melted.

Add the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the butter and whisk the ingredients together. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk again until mixture is smooth, 30 seconds. Allow the batter to rest for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds more. Do this two more times; the end result should be thick and shiny.

Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined, about 1 minute. Gently stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The batter will be soft.

Form each cookie with roughly 3 tbsp of dough (if using a cookie scoop, use a #24). Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake one tray at a time, 10 to 14 minutes, on the middle rack of your oven. Rotate baking sheet after 5 minutes and check the cookies at 10; you want them to be golden brown and set around the edges, but puffy in the middle. (My oven yielded perfect cookies at 12 minutes.)

Allow to cool on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I hate everything about summer….except for the produce. Berries, stone fruit, tomatoes, okra, string beans…it’s like Christmas in June, July AND August. I can’t get enough of my favorite summer fruits and veggies, and I’m always looking for new recipes to highlight the bounty. When my friend Melissa hosted a potluck brunch at her apartment and asked guests to bring seasonally-inspired dishes to share, I knew I wanted to contribute something sweet. But what would be the best vehicle for showcasing some of my favorite summer fruits? And more importantly, which summer fruits would I pick to star in my dish?  Raspberries and blueberries looked best at the farmer’s market, so I brought them home and searched for a winning recipe.

And now, I can add these muffins to the (short) list of things I love about summer.

The only way to improve a delicious blueberry muffin is to throw some raspberries in the mix. They retain a bit of tartness and take on a jammy texture that is absolutely divine. It’s difficult to add them to the batter without many of them bursting/falling apart, but even the fragmented berries gave a nice swirl of flavor to each muffin. You’ll find the recipe here. My only modification was to use brown sugar for the streusel topping, because really, isn’t that how streusel is supposed to be?

Summer is just around the corner. I enjoy this season much more now that I live in San Francisco – it doesn’t get too hot (or humid!) and we have access to some of the best summer produce in the U.S. From May to August, local farmer’s markets are brimming with delectable fruits and veggies grown just miles from our fair city. Those markets are open year-round, but I have to admit I’m far less excited to go in the drab winter months, when the selection is limited to boring things like squash and citrus. Instead, my blood boils for stone fruits. Plums, pluots, apricots, peaches, cherries, nectarines…I’m drooling at the mere thought of the bounty that is to come.

It’s still a bit too early to find these fruits in season at the farmer’s market, but I jumped the gun when I saw some plums at my local grocer. They looked so pretty and purple, I couldn’t resist picking them up for an early celebration of summer. Of course, they weren’t nearly as sweet or delicious as those that will be harvested in the coming weeks, but they made an excellent addition to this fruity Upside Down Cake. It never occured to me to use plums (or any stone fruit) to adorn an upside down cake; after all, pineapple is the traditional choice and is so sweet and tasty, I wouldn’t think to mess with perfection. But my recipe encouraged the use of plums or peaches in lieu of pineapple, so I gave it a whirl. Butter and brown sugar transformed those store-bought plums into something magical. They took on a jam-like consistency; sweet and gooey, with just enough firmness to remind you that they came from a ripe piece of fruit. As for the cake, it’s not as sweet as some yellow cakes, which I found to be a pleasant contrast to the sugary plum topping. Somehow, it’s both light and dense at the same time – and perfect with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. This recipe will become my summer staple – I can’t wait to try it with peaches!

Plum Upside Down Cake

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Topping
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 c light brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
5 medium plums, cut into ½” thick slices

Cake
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 c plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c milk

For the topping: Grease the bottom and sides of a 3-inch deep, 9-inch round cake pan. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir occasionally until the mixture is pale and slightly foamy, about 4 minutes. Pour into the cake pan and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Arrange the plum slices evenly over the topping. Set aside.

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 and set an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed. Gradually add 1 c sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the egg yolks and vanilla (scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary). Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and the milk, alternating in 3 or 4 batches and making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until batter is just smooth

Beat the egg whites in the large bowl of an electric mixer at low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold ¼ of the egg whites into the cake batter with a rubber spatula. When combined, gently fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain. Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread over the fruit, taking care not to move the fruit in the process. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (do not let the pick touch the bottom, as the fruit will stay gooey and wet).

Rest the cake on a wire rack for exactly 2 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a large plate or platter over the top of the pan and hold it tightly, then quickly invert the cake onto the plate. Gently remove the cake pan (be careful – hot sugar/fruit juice may escape!). If any fruit sticks to the pan bottom, remove replace it on the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.