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Leite's Culinaria

The Cookie Jar Is Empty. Let's Fix That.

Published about 10 hours ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader,

I don't trust a house without a cookie jar.
​
Not because I expect it to be full every minute of every day. I'm an optimist, not delusional. Is it that an empty cookie jar reads as a message? The baking has stopped. Life's been a little too busy. That coffee breaks have become...efficient.
​
September is when I remedy that.
​
There's something deeply comforting about knowing there are cookies tucked away in the kitchen. They're not for the company. The company gets a cake. Cookies are for the ordinary moments: a midafternoon slump, an after-dinner nibble, or that mysterious hour around 9:30 p.m. when you're convinced you need "just a little something."
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Here is how it goes. I bake a batch, transfer them to the jar, admire my handiwork, and by the following evening, nearly half are gone. Nobody has ever confessed. Cookies, much like socks in the dryer, vanish without explanation.
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As far as mysteries go, it's one I'm happy not to solve.

Stock the Cookie Jar Right

  • Bake one dependable classic first. Every baker needs one chocolate chip cookie they can make without looking at the recipe.
  • Freeze the dough, not just the cookies. Scoop portions onto a baking sheet, freeze them, then stash them in a bag. Fresh-from-the-oven cookies are only minutes away whenever the craving strikes.
  • Don't overlook bar cookies. They come together in one pan, travel without falling apart, and feed a crowd from a single bake.
  • A little texture goes a long way. Toasted nuts, flaky sea salt, espresso, or browned butter change a familiar recipe more than a new recipe would.
  • Hide a few for yourself. This isn't selfish; it's strategic. Leave the whole batch in plain sight, and you will find out, around Thursday, that "someone" has eaten the last one. Again. One batch rarely lasts a week, which is the argument for two.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

​Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies​

These soft chocolate chip cookies are the timeless basic chocolate chip cookie of your childhood. They're easy and chewy and taste just as good as they did then.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies​

These slice-and-bake chocolate espresso shortbread cookies are studded with bits of semi-sweet chocolate and laced with espresso to create a slightly bitter, oh-so-chocolatey cookie.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Cranberry Pistachio Cookies​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 13 votes

These festive cookies are adorned with sweet-tart dried cranberries and crunchy pistachios. They're the perfect addition to your holiday cookie collection.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies​

Flaky sea salt, nutty brown butter, toasted milk powder, and sweet chocolate chunks combine to make the perfect cookie.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Vanilla Bean Sablés​

Sables have become my go-to cookie around the holidays; they are simple to make, and customizing them to your flavor preferences is easy to do. The dough also can be made a day or two ahead of time and then baked off as needed, which comes in handy for surprise holiday guests. I love them most of all plain and lightly flecked with vanilla bean, but adding rosemary and chocolate is another delicious way to enjoy them.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Chewy Hermit Bars​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.65 from 14 votes

Think of the most delicious hermit bar you ever ate, the moistest, chewiest, nicely spiced bar, with a crisp shiny top and dense center. Okay? This bar beats that one, we guarantee it. If you count molasses cookies, spice cake, or gingerbread—​any of the old-​fashioned, dark and spicy baked goods with their long international history—​among your favorites, you’ll love these bars.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Cracked Brownie Cookies​

The lovechild of a brownie and a cookie, these cookies have a chewy crust and a squidgy middle. You can also eat them sandwiched around ice cream. They are best eaten within a day or two (if they last that long).
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Brownies For A Crowd​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.94 from 16 votes

These brownies for a crowd, made with semisweet chocolate aplenty and eggs, butter, flour, and sugar, are cake-y and rich. A crowd-pleaser for parties, tailgating, bake sales, and more.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pumpkin Swirl Brownies​

These pumpkin swirl brownies are made with cream cheese and taste as if pumpkin spice cheesecake swirl collided with chocolate fudge brownies.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pumpkin Spice Seven Layer Bars​

These pumpkin spice seven layer bars are appropriately autumnal yet hearken back to the classic with graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and chocolate. Lovely any time of year.
​☞ ​Try this recipe​

Leite's Culinaria

David Leite

Why, hello! Leite's Culinaria is the James Beard Award-winning site that helps home cooks and bakers put dinner on the table and laughs in the kitchen. Hungry for more? Join 40,000 food lovers and subscribe.

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