One Ice Cream; Three Cookies

Happy Friday everyone! While melting on a bench in the dog park, dog happily sitting in the sun, I suddenly had a craving for ooey gooey delicious ice cream, smooshed between 2 soft and chewy cookies. *drool.* So tonight I want you to go out and get your favorite brand of vanilla bean ice cream: are you a Haagen-Dazs fanatic or a Ben and Jerry's lover? Breyers or Cold Stone? Take your pick, buy a few pints, and choose which cookie flavor tickles your fancy for dessert!

Going the chocolate route...
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Emily Farris

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º. In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop the dough by a rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

MAKE AHEAD The cookie dough can be tightly rolled with plastic wrap into a log and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake, remove the dough from the freezer and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place on cookie sheet, allow to defrost for 10 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes.

Going the peanut buttery route...

Peanut Butter Cookies

Alice Medrich

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 8 tbsp. softened butter 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups chunky peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sift the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside. Put the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy but not fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, and beat until just smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir in the reserved flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 12.
2. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, then preheat oven to 325°. Pinch off heaping tablespoon-size pieces of dough and roll into balls. Arrange balls 2 1/2'' apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Use tines of a fork to flatten balls to a thickness of about 1/2'' and to make a grid pattern on top. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies completely before storing in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks.

Pucker up...

Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

Martha Stewart Living, August 2005

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
• 2 large eggs
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
3. Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
4. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Happy baking!