Trying things I Pin on Pinterest-Espresso Cardamom Shortbread

Shortbread is probably my favorite cookie. I don’t make them often, but when I do I tend to eat the entire batch myself.  A few weeks ago in my This and That I mentioned this Espresso and Cardamom Shortbread by Sweet and Savoury Pursuits.

From my Chocolate+Turkish Coffee Cookies to my Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean Ice Cream.   you can tell that putting coffee into sweet treats is one of my favorite flavor combinations. So when I saw this shortbread on Pinterest I knew I had to try it.

It did not disappoint! Because I very rarely make shortbread, I did not make any adjustments to the recipe and followed it to the letter.

First you dissolve instant espresso in vanilla extract. This was a totally new concept to me! At first I was skeptical that the instant espresso would dissolve in such a small amount of liquid, but it totally worked! The aroma of the vanilla and espresso was heavenly. Then you cream together butter, confectioner’s sugar and the espresso/vanilla in an electric mixer. Even if the shortbread had not turned out well, I am glad I tried this recipe because the combo above, with a different butter:sugar ratio, would be the PERFECT espresso frosting.

After everything is well mixed, you add your dry ingredients that you mixed together in a separate bowl. This results in thick, not quite crumbly dough. The instructions then say to press the dough evenly into a greased 9×13 pan. This was the only issue I had with the recipe, I personally didn’t feel there was enough dough to evenly spread in such a large pan. So I spread it as far as I could without sacrificing thickness. Then you score our your bars.

After scoring and dotting your bars,  you bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, rotating once. After I pulled these guys out of the oven, I had to try them. The espresso and cardamom flavors are subtle, resulting in a rich, toasty flavor that my mom couldn’t quite pinpoint, but really enjoyed. She described it as a caramel. I’ll agree that the espresso lends a warm rich flavor that combined with the buttery shortbread does come across as a little caramel-like. Which we loved.

I have had about 6 with my morning coffee this a.m.  They just go so well dunked in my morning joe! All in all, I really enjoyed this shortbread, the flavor is warm and comforting, and these cookies were a cinch to put together.

For the recipe be sure to hop over to Sweet and Savoury Pursuits and give it a go!

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Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies-Actually trying recipes I Pin on Pinterest

So I have had a Pinterest account for as long as Pinterest has existed. Or rather at least since 2011. Pre-child and husband I would spend HOURS on Pinterest pinning anything and everything. To the point where my personal pinterest is a little out of control. So when I started my blog Pinterest, I made a point to pin with more intention, and actually “do” or try the things I pin.

Consider this my first Pin post.

One of the first things I learned how to bake were chocolate chip cookies using the recipe on the back of the Nestle’ chocolate chip bag. Now, 9 time out of 10, when I am in the mood for cookies those are what I bake. I have been on the hunt for new chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this marshmallow recipe really intrigued me.

These are the Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies from Completely Delicious.

I don’t know if it is because it is summer and these gave me fire-free s’more nostalgia, or because I had more melting chocolate I needed to use, but I am so glad I tried this recipe.

In her pictures her cookies are more disk-like, and mine are puffy. I suspect this is because I scooped them directly onto my cookie sheet instead of scooping and rolling in to balls per her direction. I also did not fully cover the marshmallows with chocolate, because I am lazy.

But! The cookies did not suffer at all as a result. The actual chocolate cookie is dense and chewy, reminding me of my favorite brownies. The marshmallow on top melts just enough, like the inside of a perfectly toasted s’more. After you cover the marshmallow in chocolate and let them cool, the chocolate on top adds a nice crunch.

Marshmallows are not a favorite of mine, though I loved these homemade ones. Because of this I figured I was safe making these cookies, and would be able to stop after one and eat them slowly over a few days like a normal person. I was wrong. After inhaling more than a few, I froze the rest, where they call to me but luckily are not easy to eat straight from the freezer (but did it stop me from trying?)

In her notes Annalise says they are best eaten the day they are made, but I actually really enjoyed them the next day. I might be weird.

In summation, everyone run over to Completely Delicious Stat and make these cookies. You won’t regret it.

Thanks for reading my first Pinterest Post! Hop on over to my Pinterest and let me know what you want me to try next either over there or in the comments down below.