Chocolate-Pecan Bangers AKA Crispy Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

Last fall, as we moved from our home of 7 years stayed with my mother in law, then moved into a short-term rental, and then, finally, into our new home in a new town and new state. Through out that turmoil we survived on three things: takeout hamburgers, Garlicy-Lemon Grilled Chicken (I'll post that recipe when it's warm) and Chocolate-Pecan Bangers.

I hesitated about sharing a cookie recipe that contains eggs, especially when I have posted a beautiful soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe on this site, but I'm doing it anyway because if you have even just 1 egg, these are the cookies to make. You won't regret it.

These cookies are crispy heaven with just a hint of gooeyness in the middle. They're not nut-heavy, but they're subtly nutty. They're based on Sarah Kieffer's world-changing chocolate cookie recipe where she introduced us all to pan-banging. (If you don't know what that is, check out Sarah's website or see my explanation below.) I've tweaked Sarah's recipe a bit since I don't love giant, super salty cookies and really like the addition of chopped pecans. So, if salty giant cookies are your thing, check out Sarah's recipe, or, if not, try mine. Or maybe live a little and try both. :)

NOTE FOR PAN-BANGING VIRGINS

Pan-banging is a way to get flat, crispy and chewy cookies. All you need to do to achieve this perfect cookie is to pull your pan out of the oven at three intervals and smack your tray three times on a heat safe/bang proof counter or stove top. The goal is to get the cookies flat and crinkly.

NOTE ABOUT CHOCOLATE

My absolute favorite chocolate for this recipe is Guittard Semi-Sweet baking wafers. These are pricey (about $10.00 a bag when I wrote this), but you don't need a ton and they definitely elevate the cookie. You can certainly use a different semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate wafer or chunk or just chop your own chocolate. However, you should not use regular chocolate chips as they will not give you the lush chocolate puddles that make this recipe perfect.

NOTE ABOUT BUTTER

I like these with either European style butter (like Kerry Gold) or American (like Land o' Lakes) style butter. You'll get a slight variation in texture with a slightly thinner cookie with the European style, but both work well.

NOTE ABOUT SALT

My family perfers these cookies without flaked fluer de sel on top. If you'd like to salt your cookies, then cut back on the amount of kosher salt in the cookies to 1 teaspoon instead of 1 and 1/2 teaspoons. Flaked salt should be sprinkled over cookies as soon as they're done baking.

Chocolate-Pecan Bangers

Makes about 30 (2 tablespoon) cookies. It takes 10 minutes to make the batter, 10-20 minutes to chill the dough, and then 12-30 minutes to bake all the cookies.

Adapted from Sarah Kieffer's Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies in "Vanilla Bean Blog"

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter ideally at "cool" room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups granulated white sugar (300 grams)

1/4 cup lightly packed light brown or dark brown sugar (50 grams)

1 egg from the fridge is fine

1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

2 tablespoons tap water

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour (scooped or use a scale and measure 280 grams)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (OR 1 teaspoon kosher salt and fleur de sel to finish)

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (2 ounces or 60 grams)

6oz or 1 and 1/4 cups bittersweet or semi sweet wafers or chopped chocolate

STEP ONE

Chop your pecans into 1/4 inch pieces. Preheat a large pan on medium low on the stove. Add pecans to preheated pan and toast for about 3-5 minutes making sure to stir so that your nuts don't begin to burn. You want them to start smelling and just begin to take on color. Once they start to take on color, remove from heat immediately and set them aside to cool while you start to make your cookies.

STEP TWO

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer cream butter for about 1 minute. Add 1 and 1/2 cups white sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar to the butter and beat again on medium until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add egg, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water to butter-sugar mixture and beat until combined. Next, sprinkle the 2 cups plue 2 tablespoons of flour over top of the wet ingredients, then sprinkle the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt and the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda over top of the flour. Mix on low until combined. Lastly, add 6 ounces of chocolate wafers, chocolate morsels, or chopped chocolate and 1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans. Mix just to combine.

STEP THREE

While your oven preheats to 350 (about 10-15 minutes) you're going to portion out your cookies. If you're baking two pans of cookies at a time, then portion dough into sixteen 2 tablespoon sized balls (a number 40 cookie scoop is ideal for this) and place cookie dough balls on a tray in the freezer.  If you're doing just one tray at a time, portion eight cookies and chill in the freezer.

STEP FOUR The rest of your dough can rest in the fridge in the mixing bowl or it can be portioned out as well and stored in the fridge until you're ready to use it.The goal is just to chill your dough, I use the freezer for the first round of cookies so that they're ready faster. If you don't want to mess with the freezer, then you could also just refridgerate your dough for 20-30 minutes.

STEP THREE

Once your oven is preheated, space out your chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You should be able to fit 8 cookies on a pan with about 2-3 inches between each cookie. I highly recommend using a rimmed sheet pan for this so you don't have the parchment paper sliding around so much when you bang your cookies.

STEP FOUR

You're going to bake your cookies for about 10-13 minutes, but you've got to break up the baking time with your pan banging. Each pan-banging requires 3 smart smacks on a safe surface. You're going to want to bang your cookies 3-4 times in total. The easiest way to do this is to set a timer for 5 minutes, bang your pan(s). then 3 minutes, bang your pan, and 3 more minutes or when you remove them from the oven. The edges should look crisp and have taken on color but the center is still gooey.

Allow cookies to cool. Once cooled cookies keep 4-5 days stored on the counter top in an airtight storage container. I've mailed these cookies cross country and they travel very well.

Coconut-Coconut-Banana Muffins

Despite my kids' requests, I had not made these coconut-coconut-banana muffins since before we left Michigan. For some reason I recently woke up before sunrise to panic about the state of the world. And, as I had a cup of coffee, I decided that since it was too early in the morning to call my representatives, I should make muffins. To my delight, these muffins taste just as good in New York as they tasted in Michigan. As a further bonus, my eldest told me it was the best early morning breakfast he'd had all school year.

I love these muffins. They're inspired by a Smitten Kitchen recipe that I started making about 8 years ago. Since then, I've made a few changes. I've cut back on the sugar, added banana, and given them a delightful crunch-top. I love them because they are relatively low sugar for a muffin, but still taste sweet and "muffiny" making them perfect for breakfast in a way most muffins actually aren't. If you need something easy to love this February, you should try making these muffins too.

NOTE ABOUT SUBSTITUTIONS: These coconut-coconut-banana muffins are incredibly versatile. "Flaxseed egg" and egg both work equally well. And while I think a combination of banana and yogurt is ideal, you can absolutely just use one or the other. I prefer unsweetened coconut for this recipe, the sweet kind works fine, and you use sweetened coconut, you can just omit the Turbano sugar on top.

NOTE ABOUT FLAXSEED EGG: To replace a regular egg with flaxseed, combine in a small bowl: 1 tablespoon of flaxseed and 2.5 tablespoons of water and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

NOTE ABOUT COCONUT OIL TEMPERATURE: If you're making this in a cold kitchen, then the coconut can clump a bit when you mix everything together. I've found that a few chunks of coconut oil won't make a difference, but if your kitchen is very cold, I would allow your egg and the yougurt to come to room temperature.

Coconut-Coconut-Banana Breakfast Muffins

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen "Double Coconut Muffins" by Deb Perelman

Makes 9 standard muffins. Prep 15 minutes. Bake 18-22 minutes

Ingredients

scant 2/3 cup (135 grams) virgin coconut oil

3/4 cup (95 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

2 small ripe bananas (about 200 grams)

about 1/4 cup (about 50 grams) plain greek yogurt (any percentage)

1 egg (or flaxseed egg)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut divided

2 tablespoons Turbano sugar (optional)

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and use muffin liners to line 9 cups on a muffin tin.

STEP TWO

Warm a scant 2/3 cup coconut oil in the microwave until you just have just a few chunks of coconut oil floating in liquid. Pour oil into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

STEP THREE

In a second medium sized bowl, combine 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.

STEP FOUR

Mash two small bananas in a liquid measuring cup, add enough yogurt to the mashed bananas to equal 1 cup. Add bananas and yogurt to the coconut oil, then add the egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir to combine.

STEP FOUR

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together. Portion out mixture into your 9 muffin liners. top muffins with reserve 1/4 cup coconut and then sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of Turbano sugar over that. The goal is to make a deliciously sweet and crunchy muffin top. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Test by probing with a knife or toothpick until tester comes out clean.

Muffins are always best the first day, but we've found that even rewarming these for a few seconds in the microwave makes them delicious on the second and third day.

Creamy and Herbaceous Lentils

Hi! It's been a minute. I got hit on the head, suffered a concussion, and lost a few weeks. What did I miss? (Ha-ha. Sob).

Moving on, let's talk about something that we can do to nourish ourselves: COOK/EAT LENTILS! If you're opposed to smooshy, starchy bland lentils, let me reassure you that black lentils are something different entirely. Black lentils keep their integrity and aren't overly starchy. In my humble opinion, they (along side french lentils) are delightful and perky in a way that other lentils aren't. Furthermore, they're especially delicious when heaped with fresh herbs, piled on crusty toast, or mixed with hearty grains.

This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and makes for some amazing leftovers/lunches because it is even better the second day than the first.

NOTE ABOUT VINEGARS: I have found that this works best with vinegars that aren't bottom shelf. They don't need to be crazy-fancy, but you're going to taste this vinager, so use something you like the taste of. If you don't like red wine vinegar, champaign vinegar also works well for this recipe.

NOTE ABOUT HERBS: I have made ths recipe with a mix of herbs. If you're going herb crazy (as I often do at this time of year) Italian parsley can be supplemented with cilantro, chive, dill, basil and/or tarragon. Also, chunks of fresh fennel are always nice for a little crunch.

---

Creamy and Herbaceous Lentils

Prep time 5 minutes. Cook time 20-25 minutes.

Serves 3-4 as a main

Ingredients

1 cup black lentils rinsed and checked for debris

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 bay leaf (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for finishing

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinager

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4ish ounces goat cheese (divided)

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

black pepper

salt to taste

1/2-ish cup fresh Italian parsley

1 large green onion

Optional for serving

4 slices crusty french bread

or 2 cups quinoa +2 cups baby spinach or arugula

STEP ONE

Dice half of a medium onion and mince 2 cloves of garlic. In a medium pot with a lid, add onion and garlic, 1 cup of rinsed and sorted lentils, 3 cups of cold water, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and, if using, 1 bayleaf. Bring contents to boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer about 20-25 minutes (or according to time on the lentil package). After 20 minutes of simmering, test your lentils to see if they're cooked. They should be creamy, but still have a tiny bit of chew to them. You don't want them mushy.

OPTIONAL STEP

If you're making quinoa this is the time to make it. Follow package directions and cook 1 cup of quinoa.

STEP TWO

While lentils cook, chop one large green onion and 1 large handful of parsley (stems discarded). Set green onion and parsley aside. In a small bowl mix together 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of red pepper flakes and a grind of black pepper. Set aside.

STEP THREE

Once lentils have reached your ideal tenderness, remove the pot from heat, strain out the broth, remove the bayleaf. Return lentil and onion mixture to the pot. Stir in the oil-vinager mixture, then stir in the 2-ish ounces of goat cheese and mix until goat cheese is melted and smooth. Then fold in your green onions and parsley (holding about a tablespoon back to sprinkle on top). Salt to taste.

TO SERVE

Mix in your quinoa or heap lentils over toast. Sprinkle over remaining goat cheese and mix in any greens or additional herbs.