Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies from Emma's Cake Studio

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies - made dough August 1, 2025 from Emma's Cake Studio 

1 1/2 cups (190 grams) hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating

8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil or shortening, optional, for smoother coating

1/2 cup (60 grams) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool then roughly chop. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until smooth and combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in toasted hazelnuts.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls then gently flatten to thick discs.  Evenly space on baking sheets.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Coat the cookies: in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
9. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, fully coating. Place the dipped cookie on a wire rack or parchment paper.
10. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle each cookie with the reserved hazelnut bits. Let chocolate set at room temperature or place in refrigerator for faster setting.

If you want slightly fancy cookies, these are a good choice. Mine didn't spread thin exactly but they definitely weren't as rounded as the ones shown from the original blog, Emma's Cake Studio. Still, they baked into fairly thickly uniform discs.

I used good quality chocolate bars for the coating but in hindsight, I think I should've used chocolate chips so the coating would set more firmly. As it was, they were a little soft and I had to refrigerate the coated cookies to get the chocolate to set, especially in the summer heat.

Although these had hazelnuts in the cookie itself as well as garnished on top, surprisingly I liked the hazelnuts inside the cookie as well as on the outside. They added a nice crunch to the cookie. Usually my objection to nuts in cookies is they steam and soften during baking and I don't like their texture inside a cookie. But the hazelnuts retained their crunch aspect plus the cookie texture itself was more crisp (but not hard) rather than soft-chewy so that paired well. Be warned though that these are a little sweet. Add more hazelnuts to cut the sweetness.

Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake from Simmer and Sage

Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake - made August 1, 2025 from Simmer and Sage

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg white

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 6 ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg, vanilla and salt; beat to combine.
4. Add flour and beat on low speed until just combined. Divide batter equally between the ramekins.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until well combined. On low speed, beat in egg white and vanilla extract until combined and smooth.
6. Divide cheesecake batter equally between the ramekins, about a tablespoon on top of each ramekin.
7. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake 40-50 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before releasing from ramekins. Serve warm with ice cream.

I love the butter cake from California Pizza Kitchen, even though I haven't had it in years. But I love how they serve it slightly warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. Plus I like the pound-cakey texture and flavor of the cake itself.

I'd been meaning to try a copycat version - any copycat version - for awhile and finally got around to it. Since I haven't had the real thing in years, I can't remember the original well enough to judge how good a copycat this is to it but I will say this is a pretty good cake on its own.

I did underbake it accidentally by a few minutes. I say accidentially as the toothpick test fooled me into thinking the cake was done when the toothpick came out clean. But as with most cakes with a high butter content, sometimes the toothpick test doesn't work. This could've used a few more minutes in the oven. Still, the flavor of buttery goodness with a slight tang from the cream cheese was pretty delicious. Because it could've used a few more minutes in the oven, the texture was a bit soft. But, overall, I'm glad I found this recipe and know how to bake it properly for next time.

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies from Dirt and Dough

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies - made dough July 30, 2025 from Dirt and Dough

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sourdough discard, 100% hydration and unfed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used toffee bits)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until well combined, light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add sourdough discard and mix until well combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl to keep mixture even textured.
3. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add  to butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing on low speed until just combined after each addition and no floury streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Cover and chill briefly (30 minutes) before portioning into golf-ball size dough balls. Cover dough balls and chill another 2-3 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake 13-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look shiny or raw.
7. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.m

Yes, I'm still keeping my sourdough starter alive (at least at the time I made these) by using the discard in various recipes. 

This one made for cakey chocolate cookies. Cakey isn't my favorite when it comes to cookie textures. I like them chewy, dense, chewy-dense but not really cakey.

Not much of a tang from the sourdough but the discard did make the dough rather sticky. I froze the dough balls first but they still weren't super-hard when frozen. They spread a bit but I did the swirling trick to make them smaller, dense and more uniform in appearance.

I didn't have mini chocolate chips and only a handful of regular chocolate chips so I emptied the remaining half a bag of toffee bits into the dough instead. That worked well enough to add a little sweetness and crunch to the cookies.

Soft and Chewy Rolo Cookies from Sweetest Menu

Soft and Chewy Rolo Cookies - made dough July 30, 2025, modified from Sweetest Menu 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup (90 grams) brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt, optional

1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate, chopped

1 cup Rolos, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnishing tops of cookies

1. Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and egg until well combined.
2. Add flour, baking soda and salt, if using, and stir until soft dough forms.
3. Fold in chopped chocolate and Rolos.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Portion into dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several more hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 9 - 10 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and gently press Rolo halves over tops of cookies. Let rest on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Despite the title of these cookies, I didn't use Rolos. Instead I "stuffed" them with Sanders Milk Chocolate Sea Salt caramels that I got from Costco. I love those things. I can't eat more than one in one sitting but I love them. Which means the Costco jar lasts me a long time if I don't use them in baking.

They seemed perfect to use for these cookies as they're far superior to Rolos. I made the dough and formed flat discs of small dough balls to flatten and form around each caramel. Make sure to pinch the seams closed and roll into a ball so caramel doesn't risk leaking out during baking. The dough is a little soft so I recommend freezing them first before baking.

I liked these cookies. The cookie itself is similar to a chipless chocolate chip cookie or a brown sugar cookie and you can't go wrong with stuffing it with a milk chocolate covered caramel. It's deceptively simple but makes for a nice bite-sized treat. Don't make the cookies too big as you want the caramel square inside to be the main feature and with just enough cookie surrounding it to provide a surprise in that first bite.