Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Shugary Sweets

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough July 26, 2025 from Shugary Sweets 

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Continue heating for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan gently to see the butter browning without stirring. The butter will begin to foam and stop bubbling. Remove from heat when you see browned bits in the pan. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together browned butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes until well combined. 
3. Add vanilla and eggs, beating until just combined.
4. Add flour, salt and baking soda, mixing on low speed until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chunks until evenly disbursed.
5. Portion dough into golf-ball-sized dough balls, cover and chill for at least an hour 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 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from heat and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

One of the small silver linings in all the authoritarian and fascist madness going on around the United States is you find out who aligns with your values and who doesn't. Who you want to support and who you don't. I was grateful early on that one of the artists I've loved for many years, Mary Engelbreit, is one such person and company. I've cross stitched her designs for more than a couple of decades, I've bought her desk calendar for years as it's my favorite and so on with her address labels, stickers, stationery and mugs. I've always been mindful of exercising whatever economic privilege I have to "vote" with my dollars, even more so in the past year. I continue to do so now more than ever. 

Another person who early on used her platform to unequivocally state her support for democracy and against fascist atrocities is Aimee Shugarman of Shugary Sweets. I've made recipes from her blog on and off over the years and they're fantastic recipes. But even more than that, I appreciate her using her privilege and her far-greater-reach to stand up for what's right.

When I say great recipes, you can add this one. It's everything a chocolate chip cookie recipe should be: crisp edges, chewy middles, caramelized brown sugar flavor serving as the perfect backdrop for those melt-y chocolate chunks. Okay, that was an awkward pivot but I'm still having a hard time writing these posts, especially after the kidnapping of 5-year-old Liam Ramos, the murders of Keith Porter, Renee Good, Alex Pretti and so many others we don't hear about. All by a government agency funded by our tax dollars and terrorizing people like me who now "carry my papers" to prove my US citizenship.

I'm still trying to find my balance between rocking back and forth in the fetal position weeping at what the US has become and saying "hey, enjoy this cookie". As I wrote in a response to someone who commented on one of my posts, it's a struggle to find the joy and not simultaneously feel the guilt in finding joy in something so small when other people's lives have been so torn apart. But at the same time, what fascism and dictators want is for people to feel despair, cynicism, surrender and to not find joy in anything. Part of resisting is not giving them what they want. Actually, that's all of resisting. 

So while it might seem insignificant to find pleasure in a warm chocolate chip cookie ten minutes out of the oven, use that respite to rest, to keep your capacity to feel joy, to use it as fuel for that resistance and to know your ability to feel happiness in even the small things is exactly what you don't want to lose or give away to those who would gladly take it. Use it for the hope that one day we can all go back to just talking about cookies because the biggest thing on our minds is how long to bake them and whether those calories are really worth it or not. 

Crumbl Cookies review #103 - Dubai Chocolate Cookie

Crumbl Cookies review #103: Chocolate Dubai Cookie - visited January 22, 2026

If you liked Crumbl's Dubai Chocolate Brownie, you would probably like the Dubai Chocolate Cookie.

Truthfully, both taste the same to me. The only difference is one was baked in cookie form and the other was baked as a brownie. But same fudgy texture and flavor. The crunchy kataifi topping was the same and still delicious.

The milk chocolate topping was dense and chocolaty, also good. What was also the same is I didn't really get any pistachio flavor from the pistachio cream. It wasn't a deal breaker though as I've found I rarely taste any pistachio in anything labeled Dubai chocolate.

What I did like better in the cookie version than the brownie was the price. There was a $1.49 surcharge for this on top of the regular cookie price of $4.99 so with taxes, this came to $6.78, marginally better than the >$8 of the Dubai brownie. It's still expensive for a cookie though so for my wallet's and my waistline's sakes, this is a sometime-treat food, not an everyday occurrence. It leaves the Crumbl weekly menu tomorrow so if you want it, you have one more day to get it.

Crumbl Cookies review #102: Brownie Batter Cookie, Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie, Sticky Toffee Pudding

Crumbl Cookies review #102: Brownie Batter Cookie, Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie, Sticky Toffee Pudding - visited December 2, 2025

It's been awhile since I've posted anything new. My mom died a couple of months ago and I didn't have the heart to write anything and, sometimes, to even eat or find enjoyment in what I used to. The last 3 posts before this one I had written before she died. I posted them "on schedule" but seriously, didn't feel like keeping up with my blog.

The grief still remains and I'm still trying to find my footing as "life goes on". So forgive me in advance if some of my writing is more stilted. I'm just trying to get through life at the moment; the happenings of the world around us haven't been helping lately either. Blogging about cookies doesn't seem all that important right now.

But, as I remind myself daily, joy will come again one day, sincerely and fully. Until then, giving in to despair and sadness and anger isn't who I am or what I stand for. Or what my mom would want for me. So I may fake it until I make it. And soldier on.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

I got this 6-pack so long ago and during my fuzzy-headed period so I don't know if I can do this review justice. I very rarely get a 6-pack unless I'm bringing it to share with a larger group. In this case, this larger group was a sliver of a cookie for my older grand nephew, both my nieces and some freeze-for-later treats.

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie

Out of the 6-pack, I only ate the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I am fortunate enough to have experienced real sticky toffee pudding in England when I've traveled to London. And, although I'm not a fan of dates, I love sticky toffee pudding. The Crumbl version wasn't as good as the real British dessert but it wasn't bad. The cake was dense and the moistness came from the dates and the caramel. I wasn't a huge fan of the big pile of vanilla bean mousse on top but it was still good. 

Sea Salt Toffee Skillet Cookie

I've already had the Sea Salt Toffee Skillet Cookie (click on the caption for the link to my original review) so I left that one to my nieces.

Brownie Batter Cookie

I am not a fan of raspberry or cheesecake so I can't comment on this one since I didn't try it. I believe both my nieces liked it though.

I think I tried a sliver of the Brownie Batter Cookie but truthfully, I can't remember. Not just because it was over a month ago but also because I don't remember much of that period. So, sorry, this isn't much of a Crumbl review. Next time I go, I'll try to post it sooner and have a better memory.

Oatmeal Muffins (add your own fruit of choice) from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Oatmeal Muffins - made several times in November 2025 from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Blueberry

1 cup milk

1 cup whole oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large egg

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries or other chopped fruit

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine oats and milk, covering oats completely. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12-capacity muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
4. In microwave-safe bowl or large glass measuring cup, melt butter and let cool slightly. Add maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture, mixing with fork until combined. Do not over mix.
6. Add oats and milk, mixing gently until uniform thickness; do not overmix. Fold in blueberries or whatever chopped fruit you're using.
7. Evenly divide batter amongst all twelve cupcake liners, filling to top. Lightly sprinkle with oats and/or chopped nuts if desired.
8. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake another 16-18 minutes for a total of 21-23 minutes in the oven or until a toothpick inserted in several muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes then remove from muffin tin.

The original title of these muffins was Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins but I ended up making 3 versions of this recipe since it was so versatile so I'm calling them more generically as oatmeal muffins. 

The first time I made them with blueberries as the original recipe directed. But I made the mistake of not reading the recipe ahead of time and didn't realize you were supposed to soak the oats in the milk for 20 minutes for the moisture the muffins need. 

Sure enough, they came out a little more heavy and dense than they probably should have. They still tasted good but were definitely better from a texture perspective when warm or warmed up. 

So I was determined to make them properly the second time as I know Sally's Baking Addiction has good recipes. Especially if you follow them correctly, ha.

Banana Pecan

To mix things up, I went with banana pecan for the second attempt. We had some rapidly ripening bananas so I took a couple, chopped them into chunks and folded them into the (properly made) batter. I didn't mash them like I would for banana bread but instead kept the banana as chunks. 

I had used agave for the blueberry version but that didn't add much flavor or sweetness. The second time around I used maple syrup and that seemed to work better to give it a tiny bit more flavor. The chopped banana chunks worked beautifully to add some soft texture and pockets of sweetness. Plus the toasted pecans on top added a nice crunch and flavor.

I'm trying not to make things so sweet nowadays so my grand nephew can partake without imbibing too much sugar. These turned out to be a fairly healthy snack for him.

We all enjoyed the base recipe of these muffins so much that I made them a third time when my niece and nephew in law invited neighbors over for an informal Sunday meet and greet. For the third version, I chopped a Fuji apple into chunks and also went with pecans on top.

I liked them but I think it would've been better from a texture perspective to use a Granny Smith apple which I didn't have at the time. The Fuji worked from a sweetness perspective as, again, these muffins aren't that sweet. A Granny Smith would've softened more in baking.

But these were still pretty good. Since these were for company, I fancied up a few slightly by drizzling warm salted caramel over the top. That turned out pretty well as the caramel added more sweetness and gooeyness. If you want to keep these on the healthy side, obviously you can skip the caramel.

Overall, I was impressed by the versatility of these muffins. They're easy to make, don't take that long to bake, and have good flavor and texture. Just don't forget to soak the oats in the milk first.

Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake from The View from Great Island

Lemon Sugar Crumb Cake - made October 29, 2025 from The View from Great Island 

All italicized adjustments are for high altitude only

Zest from 1 lemon

2 cups granulated sugar (reduce by 1 to 3 tablespoons per cup of sugar)

3 cups all-purpose flour (add 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder (reduce by 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per teaspoon of leavening)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold

2/3 cup milk (add 2-4 tablespoons per cup of extra liquid)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (increase temp by 10-15 degrees in high altitude). Line 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Zest lemon over the granulated sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together and rub zest into sugar until fragrant.
3. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Cut cold butter into tablespoons and cut into dry ingredients until mixture resembles small pebbles and butter is evenly distributed. Measure out 1 cup of mixture, squeeze into large clumps and place in freezer while you prepare the rest of the batter.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add to the remaining mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Spread batter in an even layer in prepared pan, smooth top then break topping into smaller clumps and sprinkle over top.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Since I was getting annoyed with my inconsistent baking results in my new high altitude environment, I finally succumbed and made a few tweaks recommended for high altitude baking. The general adjustments are in parentheses against some of the ingredients in the recipe. YMMV if you want to make similar tweaks, depending on the altitude in your location.

This turned out pretty well in that the cake didn't rise then collapse because of the altitude, hopefully due to my tweaks. The flavor was also good and I liked the texture as it was dense-fluffy-soft. Not quite a pound cake but not quite as fluffy as a cake mix cake. But better tasting.

The only thing I didn't like about this recipe is you're supposed to reserve a cup for the crumb mixture on top. In an ideal baking world, your butter crumbles would be perfectly uniform and evenly dispersed through the mixture so when you reserve a cup, it's exactly the same as the mixture that make up the actual cake.

Yeah, that ideal doesn't live in my kitchen. The cup I reserved was more dry flour than butter. So I ended up cutting a few extra tablespoons of butter into the reserve mixture until I was satisfied it was crumbly enough for a crumble and wasn’t just flour.

I'm glad I made that adjustment as the topping was just right with some large and medium streusel, not merely flour dust. So don't be afraid to do something similar if you don't like how your streusel crumble looks.