chatgpt

Retro Flavours, with a modern twist!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Yet another rainy weekend in Sydney – which has both pros and cons!   When it rains, there’s more time to bake which isn’t a bad thing.  I now split it over two days – dough on Saturday and baking on Sunday.  I’m not sure if it makes it more or less time consuming but it’s working so far!

This week’s cookies definitely have a very American, very soda fountain, almost 1950s-esque vibe.   Two recipes are from Christina Tosi’s All About Cookies…and again one is from Chat GPT.

Christina Tosi’s cookies are some of my favourites- this week’s are Sugar Sugar Cookies and Nana Nilla Cookies. 


The Sugar Sugar Cookies are SWEET.  Like too sweet.  Thomas liked them but he’s 8.  And he loves sugar.  They’re sugar cookies with sugar sprinkles and white chocolate chips.  Like I said, sugar on  top of sugar, flavoured by sugar, sweetened with sugar, sprinkled with sugar.  But kind of fun, because of the coloured sugar on top and in them.

The other cookies, the Nana Nilla Cookies, are basically banana pudding cookies.  Banana pudding is yummy, but not sure I love it in cookie form.  Still, I had planned to bake them for ages (ever since I bought Nilla wafers earlier in the year) but hadn’t done it yet.  I’m not sure how well liked they’ll be I’m glad I did them.

The last flavour is actually one of my favourite cookies I’ve ever baked.  It’s Cherry Coke flavour.  Cherry Coke is my absolute favorite soft drink.  I LOVE it and used to have one every day growing up!  I know it’s not for everyone but it’s MY personal favourite- so I asked ChatGPT to create a recipe for Cherry Coke Cookies….. And of course, like any faithful and loyal friend, it did.  And they’re not bad!  I went offscript and added a bit of actual cherry coke to the batter, which possibly made them too wet.  The good news is that I can ask ChatGPT to tweak the recipe to include the liquid for next time.  

ChatGPT called it a “ fun and nostalgic recipe that captures the flavor of Cherry Coke — fizzy cola sweetness, tart cherries, rich vanilla, and a hint of spice — all in a chewy cookie.  Inspired by notes of: Cherry (obviously), Cola (vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, a hint of citrus), Slight fizziness or bite. This recipe mirrors those with cherries, vanilla, soft brown sugar (for caramel tones), a dash of cinnamon and optional cola glaze.”

I didn’t do the optional cola glaze but everything else (except the extra Cherry Coke dash) I followed exactly!

And to be honest, I LOVE Them.  Not everyone will love these, but these are for me.  Even if no one else likes them,  I do.   They’re a perfect blend of nostalgia, and my favourite flavours.  They have a great depth of flavour from the almond, cinnamon, and chocolate, but also a nice sweet cherry pop from the maraschino cherries.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!

So that’s the cookies for this week.  It’s going to be a big week.  We just celebrated our wedding anniversary, we have an interview for a high school, and my project at work is entering its final phases.  Lots happening!

The Cookies that started it all…and I make friends with AI

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

So this week, we go back to the beginning- Von Stapele Cookies aka The Amsterdam Cookies aka THE cookies that started the baking journey.  It’s been almost a year (I think) that I’ve been baking cookies every week.  And it’s been a crazy year.   One major down (and some not so major ones) and lots of big ups too.  So, it’s just been life.   We skate along every day until we come to a big bump in the road, we fall down, we get back up and keep skating until the next big bump.  I can’t really complain.  This is what being alive is.

I lost my job and gained a job, I lost a lot of confidence and gained a lot of resilience.  I got to spend time not working and realised how much I was missing by constantly running from one thing to the next.  I lost someone who I loved and loved me, and I gained a new appreciation of the tiny person I made.  I grew.  I still miss what I lost, and I still grieve and wonder, “what if?”  But I’m happy.  I mean I still complain about lots of First World Problems, and still hassle the humans in my house over a range of things.  But overall, at at the risk of jinxing myself.  Things are ok.

Looking back, I had NO idea what was ahead of me.  But none of us ever do really.  A year ago, I couldn’t imagine anything changing- everything was great.  A year from now, I know things could look totally different and that’s ok.  It could be better, or it could be worse.  But it will be different.  That’s the only thing I know for sure.  Will I still be baking every week?? Who knows??

And in the spirit of Change.  I’ve tried something new-ish.  I made friends with AI- well ChatGPT and for one of the first times used ChatGPT to create a new recipe.  Well, multiple new recipes.  

Bonkers.  Game changing.  Bizarre.  

So, why now??  What happened this week? 

Full disclosure, I was inspired by the Cabaret show I went to last week hosted by Dame Chilli Rox.  Chilli or Dame Chilli happens to be the only person I’ve seen consistently every week for the past 18 years, and someone who I treasure dearly.  She’s my Pole Dancing Teacher and an absolute icon, and the person who I’ve seen once or twice a week almost every week since 2007(ish).  I’ve known her longer than my husband and seen her more regularly than almost anyone else I know.  I’ve been through relationship changes, career changes, house changes, every type of change- but I’ve taken Pole Dancing Classes with Chilli on Wednesdays at 830 for most of my adult life.  

Anyway, Chilli, who is also the Most Influential Pole Dancer in Australia and an amazing MC, hosted a show last week and in the show, she had ChatGPT come up with cocktails for people she knew in the audience.  (Mine was a Half-Assed Spritz- because I’m very bubbly, loyal, but I don’t try very hard in class.)  

Anyhoo, I was inspired to use ChatGPT to come up with cookie recipes– what a brilliant idea!  Last week’s Dulce de Leche Cookies were a huge hit– and someone said, “ooh, Banoffee pie cookies would be really good.”  I searched for recipes online but then, inspired by Chilli’s AI cocktail creations, I thought what if I asked ChatGPT for a Banoffee Cookie recipe.  AND it delivered!!!

So then, I asked Chat GPT for a recipe inspired by Dame Chilli Rox- and it delivered on that too!  

The description was amazing–

“Let’s create something as fiery, fierce, and unforgettable as Dame Chilli Rox herself — a cookie that’s spicy, sultry, and unapologetically fabulous.  

Vibe:

Think: dark chocolate for drama, chilli for her name and boldness, cinnamon for heat, and raw sugar sparkle for the glittering glam she brings to the pole.” 

 And it is!!!!  Spicy chocolate chocolate chip with glitter sprinkles!!!    Throw in a jade split and it’s Chilli in a Cookie!

ChatGPT also suggested adding Fireball Whiskey or Chilli Liqueur for an extra kick.  I might try them again and call them Chilli Rox on the Rocks.

I also asked for a recipe for Von Stapele copycat cookies… and 3 or 4 other cookies that I was inspired to create… (they may make an appearance next week!)

I”m VERY pleased with how they’ve turned out (they look and smell very credible!) and it was super fun creating a recipe of my own(-ish).  Who knows, this could be the next evolution of my baking.  Creating recipes not just baking from recipes… I mean, I don’t know if I trust AI for everything all the time but it’s fun to try!


A first time for everything

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Firstly, apologies for the lateness of my post.  I only realised as I was looking for THIS week’s cookies that I hadn’t written about LAST week’s cookies yet!  So, here it goes, better late than never…

This week, I did something I’ve never done before…. Asked Chat GPT for a recipe.  I’m doing my best to embrace AI and live in the future- or at least the now, and so I thought I would spice up my week by using Chat GPT for this week’s cookies.  

I hear you asking, “why?”   Why, with a house full of cookbooks and an internet full of recipes, would I turn to ChatGPT??   For fun… and to continue my streak of boozy cookies.  Quite frankly, I (and several other people) are digging the boozy cookies vibe.   The alcohol adds something special to the cookies.  And with the current state of the world, most people I know need a little something special.  So- this week, I wanted to try making ANZAC biscuits again- I wasn’t happy with last week’s efforts so I wanted to try again.  So, I thought I would shake things up and add something special to them but I couldn’t find a recipe for boozy ANZAC biscuits- so I asked ChatGPT.  And it delivered!  Spiced Rum ANZAC biscuits are amazing— however, I was told later that it’s un-Australian to alter the ANZAC Biscuit recipe… not sure why, but that’s what I was told.  So, I’ll have to find another name for what I made- Maybe Drunken ANZAC cookies, or Rum Rebellion Cookies– not too sure yet but they’re not ANZAC biscuits.

I also made Mango, Coconut and Chilli Cookies.  I used Tajin seasoning so they weren’t really Chilli but they were delicious!  Also, from my Cookies & Crumbs cookbook. TBH mango is really good in cookies. This might warrant further exploration now that I have mango powder…

This week though, we’re doing the Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookies & Crumbs– very excited because so far this cookbook hasn’t disappointed! And we’re also doing Bourbon Dark Chocolate Crack Cookies.