chocolate chip cookies

Happy Lunar New Year!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Gong xi fa cai.

It’s the Year of the Fire Horse which is meant to be amazing and life changing and all sorts of other things!  A year of transformation, fire, speed, inspiration, breakthroughs and travel.

I say BRING IT ON!  Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, or maybe I’ve just been watching too many instagram reels but I’m excited for the year of the Fire Horse.  I probably should have paid more attention to what I was supposed to do before the New Year and on New Year’s Day, but hopefully the year will be fully of luck, fortune, and all good things!  

One thing I wanted to do before the Year of the Horse is to get rid of things I didn’t need.  It didn’t really work, but a baby step was to try a cookie recipe which had literally been on a browser tab for a year.  No idea what I was saving it for, but I decided to try the recipe and close the tab.  Well, spoiler alert.  I should have closed that tab a long long time ago, the cookies were not good.  They were a copycat recipe of my all-time favourite American supermarket cookies, Soft Batch Cookies.  They used to come in a red bag and were the best cookies around. So so so good.  These cookies, these imposter/copycat cookies are not good.  At all.  In fact, I’m tempted to put them in the bin.  Not sure, we’ll see.

In contrast, the other cookies I made, 5 Spice Crackle Cookies  in honor of Lunar New Year were some of the best I’ve ever made. These are on par with the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies.   So so spicy and good!  10/10 no notes!

Another recipe that I wanted to “close the tab” on was a Dark and Stormy Braised Pot Roast. I NEVER make pot roast, and I NEVER would have thought to make pot roast in the summer – It was in the oven for 4 hours.  But this recipe had been on my mind for a long time.  It didn’t disappoint.   The flavours were amazing.. And the meat was so tender.  It was a recipe the whole family loved and one I’ll definitely do again!

So that’s how we’re starting the Lunar New Year- with a big win and a big fail!  Hopefully I’m getting rid of the things that no longer serve me from the past, but also keeping the lessons learned and looking forward!

Tres Leches What???

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So this week was The Runner’s birthday, and of course I made a cake.  Now, one of The Runner’s favourite things to do is to come up with extremely random ideas for dinner, cakes, or basically anything else that he doesn’t have to cook himself- which is 99.9% of what we eat at home.  About 90% of the time I ignore these random suggestions and Frankenstein-esque ideas, however because it was his birthday, and because I have time on my hands, I decided I would lean in to this one.  

I will preface this by saying that I am a STRONG believer in cookbooks and cooking and baking according to the book.  Occasionally, I will embellish with a bit of extra cinnamon or vanilla or something else relatively minor but I am normally pretty faithful to the recipe in the book.  Why?  I know they’ll work.  I know they’ve been tested, and I’m normally 70% sure that they will be edible.  I mean there have been a couple of times I’ve been let down, but on the whole, if you follow the recipe, it turns out ok.  The problem with weird, wacky, and random ideas is:

  1. They are not tried and tested.
  2. They are not thought of by a cook or baker who knows what’s possible
  3. Sometimes they’re not well thought through, even by the person who has conceived of the weird and wacky idea

But, I gave this one a go any way.  

It’s no secret that in our house, we LOVE tres leches cake. It was the cake I made before I had Thomas and I’ve made it quite a few times since. But The Runner asked for a twist.  He wanted a Chocolate Tres Leches Semifreddo Cake- or was it a Tres Leches Chocolate Semifreddo Cake.  Whatever it was, it was not something I had a cookbook for, and google didn’t have a recipe for it either.  (Un)luckily, there is AI.  I asked ChatGPT for help to create a recipe, and it gave an answer- as AI always does.  Was it a good answer?  Hmmmmmm.  Was it the right answer?  Not sure.  But I did make it.  And it wasn’t awful.  I mean, it wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful either.  It was just a bit odd- It’s something I might play around with again- maybe cutting up the cake and putting it in the semi-freddo– or maybe not.  Maybe there’s a reason why Tres Leches Semi Freddo isn’t a thing but Tres Leches Cake is.  Maybe the reason is that it’s not great….oh well.  HBD to The Runner.

Also this week, I baked cookies (of course).  These fantastic Peanut Butter Miso Cookies and these Double Chocolate cookies from Delicious Magazine. The Peanut Butter Miso are yum! Even Thomas keeps sneaking them when he doesn’t think I’m watching.

Hello 2026!

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We’re 15 days into 2026 and I really don’t know what to say about it.   

I had a fabulous end to 2025- The Mom/Nana was over from the US and we had a fabulous fabulous fabulous trip to Tasmania, a place I highly recommend and can’t wait to go back to!  Thomas had a great birthday, and genuinely December was good.

But the vibes in January and, and for 2026 in general, seem off.  I mean there’s the macro picture and the US-related picture where everything there is cooked.  But even closer to home, things feel heavier, more uncertain, less hopeful than they did in 2026.  Or maybe it’s just a post-holiday comedown!

It’s hard to go from holiday mode of wine, cheese, and hotel rooms that you don’t have to clean to grocery shopping, laundry and unpacking the dishwasher.

Either way, there’s no point in avoiding it, 2026 is here.

 And I’m back to baking already… This week, I made Martha Stewart’s Alexis’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from her brand new, Martha 100 Favorite Recipes Cookbook. 

The highlight of Christmas for me is always getting new cookbooks.  This year didn’t disappoint.  I mean Martha’s cookbook is super aspirational– she is who I would love to be when I grow up.  I just need a few hundred million dollars to get me started on the way.  My absolute favourite cookbook that I’ve gotten so far is Caroline Chambers, “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking”– absolute banger of a cookbook.  Everything I’ve made so far is SUPER easy and SUPER tasty!  HIGHLY Recommend.  The third one I got was “Cook Korean” by Billy Law which I’ll be testing out over the next few weeks.  Anyway, back to this week’s cookies. 

They’re not pretty, in fact they turned out VERY thin and nearly went into the bin– however they are actually delicious.  They’re crispy, chewy, salty and caramelly sweet, thanks to about a kilo of sugar but they are yum!  I’ve gotten EXCELLENT feedback on them including this gem!  I mean let’s be honest, if Martha Stewart puts them in her top 100 recipes, you know they’re good.  AND THEY ARE!

So maybe that’s my lesson for 2026, don’t give up.  Things might not look the one you think they should, and they might be pretty, but don’t chuck it all in the bin– things might be perfect and you don’t even realise it!

They’re spicy…I like it.

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

I’m in week 2 of my spring break and I’m leaning into it a bit.  It’s a bit of a weird break but it’s good.

I’m enjoying the downtime and getting a bit done too.  The best thing about having time off is Monday morning pole classes.  I’m feeling really fit, healthy, and a bit sore but it’s great starting my week with 2 hours of exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise. 

The only downside, they don’t get cookies.  I’ve thought about it but I haven’t brought them into the cookie circle.  Is that bad?  Monday nights and Wednesday nights get cookies, but I’m just not sure I have it in me.  Luckily, very few Monday morning people also do Monday or Wednesday nights so maybe ignorance is bliss for them?

Not sure.  I do feel slightly guilty though about not including them in the cookie fold.

This week’s cookies are amazing – Gochujang Chocolate Chip Cookies and Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sarah Keiffer’s 100 Cookies.  Both are incredible but the Gochujangs are next level.  They’re not spicy but they have a tinge of heat to them which makes them really nice.  They’re less spicy than some of the other chilli chocolate ones I’ve made, but they have a lovely warmth to them.  Big Fan!  I am secretly paranoid that one of the cookies will be a full on spice bomb with ALL the chilli heat in one cookie, but it hasn’t happened yet! 

And the brown butter chocolate chip ones are really good too.  I’ve finally learned to brown butter without fear.   I mean, there’s the constant fear of going too far and the butter burning, but also the fear of not going far enough and just having butter.  But this brown butter was perfect.  And the cookies were delicious!

So that’s a good metaphor for life right now, kind of being in limbo but being good-ish.  The cookies, like life, are just spicy enough to be interesting but not blowing me away.  There’s lots of exciting things are the horizon over the next few weeks, but for now, we’re just mellowing and waiting!

Oh…. and I got Crocs. Only 4 years late to the Croc party, but I’m in the Croc gang.

The house smells amazing…

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And I think our oven is running hot.

And this is what separates me from an actual baker.  An actual baker pays attention and takes out the trays before they burn.  I am still a bit uncertain so even though I think the cookies are overbaking, I still follow directions.  What can I say, I’m a rule follower!

The last two weeks, the cookies have been a bit over done and I’m not sure why.  I think it’s the oven– but maybe it’s me.  Who knows?

What I do know is that this week’s cookies made the house smell delightful!  I mean seriously good.  Like I would buy a candle that smells like this good.

I think it’s the raspberry.  Fresh raspberry mixed with vanilla, sugar, and all the other cookie smells.  Wow.

All I can think is how lucky is Thomas to grow up in a house that smells like baked goods.  It is divine!

This week, I used two new-ish cookbooks- Sally’s Cookie Addiction and Some of My Best Friends are Cookies.  I also had a request- Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies.  I’m very much open to requests these days since I want to branch out beyond what I like.  I haven’t had one yet, but I’m SO glad I made them.  The smell alone was worth it!  The other two cookies I made were Chocolate Chip- since there are thousands of chocolate chip cookie recipes all claiming to be the best, and Giant M&M cookies.  

Actually I haven’t taste tested any yet and judging by The Runner’s reaction, they’re not standouts this week.  We’ll see what everyone thinks but I think they look over done but smell AMAZING!

Anyway, this weeks’ cookies!

Don’t trust the internet

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

We all know by now not to trust a thing you see, hear or read on the internet.

It’s also no secret that I’m a Marketer’s dream.  I am super brand loyal and very susceptible to advertising.  So when someone’s internet blog says, “this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie”, I say, “let’s try it!” 

Well, I tried it…and it’s not that great.

I like the Vanilla Bean Blog.  I’ve baked her cookies before- and I’ve bought her cookbook, 100 Cookies.  So I trust her.  So I was super excited when I got the email this week saying she had created the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie, I was keen to try it. 

Everybody loves chocolate chip cookies.  I mean, everyone loves cookies but everyone loves chocolate chip cookies.

Last week’s Kitchen Sink Cookies were a hit- one of the top 10 cookies I’ve made apparently.  But they can be divisive.  Anything outside of the standard, comforting chocolate chip cookies can cause… feelings.  So no matter how crazy a recipe I make each week, I like to also make one comforting, plain-sh, normal cookie.  

And because everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, everyone also has a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  There are SO many out there.  Even the 100 Cookies cookbook has like 5 different recipes for them.  So what was meant to make these so good?  

Not sure.  But they weren’t great.  I ran out of vanilla and substituted a teaspoon of bourbon, I increased the recipe from 20 cookies to 32 so maybe it didn’t quite scale well.  Whatever it was they are/were disappointing.  Not an outright fail but not great.

Luckily, I always make at least two types.  The second batch is Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies- which were excellent.  They look good too.   They are dark, velvety, rich and coffee adjacent.  They’re gorgeous. I love them. I think they will be a hit.

The chocolate chip ones… not so much- but we’ll see. People are always surprising. But one thing I know, we can’t trust everything we see on the internet.

And We’re Back!

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We took a week off for a family holiday (and marathon) on the Gold Coast.  We had a blast!  The Gold Coast is the perfect place for a family holiday- Thomas had a blast! 

Sea World, Australian Outback Spectacular, Whale Watching, Timezone, Teppanyaki,  Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, multiple trips to Wendy’s… it was an 8 year old boy’s holiday of dreams!  We had a great time…

And now that we’re back, I’m back to baking!  

This week, we’re keeping it simple with Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Condensed Milk and Double Chocolate Chip Cookies..  I had a request for simple this week, so simple is what I’ve done!  Both have gotten the tick of approval from the boys which is always a good sign!

I already have a request for next week- Mango, Macadamia White Chocolate!

Can’t wait!!!

Shortbread??

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

So this week, we (I) baked shortbread for the first time.

I mean, shortbread is kind of cookie-like? It’s in a lot of cookie cookbooks but it’s not really a cookie. It’s cookie adjacent. I’ve seen shortbread recipes pop up in Cookie Cookbooks but I’ve always discarded them as “not cookie enough”. But with World War 3 about to start, AI taking over everyone’s jobs, and the state of the world in general, I thought now could be the time to try something we’ve never done before. So I baked shortbread.

After reading about them in Smitten Kitchen, I went back to the original Alison Roman Dining In recipe and made Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread. (I forgot the extra salt sprinkle). I’m still not sure about how I feel about them. They’re not bad, but it they’re not 100% right either. I mean they’re tasty but I’m not excited by the shortbread. Maybe you’re either a shortbread person, or you’re not… and I’m not. But we’ll see how they go down this week. I’m not putting them in the top ten.

I also made Chewy Triple Spice Sugar Cookies. They’re ok. Again, not in the top 10 and not my favourites but they’re not bad either…. They’re very round and pretty though so happy with them! They’re another Jesse S. recipe and he hasn’t disappointed yet- so fingers crossed! I’m already plotting next week’s batch so stay tuned!

Are these the best yet?

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I know I ask that question every week- but it’s because every week someone tells me that these cookies are “the best yet!”  But this week’s are pretty good.  

Another Cookies and Crumbs success story- this time the Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I have to say, it could be my new favourite cookie cookbook.  Actually, every time someone has told me, “These are the best cookies yet!”  They’ve been from this cookbook!  I’m sensing a trend here!  So, if you’re thinking of buying a cookbook- I highly recommend Cookies and Crumbs!

I also made Bourbon Chocolate Crack Cookies but they didn’t actually crack!  They were only meant to stay in the fridge for 1-2 hours but I left them in overnight and they– well went a bit flat!  But they were SOOOOOOO tasty!   They didn’t look great but they tasted amazing.  

Not sure what next week’s cookies will be– I’m still loving the boozy cookie vibes and also the Cookies and Crumbs vibes! 

They can’t all be winners…

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This week I attempted Anzac Biscuits from Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies… and well, I was disappointed by them. They were flat, and not great. I didn’t have enough coconut and I used dark brown sugar instead of just brown sugar, and I can honestly say they weren’t my best work. I mean, no one has actively complained about them (but no one really complains about free cookies) but deep down I know they’re not my best work. I do want to try again- maybe with Spiced Rum Anzac Biscuits or Whiskey Anzac Biscuits- but we’ll see. I’m a little bit wary of Anzac Biscuits now and thinking maybe I should stay in my lane and leave the Anzac Biscuits to actual Australians.

I also made these guys- Brown Butter Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies and again, meh. They’re a cakier cookie than I normally go for. I should have been tipped off by the 3 eggs in the recipe. I know some people like cakey cookies, but I was underwhelmed. They’re not bad, but they could do with less egg and more bourbon flavour.

But hey, not every serve can be an ace. This week it feels like a double fault, but again, no one complains about free cookies! On a positive note, apparently last week’s gluten free cookies were amazing! I got great feedback on those so HIGHLY Recommend!