christina tosi

The quickest year ever

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know if it’s all the cookies or if time is actually moving faster, but this has been the quickest year ever.  It’s November- NOVEMBER!!!  I forgot to write last week because despite not working, I’ve actually been SUPER busy.   Last week, I made the Gojuchang Cookies again and also Playdate Cookies from Dinner: A love story which I’m sure I’ve made before too.

I was in Melbourne on Tuesday for a fun fun fun secret squirrel day involving Millionaire Hot Seat (Say Less, Steph, SAY LESS!)  There were cookies involved and trivia and a stop at Higher Ground in Melbourne- a place that’s usually my favorite cafe in Melbourne, however it left me SUPER disappointed this time around.   I had a Miso Ham and Cheese toastie that was WAY overpriced and very average…. So now I”m looking for a new favourite Melbourne Cafe.  Any ideas???

We also had a very cute food experience- Le Petit Chef at the Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay. It was very fun, very cute, very unique.

I’ve also been poling, pickleballing and tennis playing but the super exciting thing is that it’s November, which means Thanksgiving.  It absolutely does NOT mean that Christmas is 5 weeks away.  ABSOLUTELY NOT ready for Christmas.  But, Thanksgiving, yes please!!!

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and fall and pumpkins, I made Pumpkin Spice Latte cookies.

Full disclosure, I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin spice lattes.  I had one once and it was meh.  But I do LOVE pumpkin spice and often will season sweet potatoes with pumpkin spice and occasionally will put it into my ground coffee before I brew it.

What I do love is everything Thanksgiving, it’s the best holiday and one that doesn’t get nearly enough air time in Australia.  Maybe the next two weeks of pumpkin theme cookies will help.  Maybe not but I’ll enjoy it.

I also made Chocolate Sprinkle Birthday Cookies from Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Kids Only Book.

Ok and since it is close to Christmas, it’s time to make my Christmas cookbook wishlist. What’s going to be on it this year?? Could I possibly find room for yet another Cookie Cookbook??? Only time (and Santa) will tell!

Wish me luck for another big week!

 

Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies Take 2…and Cinnamon Bun Cookies

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This week we’ve revisited an old favourite and are trying a new favorite!

The old favorites are the Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies from Jenny Rosenstrach’s “Dinner: A love story” cookbook.  I’ve always really liked this cookbook- it’s full of easy and tasty recipes that are great for families.  I’ve had it for years now– in fact, even before I was married or a mom.  She has a great blog, (Dinner: A Love Story) too which I follow.   It now leans more plant forward but it’s really good.   I’ve made these cookies before and they’re yum!  Spicy, chocolatey and very easy.

I also tried Christina Tosi’s Cinnamon Bun Cookies from her All About Cookies cookbook.  I love all of her cookies, and these are no exception!  They’re not quite as easy to make (because you have to stuff them with cream cheese) but they are tasty!  They’re small batch- maybe only 10-12 per batch but they were excellent.  So tasty and moist.

I’m also on the hunt for Thanksgiving cookies.  I have a couple of cans of Libby’s pumpkin to use, and probably won’t be making any pies with it– so why not make cookies?????  I’m kind of getting Deja Vu from last year– I think I wanted to make Thanksgiving cookies last year too!   Hopefully this year, I find some crowd pleasing pumpkin cookies- or maybe ChatGPT can help to invent some!

I’m not working at the moment but spending a lot of time working on myself- specifically the physical activities I love pole dancing, gym tennis- and tomorrow I try pickleball for the first time! I’m very excited!

Hello October, Hello (and goodbye) Dublin

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I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of October- this year is flying by and we’re already in the midst of the -Ber months! 

The last month has been AMAZING.  I finished my role and delivered a great strategy, went to an amazing leadership conference, had the best time in Dublin, and had Thomas’s first Communion- and once again I have a bit of free time which means, more COOKIES!

First of all, Dublin.

I’m super lucky that I feel absolutely at home in three places around the world- Washington, Sydney, and Dublin.  Despite never actually living there, it’s a place that feels so familiar and so easy for me.  I have best friends there and really close friends, and it’s a place that always fills my cup.  So much so, that I would love to move there one day.  I don’t know if it will ever happen, but when I make a list of pros and cons, the list of pros is VERY long and the list of cons is VERY short.  (The weather and actually moving anywhere is stressful!)  But it was a fabulous trip, with fabulous people and I loved every moment of it! I know Ireland isn’t known for it’s food but honestly, the butter, bread and the seafood chowder are all next level! Irish butter- so good! I could go on about it for hours!

Secondly, Cookies.

Now that my contract has finished and my next one is TBC – I should find out this week!  I have time on my hands which is both weird and familiar.  Weird because I feel like the last 8 months have been go go go, and familiar because, well it’s like last year but without the mental anguish of being made redundant.  Plus, I’m far more into cookies than I was last year.  I can’t believe it’s been over a year that I’ve been baking every week.  Part of me wants to branch out and do something new, the other part of me has really painted myself into the cookie corner.  It’s expected now and it’s hard to disappoint people.  Plus, I’m not taking requests…. Which is really where I’m coming unstuck!

So this week, because I supposedly have “time” on my hands- even though I feel super busy!  I”ve baked nearly every day.  

Monday was Brown Butter Nilla Wafers from Christina Tosi’s All About Cookies Book.

Tuesday was Potato Chip Sandies- also from Christina Tosi and I also had to start on my request for the week- Apple Crumble Cookies from Andy Cooks.  These are A LOT of work but I’m looking forward to them!  Yesterday I made the dough and apple topping, tomorrow I need to make the crumble and bake them.  A lot of work but I think they will be yummy!

Next week I’ll likely do brown butter chocolate chip cookies– stay tuned!!!

September? Already??

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Time goes so fast.  So, so fast.

I would say that I can’t believe it’s already September but in truth, I can’t believe it’s already 2025.  Granted, this is not the 2025 that I would have ordered.  It feels more like the 2025 that Marty McFly went back to in Back to the Future 2 after Biff stole the Sports Almanac than reality, but yet, here we are September 2025.   

And things are…well, to be honest the vibes are off.  I mean on a global, universal level, the vibes aren’t great but even on a micro level, things are a bit funky.  Not in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad way, but just in a meh way.

I mean, I feel like September vibes are always weird anyway- it’s one of those odd months with a lot of birthdays (not mine) but also no other holidays.  It’s too warm to be winter, but too cold for summer.  It’s getting close to holidays but too early to decorate for anything, it’s too far into the year for a new start (except for school if you’re up north), but too early in the year to switch off.   

But here we are….on Earth, Wind and Fire Day (the 21st of September).  And because there are so many birthdays this month, I made Birthday Cookies from Christina Tosi’s Kids Only Cookbook.  I want to try to make a cookie cake for Thomas’ birthday in December, but that might be another week!

So here’s to better vibes for the rest of the month and to birthdays and cookies of course!

Retro Flavours, with a modern twist!

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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 Cookie Chronicles:  Things Get Ugly

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So sometimes it’s nice to experiment and try something new… but sometimes those things don’t turn out as expected.   I’m going to give myself the advice that I give to Thomas quite often, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” 

I hope you haven’t just rolled your eyes in the same way that he does… honestly that kid has a look that can pierce you like a dagger.  (Apparently, he gets it from me.)  But this week’s cookies– and maybe last week’s too were a learning experience.

And because I thought they might not be my best, I decided to bake 3 types of cookies… 

So let’s start with the basics… I decided to make Neapolitan Shortbread cookies this week.  They looked very pretty in the photo and I was very excited to push myself out of my comfort zone.  Except that I used the wrong recipe link and made Neapolitan Cookies.  Which are also pretty in the picture, however they structured differently because of how cookies cook vs how shortbread cooks.  I only realised my mistake AFTER I put them in the oven.  So my cookies are… well, they’re not pretty.  The first 4 trays at least aren’t pretty.  In fact, they’re a bit weird looking because shortbread holds its shape when it bakes– and cookies, well, cookies don’t.  By the last tray I realised my mistake and they look a lot better- and I rolled them in pink sparkly sugar- so they’re gorgeous. The 4 little swans amongst a lot of ugly duckling cookies.  I will 100% try them again– both the shortbread version and the cookie version because they’re tasty- and I’ve learned from the experience.

The other two cookies I made were from Christina Tosi’s All About Cookies book- one of my favourites.  This week are Crunchy Confetti Cookies and Dulce de Leche Cookies.  I’m not a massive Dulce de Leche fan but they were a request– purely from the little bit of tasting I was doing as I was baking, they’re pretty good!   

So overall, this week is a win-ish–  I tried something new and learned a lesson!

I take requests now…

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This week I’m making THREE cookies! Yikes! Three Cookies means I’ve spent all morning baking, cleaning, baking, washing dishes and then washing more dishes. And by washing dishes, I mean packing and unpacking the dishwasher– which is the same as washing dishes to me.

I can make three cookies this morning because the boys are at a tennis tournament, and so I’ve been left to my own devices… and I had a cookie request. A cookie request for a cookie that is NOT appealing to me at all. Black Sesame Earl Grey Cookies. The idea of Black Sesame Tahini in a cookie is blah- I don’t like tahini or hummus or nuts or nut adjacent things. And I hate Earl Grey tea. So combining the two in cookie form is completely unappealing. But Jinx, the same friend that kicked off the cookie frenzy almost 12 months ago with a cookie from Amsterdam, sent me a recipe and because she’s brought back cookies for me EVERY time she goes to Amsterdam, I couldn’t say no. So I’m making Black Sesame Earl Grey Cookies. And because they are COMPLETELY unappealing to me personally, I’m also making a modified version of David Leibovitz’s Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies. The modification is that they’re not sitting for 12 hours or overnight. I’m also making Chocolate Shake and French Fry Cookies from Christina Tosi’s Bake Club.

I’m quite excited by the Bake Club cookies. They look a bit weird but I think the concept will be yummy! The salted tahini– not sure about- it’s the tahini. But we’ll see… Hopefully Jinx will like the Black Sesame cookies, the gym and pole crew will like the Chocolate Chip cookies (they’re VERY highly rated by the New York Times), and hopefully TomTom and The Runner will enjoy the Chocolate Shake and French Fry Cookies. I’m not baking next weekend since The Runner is running up in Queensland, but I’m already thinking of our next baking adventure– thanks to the stash of leftover Easter Eggs I’m FINALLY getting around to emptying out of the Easter bucket. Stay tuned!

Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter.

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Let’s just start with facts. I hate winter. I hate cold, I hate dark, I hate winter. And today is Day 1 of Winter.

But that’s ok. We’ll get through it together. Despite the house being cold, despite hating all of my winter clothes, despite the short days and the long nights.

Nevertheless, we persist. We bake on unti Spring comes.

I know it’s getting tiring saying this, but last week’s cookies might have been the BEST EVER. I only say it, because that’s the feedback I get… and once again, someone proclaimed that Christina Tosi’s Banana Cookies from her Milk Bar Life cookbook were THE BEST EVER. Now, they were very good. I’m not saying they weren’t. But they also weren’t MY favourite. If I’m being completely honest, I actually liked her Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshnallow Cookies that I made this week (from her Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook) even better. To each is own, I suppose, but it makes it REALLY hard to crown THE DEFINIITIVE BEST COOKIE EVER.

This week, I revisited Christina Tosi’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from Milk Bar Life. They’re favorites and crowd pleasers. I also tried the Double Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Jesse Szewczyk’s Cookies: The New Classics. I’ve only gotten in-house feedback so far, but it’s been positive. I love chocolate mint so I actually don’t care what other people think. I think they’ll make me happy- and as we go into winter, we can all use a bit of happiness!

I’m a week behind…

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Because life has been busy and I’ve been adulting. For the first time in 5 years, I’m not working from home every day- and it’s an adjustment. But we’re four weeks in and I’m starting to settle into a pattern.

A pattern that involves almost constant motion and busyness. A pattern that is forcing me to be organised about everything. And a pattern where I’m still baking- but a bit behind on my writing!

So, let’s catch up! I’ve expanded my cookie empire… well, not really but I did bring them into my new job- and they were a hit. I refuse to make it a habit….REFUSE! Famous last words !

This week I made the Double Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies from the I Heart Naptime cookbook. It’s a great cookbook with lots of recipes that can be made an under an hour, and most of them are crowd pleasers!

I also made (another) Christina Tosi cookie recipe from her All About Cookies cookbook. I made the Pretzel chocolate chunk cookies and they were great! I’m a massive fan of Christina Tosi- she’s the cookie whisperer.

Two weeks ago, I made Pat McCorkle’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from the One Big Table cookbook. I didn’t love them. They had oatmeal in them and I didn’t love the oatmeal chocolate chip combo. Some people did, I didn’t.

This week is a challenge- chocolate chip cookies. There are SO many recipes, so it’s hard to choose just one. Even my favourite bloggers and cookbook writers have MULTIPLE recipes for chocolate chip cookies on their sites- so how will I choose just one???

I’m tempted to try these althought not sure about the 24 hour resting time! I do love Smitten Kitchen so these could be great too! Or maybe we stick to Christina Tosi’s super easy recipe…. Or maybe we try a few and see how we go!

This working life…

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Well, I’m officially a working girl again– and yet, I’m still a baking girl! Life has gotten super busy- being back to work and back to the office has been FULL ON! But we’re doing it. We’re juggling, balancing, tightrope walking, and doing it all backwards and in high heels. But we’re ok!

I’ve once again dipped into Christina Tosi’s All About Cookies Cookbook. Honestly, I LOVE IT! Once again, she has not disappointed. This week I baked Potato Chip Shorties which were unexpectedly AND unbelievably yum. I mean, they have potato chips in them, and they have sugar. They are the perfect balance of salty and sweet. I was sceptical about them – until someone suggested that they weren’t potato chippy- enough…. She even suggested using Salt and Vinegar Chips instead of plain. It’s a no from me but mainly because I don’t like Salt and Vinegar Chips…. I might try the Chocolate version– but NEVER with salt and vinegar… I also made Crunchy Confetti Cookies which were both crunchy and colourful!

I’ve promised that this week’s cookies will be more normal. Thomas specifically requested chocolate chip so chocolate chip it will be!!!