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!