New Year’s resolution-breaker cookies
- Kim Simons
- January 25, 2023
- 3 mins
- Kim's Kitchen
- christmas holiday recipes tutorial
Originally published at: https://www.riverreporter.com/stories/new-years-resolution-breaker-cookies,78092
I’m often asked how I got into making cakes and competing on TV.
The short answer is that, back in about 2010, I was watching a cake show and thought, “I can do that!” I abused the use of the pause button, and—a year later—became a Master Cake Artist.
But the long answer involves my family.
To begin with, my dad loved to cook, and I learned a lot from him about flavor profiles—what works with each other, what doesn’t, and where to experiment. He encouraged me to alter recipes, and often gave me the freedom to cook family dinners, which was important to me.
But when it came to baking, it was my grandmother on my mom’s side, Evelyn, who really made an impression on me.
My grandmother Evelyn, who “taught me about baking, She showed me all the basics—how to measure, how to mix, how to test when things were done. But she also allowed me to experiment… She really encouraged me. And that encouragement is part of the reason I do what I do today.
She was born in Puerto Rico, but lived most of her life in New York City, where she married and had four kids (my mom is the youngest). She was tiny—maybe five feet tall—but she developed a cute, chubby little belly later in life. After my grandfather died, my mother and father put a cozy trailer on their property in Liberty, NY, where my grandmother lived. She loved to talk, and would often call our house, asking in a sing-song voice, “Do you know what you’re having for dinner?”
I went up to her trailer every day after school to visit. I remember how much she loved birds. She seemed to know everything about them. She fed them, whistled back at them, and cared tenderly for her parakeet, Billy. (I often laugh at the memory of my grandmother accusing us—after her cataract surgery—of replacing Billy behind her back!)
She also loved sewing and other crafts. We would always work on creating something. My mom got that creative spirit through her, and I—in turn—inherited it as well.
But what I really enjoyed was the time I spent with her when she taught me about baking. She showed me all the basics—how to measure, how to mix, how to test when things were done. But she also allowed me to experiment with fruits, sprinkles and spices. She really encouraged me. And that encouragement is part of the reason I do what I do today.
Which is why I chose these New Year’s resolution-breaker cookies for this month’s project. I came up with the idea and the recipe by honoring my grandmother’s edict to experiment. The cookies are warm, gooey and delicious—an absolutely perfect blend that will test anyone’s resolve. You’ll see!
New Year's Resolution Breaker Cookies
Decadent chocolate chip cookies stuffed with soft caramel and topped with chocolate ganache
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg until creamy.
- Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line 9-inch-by-11-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll a tablespoon of dough around a piece of soft caramel. Shape into a ball. Repeat until dough and caramels are all used.
- Place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from oven, and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Remove to wire rack and let cookies cool completely.
- Use a piping bag to add ganache to the cookie tops.
Notes
My grandmother lived a long life; she died when she was 94. I can’t help but feel that she enjoyed almost every moment of those years—that was her spirit. It’s been a while now since she passed, but I think about her every day—her humor, her wisdom, her talent.
But mostly, I’m grateful that she taught me what she did. How to think out of the box. How to experiment. How to embrace my creativity.
So, how did I get into making cakes and competing on TV? It begins with my grandmother, Evelyn. Without her, it might not have happened at all.
