Ahh cookies! Lindsay says today, is the day we take over the internet with tons of cookies. For the last couple of weeks, food bloggers from all over the world have been baking, testing and retesting and then shipping their cookies to fellow food bloggers. It's been exciting for us to watch all of the posts. And even more exciting that we're able to announce that we also raised $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer!!!
Lindsay and I started the cookie swap, three years ago to receive cookies in the mail from other bloggers and of course taste them. When we partnered with Cookies for Kids' Cancer last year, we raised over $4,400 and that brings the grand total to over $18,000 in total raised for C4KC because of a little thing, our cookie swap. Thanks to ALL of the bloggers who joined and huge props go out to our sponsors who matched donations, without them, we would never have made it above our goal of raising over $10,000 this year…a huge huge thank you to Dixie Crystals, Gold Medal Flour and Grandma's Molasses and OXO.
Other numbers: we had 622 participants from all over the world with everyone sending 3 dozen cookies out, that's 22,392 cookies. Can you imagine that many cookies being shipped across the country here and in other countries around the world? Wow, just wow. Every year, I'm amazed at how many people sign up and the sheer number of cookies being baked and shipped!
So true, so true isn't it? My friends are extremely important to me. They keep me grounded and they keep me sane. I'm incredibly fortunate to have an amazing and diverse group of friends. The support I get from my friends, I'll be eternally grateful for. A few days ago, was the 4 year anniversary of my starting this little food blog. And never in a million years (oh I repeat myself so many times) did I ever think or dream that I would make the best friends of my life through this food blog.
One of those people is Lindsay. My partner in crime…I actually instagrammed a picture of us (or was it a tweet?) and called her my partner (oops, haha). No one caught it though. She makes me laugh and she calms me down when I'm having a crazy day and she's the one who tweeted out three years ago, wouldn't it be great to actually taste another bloggers cookie recipe…we should really do a cookie swap. I tweeted back and the rest is all history.
I'm getting all weepy looking back on four years, my life is so much fuller and richer because of all of you, my friends. So thank you so much for being the chocolate chips in my life.
PS Be sure to check out Lindsay's cookies…they are amazing! I didn't share one cookie with anyone! 🙂
For us, it started out as being all about the cookies and now it's become so much more than that. Did you know that:
- 1 in 300 children will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they're 20 years old.
- There are 12 major types of pediatric cancer, each as unique as the child fighting it.
- Less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute's budget goes towards pediatric cancers.
The amazing fundraising efforts that Cookies for Kids' Cancer has is nothing short of extraordinary but at the same ordinary because it's through grassroots efforts like our Food Blogger Cookie Swap and bake sales around the country that they were able to grant out $1.5 million this year and in a few short years about $5 million to pediatric cancer centers as well as support pediatric cancer research. To find out more on how you can get involved, please visit Cookies for Kids' Cancer.
You have been waiting patiently to hear about the cookies, thanks for bearing with me. I always get ALL of my ingredients out first…and these are the essentials besides the cream cheese and butter of course.
Lindsay and I had these amazing bittersweet chocolate chunk cookies with sea salt at Saint Cupcake in Portland a month ago. I wanted to try my hand at making a similar recipe and after a bunch of tries and using my friend Kelly's secret ingredient for chocolate chip cookies, cream cheese. I hit the jackpot.
Be careful to not overmix the cookie dough when you're mixing in the flour and the chocolate chunks. I used two different kinds, bittersweet (Ghiradelli — btw, I can never spell that name, I always have to look it up!) and semisweet (Nestle).
Use a handy dandy cookie scoop, scoop out portions of the cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. And arrange like below:
No, you're not going to bake them like this, you're going to freeze or refrigerated them like this (very close together) and when you're ready to bake them, you'll want to place the cookie dough 2 to 3 inches apart.
Cookies, cookies, cookies! I'm saying this to you in my cookie monster voice. I literally feel like him sometimes. After dinner, watching tv, scrolling through my Instagram feed, I get cookie cravings. Because of these cravings, I always have cookie dough in my freezer now. Often times, I'll make two batches or only need a half batch, instead of baking all of the cookies at once, I'll freeze the dough and put it in zippered plastic bags in the freezer labeled with the date and baking temperature and time.
The cookies I'm sharing with you today are the ones I sent, the ones I received…I photographed when I got them in the mail.
I received from Lindsay Bourbon Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Shortbread cookies. And chocolate snickers cookies from another Lindsay! Nom nom!
And I also received butter cookies from Sara (it's her grandma's recipe!) and some eggnog dark chocolate chip cookies from Melissa. I enjoyed all of the cookies. I made a lot of crumbs too.
I sent cookies to Mackenzie, Christine and Kimberly. I haven't heard back from all of them but I hope they all enjoyed the cookies!
Recipe
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, two sticks, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- sea salt
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (and using a flat beater) or large mixing bowl (and using an electric mixer), beat cream cheese cheese and butter. Add both sugars and cream together thoroughly. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Add flour in two batches and mix with a rubber spatula. Add chocolate and mix just to combine. Don’t over mix.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and using a medium (1.5 Tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough portions. Place portioned cookie dough into the freezer for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. If not baking immediately, after the dough is frozen, place in one or more zippered plastic bags and label with date and baking temperature and time.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and place cookie dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet at least 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place parchment paper with cookies on top directly on a cooling rack. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch or two of sea salt immediately after they come out of the oven. Store in an airtight container to maintain chewiness.
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One more thing, we're so excited and honored to be featured in the current issue of the FoodieCrush digital magazine. Check it out, Lindsay and I are in a magazine! It's beautiful and I hope you'll check it out. You can download it and read it on your smartphone or tablet too!
There are affiliate links in this post.
NanaT says
I would like to know where you buy the boxes that are shown in your photos? Also, were do you buy the slender “cookie” bags that I see that have the small discs in the bottom?
Julie Deily says
Hi Nanat,
Here is where I bought the boxes: http://amzn.to/1791KhT and the favor bags are from here: http://amzn.to/1791LTb
Nutmeg Nanny says
I can’t resist a sea salt cookie! These look perfect 🙂
Paula - bell'alimento says
Absolutely amazing! I could go for a dozen or more of these! xoxo
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says
All of my favorite flavors in a single cookie! You and Linds are so spectacular for organizing such a wonderful Cookie Swap! XOXO
angela@spinachtiger says
Bravo, Job well done on all levels. I never thought of freezing the cookies like that first, great idea. Chocolate chip cookies keep everyone happy. Merry Christmas.
Sarah | The Sugar Hit says
I’m so bummed I didn’t join this year! It’s such a great cause, and congratulations to you and Lindsay for organising such a feat, it’s truly awesome. Plus these cookies look AMAZING.
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Great idea Julie! Those cookies look amazing, and you girls did a marvelous job on the cookie swap this year! 🙂
Aggie says
I’m so proud of you and of what this cookie swap grew into, amazing!
These were the cookies I got to taste test weren’t they? Before you got them perfect…I’m so lucky I did! 🙂
xoxo
Michelle says
Just made these. They are good but mine are not as flat (which I’d prefer).. Mine are cakier almost… I’m not a baker.. What might I have done wrong?
Thx!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
This is one cookie that would never make it into the Christmas boxes I intended to give away! That chocolate and sea salt combo is my weakness!
Christina says
Julie you are an inspiration! Congratulations on your blog being 4 years old. It is amazing! Double Congratulations on the beautiful photos and your cookie recipe looks so yummy. Triple Congratulations, kind of like a triple chocolate fudge cookie, on the creation and success of the Food Blogger Cookie Swap for such a great cause and you and Lindsay being featured in a magazine! You both look great. I also love your quote about friends being the chocolate chips in the cookie of life, I love it! You have gained a new follower and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Cheers to you!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode says
I love the packaging on all those cookies – so creative! I don’t know/think if I’m creative enough to come up with all that hah. Love the Rushdie quote as well!
Deborah Miller - My Mountain Kitchen says
The cookies look delicious!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Yes please to double chocolate and sea salt. Gorgeous!
Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet} says
Your cookies look and sound divine! What a great event you and Lindsay host + being able to give back to help others while baking is just sublime. Can’t wait til 2014 for the 4th annual! Happy, Happy Holidays!!!
Courtney says
Ooh man.. these are disgusting. Next time you make them send them to me so I can properly dispose of them… 😉 hehe!
Tieghan says
Julie, these cookies are like heaven!! Dark chocolate and sea salt is always a winning combo!
Melissa says
Is the cream cheese extremely necessary?? It sounds kind of unappetizing so I rather not add that ingredient… And could I use milk chocolate instead of dark?
Julie Deily says
Hi Melissa,
For this recipe, it is. I actually worked on this recipe for while trying to get it right, it took 5 tries and I have it many times since with the cream cheese and it’s a great recipe. You don’t taste the cream cheese, it’s meant to create a softer cookie and to be chewy longer after even a couple of days. And you can always sub out ingredients but I can’t promise they will have the same taste if you do.
I would recommend you try another chocolate chip cookie recipe like this one: https://www.thelittlekitchen.net/doubletree-hotel-copycat-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/ or this one https://www.thelittlekitchen.net/alices-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/! I hope that helps!
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
Love love these!! And cookies are definitely taking over the internet today. My boss even commented as he walked by for the 5th time saying ‘how many cookies are you browsing today?’ Thank you guys so much for organizing this swap and supporting such a great cause.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I love these! Happy to be part of an amazing cause!
Kate@Diethood says
The cookies sound incredible!! I am so glad to have been a part of this fundraiser – thank you SO much for putting it all together!
Jennifer @TheRebelChick says
I really love this program and I look forward to it all year! Thanks so much for hosting it and dang, your cookies look amazing!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
You definitely cannot go wrong with dark chocolate and sea salt!
Meghan @ Cake 'n' Knife says
Thank you for hosting such a wonderful cookie swap! This was my first year participating and I am already ready for another one!
Shaina says
I absolutely love being a part of such an amazing fundraiser! I am so proud of us bloggers!!! Oh and of course, your cookies look delicious 🙂
Katrina @ WVS says
Oh man! These look sooooo good!
kim @ DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS says
Those look and sound fantastic!
Jennifer @ Mother Thyme says
Thank you so much for coordinating this amazing cookie swap! It has been so much fun to have participated in it each year and to have raised so money to go to this fantastic cause is amazing! I can’t wait to add these yummy cookies to my list to try too! Happy Holidays!
Bev @ Bev Cooks says
Dig it! That salt on top makes me teary.
Alice // Hip Foodie Mom says
Julie,
so happy to have been able to participate this year and how awesome that so much money was raised!!! love your cookies!!! and I actually just read the article in Foodie Crush!! LOVE it! congrats!