I obviously love a baked good, vegan or not. But when a bakery can whip up delicious treats without using butter or eggs, it's pretty impressive. I'd been wanting to try Sweets by Chloe for some time now, and finally stopped by during fashion week on a quick break between shows with a friend. The daily menu consists of several types of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and breads, all of which are baked from scratch daily. Although the banana cream pie, carrot cake, and cinnamon espresso chocolate chip cookie all looked tempting, we decided on the peanut butter everything cookie and a slice of the matcha chocolate babka. The cookie was super peanut buttery with a nice texture from all the various mix-ins (oats, nuts, raisins), however it could've been baked just a bit less for my taste. The babka, however, was amazing! The subtle hint of matcha paired perfectly with the melted chocolate. I loved pulling it apart layer by layer to reveal more ooey gooey pockets! Doughy and delicious! I can't wait to go back and try the Chill by Chloe ice creams too. How good does coffee ice cream with homemade cinnamon rolls sound, or what about a push pop of salted caramel ice cream with homemade banana bread? Yum!!!
forage
Forage is a great spot to pick up some healthy, yet tasty ready-made food in the Silver Lake neighborhood of LA. I pop in whenever I'm nearby, whether it's for a market plate with various seasonal salads and a protein, or a house-baked sweet treat! Everything is prepared simply and consistently, and it's hard to go wrong with any of the vibrant, freshly made offerings. My husband and I stopped in for lunch, and he chose the organic free range roasted chicken with the Moroccan couscous (with beets, pickled red cabbage, almonds, golden raisins & garlic ginger dressing) and kale & arugula salad (with feta, breadcrumbs, shallots & lemon garlic vinaigrette). I went for the plate of three sides: fennel citrus salad (with arugula, celery, orange, lemon & citrus vinaigrette), roasted winter squash (with dandelion, pepitas & brown butter vinaigrette), and kale & arugula salad, as well as a bowl of chickpea soup. Never one to pass on dessert, we decided to go all in with a slice of chocolate coconut cream cake and a Mexican hot chocolate cookie. Yum- such a satisfying meal!
PS- There's a great assortment of sweets offered every day! Just check out some of the delicious (and beautiful!) offerings from when I was there, below. Apple-cranberry crisp with Speculoos crumb, Meyer lemon-glazed olive oil cake, banana cake with chocolate chunks, Mexican hot chocolate cookie, banana cream pie tart, gluten-free brownie, chocolate peanut butter malt cake, Meyer lemon sugar cookie, chocolate coconut cream cake, chocolate chip cookie, and more!
chewy molasses ginger cookies
These are a winter favorite in my house! Or I guess just with me, as my husband isn't a big fan of molasses (his loss). Either way, I love the warming, comforting flavors of molasses, cinnamon, and ginger. Like most cookies, I tend to under-bake them just a tad, since they will continue to cook after being removed from the oven. These just scream "holidays" to me, and are also a crowd-pleasing treat to bake for any cookie exchange you might be attending this season! Enjoy!
Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground all spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup turbinado sugar, for coating
optional mix-in: 1/2 cup candied ginger, dark chocolate, pumpkin purée
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and both sugars together in bowl of stand mixer until fluffy. Add in egg and molasses, and mix well. Gradually add all dry ingredients, mixing to combine. Fold in optional mix-ins, if desired. Chill dough for at least one hour. Put remaining sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into balls, dip into sugar, and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely. Makes about 32 cookies, just under 1 oz. each.
*Can be made vegan by substituting a flax "egg" for egg, and coconut oil for butter.
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maman
For a a quick and easy, but healthy and flavorful meal, I love stopping by Maman. It's basically the bakery and cafe of my dreams, featuring high quality, locally-sourced ingredients with a always evolving and inspired menu. Pop in for coffee (how cute are their cups?!) and freshly baked breads and pastries, or take a seat and enjoy housemade quiches, seasonal salads, and hearty sandwiches. I'm a huge fan of their unique and flavorful baked goods, including the nutella babka loaf, spiced carrot cake, white chocolate blueberry & lavender loaf, chunky monkey brioche, and the signature 'famous' nutty chocolate chip cookie.
One of my favorite things ever is Maman's cookie dough ice cream sandwich! It uses two slabs of melt-in-your-mouth cookie dough instead of baked cookies, wrapped around tasty McConnell's ice cream. Heaven! I recently stopped in for their new brunch service at the Brooklyn location, and both the waffle-iron hashbrowns (with smoked salmon, avocado & egg) and the roasted cauliflower salad (with kale, dates & egg) were super flavorful and satisfying. I'm looking forward to trying a matcha white hot chocolate this winter!
thin & chewy chocolate chip cookies
I'm typically of the belief that cookies should be thick & chewy, with almost-raw dough on the inside, and a nice, crisp exterior (think Levain Bakery or The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. However, there's a time and a place for thin & chewy cookies as well. These are crowd-pleasers, and will satisfy all cookie lovers. I love that they spread out into giant discs, even run into each other, but don't get totally crispy inside & out. They maintain that gooey interior that is absolutely key to a delicious cookie. Extra bonus, they're super quick & easy to throw together, so you can satisfy that cookie craving in an instant!
Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Cream the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer until fluffy & combined, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until a dough comes together, careful not to over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours, if possible.
Form large balls of dough (about 2 tbsp) into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to thin disks. Make sure to leave enough room between the cookies as they will spread when baking. Bake about 12-14 minutes, until golden brown edges form. Let cool on a wire baking rack.
*Adapted from Flat & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies by NYT Cooking and Thin Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies by The Comfort of Cooking.
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ranger cookies
Ranger Cookies are a childhood favorite of mine- they always make me think of home. My mom got the recipe from a neighbor in the Texas Hill Country after she brought over a freshly baked batch, and we quickly became enamored. The original recipe calls for shortening (butter flavored Crisco!), but for health's sake I have updated it to either unsalted butter, or if you want an extra coconut kick, coconut oil. I love the combination of sweet and salty textures with the corn flakes, pecans, coconut, and oats! There are several names and variations out there for these cookies- Cowboy, Everything, Kitchen Sink, but to me they will always be Rangers. I recently got the opportunity to whip up a batch of these as part of a steamy shoot for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit! The retro, 50s housewife-inspired looks were sexy & fun, and any shoot that requires me to eat cookie dough is a win in my book! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
Ranger Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, diced (or coconut oil)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups Corn Flakes (or similar cereal)
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla using a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda and flours, mixing until no lumps remain. Finally, mix in corn flakes, oats, coconut and pecans. Drop by heaping tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cool and enjoy! Dough and cookies also freeze well.
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*Photos by Taylor Ballantyne
