Welcoming guests with a delicious plate of cookies is always the highlight of any bed & breakfast check-in experience and what better first impression than a gooey, decadent treat!

I had a pretty amazing cookie-making moment a couple weeks ago. I broke away from my traditional, tried-and-true favorites of Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chip, and Peanut Butter cookies and whipped up a new recipe a friend recommended — Coconut Lime White Chocolate Macadamia Sugar Cookies.

Yes! They tasted just as amazing as the name implies!

This recent baking success (the folks at the office here agreed they were delish … YAY!) has prompted me to not only share the recipe (see below), but also share some other amazing cookie concoctions, most of which I’ve found while cruising through Pinterest and various baking blogs.

Before I start to reveal some of my discoveries, I need to post a disclaimer: Although I would LOVE to test every one of these recipes, I have had to exercise some cookie restraint, so not all these recipes can be fully endorsed by yours truly.

Chocolate Chip

You can’t go wrong with a classic like chocolate chip cookies, but have you perfected your recipe? I’ve always been tweaking my own recipe trying to bake up the most picture-perfect, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. It wasn’t until I found this website through Pinterest that I was able to improve my cookies. Turns out it wasn’t quite so much my recipe, but my technique that needed revamping. Now, I can easily whip up a  batch of these baked goodies. The secrets? Refrigerating the dough and baking on 375 vs. 350. 

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 3/4 c (14.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 c. (4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 c. (4 oz) Crisco (plain or butter flavored, I prefer plain)
1 c. (6.5 oz) light brown sugar
1 c. minus 2 T. (6.5 oz) white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. (10 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips 

 

In a small bowl gently mix the flour, salt, and baking soda until the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Set aside.

 

Using the wire whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and shortening on high until light and fluffy, 1-3 minutes. 

 

Add both sugars and beat on high 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.

 

Switch to the paddle attachment.  Add the chocolate chips and mix gently.

 

Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Do not overmix!

 

Touch test the dough.  It should feel slightly sticky, but not much should stick to your finger.  If it is very sticky add flour 2 T. (.5 oz) at a time.

 

Using your hands, roll the dough into balls 1.5 inches tall (1.5 oz). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 3 inches apart. 

 

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.  You can hold the dough up to two days in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. 

 

15-20 minutes before baking, position the oven rack to the second highest setting. Preheat the oven to 375.

 

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and bake 8-10 minutes.  They are ready to come out of the oven when they are domed and puffy, show a few signs of browning and look a bit underdone.

 

Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes.

 

Recipe from ThePerfectChocolateChipCookie.com

 

Bar Cookies

When time is short … and we all know time is ALWAYS short when you’re an innkeeper … bar cookies are often the way to go. No need to wait for 12 different batches to come out of the oven with this type of cookie.

Bar cookies also allow for a lot of flavor, texture and topping creativity. Think cheesecakey bar drizzled with caramel and topped with crushed toffee or one of my favorite, lemon bars.

Here are links to a few of the great bar cookie recipes I found on Pinterest.

• Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars
• Raspberry Truffle Brownie Bars
• Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Bars

Sandwich Cookies

Why break open a bag of Oreos when you can indulge in a homemade sandwich cookie?! I’ve personally never been a huge fan of store-bought cookies (exception: Girl Scout Cookies), so I tend to gravitate to making my own sandwich cookies.

One recipe I quickly cataloged in my cookie collection was from a Pillsbury Contest Entry: Jumbo Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies. Although the recipe calls for store-bought, refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough, I whipped up a batch from my own recipe and these cookies turned out beautifully! Warning: They are incredibly rich, but oh so delectable.

Lemony cookies sound so heavenly this time of year and I’m so excited to try out these Lemon Melting Moments. Don’t they just look like they could pair perfectly with a sweet iced tea?

Petite little French macarons, bursting with incredible flavors like those pictured above, have been tantalizing and tempting cookie lovers for the last few year (how very French of them). With accessible recipes found in abundance on the internet, these beauties are no longer limited to Parisian patisseries. Why not try your hand at baking some of these Violet Macarons with Violet and Vanilla Bean Buttercream.

A Twist on Traditional

We’ve all baked up, or at least enjoyed, the traditional Thumbprint Cookie — perfectly round, shortbread-like cookie with a dollop of jam in the center. Why not get a little fancy with this favorite?

Julia M. Usher, cookie designer, pastry chef and cookbook author, has written two unbelievably beautiful books on the art of cookie crafting — Cookie Swap and Julia M. Usher’s Ultimate Cookies. One of the recipes found in “Cookie Swap” is her Gingersnap 

Thumbprint Cookies with Cranberry-Apricot Filling. So maybe it has a bit of a holiday spin, but these delicious cookies are beautiful and delicious no matter when they are served.

Those delicious cookies I made a few weeks ago were basically a pumped up version of a soft sugar cookie that so effectively incorporated the flavors reminiscent of a beachy vacations past. Who says you can’t transport guests to the Caribbean Coast by serving up a plate of cookies?

Coconut Lime White Chocolate Macadamia Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. white sugar
1 egg
½ t. vanilla extract
zest of two large lime, finely minced (I added a lot of zest)
3 tbsp lime juice (again I was generous with this amount)
½ c. unsweetened toasted coconut (or untoasted, sweetened coconut)

1 11 oz. bag white chocolate chips

½ c. macadamia nuts, finely chopped
½ c. sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you haven’t already toasted your coconut just put a layer of coconut on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch out. It goes from white to burnt really quick if you aren’t watching closely.

 

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

 

Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

 

Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.

 

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and toasted coconut. 

 

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. I made mine too big and they ran together. These do spread quite a bit.

 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

 

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

 

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

 

Your Favorites

We’d love to host a recipe swap! What are your favorite cookie recipes that garner rave reviews from your inn’s guests? Post a comment with the recipe or a link to the recipe online and the cookie sharing can begin!

If you are looking for more cookie inspiration, check out the Reservation Nexus “Now That’s A Good Cookie” Pinterest board. It’s always being updated with ideas.