Brenda Cookies (Half Batch)

Sometimes you want cookies, but you don’t want the temptation presented by an entire batch . . . we’ve simply adjusted this recipe to create half the cookies of the regular recipe.

• Use this recipe to make Brenda Brookies

• Here’s the full batch recipe for Brenda Cookies

• Read the full Brenda Cookie Story, or buy some from Brenda’s Bake Shop.

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The Brenda Cookie (Half Batch)

Cream together, mixing for approximately 5 minutes:

1/2 cup (4.5 oz) brown sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar

10 Tbsp (5 oz) butter, softened 

Then add, stirring until smooth:

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla 

Sift dry ingredients together and fold into the above mixture:

1 3/4 cups (8.5 oz) flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

5/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Just before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add:

1/2 pkg (5 oz) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chips

Do not overmix!

Portion by scooping equal sized dough balls onto a greased 13x9. Cover and refrigerate 24-72 hours.

Bake at 370F for 8-10 minutes, adding 5 minutes for extra-large cookies. 

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: Brenda’s 1/2 cup cookie scoop makes 8 to 10 balls of dough per batch

• Use this recipe to make a full batch of Brenda Cookies

• This 1/2 batch is perfect to make Brenda Brookies with

• Brenda uses a stand mixer to make the cookies. She starts the butter and sugar creaming and then measures out all the other ingredients while waiting for the sugars and butter to whip. 

• Resting the dough allows the flavors to fully meld and the textures to develop. This cookie has a chewy bite with just the right combination of intense dark chocolate and caramelized butter. It will taste good immediately, but if you can be patient it will be even better.

• Brenda seldom recommends a brand, but you’ll notice that Ghirardeli 60% Cacao are listed. These chips will create the flat layers of intense chocolate that indicates a true Brenda Cookie.

• At high elevations, add more flour. At the farm (2600 ft), Brenda uses 8.8 oz of flour and at home (6200 ft) Brenda uses 9.2 oz

• Let the baked cookies rest 3-6 hours before serving or packaging. A properly prepared Brenda Cookie will stay soft internally without being stored in an airtight container.

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Window to B’s Kitchen…

Creaming butter + sugar:

Incorporating flour:

Mixing in the chocolate chips:

Scooping the dough:

Peanut Butter Cookies

These Peanut Butter Cookies are the best. Crisp and chewy, but never crumbly, they’re easy and quick to make. This recipe is based on a recipe shared by Two Peas & Their Pod.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

To a small mixing bowl, add:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Sift together, set aside.

To the bowl of a stand mixer, add:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Cream together for 2-3 minutes, until mixture lightens in color.

Add:

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Mix until smooth, then add:

Dry ingredients

Fold in until fully incorporated.

Scoop onto greased baking sheet. Using a fork, press to create a classic criss-cross design while simultaneously flattening the cookie to ~3/4” thick.

Bake at 350F for ~10 minutes, adding 5 minutes for extra-large cookies.

Transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm or cooled.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: Makes 12, 4” cookies or 24, 2” cookies

• This recipe can be made stirring by hand or using a electric hand mixer

• For higher elevations (~6K ft) recommended to add ~2 Tbsp flour

• Creamy or crunchy peanut butter work equally well

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are best dipped in chocolate . . . . or caramel . . . . or marshmallow cream . . . . even better, combine all three.

They’re also a fabulous menu addition to chocolate fondue. Yum.

There are two ways to make this recipe: (1) with a food processor, and (2) without a food processor. We walk you through step-by-step for both below.

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Shortbread Cookies

Method 1: Food Processor

Combine in the bowl of the food processor:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Cover with lid and pulse 5 times to sift, then add:

1 cup (2 squares) butter

Cover with lid and process until well combined, about 1 minute. Dough will initially be shaggy and then accumulate into one mass, indicating it is ready.

Remove from food processor and roll out, instructions below.

Method 2: NO Food Processor

Combine in a large mixing bowl:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Sift together, then cut in:

1 cup (2 squares) butter

Stir in:

1 cup flour

Continue mixing while adding:

1 cup flour, in 1/4 cup increments

Continue to mix until well combined. Stir with a spoon until it’s too difficult, then knead by hand for ~1 minute longer.

Remove from bowl and roll out, instructions below.

How to roll out shortbread cookies:

• Tear off two sheets of plastic wrap, about 12” long

• Set one sheet on countertop, place dough on plastic and top with other sheet

• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough (between two sheets of plastic) until it is ~1/4” to 3/8” thick

• Remove top plastic sheet

• Using cookie cutters or a sharp knife, cut desired shapes

• Transfer to a baking sheet

  • Tip: lift from underneath the plastic wrap and peel the plastic wrap from the shortbread dough for a clean transfer

Bake at 325F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Carla introduced Brenda to this recipe, and taught her the best way to enjoy is with melted milk chocolate

  • Carla is one of the best people Brenda met in college

• Carla’s tip: Lightly golden brown = perfect caramelization = best flavor

• Serving size: makes one batch of cookies, final number depends on individual cookie sizes

• Brenda loves to serve these cookies with her Salted Caramel Sauce

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Window to B’s kitchen…

Chocolate Cookies

You can double or triple the chocolate intensity by adding any variety of chocolate chips. Or just make them as is and enjoy the velvety brownie texture.

Leave out chocolate chips and try them out in Icebox Cake!

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Chocolate Cookies

Cream together, mixing for approximately 5 minutes:

1 cup (9 oz) brown sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar

3/4 cup (6 oz) butter, softened

Then add, stirring until smooth:

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla

Sift dry ingredients together and fold into the above mixture:

2 cups (10 oz) flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Optional: just before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add:

1 cup chocolate chips

Do not overmix!

Portion by scooping equal sized dough balls onto a greased 13x9.

Cover and refrigerate 24-72 hours.

Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, adding 5 minutes for extra-large cookies.

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Brenda’s notes:

• If you live more than 3k above sea level, review Brenda’s High Elevation Adjustment chart to adjust for altitude impacts.

Cream Cheese Frosting

BOOKMARK THIS. You’ll thank me later. This fluffy, creamy goodness is what Brenda uses on a few of her Fan Favorite recipes:

• Pumpkin Brownies

• Cinnamon Rolls

• Carrot Cake

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Add to bowl or stand mixer:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 

1 cube (4 oz) butter, softened 

Mix until combined, then add:

1 tsp vanilla 

1 lb powdered sugar

Stir until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl sides. Whip until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Use immediately.

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Brenda’s Tips:

Serving Size: one batch will frost: 

• one 3 tier cake 

• 24-36 cupcakes

• 12-24 cinnamon rolls 

• 3-4 dozen cookies

If possible, Brenda allows cream cheese and butter to naturally reach room temperature for the very smoothest, fluffiest frosting.

Brenda Cookies

Meet the pinnacle of all Brenda Food:

THE BRENDA COOKIE.

Taking America’s Test Kitchen and New York Time’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes and making her own version, the Brenda Cookie was born. After 2 years of perfecting the recipe, she shared it with the world.

These cookies have brought so much JOY to thousands of people from coast to coast. Like, when I heard Marie Kondo talk about items that “spark joy” I thought of these cookies.

The smell. The taste. The layers of chocolate. The gooey centers. The crunchy edges. Mama mia!

Read the full Brenda Cookie Story, or make a half-batch!

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The Brenda Cookie

Cream together, mixing for approximately 5 minutes:

1 cup (9 oz) brown sugar

1 cup (8 oz) sugar

1 1/4 cup (10 oz) butter, softened 

Then add, stirring until smooth:

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

Sift dry ingredients together and fold into the above mixture:

3 1/2 cups (17 oz) flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp coarse salt

Just before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add:

1 pkg (10 oz) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chips

Do not overmix!

Portion by scooping equal sized dough balls onto a greased 13x9. Cover and refrigerate 24-72 hours.

Bake at 370F for 8-10 minutes, adding 5 minutes for extra-large cookies. 

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: Brenda’s 1/2 cup cookie scoop makes 18 or 19 balls of dough per batch

• Brenda uses a stand mixer to make the cookies. She starts the butter and sugar creaming and then measures out all the other ingredients while waiting for the sugars and butter to whip. 

• Resting the dough allows the flavors to fully meld and the textures to develop. This cookie has a chewy bite with just the right combination of intense dark chocolate and caramelized butter. It will taste good immediately, but if you can be patient it will be even better.

• Brenda seldom recommends a brand, but you’ll notice that Ghirardeli 60% Cacao are listed. These chips will create the flat layers of intense chocolate that indicates a true Brenda Cookie.

• At high elevations, add more flour. At the farm (2600 ft), Brenda uses 17.5 oz of flour and at home (6200 ft) Brenda uses 18.5 oz

• Let the cookies rest 3-6 hours before serving or packaging. A properly prepared Brenda Cookie will stay soft internally without being stored in an airtight container.

• Don’t want to make a full batch? Here’s the half-batch recipe.

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Window to B’s Kitchen…

Creaming butter + sugar:

Incorporating flour:

Mixing in the chocolate chips:

Scooping the dough: