Cookies.

I am a cookie girl. Chewy, crunchy, chocolatey, nutty, peanut butter-y, crispy... you name it, I love it. Unfortunately, I was never much of a baker (my first chocolate chip cookie baking adventure produced burnt masses of dough with more eggshell than chocolate in them... sorry 6th grade English class!), so keeping my addiction alive and well was wasn't as convenient as it could have been.

Until I made these:

Hellooooo my pretties! These cookies are straight up the prettiest things I've ever made, and aren't a total pain in the butt to make. If you're like me, then you are the least efficient baker ever, so they take a while to make, but no fancy skills are needed.

They are, however, particular. If the butter is too warm, they flatten like pancakes and get all greasy. If you bake them too long, they get super flat and chewy. AND DON'T FORGET THE PARCHMENT PAPER ON THE COOKIE SHEET!! If you do then you'll end up with one giant sheet of dough (no bueno).

They're a big hit with everyone- chewy, spicy, and flavorful. They go great with vanilla ice cream... but just a warning: its really hard to eat only one!

Here's the recipe:
Makes 2 dozen, 5 mins prep time (HA!!), TOTAL: 35 minutes + cooling time

1/3 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light... I use light)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup light or dark molasses (NOT blackstrap!)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp ginger (same thing as ground ginger root)
1/2 tsp ground cloves (use a coffee grinder, or buy ground at the grocery store)
1/4 tsp allspice
be liberal with the spices!!
1/4 tsp ground pepper (grind very fine so no one gets a peppercorn!!)
1/4 tsp salt

Adjust oven wrack to middle position and heat to 375.

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, pepper and salt in medium bowl and set aside.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 secs. Beat in molasses until combined, scraping down the bowl and the beaters as needed.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. The dough will be soft and pliable.

4. Using damp hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough (I do a little less than this, about a tablespoon) into a ball and roll in granulated sugar to coat, then place on parchment lined baking sheets... leave about 2 inches between balls.

Bake ONE SHEET AT A TIME for 10-12 minutes, and rotate baking sheet half way through.

The cookies will be ready when they have cracks on the top. They will look underdone, but they continue to cook after coming out of the oven... just make sure the edges are set.

Enjoy and let me know how the come out!!

Happy baking,
Martha

Haven

Sometimes, things are so wonderful and amazing that there is only one way to describe their existence.

Magic.

Literally, there must be unicorns and garden gnomes running around in the kitchen at Haven, because there is some serious mystical magical energy goin' on in that restaurant.

The folks at Haven describe their restaurant as "a seasonal kitchen." But I say enough with the fancy terms. They should just call it "really super duper yummy delish and fresh things that you will enjoy stuffing in your face." Because that's the best description there is (yeah, I'm not narcissistic... AND OH MY GOD I SPELLED THAT RIGHT ON THE FIRST TRY!!)

I've been to Haven a few times, and my parents go literally anytime they can. My mom swears there's voodoo magic in their cheese grits (she's probably right) and has ordered some for everyone at the table without being asked to on more than one occasion. People may protest, but once they get a bite of that carb-y, cheese-y, buttery goodness, they shut up real fast. One time my mom brought home leftovers and we FOUGHT each other for the last bite. I really wish I was kidding right now.

Anyway, the first time I went to Haven, I thought it was just pretty good. At that point, the restaurant was relatively new, so I'm sort of giving that meal a pass. Don't get me wrong, parts of it were INCREDIBLE (Hello, lemon/olive oil ice cream??)... I just wasn't blown away.

Well. The magic got to me. Last Friday my parents and I went for lunch, and holy moley I don't think it could have been better. Lunch came out super fast, Willie Nelson was playing, I had a coke with REAL sugar, and we talked to our waiter about all the best truck stops/gas stations between here and Austin.

Oh yeah, and our lunches were yummy enough to knock you over and leave you begging for mercy.

I had their chicken puffy tacos with avocado, queso fresco, salsa verde, and sliced radish with a side of black beans. Crazy good. Everything was super fresh and light, the flavors were strong but not overbearing and the tacos were so gosh-darn pretty. The beans got a "meh" (read: alright-ish) rating from me, but I'm really not a black bean girl to begin with. I did like the texture though, they were a little on the al dente side, which added to the lightness of the dish somehow. And the tortillas were the best I've ever had. I live in Texas folks, I've had my fair share of tortillas. These made me want to march into the kitchen and demand to see the chef (a wonderful wizard by the name of Randy) so I could thank him for his existence.

My mom had the pulled pork sandwich.

Texans everywhere- rejoice. This was the yummiest pulled pork I've EVER had. Again, magic is the only explanation. SO many flavors working their booties off in there. Let me tell you, they were WERKIN' IT. God, that sandwich was unbelievable. My mom loved the cilantro cider slaw that came with it (super light, little to no mayo). And everyone practically cried when they tasted the hand cut potato chips.

My dad had the fried shrimp and onion rings (no I didn't try any shrimp- I know, shame). And after the first bite he closed his eyes for a good long time and leaned back to let all the wonderful-ness of it sink in.

Haven gets an A++++++++++. As far as I'm concerned, Randy can do no wrong. On top of all this, Haven is a green restaurant and the majority of the ingredients used are locally produced. It does a great job of reflecting the classic tastes of Texas onto newer, more thoughtful plates and adding new twists to old classics. The dinner menu may be daunting at first, but I promise you, if you're willing to trust Randy, you won't be disappointed. The atmosphere is great, the service is impeccable, and the food speaks for itself (not actually, that would just be weird).

So, the next time you're looking for something new, duck off of Kirby and roll into Haven for some really incredible food!

Happy eating!

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