½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Parchment-lined cookie sheets
⅜-ounce ice cream scoop
For dipping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla until incorporated.
In a small bowl, sift together baking powder, flour, and cinnamon. Slowly add to butter mixture.
In separate small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon for dipping.
Using ⅜-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop out dough. Dip tops of dough balls into sugar/cinnamon mix. Place dough balls on parchment-lined cookie sheets, 2½ inches apart.
Bake 10 minutes.
Cool on rack. Cookies will firm up while cooling.
Makes 50 cookies.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Peanut butter lovers are a very loyal group and if you satisfy their taste buds, they’ll be your devoted fans for life. This is a classic recipe that never fails to please. You can add chocolate chips to them and skip the cross-hatching, but I love the pure peanut flavor of the old-fashioned, unadulterated way.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth (not natural) peanut butter
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Parchment-lined cookie sheets
⅞-ounce ice cream scoop
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar in bowl until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla until incorporated. Add peanut butter. Mix until well blended.
In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Slowly add to butter mixture. Mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Using ⅞-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of dough and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Using a fork, press down on the tops of each cookie, making a crisscross pattern. The cookies will spread a little as they bake, but that’s okay.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until cookies firm up and start to get golden brown at the edges.
Makes about 30 cookies.
CHOCOLATE CHOW MEIN NOODLE COOKIES
I asked my friend Wayne Brachman if he’d like to contribute a cookie recipe to this book, and this is the wonderful creation he came up with. Wayne is the pastry chef at Porter House in New York City, and he can whip up anything gourmet, gorgeous, and yummy at a moment’s notice. He also knows how hectic life can be, so he came up with a cookie that’s both tasty and easy to make. If you want something fun for Passover, substitute one cup of matzo farfel for the chow mein noodles. Just toast the farfel in a 350-degree oven for 7 minutes or until crisp.
5 ounces semisweet, bittersweet, or white chocolate
1 five-ounce package fried chow mein noodles
¼ cup lightly toasted coconut flakes
¼ cup chopped, roasted, unsalted peanuts
¼ cup chopped dried cranberries or cherries
Parchment-lined cookie sheets
In a dry bowl, or in the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate over barely simmering water.
Mix in the noodles, coconut, peanuts, and dried fruit. Drop walnut-sized little haystacks of the mixture onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until set.
MUDSLIDES
This amazing recipe comes courtesy of chocolatier Jacques Torres, the ultimate professional who always wears a smile on his face. I visited (and worked) in his kitchen when he was pastry chef at Le Cirque in New York City, and his kitchen hummed along like a well-oiled machine. Despite the demands of working in one of the top restaurants in New York City, he never let you see him sweat. It was pretty amazing watching him whip up gourmet delights like a magician, and voilà … a three-tiered, three-flavored mousse dessert in what seemed like seconds. Now he owns his own chain of chocolate factories and boutiques where he sells the most decadent chocolate confections, including these incredibly delicious mudslide cookies. I’m honored that he’s allowing me to include the recipe here.
1 pound 60% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2¾ teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¼ cups sugar
1 pound 60% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1¼ cups chopped walnuts
Parchment-lined cookie sheets
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or use nonstick pans.
Combine the 1 pound chopped bittersweet and the unsweetened chocolate in the top half of a double boiler. Place over (not touching) gently simmering water in the bottom pan and heat, stirring frequently, until completely melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking power, and salt and set aside. Crack the eggs into another bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until very light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and beat just until incorporated. Then add the melted chocolate and beat to combine. On low speed, add the flour mixture a little at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated before adding more.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the finely chopped chocolate and the walnuts with a rubber spatula.
To shape the cookies, scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough, form them into balls, and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the balls about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes or until set around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Makes 20 large cookies.
Note: Leftover cookies can be stored, airtight, at room temperature for three days or, tightly wrapped, frozen for up to one month.
NEW AGE BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES
When I met Alfred Stephens, he was an assistant pastry chef at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill restaurant in New York City. He was always incredibly kind and generous with his time—he certainly didn’t have to spend as much time with me as he did, teaching me the tricks of his pastry trade. I am forever thankful. Not only that, he was a huge Hot 97 fan, and it was great sharing stories while we baked away early on weekend mornings. Now Alfred is a bigwig pastry chef with Todd English’s organization, and once again he showed his generosity of spirit by offering me his own modern interpretation of a black-and-white cookie.
TO MAKE THE COOKIES:
4 ounces (1 stick) of softened butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
Parchment-lined cookie sheets
Piping bag and tip
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and lemon extract, then add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate between each addition.
Sift and combine the dry ingredients in
a separate bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the milk, sour cream, and olive oil until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture and mix until smooth. Add the milk mixture and mix until that’s incorporated as well.
Place the batter in a piping bag fitted with a plain piping tip. Pipe mounds of batter—2 inches wide and 2 inches high—onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving enough space in between for the batter to spread when baking.
Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes, turning the cookie sheet once halfway through the baking. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown and the centers bounce back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour.
Makes 25 large cookies.
TO MAKE THE GANACHE:
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over high heat. Bring cream to a boil, then pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature.
TO MAKE THE VANILLA ICING:
1 cup water, plus 3 tablespoons boiling water
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Place the 1 cup water, salt, and vanilla extract in a small pot and bring to a boil. Place confectioners’ sugar in large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in the 3 tablespoons of boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture. If it’s too thin add more sugar a teaspoon at a time. Place the frosting into an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
TO FROST THE COOKIES:
Hold a baked and cooled cookie in one hand and insert a small paring knife at an angle a quarter inch from the edge of the cookie. Cut a cone-shaped piece out of the center of each cookie, then fill with enough ganache until it’s slightly below the lip of the cookie. Take the cone-shaped lid you just cut and trim off the pointy end so that when you place it back on the cookie you have a flat lid. Press slightly until the lid sits even. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator 30 minutes, until the ganache firms up. Remove the cookies and ice the same cored-out side of the cookie with the vanilla icing using a small offset spatula to cover up the cookie surgery.
Leave out on a wire rack for an hour so the icing firms up. Store in a clean airtight container.
Makes 8 medium-sized cookies.
You’ve got your practical tips and your cookie recipes, so now off you go to plan your party. First, though, one last bit of wisdom. I’ve been doing cookie parties for years, and still, no matter how well organized I am before, every single time I’m exhausted afterward. There’s no magic wand to wave and no single piece of advice that will make it a breeze to throw a party. There will be chocolate stains somewhere in your apartment. Wine will be spilled. And you will sweat. But what I learned from entertaining people I love is the following, and these are definitely words to live by:
1. It’s not about me.
2. Anything I work hard for is worth it—whether it all ends perfectly or not.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I believe in keeping thank-yous brief and sincere.
First and foremost, my gratitude to Howard and Beth Stern.
The Howard 100 News Team—Brad Driver, Shuli Egar, Ralph Howard, Jon Lieberman, Michael Morales, and Steve Warren.
Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, Gary Dell’Abate, Tim Sabean, and the entire Stern staff who make waking up at 4:00 A.M. worth it. Benjy Bronk, Sal Governale, Richard Christy, Jason Kaplan, Will Murray, Jon Hein, Jamie Harmeyer, Steve Brandano, Scott Salem, Tracey Millman, Teddy Kneutter, Evan Mandelbaum. Also thanks to everyone at Howard TV.
Neil Strauss—thank you for giving me the push I needed.
Amy B.—thanks for your guidance and friendship.
Arlene, Steve, Cheryl, Nadine, and Leslie—thanks for holding on to my memories with a smile.
To Lisa Sharkey, my publisher—thank you for your vote of confidence.
My agent, Richard Abate—thank you for your creative advice.
To my co-captains—Peternelle van Arsdale, Paige Hazzan, and Amy Bendell.
To my cookie tasters: Steve Lacy, Sway, Heather B., Julio Colon, Larry Cirello, Dennis Falcone, Alexandra Di Trolio, Kid Kelly, Nicole Ryan, Rich Davis, Stanley T. Evans, Ryan Sampson, Vanessa Mojica, Julia Cunningham, Wendy Rickman, Spencer Mindich, and Geronimo.
To my former radio coworkers: Dr. Dré, Pia James, Wayne Mayo, Al Barry, Curt Flirt, Gladys Levy, John Fisher, Mary Jane Deasey, Debra Carlton, Mara Rubin, and Mark McKewen.
Chefs extraordinaire: Bobby Flay, Alfred Stephens, Wayne Brachman, Jacques Torres, and Sunny Anderson.
My chamber ensemble instructors—Mary Barto and Mara Milkis.
My Coffee Shop Crew: Adele and Judy.
To Eileen, Iris, Jeanne, and Stacy—my real-life cheerleading squad who have been there from the start.
To my cover photo shoot team: Erin McNeil/makeup and John Dallas/hair.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LISA GLASBERG, known by her radio name Lisa G., is a fixture on The Howard Stern Show as part of the news team at SiriusXM. She was the recipient of Billboard’s Air Personality of the Year Award and the Gracie Award for best local radio personality. She has been a correspondent for Real TV and E!’s The Gossip Show and has been featured in countless media, including The O’Reilly Factor, CNN, MSNBC, Inside Edition, the Food Network, the New York Times, and Cosmopolitan.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
CREDITS
Cover photograph © by Howard Stern
Cookie illustrations in text © by Pamela Breece
Photographs in text courtesy of the author unless otherwise credited
COPYRIGHT
SEX, LIES, AND COOKIES. Copyright © 2013 by Lisa Glasberg. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-224812-1
EPub Edition JUNE 2013 ISBN 9780062248152
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