Hi friends!
Allow me to introduce myself — my name is Katherine, and I am one of Maddie’s (many!) friends. Maddie and I have known each other for almost ten years now, which is actually shocking because it feels like we met yesterday. Maddie and I have an excessive amount of things in common — including the fact that we can tell what the other is thinking with the slightest flare of a nostril or blink of an eye. But some of the most important ones that I wanted to highlight today are our love of sarcastic comments, Friends, a crisp glass of white wine and constantly exchanging new recipes. Not only have we lived together in multiple locations across the Lawrence and Kansas City metropolitan areas (it was always great coming home to leftovers of whatever she cooked up that day!), but we also both are originally from St. Louis — which made the car rides home from KU a LOT more entertaining — like the time when Maddie threw up in a Sun Chips bag on the side of highway 70. But I’ll save that story for another time.
Since we are both St. Lunatics, it felt right to share two recipes that I’ve picked up throughout the years from my family, while also paying tribute to my personality — a little sweet and a little spicy — all depending on the day.
The first recipe that we’re going to dive into is my infamous ‘Spicy Pretzels’. These pretzels have been a huge hit everywhere I’ve taken them — whether it be a birthday party at work, an NFL tailgate (go Chiefs) or even stuffed in my purse at bars. It’s a super easy recipe, and it’s a great way to spice up your life (excuse the puns, you’ll hear a lot of them). The recipe is simple — and when you’re shopping for ingredients, just remember it’s all in increments of one:
1 bag of pretzels
1 ranch dressing packet
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 gallon-size ziplock bag
The steps are super straightforward as well — just mix the Ranch packet, cup of olive oil and cayenne in your gallon bag. Note that if you’re not as big of a spice lover as I am, feel free to reduce the amount of cayenne used. Once the liquid is all mixed up, you’ll dump in the bag of pretzels. From here, you’ll want to make sure that the pretzels are covered, and let her marinade for at least 6 hours while you flip the bag every few hours to keep the marinade moving around. This is important. You want the flavors from the seasoning and oil to get to know the pretzels, so I’d recommend mixing the pretzels a day or so in advance of serving. Once they’ve had time to rest, dump the entire bag into a bowl and serve, or just pass the bag around the beer pong table — I won’t judge.
The next recipe we’re going to dive into is on the sweet side, and as classic as the first season of Friends — it’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. Now I know what you’re thinking — “Katherine, we know how to make these. This is easy.” And you’re right! But I’m pushing my girl Nestle Toll House to the side, and bringing you an upgrade (cue Upgrade U by Beyoncé). These cookies have been tested by many, and are the perfect balance of chewy and cakey. You’ll see a few variations from your typical cookie recipe, so don’t be alarmed at the variations from the classic ratios.
For these cookies, you’ll need—
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup bread flour — This will help make the cookies a lot more chewy instead of flat and crispy
2 teaspoons cornstarch — Don’t skip this as an ingredient. I did once because I was out and my roommate described the cookies as a “solid 7.5”. We’re going for perfect 10’s here people.
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate morsels — feel free to get wild here and add more if you like a chocolatey cookie
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes (yes, I’m serious, 3-4 minutes), stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix.
Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. I know it seems wild to do an egg and an egg yolk but the yolk helps increase richness and flavors — plus you can keep the egg white in the fridge for breakfast the next day. Beat in vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined (do not overmix here, it’ll make the cookies dry). Gently stir in chocolate chips. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, drop dough at least 2 inches apart onto prepared pans.
Pro tip: Save a ball or two in the freezer for fresh cookies any time (or if you like to eat raw cookie dough when you’re stressed like me).
Bake until edges are just beginning to brown, 9 to 10 minutes, and rotating pans halfway through baking. (Cookies may look under baked but this helps achieve a soft and chewy cookie). Bake 1 sheet a time for even cooking. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes.
Using a thin spatula, remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
In true Cooking with Maddie fashion, I thought I’d end with what’s giving me life this week. It’s been recouping from my older sister Kristen’s epic wedding and successfully giving my MOH speech. Kristen and Jack were one of the many couples who had to reschedule their festivities due to the pandemic, so it was so great to see everyone together — including some relatives and friends that I haven’t seen (or hugged!) in over two years. The rain held off for the day, and everything went off without a hitch. I did, however, ingest a few too many espresso martinis. Man do those things go down like water.
It was squeezing my four nephews so tightly because they won’t stop growing, and they looked adorable in their tuxedos.
I loved being able to celebrate the happy couple, and to see the two lovebirds off on their honeymoon trip to the Maldives. Did I ask to tag along? Yes. Did they say yes? Absolutely not.
It’s being back home in the city of Chicago and seeing the miraculous sunrises from my window — something that I won’t ever take for granted. 10/10 recommend waking up a little earlier this week to enjoy the peace and quiet of a sunrise with some coffee. There’s something magical about those first few minutes of the day.
It’s taking Monday off to spend my day relaxing and writing a piece for my friend’s newsletter (and the laughs that we had talking about it). And finally, it’s rewatching Yellowstone for the third time because I just can’t seem to get enough of the cowboys. I’m already plotting an adventure to Montana to see if I can hang with the Wild Wild West.
Wish I was with you (and Maddie),
Kath