After nearly 20 years of baking and cooking and 8 years of blogging, here are a few of the most prized tricks and trips that I’ve learned along the way:

1.) Onçe you’ve gotten down to the rind of your wedge of Parmesan — a common occurrence in my kitchen, where Parmesan goes in to everything from risotto to ravioli filling — don’t toss it! Wrap it in foil and keep it in your fridge. The next time you make a pot of soup, add the rind in after your base veggies are sauteed and before you add the broth, and prepare to be amazed: it will give the finished product a superb boost of flavor. Be sure to have more Parmesan on hand to grate over said soup when serving, of course.

2.) Whether you’re making a pecan pie or a basil pesto: always toast your nuts. This may seem like extra effort for whatever recipe you’re making, but it brings out the essential oils in the nuts, thus deepening their flavor significantly. You can do this in a pan over the stove, but I prefer to spread out whatever nut I’m cooking or baking with in one layer on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for a few minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can go from set to singed in the blink of an eye.

3.) When baking cookies, use parchment paper to line your baking sheet instead of buttering it. It’s a guaranteed way to avoid any potential stickage, makes clean-up a breeze, and also keeps your baking sheets in tip top shape for longer.

4.) If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla, always add a little more (thanks for this one, Mom!). If a recipe calls for vanilla bean seeds, don’t throw away the bean! Add it to a container or tupperware along with your supply of white sugar; the bean still contains a lot of flavor even without the seeds, and it will infuse the sugar and make all your baked goods extra lovely.

5.) Keep your flour in large tupperware containers with lids. It makes it easier to scoop and measure out the flour when you need it, and avoids any potential pantry moths that might come your way (I learned this the hard way). I also do this for sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, and salt, for the record — not exactly because they’re at risk for a moth attack, but it keeps things neater and easier to access.

6.) Before draining your pasta, always save a cup or so of the cooking water in the pot. It is nice and starchy and is a great way to add richness or creaminess to your pasta sauces, loosen them up if they’ve become too thick, or stretch out a sauce if you need to feed more people than you expected. One of my favorite quick pasta recipes consists of a few good dollops of ricotta, lemon zest, salt, lots of black pepper, and a generous splash or two of reserved pasta water. Throw it all the in the pot with your cooked, drained pasta of choice and beat everything together until a nice, smooth, sauce emerges. It will seem like somewhere between a cream sauce and cacio e pepe, but will be neither, a quick, superb dish in its own right.

….and last, but not by any means least:

7.) FREEZE. YOUR. COOKIE. DOUGH. !!!!

My all-time favorite party trick goes a little something like this: whip up your cookie dough of choice, then form it into individual scoops (note that an ice cream scoop is great for this). Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet (see tip #3!) and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen solid, store all your unbaked cookies in the freezer in a resealable plastic bag. And there you have it: a supply of cookies, on call, ready to be baked off whenever a craving strikes (just be sure to add a minute or so to the baking time). I myself became a fan of this trick last year, when pandemic related yellow/orange/red zones meant any socializing was done at home; hosting improvised cookie and hot chocolate nights at my apartment with friends made not being able to dine out a little more bearable.

But enough with the tips and tricks — this recipe. The title probably says it all — Double! Chocolate! Oreo! Cookies! — but I’ll talk them up anyway. These cookies are glorious-approaching-transcendental, fiercely chocolate-y with a rich, brownie-like texture. A hint of coffee renders them more sophisticated than your average cookie, and enhances the pools of dark chocolate that embellish each one. Best of all, our soft, gooey cookie is puncutuated by crisp-creamy Oreos, which take these to a whole other level, as only a cookie-within-a-cookie can. They are my new favorite thing to bake, and eat, and bake again.

The moral of the story: try out tricks #1-6, but if you follow one tip only, be sure it is this: make a big batch of these Double Chocolate Oreo Cookies, bake some, and keep the rest handy in your freezer, to be enjoyed whenever you want, with whoever you want. Options include, but are not limited to: celebrating a friend’s well-deserved promotion, treating your colleagues at work on a random Tuesday, contributing dessert to a dinner party (no prep needed), or, best of all: simply treating yourself to a freshly baked cookie or two, preferably enjoyed in pajamas, on the couch, while watching A League of their Own on Amazon. Highly recommended.

A couple of notes: Feel free to use mini oreos instead of normal sized ones, if you’re in the States. If you want these to be cookies with a vanilla rather than chocolate base, swap in flour for the three tablespoons cocoa powder. You can use chocolate chips here if you prefer, but chopping up chocolate bars makes for really nice melty pools of chocolate.

Looking for other cookie recipes? Click here.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COFFEE OREO COOKIES

Makes 24 cookies. Recipe adapted from www.sturbridgebakery.com

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon (232 grams) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons (22 grams) cocoa powder
1 tablespoon (7.5 grams) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 teaspoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons water
3/4 teaspoon (about 3.5 grams) salt
1/2 cup (112 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) chocolate chunks or chips (see notes)
12 Oreos, roughly chopped

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the instant coffee and water — you may need a little more water than called for to dissolve the coffee enough — and set aside as well.

In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg and coffee mixture and mix on medium speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a dough forms. Fold in the Oreos and the chocolate. Let the dough chill in the freezer for a half hour or the refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into balls and either freeze as described above, or bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are set. Let cool and enjoy.