If simply the idea of eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough makes you happy, our Top Pick Of The Week is for you.

If actually eating it is ecstasy, prepare to experience Sweet Loren’s Cookie Dough.

Sweet Loren’s is an allergen-free cookie dough brand dedicated to clean ingredients and great flavor, in four of the most popular cookie flavors:

 
You can bake the cookies, or safely eat the raw dough. We’ve done both, but our mood often leads us to a ball of raw dough.

Whether or not you have any food allergies, the cookie dough (and the cookies baked with it) are delicious.
 
 
WHAT ARE CLEAN INGREDIENTS?

While there is no single industry or government definition (though we hope one will arise), “clean” ingredients typically means:

 
For Sweet Loren’s, the latter means that the dough is dairy free, gluten free, Non-GMO, nut free and vegan (and also corn free and soy free).

After beating cancer in her early twenties, Sweet Loren’s founder and CEO Loren Brill made it her mission to eliminate processed foods from her diet. Unable to find great tasting cookies made from clean ingredients, she developed her own.

She’s done a great job!
 
 
HOW TO ENJOY SWEET LOREN’S COOKIE DOUGH

Need a cookie fix in a hurry? Take a pre-cut round of dough (photo #2) from the freezer and microwave it for 1:15 minutes. Let the cookie harden for five minutes—or eat it warm and gooey.

If you microwave the dough for just 30 seconds and you have a delicious molten lump. In 45 seconds, a lava cake-like bite emerges.

You can bake the cookies in a conventional or convection oven, in a toaster oven, even in an air fryer and a solar oven.

Our favorite way is to snack on the raw cookie dough, or to have a mixed grill of baked, molten and raw cookies with a tall glass of milk.
 
 
RECIPES GALORE

Use the dough to create cookie dough bars, brookies, cake pops, crusts for pies and tarts, ice cream sandwiches, skillet cookies, as and specialty recipes like these:

 
You can color the Sugar Cookie dough in rainbow hues, green for St. Patrick’s Day, or the colors of your favorite team.

You can turn roll any of the doughs into cookie cutter shapes: ghosts for Halloween, hearts for Valentine’s Day, etc.

And when winter rolls around, we can’t wait to make these Melted Snowman Cookies.

In fact, the website has 32 pages of recipes, including many holiday and seasonal variations.
 
 
EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH CUPS

Sweet Loren’s turned their cookie doughs into cookie dough cups: like a cup of ice cream, it’s raw cookie dough made softer, to be eaten with a spoon.

The flavors:

 
While many fans will want to dig in, we actually prefer the raw cookies themselves. They cookie rounds have a texture we find more appealing.
 
 
GET YOUR SWEET LOREN’S COOKIE DOUGH

Look for Sweet Loren’s in the refrigerated dough section of your local market.

Or, buy them on the Sweet Loren’s website.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COOKIES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES: A GLOSSARY

[1] America’s favorite cookie, chocolate chunk, allergen free (all photos © Sweet Loren’s).

[2] From package to pan: Bake the cookies on a conventional cookie sheet, or make cookie balls in a mini muffin pan.

[3] In minutes, Fudgy Brownie dough is transformed into a plate of cookies.

[4] Another use for your air fryer: Bake cookies!

[5] There are scores of recipes for treats like these ice cream truffles, wrapped in cookie dough and dipped in chocolate.

[6] Molding the dough into a cup for milk or liqueur, an homage to Dominique Ansel’s cookie shots.

[7] Want to eat your cookie dough from a cup? There are three flavors of this softer version of the dough.

Last week we suggested Hatch chile peppers, with a limited season of August and September. Now, raise your hand if you want a slice of Hatch Chile Pepper & Pepperoni Pizza (photos #1 and #2).

Don’t worry if you can’t find fresh Hatch chile peppers: You can substitute Anaheim, Cubanelle or poblano chiles. A fresh chile pizza is delicious no matter which chile you use.

Comparing their heat on the Scoville Scale, the Scovile Heat Units (SHUs) are:

 
This recipe is from Melissa’s Produce, which sells fresh and dried Hatch chiles, as well as If you can’t find the Hatch chile powder used in the recipe, look for poblano chile powder. You could use red chile powder or paprika. The flavors are different, but they won’t alter your enjoyment of of the pizza.

This pizza complements the chiles with circles of pepperoni. If you don’t want pepperoni on your pizza, there are plant-based pepperoni using substitutes including seitan. Or, go veggie with mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers or halved cherry tomatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: HATCH CHILE PEPPER & PEPPERONI PIZZA

Prep time is 30 minutes (including making the crust), cook time is 30 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Pizza Dough

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pizza dough (skip to the next step if using a prepared crust). In a standing mixer, add 1 cup of the flour and the next 6 ingredients (yeast, sugar, garlic, oregano, olive oil, water) and mix.

Add the salt and more flour, as needed, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Flatten with a rolling pin into a circle.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Place a pizza stone in the oven while It preheats.

3. SPREAD the marinara over the pizza dough. Sprinkle the Hatch chile and the rest of the ingredients over the pizza and place into the oven.

4. BAKE until the pizza is slightly charred all over, rotating it every few minutes so it cooks evenly. Cut and served. Makes about 4-6 servings.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILE PEPPERS
 
 
________________
 
 
*Green Hatch chile powder, unlike the red, is made from Hatch chiles that are picked and dried when green. It is made in both mild and hot varieties. The powder tastes zesty and fresh, and can be used just as you use pepper. You can also sprinkle it on cut fruits and vegetables (jicama, mango, papaya, watermelon) and snacks (crackers, nuts, popcorn). Try it as a rim for a Bloody Mary.

[1] This delicious Hatch chile pizza is equally yummy made with other chile peppers, like Anaheim, Cubanelle and poblano (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Melissa’s Produce).

[2] Close up on a slice.

[3] Melissa’s Hatch Chile Powder is made in both mild and hot varieties.

[4] If you don’t want pepperoni, substitute a topping of choice, including other veggies such as onions, mushrooms or red bell peppers (photo © DeLaurenti | Seattle).

[5] Shredded mozzarella cheese (photo © Kiboka | Panther Media).

[1] Fluffy blueberry ricotta pancakes for brunch (photo © California Wine Institute).

[2] It’s blueberry season now, but in other months you can use frozen blueberries (photo © Elena Mozhvilo | Unsplash).

[3] Did you know that you can make ricotta cheese at home? Here’s the recipe (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Maple syrup adds more depth of flavor to the blueberry sauce than granulated sugar (photo © Nadine Primeau | Unsplash).

[5] For a savory pancake dish, how about these BLT & Quark Pancakes with Chipotle Bourbon Dressing? Here’s the recipe (photo © Tiegen Gerard | Half Baked Harvest).

Pancakes are at the top of the list of favorite brunch foods. They can be as simple to make as combining a box mix with milk or water.

But for foodies who’d like a bit more, there are more complex pancake recipes like the one below, served with homemade blueberry sauce instead of maple syrup (you can make the blueberry sauce the night before and reheat it when you’re ready to serve).

Adding ricotta to the batter is a magical touch: The pancakes don’t taste like ricotta cheese, but rather, the ricotta adds a rich and creamy taste.

As opposed to buttermilk pancakes, ricotta pancakes are taller and more custard-like on the inside. Beaten egg whites make these pancakes extra fluffy, almost soufflé-like. Treat yourself to a yummy brunch.

There are links to more pancake recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: FLUFFY BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES

This recipe makes about 12 three-to-four-inch pancakes, but you can make them any size you choose. When blueberries are out of season, you can use frozen blueberries.

Tip: Mix the batter lightly. Over-beating the batter, can make the pancakes tough and rubbery.
 
Ingredients For The Blueberry sauce

 
For The Pancakes

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the blueberry sauce: Set aside ½ cup of the blueberries. Put the remaining berries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup and ¼ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

2. COOK, stirring occasionally, until the berries completely collapse, about 10 minutes. The mixture will still be thin. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved ½ cup berries. Let cool to room temperature; the sauce will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate for up to one week. Rewarm gently to serve.

3. PREPARE the pancakes: Preheat a griddle or large skillet to medium-low. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla until pale and thick. Whisk in the milk, then the ricotta, whisking until smooth. Add the flour, whisking just until blended.

4. BEAT the egg whites in another bowl, by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Gently fold them into the batter.

5. LIGHTLY BRUSH the griddle with melted butter in the spots where you intend to make pancakes. Spoon the batter onto the griddle in desired amounts; ¼ cup batter will make about a 4-inch pancake. Dot the top with blueberries. Cook until nicely browned on the bottom, then turn with an offset spatula and cook on the second side until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side.

6. TRANSFER the pancakes to serving plates as they are done. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and spoon warm blueberry sauce over and around them. Serve immediately, with butter if desired.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PANCAKES & WAFFLES
 
> THE HISTORY OF PANCAKES

 
MORE PANCAKE RECIPES

Sweet Pancakes

 
Savory Pancakes

 
Seasonal Pancake Recipes

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