What kid doesn’t love sprinkles, especially when they’re inside of a deliciously chewy, fluffy, vanilla-y cookie?

I like to bake. And cook. Obviously. But I also love to take cooking and baking classes. I do so whenever I can. And, my husband, being the amazing gift-giver that he is, (no joke, I’m not just saying that, he really is very clever and thoughtful) gets gifts of cooking/baking classes often for me. Most recently I got to take a baking class at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in lower Manhattan. The class was called the Cookie Jar. Perfect for me! It was amazing – we baked about 10 different types of cookies over the course of 3 hours and then we got to feast on said cookies. It was well worth the trek into the city! Plus, I walked away with some new knowledge and recipes which I love. One of those recipes was this one, which I’ve modified to be even better and more vanilla-y and fluffy than the ones we baked in class.

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Making These Cookies

Part of what I modified was adding in delicious vanilla – I am a huge fan, to say the least. I buy the biggest vat of vanilla I can find (and afford) from Amazon and it typically lasts me anywhere from 3-6 months, depending on the season. I have also made my own and will put that recipe up on the blog soon. The only problem with making your own is that you can’t use it right away (sad face…); you have to wait several months before the alcohol absorbs all the delicious notes of the vanilla beans… Luckily, I have my huge bottle of vanilla on hand to make these cookies.

Tips for Making This Recipe

One additional very important modification that I made to the ICE recipe was the baking temp and method. I feel very fortunate to have moved into a house exactly 6 years ago today (happy house-iversary to us!) that came with a gorgeous, brand-new, barely used kitchen. Amazing! And, one of the key reasons I fell in love with this house when we were house hunting. The oven, while not nearly big enough, is high-end and has a convection setting that I’ve learned to use and use often. I had never had this on an oven before and I must say, it’s pretty awesome. I’ve started baking my cookies with convection and the result has been really great – even baking and browning, quicker baking times, and just the right crispiness on the outside and chewiness on the inside. I found for this recipe, the convection setting worked like a dream! Now, if you don’t have convection, fear not – you can totally still bake amazingly delicious and fluffy cookies. But, if you have convection, I say use it and use it often.

Just look at how nicely these baked up! Tall, fluffy, golden brown, crackling sugar-coated top… Yum!

If you’re looking for more awesome, easy cookie recipes, try my take-you-straight-back-to-your-childhood-days Fruity Pebble Cookies with White Chocolate Chips or my White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies that will immediately satisfy your chocolate craving or my raisin-less Oatmeal Cookies!