Power Cookie

George Hirsch August 28, 2025

Why wait? Now is the time to make a big batch. I created this recipe for a Power Cookie with a healthy spin on the oatmeal cookie; see the apple sauce and no oil—a definite crowd favorite since I have baked this cookie in the thousands. But you'll have to see for yourself and share with the kids. The true secret is in the quality of the rolled oats. Now, who doesn't like a fresh-baked oatmeal cookie?

George's Power Oatmeal Cookies

George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook | Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies

From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series companion cookbook

6 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg whites

1 1/2 rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped

Preheat oven 350° F. Follow the Recipe Below

Mix the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Sift the flour with salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Fold in the oats, raisins, and nuts.

Make into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges begin to set.

TIP: Do not overbake! When removed from the oven, the cookies will carry the heat and continue to bake.

**Chef George shares low and slow brisket, pulled pork, ribs, + chicken with plenty of sides!**

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Apple Pot Pie as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

georgehirsch August 25, 2025

Make your day a little sweeter with my Apple Pot Pie

Apple Pot Pie

Makes 2 servings or 4 if sharing

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Ingredients

2 baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Gala

1 egg, beaten well for egg wash

1 sheet of puff pastry (store bought) cut into 2 pieces.

Butter, Brown Sugar, Graham Cracker or Cake Crumbs, Granola, Raisins, Brandy optional

Peel apples. Core apples 3/4 through, leaving the bottom intact.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the bottom of a small but deep heavy-duty casserole or cast-iron pan. I adapted a cast iron butter melting pot, the perfect size for an apple.

Add 1 teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs or cake crumbs.

Add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Place cored apples on top of the sugar and crumbs.

Repeat, add on top of the apple—1 tablespoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Top with 1 tablespoon of granola, raisins, 1 teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.

Repeat until flavorings are 3/4 up the side of the pie dish. Finish with a teaspoon of maple syrup added to the top of the apple.

Optional: 1 Tablespoon of brandy, or apple or orange juice.

Cut a sheet of puff pastry into a 6 x 6-inch square. Lightly drape over the apple pie dish, allowing it to lightly hang over the inside. Repeat on the second apple pot pie. Cut excess dough about 1/2 of an inch below the top of the pot pie.

With the tip of a paring knife, “dock” (poke holes) the top of the dough to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush pastry lightly with egg wash, do not puddle.

Refrigerate pot pies for 20 minutes. The pastry should be cold when placed into the oven.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes until done. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.

Serve warm with freshly whipped cream.

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Summer Corn Chowder

George Hirsch August 21, 2025

When the corn is fresh, it's time for chowder. Make magic with the goodness from the earth, simply with corn and potatoes.

One of my most often requested soup recipes, especially during summer when the farms are abundant with fresh, candy-like corn and our famous Long Island East End Yukon Potatoes.

It is known that eastern Long Island has some of the best soil for farming in the world. Off the record, I have had some farmers tell me - that farmers in other regions are envious of the rich, well-drained earth here on the East End. Adding the pancetta and chicken adds flavor and protein for a hearty meal, or omit it for a lighter, warm-weather soup.

Summer Corn Chowder

Makes four to six servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Optional: 4 Tablespoons pancetta or bacon, chopped

3/4 cup chopped sweet onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Optional: 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped carrot, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery, chopped

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups corn (about 4 ears), fresh cut from the cob, or leftover grilled corn

1 cup Yukon potatoes, well-scrubbed skin left on, chopped 1/4 inch pieces

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

pinch of sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or one sprig fresh thyme

Preheat a soup pot to medium temperature. Add olive oil and pancetta, and cook until light brown. Add onion, garlic, and chicken and cook until lightly colored.

Add carrot and celery, and cook for three to four minutes. Add flour, cook for two minutes, and slowly add chicken broth. Bring soup to a boil, and add corn, potatoes, thyme, hot sauce, and bay leaf. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat half-and-half, add sea salt and pepper to the soup, and top with fresh chopped parsley or fresh thyme.

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Official American Cookie

George Hirsch August 16, 2025

According to MIT, America's most famous cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield by accident. Ruth, a dietitian and food lecturer, and her husband Kenneth bought a tourist lodge named the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, where she prepared home-cooked meals for her guests.

In 1930, using butter cookie dough, Wakefield was mixing a batch of cookies for her inn guests and was out of baker's chocolate. She substituted broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate that were given to her personally by Andrew Nestle. She had expected the chocolate to melt and absorb into the dough to create chocolate cookies. But as you can imagine, Ruth left her with a butter cookie with bits of chocolate. She called her new treat "Toll House Crunch Cookies."

The 'chocolate chip cookies were an instant hit with her customers, and word of their popularity returned to Andrew Nestle. Nestle then went on to buy the rights to the Toll House name and to Ruth Wakefield's 'chocolate chip cookie’. For her name and recipe, Wakefield's compensation would be a lifetime supply of Nestle chocolate. I guess that's not so bad if you are a chocoholic.

Nestle printed the Toll House Cookie recipe on its package of bar chocolate that was scored for easy breaking. By 1939, Nestle began selling small chocolate morsels (aka - chips) in yellow bags. Of course, you know by now that the chocolate chip cookie has become the most popular cookie in America!

Hampton Baking Co Chocolate Chip Origional copy.jpeg

Here's my recipe + rendition of America's cookie. My cookie is a bit chewier and less cakey than the Tollhouse recipe. It also bakes a darker shade due to the dark brown sugar. After a hearty bowl of Leek and Onion Soup, share with friends and enjoy with a tall glass of ice-cold milk or my Stout Coffee Ice Cream Float.

from George Hirsch Lifestyle Stout Coffee Ice Cream Float + Chocolate Chip Cookies — from *George Hirsch Lifestyle* Stout Coffee Ice Cream Float + Chocolate Chip Cookies

George's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 40 cookies

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) lightly sweet butter at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped, or mini chips

Optional: 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Whisk the flour, soda, and salt together in a bowl. Cream the butter at low speed in another large bowl to lighten it a bit, then mix in the sugars and cream for two minutes. Add the water, vanilla, and eggs to the butter mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Using two soup spoons, drop the cookies 2" apart onto two parchment-lined, nonstick, or greased cookie sheets. Bake for eight to nine minutes, rotating the sheets after four minutes.

Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

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Gazpacho as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

George Hirsch August 14, 2025

This time of year is perfect to dream about those farm-fresh veggies. But don’t just dream, enjoy one of my favorite refreshing soups anytime!

I also call Gazpacho "liquid salad" — for obvious reasons. Its origin and roots go back to ancient times in Andalusia, Spain, with a version of the recipe believed to be concocted as a re-energizing dish for Roman workers building roads in the early 2nd century Spain. Traditionally, gazpacho recipes include stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of vinegar.

Gazpacho aka Liquid Salad

Makes four servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | from George Hirsch Lifestyle TV

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped very fine

4 cups low sodium tomato juice + Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup each sweet red + yellow pepper, chopped very fine

1/4 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded, chopped very fine

1 Tablespoon cilantro + 1/4 each teaspoon hot sauce, cumin, sea salt + fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup stale bread, toasted and chopped fine

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Optional: 1 fresh gherkin cut into four wedges and a sprig of dill to garnish. Or, marinate very fresh scallops or shrimp in tequila & hot sauce--top mugs of ceviche style.

*In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and chill for two hours before serving.

My recipe will give your knife skills a workout. Feel free to use a blender. Keep in mind that the manual chopping of the vegetables will preserve the flavor.

*Tip: Be aware, using a food processor or blender cooks the veggies with friction, in turn, changing the natural, uncooked flavor, which is the true essence of this dish. There are many versions of gazpacho, but I prefer this one without any meat broth, keeping it true to its veggie roots, and finishing it off with a drizzle of good olive oil.

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