Photo from Flickr.com (the woman, mr.outdoorguy, http://desertculinary.blogspot.com)
A COOKIE started out long ago, not as a treat, not as a comfort food, but as an oven regulator but look at what we have here now. The "little cakes" have come a long way indeed... these small, sweet, thin cakes or biscuits have become the most popular treats for everyone, from all ages, from household to household, all over the planet.In a little while, I shall be treating you to the comforts of Cookies Galore! Sit back and enjoy....
Photo from http://lucyzhang.vox.com/library/posts/tags/dessert/
MY FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIES (NO ROLL)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
3. Shape into balls. Place 3" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Faltten balls with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
4. Bake until golden brown.
Note: You can play with this recipe by adding your favorites like chocolate and nuts.
LUCY'S FAVORITE CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES
[Adapted from Robbie's recipe, http://lucyzhang.vox.com/library/posts/tags/dessert/]
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt (use 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions:
1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, cream softened butter with sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time and stir until incorporated. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture into the batter, stirring until well-mixed. Don't be afraid to stir it a lot. (Stirring the dough well will develop the gluten in the flour, which is important for chewy cookies!) When everything is incorporated, the dough will be heavy and slightly sticky. Cover it up and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough is done chilling, scoop out balls of dough about the diameter of a quarter, and place them on foil-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart from one another.
5. Grease the bottom of a flat glass and gently flatten the dough balls until they are small discs about 1/3 inch thick. This will help your cookies spread evenly instead of mounding in the middle.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are just very slightly starting to become a golden-brown. Immediately remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet to finish baking for another 2 minutes. While cookies are still warm, remove from foil using a spatula and finish cooling on a cooling rack. They will be perfectly chewy starting from the moment they are cool enough to eat, until they are all gone :)
Makes 5-6 dozen 2" cookies.
SOFT AND CHEWY LEMON SUGAR COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/3520287642/]
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract (depending on how lemony you want them to be!)
1 tablespoon dried lemon peel (I used fresh)
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon peel.
5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
These are just a hint of lemon as is; I add extra lemon and also LorAnn lemon oil (about 2-3 drops) as I like a punch of lemon in mine! They are very good as is! Enjoy!
DROP SUGAR COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/ameliaps/143166705/]
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Cream together the butter or margarine, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Add vanilla and stir.
3. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Makes about 3 dozenS.
THE PERFECT SUGAR COOKIE
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mojeecat/3001538124/]
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda & baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla.
5. Blend in dry ingredients, slowly.
6. Roll rounded teaspoons full of dough into balls. Dip in sugar & place on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
For best results:
Make sure butter is soft or it will not mix well
OLD FASHIONED SOFT SUGAR COOKIES
[http://www.national-cookie-network.com/old-fashioned-soft-sugar-cookies/]
This was a recipe that my grandmother got when she first came here to America during the second world war. The name says it all!
The recipe is on a faded piece of paper, typed in purple ink. It almost looks like it was copied on one of those really old copy machines they used to have in public schools years and years ago (remember when we called them “ditto’s“?).
It reminds me of the homework I used to bring home every day. Thankfully, the cookies are much more fun than the homework!
Here’s the recipe!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sour cream
cinnamon-sugar mix for topping
Directions:
1. Cream butter to consistency of mayonnaise; add sugar gradually while continuing to cream.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Mix and sift flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients.
4. For 3′ cookies, drop by heap teaspoons on well greased cookie sheet. Leave 4″ space between each cookie. With spaturla, flatten into circles about 2″ in diameter. For super-size 5″ cookies use 1/4 cup measure of batter for each cookie. Flatten into circles about 4″ in diabmeter. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar or frost with your favorite frotsting.
5. Bake in hot oven – 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.
Makes about 30 3″ or 18 5″ cookies.
MARTHA STEWART'S OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES
[http://www.rachelleb.com/2009/00/06/page/2/]
These big cookies have two coats of sanding sugar, which creates a delicate crust that sparkles. The crunchy coating gives way to a soft cookie with bright, lemony flavor in each bite.
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
3. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
4. Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
5. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.
MINI BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE
[Adapted from Epicurious, http://lucyzhang.vox.com/library/posts/tags/dessert/]
Ingredients:
Cookie base:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup buttermilk (substitute with 1/3 cup milk + 1/3 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice, mixed and left alone for 5 min.)
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
Icings
2 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
4-6 tbsp water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
colored sugar for decorating as desired
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350deg F. Grease baking sheet or line with foil.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) in a bowl. Separately, mix together buttermilk and vanilla.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on med-high until pale and fluffy (~3 mins). Add egg and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until smooth.
4. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake until tops are puffy and edges are a pale golden (cookies should spring back when touched, see picture below, in the back). About 6-8 minutes total. Transfer to cooling rack with the flat sides up, the bottoms will be a golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, make the icings. Start with the vanilla icing: stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl until smooth. Add more water (1/2 tsp at a time) as needed until icing becomes a spreadable consistency.
6. (This departs from the original recipe, but trust me from experience, it makes sense). Transfer 1/3 of the vanilla icing to a second bowl, and stir in cocoa powder. Add more water, 1/2 tsp at a time, to reach the same consistency as the vanilla icing. Cover surfaces of icing with saran wrap if not using right away.
7. When cookies are cool, use a butter knife or small spatula to spread vanilla frosting on one half of all the cookies, on the flat side (that's right, the rounded dome side is the bottom of the cookie!). If you frost the rounded side by accident the frosting will just slide off. Sprinkle on colored sugar as desired. Set on wire rack to harden a bit.
8. Finally, frost the other halves of each cookie with chocolate icing and let set completely. Happy munching!
Makes about 50.
ESPRESSO THUMBPRINT COOKIES
[Recipe from Rose(cookiemookie), http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4376158657/in/set-72157623876977888/]
Ingredients:
For the Cookies:
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1-¾ cups flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
Crushed peppermint candies (if desired)
For the Espresso Filling:
¼ cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (if desired)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt until dough forms.
2. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart. Press thumb or end of wooden spoon into center of each cookie, but do not press all the way to the cookie sheet.
3. Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm. If necessary, quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, mix whipping cream and instant coffee. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming and coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted. Stir in liqueur. Cool about 10 minutes or until thickened.
5. Spoon rounded ½ teaspoon espresso filling into indentation in each cookie. Top with decors or crushed peppermint candies.
Note: This recipe is also good with peanutbutter mixed into the filling or Cherry syrup,lots of different ways to change it up or also just the ganache chocolate filling!
FROSTED COCOA COOKIES
[http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Frosted-Cocoa-Cookies]
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
FROSTING:
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Roll into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 13-16 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.
3. For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, cocoa and extract. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cookies. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES COOKIES
[Kevin Barr, http://allrecipes.com/RECIPE-TOOLS/PRINT/RECIPE.ASPX?RECIPEID=25808&SERVINGS=36]
Ingredients:
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and the chocolate mixture until well mixed. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll chilled dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets so they are 2 inches apart.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
SUE LAWRENCE'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsmagic/1117398599/]
Ingredients:
175g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
70g light muscovado sugar
50g golden caster sugar
125ml sunflower oil
1 medium free range egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
150g chocolate chips or chunks (I used half white, half milk)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4 and lightly butter two baking sheets. Then, sift the flour, bicarbonate of sugar and salt into a bowl. Beat together the sugars and oil until smooth using electric beaters, a food mixer or by hand, then add the egg and vanilla. Gradually tip the flour mixture into the oil mixture, and fold in gently before stirring in the chocolate chips. Be mindful not to overcook, else you chance them emerging all crunch and no chew.
2. Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls (or dessertspoonfuls) of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until pale golden yet still slightly soft in the centre. Be warned however – upon emerging from the oven, these particular cookies may not be as crisp or golden in appearance as one might hope but will achieve full glory upon cooling. Leave your cookies on their baking sheets to firm up for a couple of minutes once done (if you are too hasty, they’ll be too fragile to lift) then tenderly transfer to a wire rack to cool.
GIANT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE
[Adapted from Martha Stewart, http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/giant-chocolate-chip-cookie-cake.html]
Ingredients:
For the cookie dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
For the frosting:
40 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
To make the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar - mix until combined. This will most likely look dry and not creamy as you would expect. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the cream. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. You need to make 5 cookie layers for this cake. Drop about 1 cup worth of batter on a piece of parchment paper - use an off-set spatula to spread the mixture into an evenly round 8" circle. Bake one at a time and keep the rest of the cookie dough in the refrigerator until you make the next round.
5. Bake until the edges are a rich golden brown and the center looks lightly golden on top, about 18 to 24 minutes, turning around halfway through. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough until you have 5 rounds.
Makes 20 – 24 small or 10 – 12 large.
To make the frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Spread mixture onto 4 of the giant cookies. Stack the cookies on top of each other and place the final unfrosted piece on top. Cover and place in the refrigerator to set the cream cheese, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Note: For The World Through My Eyes Holiday Baking theme. This is my recipe for the best ever chocolate chip cookies. These are not just any ordinary chocolate chip cookies; these are the kind that can bring instant happiness to all who try them! Trust me!
ERIN'S FAMOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/erinshappylittleworld/332305519/]
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of light brown sugar
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBLS vanilla extract
3 cups of flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter with sugars.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add (in small increments) the sifted flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (it makes clean-up so much easier!). Form 2 tbls worth of dough into a ball and gently flatten into a patty (a cookie scoop works great for this). Place patties about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until top of cookies are dry but very light in color.
DARK CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES
[Adapted from RealSimple, http://melissamckelvey.com/?p=180]
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup white chocolate chips
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease large cookie sheet. Whisk first flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder together in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Mix in oats with spatula until evenly distributed (dough will be very firm). Add chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and knead gently to blend.
3. Using moistened palms (or a cookie scoop like I used), shape 1 generous tablespoon dough into ball. Place on prepared sheet; flatten to 2-inch round. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing rounds about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake cookies until center is slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 minutes. Cool on sheet.
Note: The recipe comes from this month's issue of Real Simple, and I tweaked just a couple of things (added a little more vanilla and substituted all-purpose flour with bread flour to make them a little more chewy). Below is my version, but the original can be found here. http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/
PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES
[http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/]
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 bag (about 12 oz) mini peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. For the next step you can either use an electric mixer or work by hand (I did the latter and they came out fine). Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in peanut butter cups.
5. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are light brown. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/mugwump/2618576862/]
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cookie dough:
3.5oz vegan spread (or butter)
3oz sugar
pinch of salt
2oz self rising flour
4oz of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
Peanut butter dough:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 a cup of flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to about 180C/350F.
2. For the chocolate dough. Cream spread (or butter) and sugar together and then knead in the rest of the ingredients to form a nice ball of dough. Add the flour is small amounts until the right texture is achieved, as in you can roll wee peanut butter balls. Set aside.
3. For the peanut butter dough. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Take a chunk of the chocolate dough and roll a ball in your hands, then flatten out to make a small cup shape. Put a peanut butter ball in the middle and curl the chocolate around until peanut butter is completely hidden. Flatten out and add to a pan. They take about 12 minutes to cook in a fan assisted oven.
Note: These came out really nice and a bit cakey. Crumbly and not too sweet. Absolutely brilliant with a cup of hot coffee or glass of milk. This recipe made a dozen and I had extra peanut butter so I'll freeze it for another recipe.
MONICA'S ORANGE-YOU-GLAD YOULIKE MILK CHOCOLATE COOKIES
[http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/]
Ingredients:
225g or 1 cup room temperature butter
200g or 7/8 cup granulated sugar
120g or 2/3 cup brown sugar
2tbsp orange zest
2tsp vanilla extract
1tsp salt
2 eggs
2tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1tsp baking soda
300g or 3 cups all purpose flour
170g or about 1 and 1/2 cups chopped pecans (toasted)
400g or 13 to 16 ounces chopped milk chocolate
Directions:
1. Toast pecans lightly while measuring the other ingredients.
2. Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until combined and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Incorporate orange zest, vanilla extract and salt. Scrape again.
4. Add eggs one at a time, scraping after each incorporation.
5. Add Grand Marnier.
6. Sift flour and baking soda. Fold in to the mix.
7. Add cooled pecans and chocolate.
8. Bake at 350F in a conventional oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have browned lightly around the edges.
PEANUT BUTTER-TOFFEE CHEESECAKE BROWNIES
[Pillsbury Recipe, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4596414352/]
Ingredients:
1 box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
1/2 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup water
2 EGGLAND’S BEST eggs
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 bag (8 oz) Heath® milk chocolate toffee bits
1 cup Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips
3 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13x9-inch pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and eggs 50 strokes with spoon. Spread batter in pan; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add milk and peanut butter; beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spoon mixture over batter; spread evenly.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are light golden brown. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate 40 minutes.
5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and cream uncovered on High 40 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake layer. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For brownies, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE-PEANUT BUTTER BARS
[Betty Crocker recipe, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4497661485/]
Ingredients:
Cookie Base and Topping:
1 pouch peanut butter cookie mix
3 Tbs veg oil
1 Tbs water
1 egg
Filling:
1-1/4 cups semi sweet choc chips
¼ cup butter/marg
1 -8 oz package cream cheese softened
2/3 cup Peanut butter
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ cup whipping cream
directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom only of 13x9 pan.
2. In large bowl stir cookie base and topping ingredients till soft dough forms. Shape 6- 1 inch balls out of dough.
3. On ungreased cookie sheet place dough balls 2 inches apart flatten in crisscross pattern with fork.
4. Place remaining dough into pan. Bake cookies and base 10-12 minutes till edges are lightly browned. Cool 10 mins.
5. In small microwave bowl heat choc chips and butter/marg uncovered on high 1 min to - 1min 30 sec. stirring every 30 seconds till mix is stirred smooth. Spread evenly over bars. Refrigerate 30 minutes or till firm.
6. In med bowl beat cream cheese, peanut butter, powered sugar and whipping cream on low speed till blended… beat on high for 2 minutes till light and fluffy.
7. Spread over chocolate layer.
8. Crush reserved cookies, sprinkle over cream cheese layer and press in lightly.
Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
9. Cut into bars and store covered in refrigerator
CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE BARS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4639562969/]
Ingredients:
½ cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 pound 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (needs 2 pouches)
1 egg
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of a 9x13 pan.
2. In large bowl cut butter into cookie mix using fork or pastry blender.
3. Stir in 1 egg until mixture is crumbly. Gently spoon 3 cups crumb mixture into pan, press into bottom of pan. Bake 15 mins.
4. In small bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla with mixer till smooth.
Pour over cookie crust.
5. Spoon remaining crumb mixture over cream cheese
6. Bake 25-30 minutes till light brown or firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes.
7. Refrigerate 2 hours cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.
Note: I think this needs two pouches of cookie mix. Then you have to also double the butter and egg for the crust/topping!It was delicious with one cookie pouch but very thin crust and little topping!
SUGAR COOKIE BARS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4577632117/]
Ingredients:
COOKIES:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter; at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar (sift after measuring)
5 Tbsp. milk
food coloring, if desired
Directions:
1. Prepare bars: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Mix in vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt & baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). The dough will be just like cookie dough- heavy & sticky- so it’s best to spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use them to help mold the dough into the pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
4. Prepare frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined, and then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Add a few drops of color, if desired. Spread over cooled cookie, and then cut into bars.
Yield: 32 bars
Tips: Refrigerate the bars until firm as it will be easier to get nice, clean cuts.
BUTTERFINGER BLONDIES
[Paula Deen Recipe, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4555694559/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
¾ cup butter melted
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
5 (2.1oz) Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
16 snack size bars plus 5 more for the topping
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Garnish - melted semisweet chocolate chips and Butterfinger candy bars
Directions:
1. Bake at 350F in a 9x13 sprayed pan
2. In large bowl combine melted butter and brown sugar stirring till combined.
Add eggs stirring till mixture is smooth.
3. In medium bowl combine flour and baking powder and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture stirring till combined. Stir in chopped candy bars, chocolate chips and vanilla.
4. Spoon batter into pan (if sticky cover with wax paper) and spread with hands.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till center is set.I baked for 24 minutes. Cool till just warm and add toppings of choice.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BARS
[Betty Crocker recipe, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4516073886/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
1 Box super moist devil’s food cake mix
¾ cup butter or marg softened
1 egg
2 cups quick cooking or old fashion oats
1 bag (14 oz) caramels unwrapped
¼ cup milk
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (if desired)
Or 1 cup variety of choc chips (if omitting nuts)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Generously grease bottom and sides of a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl beat cake mix butter and egg with mixer on low speed till well mixed. Stir in oats till crumbly. (May need to use hands.)Reserve 1-1/2 cups cake mixture. Press remaining mixture in pan.
3. In 2qt sauce pan heat caramels and milk over med-low heat stir frequently till melted.
4. Pour over chocolate layer in pan.
5. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and or nuts. Sprinkle reserved cake mixture over top.
6. Bake 22-28 mins or till caramel bubbles along edges and cake mixture on top appears crisp and dry.
7. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars.
8. Cool completely about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temp.
HONEY BEAR BROWNIES
[http://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/05/honeybear-brownies-with-nutella/#more-7542]
Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 scant teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fluffed up and scooped or spooned all purpose flour (2.25 oz)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup Nutella –optional
2 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate (not chips)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 inch metal pan with foil and grease foil or line with parchment.
2. Beat butter and sugar together in a small bowl using an electric mixer. Beat in the honey and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg. Beat in the salt.
3. Combine flour and cocoa. By hand (so as not to overbeat), stir the flour mixture into the batter.
4. Spread the batter in the pan going all the way to the edges. Bake on center rack for 25 minutes or until brownies test done.
5. Let cool completely in pan.
5. Carefully lift brownies from pan and trim ratty edges (make sure to taste test. It’s imperative!). Cut in half two make two 9x 4 inch slabs. Spread Nutella over one slab. Stack second slab on top. Set the brownies back in the pan and chill for about an hour – this makes slicing neater.
6. With a large knife, slice the brownie slab into 8 squares.
7. Set the squares on a cooling rack. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over but not touching a pan of barely simmering water. With a teaspoon, drizzle the chocolate over the brownie squares. Set the squares on a plate or back in the pan and chill until chocolate is set.
Makes 8 big ones, or you can cut them smaller.
BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4307435256/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1/3 C plus 2 Tbs veg oil
2 Tbs water
2 eggs
10 oz pk butterscotch chips divided
Nuts- optional
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients till blended. Saving out at least ¼ cup chips.
2. Spread batter (will be thick) into a greased 10x2 square pan.
3. Drop remaining chips and/or nuts on top.
4. Bake at 340F for around 25 mins do not over bake.
Note: This recipe can also be used with different flavor mixes and chips!
Good with Choc cake mix and choc chips!
CREAM CHEESE SWIRL BLONDIES
[http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cream-cheese-swirl-blondies]
Ingredients:
Makes 9 large or 16 small squares
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
2.Whisk together 1 2/3 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.
3.Put 9 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
4.Put cream cheese, granulated sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until just smooth.
5.Pour half the blondie batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Spoon two-thirds of cream-cheese mixture on top, and spread evenly. Drop dollops of remaining batter on top (spacing about 1 inch apart), and spread. Top with dollops of remaining cream-cheese mixture, about 1 inch apart.
6.Gently swirl cream cheese mixture into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 45 to 47 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Blondies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.
WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BARS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4163855988/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 ¼ cups white choc chips
1 jar (12oz) raspberry jam or preserves (can also use apricot, peach or strawberry preserves)
1tsp vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350F. In an ungreased 13x 9 pan.
2. Break up cookie dough. With floured fingers press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Sprinkle 1 cup of the white choc chips over dough. Press firmly into dough
4. Bake 16-20 mins or till light brown (don’t over bake). Spread jam over crust, bake 10 mins longer. Cool completely about 1 hr.
5. Melt remaining chips with oil and drizzle over bars.
6. Refrigerate till set about 20 mins. For bars cut in 6x6 rows. Serve room temp!
Note: These turn out pretty thin. You can either make extra crust or make in a smaller pan for thicker bars!
CARAMEL CHEESE CAKE BARS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/3765644241/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix (in a bag)
Filling:
32- oz Cream Cheese( 4 blocks) Room Temp.
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
½ cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
Directions:
1. Follow bag plus add 2 Tbs butter. Press dough into a greased/floured 9x13 pan.
2. Cream the cheese and sugar add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.
3. Then add the cream and vanilla mix well (don’t over mix). Spread onto the crust and bake (350) till set and a little shaky in the middle when you move the pan .It will set when cool (I baked for about 45 mins) let Cool.
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
To make the topping, mix everything on high heat until it bubbles. Lower the heat just a little and cook till its thick enough to not make a mess but still pourable. I cooked around 12-14 mins at a med/low boil stage.
PANDARO'S CHOCOLATE BROWNIE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/3660594425/in/set-72157617618339308/
Ingredients:
100g cocoa
200g butter, melted
400g or 2 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
90g flour
1 tsp baking powder
200g chocolate chips
Directions:
Sift cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix to a smooth paste. Sift in flour and baking powder, and then add chocolate chips. Pour mixture into a 20cm x 30 cm Swiss Roll pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees C for 65 minutes. Cool in pan.
APPLE CREAM CHEESE SQUARES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4325507328/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour the melted margarine over the entire pan. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden.
Note: I only used 1/4 c melted butter and added 1 can apple pie filling on top the cream cheese layer,I then baked around 5 mins longer.
CHEWY CHOCO-OAT BARS
[Betty Crocker, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4448314053/in/set-72157617618339308/
Ingredients:
Filling:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup (from 14-oz can) fat-free sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
Bars
1 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour ( I used reg all purpose)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened..
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8- or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, heat filling ingredients over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
3. In large bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup oats, the baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In medium bowl, stir egg, brown sugar, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth; stir into flour mixture until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup dough in small bowl for topping.
4. Pat remaining dough in pan (if dough is sticky, spray fingers with cooking spray or dust with flour). Spread filling over dough. Add 2 tablespoons oats and the butter to reserved dough. Mix with pastry blender or fork until well mixed. Place small pieces of mixture evenly over filling.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden and firm. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F. Bake 18 to 23 minutes.
CHEWY GOOEY FUDGE BROWNIES
[Cooks Illustrated, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4438191759/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1½ teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups (17½ ounces) sugar
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into ½-inch pieces
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.
4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.
Yield: 24 brownies
APPLE PIE BARS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4402672730/in/set-72157617618339308/]
Ingredients:
FOR THE BASE AND STREUSEL:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE APPLE FILLING:
3 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp All-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350; coat a 10 inch spring form pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray.
2. Combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar cinnamon, and salt for the base and streusel mixture in a bowl. Transfer 3/4 cup of the mixture to a second bowl; set aside for the streusel.
3. Cut 6 Tbsp cold butter and milk into the remaining dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingers. Mix until clumps form.
4. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan, using measuring cup to tamp down dough. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until set and golden at the edges.
6. Stir melted butter into the reserved streusel mixture until sandy; set aside.
7. Toss all ingredients for the filling together and arrange over hot base, pushing apples to edges of crust to completely cover crust.
8. Sprinkle apples with the streusel topping, and bake until apples are soft and streusel is golden, 30 - 40 minutes. Cool bars for at least 30 minutes before removing the side of the pan and cutting into wedges. Store bars at room temperature or chill. You can also bake in a 10 in fluted tart pan with removable bottom or a 9 in square pan.
Notes: *do not freeze *do not double
Makes about 16 wedges or squares.
PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH FROSTING
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4030452986/in/set-72157623876977888/]
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter or marg
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients all at once. Stir gently to form a smooth batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool. Spread with frosting if desired.
Frosting:
4 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Combine in a pan the butter, milk and brown sugar. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in confectioners sugar and vanilla. Spread on cooled cookies.
MOCHA-CHIP MERINGUES
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/3902161528/in/set-72157623876977888/
These are Amazing!!
Makes 48
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Beating constantly, add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes total (scrape down the bowl halfway through). Add espresso powder and cocoa; beat until well blended. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.
3. Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until crisp, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on sheets, about 20 minutes.
EARLY GREY TEA COOKIES
[Adapted from Vanlily's blog (Original recipe in Chinese),http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-tea-time.html]
Ingredients:
1 teabag Earl Grey tea (I used Twinings)
1tbsp Milk
70g Butter, at room temperature
30g Icing sugar
Pinch Salt
120g All purpose flour
1/4tsp Baking soda
Directions:
1. Put the milk into a small microwavable bowl and nuke it for around 10 seconds to warm it up. Cut open the tea bags, put the leaves into the milk. Cover and leave to infuse for around 30 minutes.
2. Beat butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy, beat in the tea-milk mixture.
3. Sift in the salt, flour and baking soda. Gently fold into the mixture with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30mins.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Gently flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough gently until around 5mm thick, use cookie cutters to cut our shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet, cookies and all into the freezer for around 5 minutes.
6. Bake for around 15-20minutes until pale golden. Remove and cool on a cooling rack, where they will crisp up.
Makes 16-20 small cookies.
MATCHA SHORTBREAD
[Shortbreads
From Lovescool, http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/08/matcha-shortbreads-7-things.html]
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (2.25 oz; 90g) Confectioners sugar
5 oz (142g) Unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 3/4 cup (8.5 oz; 219g) All-purpose flour (I used cake flour because I ran out of All purpose)
3 Large egg yolks
1.5 TBS Matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup (200g) Granulated sugar (for coating)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175 C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and green tea together in a bowl. Add the butter and green tea/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and light in color.
3. Add the flour and mix until well combined.
4. Add the egg yolks and mix just until the eggs are fully incorporated and a mass forms.
5. Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator until firm (about 30 minutes).
6. Roll the dough out to ½” (around 1cm) thickness.
7. Cut the dough with a leaf cookie cutter.
8. Toss each cut cookie in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat.
9. Place the sugar-coated cookie on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350F (175 C) for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.
STAINED GLASS COOKIES
[Adapted from Simply Recipes, http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-stained-glass-cookies.html]
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick. 114g) butter
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/4 cup (36g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup (Original recipe called for molasses - I don't have or know what it is, would anybody like to enlighten me?)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups (250g) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
30-40 hard candies, preferably in several flavors/colors (I used Fox fruit candies)
1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F (190C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.
3. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days.
4. Remove any wrappers on candies and separate them by color into plastic bags (Place a towel in between to avoid bag tearing). Using a mallet to crush candies (they don't need to be all powdered - slightly larger shards will still melt fine).
5. Place one disk onto a floured surface (Elise suggests rolling in between waxed paper, which is of course less messy -but I stick to rolling on a floured surface to save paper) and roll to 1/4-inch (0.5cm) thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes.
6. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut shapes into centers of cookies, reserving these center bits to add into extra dough. If cookies will be hung as ornaments or decorations, poke a small hole in the top of each cookie before baking
7. Bake for 4 minutes and remove from oven. Use a spoon to sprinkle the crushed candy into the hollowed-out centers of the cookies, using a toothpick to fill up to the edges. Carefully remove candy that has landed onto the cookie to avoid colouring of the dough.
8. Bake for 5-6 minutes more. The candy should be melted and bubbling and the cookies just barely beginning to brown. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool on pans at least 10 minutes; otherwise, the candy centers may separate from the dough. When cookies are completely cooled, remove and store in an airtight container. String with ribbon if you want to hang as an ornament.
Makes 20-40 cookies, depending on size.
LEMON CRANBERRY SHORTBREADS
[Adapted from dandysugar, http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/06/back-to-basics.html ]
Ingredients:
3 lemons
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) (170g) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cups (60g) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F (150 C). Line a baking tray with baking paper, set aside.
2. Grate all the zest from the lemons and combine with the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Rub the two together until sugar is moist and fragrant.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until creamy. Add flour and mix on low speed until a crumbly dough appears. Add the cranberries and use your hands to form a soft dough. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
4. Roll out the dough tp around 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thickness. Cut out shapes, transfer onto the lined tray and bake for 10-12 mintues until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before packing.
Photo from http://baltimore-etsy.blogspot.com/2009/04/ridiculously-simple-shortbread.html
BASIC SHORTBREAD
[Adapted from BBC Good Food, http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/06/back-to-basics.html]
Ingredients:
325g plain flour
200g chilled salted butter
125g/4½oz golden caster sugar
2 tsp good-quality vanilla extract
2 large free range egg yolks
Directions:
1.Tip the flour into a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop them into the bowl, then whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks and whizz to a small dough. Chill the dough for an hour.
Without the food processor:
Put the flour into a large bowl, and cut butter into 1cm cubes. Rub the butter into the flour until incorporated and the mix looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks and use your hands to press everything into a dough. If it is too dry, add a couple drops of water. Chill the dough for an hour (or shape into a log beforehand for slice/bake cookies).
2. Preheat oven to 180 C. Roll out the dough and cut out shapes or slice the dough, arrange on lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20minutes until golden brown.
Variations:
Chocolate: Replace 2tbsp of the flour with cocoa powder. Decorate cookies with chocolate chips if desired.
Lemon: Grate in the zest of one lemon into the sugar and rub until moist and fragrant before combining with everything else. Omit the vanilla.
Coffee: Add in 1-2 tsp espresso powder to the dough along with the sugar.
PINWHEEL SHORTBREAD COOKIES
[Adapted from BBC Good Food, http://mybutteryfingers.blogspot.com/2009/06/back-to-basics.html]
Ingredients:
Vanilla Dough:
160g plain flour
100g salted butter, cold, cut into 1cm cubes
50g sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1 large egg yolk
Chocolate Dough:
140g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
100g salted butter, cold, cut into 1cm cubes
50g sugar
1 large egg yolk
Directions:
1. Prepare the vanilla dough. Place flour and butter into mixing bowl, rub together until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and the butter is completely worked into the flour. Add vanilla and egg yolk, mix together gently until a ball of dough forms. If it is too dry, sprinkle in a few drops of water. Alternatively, place all the butter and flour food processor and pulse together until butter disappears, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until a dough forms. Wrap dough with cling film and chill whilst you prepare the chocolate dough.
2. Prepare the chocolate dough as above, adding the cocoa in with the flour.
3. Unwrap the vanilla dough and place into a large Ziploc bag. Roll out into a square with uniform thickness. Repeat with the chocolate dough.
4. Place the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla dough and roll up tightly, Swiss-roll style, but gently so you don't deform the log. Chill for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
6. Remove dough from the fridge. Slice into generous 5mm (1/4 inch) slices and place them slightly apart on baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until the biscuits are just turning pale golden around the edges, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. The biscuits will keep fresh for up to one week stored in an airtight tin.
Photo from http://rwglobal.com/~healthykitchens/weblog.html?blog_id=78&post_id=611&view=post
GRANOLA
[Adapted from Epicurious, http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/]
Ingredients:
3/4 cups pecans (or any other preferred nut)
1/2 cup natural almonds (or any other preferred nut)
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup to 1 cup golden flax seeds or sesame seeds (optional)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup, cane syrup or honey, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup chopped dates (optional)
1/2 cup dried blueberries or raisins
Note: Feel free to add, subtract, or substitute any of the above additives - the nuts, dates, or dried fruit. I would stick to everything else, although you could probably use agave in place of syrup or honey, and this recipe would work just fine with Earth Balance.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large shallow baking sheet with foil. Spread the pecans and almonds on the sheet and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer the nuts to a board, let cool then chop. Set aside.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Pour the oats and seeds (if using) in a mound on the same baking sheet. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in syrup/honey/agave and salt and drizzle on top of the oats. Stir well with a rubber spatula and then spread out the oats in an even layer.
3. Bake the oats for 30 minutes, stirring once with the spatula halfway through, until the oats are lightly colored. Let cool; the mixture will crisp as it cools. Add your fixins (dates, nuts, etc.) and toss. The original recipe, adapted from Epicurious, said something about yielding 7 cups of granola, but I think it lies. Either way you get a good amount of the stuff at half the price you would pay in the store. Store at room temp in bags or jars for approximately one month.
CHOCOLATE TOFFE CHEWIES
[http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/]
Ingredients:
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (or Earth Balance), melted
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk (or egg substitute like NRG)
3/4 cup mini or regular size semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini)
3/4 cup chopped toffee pieces (I used Heath)
Directions:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, salt, & baking soda, set aside.
2. Combine melted butter with sugars and mix until combined, either by hand or with a hand or stand mixer. Fold in egg, yolk (or "eggs"), and vanilla. Add flour in increments and beat/stir until all flour is absorbed by the liquid mixture. At this point, if your dough is on the sticky side, add a little flour until it reaches the consistency of normal cookie dough. Stir in chocolate and toffee until well incorporated throughout.
3. Chill batter from 2 to 36 hours (or until thoroughly chilled). I kept my dough in the fridge for 24.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. With a small spoon, scoop out dough and roll into tight balls about the size of a tablespoon, and approximately one inch in diameter (like in the picture above). Keep dough balls (i feel weird just typing that) about 2-3 inches apart on sheet. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. For an overall crispier cookie, you can bake up to 15 minutes. Let cool completely before transferring to paper towel-lined racks. The dough bakes better if you keep it refrigerated in between baking batches.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
[http://www.creamandsugarkitchen.com/cream-sugar/cookies/]
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 bag (about 12 oz) mini peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. For the next step you can either use an electric mixer or work by hand (I did the latter and they came out fine). Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in peanut butter cups.
3. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are light brown. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
CHOCOLATE CRINKLES (BLACK AND WHITES)
These cookies are known as Chocolate Crinkles or Black and Whites which are perfect names for this deliciously soft, fudge-like chocolate cookie that is encased in a coating of confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar. Best served warm from the oven.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
8 ounces (225 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
1 cup (110 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
Directions:
1. In a stainless steel bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls, at least 1 hour (preferably several hours or even overnight).
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
5. Place the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly greased hands, roll a small amount of chilled dough to form a 1 inch (2.54 cm) diameter ball. Place the ball of dough into the confectioners sugar and roll the ball in the sugar until it is completely coated and no chocolate shows through. Gently lift the sugar-covered ball, tapping off excess sugar, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue forming cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on baking sheets. (If you find the dough getting too soft for rolling into balls, return to the refrigerator and let chill until firm.)
6. Bake cookies for 10 to 15 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers are still soft. (For moist chewy cookies do not over bake.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
SMALL BATCH BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
[http://www.cookiemadness.net/]
Ingredients:
1 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk, chilled
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir very well. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs.Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
3. Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter (or rim of a glass — I always use my McDonaldland glasses for this task). Place biscuits on baking sheet. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.
4. Bake until biscuits are golden– 15 to 20 minutes. Mine took a full 20 minutes and I managed to get 5 good sized biscuits out of this. Next time I might make them larger and yield 4.
HALF BATCH RED WINE CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES
[http://www.cookiemadness.net/2009/08/half-batch-cherry-chocolate-red-wine-cookies/]
Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour (98 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder (30 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (60 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (72 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (80 grams)
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.
3. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until well mixed. Beat in the egg, vanilla and wine. By hand, stir in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate and cherries.
4. Scoop up rounded tablespoons of dough and drop, shaping into small mounds, onto an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet spacing about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops are still soft looking but edges look firm. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.
Makes 18.
BLACK-BOTTOM COCONUT BARS
[Recipe from Martha Stewart, http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipes/2010/02/12/black-bottom-coconut-bars/]
Ingredients:
Chocolate Base:
■1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more more pan
■1/2 cup granulated sugar
■1/4 teaspoon salt
■1 large egg
■1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
■1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang. Butter bottom and sides of foil.
2. Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave. Whisk in sugar and salt. Whisk in egg, then sugar and flour. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The sides should be beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Set aside to cool.
Coconut Topping:
■2 large eggs
■3/4 cup granulated sugar
■1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
■1 cup all-purpose flour
■7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut – reserve 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top
Directions:
1. Whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour and coconut.
2. Drop mounds of topping onto chocolate base. Spread and press into base with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan. Then, remove from pan using aluminum foil overhang. Peel off foil and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Makes 24 bars.
CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES WITH MOCHA CREAM FILLING
[Adapted from Epicurious, http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/06/chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies-with.html]
Ingredients:
Filling:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons specturm organic shortening
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 3/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions:
To make the filling:
1. In a medium saucepan, stir chocolate chips, cream and espresso powder over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in bowl until combined. Mix in the melted chocolate mixture. Cover and set in the refrigerator until ready to use - be sure this is well chilled before using.
To make the Cookie Dough:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt .
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and shortening until smooth. Add in sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla and instant coffee until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 325
4. Scoop out 1/2 tablespoon balls of dough and place onto parchment lined baking sheets - leave enough room for them to expand. Bake about 10-12 minutes, turning halfway though, until the tops are no longer shiny. Let cookies cool on the sheets for 10 minutes. Move cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
5. Spread half of the cookies with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon filling. Top each with a second cookie, gently pressing to adhere. Because of the filling, these cookies need to be kept cold - store in the refrigerator until serving.
BUTTER RUM-GLAZED APPLESAUCE CAKE BARS
[Betty Crocker Recipe, http://www.flickr.com/photos/steamboatwillie33/4473160007/]
Ingredients:
Cake:
1/3 cup butter (do not sub marg)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon( I add 2)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter( do not sub marg)
1 cup confectioners'' sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum flavor
3 - 4 teaspoons milk or half-and-half
Note: I doubled the Glaze recipe.
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8-inch square pan.
In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt 1/3 cup butter over medium heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until butter begins to brown. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in sugar, applesauce and vanilla extract.
In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in applesauce mixture. Pour into pan. Bake 30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.
In 1 1/2-quart saucepan melt 2 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook 2 - 3 minutes until beginning to brown. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in remaining glaze ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Pour over warm cake. Sprinkle with Cinnamon . Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Was just as good room temp..
BUTTER COOKIES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitzi/221390387/]
Makes around 30
200g butter (at room temperature, diced)
100g caster sugar
275g plain flour
demerara sugar for coating (brown sugar)
Directions:
Beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy.
Add the flour, and using your hands, workit on a floured surface until the mix forms a smooth dough.
Shape it in a sausage shape about 30sm long, than pat the sides flat to make it square.
Sprinkle a thick layer of demerara sugar on a piece of greaseproof paper. Press each side of the dough ino the sugar to coat. Wrap in the paper and chill for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160`C(gas 3).
When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Cut into thick slices and place slightly apart on non-stick baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
SNICKERDOODLES
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitzi/221390387/]
Makes around 40
Ingredients:
200g butter at room temperature, diced
250g caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
2 eggs
100mL milk
800g plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
150g wallnuts, finely chopped (or better, grinded)
for the coating
10 tablespoons of caster sugar
4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
Directions:
Beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla essence. Beat again. Beat in the eggs, then the milk.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the butter mixture and stir to blend. Stir in the nuts.
Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190`C (gas 5).
Lightly grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
When ready to bake, roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls the size of wallnuts, between teh palms of your hands. Tha roll into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Place the balls, spaced about 5cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
HORLICK'S ANIMAL COOKIES
[http://novice-baker.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-lunar-new-year.html]
http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2007/01/horlicks-doggie-cookies.html]
Ingredients:
[180g butter, soften at room temperature
80g Horlicks (original flavour)
200g top flour or cake flour
25g corn flour
25g milk powder
100g chocolate chips (I used Hershey's kissable chips)
some chocolate rice
some Koko Krunch
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 140deg C. Line baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Sieve cake flour, corn flour and milk powder.
Cream butter and Horlicks for about three minutes at low speed. Do not overbeat.
Put in cake flour, cornflour and milk powder and beat for about one minute to form
dough.
Divide dough into 10g each. Put three chocolate chips into each piece of dough and roll into balls.
Insert two pieces of Koko Krunch to form the 'ears', chocolate rice for the "eyes", and a mini chocolate chip in the centre for the 'nose'.
Bake at 140 deg C for about 25 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may take another 5to 10 minutes more for the cookies to be ready.
Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight container.
(Photo by Flickr.com - margot)
CHOCOLATE-DRIZZLED SPICE COOKIES
[http://v-recipes.blogspot.com/2006/12/xmas-cookie-2-chocolate-drizzled-spice.html]
Ingredients:
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar ~sy pake 50% sugar:50% palm sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses ~sy pake maple flavor syrup :)
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
1. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar. Starting on low speed and increasing to high, beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 2 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl once with a rubber spatula.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add molasses; mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl; add flour mixture. Starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high, beat until just combined.
3. Transfer dough to a clean work surface. Divide into four equal pieces, and roll each into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap each log in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove logs from refrigerator, and unwrap. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill in freezer or refrigerator until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Bake cookies until slightly cracked on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag. Snip the tip off one corner of the bag to make a very small opening. Place the wire rack with the cookies on a sheet of parchment paper or a rimmed baking sheet. Holding bag about 5 inches above cookies, drizzle chocolate in a zigzag motion until cookies are covered. Let stand until chocolate has set, 2 to 3 hours.
Makes about 9 1/2 dozen.
Notes:
Cookies can be stored in airtight containers, layered with pieces of waxed or parchment paper, for up to three days at room temperature.
TAHINI DROPS
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/veganfeast/3378439132/]
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1 cup flour
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cp tahini
1/4 cp sesame oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp arrowroot
1/2 cp agave syrup
Sesameseeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in food processor, set aside.
Combine wet ingredients.
Reintroduce dry to wet and mix.
Form balls by the tbsp and roll in sesameseed.
Bake 20 minutes on greased cookie sheet.
Makes 24 cookie.
Photos from links provided.
