All posts tagged cookies

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

This was not what I was going to blog today. I made this zebra bundt cake, coloring the white part orange, so it would be black and orange striped for Halloween. Cool right? Well, it would have been if the whole top of the cake didn’t stick to the pan. Oh, and then it broke into 3 pieces after that. Damn, it tasted good and the stripes looked awesome too. Bundts for some reason always give me trouble. I have a Nordic Ware pan, I use Pam baking spray plus flour, take the cake out at 15 minutes exactly, and about 50% of the time, I still get major stickage. So, if anyone has any tips for me I would be glad to hear them. It is just maddening.

No way I was going to attempt another bundt, so I decided to make cookies. I scanned through my cookies board on Pinterest and I was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw these Oreo cheesecake cookies. After reading through the recipe, though, I thought there must be a mistake. It doesn’t have any eggs and no leavener either. Weird. But, I followed the blog trail all the way back to the original recipe and it was correct. I was a bit hesitant to make them, but they sounded so good (and quick and easy) that I decided to give them a try. I’m glad I did. When you bite into them, you get a slight crunch around the outside and almost a creaminess on the inside. You can taste the tang from the cream cheese and of course, the just plain deliciousness of Oreos. I mean, really…Oreos, cheesecake, and cookies? There can’t be too many better combinations. Okay, maybe chocolate and peanut butter.

So, since I messed up my Halloween themed post, I will leave you with a Happy Halloween from Jack, Sammie and Alex. Well, maybe just Jack and Sammie. Baby Alex is not at all happy.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Yield: 12 to 15 cookies (I got 14)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup crushed Oreo’s (roughly 8 – 10 Oreo cookies)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, process the Oreo cookies until they are fine crumbs. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and well combined.

Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.

On low, mix in the flour. With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop. Place the dough in your hands and roll it into a ball. Roll the dough in the Oreo crumbs, covering it completely.

Place the Oreo coated ball of dough on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Remove from the oven when you see the edges just starting to brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to cool completely on a wire rack covered with a paper towel.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Source: Table for Two (as seen on Brown Eyed Baker and Two Peas and Their Pod), original source: Multiply Delicious

12 Comments

by Just Baked on October 31, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged cheesecake, chocolate, cookies, cream cheese, dessert, Oreo, quick

Posted by Just Baked on October 31, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/oreo-cheesecake-cookies/

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I keep seeing the same recipe for “The best chocolate chip cookie” all over Pinterest. And well, no wonder, this chocolate chip cookie recipe has been viewed over 1.6 million times!! Wow! Well, I figured there must be something special about this recipe, so I had to make it and find out. Looking at the ingredient list, it includes all the usual stuff, but then there is cornstarch. I’ve never seen cornstarch in a chocolate chip cookie recipe before. I know you can make a cake flour substitute by adding cornstarch to flour and this must be the same idea. The cornstarch contributes to their super soft texture and gives them their “puff”. And, since I am in the soft chocolate chip cookie camp (crisp cookies? Yuck!), that is exactly what I am looking for. I subbed in chocolate chunks cut from a Callebaut semisweet bar for the chocolate chips. Without the stabilizers in the chunks, the chocolate can’t hold its shape, so it is all melty and gooey. Have you ever tried this? No? You totally have to!

So, the verdict? I have tried tons of chocolate chip recipes. I mean, they are my absolute favorite cookies and all. But, are they the best? I almost never say that because there are still so many recipes still to try. But, I will say they are pretty darn good. Soft, thick and puffy, packed with melted chocolate chunks, still warm from the oven…. Do chocolate chip cookies get much better? Jack and Sammie don’t think so.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen I got 21- though I had to throw the last 3 away because dang, I forgot about them and they burned

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks- I used Callebaut semisweet cut from a bar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle, cream together butter and both sugars until fluffy and light colored. Blend in the egg and vanilla.

Mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture by hand. Stir in chocolate chunks. The batter is very stiff.

Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just barely golden brown around the edges. Do not allow the cookies to brown on top, just the very edges.

Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes to set. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool completely on the wire rack, if you can wait.

Source: Apple a Day, Originally from Anna Olson, Food Network Canada

21 Comments

by Just Baked on October 5, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged bake, Callebaut, chewy, chocolate chip, cookies, dessert, drop, kids, soft

Posted by Just Baked on October 5, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/

M&M Confetti Cookies

I know I have said this before, but I ♥ Pinterest. Once I get started, I can stay up way late into the night, just scrolling through the food category, telling myself just one more page, and then another, and another… I am so tired and I have to get up with the baby early in the morning and yet, I keep on scrolling. I know I am not the only one. I’m not, right? There are just too many great ideas and amazing looking recipes. Awhile back, I came across these M & M confetti cookies and pinned the recipe because I thought it was so clever. Instead of throwing whole M & Ms into your cookie dough, you bang the hell out of them with a stick (Burbs anyone? ) to create chocolate and candy coating confetti. In Munchkin Munchie’s recipe, she added the confetti to sugar cookie dough. And, while these look delicious, I decided to add them to one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough bases, replacing the chocolate chips. So fun looking right? You get the look of sprinkles and milk chocolate in every bite of this perfectly chewy cookie. Definitely another keeper for Jack’s lunch box.

M&M Confetti Cookies

Makes about 18 large cookies.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar I use light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 oz bag of M & Ms, crushed (more or less to your liking)

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, the yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed (or mix by hand with a spatula) just until combined. Crush the M & Ms in a big Ziploc bag with a rolling pin (or any other heavy object you have handy) . Stir in the crushed M & Ms.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. (Or, if you prefer, you can just use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough.) Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. See Brown Eyed Baker’s Blog for a good illustration of this shaping method.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, and yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Make sure you cool them on the sheet to maintain the right texture. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Source: The New Best Recipe for the cookie base and Munchkin Munchies for the M & M confetti

10 Comments

by Just Baked on September 3, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged ATK, bake sale, chocolate, confetti, Cook's illustrated, cookies, kids, lunch box, m&m

Posted by Just Baked on September 3, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/mm-confetti-cookies/

Homemade Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

I have to say, I am glad summer is almost over. It has been so crazy hot here in Chicago, it was really hard to do anything outdoors. With the end of summer, of course, comes the kids going back to school. My daughter Sammie was excited to start kindergarten (okay, excited to ride the bus) and my son Jack, just started 2nd grade. Jack is not a big fan of hot lunch, probably because he is so darn picky. Since he won’t eat most of what I make, he sure isn’t going to eat cafeteria food. So, Jack brings the same plain old turkey sandwich (no cheese, can this really be my son?) everyday, a bag of chips and a dessert. When I saw these cookies on Pink Parsley, I knew it would be a fun dessert that he would love and maybe for a second, know that I was thinking of him as he ate it.

The dough is like the usual sugar cookie recipe, but the addition of cake flour makes these cookies a bit softer. The dough is pretty sticky, so you’ll have to allow at least one half hour of refrigeration before scooping and baking the cookies. Once the cookies cool, you make a delicious butter cream that you can either spread on with a knife or pipe on. Personally, I find piping to be much easier and it’s prettier too. When Jack got home from school, he couldn’t wait until tomorrow. He just had to try a cookie now. I think I counted a dozen Mmmms before I stopped counting. And, I can’t forget my Sammie. She loved them too, especially the pink frosting. Since she is in kindergarten, we get to have lunch together everyday, usually Rice-A-Roni at her request. Well, besides her company, at least now I have dessert to look forward to.

Homemade Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

Yield: I got 48 cookies, 24 sandwiches

The cookie:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 cups cake flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup colored sprinkles

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle, cream the butter and the sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the vanilla, melted butter, whole egg and yolk. Mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.

Combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low until just combined. Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F. Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake 10-12 minutes (rotating the pans halfway through) until they are just starting to brown on the bottom and are barely firm on top. Cool the cookies 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Slightly adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Yammy’s Noshery

The frosting:

1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted I didn’t sift and it was fine

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp heavy cream

1/3 cup colored sprinkles I omitted and chose to color the frosting pink instead

Food coloring optional I used Americolor Deep Pink

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on low until just combined and then increase the speed to medium for about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the sprinkles if using and/or the food coloring.

To assemble the cookies, match pairs based on size and shape before frosting. Pipe or spread icing onto one half, then gently but firmly close the cookie. Press lightly to spread the icing to the edges so it lo0ks pretty. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Pink Parsley, originally from Cooks Illustrated. Frosting color and piping with a star tip inspired by Gingerbread Bagel

2 Comments

by Just Baked on August 31, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Cookies, whoopie pies

Tagged bake sale, buttercream, cookies, fun, Funfetti, kids, school, sprinkles, sugar

Posted by Just Baked on August 31, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/homemade-funfetti-sandwich-cookies/

Flour Bakery’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite to bake because they are also my favorite to eat. Though I will say, my kids and my husband can tear them up pretty good too. I’m not sure how many different recipes I have tried, but it’s a lot. I am always on the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. So, I decided to try Flour Bakery’s chocolate chunk cookie because everything I’ve made so far has been delicious. I have never used bread flour in my chocolate chip cookies, but it is added to make them more thick and chewy. That’s exactly what I am going for. And then, oh my goodness this cookie sure does pack a chocolate punch with both semisweet and milk chocolate mixed into the dough. This recipe uses chocolate cut from a bar instead of chocolate chips. Chips have stabilizers that help them keep their shape when baked. But, when you use real chocolate and you bite into a cookie right from the oven, the chocolate melts and oozes from the cookie. If you haven’t tried it, you won’t believe how delicious it is. You won’t ever have your chocolate chip cookies any other way.

Everyone says they have the perfect chocolate chip cookie, but I won’t say that. I will say that these were some of the best I’ve had. A bit crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and bits of chocolate throughout. This is exactly how a chocolate chip cookie should be. I think my husband ate half of them and my kids loved them. Sammie keeps asking for more of the Amazin’ cookies. Amazin’? I love it.

Flour Bakery’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen (I got 20 cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (165g) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (140g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup (150g) bread flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

9 ounces (255g) semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 1/2 ounces (70 grams) milk chocolate, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to release clinging butter or sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium for 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle to make sure the eggs are fully mixed in.

In a medium bowl, stir together both flours, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the semi sweet and milk chocolate pieces and toss to combine. On low speed (or with a wooden spoon), slowly add the flour-chocolate mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix just until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed.

For the best results, scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the fridge overnight (or at least 3-4 hours) before baking. When you are ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.

Drop the dough in 1/4 cup balls onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment) about 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden on the edges but still soft in the center. I rotated the pans halfway through baking. Don’t let them brown through or you will lose the chewiness of the slightly underbaked centers. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies with a spatula to the wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Unbaked dough can stay in the fridge, in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Source: Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe

12 Comments

by Just Baked on August 15, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged bake sale, bakery, Chang, chocolate chip, cookies, dessert, Flour, kids

Posted by Just Baked on August 15, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/flour-bakerys-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

Sprinkle Cookies

We were meeting some of Sammie’s friends at the zoo and I wanted to make some fun, easy to transport cookies for the kids to share after lunch. I meant to make them the night before, but I got caught up with other things, namely the Olympics. So, there I was, at 6AM the day of, baking cookies, when my husband stopped in the kitchen before leaving for work to ask if I was crazy. We have been together for 20 years this November, since we were seniors in high school, so he knows the answer to this question is yes, maybe just a little bit.

Kids love sprinkles, so I thought these would be perfect. This dough is so easy to put together, you can even make it half asleep. Trust me, I tested it. The dough is a bit sticky, but if you use a cookie scoop you can just use the trigger to release the dough right into the bowl of the sprinkles. Reading the recipe, I thought these would taste like sugar cookies. But to me, the texture was more of a cross between a cake and a cookie. The cookies taste mostly of butter and vanilla, as any good sugar cookie should. The kids (and their moms) really loved these soft, cakey sugar cookies covered in sprinkles. Come on, what’s not to love?

Sprinkle Cookies

Yield: 24 large cookies (I got 22)

2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1⁄2 cup multicolor sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

Pour the sprinkles in a small bowl. Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it between your palms to form a ball. I used a medium cookie scoop because it was sticky. Roll the top half of each ball in the sprinkles. Place the balls, sprinkle side up, on a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. I got 9 cookies per sheet. Bake the cookies until they are pale golden around the edges but still soft on top, about 10 minutes. Let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

To freeze dough: Cookies may be placed next to each other on parchment-lined baking sheets, frozen, transferred to zipper-lock plastic freezer bags, and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Frozen cookies may be placed in the oven directly from the freezer and baked as directed. You may need to bake a minute or two longer.

Sprinkle Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Source: slightly adapted from Stephanie Cooks, originally from Parenting.com (Lauren Chattman)

8 Comments

by Just Baked on August 10, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Cookies

Tagged cookies, dessert, kids, sprinkles, sugar

Posted by Just Baked on August 10, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/sprinkle-cookies/

Sugar Cookies

When I was in college at University of Illinois, one of my roommates, Dawn, used to get care packages from her boyfriend’s mom (now mother-in-law). In the box, there were always some of these super delicious sugar cookies. Dawn was nice enough to share with us and I loved them! I made sure to get the recipe. Although I’m not sure why because I didn’t really bake back then. It was probably so my mom could make them for me. I totally forgot about those cookies until Alex pulled an old (okay, really old) binder off the bookshelf and a bunch of recipes fell out of it. As I was cleaning up the mess, I saw this recipe and I couldn’t wait to make them. I haven’t had these cookies in probably 15 years! Geez, now I have dated myself. I had to double check the recipe with Dawn because the baking time and temperature was cut off. And, I remember leaving out the cream of tartar from the ingredient list, because at the time, I didn’t know what it was. It must not be important then, right? She emailed me a photo of the original recipe and I was surprised that it didn’t have any vanilla or salt. So, I decided to add them. I also chose to use butter rather than margarine, because, well, it’s butter. Enough said.

So, how were they? Mmmm…just as good as I remembered. The cookies are really buttery, not really chewy but very soft. They are versatile in that you can change the color of the sanding sugar to coordinate with any holiday. Or, even school colors would be cute. Since there isn’t a holiday right now, we decided to go with Sammie’s favorite color, which for at least today, is rainbow. I guess I could have coordinated with the colors of the Olympic rings or support Team USA with red, white and blue sugars. But, of course, I didn’t think of that until now. Oh, well. Rainbow sugar tasted just fine.

Old-fashioned sugar cookies

Yield: I got 29 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature the original recipe calls for margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling)

1 cup of canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

Sprinkles optional

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter, sugar and powdered sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well until combined.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt with a spoon. Sift the flour mixture into another bowl or onto wax paper.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly. Beat just until combined.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight. The dough is very soft, but will firm up quite a bit with refrigeration.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put about 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll the dough loosely into balls (I used a medium sized cookie scoop) and then roll completely in granulated sugar. Place balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press down gently with a flat bottomed glass dipped in sugar (it should be thick if you want a chewy cookie). Store the bowl of dough in the fridge between batches. Sprinkle on colored sugar if you wish. Bake at 350 for 10 – 12 minutes. You want to pull them out when they look set. There should be almost no browning. They should be very white.

They freeze well in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Source: Adapted from Lois Curran ( My friend Steve’s mom)

10 Comments

by Just Baked on August 6, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Cookies

Tagged cookies, dessert, soft, sprinkles, sugar

Posted by Just Baked on August 6, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/sugar-cookies/

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I had some oatmeal leftover from the oatmeal cream pies I made a few weeks ago that I wanted to use up. I came across these chocolate oatmeal cookies in an old issue of Cook’s Country and thought they would be perfect. But, I saw that they needed 1 3/4 cups of oats and looking in the jar, I knew it would be really close. Do you believe I had exactly enough? I am never this lucky, so these cookies were meant to be. This was an interesting recipe to me for 2 reasons. The first is that part of the oatmeal is ground finely in the food processor and the rest is put into the dough whole. The other thing is that melted milk chocolate is added to the dough, which is a bit unusual for oatmeal cookies. But, I guess these are supposed to be similar to the urban legend Neiman Marcus $250 cookies. You know the one where the lady asked for the recipe, was told it would be $250, but she thought it was $2.50. She was crazy mad, so to get Neiman Marcus back, she gave the recipe out to everyone she knew. Neiman Marcus denies this. But, it’s a fun story anyways.

These cookies have a nice crispness to the outside and a very chewy inside thanks to the oatmeal. The melted milk chocolate gives them an extra punch of chocolate along with the chocolate chips. These are a nice change from the usual chocolate chip cookie. And dare I say healthy? Come on, they do have oatmeal!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick cooking or instant) Divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled I used Callebaut
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped I omitted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Adjust racks to upper and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 sheets with parchment.

In a food processor, process 1 cup oats until well ground, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the butter and light brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and no lumps, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the melted, but cooled, milk chocolate and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture just until combined, 15 seconds. Add the remaining 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats, the chopped nuts (if using) and the chocolate chips and beat on low until everything is evenly distributed, 1o seconds.

Roll dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls (I used a cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake the cookies, rotating and switching position of the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops are cracked (and set), but the cookies still appear moist in between the cracks, ~ 14 to 18 minutes. Do not over bake. Take them out a bit underdone or they will be crisp. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These will store at room temperature up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Source: Cook’s Country June/July 2006

12 Comments

by Just Baked on June 15, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Chocolate, Cookies

Tagged chocolate, cookies, dessert, Neiman, oatmeal

Posted by Just Baked on June 15, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/chocolate-oatmeal-cookies/

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Like most people, I grew up loving everything Little Debbie has to offer. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, so I have eaten my share of Nutty Bars, Swiss Rolls, Zebra cakes, and my absolute favorite, Oatmeal Creme Pies. It’s funny. I don’t even really like oatmeal. But, I have always loved those soft oatmeal cookies, with a hint of spice, sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy vanilla filling. As good as they are, I knew I could do better. I found this recipe as I was going through some old issues of Everyday Food and I knew I had to give it a try. The batter comes together in just a few steps, all of them easy. The filling is a simple sweetened cream cheese to replace the shortening based frosting of store bought. The cookies are really soft and the cinnamon and molasses give them great flavor. So, no. These are not an exact replica of the oatmeal pies you grew up with. Nope, they are better. I just know, as a kid, I would have loved to see one of these cookies in my yellow, plastic Garfield lunchbox.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 13 sandwich cookies ( I got 11)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

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

1/2 cup golden raisins I omitted

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

A splash of vanilla optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown and granulated sugars, and molasses on high, scraping down bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set at edges and slightly soft in middle, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets, 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, using mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until light, 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Spread filling on flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.

Source: Everyday Food September 2010

8 Comments

by Just Baked on May 30, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Cookies

Tagged cookies, dessert, Little Debbie, oatmeal, sandwich

Posted by Just Baked on May 30, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/oatmeal-cream-pies/

Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

Okay, so I am not the only one in my family addicted to the Food Network. Believe it or not, my 5 year old daughter, Sammie, is in love with Giada, AKA the Cooking Lady. You know your daughter watches too much Giada at Home when she says spaghetti with an Italian accent, she pretends she is cooking using ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest and finally when she asks “Can you live without olive oil”? Apparently, the Cooking Lady says you can’t. Oh, how I love my little girl.

The other day we were watching Giada and she made these delicious looking double chocolate and mint cookies. Sammie has always loved Andes mints. In fact, it is her favorite part of a meal at Olive Garden. Even better than the bread sticks? Umm, no, I don’t think so. These cookies reminded me of a mint version of the Chocolate Dreams I made a few weeks ago. The cookie is super soft and fudgy, almost brownie-like in texture. First you taste the rich chocolate of the cookie and then you bite into a warm, melted Andes mint…Mmmm. I think the Cooking Lady maybe on to something.

Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (60-percent) chocolate chopped I used Callebaut semi-sweet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa I used Valrhone dutch processed cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

One 5-ounce package chocolate mint thins, such as Andes, each cut into thirds Or you can buy the Andes chips to make it easier on yourself. I couldn’t find any at the store. I think they are more seasonal.

Place 1 oven rack in the center of the oven and 1 oven rack in the bottom third and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. As usual, I just melted the chocolate and butter carefully in the microwave. Just make sure to stop before the chocolate is completely melted and use the residual heat to finish the job. Or else the chocolate may burn and taste bitter.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, 2 tablespoons water and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Fold in the cooled chocolate. Stir in the chocolate mint pieces. Chill the dough 10 minutes to firm slightly. Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop 6 mounds of batter onto each prepared sheet, spacing evenly apart.

Bake the cookies 9 minutes. Reverse the baking sheets (top to bottom) and continue baking until the cookies are slightly puffed and dry looking with some small cracks on top, 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cool the cookies completely on sheets (they may deflate slightly as they cool).

Source: Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis