there's a cookie IN my cookie!

Yum. That's what these are. Just yum. I was a bit doubtful that mixing Oreos into a cookie could result in something to rave and blog about. I just didn't know how those precious Oreos, so good on their own, would hold up in the oven. Uh, they did great.

This is a really good recipe and it's got me thinking of a few variations already. I wonder how the Halloween Oreos would do. Would the whole cookie dough turn orange? I'm also thinking about a Nutter Butter variety with peanut butter chips. Maybe ANY cookie would do. If anybody is brave enough to try it with those darn cute Circus Animal cookies (and maybe some white chocolate chips?) I'd love to hear about the result. Warning, you'll have to chop those little creatures to bits though. :-) So many possibilities!


Oreo Cookie Cookies
adapted from Nosh and Tell

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
18 oreos, crushed

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. (Or don't...I didn't and there wasn't cookie that got stuck!)

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Add in the crushed oreos. Beat on low speed for just a few seconds to break up the oreos in the dough. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Drop cookie dough a rounded tbsp at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

THESE are a keeper!

I try a lot of recipes (no surprise there, right?), but I don't repeat a lot of them. For one, there's just too many new ones to try, and often I like the finished product, but I'm content to leave it in the past and search for the next great thing. It happens with dinner and dessert recipes alike. Thank goodness for an in house taste tester (i.e. that very easy-to-please husband of mine) who doesn't mind trying new things for dinner on a very regular basis.
When I find a recipe that is just too good to eat once, well, than it's a keeper. It becomes part of what's in the back of my mind when it comes to making dinner or a sweet treat.
Well, my friends, I share with you here my most recent keeper. These peanut butter cookies have a great texture and they're doubly peanut buttery with the peanut butter and peanut butter chips. You could even make it a triple by using crunchy peanut butter. That's my plan for the next time I make them.
These are just a little bit crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. I'm a pretty tough, discriminating judge of new cookie recipes. It's not just about taste. The texture and appearance have to win me over too.
Just one thing: plan on a purpose for these little wonders. Save yourself a few (or freeze for later!) but I can guarantee that you'll just keep going back for one more (or two, or three...) if they're around.
Oh, and that taste tester I was telling you about...the same one who doesn't get excited at ALL when peanut butter and chocolate come together to make a treat...well, he loved them. They're that good.

Rolled in sugar and baked to perfection!

Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth or chunky, it's up to you!)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Aloha Chip Cookies!

A few nights ago my long-time friend Terra knocked on the door. Since she lives in frigid North Dakota I was pretty surprised to see her. And, I was even MORE surprised with the treats she was delivering: a perfectly ripe Dole pineapple (YUM!) and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. In North Dakota???

No, you see a few days earlier Terra and her Air Force pilot husband caught a plane to Hawaii and, on the way home, got dropped of at the base nearest to our town. Her delivery was coming straight from the Islands. I did hold back my covetous feelings about being on a beach in Hawaii, but it wasn't easy. It was really fun visiting with her AND the treats were an added bonus.

I started thinking that Nate and I probably wouldn't (um, and shouldn't) eat all of those chocolate covered macadamia nuts. So, when I was making chocolate chip cookies the next evening with a recipe I don't use all that often, but I really SHOULD, (it's a good one!) I decided to get a little creative with the help of Terra's Hawaiian treats.

And, so, instead of plain old chocolate chip cookies, here's a great recipe for Aloha Chip Cookies. (But if you're not in the 'Aloha spirit' or just don't have your own box of Mauna Loa's laying around, leave out the coconut and replace the nuts/chocolate combination with chocolate chips!)

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 cup chocolate covered macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the coconut and chopped nuts and chocolate. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Chocolate Chunk Ranger Cookies

I took an incredible recipe and made it even more incredible, these were probably the best cookies I had ever made so they're definately worth trying!

CHOCOLATE CHUNK RANGER COOKIES

Prep: 25 minutes

Bake: 8 minutes

Oven: 375 degrees F

Makes: 48 cookies

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used splenda)

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c wheat flour

1 c quick oats

1 c coconut

1 c (or more) bittersweet chocolate (I took a block and broke it into chunks)

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar (or splenda), brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanila until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats, coconut, and chocolate.

Drop dough by 1/8 c drops onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely....Be ready to induldge in complete yumminess!

KA Flour Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't posted in awhile. I was in the post-Christmas baking exhaustion. I know that I have posted so many chocolate chip cookie recipes, but they are all so different. These are wonderful. For Christmas I got the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. I love the book because it has "essential recipes" for making chewy, crunchy, cakey, etc. baked goods. They also have instructional reads for making cookies such as what exactly is creaming and it gives some tips on how to shape cookies and it has a list of essential tools for excellent cookie making. I haven't been able to tackle but this one recipe so far, but I have already made them twice! I wanted to try these because they have 2 things I have never seen in a chocolate chip cookie recipe before and those are vinegar and corn syrup. These cookies were more cakey to me than chewy. I guess the vinegar gives them a "lift." But what is different is that yes they are cakey, but they are very moist and not in the least bit crumbly. I would say they are a perfect medium. They are DELICIOUS and definitely different from other chocolate chip cookies.

King Arthur Flour Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white vinegar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease(or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar, then beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they're just set; the centers may still look a bit underdone. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Giant Ultra Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

When my husband took a bite of these he immediately said, "Mmmm. These-are-so-good," with extreme empahasis on each word. I really think these are his new favorite. Even though chocolate chip cookies are such a basic kind of a cookie, it is still fun to try new recipes because they all come out so different. The special little addition in these is an extra egg yolk. The added fat gives them a great chew and that is how I love my chocolate chip cookies. CHEWY! I used these adorble little striped Christmas white chocolate chips. They were delicious as are chocolate chips I am sure. The butter is melted and so I just whipped the whole thing by hand. No electric appliances necessary. If you love chewy cookies you should really give these a try and they would make a great Christmas treat for friends and neighbors.

Giant Ultra Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c plus 2 Tablespoons flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 c butter, melted and cooled to warm

1 c brown sugar

1/2 white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a mixing bowl whisk the melted butter and sugars by hand. About 2 minutes.

Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until it still has some flour streaks. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just incorporated.

Scoop into scant 1/4 cups and bake on prepared baking sheet for 15-17 minutes.

*I only put 4 on a pan at once. They need room to spread. Yields 18 giant cookies.

*Another note: I also like to use salted butter when I make chocolate chip cookies. I think they taste better a little saltier.

Pumpkin Cookies

I love making things with pumpkin. Last year I went crazy making things with pumpkin in them. This year I think I will back off a little. It's just that when you buy one of those big cans of pumpkin it can make 2 recipes of something. So I have made pumpkin cookies already and some pumpkin pie crumble bars (that I will post later). After making one recipe I then think, "What else can I make with pumpkin?" Then then cycle begins. I found this recipe to be really good. I've probably tried about 7 pumpkin cookie recipes in my lifetime because I never stick with the same one. I'm always looking for one that is better. This is the latest. I also tried to put in butterscotch chips which were okay. I'm finding that I'm not all that fond of butterscotch chips so I will never put them in again.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

pinch nutmeg

1/2 c butter

1 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c pumkin puree

1 c chocolate chips

1/2 -1 c nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whiss flour, powder, soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add the pumpkin and mix well.

Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture then stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes.

*Be careful not to overmix the dough. It will be pretty sticky and they turn out sort of like little cakes. Store in an airtight container so that they do not dry out.

Blondies with Toffee Bits and Chocolate Chips

I like bar cookies because I can just put all the dough in one pan and then is goes right into the oven where it is not touched until it comes out resulting in less eating of the dough. Whenever I make cookies I am tempted to eat all of the dough while putting the cookies on the cookie sheet. It goes something like this. A mound for the pan, a mound in my mouth, a mound on the pan, a mound in my mouth.

Blondies are the alter ego of a brownie. They are similar in that they are both bar cookies. I guess that is really it. Blondies don't have any chocolate and taste more like chocolate chip cookie dough without the chocolate chips. These are so good and ultra chewy. I usually prefer a brownie over a blondie, but I am starting to like blondies more and more. I topped these with toffee bits and chocolate chips before baking them just because I had some. The toffee melted all over the top and made them even more deliciously chewy and also very rich. I only tasted a little corner before they were whisked away to a History Club meeting. This is a great basic recipe that you could add anything to: pecans, walnuts, reeses pieces, peanut butter chips...you get the idea. Personally, I like them plain with ice cream and a little chocolate syrup.

Blondies with Toffee Bits and Chocolate Chips

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c butter

1 c brown sugar

1 egg-slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c toffee bits*

1/2 c chocolate chips*

*substitute other mix-ins if desired. Instead of sprinkling, you could mix them into the batter.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, whisk.

Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add brown sugar and mix well. Cool slightly.

Add egg and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix well.

Grease a 9x9x2" pan. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle with toffee bits and chocolate chips.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Zambian Chocolate Chip Cookies

O.k., they're not really Zambian, but since I'm here in Africa, they can be! I actually carried all of the ingredients over here with me because chocolate chips are no where to be found here. This is a new favorite though. I think they baked better here than in my own oven at our apartment!

Here's the recipe, complete with metric measurements for all those Zambian bakers! :-)

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup(130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Make about 20 cookies.

White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

My sister discovered this recipe last Christmas and it has become one of my favorites. I have never been much of a white chocolate fan. I guess I am a dark chocolate snob, but after making these cookies I have completely change my ways and I now love white chocolate. It just hast to be paired with the right ingredients. It goes so well with the pecans and the craisins in these cookies. Instead of white chocolate chips I used a Ghiradelli white chocolate bar chopped up. Something about a large chocolate bar looks pretty to me...I must be weird. This is a great recipe that I encourage you to try.

White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

3 c flour

1 tsp soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 c unsalted butter

1 c brown sugar

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbls vanilla

1c crasins

1 1/2 c white chocolate chips

1 c pecans, chopped (You could substitute another kind)

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixtures to the cream mixture. Stir until almost incorporated. Add the crasins, white chocolate, and pecans. Mix until everything is just together.

Roll into heaping spoonfuls and bake at 350F. The time varies. I made heaping tablespoonfuls and baked for 11 min. The recipe calls for huge cookies that you bake for 15 min. So you may want to watch the first batch, depending on how large you make them.

Brown Sugar Chcolate Chip Cookies

I am having a baby sitter over tonight and she always does it for free, as long as I supply homemade cookies. These are what I decided to make because I was all out of white sugar. This recipe uses only brown sugar and is very chewy. I had bought some m&ms because they were on sale. I didn't realize that they were "ogre" sized Shrek M&Ms. They make a nice addition to the cookie. I would have prefered semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could really use any sort of chocolate piece in them.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

(with ogre sized M&Ms)

2 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 c butter

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/4 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until almost all incorporated. Then add the chocolate chips and stir them in.

Drop by rounded tablespoons on baking sheet. Bake 9-11 min at 350F. Makes 3 doz. For some reason I never get the amount of cookies that a recipe says it will yield. I must make them big.

Cowboy Cookies

Finally I have something to post! I've been baking as much as a full-time teacher possibly can, but I never seem to take a picture. So, I enlisted Nate and his growing photography talent to take a picture of what I consider to be one of the most perfect chocolate chip cookies I've found so far. I'm always on a quest for a better something: a better sugar cookie or better lemon bar (I can't wait to try one with macadamia nuts Annie!) even though I have really great recipes already. But, that quest for perfection (in baking at least!) led me to a little something from our first lady, Laura Bush. It's got every good 'extra' a cookie should have: chocolate chips, oatmeal, pecans and coconut. I made really big ones using the directions for 1/4 cup sized dough and smaller ones. They were both delicious!
One caution: this recipe makes a LOT of dough. After adding the final ingredients, my KitchenAid was about to overflow. So, maybe half the recipe, even though it's tricky with 3 eggs. Enjoy!

Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 eggs1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.

2. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

3. In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla

5. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

6. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

7. Bake in oven for 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool.

Note: For 6 dozen small cookies, use 2 tablespoons dough for each. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 18 minutes.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

What do you do with leftover Easter candy? Find something to bake them in. These are by far my favorite oatmeal cookies. The dough is extremely dangerous. I could eat the whole thing. Pair it with m&m's, my favorite little chocolate candies, and you have a stomach ache waiting to happen. Today I resisted. It was not easy, but just a couple of tastes of dough and one cookie didn't completely obliterate all of the work I did at the gym at 5:30 this morning. I love this recipe because the cookies are chewy and slightly crispy on the edges. I don't put the cinnamon in when I add chocolate to them, but they are also extremely delicious plain with the cinnamon added.







Soft Oatmeal Cookies

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (I always splash in a little extra)
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon(if desired)
3 c oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 1/2 cups - 2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the cream mixture. Mix in oats until just combined. Add chocolate chips, etc. if desired. Cover and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees*. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment. Roll into walnut sized balls. Place 2 inches apart. Flatten each with a fork. Bake 8-10 min.



*I made big cookies so I baked them at 365 degrees for 10 min so the edges wouldn't brown too quickly.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip!

I have been wanting to find a cookie that had banana in it that had the texture of a cookie and not banana bread. Once I made banana bread cookies and they were just that--banana bread in the shape of a little cookie mound. It was sort of like how pumpkin cookies are like pumpkin bread. I stumbled across this recipe and had to try it, partly because I had one rotting banana on my counter and I can't just throw away prime baking ingredients.

Olivia was a little skeptical because as a great lover of chocolate chip cookies she was not sure how banana would figure into the mix. "Bananas and oatmeal and chocolate chips don't make a cookie," she said. When she tried the dough, she changed her mind and proclaimed that they were her favorite. I liked the texture--chewy, but only slightly cakey. More dense than banana bread because of the oats. I thought there were almost too many chocolate chips though.

Banana Oatmeal Cookie

1c Flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2T very soft butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c mashed banana

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c oats (old fashioned or quick)

1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and banana followed by vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 11-14 min. at 350 degrees until lighly browned. Makes 2 doz.