Orange Almond Chocolate Cookies

I made these on Sunday afternoon when I didn't have much going on, so my husband and I were the only ones who got to taste these. I wish I was bringing them somewhere because - chocolate and orange? Pretty yummy if you ask me. If you're looking for something different to make, I highly suggest these cookies. I omitted the 1/2 cup of ground almonds, just because I didn't have them on hand. The cookies were still very good but I imagine there would be a stronger almond taste with the ground almonds in addition to the extract (I added a little more extract to try and make up for this).

Adapted from: www.CookiesOnFriday.com

INGREDIENTS (yields about 24 cookies)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest until well mixed but not fluffy. Add the egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice and stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, almonds and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until most of the flour is absorbed. Add the chocolate and mix until well distributed. You may need to mix the final bit by hand with a spatula.

Scoop the cookies out by rounded tablespoons on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes, until the edges are just golden brown. Cool on the pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies

If that isn't enough flavors for you, I don't know what is! I saw this unique recipe and just had to try it. And yes, I know they look kind of gross but in fact they were actually quite good. Definitely interesting, but pretty good. So, if you're looking to bring something that I'm sure no one has tried before, I'd go with these!

Adapted from: http://www.keepitsweetblog.com/

INGREDIENTS (Yields 3 dozen cookies)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ cups salted creamy natural peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ¼ cup blueberries

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside.
Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined.
Stir in blueberries and chocolate chunks.
Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to place cookie dough balls (about 2 TB each) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Note: the dough will be greasy, that is OK)
Bake for 11-13 minutes until cookies are brown around the edges.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

These were really good. They had a creamy taste to them, much like strawberry shortcake. :) I rarely bake with strawberries since my sister is allergic to them. It seems I'm baking a lot for family functions so I avoid them at all costs! But I really love strawberries and baked these on a random afternoon with no intention of bringing them to my family's place. It worked out well!

Adapted from: www.buddingbaktress.blogspot.com

INGREDIENTS (Yields 3 dozen cookies)
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling over the cookies

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and remaining sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until moist and fragrant.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the zest/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Using a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs. Add the cream to the bowl and stir until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in the strawberry mixture.
Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) to drop dough onto the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cookies cool. The cookies are best the day they're made, but can be kept in an airtight container for 1 day.

Chewy Low-fat Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Healthy? Whaaat?! That's right. I'm looking to make healthier desserts (sometimes) since 3 out of 5 in my immediate family are diabetic. I usually feel that if you're going to eat (or bake and eat) dessert, it has to be fantastic and most "healthy" desserts are far from that. Since we were going to my parents' for a Father's Day BBQ (my dad being one of the diabetics..) I figured it was a good time to make something like this. They were REALLY good. Very chewy and bursting with banana flavor. I know, I should actually be getting into low-sugar recipes, but I had to start somewhere! The sugar in this recipe is not actually that high compared to a lot of desserts that I bake.

Adapted from: www.skinnytaste.com

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl with a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on a medium speed. Add the egg, followed by the mashed banana and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and oatmeal until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies are light brown at the edges.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

There wasn't a strong Nutella flavor to these cookies (maybe I should have added more..) but they were still very good. Thin and chewy...they almost tasted as if the weren't baked long enough. I like cookies like that better actually. I had made these as a back up to my Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies, which I didn't need to because they turned out awesome. I will post that recipe next.

Adapted from: www.portuguesegirlcooks.blogspot.com


INGREDIENTS (Makes about 30 cookies)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup Nutella

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.

Using a mixer, cream butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in white and brown sugar and cream until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.

With mixer on low speed, add in the egg and vanilla. Then add the Nutella. Mix until well incorporated.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and mix until well combined.

Refrigerate dough for about 20- 30 minutes.

Scoop dough using cookie scoop, and spread about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 7-9 minutes, or 6-7 minutes if dough was not refrigerated.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

What? Bacon chocolate chip cookies? Yes, that's right. And they were delicious. I wasn't sure how I felt about this at first, but I've been seeing a lot of bacon and chocolate dessert recipes online lately and just had to try one. The cookie recipe itself was really good, I may have to use this as a basic chocolate cookie sometime! The mix of salty and sweet taste was just right, and the cookie was very buttery as well. I altered the recipe a bit - I used margarine instead of butter (usually a no-no in baking!). We only had one stick of unsalted butter left in the fridge and I was only making these for fun, so used the margarine instead. I also didn't add white chocolate chips and actually only did add about 1 cup of dark chocolate chips (not 1 1/2 since the white chocolate was omitted). I also used less bacon than was called for. I mixed in about 1 1/3 cups instead of 2 cups and it looked to be more than enough. And I didn't make the maple glaze, so I can't comment on that. Maybe bacon chocolate cupcakes will be next....?

Adapted from: http://www.creamandsugar.ca/


INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened (I used margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of cooked bacon broken into pieces (I used about 1 1/3 cups and it was plenty!)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (I omitted and used all dark chocolate)
5 strips of cooked bacon, cooled and cut into one inch strips (to top the cookies - I didn't do this)

GLAZE (I didn't make the glaze)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp maple extract
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla, until light and fluffy. Gradually stir flour mixture into creamed mixture.
Add both chocolate chips and cooked bacon bits. Mix to incorporate.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, make approximately one inch balls.
Bake for a total of 9-10 minutes.
While the cookies bake, mix the Maple Cinnamon Glaze by combining the powdered sugar, maple extract, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix together until smooth and creamy.
Once baked, move cookies to a cooling rack, add a small amount of glaze, and top with the reserved squares of crisp bacon.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

I thought these were pretty good - a mix between pumpkin and gingerbread and I even added a few white chocolate and butterscotch chips on the top for extra flavor. However, my husband and brother-in-law were not crazy about them. They said they were a bit dry. I'm posting the recipe anyway since I thought they were good! That's all that really matters, right? ;)


Adapted from: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/

Yields 24 cookies


INGREDIENTS
2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 Tbs butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling



DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and pepper. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix the last of the dry ingredients by hand to avoid over beating. You will have a very soft dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it can chill the easier it is to work with. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Roll the balls in the sugar and use a the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat with second batch of dough.

Cherry Almond Chews

These were really chewy and full of almond flavor - I'm a big fan! However, I'm not a huge fan of cherries (just the actual fruit, not all things cherry flavored). They looked nicer with it and very holiday-esque, so I had to keep them on top.



Adapted from: http://www.sugarduchess.com/ (Originally from The Taste of Home Baking Book)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped almonds or pecans (optional)
1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved


DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Place a cherry half in the center of each. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-13 minutes or until barely browned on the edges. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an air-tight container for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for six weeks.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

While baking Christmas cookies, I was trying a few different and unique recipes, so I wanted one to be a classic. Chocolate Chip Cookies - you can't go wrong with that! I actually made half of the batch of these Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and half of a batch of Alton Brown's "The Chewy". The Chewy was great before, however, I didn't use bread flour (which I have since picked up) so I wanted to try the recipe again. I did a taste test and I am partial to this new recipe! It's originally from Baking Illustrated.

Adapted from: http://www.annies-eats.com/ (originally from Baker's Illustrated)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Since I was on Smitten Kitchen's blog for the pumpkin pie (and not sure how well it would turn out because of the thick crust!), I felt like I needed one more dessert at my Thanksgiving table. I haven't baked peanut butter cookies in a long time (at least before I started my blog), so I gave these ones a try. These cookies were extremely good! They stayed chewy for days afterwards and were gone by the time I thew out the remains of the other Thanksgiving desserts...with the exception of the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, which is still in my fridge (and am pretty sure should be thrown out now). My husband insisted that I keep that there one more day...:)

Adapted from: http://www.smittenkitchen.com/

INGREDIENTS

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 is what I used)
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

DIRECTIONS
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.

Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

I picked up a few bags of Nestle's dark chocolate mint chips for the holidays so was looking for the perfect chocolate cookie to add them to. I believe I found it! These cookies were very chewy and rich. I really liked the mint chips, though I'm sure any type of chip (peanut butter, white chocolate, semi-sweet...) would be great. I definitely need to make these again!

Adapted from: www.traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com (originally from Baker's Illustrated)


INGREDIENTS (yields 42 cookies)
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz.) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 oz.) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz.) granulated sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (optional - I used dark chocolate mint chips)

DIRECTIONS
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl then set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee granules; stir well with a fork to dissolve; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overbeat. Fold in the chocolate chips (if using) with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 3/4-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

S'mores Cookies

So good and perfect for a summer barbecue! (And housewarming - don't worry Mike, you didn't get the leftovers!) I tasted one of these minutes after they came out of the oven and they were delicious. Definitely on my list of cookies to make again! Next time I will cut back on the semi-sweet chocolate chips, only because at the end of the bowl of dough it seemed like there were so many chips and they had to go to waste.

Adapted from: http://www.cookiemadness.net/

INGREDIENTS
6 oz unsalted butter, cool room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate (I think this was too much, 1 cup would've been fine)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 Hershey Bars, broken into pieces (or other favorite milk chocolate)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer; beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in salt and baking soda making sure they are well distributed and free of lumps; stir in the flour, followed by graham cracker crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove and quickly press marshmallows and chocolate into cookies. Return to oven and cook until done (about 3 minutes)
Makes about 3 dozen

Pistachio White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I think these turned out better than the blondies, for a pistachio/white chocolate combination anyway. Very sweet and addictive! I made about 1/4 of the recipe since this makes a lot of cookies. I really didn't want 4 dozen cookies lying around the house!

Adapted from: www.CooksRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder and salt

1 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups natural California pistachios, coarsely chopped - divided use

1 (10-ounce) package white chocolate chunk-sized chips* (I used white chips.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Cream butter and sugars together.

3. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.

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

5. Process oats in blender or food processor, leaving some texture. (I did not process the oats since I was being lazy.)

6. Gradually add flour mixture and chopped oats to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in 1 cup pistachios and white chocolate chips.

7. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoons onto greased baking sheets, allowing for spreading. Press remaining pistachios on top of cookie dough.

8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly on sheet to set up.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen.
* A 12-ounce package of small white chocolate or semi-sweet chips may be substituted for white chocolate chunks.

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ah...an oldie but goodie! I made these butterscotch oatmeal cookies as a backup for the Chipster Brownies that I wasn't happy with. I was bringing the brownies to a party and hate serving something I'm not satisfied with! (However, I ended up bringing the brownies AND cookies because I didn't want them sitting in my house...it's bikini season.) I started making these cookies a few years ago and they always go over well. Plus, they're so easy to make! I must have whipped these up in about 10 minutes. I was debating about making the "Pan Cookie Variation" since I haven't done that yet, but figured that if I was making these as my backup dessert, I didn't want to mess up anything else! I know the regular cookie version is fantastic. :)

Adapted from: http://www.verybestbaking.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels (I only used about 1 - 1.25 cups...it's a lot of butterscotch!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these cookies as a backup in case my cheesecake turned out awful. I didn't even know they were flourless until I finished mixing the ingredients and thought something was missing! These cookies were good, but not as great as I thought they'd be. Maybe because I burnt some of the bottoms! Apparently, I was having a really bad baking day. However, I did follow the baking times. I checked them at 10 minutes and they didn't look quite done, so I left them in for 2 more minutes. (The original recipe says 10 - 13 minutes). They may be worth trying again if I bake them correctly, but I feel as if there are so many other chocolate and peanut butter recipes I'd like to try!

Adapted from: http://www.bakingbites.com/

INGREDIENTS

1 cup crunchy peanut butter (natural or national brand)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional, I used it)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp water
1/2- 3/4 cup chocolate and/or peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and water until smooth. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients, including cocoa powder and water mixture. Add chocolate chips at the end of mixing. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly with a moistened finger. Bake for about 10-11 minutes at 350 F, until golden brown at the edges. Cool on pan before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 2 dozen.

"The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookie

Snow day #2! Yes, we got 2 blizzards in one week, each about 2 feet of snow. So, again, I headed to the kitchen to bake. I have seen the recipe for "The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookie by Alton Brown on quite a few blogs and it is supposedly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. I actually haven't baked chocolate chip cookies in a long time and these were awesome! I may want to try a couple of more recipes soon to compare....

Adapted from: "The Chewy" by Alton Brown (I found on www.FoodNetwork.com)

INGREDIENTS
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour (I used all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside. Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. A dd the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Brownie Cookies

Snow day! Do you know what that means? I baked a few things! I tried to cut recipes in halves (or thirds...) so that I didn't have tons of baked good sitting out on my kitchen counter so that I would be tempted to eat all of them. These Brownie Cookies really did taste like brownies...except I think I did something wrong with the recipe! I'm not sure what, but the consistency of the batter was very watery. I added more flour but it didn't seem to be doing the trick. When I put the dough on the baking sheet, they spread out into large thin cookies before I even put them in the oven. They still tasted great but I'm sure that's not how they were supposed to be (maybe my calculations were wrong when cutting down the recipe?). After trying 6 cookies, I put the rest into my mini muffin pan. Now I had both Brownie Cookies and Brownie Bites!




Adapted from: http://www.annie-eats.com/



Yields: about 24-35 cookies

INGREDIENTS
466 g. dark chocolate, chopped (about 2 2/3 cups)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, heat the chocolate and butter until completely melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract; whisk until well combined. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir together and set aside. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Drop scoops of about 1½ tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside and the dough has lost its sheen. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack when firmly set, and repeat with any remaining dough, if necessary.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were so yummy! They were very light and the mix of semisweet and white chocolate chips gave them a great flavor. My husband said they reminded him of Sour Cream Cookies his grandmother used to make when he was younger. I will have to make these again!

Adapted from: "Chocolate Galore" by Caroline Barty

INGREDIENTS
1.5 sticks of butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used semisweet chocolate chips)
2 oz white chocolate (I used white chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheet. Beat butter & sugar until pale & fluffy, then beat in egg & vanilla. Sift the flour & baking powder together & beat into mixture. Add chocolate (chopped or chips) & stir until mixed. Place 5-6 rounded tablespoons of mixture onto baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between as they will double in size. Bake for 12-15 min until golden. Let cool 2-3 min, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Rebels

My friend Muffin got me a chocolate baking cookbook for our Secret Santa party and I thought it was about time to try a couple of recipes from it. After making the batter, I tasted it and it seemed to be missing something. I grabbed a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and dumped some into the batter. I think it gave the cookies what I thought was missing! I can't say exactly how much I added, probably about a cup. These were tasty, but the second cookies I made from this book were wonderful...

Adapted from: "Chocolate Galore" by Caroline Barty

INGREDIENTS
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
1.5 sticks butter
1 egg beaten
4 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional, the recipe didn't call for it)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl mix oats, flour, cocoa, sugars & salt. In another bowl mix butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well. Add chocolate chips if desired. Place tablespoons of cookie mixture at regular intervals but not too close together on a nonstick baking sheet at bake 12-15 min. Turn onto wire rack to cool completely.

Amazing Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Oh my God, these were so good! My favorite of the Christmas cookies that I baked this year! Though these can have to baked around Christmas - they may be added to a staple recipe of mine. I didn't toast the coconut since I was being lazy - I had so many other cookies to bake! I also omitted the pecans, since I'm not a fan.

Adapted from: http://www.cookiesonfriday.blogspot.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, toasted (I didn't toast it)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped, toasted (I omitted)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, corn syrup, and vanilla. Beat until combined. With the mixer running, mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. With a large spatula, stir in the coconut, white chocolate, cranberries, oatmeal, and pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, until edges are golden and top of the cookie is dry but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely