Pumpkin Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

The pumpkin shortage is finally over here in Missouri. I picked up four cans of pumpkin, just in case. That should hold me over until fall baking is through. ;)

Also, I was going to get a new camera this week, but the one I want is not actually out yet. When I do get it, I am hoping that my photos will be much better. :)

Pumpkin Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies



When I saw these cookies here at Erin's Food Files, I knew I had to make them. I LOVE butterscotch chips, and while I don't like the taste of pumpkin in some things, it was not overwhelming in these cookies. They also had a fantastic, chewy texture that I adored. Another thing I loved about this recipe was that it made five dozen cookies, meaning I only had to double it to make enough for Walter's office (I usually have to triple or even quadruple recipes).

Ingredients
-1 cup butter, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 cup canned pumpkin puree
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 cup chocolate chips
-1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter mixture, beating well after each. Add vanilla and pumpkin and mix well.
5. Add flour mixture to batter in thirds and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips. Chill batter if desired (I chilled mine for about twenty minutes, and it made it much easier to work with).
6. Drop batter by large Tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for two minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Apple Butter Cookies

Fall has wormed its way into my head and won't get out. Everything I make has to be spiced and autumnal, or I will explode.

Cinnamon Apple Butter Cookies



These cookies were meant to be spritz cookies, but I fought with my cookie press a lot and couldn't get it to work, so I added about 1/2 cup more flour and turned them into cutouts. This worked just as well, and they made lovely pumpkins and maple leaves.

I found the recipe here at Wilton's site. They were spiced and autumnal, soft on the inside with just a little crunch on the edges.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup apple butter
-1/2 cup butter, room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 egg yolk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
If making cutouts, add 1/2 cup flour

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream apple butter, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg yolk, vanilla, cinnamon to butter mixture and mix. Mix in flour until well combined.
4. FOR COOKIE PRESS: Roll dough into logs and fill cookie press. Using desired shapes, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. FOR CUTOUTS: Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut shapes using desired cookie cutters, rerolling scraps.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool for two minutes on sheet. Remove from cookie sheet and continue to cool on a baking rack.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shortbread Cookies

I missed two weeks of cookies for Walter's office because of my illness, but now I'm on some great medication and ready to bake up a storm!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shortbread Cookies



I decided I wanted to make these cookies late last week. I saw an ad for Smuckers Uncrustables PB&J Sandwiches, and I had an idea to make a cookie out of everyone's favorite childhood sandwich.

I'm considerably lazier than I sound, so I went recipe hunting. First, I found this recipe. I tried it, but the cookies all spread horribly, to the point that they were inedible. The reviews mentioned none of this, so I was very confused. I am not sure if I did something wrong or not.

So, I decided I'd use the idea of drizzled peanut butter and apply it to another thumbprint recipe. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, and it had a load of good reviews and ratings. The biggest difference between this one and the other one? Eggs. I am pretty sure the eggs are crucial to hold these cookies together. So, this second recipe was the one I went with, and then I drizzled them with Wilton's Peanut Butter Candy Melts.



Ingredients
-3/4 cup butter, softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 egg yolks
-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor (I used 1/4 cup strawberry preserves and 1/4 cup grape preserves and filled half with one and half with the other)
-Wilton Peanut Butter Candy Melts, for drizzle



Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a
medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and egg yolks.
3. Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
5. Press your thumb into the center of the cookie ball to make a well. Fill the hole with 1/2 teaspoon of preserves.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
7. Melt peanut butter candy melts and drizzle over cooled cookies.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am starting to struggle to find new cookies every week for the office. Soon I will have to start doing repeats.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies



These cookies were great. Soft and chewy on the inside, like a brownie, but crisp and delicious on the outside. I also think they'd be great for the holidays if you subbed mint chips for white chocolate chips.

I found this recipe here at Allrecipes and made a couple of changes that were suggested in the reviews.

Ingredients
-1 cup unsalted butter
-1 cup white sugar
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
-2 eggs
-1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-2 cups white chocolate chips
I also added an additional 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Mix in vanilla.
3. Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined. Fold in white chocolate chips.
5. Drop batter by rounded tablespoon onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Cookies will still be very soft but will firm up after 3 to 5 minutes. Once firm, move to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Vanilla Spirals

Last week, Walter was in Chicago on business. His office missed my baking, so I am back again!

Chocolate Vanilla Spirals



These are called "Icebox Spirals and Bull's-Eyes" in Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook (which is where I found the recipe, of course). They are delicious. The chocolate is very subtle but definitely there, and they're so fun to make! The recipe also made Bull's-Eyes (vanilla with a chocolate center), but I thought the spirals looked better, so I made all spirals instead.

Ingredients
-1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
-1 3/4 cup sugar
-2 eggs plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten (white separate from whole eggs)
-1 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup whole milk
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-5 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add whole eggs and salt and mix until combined. Add milk and vanilla.
3. Add flour slowly and mix until a firm dough forms.
4. Separate dough into two equal parts. Add cocoa powder to one part and mix until combined.
5. Roll out doughs. To form bull's-eyes: Roll 1/4 of the chocolate dough to a 12-inch rod about 3/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm. Roll half of vanilla dough to a 12 by 4 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Brush with egg white and place chocolate rod along length of vanilla dough. Roll dough with your hands and enclose chocolate rod. Trim excess. Refrigerate until firm (I froze mine).
6. To form spirals: Roll out remaining chocolate and vanilla doughs on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into two 9 by six inch rectangles. Brush egg white onto top of each rectangle. Place vanilla dough on top of chocolate dough. Starting on one long side, roll up dough. Gently press and pinch edges to seal. Refrigerate (or freeze) until firm.
7. Cut cookies from logs into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Strawberry Walnut Streusel Cookies

I must say, sending sweets every week has made me quite popular with Walter's co-workers.

Strawberry Walnut Streusel Cookies



These cookies came from the Reader's Digest 1,001 Cookie Recipes cookbook. I altered the recipe a bit because I found that it didn't quite suit me normally. I had to add about 1/4 cup more flour to the dough to make it stiff enough to roll, and the streusel topping was a bit bland, so I added more cinnamon and some sugar. After my changes, these cookies were quite good.

Ingredients
For the streusel:
-2/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1 Tablespoon finely ground almonds (I used walnuts, hence the name)
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/3 cup butter, cut up
I also used 1 Tablespoon sugar and an additional 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

For the cookies:
-1 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/4 cup)
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup butter, cut up
-2/3 cup ricotta cheese
-1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar (For this, I just used 1 teaspoon vanilla with 1 Tablespoon sugar)
-1/3 cup strawberry preserves



Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare streusel: Combine flour, walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. For the cookies, sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in ricotta, vanilla, and sugar to form a stiff dough. Form dough into disc and chill for thiry minutes.
5. Roll dough to thickness of 1/4 inch and cut into 2 1/2 inch shapes. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.
6. Heat strawberry preserves over low heat until thin. Spread over each cookie. Top with streusel.
7. Bake cookies for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and the edges are beginning to brown. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar if desired.

Banana Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

I bought some walnuts recently, and I don't remember why, so I am using them for things until I remember.

Banana Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies



This recipe was in Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook, which I am loving so far. The cookies were perfect--moist, not too banana-y, not too chocolatey. I loved them and ate four before they got sent to Walter's office.

Ingredients
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose flour for both measurements)
-1 teaspoon coarse salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 cup butter, room temperature
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
-1 egg
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 banana)
-1 cup rolled oats
-8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
-1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour(s), salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add banana.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
6. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets about two inches apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown and just set. Cool on wire racks.

Lemon Dinosaur Cookies

Tomorrow is Walter's birthday. We have guests from out of town staying with us until tomorrow evening, so I did not have time to make the cake I had planned on. However, our guests went into the city for some sight-seeing today, so I whipped up some cookies.

Lemon Dinosaur Cookies



These cookies are Walter's favorites. I used this recipe and substituted lemon extract for the vanilla extract.

Wilton's Fluffy Boiled Icing



It occurred to me while baking the cookies that I had no powdered sugar, so I whipped up this icing instead. It was a little gritty, but for a sugar cookie icing, that is not really an issue. Instead of the 1/2 cup water, I used lemon juice to give it that fantastic lemon flavor.

Ingredients
-3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
-1/2 cup cold water
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-1/2 cup water (I used lemon juice instead)

Directions
1. Beat meringue powder and 1/2 cup cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes.
2. Mix sugar, corn syrup and water (or lemon juice) in saucepan. Bring to boil and cool slightly.
3. Slowly add corn syrup mixture to meringue, beating until stiff and glossy.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Once, I mistakenly purchased corn meal instead of cornstarch. And so, I wanted to find a way to use it.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies



This recipe came from the book "501 Cookies" by Gregg R. Gillespie. These cookies were very chewy, and they didn't have much lemony flavor without the glaze. They were very sweet, though, which was nice. However, I probably wouldn't make them again. Also, they were the first cookies that didn't get completely finished at Walter's office, so that should say something about the recipe.

Ingredients
-2 3/4 cups flour
-1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
-2 Tablespoons canola oil
-3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
-1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
-1 large egg white

For glaze:
-3/4 cup powdered sugar
-2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and oil. Beat in the applesauce and lemon juice.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold into applesauce mixture.
5. Gradually blend dry ingredients into applesauce mixture. Chill for up to two hours.
6. Drop dough by spoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly colored. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
7. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Pour over cooled cookies.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Last week, I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Not a new recipe, but I realized that I have far too many oats that need using up. A coworker of Walter's recommended that I use fruit in the cookies one week, so I decided to give it a try.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies



These had a good taste, but I thought they had a sort of strange, gummy texture. Walter said they tasted okay. They were very moist and fell apart easily.

I found the recipe here at Allrecipes. I was originally going to add dried cherries as well, but I did not buy enough of them, and my car is currently non-functioning.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup margarine, softened (I used butter)
-1/2 cup honey
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose flour)
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
-1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
-1 apple, cored, peeled, and chopped
I also added 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine/butter, brown sugar (if using), honey, egg and vanilla until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice.
4. Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and chopped apple.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 or until light golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spritz Butter Cookies

I've had a cookie press for nearly a year. This is the first time I used it, but I LOVED it, so I think it will get much more use.

Spritz Butter Cookies



I found this recipe here at Allrecipes. The only real complaint I had is that it was nearly impossible to get the cookies off the sheet without breaking them unless they were actually below room temperature. So I stuck the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes before trying to remove them. I thought they were a little dull on their own, so I drizzled the cookies with white and milk chocolate. I also threw some chocolate cake bites in because I know how much Walter's co-workers love them.

Ingredients
-1 cup butter, softened
-3/4 cup white sugar
-3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
-1 teaspoon almond extract
-3 cups cake flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
I also added melted chocolate and white chocolate.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg yolks and almond extract. Mix until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually sift into the butter mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Chill dough for 1 to 3 hours, or until firm.
5. Using a cookie press, press out cookies onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely on cookie sheet. Drizzle with chocolate if desired.

Chocolate Amaretto Meringues

I do not like baked goods. Those of you who read my blog regularly know this by now. The only ones I really like are brownies. Well, I have just discovered another treat I love: Meringues. I had never had one before, but I nearly ate ALL of these. They are so amazing, and I want to try every meringue recipe in existence now. And eat all of them.

Chocolate Amaretto Meringues



Hey, look at that, a cookie recipe from Reader's Digest's Cookies: 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes from around the World that actually worked out the way it was supposed to! These were originally called cinnamon meringues, but while the cinnamon definitely comes through, I think the almond extract comes through much more, as does the chocolate, so I changed the name. I like changing names of recipes. Walter likes for the name of the treat to very much describe how it tastes so people will know what they are getting at the office.

These are perfect. They were easy, delicious, and pretty. And delicious. I recommend them 1000% to anyone. I did have one problem: The recipe said to cook them for 50 to 60 minutes, but mine were done after about 30. I don't know if my sizing was off or what. Maybe my oven temperature is off--need to get an oven thermometer and check. However, it has never been off before, so I am not sure. The other meringue recipes in the book say 20-30 minutes, so I am not sure. I would say to check them after about 20 minutes, and if they are not done, leave them in there.

This recipe makes about 30 cookies.

Ingredients
-2 large egg whites
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup sugar
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy.
3. Switch mixer to high speed and gradually add sugar to egg whites, and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Fold in remaining three ingredients (I gave it a quick beating with the mixer to help combine the cocoa powder). Fit a pastry bag with a 1 1/2 inch star tip and fill pasty bag with batter.
5. Squeeze generous rosettes of batter about 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 50-60 minutes (Like I said, it only took 20-30 minutes for me) or until crisp and dry to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through for even baking. Cool completely on baking sheets.

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My goodness, what a name. And the name Martha gave it wasn't any shorter...geez.

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies



These were originally called Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies. See? Still long. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook. Overall, it was a good cookie, but I found that if I chilled the cookies and rolled them as small as she said to, they came out TINY. They hardly spread at all, and I do not want cookies that small. Still, they tasted good. After the first two batches I got the size thing down.

And then...after looking at the recipe, I don't know what I was thinking, but I know why they did not turn out like she said they would. There is no baking powder in her recipe, and there is light brown sugar. I put baking powder in and forgot the brown sugar. So, I guess that's why they aren't at all like the picture. My goodness, I am embarrassed. But not really, because they still taste fine.

I guess I will post MY recipe, as opposed to the one it was supposed to be.

Ingredients
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
-2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Combine butter and peanut buter. Add sugar and mix until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until combined.
6. Fold in chocolate chunks. Refrigerate dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Roll dough into 2-inch balls and flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden in color. Cool on wire racks.

"The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

Taking a break from the grueling task of the Winnie the Pooh shower cake (it will be beautiful when I finish, at least, but woooow am I tired of working on it) to make Walter's office its weekly snack.

The Chewy



This is Alton Brown's recipe, and a quite popular one. It'd be even better if it made any sense. Everyone I know that has tried it has had different results. Me? I doubled the recipe. The second time I made the recipe, the cookies turned out like the ones above. The first time, they looked like this:



All of them tasted good, so Walter's office is not shorted, but it confuses me that they did not all turn out the same. I DID chill the second batch, but not the first. That could have something to do with it. Regardless, this was an okay recipe, but I don't think it will replace my Better Homes and Gardens one.

Ingredients
-2 sticks unsalted butter
-2 1/4 cups bread flour
-1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used table 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
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt the butter. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
3. Add the sugar and brown sugar to melted butter. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed with an electric mixer. Add the egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the sheet halfway through and checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Easter Sugar Cookies

Easter is next weekend, but my sister and her boyfriend only have his daughter this weekend, so my parents are having an Easter egg hunt for her. I thought some Easter cookies would be a fun treat.

Easter Sugar Cookies



These are delicious and buttery and fantastic. I got the recipe here from Dinner and Dessert. I did not use the royal icing. Instead, I used a modified version of this icing. Instead of mint extract, I used vanilla and colored some pink and some blue. I used Wilton's Icing Writers and some spring sprinkles for details.



Ingredients
-1 cup butter, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 large egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/2 cups AP flour and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons cake flour)
-2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a small bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl beat butter until soft and smooth. Add in sugar and combine.
4. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients. Beat until just combined.
5. Roll to 1/3 inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes.
6. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 6 to 9 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Orange-Glazed Honey Crisps

Since the last cookies turned out to be biscuits, these were a backup. I cooked the second two batches a little darker than I meant to, but they are certainly still edible. Ugh. What a day for baking.

Honey Crisps



I got this recipe from Reader's Digest's Cookies: 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes from around the World. They are sweet, but they are not as crisp as perhaps the recipe wanted them to be. Maybe I did not roll thin enough. Regardless, they tasted good, although they did not taste much different to me from regular sugar cookies (however, I was apparently incorrect...see below).

Ingredients
-2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups plus 4 Tablespoons cake flour and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1/3 cup butter, softened
-2 Tablespoons water
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-2 teaspoons honey
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2 Tablespoons milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients except milk in a bowl and mix until dough is formed. If necessary, chill dough for 30 minutes.
3. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into squares and reroll scraps until dough is all used.
4. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart and brush with milk. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Orange-Honey Glaze

When Walter got home and tested them for me (my cookie palate is pretty pathetic...all cookies taste the same to me, and I do not like them), he told me that they do not, in fact, taste like sugar cookies. They taste like "nothing," he says. Well, they certainly don't taste like nothing, but this caused me to think that they are not good enough for the office. And so, I decided to whip up a quick and easy orange-honey glaze with which to ice them.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-1/2 Tablespoon hot water
-1 Tablespoon orange juice
-1 Tablespoon honey
-1 teaspoon orange extract

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour over cookies.

Cinnamon Graham Cookies

I wonder if Walter's co-workers love me yet. This is week four of sending tasty baked goods to the office. So far, I have heard no complaints.

Cinnamon Graham Cookies



This week, I may hear a few complaints. These cookies are good, but I overbeat the first batch, leaving some of them a little flat. Not so flat that they are not delicious, but not the best I have ever done. Still...they are good. They taste almost identical to snickerdoodles to me, but I can taste a hint of the graham cracker, which sets them apart. I found this recipe here at Allrecipes.

Ingredients
-2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons cake flour)
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 2 teaspoons)
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup butter
-1/4 cup white sugar
-1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first five ingredients and set aside.
3. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla and mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and stir until combined. Drop dough two inches apart by rounded spoonful (I used a 1 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon) on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are brown.

Caramel Krispie Treats

Rice Krispies are a staple of childhood. Believe it or not, this was my first time making them in my adult life.

Caramel Krispie Treats



This recipe is pretty standard, as far as I can tell. I used the recipe on the side of the Rice Krispies box, and I doubled it for good measure (any leftovers can be sent to the office). Of course, I am sharing the standard recipe, not the doubled. These only exist because of an impulse buy I made a couple of weeks ago. I was in the grocery store and saw these:




And I picked them up, knowing that I could make SOMETHING with them that would be delicious. They also had a chocolate variety, but I was not as excited about those, so I did not grab any. I apologize that the picture is just of the empty bag--I forgot to photograph them until I had already melted the mallows.

These tasted like caramel corn--but better, in my opinion (and Walter's). I am going to be bringing them to my father-in-law's 50th birthday party tomorrow.

Ingredients
-3 Tablespoons butter (I used 4 Tablespoons)
-6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
-1 10-ounce bag marshmallows or 4 cups mini-marshmallows (I, of course, used 1 10-ounce bag of caramel swirl marshmallows)

Directions
1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir in marshmallows and melt, stirring often, until completely smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in Rice Krispies. Stir mixture until fully combined.
4. Press Rice Krispie treats into a foil-lined, greased 9 x 13 pan.
5. When cool, cut treats into squares and serve.

Butter Pecan Cookies

I love to bake, as you probably know by now. However, I do not eat many baked goods, as I do not like sweets much, and Walter does not believe that cookies are great for his waistline (he is probably correct). To remedy this without wasting food or stopping baking, I have started sending baked goods to work with Walter. This works fantastically--I still get to bake, but I don't have to worry about the food being wasted!

Butter Pecan Cookies



I got this recipe from Martha Stewart. The cookies were crunchy and crumbly in just the right way, and had just enough pecan taste without overpowering. The recipe makes twelve cookies, so I tripled it (but will post the measurements for just the single recipe).

Ingredients
-3/4 cup pecans
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast pecans until aromatic, about six minutes. Let cool and chop finely (I put them in the blender until they were nearly a dust).
3. Cream butter and sugar until light, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.
4. Separate dough and roll into twelve balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on a baking sheet about three inches apart. Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake until golden brown, about fifteen minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on sheet for about two minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My cousin requested cookies. I asked him what kind, and he asked for the traditional favorite. And so, here they are.

Chocolate Chip Cookies



I got this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup shortening
-1/2 cup butter
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces (I used milk chocolate chips)
-1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (filberts) (optional) I ommitted.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
3. Add the brown sugar, sugar, and baking soda and beat until combined.
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
5. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces and, if desired, nuts.
6. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
7. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.