Chocolate Butter Cookies

Jonah and I are making cookies pretty much every Sunday afternoon or evening lately. This week he asked if we could make chocolate cookies. I thought that sounded a little bland.

“Chocolate chip cookies?” I suggested.

“No, chocolate cookies.”

“How about no-bake chocolate cookies?”

“Just chocolate cookies,” he insisted.

So I decided to use the “Fourteen-cookies-in-one” recipe from my Joy of Cooking. It’s a basic cookie recipe which you can vary slightly in any number of ways. Joy of Cooking includes a variation for a basic chocolate cookie. Well, it’s a chocolate-cinnamon cookie; but, as I often do on Sunday nights when I’m tired, I forgot an important ingredient featured in the name of the cookie. This time I forgot the cinnamon, so we just made plain chocolate cookies.

To add some interest, and a bit of a challenge, I decided to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters. I haven’t used cookie cutters in years, and when I did it was mostly under my mom’s supervision, so I was looking forward to the chance to develop my own skills in rolling and cutting cookies—and teaching Jonah how to do it too.

I dug out my cookie cutters from the back of a kitchen drawer and from a tin in a cabinet above the stove. Most of the cookie cutters were Christmas-y, but I did find some round biscuit cutters, a teddy bear cutter, and a rabbit cutter.

After chilling the dough, I rolled it out, which turned out to be tricky. The dough kept getting stuck to the rolling pin. I don’t know if I needed to flour the surface more, or the rolling pin, or what. But eventually I did get it rolled out, and Jonah helped me cut the cookies. Finally, I used candy sprinkles to give the bunnies and teddy bears eyes.

When the cookies were done, Jonah and I thought they looked great, but Chris was a little taken aback by the eyes.

“Wasn’t that a cool idea?” I asked.

“Little creepy,” he said.

After supper, we all tried the cookies. Neeley took one bite, spit it out, and cried “Icky!” Lately he has no interest in my cookies. Jonah liked them; he ate the one I gave him as well as Neeley’s. I liked the cookies too—they weren’t bland at all, and they reminded of something I’d tasted once.

When Chris tried a cookie, I asked him if they reminded him of anything.

He thought for a moment.

“You know,” he said, “I think they taste like Annie’s Chocolate Bunny Grahams. Only softer and—well, better.”

That was exactly it! This cookie tastes like Annie’s Chocolate Bunny Grahams. Only better, which is probably because of the two sticks of butter in this recipe.

That’s why I’m calling them Chocolate Butter Cookies.

And the next time I make these, I’m going to use a cow cookie cutter I found when I was putting the other cutters away and call them Chocolate Butter Cows.

“Fourteen-in-one” basic ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ pound unsalted butter cut into 14 pieces, at room temperature (that’s 2 sticks)
1 cup superfine sugar (you can also pulse granulated sugar in a food processor for 1 minute)
½ teaspoon table salt
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

To make them into chocolate cookies:

1 ounce melted semisweet chocolate (I used cocoa and oil)

¼ cup cocoa

½ tsp cinnamon (optional—because they taste good even if you forget the cinnamon)

On medium speed, mix butter, sugar and salt until fluffy. Add egg yolk, whole egg, vanilla and melted chocolate (or wet chocolate mixture) and mix until well blended. Reduce speed to low and add flour and dry cocoa slowly until well combined. Divide dough in half, wrap and refrigerate until firm. (At least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Dough may also be frozen for up to a month.) Preheat oven to 375 degree F and prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

On a well-floured surface, roll dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut cookies with cookie cutters. May re-roll scraps one time. Any scraps left over at this point should be rolled into balls, placed on a cookie sheet, and flattened. Place cookies on baking sheets and place sheets into oven (one on lower rack, one on upper). Bake for 6–10 minutes, rotating sheets half way through baking (watch closely for browning).

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats – Careful with the Coating, and Hold the Fake Almond Extract

Because I bought a giant tub of Skippy Peanut Butter a couple of weeks ago and hadn’t opened it yet, and because I had two unopened boxes of Rice Krispies sitting on top of my refrigerator—both of them a year past the “Best if used by” date—this Wednesday I decided it was time to make some Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats.

Yes, I did just say the Rice Krispies were a year past the “Best if used by” date. And that’s right, I wasn’t afraid to use them. Neither box had been opened. Also, that date doesn’t represent a food safety deadline; it’s mainly a taste guideline. After opening one of the boxes, I tasted the cereal and decided it would work just fine for Rice Krispie Treats, even if we are a bit past October 2009. And I would hate to throw those boxes away.

I expected making Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats to be a simple task, and for the most part it was. However, I was a little dismayed when I poured the Rice Krispies into my butter, marshmallow, and peanut butter mixture, intending to “stir mixture to coat well,” and discovered that the mixture immediately hardened to the point where I couldn’t stir it at all. I tried my best, but the mixture I pressed into the pan most definitely had areas with LOTS of marshmallow/peanut butter coating and other areas with very little coating.

Maybe next time I should add a little less cereal (and consequently, press the mixture into a smaller pan). I could, of course, add more marshmallows, but that would mean opening a second bag and not using all of it. I think using two full bags would really be overdoing it.

I added ½ tsp amounts of both vanilla and almond extract to the mixture. The almond extract was imitation almond extract, and I could really taste it in the finished treats. Chris said he couldn’t taste the almond extract at all, and he gobbled up his treats after dinner; but in my opinion there was just too much fake almond extract taste present for me to be completely happy. Next time I will add vanilla only.

But, if slightly uneven coating and a somewhat noticeable fake almond taste are the worst of my problems, I think I can call this one a general success. I’m sure some people have had Rice Krispie Treat crises that put my problems to shame. I think I had such a crisis once myself—seems like several years ago I managed to burn the butter and marshmallow. And I think that may have been the last time I tried making Rice Krispie Treats. Well, I’m back on the bandwagon now.

The recipe I used:

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

2 Tbsp butter

1 package of marshmallows

½ cup peanut butter

6 cups Rice Krispies

½–1 tsp of vanilla extract and/or almond extract (optional)

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add marshmallows. Stir frequently. As marshmallows are melting, add and stir in vanilla and almond extract if using either. When marshmallows are melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in peanut butter until it is completely melted and mixed in. Pour in Rice Krispies and coat well. Spread mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and let harden. Cut into squares and serve.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies taste a whole lot better when you remember to add the chocolate chips. Last week I had every intention of making them but forgot the chocolate, but this past Sunday I redeemed myself by making them correctly.

I used a “reduced fat” recipe from my Joy of Cooking book. I think the full fat version uses all butter, no vegetable oil (and also no corn syrup). All butter would have been yummy, but I think I need to guard myself from becoming too comfortable using large amounts of butter too often. If I ever need to go on a diet again, I’m going to need the discipline to put down the stick of butter.

You want to know what’s odd? I’ve been baking a few times a week for a couple of months now, and I’ve actually been losing a little weight. I think this is partly because I’ve been eating more home-cooked food and less processed food, and also because I’ve been eating so many apples. Whatever the reason, I can afford to eat a few cookies, especially ones including oatmeal.

I think it’s obvious to everyone who’s talked to me lately that I’ve been obsessed with oatmeal and with apples this fall. How could I not be? They’re both healthy and delicious. Hey, if any of you share my feelings for apples or oatmeal, send a comment my way. Maybe not everyone wants to hear about how much you love oatmeal, or why you sometimes drool over a good apple, but I want to hear.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Reduced Fat)
from The Joy of Cooking

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick spray.

Whisk together thoroughly:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Beat on medium speed until well blended:

¼ cup corn or canola oil

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/3 cup light or dark corn syrup

1 tablespoon skim milk

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Stir into the batter:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use reduced-fat chips if desired)

Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the oats can absorb some moisture. Stir in the flour mixture; the dough will be slightly soft. Drop the dough by heaping measuring tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, spacing about 2 ½ inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are tinged with brown all over and the centers are just barely firm when lightly pressed, 7 to 10 minutes; be careful not to overbake. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool. (I use wax paper instead of a rack.)

Cookie Scorecard: Wins 2, Losses 2

Over the past two weekends I’ve tried several kinds of cookies and had success with only two of them. I’m not happy with a 2-2 outcome, and one of those wins was a close call, so I’m determined to better my cookie winning record this month. Here’s how it went down:

Blondies – Win

I remember my mom making blondies when I was growing up. I found the idea fascinating—blonde brownies. What an idea!

Last weekend I made my first blondies using a Joy of Cooking recipe. I added chocolate chips because Chris always wants me to do that, and that’s just about the only way to get Jonah to eat a cookie. The recipe didn’t include chocolate chips but I stirred in ½ cup just before spreading the batter in the baking dish. These turned out really yummy, and required me to do something I hadn’t done before—brown butter before mixing it with sugar. Apparently that increases the carmelizing effect. Ah, I love anything carmelized.

Peanut Butter Cookies ­– Loss

I’m pretty much done with this recipe, which I failed at this summer too, although I may try it one more time without Splenda. It’s a very simple recipe—just one cup of peanut butter, one cup of flour, sugar, and an egg—that I tried because it’s one that’s easy for Jonah to help me bake.

When I made this in July, I overcooked them because they never, ever browned on top and I kept letting them go just a couple more minutes. They were hard as rocks. This  time I took them out when the recipe said to and didn’t’ worry about browning. They weren’t over-cooked, but they were terribly crumbly, and my husband and father-in-law could taste the Splenda. I think it utterly nauseated my father-in-law. But Jonah ate them. Probably because he made them.

Brown Sugar Cookies – Win

I wanted to replicate a brown sugar cookie my friend Lisa made for me when my first son was born four years ago, although I didn’t have her recipe to work with. These were a close call but ultimately came out tasting great even though I don’t think they looked or tasted just like Lisa’s.

I made them on a Friday night when I was tired from a long week. The recipe was a challenge to me, as it was my first try at a non-drop cookie. The recipe makes a cookie dough that can be rolled into a tube and refrigerated or frozen, then sliced into cookies. My plan was to prepare the dough Friday night and bake the cookies on Saturday. Well, after the dough was all done and put in the refrigerator, I noticed the baking soda sitting on the counter, and suddenly realized I had forgotten to add both baking soda and salt. I got pretty angry at this point. Finally, after some moments of complaining, yelling, and slamming dirty dishes around, I took Chris’s suggestion and pulled the dough out of the refrigerator, smushed it, and folded in the baking soda and salt, then reformed the rolls of dough. Then I sliced up one of the rolls into 24 cookies and baked a batch to make sure they tasted okay. Lo and behold, they did! I served them at a church children’s ministry meeting on Sunday, and they disappeared.

I made one creative experiment with this recipe that did NOT backfire. The recipe called for both brown sugar and white sugar. I used the amount of brown sugar called for, but for the white sugar I actually used half white sugar, half demerara sugar, a granulated raw/brown sugar. As a result, several of the cookies had pretty brown carmelized sugar streaks on the top.

Honey Molasses Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – Loss

I made these before as monster cookies with M&Ms, and this time I wanted to make them with chocolate chips because Chris requested some chocolate chip cookies. They are made with whole grain white flour, and they’re not your typical oatmeal cookie.

And apparently they don’t taste that great when you leave out the chocolate chips.

That’s right. I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips. I completely forgot them. I don’t know how I managed to do that, since it’s the most important ingredient of a Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Now, I like a good oatmeal cookie, but I think that the addition of chocolate is best for this particular cookie, which is a little dry and grainy baked at the recommended time without anything special added to the oatmeal and whole grain flour for taste and texture.

The cookies might have been a little better tasting if cooked for less time, but it wasn’t until they were already done that I realized what I’d left out. Now they make me think of stereotypical “health” cookies.

I’ve got to tell you, it’s pretty depressing realizing late on Sunday night that the chocolate chip cookies you’ve just baked and have been promising yourself and everyone for lunch during the week are actually NOT chocolate chip cookies.

Next weekend, I’ve got to redeem myself.

The Chicken that Wouldn’t Cook – And Cookies to Mend the Ego

The Chicken

It should not be so hard to roast a chicken.

But last night, there I was, standing in my kitchen at 5:30, long after I thought the chicken was going to be done, yelling, “It’s never going to be done!”

My family didn’t really share my concern. Chris told me to calm down (which prompted a loud explanation on my part of why I didn’t need to calm down), and Jonah said, “Mom, you should not talk like that!” He always thinks I’m being naughty. But I was really worked up. “I put this chicken in the oven at 3:45,” I shouted. “We should be eating it right now!”

“Give it 15 more minutes, okay?” Chris suggested.

So I did, although it was a long, long, wait for me. And this time, when the timer went off and I checked the chicken, it was done. After approximately two hours. Then, because I wanted to serve something I felt good about, I made a gravy to go with our chicken and the rolls.

This time I blame the recipe, which recommended I roast the chicken, covered, at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. During the final 15 minutes of the long two hours, I checked my Joy of Cooking, which said to bake a five-lb chicken for about 1 hour and 10 minutes at 400 degrees. That’s right—400 degrees, not 350. Next time I’m trying the same time at 400 degrees.

No-Bake Cookies

Besides the gravy, there was one other bright spot in my culinary efforts last night. During the first hour and 15 minutes the chicken was baking, I had a craving for some cookies, so I decided to make some chocolate no-bake cookies since that wouldn’t require use of the oven. I used creamy peanut butter instead of chunky, and I cut back the amount of sugar slightly. Chris ate four cookies, and Jonah ate two (even though he said he didn’t like them, because he was hoping to get something else as a treat in addition to the cookies). Poor Neeley wouldn’t eat one at all. He was feeling sick to his stomach and feverish.

I am still waiting for one time when I can make a roasted chicken without any problems, but at least I went to bed last night knowing I didn’t screw up no-bake cookies. Because that would be embarrassing.

Success — Sort of Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Saturday I tried a new recipe for oatmeal cookies, and they actually turned out great! They were called “Healthy Oatmeal Cookies,” but I added M&M’s because Chris’s birthday is tomorrow and I thought we’d all enjoy some pre-birthday Monster Cookies.  The result was delicious.

I made the cookies with white whole wheat flour and honey I’ve had in the cabinet a long time but hadn’t even opened. I thought about leaving out the molasses but picked some up at Walmart so I could try the recipe with the molasses at least once. (And I’m glad I did–I like the taste.) I also was able to use up some of the M&Ms we got “for free” from Chris’s mom, who sent them home with the boys a couple of weeks ago. I baked them for the minimum time suggested by the recipe and baked them on wax paper instead of directly on the cookie sheet, something I’d never tried before.

The recipe is below.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (with Honey)

Dry ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
• 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Nutmeg (optional)

Wet ingredients

• ½ cup honey (or try 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup brown sugar)
• ½ cup oil (corn or olive; you can also use some applesauce to replace some of the oil if you wish)
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses (maple syrup may work as substitute, or you can leave out entirely if you use brown sugar with honey. Note: brown sugar can substitute for molasses: 1.5 c brown sugar=1 c molasses)
• 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp water. Note: one cook has substituted half a banana, mashed and beaten, for the egg)
• 1 tsp Vanilla (may use additional ¼ tsp if desired)

Yummy ingredients (optional)

• ½ cup raisins, other dried berries, or chocolate chips (more if desired)
• ½ cup walnuts (optional—or add more if desired)
• ½ cup Shredded carrots or zucchini 

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Hint: when measuring out honey, spray measuring cup with oil or baking spray so your honey won’t stick).
3. Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn’t binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.
4. Cool the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.
5. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press with fork to ensure even cooking. Alternatively, make as bar cookies, spreading dough out in a pan.
7. Bake for about 15–20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze very well and make a great snack! Enjoy.