Cookies

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Candy corn is one of those things that you either love or hate.  I love it.  Ben hates it.

I know they’re supposed to taste like honey, and I guess they kinda do.  But they really just taste like sweet, sugary deliciousness to me.  If you’ve never tried candy corn mixed in with salted peanuts I highly recommend it; a great combination of salty and sweet.  They’re also good covered in chocolate.  You can find the chocolate covered ones at Central Market.  When I was visiting family in Austin I bought some in the bulk section.  They are evil…in a really good way.

Anyway, we have no Halloween plans.  Since we don’t have kids to take trick-or-treating and we’re not the kind of people who dress up our dog our plan is to stay home and pass out candy if we have any kids come to our house.  We haven’t spent Halloween here yet, so we don’t know how busy our neighborhood is.  I kinda hope no one comes…more Kit Kats for me!

Anyway, I get daily cookie recipes from Martha Stewart, and this is what came today.  The recipe is a small batch and I had all the ingredients so I figured I’d go ahead and make them.  They are adorable little cookies, and they taste pretty good.  So, this is how I celebrated Halloween this year.  Enjoy!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 36

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • About 36 candy corns

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.
  2. Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes too soft to handle). Place balls on baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
  3. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 9-10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Cool on sheets 1 minute; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cookie Pies

It is starting to really feel like fall here.  The evenings are cool, the leaves are starting to change and fall off the trees, and it is now permissible to make fall flavored desserts!  So, in honor of this wonderful season I bought 4 cans of pumpkin and am going a little crazy baking pumpkin desserts.

Today I made soft, almost cake-like pumpkin cookies sandwiching a smooth cream cheese frosting.  After making a few of the sandwiches I decided to simply ice the rest of the cookies.  I made the cookies a little big, and so two of the cookies with the filling just made them a bit daunting.

This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen.  Here is the link. If you look at this recipe you will notice that one tedious element is piping the cookies onto individual pieces of parchment paper.  I just used an ice cream scoop and dolloped the cookie batter onto a large piece of parchment.  This works just fine, but does give the cookies more of a mounded appearance.  I fit 6 cookies per sheet and made a total of 35 cookies.

These cookies are quite soft, and the frosting makes them even harder to transport since you can’t stack them.  So, these may be a dessert I make and serve from my our kitchen instead of trying to take them somewhere…like I did today.  Ben liked them because they were not too sweet, and my friend Jackie said they had the texture of a pumpkin bread.  They are quite good after chilling in the fridge for a few hours and eaten cold.

I think fall is my favorite baking season.  Maybe I’ll make a pie here pretty soon.  You don’t have to have a reason to make a pie, right?

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Daring Bakers: Fall Inspired Sugar Cookies

It is a miracle that this is actually going to post today.  The icing on these lovely cookies is still wet, and my fingers are dyed a nice reddish orange.  But, it is done, and it is delicious.

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Thankfully I am an old pro at this sugar cookie decorating thing.  Well, I am not a pro but I have all the necessary cookie equipment and I don’t make as many mistakes and I did when I first starting doing this.  I have an icing recipe I like and trust, and I know how long the process takes to do it well.  I could have used an extra day to really make a polished looking and impressive cookie, but the two days I gave myself was just enough time.

For this challenge we were to make a basic sugar cookie and decorate them with a September theme.  I am sure I am not the only one who immediately thought of fall and the changing seasons.  So, I decided to try something I had not tried before…marbling my icings.  I wanted to create a fall colored leaf with all the lovely red, orange and yellow hues that display themselves this time of year.  While some are better looking than others, I was really pleased with the results.  I simply dropped a few colors of icing on the cookie and spread them around with a toothpick to create the marbling.

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Triple Hot Chocolate Cookies

This recipe is from the Tasty Kitchen blog, Pioneer Woman’s recipe sharing community.  I sometimes forget to look here for recipes, but thanks to my Google Reader I am reminded to check it out every now and then when there is a new post.  The site is organized well, and is easy and fun to search through.  If you haven’t checked it out, you should.  Here is the link to the recipe for these cookies.

These cookies have three kinds of chocolate, and that is never a bad idea.  To make these cookies chocolate, you mix in hot chocolate mix instead of cocoa which creates a lighter chocolate flavor and color.  I loved the combination of different kinds of chocolate and the subtle chocolate flavor in the cookies themselves.

I had three chunks of Callebaut chocolate left over from various things I’ve made, and so I chopped that up to get my white, milk and dark chocolate pieces instead of using chips.  This process seems to infuse every bite with soft chocolate since you end up with some shards of chocolate and some chunks when you chop a block of chocolate.  The shards melt into the cookie and don’t keep shape like a chip would, so the texture is different.  If I had the $$$ to buy this kind of quality chocolate for every baked good I would use it every time.  Although, a chocolate chip cookie isn’t quite the same without Nestle semi-sweets.  So, I guess there are exceptions.

The only other change I made was to use a smaller scoop.  I used an ice cream scoop roughly equal to golf ball size.  I baked them for 9 minutes, let them cool for about 4 minutes and then transferred them to a cooling rack.  They should look just a little too soft when you take them from the oven.  These are quite treat to enjoy while still warm with a glass of really cold milk.  But not to worry, they will not disappoint you if you eat them the next day.  Enjoy!

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Buttery Jam Cookies

A good friend of mine makes jam every year and brings me a few jars when we see each other.  It is so much better than store bought!  The last time she was in Amarillo, she brought me 2 jars of blueberry jam.  I used one of those jars in these cookies.

These cookies are delicate, cake-like in texture, and are not overly sweet.  This recipe is from TWD, Tuesdays with Dorie.  Members cook their way through Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I am not a member of this baking group, but after trying this recipe I may decide to join when they start accepting new members!

I only made slight changes to this recipe.  I drizzled some glaze on the cooled cookies and added sliced almonds to half of the batter.  I would consider pecans next time.  When I mixed in the jam it just didn’t look like quite enough, so I added a little more.  I ended up mixing blueberry jam with a little strawberry rhubarb and the combination was nice.  You really can use any kind or combination of jam, so this is a truly versatile recipe that you can adapt to your personal taste.

These would be perfect with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea, and I even think you could pull off eating them for breakfast.  Enjoy!

Buttery Jam Cookies

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp. whole milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup jam (any flavor)
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place two racks in the oven, one in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar (on high speed) for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat on high speed for an additional minute. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the jam and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients, with the mixer on low speed, just until they’re mixed in. Stir in almonds here if using.  The dough will be extremely thick and stiff.
  4. With a an ice cream scoop or a teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets, forming cookies that are about 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches in size.
  5. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the trays from top rack to bottom rack halfway through.
  6. Once baked, let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two and then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.  Drizzle with glaze if desired.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Aren’t these yummy looking?  It doesn’t hurt that I put them on my cute new summery tray!

These shortbread-like cookies are rich, buttery, full of pecans and covered in a lovely layer of sweet powdered sugar.  They are a bit crumbly and I found them to be a bit dry as well.  But the flavor of these cookies is great and they are a fun little treat.

A few things I would do differently next time.

1) Make them smaller.  I used a large cookie scoop and rolled them into large balls…a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball.  I would go smaller and reduce the baking time.

2) Toss them in sugar twice.  I only tossed them once and only after a very slight cool from the oven.  I would toss them once warm, and then again after they had cooled completely.  The sugar got kinda sticky because of the heat from the warm cookie.

3) Add more cinnamon.  The recipe didn’t call for any, but I added 1/2 teaspoon.  I would double…or maybe even triple…that amount.

One good trick is tossing the cookies in a ziploc bag filled half way full with powdered sugar.  This keeps things from getting too messy in your kitchen.

This recipe came from a good friend, and it was given to her by a great aunt.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • powdered sugar

Directions

  1. Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy.
  2. Add the vanilla and beat.
  3. Add the flour, cinnamon and pecans and mix well.
  4. Pat the dough into a round, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour or until firm.
  5. Remove from the fridge and form the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
  6. Bake at 325 F for 15-20 minutes.  Do not let them get too brown or they will be dry.
  7. Roll the hot cookies in powdered sugar and let cool completely.
  8. Roll them once more in powdered sugar before serving.

Circus Cookie Taste Test

Mother’s Circus Cookies are one of the most fun and delicious packaged cookies you can buy at the store.  How can you resist these sweet animal-shaped cookies covered in white and hot pink icing and rainbow sprinkles?  Well, you probably can’t resist them…unless for some crazy reason you have never tried them, or, even more shocking, tried them but did not find them irresistible!

A few years ago, these delicious cookies were on the verge of extinction when Mother’s Bakery closed.  Thankfully, Kellogg came along in 2008 and started making the cookies with the original recipe!  I love these cookies.

I saw a bag of them the other day, and broke down and bought them.  A little later while in the store, I saw a bag of Animals Frosted Cookies made my Keebler.  I was interested to find out which was better, so I bought those cookies also.

Here are my findings and analysis of the two cookies.

In this photo, the top 2 cookies are Mother’s and the bottom 2 are Keebler.

Appearance:  Mother’s have brighter colors, while the Keebler cookies are more pastel in hue.  Both have sprinkles, but Mother’s has more sprinkles per cookie.  Mather’s are smaller in size than Keebler.

Texture:  The cookie textures Are similar but Mother’s are a bit crunchier.  The frosting texture is softer on the Keebler but also waxier.  Mother’s has a firmer exterior of frosting that lacks the waxy aftertaste.

Flavor: Mother’s cookies ware a tiny bit sweeter, but the cookies were pretty similar aside from the waxy frosting.

The Verdict:  Mother’s wins, no question.  They are definitely the better cookie in every category and are just tastier…in my opinion, anyway.  When given the choice, choose Mother’s.

Chocolate Chunk Pudding Cookies

In college a friend gave me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that uses pudding mix in the dough resulting in an extra soft and tasty cookie.  Of course I lost the recipe in one of the 4 moves I’ve made across Texas in the last 5 years.  I came across this recipe this past weekend and decided to see if they were like Ashley’s.

I found the recipe on Kraft foods website. Here is the link.

They were not quite the same, but they were good.  I used some high quality milk and white chocolate in these cookies which made them extra special.  Good chocolate really does make a difference.  Chopping off a block of chocolate instead of using chips also makes a difference in the texture of the chocolate in the finished cookie.

I used half butter and half shortening in these, which makes the cookies more sturdy and causes them to spread less, but I will use all butter next time.  Some cookies can take the half shortening short cut without much of a sacrifice of flavor….but not this cookie.  For some reason they tasted too fake to me and too much like a grocery store cookie instead of a homemade one.

All of that negativity doesn’t make these cookies at all un-tasty.  I really liked how soft and chewy they were and absolutely loved the white and milk chocolate chunks.  Crazy good.

Chocolate Chunk Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 taespoon baking soda
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 6 ounces chopped milk chocolate
  • 4 ounces chopped white chocolate
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Beat butter, sugars, dry pudding mix and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended.
  3. Add eggs and baking soda; mix well.
  4. Gradually add flour, beating after each addition until well blended.
  5. Stir in chocolate.
  6. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
  7. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool 3 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookies

An undeniable craving for oatmeal cookies struck me last week.  I rummaged through the baking cabinet…yes, I have a cabinet filled almost exclusively with baking goods and gadgets…and found a bag of peanut butter chips.  Mmm.  Then I went to the pantry and was drawn toward the jar of creamy peanut butter and the container of roasted peanuts.  Peanut butter oatmeal cookies were calling to me.  I toyed with the idea of adding some dark chocolate chips, or maybe some crushed pretzels, but in the end all peanut was the way to go.

I looked at a few regular oatmeal cookie recipes for some basic ratios and then changed and added as I thought necessary.  My final recipe is below.  There are a few things I might tinker with in the future, but these cookies were very good.  They have a nice full peanut flavor, a good contrast of salty and sweet, they are crunchy yet chewy, and delicious.

Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups oats
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

  1. Beat together butter, shortening and peanut butter until smooth.
  2. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, powder and salt.
  5. Mix in flour mixture  until just combined.
  6. Add in oats, peanut butter chips and peanuts and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
  7. Spoon dough onto baking sheets using a large scoop (2-3 tablespoons) about 1 inch apart.
  8. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
  9. Let cool on pan for a minute or two, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.