Butterscotch Molasses Cookies

Three kids - three different schools - dance - band- piano- first lego league - youth and government - youth counsel  - and one husband out of town mmmm lazy cooking days.  I fell back to our old regulars since we had only about a half an hour between breathing and running out of the house to our next activity.  The one-day of exception, September 11^th, we made some cookies and brought them to our local firehouse.

 

cookies or a practical joke

 

Butterscotch Molasses Cookies

From Maida Heatter’s

Book of Great Cookies

adapted  

1 1/4 (5oz) butter room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour

1t baking soda

1/4t mace

1/8 t sea salt

1 egg room temperature

1/2t pure vanilla extract

sugar

~ melt the butter in a heavy 3 quart sauce pan over moderate heat

~ add the sugar and molasses and stir until the sugar is medlted

~ bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then remove it from the heat

~ cool to room temperature about 20 minutes

~ sift together the flour, baking soda, mace and salt - set aside

~ add the egg and vanilla to the cooled butter mixture and beat with a wooden spatula until smooth

~ gradually add the sifted dry ingredients and beat with the wooden spatula until smooth

~ using a small cookie scoop create small balls

~ refrigerate balls for an hour or so

~ preheat oven 375

~ roll the ball in sugar

~ smash down on cookie sheet 1 to 1 1/2" apart

~ bake 7-10 minutes

~ the cookies will be slightly soft and as they cool will crisp up

~ cool on cookie try 4 minutes

~ transfer to wire rack

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The other night we decided to stay up late and watch Duff Goldman's new show on Food TV, Sugar High featuring Los Angeles eateries, yum!  We could not wait to make the chocolate chip cookies from Auntie Em's Kitchen after all Terri Wahl said it too some time to perfect the recipe and the description sounded like cookie heaven.  Three and a half cubes of butter put me off a bit but I forged ahead.

The critics:

The biggest finicky eater, “too much sugar”

The oldest of the youngsters “ I liked how thin the cookies was and the cookie taste”

The middle finicky eater, “ yummmmy, I loved them!”

And the pickiest finickiest wee finicky eater, “they were good.  I am just use to your normal cookies…can you make them today?”

Me, I am not thrilled with all of the butter and sugar; although, cookies, desserts and so on are an indulgents so… Also for some reason they taste a bit eggy to me and you know I hate eggs. 

 

Update 24 hours later…

Yesterday, I only made about 12 cookies and left the rest in the freezer wrapped in wax paper.  Today the cookies I baked had a more defined caramel flavor (not over sugar taste of yesterday) and more chew, much better to me.

******************* UPDATE ******************

The cookies held up wonderfully in the freezer.  For weeks, I took out a few and baked them.  The kids loved hot fresh cookies.

lots and lots of butter - not to mention tons of sugar

water and vanilla

equals a very loose dough

after and hour in the refrigerator I was able to form balls

all wrapped up and ready for the freezer

as one ages their eyes go and the little print on my toaster oven doesn't help so broil looked like bake... oh my Mickey burnt to a crisp

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Terri Wahl, Auntie Em's Kitchen

Duff Goldman - Sugar High

adapted

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup water room temperature

2 1/4 cups white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 pound dark chocolate or chocolate chips

~ in a stand mixer, cream the brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes

~ add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated

~ mix in 1/3 cup of water and the vanilla

~  in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda and add to the butter mixture. ~ mix on low until the flour mixture is incorporated, and then mix in the chocolate pieces

~ put dough into refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours

~ scoop out the dough and either onto the parchment lined cookie sheet or put each scoop onto a strip of wax paper and roll to cover and freeze for an hour-(24 hours for better cookies – you can transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer zip lock bag and use as needed)

~ preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with paper

~  the cookies will spread, so limit 4 cookies on you first sheet to see just how many will fit and adjust other sheets (I baked 4 cookies per sheet in my toaster oven)

~ smush/flatten cookie onto cookie sheet

~ bake until golden brown, mine took 7 minutes the original recipe calls for 15 to 20 minutes and  rotating the trays halfway through

~ remove from the oven and cool

~ remove the cookies with a flat spatula to prevent breaking

~ place on a paper towel (removes a bit of oil)

Cookie Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maybe it is because I am always listening to the radio in the kitchen (and sing aloud) or perhaps it is the barrage of questions thrown at me (my head spins), but once again I read the recipe wrong.  My bad…that ended up as my good – well the original recipe calls for only1/2 cup of chips to be processed with the oats.  I saw half of the chips, oops!  My error caused the cookies to be chocolate chocolate chip cookies…yum…happy tummies all around.

Did you happen to catch the new show on Food TV, Sugar High with Duff Goldman?  Oh my, the thin crispy chocolate chip cookie from Terri Wahl -Auntie Em's Kitchen is next on my cookie baking adventure.  Tons of brown sugar and flat crisp and soft cookies – a dream come true!

Cookie Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Tish Boyle

The Good Cookie

adapted due to my brain

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¾ cup rolled oats

15 oz chocolate chips

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2  tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

~ sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl

~ in the bowl of the food processor, combine the oats and 1 cup of chocolate and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds

~ stir the oat mixture into the flour mixture and set aside

~ in the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed until fluffy and light about 2 minutes

~ beat in the eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl

~ mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined

~place dough in refrigerator for a few hours

~ position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375C
~ line baking sheets with parchment

~ with a mini ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of dough and arrange them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet

~ bake the cookies for 12 – 15 minutes until just golden brown, rotating half way through to ensure even browning

~ transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely

~ makes about 45.

 

Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Cookies

 

 I am not a baker.  Bakers are artist of taste and chemistry.  It is all about the chemical reaction.  I can follow a recipe but I don't dare change anything but the add-ins.

Cookies, cookies scream my young'ins.  

This recipe reminds me of a cookie I ate as a child.  We bought delicious cookies from a local factory, yum.  The chocolate sugar cookie and the sandwich cookie with the hole in the middle (where we would push our finger through to eat the creamy filling goodness) were my favorites. We loved these cookies.

Are you excited for the start of Bravo's Top Chef Just Dessert??  Our calendar is marked August 24th.

Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Cookies

From Jacques Torres
 nothing changes, why mess with perfection?

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

Pinch of salt

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons cold milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg white

1/2 cup granulated sugar

~ in a food processor, pulse the flour, cocoa and salt

~ add the butter and process until sandy, about 3 minutes

~ add the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla extract and process until a firm dough forms

~ transfer the dough to 2 sheets of plastic wrap and form into two 7-inch logs, about 1 1/2 inches thick

~ wrap in plastic and refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

~ preheat the oven to 350° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds

~ line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper

~ beat the egg white in a small bowl

~ sprinkle the granulated sugar in a 7-inch square on a sheet of wax paper

~ brush the logs with the egg white and roll in the sugar, pressing to help it adhere

~ cut the logs into 1/4-inch slices and transfer to the baking sheets, about 1/2 inch apart

~ bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until just firm to the touch; shift the sheets from ~ top to bottom and front to back halfway through for even baking

~ transfer the baking sheets to racks to cool

Snicker Doodles

My favorite cookies with a dash of cinnamon sugar and a good amount of butter, how can you go wrong?  I do prefer the soft and squish over the cake like, but really I snicker for any doodle.

Crunchy cake like delights are quick and easy to make.  I put the cinnamon sugar in a large measuring cup and tossed the cookie balls in it to create a perfect coating.

Snicker Doodle

from Alice Medrich

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy-Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies

3 cups (13.5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
2t cream of tartar
1t baking soda
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 pound (10.5 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup (10.5 oz) plus 2T sugar
2 large eggs
2t ground cinnamon

~ preheat oven 400
~ combine flour, tartar, soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine
~ beat butter and 1 1/2 cup sugar until smooth and creamy
~ beat eggs in butter mixture until just blended
~ add flour mixture and mix low speed until just incorporated
~ gather dough and either put in large measuring cup covered with plastic wrap (what I did) or gather into ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
~ refrigerate until firm at least 30 minutes
~ mix remaining sugar with cinnamon in small bowl or large measuring cup
~ form 1 inch balls of dough
~ roll or toss in cinnamon sugar to cover
~ line cookie sheets with parchment or grease
~ bake for 10-12 minutes ( she suggests rotating half way through but I did not)
~ cool on baking sheet for about 4 minutes and then transfer to rack until completely cooled
~ store in air tight container for several days

English Toffee Cookies

President's Day vacation, sleeping in and cookies - what could be more perfect?  I scoured my shelf for a book and decided on Sweets for Saints & Sinners, an ominous title for a cookbook.

 

I decided on a cookie and my assistances nodded with approval.  One element we found missing from the original recipe, chocolate.  Really is there such a thing as English Toffee without chocolate?

We sprinkled chocolate chips on the cookie base and in two little birds mouths, payment for work well done.

English Toffee Cookies

from Janice Feuer & Veronica di Rosa's

Sweets for Saints & Sinners- Desserts & Other Delectable Recipes

 adapted

1/2 lb unsalted butter room temperture
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg separated at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1t ground cinnamon
1/3 cup or more toasted almonds sliced or cut
1/3 cup or more semi sweet chocolate chips

~ preheat oven 350
~ line a baking sheet (11" x 16") with parchment paper and butter with bits from butter wrapper
~ cream butter and sugars until smooth
~ add yolk and mix thoughtly
~ mix in cinnamon and flour until just incorperated
~ dump dough onto prepared sheet
~ press dough into shape, apply light sprinkling of granulated sugar to hands if too sticky
~ lightly beat the egg white
~ brush some of the egg white to cover surface of dough
~ sprinkle dough with almonds and chocolate chips
~ place in oven 15 - 20 minutes until browned on top
~ after 5 minutes of baking open oven and spread melted chips across dough, if you would like
~ remove from oven and cut while hot into diamond shapes while hot (ha ha that is what the recipe says - We used a pizza cutter and it got all mucked up so ours were a variety of shapes and sizes)

 

Fabulous with a tall glass of milk

Spritz Cookies

 

I was feeling rather delusional the other day when I spotted this recipe for spritz cookies.  Oh yeah, I thought, a breeze with my salton electric cookie press that has been sitting in my cupboard unused since I purchased it 4 or more years ago.  I misplaced the instruction book, no problem.  How difficult could it be?

love my egg separator makes being lazy easy

What got me to this place was a cookbook I just picked up at our library's used book sale,  The Old Fashioned Cookbook by Jan McBride Carlton.  I popped it open and noted comments made by the previous owner.  Each one was more negative then the last.  Did I buy a dud?  Quickly I googled the book and to my delight ever other owner loved the book and was disappointed that it had never been reprinted. (ha, someone is selling it on amazon for $100, mine 99 cents!)  While reading the reviews one noted their love of the sour cream cookies and I decide to give it a go, that was until I saw the spritz cookie and thought I could best the LA bakeries on Fairfax.  My kids love those cookies with the sprinkles and dollops of chocolate.

light and fluffy

The cookies were great not quite the same as the bakeries and the cookie press only took me 2 hours to some what master.  The first disk I used gave me a doo-doo looking cookie.  Finally, I realized I need to take one part out and press 3 seconds for the first cookie and 2 seconds for those that followed.  I still have some funky bits on each cookie, but hey it all tastes the same.

ha ha see all of the funky bits!

Spritz Cookies

from Jan McBride Carlton

The Old Fashioned Cookbook

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2t baking powder

1/2t salt

1 cup unsalted butter softened 

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks (save egg whites for wash)

2t vanilla

sprinkles

~ preheat oven 375 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper

~ sift or whisk together first 3 ingredients

~ cream the butter

~ add the sugar gradually and continue creaming until light and fluffy

~ beat in egg yolks and vanilla

~ add dry ingredients low setting until fully incorporated

~ put in cookie press and press away 

~  brush cookies with egg whites and sprinkle with sprinkles (I missed this hence the lack of sprinkle hold on mine)

~ bake 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned

 

Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies

The December issue of Cooking Light Magazine arrived at my door.  While flipping through it I spotted cookies, hmmm cookies light?  Really?  Butter, brown and white sugar makes for a light cookie?  Not so light but ginger lemon sounded divine and the pinwheel looks so awesome!  It took me three days from start to finish because 9pm is not an ideal time for cookie baking.  

Mixed reviews, I liked the doughy molasses flavor.  Other comments, too doughy, spicy start but taste good once you swallow it, mmm lemon.

my perfect imperfect roll

ready to go in the oven

Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies 

from Cooking Light Magazine

Ginger dough

1/4  cup  unsalted butter, softened
1/3  cup  packed dark brown sugar
1/4  cup  molasses
1  large egg yolk
6  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
3/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
Dash of ground allspice

Lemon dough:

5  tablespoons  unsalted butter, softened

2/3  cup  granulated sugar

1  large egg white

2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind

3/4  teaspoon  vanilla extract

6  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/3 cups)

1/4  teaspoon  salt

~ to prepare ginger dough

~ place 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined (about 3 minutes)

~ add molasses and egg yolk; beat until well blended

~ weigh or lightly spoon 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife

~ combine 6 ounces flour, ginger, and next 4 ingredients (through allspice)

~ stir with a whisk

~ add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined

~ wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes.

~ to prepare lemon dough
~ place 5 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl
~ beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 3 minutes)
~ add egg white; beat until blended
~ beat in rind and vanilla
~ weigh or lightly spoon 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife
~ combine 6 ounces flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt
~ add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined
~ wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes
~ unwrap ginger dough
~ roll ginger dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 8 1/2–inch rectangle (3/16 inch thick)
~ chill 10 minutes
~ unwrap lemon dough. Roll lemon dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 9–inch rectangle (3/16 inch thick)
~ chill 10 minutes
~ carefully stack ginger dough on top of lemon dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge
~starting with the long side without a border, roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion
~ seal edges (do not seal ends of roll)
~ cover with plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes.
~ preheat oven to 350°.
~ unwrap dough. Cut with a sharp knife into 40 slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Reshape rounds, if necessary
~ arrange slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper
~ bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 8 to 9 minutes or until set and lightly browned
~ cool on wire racks

Thin Crisp Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Magically disappearing cookies, just see for yourself.  Bake them.  Turn your back and suddenly "poof" they are gone.  I ask my three mice, "Did you just eat the tray of cookies?".  "No","no" and "no" they quip.  Must have been our friendly ghost Fred.

"Mom the lady who talks like a cowgirl ate raw eggs on her cooking show.  I thought you told us not to eat raw eggs.."   I assume she is referring to Paula Dean.  Don't you love the world through a child's eyes and yes I told them not raw cookie dough.  Amazing that all of us survived years of raw cookie dough.

 mix until just combined

add chips and refrigerate

bake and they will disappear

Thin, Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies

from The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition

by Cook's Illustrated Magazine

adapted

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) unbleached all purpose flour

3/4t baking soda

1/4t Himalayan pink salt

8T (one stick) unsalted butter melted and cooled

1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed  (2 1/3 oz) light brown sugar

2T light corn syrup (before measuring add a little oil to your teaspoon and syrup will just drop right off)

1 large egg yolk

2T half and half

1T vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips

~ whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl until combined

~ mix melted butter , both sugars and corn syrup at low speed until thoroughly blended about 1 minute

~ add yolk, milk and vanilla mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute

~ scrap sides of bowl as needed

~ with mixture running at low speed add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined 

~ DO NOT OVER MIX

~ add chocolate chips and mix on low speed until evenly distributed 5 seconds

~ refrigerate 4 or more hours

~ preheat oven 375 set rack middle

~ line baking sheets with parchment paper

~ scoop out a ball about 1 1/4" and place on prepared sheets about  2" apart 

~ bake until golden 9-12 minutes

~ cool on baking sheet 4 minutes

~ cookies my appear puffy but will flatten as they cool

Shortbread

Thanksgiving a day to watch Macy's Parade and feast, but I must confess we are West Coast and prefer The Rose Bowl Parade.  Two years ago we went and saw the floats up close.  A highly recommended activity.  

Cookies Cookies we want cookies!  Well twist my arm and make me use my new shortbread molds.  I confess I screwed up this recipe but luckily caught my error.  The wording of ingredients seems odd.  The butter is listed in sticks and cups hence this cookie is a delicious heart attack.

Shortbread

from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

adapted

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4t salt
3/4 cup plus 2T confectioners' sugar

~ preheat oven 325
~ butter cookie molds or 12" by 8" rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper leaving 1" over hang
~ whisk flour and salt in a small bowl
~ beat butter until fluffy on medium speed in mixer with paddle attachment 3 to 4 minutes
~ add confectioner's sugar and beat until light and very fluffy about 2 minutes and scrap down bowl as needed
~ add flour salt mixture and beat on low speed scraping down when needed until just incorporated
~ should look like a soft cookie dough
~ using a small offset spatula evenly spread dough evenly on mold ( and press I learned this when my detail was lacking) or baking sheet
~ refrigerate 15 minutes
~  prick dough all over with fork
~ bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown
~ transfer to wire rack
~ if using a baking sheet cut cookies while hot leaving in pan while cooling
~ put in air tight container
~ keep at room temperature for up to a week