week of February 6

*Oven Fajitas - super easy . . . my family ate the entire pan!

*Pizza Sandwich Melts - another delicious meal with no leftovers.  See below for recipe.

Honey Garlic Chicken with edamames and shared with friends

Vegetable and Cheese Frittata from SNED by Heidi Swanson with sourdough whole wheat bread - I used cauliflower and topped it with mozzarella cheese

Green Lentil Soup to share with a refugee family

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for community group dinner




Pizza Sandwich Melts, from One-Pan Recipes by Better Homes and Gardens:

Use ciabatta rolls.  Cut rolls in half.

Cover large roasting pan with tin foil.  Preheat oven to 350.

Line pan with bottoms of the bread rolls.  Use the following ingredients to layer on the roll bottoms:
one 12-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup thin strips green sweet pepper
3 to 4 oz. sliced pepperoni
one 2.25 oz. sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
Top with 6 oz. shredded smoked mozzarella cheese

Spread cut sides of roll tops with one 8-oz. can pizza sauce (or make your own) and place on top to make sandwiches.

Combine the following and then pour evenly over sandwiches:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Bake, covered with foil, for 25 minutes at 350.  Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted and roll tops are light brown.

Oatmeal Fruit Biscuits

I call these "biscuits" because that's what the British call a cookie.  And these are mostly like a cookie.  But in my experience, a biscuit and a cookie are not the same thing.  I would rarely choose to eat a chocolate chip cookie with a cup of tea.  But a biscuit?  Well, I find it hard to eat one without a cuppa in hand.  So in my mind, these lightly sweetened cookies are actually biscuits, primarily because they are perfectly paired with a hot mug of black tea (milk and half a sugar, please!).

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp molasses

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups diced dried fruit (I used cranberries and dates)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter, apple sauce, oil, sugar, and molasses.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, dried fruit, coconut, nuts, and baking soda.  

Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 or 4 additions, stirring just until thoroughly mixed after the last addition.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 13-17 minutes.  For chewier cookies, immediately remove from pan and place directly onto clean countertop or table surface to cool.  For more crisp cookies, let sit on pan 2-3 minutes after removing from oven and then cool on a wire rack.  Store in airtight container.

No Bake Speculoos Oatmeal Cookies

I love Speculoos - both in cookie and spread form.  Love it!  So when I saw this recipe, I expected the simple cookies to knock my socks off!  Well, they were pretty good.  But not that good.  The texture was sorta strange, almost like raw cookie dough, but more wet.  And for as much Speculoos spread as I had to use, I would choose to make these again instead (or just eat it with a spoon!).


6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup speculoos cookie butter spread
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/3 cups quick cook oats

In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk, speculoos and sugar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.  Add in vanilla and mix.  Fold in oats and stir well. Depending on your oats, you may either need a little more oats, or a little more milk. They should come together to be thick, gooey and hold their shape when placed on wax paper or a silpat.
Place rounded spoonfuls onto wax paper (or silpat) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to completely cool and help set.

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookie

I'd been thinking about chocolate chocolate chip cookies for a few days.  It was finally time to just make a batch and get on with it.  They were just as good as I thought they would be.  Yummy!


1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cups (62 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (about two cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( degrees C). 

Add butter and sugars to a large bowl, turn a hand mixer to medium speed and beat until creamy, light and fluffy.

Add one egg, then turn mixer to medium and beat until well incorporated. Add the second egg as well as the vanilla extract and beat until they are well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and the salt with a whisk. Whisk at least 6 to 10 times.

With the hand mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The cookie batter will become very thick. You only need to mix until everything has combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfulls onto baking sheets.  Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until the cookies have puffed a little and the tops are dry. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

My husband suggested our family make cookies together after dinner.  I had been wanting an excuse to try out this recipe, so we went for it.  Oh.  My.  Word.  These cookies are AMAZING.  I think I like them even better than my favorite cookies.  I probably need to do some more tasting before I make a final decision.  I'll go bake a batch now.  You should, too.  

  
11/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (you can use mini chocolate chips)



In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, mix the softened butter and peanut butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Next beat in the egg, honey, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes-1 hour, or place in freezer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once ready to bake, roll dough into 1-inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes (depends on size of your cookie) or until cookies begin to turn a tiny golden brown and crisp up around the edges. Do not overbake! Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and sprinkle cookies generously with sea salt. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely or just inhale them like I do. Repeat with remaining dough.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I had some pumpkin puree in the freezer needing attention.  These cookies were a good use!  My husband said they tasted like a muffin disguised as a cookie.  You could try adding raisins or white chocolate chips to change it up, too.


adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Cut in butter and mix until mixture is crumbly.  Stir in egg, pumpkin, oats, and nuts.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until done.

Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make a batch of these to help you get into the Christmas spirit - they were great!  The cookies were very light and a bit crumbly, but that didn't stop us from finishing them.


1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup whits sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping cup chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped/crushed candy canes


Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.  Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until all of the dry has been absorbed.  Mix in chocolate chips and candy cane.  Form spoonfuls of dough into balls, and place them 2-inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to try another recipe that used malt powder.  These were good, but flat cookies aren't my favorite.  So if you like your cookies thin and a little crunchy, my guess is you'll love these.  I would have enjoyed another batch of these bars better, but as you can see - my family didn't have a problem eating this batch.



1 cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter Softened
3/4 cups Golden Brown Sugar
3/4 cups Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1-1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup (rounded) Malted Milk Powder
1 bag (12 Ounce) Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter, then add both sugars and cream until fluffy. Add eggs and beat slightly, then add vanilla and beat until combined. Add malted milk powder and beat until combined.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture, beating gently until just combined.
Add chocolate chips and stir in gently.
Drop by teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Bake less if you want chewy cookies; more if you want crispy cookies.

S'mores Pudding Cookies

Hello yumminess!  These truly tasted like s'mores in cookie form.  Some of the marshmallows crusted on the pan while baking, so I had to wash between each batch, but it was worth the extra effort. 

• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding dry
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 sheets graham crackers finely crushed (about 1/2 cup of crumbs)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups flour (may need to add up to an additional 1/4)
• 1/2-2/3 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate chips 

Cream butter and sugars together.  Add in pudding mix and beat until well incorporated.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended.  

In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and flour until evenly mixed.  Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips and mini marshmallows until evenly mixed in.  Add more if desired (sure, why not?!).

Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes.  You want these cookies to be slightly undercooked.  It helps make them extra soft.  Let sit on pan for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  

Ranee's Gingersnaps

This post comes from a friend I've never met.  Funny how blogs can bring that about!  I'm sure you'll enjoy Ranee's recipes, starting with this one for one of my favorite kinds of cookie . . .

I began reading Angela's blog about two years ago, and have loved reading and trying many of her great recipes! It has been fun to "get to know her" a bit through the blogging world, and I was honored when she asked me to write a post while she was away!

Grandma’s Gingersnaps

When I was little, my grandma made the best Gingersnaps and it was always a treat to get to go to her house and eat these. This is her recipe and though it is simple, it makes delicious cookies that I have now learned to make as well! I figured this was the perfect recipe for Angela’s blog in honor of her newest little “gingersnap”. 

1 C. butter, softened

2 C. white sugar

1 C. molasses or sorghum

1 egg

1T. baking soda

1T. ginger

3 1/2  C. flour

Extra sugar for rolling

-Cream together butter and sugar, then add molasses and egg. 

-Combine dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture.

-Chill for several hours or overnight, then form into balls and roll in sugar.

-Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, they should be slightly crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the center! 

-These are yummy eaten warm or cold and (bonus!) they make your kitchen smell wonderful!

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Look out!  These were decadent and delicious!  I definitely played the "eating for two" card when it came to these cookie bars (I may have even pretended I was having twins and ate for three).  The salted caramel layer in the middle was a perfect addition to the already yummy and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray a 2-quart baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.  I used an 8x8 glass dish.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave caramels on High until caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Pour hot caramel over the cookie dough. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel and spread dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.

Bake cookie bars for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. It took my bars a full 40 minutes before they were done.  Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut bars into squares and serve.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies

Who says we're passed pumpkin season?  Not me!  As you can tell, these aren't the prettiest cookies (all cookies I've made with pumpkin puree tend to be soft and more cake-like in texture), but they were delicious.




2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or not).

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet. 

Cinnamon Snaps

In August, we went to Belgium and I tasted, among other wonderful things, the wonders of a cookie called Speculoos:

I'm typically a chewy cookie kind of girl, but these cinnamony wonders were crispy and had me with one bite.  I've since learned that there is a Speculoos spread!  It's as if Nutella is introducing me to its long-lost cousin!!  But back to the cookie . . . I wasn't wasn't thinking of Speculoos when I made these cinnamon snaps, but they ended up being pretty darn close!  So, of course, I loved them.  They are light, just spicy enough, snappy and addictive.  The perfect holiday cookie.  I baked one roll and kept the other in the freezer for a last-minute sweet treat with unexpected company.

• 
  
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 large egg
• extra sugar and ground cinnamon for coating

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  Set aside. 

Beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the honey, egg, and vanilla extract and beat for another minute on medium until well incorporated.  Be sure to pause halfway through to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and mix until they are incorporated into the dough and the dough is smooth.

Lightly flour a work surface and divide the dough into two equal parts. Lightly roll them out into logs about 2-inches in diameter. Place them on pieces of plastic wrap and wrap them up and carefully smooth the logs out. Place in the freezer and chill at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.  

Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside a small bowl and add some cinnamon and sugar in whatever proportions you enjoy best (I find 1/4 cup of sugar to a teaspoon of cinnamon is perfect for me, but taste and go with what works for you).

Slice the dough into 1/4-inch rounds with a sharp knife. Take each round and press one side into the cinnamon sugar you mixed earlier. Place the dough round sugar-side up. Give the cookies plenty of space as they will spread when they bake.

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until a dark golden-brown. Be sure to watch them very carefully after 10 minutes as they can burn very quickly. The cookies will puff up a bit and remain soft once out of the oven. Don't worry as they will become crisp as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Snickerdoodles

I've mentioned before my dad's expertise in the kitchen.  It's limited, but what he does, he does very well.    Snickerdoodles are one of his specialties and he said I could share his tried and tested recipe with you.

1 stick margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 3/4 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. soda

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add remaining four dry ingredients and mix until well combined.  Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Combine 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls.  Coat each ball in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees on an ungreased baking sheet until light brown, about 10 minutes.  

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

 

This was the best I could do at getting a picture of these before they vanished!  My husband volunteered to be the hand model for this one (and the taste tester it appears!).  What's not to love about Nutella?!  Personally, I like my cookies a bit more on the fluffy side, but it's Nutella we're talking about here.  I've been in a bit of a cooking funk and I was counting on this recipe to pull me out of the rut.  I think they did the trick!

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of white sugar

1 cup of Nutella

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts 

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

These weren't quite as good as the real thing, but still a delicious treat. The cookies were very similar, but I would use an icing-based filling instead of cream cheese if I were going for a true copy-cat. No matter what, my husband loved them and that makes me happy.


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/2 cup golden raisins
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown and granulated sugars, and molasses on high, scraping down bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set at edges and slightly soft in middle, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets, 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, using mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until light, 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Spread filling on flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Cookies

It was love at first bite(s) when my neighbor brought over these decadent and rich treats. I've refrained from making them myself until I knew I would have people around to share them with. I usually have pretty good self-control when it comes to desserts. One look at these lightly salted sweets and that self-control goes right out the window! A little note: It was difficult for me to get them out of the pan (perhaps because I used wax paper instead of parchment). Also, next time I will double the amount of crust - there was plenty of chocolate caramel filling.


FOR THE CRUST
4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for parchment
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL
10 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined.

Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.

Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges, and cut into 16 bars. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

Mmmm . . . these were moist and delicious! We gobbled them up while watching the Super Bowl with friends (who said they usually don't like molasses)!

3/4 cup shortening (I used butter)

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to the pan. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight.

Form into walnut-size balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. (I rotated my pans in the oven half-way through and 10min was the perfect amount of time)

Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My three day craving for a chocolate chip cookie turned into a need this afternoon. With my oldest asleep and my youngest in the Bjorn, I gathered the ingredients and went for it. It was my way of celebrating the first day of non-maternity jeans! My friend posted her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes (which included my favorite recipe!), so I decided to give one of them a try. The verdict: I still like my recipe better because I think they are a little more moist and chewy, but these were definitely worthy of being in a top three.

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm

1 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Adjust oven racks to upper & lower -middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.

Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy (about 17 minutes in my oven).

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

I saw this post on my friend's blog, which made me want to make the cookies. Rooke helped me and they were delicious!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the sugar mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. (I normally skip this because I think the cookies are sweet enough.) Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.