Spumoni Cookie Sandwiches

September 29, 2010 by
 
This recipe has been sitting in “to post” pile for awhile now, I’m not sure how I forgot to post it right away!   I made these this summer, and since fresh cherries are harder to come by I thought about waiting until next summer to post this, but I couldn’t wait that long! If you can’t find fresh cherries, I would substitute maraschino cherries, or even leave them out completely and just have the chocolate and pistachio. They would still be quite delicious!  These cookies are so easy to throw together, and are great on their own, but when I saw pistachio gelato for sale at Costco, how could I resist?!  And since I had fresh cherries on the counter, they naturally got thrown in the mix.  If you don’t have gelato available where you are, no worries- just substitute ice cream.  I guess this is a good way to say farewell to summer in my book! 
 
SPUMONI COOKIE SANDWICHES
 
To assemble:
Chewy Chocolate cookies (recipe below)
pistachio gelato (I bought mine at Costco)
Fresh Cherries
chopped pistachios
 
CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES:
1 1/4 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa or carob powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts, optional (I usually use walnuts, but I used pistachios for this purpose)
 
Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend well. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Blend well. Add nuts if using.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I use my silicone baking mat for best results).  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Don’t overbake- they will be soft.  They puff during baking and flatten upon cooling. 
Cool on cookie sheet until set, about 1 minute.  Cool on a wire rack.
 
TO ASSEMBLE SANDWICHES:
Place a scoop of pistachio gelato (I used my small cookie scooper) on half of the cookies.
Place half of a pitted cherry in the middle of gelato, then top with another cookie, pressing slightly.
Serve as is or roll sides of cookie sandwiches in chopped pistachios.  If you aren’t serving immediately, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in freezer.
Filed Under: Cookies, Ice cream

Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 30, 2010 by
 
Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? If you raised your hand, put it back down, I don’t believe you.  If you’re trying to get your family eating healthier, this is the best way to start.  After all, who would turn one of these down?  They may be whole grain, but the only thing people think when they eat them is how good they are.  The whole wheat gives a great heartiness, while the oats keep them light.
And bonus? They freeze well too!
 
WHOLE GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Recipe from http://www.everydayfoodstorage.net/
 
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups white whole wheat flour*
4 cups oatmeal, blended in blender to make oat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. chocolate grated (not needed but adds flavor- I don’t usually add this)
 
Cream the butter and sugars together.
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the remaining ingredients. 
Drop by tablespoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheets, bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
*Sometimes called spring wheat as well.
 
To freeze: Put a few cups of batter in a cookie sheet, smooth out in an even layer about 1″ thick. Seal and freeze.  When ready to bake, just cut bag open and use a chef’s knife to cut into 1″ cubes. Bake as usual.
Filed Under: Cookies, Freezer, Whole Grain

S’mores Cookie Sandwiches and S’mores Kisses

June 24, 2010 by
 
Hello, world peace award.  Usually I’m not one for being the center of attention, but after creating this cookie recipe, I do believe I deserve it.  I mean, just look at them..
mmmm. Better than any s’more I’ve EVER had. (And I camped alot as a kid!)
Homemade soft marshmallow, honey grahams, and milk chocolate.
And look! They have cute little cousins too!
WHAT?! You say there is no world peace award given for cookies?!
Are you sure?
Positive?
Drat.  Well, I might as well share the recipe anyways.
 
 
S’MORES COOKIE SANDWICHES and S’MORES KISSES
Recipe by My Stained Apron 
 
 
GLAZE:
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 T shortening, optional
 
 
For S’mores Kisses:
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip with fresh marshmallows.
Pipe onto graham cookies.
(I just held tip over the middle of the cookie, pressed on bag to pipe marshmallows, and released pressure and lifted up.  It will kind of ooze over to the edge a bit.)
Let set for an hour or two.
Melt glaze over low heat, or microwave for a minute or two at 50% power, stirring ever 30 seconds.
Take one cookie at a time and swirl marshmallow side down in the chocolate, making sure the chocolate goes to the edges of the cookie.
Set on wax paper or a silicone mat for chocolate to set up.
I’ll try one, you know, just for you.
FOR S’MORES COOKIE SANDWICHES
Smear fresh marshmallow on half of the graham cookies, then top with the other half of the cookies.
Press evenly for marshmallow to spread in between the cookies.
Dip cookies completely in chocolate glaze, and use a fork to retrieve and set on a silicone mat or wax paper to set up.
 
These freeze quite well too. Just let them thaw for a bit before enjoying. And if you want to CHEAT, then use store bought graham crackers and marshmallow fluff. And NO, they will NOT taste ANYWHERE near as divine. I promise.  : )
Filed Under: Cookies

Graham Crackers

June 21, 2010 by
 
I’m not a huge graham cracker fan.  While I use them in some recipes and they’re a good snack for the girls, they really leave a lot to be desired in my opinion.  And if you read the label you might be surprised at how many ingredients are in those simple little crackers.  And while the box says “Honey Grahams” they contain more corn syrup than honey.  So I’ve experimented until I made my solution.
These crackers are everything they should be.  Flavorful, crispy, just the right amount of honey flavor, healthy, and really easy.  And a bonus- If you keep them in an airtight container (I use a big freezer container), they will keep for a couple of weeks at least.  And feel free to leave off that sprinkling of sugar on top if you like, or try it both ways to see which you like.  And check back this week and I’ll show the most amazing cookies I made with them…
GRAHAM CRACKERS
printable version
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white wheat)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar, optional
1 T cinnamon, optional
 
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together.
Using a pastry blender, cut in butter. (You could also do this in a food processor, just pulse until incorporated.)
If needed, rub butter between your fingers until butter pieces are smaller than peas.
Using a fork, stir in honey and brown sugar.
Add milk and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
Knead until smooth, dusting with flour sparingly.
Dough will be a little sticky. ( I use a bowl scraper to scrape up off the counter if needed)
FOR TRADITIONAL SQUARES:
Divide dough in half.
Pat dough into rectangle and place on 12 by 16 inch silicone mat*
Place plastic wrap or wax paper on top.
Roll dough out, working from the middle out, trimming at edges if needed.
Cut dough into about 3″ squares with a pizza wheel and dot with a fork dipped in flour.
Place silicon mat into a large baking sheet.
If desired, sprinkle with granulated sugar. (mix with cinnamon if desired.)
Bake at 350 degrees for about 18-22 minutes, until browned.
The longer they cook they more crispy they will become, so keep that in mind.
Repeat with second half of dough.
 
 
FOR COOKIES:
Follow directions for making squares, up to cutting into squares.
Using cookie cutter of choice, cut out desired shape. ( Use the same shape so they cook at the same rate.)
Peel away extra dough in between shapes.
If shapes are smaller, bake less. (My 2″ fluted circles took about 12 to 14 minutes.)
*If you don’t have a silicone mat, roll dough onto lightly greased cookie sheets. This will just be a little more tricky, especially if you have a lip on your cookie sheet.  You could turn your cookie sheet over and use the underside of your cookie sheet to make it easier.
Filed Under: Cookies

Carrie’s "World Famous" Cookies

April 26, 2010 by
 You really should make these cookies. They are SO GOOD! Carrie, my very dear friend, brought these to our Irish Dinner Party and was nice enough to share the recipe with all of us. She is a seriously good cookie maker!  She calls these her “world famous” cookies because she’s had requests from friends to send them a batch when they were serving in Afghanistan.  Carrie deserves a HUGE round of applause and pat on the back from us all for serving our country as well. Thanks Carrie for your patriotism and willingness to give so much of your life to serve our country!
You amaze me!
 
Carrie’s “World Famous” Cookies
 
 
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (cold)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips*
*You can do 1 cup milk chocolate with 1 cup semi sweet,
or 1 cup white chocolate with 1 cup peanut butter, or any combination you fancy
 
Mix together sugars, chop butter and add, mixing until butter is well blended.
Add in eggs, mixing at high speed.
Add vanilla, mix well. Add baking soda and salt, blending well.
Add flour gradually, mixing in until well blended.
Add oats and mix, then chips and mix.
Use a 1/4 cup measure to measure cookies, roll into balls and place on cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
Bake at 375 for 12 to 14 minutes or until just golden on top. (If you’re butter wasn’t cold enough they will spread out some)
For smaller cookies- drop by tablespoonfulls and bake for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 
These are my two favorite handy-dandy scoopers.
I placed a Tablespoon measure and 1/4 cup measure next to them to show you their size. I love em!
 
Filed Under: Cookies

Corn Flake Cookies

February 20, 2010 by

These are a throw back to my childhood.  And they’re also my oldest daughter’s favorite cookies.  And I love how quick and easy they are to make.  Only 5 ingredients and no baking time. I usually hate no-bake cookies.  Some are decent enough, but rarely are they as good as a baked cookie in my opinion. These however are as good as they are quick! I hope you love em too!

CORN FLAKE COOKIES

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
1 c smooth peanut butter (or chunky if you prefer)
2 c corn flakes
1/2 c coconut

Stir together sugar and corn syrup in a pot.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Add in peanut butter, stir until smooth. Take off the heat and stir in corn flakes and coconut.
Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

Filed Under: Cookies

Polka-Dot Cookies

February 13, 2010 by

I have an obsession with polka-dots.  It’s really quite sad. So when I saw this recipe I knew I needed to make them for Valentine’s day.  My girls love pigs, and I thought the polka-dot them went quite well with them.

Polka-Dot Cookies

4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c plus 2 T unsalted butter, at room temp
1 3/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
food coloring (I used pink)
Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 2/3 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, then beat in the vanilla. 
On low speed, add in the flour mixture.
Transfer half the dough to another bowl.
Beat in the remaining 1/3 cup flour and desired amount food coloring (if using) to one half.
Beat in the cocoa powder to the other half.
Shape into discs and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
Roll out doughs on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness, cut out desired shapes.
(I did pigs, my girls favorite animal, and hearts for valentines day)
Cut small circles out using the wide end of a pastry tip or a doughnut circle cutter.
I also did some hearts as well.
Interchange the 2 doughs in the cookies.

 

Sprinkle with sugar, bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
Cool on sheets for 1 minute, then finish cooling on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
TIP: I use an offset spatula when lifting cut-out cookies- it’s a life saver (and cookie saver!)

SOURCE: Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook

Filed Under: Cookies

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 10, 2010 by

Great cookie recipe.  If you like alot of brown sugar flavor, you’ll love these.  The first batch I did overcook a little and they were a bit hard when they cooled, but I made sure not to bake the rest as long and they lived up to their “chewy” claim.

THICK AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes about 30 cookies

2 1/8 c flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined.  Stir in chips.
Form dough into balls and place on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month-shaped or not, but it will get quite hard so let it warm up to shape)
Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and pufy, 15 to 18 minutes. (Start checking at 13 minutes)
Frozen dough requires an extra 1-2 minutes baking time. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Store in airtight container.
Source: Cook’s Illustrated

Filed Under: Cookies

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

January 4, 2010 by

 

OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter, at room temp
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup coarse white or colored sugar

In a large bowl, beat the butter, margarine, and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  Beat in the flour at low speed.

Roll pieces of dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll to coat well in the coarse sugar, then place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten each cookie into a 2 inch round.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

SUGAR POLKA-DOTS
Now, you know I can’t just leave things alone. So before baking, press M & M’s or Reese’s Pieces into the top of each cookie, otherwise following the directions.  And if your autistic and like to see how many little rows of M & M’s into the top of each cookie because your favorite number is 20, that’s okay too. Have a little fun!

Filed Under: Cookies

Sugar Snowballs

January 3, 2010 by

I readily admit it. I’m an old-fashioned sentimental girl.  I had scraps of a little cookbook that was my mom’s when she was little, and myself and siblings got to use as well when we were young. It was always a treasure hunt to look through and pick something to make.  All the recipe names were fun, like TV Teasers, Raggedy Anns, CrazyLeg Candies, and Chocolate Sillies.  Well, time had it’s toll and much of the little book had dissolved away. For years I’ve looked, but the front and back pages have been long gone, making it near impossible to know what to look for to replace it.  Well, I FINALLY figured out what the title of the book was and lo and behold, someone had it on Ebay! So a small amount of money later I finally have a complete book again for my girls to enjoy.  Oh, and did I mention everything in it is yummy too?

 SUGAR SNOWBALLS

 1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar (plus more for rolling)
1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla instead)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Mix butter, sugar, and almond extract together in a bowl.
Add last three ingredients.  Mix well.
Form into small balls, about 1- 1 1/2″ across. (I used my smallest cookie scooper and rolled with my hands to tighten them up.)
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (They won’t brown too much except on the bottom)
While warm, roll in more confectioner’s sugar.

makes about 18

Oh, and did I mention Lucy approves?

Yes, Lucy approves of them.   But at least she helped make them. : )



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Filed Under: Cookies