Mommiedaze

Cookie of the Week: I Give Up On This One

So they sounded good in theory.

Carmel Apple cookies.

Perfect for fall right?

I tried two different recipes. One two weeks ago, one today. Neither recipe worked. The caramel burned before the cookies were done. The caramel stuck to the pan even with no-stick cooking spray and parchment paper.

I say caramel baked into a cookie just isn’t a good idea.

I guess I should have taken photos of my disasters, but I was so frustrated I just scrapped the mess off the baking sheets and right into the garbage.

I made a brownie mix tonight to snack on instead. Easy, no fail.

Off to look for next week’s recipe.

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Cookie of the Week: Some Science behind the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Well there was no Cookie of the Week post last week, because I tried a new recipe and it was a complete disaster.

This week, at my husband’s request, I made old tried and true Chocolate Chip cookies. Now I know everyone probably already has a favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. The one I use is the one my mom always used, and I think from the back of the chocolate chip bag.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Cream together sugar, margarine, shortening and eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

I’ve learned two tricks to making these cookies over the years that improved them.

First, I started replacing all the butter and shortening with Butter Flavor Crisco.

Ever make cookies with butter or margarine, and find that they can really spread and come out flat? That happens because the butter or margarine melts too fast during the baking process.

Butter, margarine and Crisco or shortening are all fats. When the fat in a cookie melts in the oven, it releases moisture that the heat turns into steam. The steam helps the cookie rise. But it also pushes the cookie outward if there’s too much steam released before the dough has set. When you use Crisco the steam starts to release at about the same time the cookie starts to set. That gives you a nicely raised cookie that holds together.

For flavor it does have to be Butter Flavor Crisco. Plain shortening would affect the taste of the cookies. You can substitute Butter Flavor Crisco for butter or margarine in almost any cookie recipe. I use it to make biscuits too.

The other thing I’ve learned about Chocolate Chips cookies is that the type of cookie sheet you bake them on is important. I’ve used coated non-stick, Air-Bake and baking stones, but the sheet that gets the job done best is a thick aluminum baking sheet like professional bakers use. Nordic Ware make a great half-size professional grade aluminum baking sheet you can pick up for around nine dollars at discount department stores. It’s worth investing in a couple.

Aluminum heats up quickly and distributes heats evenly so that all the cookies bake at the same rate. A thicker sheet allows the cookies to cook through, and brown on tops and bottom at the same time. Dark, coated sheets brown the bottoms too fast. Usually you either end up with burned bottoms or raw middles. Air-Bake sheets are supposed to not burn the bottoms of cookie by using an insulating pocket of air. But I find they they can take to long to brown the cookies on bottom, or never even brown then at all. If you leave the cookies in the oven waiting for the tell-tale brown edges you can end up over-baking them. I don’t like the stones because they take too long to warm up. They can double the baking time in some cases.

Baking is really just a bunch of chemical reactions triggered by heat. If you learn a little bit about the science behind it, you can use it to make some of your favorite recipes even better. Or even make up your own.

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Cookie of the Week: Snickerdoodles

Well, I’m in a car on my way to Knoxville, TN right now. This is coming to you via the magic that is Autopost. I made some Snickerdoodles to take with us to snack on in the car. I figure they taste better, and are a little more wholesome than the junk available at gas stations and rest stops.

Snickerdoodle Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

From All Recipes

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Cookie of the Week: Molasses Ginger Cookies

Oh, these are yummy, and they make your house smell so good! These Molasses Ginger cookies are great for fall with their sweet, spicy flavor. They go really well with apple cider. Ooh, warm cider would be even better. So cozy.

Molasses Ginger Cookie Recipe

8 tbs. butter

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup white sugar

Cream together butter, 1 cup of sugar, egg and molasses. Add all other ingredients except 1/2 cup sugar and mix well. Chill in refrigerator. Form into walnut-sized balls and roll in sugar. Arrange on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

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Cookie of the Week: Pumpkin Bars

Today is one of those late summer days that feels like fall. The air is cool and crisp, the sunlight is muted by clouds. A few leaves have even turned and fallen to the ground already. With Autumn just around the corner, I’ve got pumpkins on my mind. It’s too early in the season to break out the pumpkin pie, but how about some Pumpkin bars? This recipe is from my mom.

Pumpkin Bar Recipe

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in order. Spread in a greased and floured 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. After they cool, frost with cream cheese frosting. Then refrigerate. Slice into squares to serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar.

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Cookie of the Week: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookie of the Week is back from summer break! Whoot! I made these Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies from a recipe I found here. The cookies turned out pretty good. They aren’t quite as peanut buttery as I thought they would be. The original recipe also says they are chewy. They’re softer than regular chocolate chip cookies, but I wouldn’t really call them chewy.

I changed the recipe slightly because the original called for dropping 1/4 cups full of dough on cookie sheets. Those sounded like really big cookies, so I used the standard teaspoonful. I also reduced the baking time since the cookies were smaller.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cooking sheet.

Bake for 10 - 11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

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Summer Chillers: Classic No-bakes

I don’t know if Classic No-bake cookies are technically Chillers, but they are a great summer cookie since they only require the use of the stove for a few minutes.

Chances are you’ve eaten these, and probably even made them yourself before. But if you’re not familiar, here’s the recipe.

Classic No-bake Recipe

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

There are several versions of this recipe out there. This is the only I’ve ever gotten to work. My mom has a recipe, but I can never get her’s to turn out for me. These can be a little tricky, because if you boil the chocolate mixture to long or not long enough, it won’t harden right. If it’s too humid in your house, that can also prevent the cookies from setting.

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