Druid Circles

Raisins are nasty.  At least that is the consensus around the Friday afternoon water cooler.  Yes, we spend our Friday afternoons very ah, productive.  This week's discussions ranged from horse jumping to Real Housewives to celery and raisins :)

I tend to agree with that raisin thought, though.  To me it is pretty disgusting to drill down into the ooey gooey center of a cinnamon roll only to find a dozen raisins all nested in there.  To The Bellman that is the holy grail.  Yes, he loves those nasty raisins.  

Druid Circles?  Well, I finally made it into the new Trader Joe's.  It took several tries, omg that parking lot!! Anyway, they have soooo many yummy things to try.  As I drooled over the baked goods table I noticed a bag of something called Druid Circles.  I was oh so curious and after reading the label I see that those are good ole oatmeal cookies.   Druid Circles = oatmeal cookies chocked full of nasty raisins = a Bellman favorite. The Bellman deserves a lil treat now and again and being that home baked is so much better than store bought,  I decided to give those Druid Circles a whirl.  I am pretty sure I'm not well versed in tasting or baking oatmeal cookies.  Remember, my not so domestic goddess mother didn't touch anything non chocolate so I've not had much exposure to oatmeal anything. After several tries and tweaks I think I have the recipe nailed down.  These are Bellman endorsed, and as he so proclaimed them "enchantingly delicious".  Like a Druid...Elf?  Even I like them, nasty raisins and all.

I'll share a couple of my secrets with you.  You hear all the time that one of the keys to good baking is to use the best ingredients you can find. I believe in that and have some favorites that I invest in.   I am in love with the organic Amish butter from Troyer Farm, good ole Nielsen Massey vanilla, Vietnamese cinnamon, cage-free organic eggs (happy chickens really do produce better eggs) and these nasty raisins from Trader Joe's.  They are plumper and not as chewy as the ones in the red box.  It's a texture thing, isn't it? 

I also really like my cookies to be crispy on the edges and chewy in the center.  To accomplish this I use a large scoop (see below) to form nice uniform mounds of dough.  I also bake the cookies until they are just barely starting to turn golden brown on the edges.  I usually let them rest on the cookie sheet 5 minutes or so before I move them to the rack.

Give them a try, ya never know!

DRUID CIRCLES (aka Oatmeal Cookies)
Yield = 24


1 C butter
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg, fresh ground
3 C oats, old fashioned
1 C raisins
1 C walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. In a 2nd bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture until combined.

3. Fold in rolled oats, raisins, and walnuts.

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

It's fall.  Yep, today it was noticeably cooler.  A brisk 92.  whoa. 
 
Yes, folks---that's sarcasm. 
 
I know I say this every year, but really this summer was one of the hottest ever in Florida.  We lost the big tree in the front yard due to a wicked bolt of lightening.  Maybe we need to plant a replacement to provide some more shade?  I am ready for cooler weather, morning drags with the dog, and baking.  I've been away from the blog for awhile.  I've missed it and am ready to get back in the kitchen, woohoo!
 
I do love snickerdoodles.  The brown butter version I did last year was pretty awesome and I didn't think I would be playing with a new snickerdoodle recipe any time soon.  However, I was intrigued when I saw the pumpkin spice versions all over Pinterest. I tried it and added the white chocolate chips.  They are crispy on the edges, soft in the middle and turned out to be really good coffee dunkers! The Bellman says, "yum"!
  
 
PUMPKIN SPICE WHITE CHOCOLATE SNICKERDOODLES
Yield:  22-24 large cookies
  
1/2 C butter
1/2 C shortening (butter flavored)
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1TBL vanilla
 
2 3/4 C flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBL pumpkin pie spice
1C white chocolate chips
 
ROLLING MIXTURE
4TBL sugar
2tsp pumpkin pie spice
3tsp cinnamon
 
1.  Cream together butter and shortening.

2.  Add eggs and vanilla.

3.  In separate bowl combine flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

4.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.

5.  Fold in white chocolate chips.

6.  Refrigerate for one hour.

7.  To create the rolling mixture combine sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Form dough into walnut sized balls (I use a medium sized scoop) and roll in sugar mixture.

8.  Bake at 375 for 11 minutes.
 
Happy Fall, Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Dip

 

Ole Ole it's Dip Day!!  Well, that is what I am calling it anyway.  This week at work we decided to kick off  the FIFA World Cup with a potluck celebration.  I'll be honest, I know nothing about soccer.  I don't even know what FIFA stands for---but I'm all in when it comes to pot lucks!   Just for fun the potluck festivities included a "bring your best dip" show down hence my name, "Dip Day".

As usual there were tons of  yummy treats to sample.  I nibbled my way through fresh salsa and guacamole, spicy chicken buffalo dips, hummus, cheese balls and tres leche cake.  Oh my!

I decided to make a cookie dough dip served with fresh fruit and chocolate graham crackers.  I do love my cookie dough, you know.  As I gazed across the Dip Table I noticed my dip was the only sweet one in a savory sea.  It seemed it was being overlooked as the first wave of tasters filled their plates with all that spicy goodness.  I was totally surprised when I later returned to the table to see my dip bowl demolished!  Woohoo! 

Anyway, later in the day as we all sat in a collective food coma the Dip Day votes were tallied and guess what?  Yep, Cookie Dough Dip rules!!!!  I was awarded a trophy and Fantasia Gardens mini golf tickets.  So, I can officially dub this my Award Winning Cookie Dough Dip....and Bellman approved :)

COOKIE DOUGH DIP

Yield: 4 Cups

 

8oz    cream cheese, at room temp

1        stick butter, at room temp

1C      confectioner’s sugar

2TBL brown sugar

2tsp    vanilla

1C      mini chocolate chips

¾ C    Heath toffee bits (I used the plain ones not covered in chocolate)

 

1.       Combine cream cheese and butter.
2.       Add confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
3.       Beat until smooth and creamy.
4.       Fold in chocolate chips and toffee bits.
5.       Serve with fruit, chocolate graham crackers, pretzel rods, etc.



Enjoy!

Cow Pie Cookies

 

Hi Ho Hi Ho back to work I go.  Yep, after a lovely long week of vacation fun with The Bellman, I have returned to a full inbox and a stack of partially handled requests. It was a fantastic week filled with all of our favorite things --eating, shopping and exploring. A week didn't seem to be enough (does it ever??) and we are already planning our next adventure.

Let's talk about these Cow Pie Cookies.  These really are just chocolate, chocolate chippers and are affectionately known around the office as cow pies.  They taste much better than they look, trust me!

 

Fudgy and dense with crispy edges and a chewy center.  The chocolate lovers loooove them.  As a self confessed dough eater I have to admit to eating more than my share right from the bowl, too. One of my favs!  The key is to mix up the chocolate. Some semi sweet and some 60% chocolate works for me.  

I made a second batch of dough today just to play around with flavors.  I'm calling this creation Black Forest cookies. I substituted 1C semi sweet chips, 1C white chocolate chips and 1C dried cherries for the 3 cups of chocolate chips.  Very tasty!  The Bellman gave them two thumbs up :)

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
YIELD: 24 COOKIES

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking soda

2 sticks butter, softened

1C sugar

1C brown sugar

2 eggs

1TBL vanilla

1/2C cocoa powder (unsweetened)

3C chocolate chips (I like to mix it up and usually use 2C semi-sweet and 1C 60% Ghirardelli chocolate chips)

 

 

1.  In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.

 

2.  In mixing bowl cream together butter and both sugars.  Add eggs one at a time. 

 

3.  Add in vanilla and cocoa powder. 

 

4.  Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

 

5.  Fold in chocolate chips.

 

6.  Bake at 375 for 11 minutes.

 

7.  Let cool on baking rack for 2 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

I imagine the reason I started baking snickerdoodles as a kid was because the house was totally void of chocolate and /or peanut butter.  Snickerdoodles are pretty much crunchy sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  They do have one unusual ingredient and that is cream of tarter.  I have no idea why my not-so-domestic Goddess mother would have cream of tarter in the pantry....but she did. Strange.

If you have never played around with browned butter, you need to start.  It's oh so tasty!  The first time I experienced it was at Cat Cora's Kouzzina in Orlando.  Think Brussels sprouts caramelized in browned butter then splashed with fresh lemon and topped with melty Parmesan.  Heaven!  Yep, I'm pretty sure my ten year old self never ever dreamed I'd say that about Brussels sprouts.  Ever.

I am in love with these cookies.  The brown butter makes a HUGE difference in taste.  I've always heard it described as tasting nutty.  I'm not really sure if that is how it tasted to me.  I find that it is just really fragrant and rich.  It's worth the effort, trust me.

BROWN BUTTER SNICKERDOODLES
Yield = 18 large cookies

2 1/2C flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1C butter
1 1/4C brown sugar, dark
1/2C sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1tsp vanilla
1tbl sour cream

ROLLING MIXTURE
1/4C sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt.

2.  Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  The butter will foam and sputter and that is okay.  Just keep whisking through this process.  After a few minutes the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the pan.  Continue to whisk and remove the butter from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown.  You'll know it is ready when it starts to smell nutty.  Kind of like those yummy cinnamon almonds they sell at the mall. Be careful because it can go from zero to dark thirty in a flash.  When you get to the right color take the butter off the heat, move it to another container and set aside to cool a bit.

3.  Using a mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and yolk, vanilla and sour cream.

4.  Add dry ingredients until just combined.

5.  Chill the dough for about 2 hours.

6.  Form dough into balls and roll into sugar and cinnamon mixture.

7.  Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Okay, so it is 93 degrees and humid as all get out here in Florida and yet somehow it still feels like fall.  I love this time of year!  The stores are already full of fall merchandise and it has me in full pumpkin mode.  I even have the pumpkin spice plug ins in place in the house already!  Look at these awesome pumpkin spice M&Ms I found at Target.  The cashier said they can't keep them in stock.  Guess I'm not the only one on the pumpkin band wagon.

I saw these and immediately thought they needed to be in a cookie.  So, basically I tossed them into my "perfect chocolate chip cookie" batter, added some espresso and pumpkin pie spice and voila!  pumpkin spice latte cookies.  Very yum and spicy and Fall!  BTW, these cookies are really tasty dunked in a cup of coffee.  But then aren't they all?

 

 

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE COOKIES

Yield = 24

 
3/4C butter
1/4C shortening
3/4C brown sugar
3/4C sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 C flour
2tbl cornstarch
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
2tsp vanilla

1tbl espresso powder

2tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2C pumpkin spice M&Ms

1C chocolate chips, semi sweet

1/2C chocolate chips, 60% (bitter sweet--I use Ghirardelli)
 
1.  In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, espresso powder and pumpkin pie spice.

2.  In mixer bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugars.

3.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Be sure to scrape down the bowl occasionally.

4.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

5.  Fold in the M&Ms and chocolate chips.

6.  Scoop dough into large golf ball sized balls.  I use a medium sized ice cream scoop for uniformity.

7.  Place the dough balls in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.  Sometimes I freeze half the batch for a later use.

8.  Place the dough balls on a lined or greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.

9.  After two minutes carefully move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
 
Enjoy! 

 

 

Cowboy Cookies

These yummies are from The Bellman's childhood and I love them for so many different reasons.  For starters, they are super easy and quick and require only one mixing bowl to get the job done.  Plus they can be customized any which way.  I've tried them using the fancy flavored M&Ms like raspberry or coconut (yum) and also matched them to a theme using different colors of M&Ms.  I guess pink M&Ms would make them Cowgirl Cookies though, right :)   I also love them because they have oatmeal in them, which in my book makes them breakfast food!

COWBOY COOKIES
Yield: 13 cookies (large)
 
1 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C  oats, quick cooking
3/4 C M&Ms
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C white sugar
1/3 C chopped pecans
 
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 C butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla

1.  Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Add egg, butter and vanilla into the dry ingredients.  Gently fold together.
3.  Scoop into large balls and bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes.
 
Enjoy!

 

 

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I know I know...everyone says their chocolate chip cookie recipe is the best.  But, believe me when I say that mine really is!!  Over the years I have worked my way through many versions of the classic Toll House recipe, from plain to fancy and overly complicated.   I think what it comes down to is how do you prefer your cookies?  Crispy? Chewy? Cakey?
 
I have discovered I like my chocolate chip cookies chewy and soft in the center with a crispy edge. The crispy edge makes a nice handle when dunking :)
 
Making the cookies a little bigger than normal and chilling the dough first so it doesn't spread so much during baking both help create that soft chewy center.  I have found that the cornstarch keeps them soft and adding the shortening promotes that crispy edge without losing that great butter taste.

It's all personal preference.  The Bellman compares all others back to this version and has finally deemed them "perfect".  Of course, as I type this and as if on cue, he asks if maybe a drizzle wouldn't hurt?  Oh Bellman...........

 
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Yield: 24 cookies
 
3/4C butter
1/4C shortening
3/4C brown sugar
3/4C sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 C flour
2tbl cornstarch
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
2tsp vanilla
2C chocolate chips, semi sweet
1C chocolate chips, 60% (bitter sweet--I use Ghirardelli)
 
1.  In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
2.  In mixer bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugars.
3.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Be sure to scrape down the bowl occasionally.
4.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
6.  Scoop dough into large golf ball sized balls.  I use a medium sized ice cream scoop for uniformity.
7.  Place the dough balls in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.  Sometimes I freeze half the batch for a later use.
8.  Place the dough balls on a lined or greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.
9.  After two minutes carefully move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
 
Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

I've been on a quest.  A coconut quest.  I have a couple of friends who are totally in love with coconut and to be honest, I've never really explored it much until now.  I think that is mainly due to the fact that I grew up in a "chocolate only" household.  Almond Joys didn't even dare cross our threshold. 

So, in an effort to fulfill those pleas for coconut treats I've been testing and tweaking recipes. The Bellman, my official taste tester, and I have finally agreed that this tweak produces the ultimate coconut macaroon.  It's very coconutty, has a nice crispy edge and the flour gives this cookie enough structure so that the center isn't so gooey and chewy.  I think the coconut nutz will be pleased :)

COCONUT MACAROONS
Yield = 12 cookies

2 egg whites
1/2C sugar
1/8tsp salt
1/2tsp vanilla
1/4tsp coconut extract
1/4C cake flour
1 1/2C coconut, shredded

1.  In a heatproof bowl placed over a simmering pan of water, whisk egg whites, sugar and salt.

2.  When the mixture is warmed and the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the vanilla and coconut extracts, cake flour and coconut.

3.  Chill for two hours.

4.  Place tablespoon sized mounds on lined baking sheet.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.

**I prefer them plain but the Bellman likes them best, as usual, with a little chocolate drizzle.

Enjoy!