Category: Cookies

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Triple Chip Coconut Cookies

Sarah

So as Ben shared on Monday, last Tuesday I just wasn’t in the mood for making dinner. I wanted chocolate chip cookies. Like, yesterday. Or more accurately, last Monday. So many yesterdays ago. Late in the night, I understood why… it was National Chocolate Chip Day! But I promise I didn’t know that when my craving hit. Nope nope nope–I just needed cookies, which is weird because I’m not much of a cookie person. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I baked cookies. Probably Christmastime! Clearly, that was going to change. And fast! In fact, I planned on making cookies for dinner and was pretty satisfied with that choice. I mean, wouldn’t you be?

But Ben nixed that idea, and said he’d make dinner. So sweet! Probably raking up husband points since our anniversary was coming up [it’s today, actually! and I’m totally just kidding. He’d make dinner even if our anniversary wasn’t approaching. He’s sweet like that.] I flipped through my recipe binder and about a zillion cookbooks, and as he was almost done I found a winner [from this semi-local bakery, no less].

After scarfing down some dinner and doing some cleanup [round one, to Ben’s chagrin], I started in on the cookies. Only to discover I had no chocolate chips! Whaaaaat? So, I improvised. Meet Triple Chip Coconut Cookies!

triple chip coconut cookiesThey’re buttery, caramely delights! I used chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips, but feel free to use what you’ve got–these cookies are perfect for using up half-full chip bags leftover from other recipes. Some dark chocolate chips would be fantastic, I think. My favorite part, beyond the traditional chocolate punch and vanilla aftertones was the chew and nuttiness added by the coconut flakes. Yum! Coconut is one of my new favorite flavors, and this cookie illustrates why. Coconut is amazing with everything it touches!

These cookies are simply the best combination of fabulous flavors, textures, and personality… perfect for cookies, and a perfect illustration for our three years of marriage.

Triple chip, three years! Works for me! Maybe I should rename [the renamed!] the cookies to Triple Chip Three Year Marriage Cookies? Hmmm…. gotta work the coconut in there somehow, I think I’ll leave the title the same. If you want more wedding photos, click the photo for some I shared last year. But if you just want the cookies, read on. They’re totally worth it!

Happy anniversary, dear Ben, and happy Wednesday to everyone else!

Triple Chip Coconut Cookies [adapted from Rene’s Chocolate Chip Cookies as featured in Midwest Living April 2010]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
  • 3/4 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda, then set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds. Next add sugars and beat for 5 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl every minute or so. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Then, add flour mixture slowly while mixer is running on low. Turn off mixer and stir in chips and coconut with a wooden spoon.

You can cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or bake immediately. [Obviously if you wait to bake, turn off oven!]

Drop 2 tablespoon size balls onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Press down on each ball to flatten. Bake for 10-14 minutes [more if it’s chilled], or until light brown and still soft in the center as these cookies harden as they cool. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack.

Time: 45 minutes.

Yield: 48 cookies.

Notes: I found this dough was best popped in the fridge in between batches as it was hard to handle when soft.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Caramel S’more Cups

Sarah

So, it’s only February, but it’s practically tropical outside. At least by Indiana winter standards. I mean, I noticed after my run today that my running tan lines are already starting to set in. In February. I guess that’s what happens after days upon days of temperatures in the 50s. It’s so exciting!

Not that running tan lines are cool or anything… but running outside in shorts sure is. Especially since right now we should be piling on the Under Armour to even venture outside, let alone go run outside comfortably.

And so… [yes! semi-awkward transition!] to celebrate a taste of summer early, meet Caramel S’more Cups.

Normally I hate S’more themed desserts, because they aren’t as good as the real thing. But this one is different.

Caramel S’more Cups aren’t trying to be the real thing. There’s no blah graham cracker crust or 70s layered dessert feel. This kind of different is more like over the top awesome.

First, you take a chocolate chip cookie. Then you put it in a mini muffin cup [since mini anything=cute=so much better].  Next, add a Rolo caramel, then, some marshmallows, and finally, more chocolate. Can you say gooey?? Especially warm out of the oven, or nuked for 5 seconds. Yes, please.

And if that doesn’t make you happy no matter the weather, then I don’t know what will.

Is anyone else in the mood for summer food now that the weather is clearly indicating an early spring? What are you most looking forward to about warm weather?

Happy weekend!

Caramel S'more Cups

  • Servings: 48 cookie cups
  • Print

 

cookie recipe from from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook, 1996; rest from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons  brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, divided
  • 48 Rolo caramels, unwrapped
  • approximately 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Line two mini muffin tins with paper liners. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together sugars, butter, and egg. Mix in flour and baking soda, then fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place in muffin cups.

Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until just cooked around the edges. Remove from oven and place Rolo in center of cookie, pressing down hard. Top with 2-3 marshmallows. Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and golden. Top with a chocolate chip or two.

 

Note: Original recipe called for 1 pouch [1 lb 1.5 oz] packaged chocolate chip cookie mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup butter in place of homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, so you can use that instead if you want.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Cookie Days #3: Classic Sugar Cookies

Sarah

I firmly believe that every baker should have at least one classic sugar cookie recipe up their apron sleeve. Sugar cookies are a perfect palate for any occasion, suitable to be cut out in any shape imaginable, topped with any kind of design and embellishment imaginable. Though I don’t make these cookies very often, every time I do I realize how amazing they are in their simplicity, and their tradition. They have so much potential–so much to offer.

That being said… these cookies aren’t fancy. They aren’t beautifully decorated, at least not in a bakery-approved sort of fashion. They are decorated with fun and family in mind. These sugar cookies are my family’s annual foray into decorating, and for that, I love them. Making them every year–in my grandparents’ kitchen, at my mom’s side, or now, with my husband, allows me to step back in time and [as cheesy as it sounds] taste the memories of the holiday season.

This Christmas, as you spend time with your family and friends, I pray that you will take the time to enjoy one another’s company and pursue Jesus together, the real reason for the season. Without Him, there would be none of this. Even if you are not caught up in the commercial “me-me-me”-ness of Christmas time, there is usually something that takes you away. Perhaps it’s the perfect menu for Christmas dinner, or the scrambling to please everyone with your time. Whatever it is, take a moment to step back and breathe, thanking God for all He has given you, even in the midst of the stress. I know I have to do that, many times a day, but that is okay. He’s there. He’s here. He has come.

Though my sentimental Christmas cookies I’ve shared today and this week have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, they bring me back to family, back home, back to the well-worn yellow recipe card and afternoons of my youth and beyond spent baking up a storm. I’m not sure what my blogging will look like over the next week as I’ll be spending time with my family and my Ben, celebrating the season but I hope that you enjoy it as much as I am planning to!

Classic Sugar Cookies [from Mom]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in softened butter until mixture crumbles, then mix in whipping cream, egg, and vanilla until a soft dough forms. Add more cream if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a well floured surface, incorporating more flour into dough if necessary to roll out well. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and then frost.

Frosting [from Mom]

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • optional: food coloring, sprinkles, etc. for tinting frosting and topping

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Swirl in whipping cream, beating until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Add more whipping cream to thin out if necessary.

Time: 4 hours.

Yield: Varies based on size of cookie cutters, but about 2 good sized Tupperwares.

Cookies, Desserts

Cookie Days #2: Pfeffernusse

Sarah

Yesterday, we went with a new twist on a traditional Christmas munchie; today, we are going way, way back. Back to to old Germany, in fact!I was first introduced to the Pfeffernusse [rhymes with beetlejuice] by Ben. Apparently they are a Christmas tradition in his family. I had never heard of these peppery, licorice-y, spicy hard cookie treats before the first Christmas we were married and when I tried it, I spit it out–I hated it. It was the most disgusting cookie ever!

Or so I thought. Turns out there’s more than a few ways to make a Pfeffernusse [as with most old recipes, the “original” tends to vary by region/family/etc.], and when I realized this, I promptly found a version without anise extract to make with Ben. Surprisingly, as I researched recipes, I realized that it probably wasn’t the pepper flavor that turned me off [literally Pfeffernusse means “pepper nut”], but it was the anise–licorice. My most dreaded flavor ever!

If licorice is your thing, feel free to stir in a teaspoon or so–I won’t tell! Ben would have been thrilled to have that flavor party with the gingerbread-y spices too, but we didn’t have any at home [I wonder why, licorice-hater that I am] and we were too lazy unwilling to let that scent/taste in my kitchen to run to the store to get some. So, this Pfeffernusse must sadly go without–but you don’t have to be sad like the Pfeffernusse because these cookies are made up of pretty simple, classic ingredients that I bet you have in your pantry right at this very moment. Enjoy! One more cookie recipe to come tomorrow!

P.S.  My apologies for the photo repeat… the light is not my friend this time of year!

Pfeffernusse Cookies [from Comfortably Domestic]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom [I substituted allspice]
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper [white is preferred, but black works too]
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and beat well, then add egg and do the same. Next, fold in flour mixture gradually and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and cover, placing in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2-3 hours [or up to one week].

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat. Roll dough into one inch balls and place about 1-2 inches apart, spacing evenly.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes [cookies will continue to cook a little, and will become harder as they cool, so don’t bake too long]. Remove to wire rack and immediately roll in powdered sugar. If you like a lot of powdered sugar, roll again after cookies have cooled completely. Store in an airtight container.

Time: 4 hours.

Yield: 5 dozen.

Notes: Original recipe advises that cookies can be frozen, just roll in powdered sugar again after they are thawed.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Cookie Days #1: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Sarah

Yesterday I referenced some cookies that were getting in the way of real meals around my house. I’d like to take the rest of this week to tell you all about them! How does that sound? Well, if it doesn’t sound good, then click away because that is the plan, Stan.

So, anyways. Cookies.

About a month ago, right before Thanksgiving, I received a holiday mailer from Sam’s Club. We’re members, so it wasn’t too big of a surprise. I normally toss that sort of thing, but for some reason decided to flip through the ads just to see what kind of goodies they were trying to sell me today. I mean, I already buy my carrots in 5 pound bags and can get enough oats to last a year [for real]. But lo and behold, from the pages of a Sam’s Club advertisement, a recipe caught my eye. A cookie recipe, to be exact, one that would have been the bane of my third grade school Christmas gift exchange: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.

See, as a third grader, I hated those little fake-sweet things with a passion, and arrived home in tears right before Christmas break because my Secret Santa got me a fancy box of them tied with a bow. This was devastating to the girl who only wanted a troll or a Barbie or whatever was in in third grade. Devastating, I say. Just ask my mom.

Now, many moons later, I can’t say that I adore chocolate covered cherries… but as I saw that recipe, memories of third grade abounding, I knew I just had to try them. The icing on the cake [or perhaps, the cherry on top?] was that the recipe submitter was none other than one Sarah Y. Before I got married, I was Sarah Y. Now I am Sarah K., but as a tribute to my third grade and maiden self, these Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies earned themselves a spot on my Christmas cookie plate. On their own merit, they have earned themselves a tasty award thanks to the abundance of soft, luscious chocolate coupled with the sweet satisfaction of a maraschino cherry. They are delicious, and just a smidgen different from your average Christmas cookie, so I hope you give them a try and come back the rest of this week for more cookie magic.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies [from Sarah Y. via Sam’s Club, also online at BHG]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 10-ounce jar undrained maraschino cherries
  • 6 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate pieces
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First, in a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Then, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well, then fold in dry ingredients.

Next, drain cherries, reserving juice. Shape dough into one inch balls and press down in the center of each ball with thumb, placing balls on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Place a cherry in each indentation.

Lastly, heat chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan, stirring constantly until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and stir in 4 tablespoons reserved cherry juice.

Working quickly, spread about 1 teaspoon frosting over top each cherry. Bake for 10 minutes then cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Time: 45 minutes.

Yield: about 36.

Notes: The original recipe claimed a yield of 48, but even if I had gotten that, my jar of cherries only contained 30 so I had to replace a few with dried cranberries instead… just as a fair warning!