Chocolate Cookies

With a thin crust for a little crunch around the edges and a soft, fudgy center...I LOVE these cookies!

Ingredients

1 C + 2 T butter, softened

1 C sugar

½ C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

2 C flour

¾ C cocoa powder (I use dark)

1 t soda

½ t salt

optional: 1-2 C chocolate chips

  (semi sweet, milk, dark, or peanut butter chips...

     this time I used toffee bits)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add, all at once, to creamed mixture.

Stir in chips, if desired.

Spoon or scoop onto ungreased baking sheets. (I use parchment paper.)

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Toffee-Apricot-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

½ C butter, softened

2/3 C brown sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 C flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2/3 C oats

½ C chocolate chips

1/3 C chopped toffee bits

½ C dried apricots, finely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 325° F. 

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until thoroughly combined.

Add flour, baking soda, salt and oats, mixing until just combined.

Stir in chocolate chips, toffee bits and chopped apricots.

Spoon or scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing dough scoops 1 - 2 inches apart. Bake approximately 14 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

No Bake Cookies

Quick & easy! Often the first recipe I have my Foods students make...

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 C sugar
½ C milk
¼ C cocoa powder
½ C butter (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla
½ C peanut butter
½ tsp salt
3 C quick oats

Directions
Combine sugar, milk, cocoa powder and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils for 1½ minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; quickly add vanilla, peanut butter, salt and stir. Add oats and stir together. Mixture will be semi-stiff.

Drop by spoonfulls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and set before serving.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1½ C sugar
2 oz cream cheese
6 T butter, very soft
¼ C vegetable oil
1 egg
1 T milk
1 T vanilla (and/or lemon)
2¾ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
optional: additional sugar for rolling or dipping (coarse sugar, colored sugar)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚.

Cream sugar, cream cheese, butter and vegetable oil. Add egg, milk and vanilla; stir until thoroughly blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into batter until well combined.

Line baking sheets with parchment. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto parchment. If desired, dip or roll in course/colored sugar. Bake 9-11 minutes.

Basic Meringue

Ingredients
4 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2¼ C powdered sugar
optional: food coloring

Directions
Preheat oven to 250˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed and beat until thick and opaque (about 1 minute more). Gradually add powdered sugar a little (¼ C) at a time; beat until stiff shiny peaks form (about 5 more minutes).

Scoop or pipe meringue into desired shapes and bake about 3 hours (4 for larger/thicker shapes) until dry and crisp. Let cool completely on baking sheets. Store in airtight container in dry place for up to 1 week.

Lots of ways to serve these... color with food coloring and pipe into various shapes, sandwich two cookies with jam, dust with cocoa powder, fold in chocolate chips just before piping and baking, dip bottoms in melted white chocolate and then in colored sanding sugar...

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients:

½ C butter

½ C shortening

¾ C brown sugar

¾ C sugar

8 oz cream cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 T frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2¾ C flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp salt

1½ C white chocolate chips

²/₃ C dried cranberries

½ C orange juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Put dried cranberries to soak in a small bowl with orange juice; set aside.

Cream butter, shortening and sugars. Mix in cream cheese until blended. Add eggs, vanilla and orange juice concentrate and blend until smooth.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Add to creamed mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Drain cranberries. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips, blending until evenly distributed.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet, 2” apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Red Velvet (White Chocolate Chip) Cookies

Ingredients:

2¼ C flour

3 T cocoa powder

1½ tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

½ C butter, softened to room temperature

¹/₃  C shortening

1 C sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1½ tsp white vinegar

1½ tsp vanilla

1 T red food coloring

1½ C white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Combine flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add egg and egg yolk. Next, add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring, mixing until just combined.

Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in half the white chocolate chips.

Scoop heaping spoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Press a few extra white chocolate chips on top of each cookie, flattening cookies somewhat as you do so.

Bake 8 minutes; transfer to wire rack to cool.

M&M Cookies

Ingredients:

1½ C brown sugar

¾ C white sugar

1½ C shortening

3 eggs

1 T vanilla

3¾ C flour

1½ tsp baking soda

1½ tsp salt

3 C mini M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix sugars, shortening, eggs and vanilla on low speed until well combined.

Add flour, soda and salt all at once. Mix until just combined. Add M&Ms and mix until well distributed.

Roll into balls, approximately 1½”. Press extra M&Ms on top, flattening cookie balls slightly with wooden spoon (or your palm).

Bake 9-11 minutes.

Yield: 24-30 cookies, depending on size.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

This picture really doesn't do them justice...crunchy edges, chewy in the middles. Yum!

 Ingredients:
1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbls vanilla
2¼ C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ C unsweetened cocoa
12 oz chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, soda and cocoa; add to sugar and egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (or use M&Ms, nuts, white chocolate chips, etc.)

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool 3-4 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks.

Gingerbread Chocolate Cookies

As much as I love chocolate -- in almost anything! -- I've had other chocolate ginger combinations I've enjoyed more than these. Maybe it's the molasses. They're good; just not likely to become one of my very favorites.

Ingredients: 
½ C butter
½ C dark brown sugar
½ C  molasses
1¾ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon 
¼ tsp ground cloves 
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
2 Tbls cocoa powder
1 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and beat until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa stirring until well combined. Stir in chips. Scoop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto parchment lined (or lightly greased) baking sheets, spacing cookies 1½" apart. Bake 10-12 minutes until surface begins to crack. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes; then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
1 C butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
½ C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ C flour*
1 tsp baking soda 
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 C oats
1 C raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; mix in all together. Add oats and raisins to dough, stirring until well combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet; bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool briefly on cookie sheet so cookies firm slightly before removing to wire rack to cool.

* For a healthier version, use whole wheat flour for all or part of the 1½  cups.

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

My nephew's request for his birthday dessert: "Moo-wiches" -- that's what the dairy women call them at their delicious ice cream booth at our local fair every summer. He had a list of different cookie and ice cream combinations to suggest... I managed to pull off three kinds of cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, and M&M cookies) all filled with either vanilla or vanilla chocolate-sauce-swirled ice cream. PB cookies rolled with chocolate sprinkles, the M&M cookies rolled in rainbow nonpareils, the chocolate chip cookies remain just 'classic' cookies and ice cream. No real 'recipe' for this one; it's fairly obvious:

Bake your favorite cookies and let them cool completely. Place a scoop of slightly softened ice cream on the underside of one cookie, top with another and press gently. Roll, if desired, in decorative sprinkles, colored sugars, mini-chips, mini-M&Ms, etc. Serve immediately, or--usually a better option--return to freezer so they can really 'set', and take them out just before serving.

These flavors were, of course, specifically to please my nephew (your birthday = your choice). :)  Chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream is probably the most traditional of ice cream sandwiches, but I'd love to try other combinations: I have a recipe for a green apple sorbet that I think would be delicious sandwiched between molasses cookies. Sugar cookies and any berry flavored ice cream (or frozen yogurt, gelato, etc.) sounds good to me. Lavender shortbread cookies with vanilla bean ice cream or a light lemon gelato... endless possibilities!

Photo #2: I tried some new flavors for my niece's birthday ("moo-wiches" were her choice too): more of the 'classic'  peanut-butter chocolate chip with vanilla bean ice cream, some green apple sorbet sandwiched between molasses cookies, and a mixed berry gelato between chocolate cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are soft peanut butter cookies. You can add more flour in order to be able to roll them and press them with a fork (for a more traditional looking peanut butter cookie). I like them soft and chewy more than I care about the fork-pressed look. :)

1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C chunky peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 C flour
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in dry mixture, scraping down edges of bowl to incorporate throughout the dough. Use a cookie scoop (or spoon) to scoop dough onto an ungreased baking sheet (line with parchment if desired). Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Lemon-Ricotta Cookies

2½ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ C butter, softened
2 C sugar
2 eggs
15 oz ricotta cheese
3 Tbls lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon

glaze
1½ C powdered sugar
3 Tbls lemon juice
optional: lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well blended; add ricotta, lemon juice and zest, beating until combined. Stir in dry ingredients.

Pipe using a pastry bag, or drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets 20 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice (and zest) until smooth. Spoon onto each cookie, using the back of the spoon to gently spread glaze.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C butter
½ C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 C quick rolled oats
2½ C flour
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream butter and sugars. Add peanut butter, stirring until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour, oats and baking soda all at once, stirring until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfulls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned but still soft in the center.

Meringues

Meringues...or, as my family sometimes calls them: Styrofoam cookies.

½ tsp peppermint extract
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¾ C sugar
1 C chocolate chips
(the mini ones are great in this recipe)

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add cream of tarter and sugar. Gently fold in peppermint (and food coloring if desired). Add chocolate chips. Cover cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Drop meringue by spoonfuls onto covered cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350°. Put cookies in oven and TURN OVEN OFF. "Bake" cookies 6 hours (or just leave them in overnight). Gently remove cookies from aluminum foil.