Chocolate Mint Melties

My boyfriend wanted a wheat-free cookie with dark chocolate + he loves mint! Dreena's chocolate mint melties seemed like the perfect candidate to satisfy his craving. I didn't have mint chocolate, so subbed regular dark chocolate chips - gave them a whirl in the food processor, although next time I'm just going to give them a semi-rough rough chop. Although I omitted the dry sugar, the sweetness level was perfect for me. Since I needed more mint flavor, I went with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract & 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract - next time I will try 1 1/4 tsp peppermint** to see if there's a better balance between chocolate & mint. The cookies are a little crumbly & more cake-like to me, I want to try them again using egg replacer + a little more flour to see if they would result in a slightly denser & chewier cookie texture.

~*~
Chocolate Mint Melties

3 oz/85 grams dark chocolate
1 1/8 cups whole spelt flour
3 tblspn cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt

¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tblspn agave nectar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract**
¼ cup organic coconut oil (a touch generous)

• Preheat oven to 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Give chocolate a thorough chop, leaving small & medium-small chunks.
  
• Transfer chocolate to a bowl & combine with dry ingredients, sifting in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & baking soda, & whisk to combine.
  
• In a separate bowl, combine syrup, agave nectar, vanilla & mint extracts + oil & stir until well mixed.
  
• Add wet mixture to dry, & stir until just combined (do not overmix).
• Spoon/scoop batter onto baking sheet, spacing evenly.
  
• Place 1 to 2 chocolate chips on top of each cookie & press down slightly to flatten.
  
• Bake for 11 - 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
  
• Remove from oven & allow to cool for a minute or so on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
• Makes about one dozen/12 cookies.

Cookie Cupcake

What a cool concept - easy & no plates or napkins required really. These chocolate chunk cookie cupcakes from Marthastewart.com taste better the next day once the dough has had time to settle & harden up a bit. The batter is a bit buttery & rich, but still somewhat light & airy. In addition to dark chocolate chips, I added peanut butter chips, toffee chips & pecans. Because the dough isn't very dense, although I coated my filling with some flour, the chips sunk to the bottom of the cookie cupcake.

Whole Grain - no Refined Sugar Cookie II

White chocolate macadamia cookies from Eat, Drink & be Vegan.

(Chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter & white chocolate chips.)

Whole Grain - no Refined Sugar Cookie I

I made a half batch of chocolate chip cookies from a recipe in Simple Treats by Ellen Abraham.

Peanut Buttery Goodness

These are peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from Marthastewart.com. The fat to flour/oat ratio seems a little off - but after some refrigeration, the soft dough dough was manageable when shaped by a small/medium ice cream scooper. The baked cookies look very similar to the picture on her website. The cookies are a little crisp, very peanut buttery & remind me more of a granola bar. As my boyfriend asked - are you making granola?...well, lets just call them peanut-buttery granola cookies. :)

Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip cookie recipe on MarthaStewart.com.

St. Valentine's Day

Valentine's is overrated...it's mostly about flowers, chocolate & everything sweet. What a great day for florists, candy corporations like Hershey's & whoever markets Valentine goodies. Although all the sweets can make you sick to your stomach, I still like to participate. :)
It's not economical to be giving out flowers to everyone, but chocolate, cookies & candy can be quite affordable. So on Valentine Eve, begun my quest to making shortbread sandwiches & easy peanut butter cups. The peanut cups were so easy to put together, unfortunately I can't say the same about the shortbread sandwiches. They were so labor intensive, I had to forgo trying the chocolate sandwiches. The variety would have been nice, but the work, probably not so nice. Because the shortbread dough was so buttery & delicate, I had to stick it in the fridge in between rolling & cutting to allow the dough to firm up enough to handle.

Lunar New Year

To celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year - Almond Cookies. This cookie is light, flaky & very similar in flavor to the store-bought Almond Cookies you can find at the Asian supermarkets, although not as hard or crunchy. Definitely reminiscent of the cookies I used to eat as a little girl. High quality ingredients resulted in cookies that tasted so fresh & yummy.

I also made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, my friend said these were her favorite & I hope she still thinks that after eating my cookie. The cookie is dense & moist - a good mix between a brownie & chocolate cake. I added a little espresso powder & the chocolate flavor was enhanced, intense & rich. After flattening the cookie, next time, I'll give the cookie a second dip into the powdered sugar.

Yay...celebrating a successful bake date to kick start the Lunar New Year! :)

Muffin Cookie

For some strange odd reason, I thought these were going to taste like granola - crunchy, hardy & chewy - & nutritious too, no refined sugar (there isn't a good description of the texture of the cookies, just a picture)! Man, I had some high expectations. Somehow mine came out softer & more muffin-like - instead of just raisins, I also used prunes & dates & I didn't have any apple juice, so I used rice milk, I also didn't have regular whole rolled oats, so had to used quick-cook rolled oats. These would be perfect if I were in the mood for some soft muffin-tops, but I never am! I THINK I was hoping for something similar to these Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Crisps minus the egg, nuts & refined sugar! My boyfriend said he'll eat these as "cereal" with rice/oat milk.

~*~
Oatmeal Muffin Cookies
1 cup raisins (prunes, raisins & dates)
1 cup apple juice (rice milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil (4 tblspns)

1 cup oat flour
1 cup whole grain oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 cup dried fruit, etc (cranberries, raisins, carob chips)

• Blend raisins, etc + apple juice & oil in a food processor for about 1 minute.
• In a large bowl, combine oat flour, oatmeal, soda, cinnamon & salt. Whisk to combine.
• Fold in apple juice puree & dried fruit, etc.
• If dough is too wet, add some more flour or oats. Refrigerate dough for about 15 - 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven 375F. Line cookie sheets & set aside.
• Spoon onto cookie sheet & press down to flatten cookies. Bake 15- 18 minutes, till golden brown.
  

Disaster After Disaster

What happens when you make Divinity for the first time in your life & it doesn't turn out because you didn't whip it enough?? Well, you can't waste it & throw it away, so you try to find some kind of use for it. In my case, I tried to use it as "marshmallows" to make Rocky Ledge bars! How brilliant am I? Well, not so brilliant when it doesn't turn out. The Divinity was a failure because I did not whip it until the gloss/shine was gone & the rocky ledge bars just didn't cut clean. I thought the ratios seemed a little off, there was awfully a lot of filling to flour ratio. Plus I added some nuts & pineapples, so I'm guessing that contributed to a bar that was a little harder to cut. Not sure I'm brave enough to try either one again, but I'm hoping I will. Joe didn't seem to have any problems with his bars? Hmm, sometimes baking just makes you wonder what exactly went wrong!?!?!? Too bad that can be quite difficult to answer at times. Plus I cut the recipe in half, because a 9X13 pan is always too much! I make all these changes, then I complain about it not turning out as anticipated! That's the story of my baking life. :)

Mr. T's Favorite Cookie

Christmas Cookies I

My boyfriend's current favorite cookie is a variation of vegan homemade Samoas that we made this past October. These cookies are chewy, sweet & densely packed with flavor. The brown rice syrup adds an irreplaceable peanut-buttery richness & the oats add just the right amount of chew. These cookies are pretty pretty pretty-darn good! I easily ate three in one sitting.

~*~
Mr. T's Favorite Cookie
1 cup liquid sweetener (brown rice syrup, maple syrup, etc + molasses)
1/2 cup oil (extra-virgin coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat pastry
1/4 cup whole spelt flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup quick-cook rolled oats
3/4 cup - 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped
1/8 cup carob chips
1/4 cup caramel candy, chopped into smaller pieces

• Preheat oven 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, mix together liquid sweeteners, oil & vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
• In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine flours, salt, spices & baking powder.
• Add oats, coconut & filling (dried fruit + chips + candy).
• Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet & stir until just combined.
• Roll dough into (60 grams each) balls & slightly flatten, cookies will spread.
• Bake for 14 - 17 minutes & do not overbake for chewy cookies.
• Remove from oven & allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. (If caramel is still sticky, place cookies in the fridge for a few minutes until cookies are easily removed from parchment paper.)
  
• Move to cooling rack.
• Makes 18 - 20 large cookies.

**Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature as coco oil, if used, will solidify below 78F.
**The cookie flavors will be more prominent the second day.

Hazelnut Lime-Black Pepper Cookies

Christmas Cookies IIPutting Alton Brown's The Chewy recipe to good use. The dough on this cookie is very much like a bakery-style cookie you would get at Whole Foods, Central Market or Mrs. Field's at the mall, etc. In other words, it's really good, but since this is homemade, it's even better. I decided to use this base for the Hazelnut-Lime Black Pepper flavor combo that has been so popular.

~*~
Hazelnut-Lime Black Pepper Cookies
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tblspns lime zest (3 large limes)

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted & chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

• Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Set aside & allow to cool.
• Sift together the flour, salt, pepper & baking soda. Set aside.
  
• Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl.
  
• Add the sugar & brown sugar.
  
• Cream the butter & sugars on medium speed.
  
• Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract & lime zest & mix until well combined.
  
• Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
  
• Fold in the nuts & white chocolate chips.
  
• Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  
• Scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets (~60grams each), 6 cookies per sheet.
  
• Bake for 14 - 17 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes.
  
• Rotate the baking sheet for even browning.
  
• Cool completely & store in an airtight container.

Cherry-Orange Macadamia Cookies

Christmas Cookies IIIWhen I need some no-fail cookies, I always turn to Cook's Illustrated's really chewy cookie dough. I used this base for these cherry-orange macadamia cookies. I didn't have the opportunity to taste these, but I'm sure they came out great.

~*~
Cherry-Orange Macadamia Cookies
2 cup + 1/8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled until just warm
1 cup brown sugar (little less)
1/2 cup white sugar (little less)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblspn orange zest

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
2/3 cup macadamia nuts, toasted & chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

• In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt. With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar.
• Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla & orange zest.
• Slowly add flour mixture.
• Fold in filling (nuts, etc.).
• Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Measure out dough ~ 60grams each & roll into ball, place on baking sheet. Allow some room for spreading.
• Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
• Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet.
• Makes ~ 18 large cookies.

Spicy Ginger Cookies

Christmas Cookies IV
The gingerbread cookies I made for Thanksgiving were good, but the dough was difficult to work with & the cookies were not as chewy as anticipated...again, it may be due to the extra addition of nuts & not so much related to the original recipe. Although my boyfriend's grandfather enjoyed them quite a bit, I thought I'd try to hunt down another recipe. I decided to try the Spiced up Ginger Cookies I found on Baking Bites. These did not disappoint, to say the least. Right out of the oven, the thin outer-layer was crispy & the center was moist & chewy. After a few days of storage, the cookies stayed chewy & the crispiness diminished. The cookies were flavorful with warm spices & crystallized ginger candy, this time I omitted any addition of nuts. The dough was a lot easier to work with compared to Martha Stewart's gingerbread cookies (although Martha's recipe does not call for eggs), & the results were equally as pleasing. I think I'll stick to this recipe for future ginger flavor cookies. I bet substitution with some whole wheat pastry will work here also.

~*~

Spicy Ginger Cookies
2 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tblspn ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup crystallized candy ginger, chopped into smaller pieces

1/4 cup coarse sugar, for rolling

• Preheat oven 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together, flour, salt, soda & spices.
• In a large bowl, beat together sugar & oil. Beat in egg & molasses until smooth.
  
• Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until combined.
• Fold in chopped ginger candy.
• Shape dough into balls (50 grams each), roll in coarse sugar & place on lined baking sheet. Press down ever so slightly.
• Bake for 7 - 10 minutes, till cookies are slightly brown & crackly.
• Remove from oven & allow cookies to cook on baking sheets for about 5 minutes.
• Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Makes 24 cookies
  

Monster Cookies

Christmas Cookies V
I would never claim that monster cookies are only for kids, but I decided to bake these for my boyfriend's younger cousin's X-mas cookies. They're loaded with peanut butter flavor & chocolate...Yummy! They're chewy & moist, with just enough peanut butter flavor that was not overpowering. The oatmeal made the cookies substantial & the chocolate candy chips added just that extra bit of sweetness for an overall satisfying cookie. The original recipe yielded a lot of cookies, so I cut the recipe into one-third. That's always scary, since I do not own measuring spoons that measure 1/3 tsp, etc. Even with my changes to the recipe, the cookies turned out great! I will definitely be making these again. I got about 10 medium-large cookies.
Other Monster Cookie recipes I was considering:
Simply Recipes
Paula Deen

~*~
Monster Cookies
1 large egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla extract (little more than 1/4 tsp)
1/3 tsp corn syrup (little more than 1/4 tsp)
2/3 tsp baking soda (1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp + a small amt more)
1/4 tsp salt

2 tblspns + 2 tsp butter, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cup rolled oats
23 grams flour (1/6 cup)

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chocolate chip candy
1/8 cup peanuts, roasted
1/8 cup almonds, roasted & chopped

• Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine egg, sugars, extract, corn syrup, baking soda & salt in a large bowl.
• Add melted butter & peanut butter, stir to combine.
• Add oats & flour, stir to combine.
• Fold in filling (candy, chip, nuts, etc.)
• Allow the cookie batter to rest/sit for 30 minutes so the oats can absorb the butter.
• Preheat oven 350F.
• Drop the cookies (60grams each) on the cookie sheet & press down to flatten, these cookies do not spread a whole lot. Place six - nine cookies to a baking sheet.
  
• Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until edges are slightly golden brown.
• Yields 9 - 10 medium-large cookies.

**I made another batch of these on 12/27/07, this time, I omitted the almonds & reduced the chocolate just a tad & added unsweetened shredded coconut + caramel bits + raisins - YUM-o! I made smaller cookies & got about 14.

Attempting to Adapt

I wanted to replicate the subtle oatmeal chewiness from Spiked Cookies, but using a chewier cookie base. It didn't quite turn out as anticipated. The dough was a little crumbly & the resulting cookie was soft, definitely not cake-like, but wasn't quite chewy either. Just a soft, buttery, ORDINARY cookie. I considered giving the rolled oats a quick whizz in the food processor, but was too lazy once I thought about all the dishes I had to do! - may need to put in the extra effort next time. Definitely yummy, but didn't quite meet my high expectations. That's the problem with expectations, you can easily get disappointed...especially when you have a rigid preconceived notion. When you're unsure, you accidentally end up being more open-minded, which can't be a bad thing at all.

~*~
Oatmeal Cherry-Walnut Cookies
2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup quick cook rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 walnuts, toasted & chopped

• Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt.
• With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar. Beat in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla.
  
• Slowly add flour mixture.
• Fold in filling (oats, cherries, nuts, etc.).
• Form dough into balls & place on baking sheet. Flatten cookies, the cookies did not spread a whole lot.
• Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
• Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet. If the caramel has not hardened, stick the baking sheet in the freezer/fridge for a few minutes.
• Makes 18 - 24 cookies.

**Chewy White & Dark Chocolate Oat Cookies

Chocolate Cookies

I attempted these double chocolate cookies as part of my X-mas baking for co-workers - they love chocolate. My cookies didn't turn quite as chocolaty & flavorful as preferred, but I didn't have dutch-process cocoa, plus I used white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate. I wanted a black & white cookie. For the melted 4 ounces of chocolate, I used a mix of semi-sweet & cappuccino chips, I also added about 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder. The cookies were a bit fragile, but overbaking would have dried them out, so remember to take them out if they took like they're getting too dry. Crispy-chewy edges with a chewy center. I normally LOVE chewy cookies, but just not a big fan of chocolate...I think I'm allergic, otherwise I would eat it everyday if I could!

~*~
Chocolate w/ White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies

1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces white chocolate chips
1/3 pecans, toasted & chopped

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt; set aside.
  
• Melt 4 ounces chocolate chips with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
• Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined.
  
• Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
  
• Fold in white chocolate chips & pecans.
• Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft).
• Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
• Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
  

Holiday Biscotti

This is my second year baking up these Holiday Biscotti's as part of my holiday baking. I've used the base recipe numerous times to make a mix match of flavors. I personally prefer the butter-based biscotti because I didn't like the 1 dry biscotti that I've eaten at a cafe. There's no point in creating a general bias because of ONE little experience, therefore, it's my mission to try at least one butter-less biscotti recipe before I quit baking as a hobby. Plus everyone's always on a diet, so I can say - this one doesn't have any butter! :) Wanna please all those loved ones in our lives! I made two batches this time since these are sooo good! Don't make the same mistake twice - do not leave out 1/2 tsp baking powder on accident, messing up is never allowed!

~*~
Holiday Biscotti
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup, 1 stick of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Melted white chocolate for drizzling, optional

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl to blend.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, until light & blended.
  
• Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
  
• Add the flour mixture & beat just until blended.
• Fold in the pistachio nuts & dried cranberries.
• Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes.
  
• Cool for at least 1 - 2 hours. (I like to cool overnight.)
  
• Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
  
• Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes.
  
• Once slightly cooled, transfer the biscotti to a rack & cool completely.
• Optional: Stir the white chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Drizzle over biscotti or dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
• The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.
• Makes about 2 dozen cookies.