Category: Cookies

Creamsicle Starfish Cut-Outs

creamsiclestarfishMy last bit of beach-themed baking included these creamsicle starfish cut-out cookies, using orange zest and an awesome ingredient called fiori di sicilia. It’s a potent citrus-vanilla type of extract, which I always buy from King Arthur Baking. A little goes an incredibly long way; you can use an eye dropper to add it, but I just used my 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon. In any case, it’s absolutely delicious.

I do wish I’d made my icing more orange in color – these starfish are a little more pale than I’d like. But the flavor was delicious, and something I’ll make again; I’d also like to make lemon sugar cookies, so stay tuned for those. Maybe even in the shape of lemons!

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 medium orange
  • Scant 1/8 teaspoon fiori di sicilia

For the frosting

  • 1 egg white
  • 3 tablespoons shortening
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Scant 1/8 teaspoon fiori di sicilia
  • 1-2 teaspoons water

Preparation

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla extract, orange zest, fiori di sicilia, and about half the flour mixture, beating until combined; beat in remaining flour. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic; chill for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into star shapes, then place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for about 4-5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookies are cool, make the icing. Combine egg white, shortening, salt, and one cup powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium, then high, and beat for one minute.

Add additional cup powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed for one minute. Add vanilla extract and fiori di sicilia.  Beat on high speed for one or two minutes, until very well combined.

Check the frosting’s texture; it should be like very, very soft peanut butter and very easily spreadable.  If necessary, add one to two teaspoons of water to thin the frosting and beat well to combine. Reserve about 1/4 cup frosting for starfish accents and tint the remainder orange.

Frost the cookies with the orange icing, then fit a piping bag with a small plain tip and add details. Allow icing to set before storing between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Sand Dollar Cookies

sanddollarcookiesEveryone I know is going the beach this summer. Ocean City, Sandbridge, Nags Head, Rehoboth…you name it, someone I know has recently been to it, is currently on it, or will soon be visiting it. Alas, there is no beach vacation in my summer plans. But I do hope to get a little lakeside beach time at Deep Creek this summer, so we’ll see.

Sand dollars – which I didn’t know until today are a type of sea urchin – are also called sea cookies in New Zealand and Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas, and I love that. These sand dollar cookies were very easy to make; I found my recipe over at Krazy Kitchen Mom, though there are several options for sand dollar cookies out there.  This is the snickerdoodle-topped-with-almonds variety, rather than the sugar-cookie-cutout-topped-with-almonds variety. I might try those sometime soon, though.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the topping

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • Flaked almonds

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each; mix in vanilla. Add about half the flour mixture and beat to combine, then beat in remaining flour. Cover and chill dough for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar, then place on the baking sheets and flatten; top with 5 flaked almonds, pressing the almonds in just slightly. I put six cookies on each baking sheet, as they spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 28.

Homemade Nutter Butters

homemadenutterbuttersNutter Butter cookies are my second favorite store-bought cookie, right behind the Double Stuf Oreo. For some reason I always have them on road trips, and honestly don’t know why. A homemade, copycat version came across my Pinterest feed from The Soccer Mom Blog recently and I thought, why not? As always, I added more vanilla to my filling than the original recipe called for, because I never think recipes have enough.

Anyway, here’s the thing…these cookies are massive. I mean, massive. They claim to have 230 calories each, and I believe it. The next time I make them (likely tomorrow) I’m going to make them smaller, and probably try a chocolate filling instead of peanut butter just because. While they’re not crunchy like the store-bought version, they’re absolutely delicious. 

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

For the filling

  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Place granulated sugar in another small bowl to roll your dough in, and set that aside as well.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar together. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, then add in flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop out portions of dough. Roll into balls, roll in granulated sugar, then form into log shapes and place about two inches apart on the baking sheets. To create the peanut shape, pinch the middle of each log, then use a fork to make the crisscross pattern like you would on a regular peanut butter cookie. Bake for about 10 minutes, until edges are just starting to turn golden brown – you don’t want to over bake these (or any treats, really). Remove from oven and cool cookies on the baking sheets for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookies are cool, make the filling. Cream together butter and peanut butter, then add in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then place in a piping bag and pipe about one tablespoon of filling onto half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to create sandwiches. My batch yielded 15 sandwiches, and I had plenty of filling left over – about a half-cup, at least. I’m holding onto that for another treat.

Italian Orange Cookies

italianorangecookiesI don’t know what makes these cookies Italian, but according to Marisa’s Italian Kitchen, they are. They’re also delicious, very soft and tender with a nice crunchy sugar coating. The original recipe called for rolling them in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar, but I just went with granulated.

I think I should have chilled my dough for longer, because while Marisa’s cookies were more sturdy-looking, mine spread a bit when they baked. I suspect they would be good as sandwich cookies, maybe with some chocolate ganache between the layers. I might still do that, add a dark chocolate ganache – because chocolate and orange are really good flavor friends. You could also fill them with a vanilla buttercream for more of a creamcicle vibe…so maybe next time. Stay tuned.

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • zest from 1 medium orange
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Additional granulated sugar, for rolling

Preparation

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolk, and beat to combine, then add orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and beat to combine completely. Cover and chill for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place sugar in a small bowl for rolling; set aside.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop scant balls of dough – you want them to be about the size of a gumball. Roll into balls, then coat in sugar. Place on the baking sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes, then edges are just golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 22.

Chinese Restaurant Almond Cookies

chineserestaurantalmondcookiesConfession: Asian food isn’t really my jam. No offense, Asia – I know your various cuisines are popular with many, many folks. And while I enjoy some fried rice now and then, I haven’t spent must time in Chinese restaurants in my life. I’ve certainly not encountered these cookies there, either. But they do seem familiar to me.

Our local grocery chain, Giant Eagle, used to sell something called a “rainbow cookie” in its bakery. They were usually swirled with a few different colors – green and yellow, red, white, and blue – and they had the same crumbly texture as these treats. This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, and the only change I made was to omit the whole blanched almond in the middle since I didn’t have any on hand. There’s also an option to glaze these with chocolate, but I think they’re better plain.

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut chilled shortening into cubes, then cut into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture is uniformly crumbly.

In a separate bowl, whisk vanilla extract, almond extract, egg, and egg yolk. Sprinkle over the flour/shortening mixture and stir until a cohesive dough forms; I used my hands to fully incorporate the ingredients and make a smooth dough.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheets and flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness; bake for 16-18 minutes, until just set; this means a fingerprint will remain in the cookie and not spring back. You don’t want to over-bake these, otherwise they’ll be too hard, so I’d err on the side of under-baking just slightly and allowing the cookies to cool a few minutes (and continue baking) on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Espresso Cookies

espressocookiesThe King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion bills these treats as spiked coffee cookies – but really, I couldn’t taste anything but chocolate and espresso. Hence, a rebrand. No offense, King Arthur.

Full disclosure – I adapted these treats to omit the coffee liqueur in the ganache, because I’m not that big a fan of it. They still turned out pretty well – like an espresso for the end of a meal, as they were billed in the cookbook. I think you’d be fine to omit the coffee liqueur or just substitute regular coffee in the recipe if you don’t have it on hand.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup coffee liqueur
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 3/4 cups flour

For the ganache

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add liqueur, egg, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, beating until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder and flour.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart; the cookies do spread when baking. Bake for 12 minutes, until edges are set; remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once cookies have cooled, make the ganache: place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in short, 15-second bursts to melt the chocolate, stirring between each. Once chocolate is completely melted, spread on cookies; allow to set before storing. Makes 3 dozen.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

lemonsugarcookiesThere are a lot of different sugar cookies out there. Frosted cut-out cookies in various shapes and designs, enormous bakery-style ones with crispy edges and soft middles that probably have 600 calories, and those weird Lofthouse ones that basically taste like…well, nothing. No offense if you’re a Lofthouse fan. I just don’t get it.

This recipe is one of my favorites – it’s adapted from the King Arthur Baking Cookie Companion Essential Chewy recipe. I added lemon zest and lemon extract to the dough because lemon is one of my favorite things ever, and they turned out really well. You could do an orange version as well – so maybe next time.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 1/4 cup additional for rolling
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • Additional sugar for rolling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute; add sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg and beat until well-combined. Add flour and beat to combine.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough, roll into balls, and dip in sugar to coat completely.

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets; they will spread some when baking. I put 6 cookies per sheet, and that worked well.

Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are barely beginning to brown and centers still look puffy. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 22.

Mini Oatmeal Cream Pies

oatmealceampiesAdmit it: You have a favorite Little Debbie snack cake. The Swiss roll, maybe? Or the Christmas tree cake? If you’re a star crunch person, I really don’t get it, but I’m not here to judge. Anyway, the oatmeal cream pie was one of my favorites as a kid, and today I made a mini version.

So, these really don’t taste like the Little Debbie treats…they’re essentially just a soft oatmeal cookie with vanilla buttercream filling, but they’re still pretty good. Next time I’d like to try a different recipe and use a marshmallow buttercream in the middle, which I think might be a bit closer to the original.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats

For the filling

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In a mixer, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add molasses, vanilla, and eggs and beat well to combine. Add flour mixture and beat to fully incorporate, then stir in oats.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart; I baked 9 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until just golden at the edges. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporate into the butter. Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Place in a large piping bag and snip off the tip; it’s much easier to pipe the filling in than to spread it.

To fill, flip all your cookies over and pipe a blob of filling onto half, then top with the other cookie. Makes 30 sandwiches. You’ll have some filling left over, and since it’s vanilla buttercream, you can save it for something else (or spread it on graham crackers, or eat it with a spoon, whatever works for you).

Brown Butter Almond Cookies

brownbutteralmondcookiesI first heard about brown butter on the Great British Baking Show several years ago, and now I see recipes using it everywhere. To make it, you melt butter then continue cooking it to “toast” the milk solids, bringing out a different flavor.

These brown butter almond cookies – which I found at Lovely Little Kitchen – remind me a bit of amaretti. I tweaked the original recipe to add more almond extract and omit the powdered sugar coating (because that’s just messy). They’re destined for my dear friend Diana, one of the very few people in my life who also bakes for me.

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Granulated sugar, for rolling

Preparation

Make the brown butter: In a medium saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns brown; it will foam, then start to form brown flecks, after about 3-4 minutes, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Pour into another bowl to cool completely before using.

In a mixer fitted with your paddle attachment, beat brown butter and sugars to combine. Beat in vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat on low speed to combine. Cover and chill your dough for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Place granulated sugar in a small bowl.

Remove dough from fridge and scoop 1 1/2 inch portions, then roll into balls and coat in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then cool completely on wire racks. Makes about 30 cookies.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

chocolatesnickerdoodlesDo you need to chill cookie dough? Sometimes yes, sometimes no – it depends on the ingredients, and what the end result of the cookie is meant to be. When you chill dough, it allows the butter (or other fat) to solidify, preventing the cookies from spreading too much as they bake.

I didn’t chill today’s chocolate snickerdoodle dough, but I wish I had – and I will next time. These cookies are delicious, but flat and thin, not exactly the texture I wanted. The chocolate/cinnamon combination is amazing, though; I made a small batch of just about 16, so you could easily double the quantities below for a regular amount. Also, the preparation directions below include what I’d recommend for chilling time.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, Add flour mixture and beat to fully combine. Chill dough for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls, then dip in cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart; bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set but centers are still puffy. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets or a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 16 cookies.