Tag: cookies

Pastel Sugar Cookies

pastel sugar cookiesBetty Crocker wasn’t a real person, but I like to think there’s a bit of Betty in all bakers. General Mills now owns the Betty Crocker brand, which was created by another company back in 1921. The marketing folks who came up with the name thought “Betty” sounded all-American and cheerful, and I quite agree.

Throughout my childhood, my mom used both Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines (who was a real person, by the way) mixes to save time in baking. She gave me some Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix recently – probably purchased with holiday baking in mind – and I decided to use it as the base for some creative Easter sugar cookies. I don’t often bake with mixes, but they’re a great way to save time. These treats will be on their way to my darling goddaughter Maureen and her family in just a few days.

Ingredients

  • 1 17.5-ounce package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
  • 8 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • Pink and green colored sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment. Place colored sugars into separate bowls.

Place cookie mix and softened butter into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for about 2 minutes, then add egg, increasing the speed to medium, and beat for another minute.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract; return to medium speed and beat until a soft dough forms.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls, then roll in colored sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 30 cookies.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

strawberry chocolate chip cookies

I don’t usually bake with cake mix. I’m not judging you if you do – seriously, we all have different levels of interest in scratch baking, abilities in the kitchen, and demands on our time. Sometimes my friends bake and say, sheepishly, that they used a boxed cookie mix, or refrigerated dough, or a cake mix-based recipe their mom used back in the day. I’m cool with that. Your outcome is far more important than whether you made something from scratch.

These strawberry chocolate chip cookies, which I found over at Sally’s Baking Addiction, use a boxed strawberry cake mix for their base. While I suppose I could have prowled the internet for one that used butter and flour and strawberry puree, I went with the mix version and ended up with some very tasty treats. The strawberry flavor is subtle, but that’s not a bad thing. These fun treats will soon make their way to my goddaughter Mo and her family in Maryland for Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients

  • 1 box strawberry cake mix*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

*I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Strawberry cake mix.

Preparation

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

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and baking powder.

In a small bowl, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; beat to combine, then pour into dry mixture.

Stir very well, until all pockets of dry ingredients are gone, then stir in chocolate chips. I used my hands (messy, but effective) to fully incorporate the chips into the batter.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes; do not let cookies brown. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

peanut butter chocolate chip cookiesWhat could possibly top a chocolate chip cookie? A peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. And nobody knows chocolate chips like the folks at Nestlé, which marketed Ruth Wakefield’s famous chocolate chip creation, the Toll House Cookie.

This recipe comes from the Nestlé Very Best Baking site and offers a delightful balance of chocolate and peanut butter. Bear in mind that peanut butter cookies over-bake very quickly, so you want to make sure you pull them at 10 minutes, even though the centers will still look a bit raw. This yields a nice crunchy edge, but chewy middle, once the cookies have cooled completely.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 package milk chocolate chips

Preparation

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

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking soda.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add egg and beat to combine.

Add flour in three batches, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through, until edges are just golden but centers still look puffy. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Apricot Kolaches

apricot kolaches 1Apricot kolaches are my new nemesis. This is my second failed attempt, but I’m posting them anyway in the hope that some savvy kolache maker can help me figure out where I’m going wrong.

Kolaches are a traditional Hungarian cookie also found in Polish, Slovak, Croatian, and other Eastern European baking traditions. Each culture pronounces and spells them differently; I believe my Hungarian grandma, Zella, said ko-latch, whether she meant one cookie or a dozen.

I thought my Hungarian blood would automatically equal kolache baking prowess, but I’ve been wrong twice now. My primary problem is that most of them pop open while they’re baking; the photo at left is one of about 12 or so that actually stayed closed. I also suspect that using pastry filling, rather than preserves, would help maintain the structure of the treat, so I’ll give that a shot next time.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • About 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves

Preparation

In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently, for about 3-5 minutes until light and creamy.

Add flour mixture in three batches, beating well between each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl well. Dough will be soft, but not sticky.

Divide dough into four equal portions, roll into balls, and flatten into discs. Wrap in plastic and chill dough for at least 2 hours; I chilled mine overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and move the rack up one position from the center. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dust your counter top with granulated sugar and dust both sides of each dough disc with flour. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Using a 2-inch square cookie cutter, cut dough into squares and place on prepared baking sheets. Spoon a dollop of apricot filling into the middle of each square; I used a generous 1/4 teaspoon from my measuring spoon set.

Fold two opposite corners in and press together to seal; I found that tucking one corner all the way under the opposite side helped prevent them from bursting open while they baked, but only in some cases.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until tops are light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Oreo Cheesecake CookiesMy mom stayed at our house over the weekend to watch Millie while we were in Maryland, and our nephew Roman stayed with her. In my kitchen, they left behind two half-eaten jars of peanut butter (why two? I have no idea!), a pack of hot dog buns, about a quarter of a bag of potato chips, and a package of Oreo cookies. And because I can’t just eat the Oreos like a normal person, I wondered: what can I bake with these?

Oreo cookies are a popular addition to other desserts. Think of cookies and cream ice cream, milkshakes, pies, and cheesecake – these are all based in the Oreo cookie, or at least something very near to it. I found this recipe for Oreo cheesecake cookies on Pinterest from Baker By Nature; I tweaked the recipe just slightly because I didn’t have salted butter, so I added some salt to the mix. While these cookies don’t exactly remind me of Oreo cheesecake, they’re quite tasty and have a nice chewy texture.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
  • 10 Oreo cookies

Preparation

Place Oreo cookies in a large zip top bag and place a kitchen towel over the bag. Using a rolling pin, gently break cookies so that some medium-sized pieces remain and cookies aren’t totally crushed; set aside.

In a mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl well.

Add sugar and beat until well-combined, then add flour in three batches, beating until totally combined and scraping the sides of the bowl frequently.

Add cookie pieces and stir to combine well; use your hands to mix if necessary. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for about 45 minutes.

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

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls, then flatten slightly. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Burnt Almond Cookies

burnt almond cookiesPittsburgh, for all its city claims, is essentially a small town. Everyone knows everyone, usually with two degrees of separation or fewer. One of my favorite Pittsburgh connection stories came recently, when I learned that my coworker, Josh, is married to a girl who went to my elementary school; that he and his wife were married in the church I attended as a kid; and, that his in-laws buy cakes for all of their family celebrations from Mrs. Mileski, who lives up the street from my childhood home (and whose cakes are renowned in the Verona/Penn Hills area).

Josh and I realized our uncanny connection during a conversation about Oakmont Bakery, a stellar establishment that offers a delicious alternative to the Prantl’s burnt almond torte (and happens to be the bakery that made my wedding cake). He’s a burnt almond torte fan, and because this is his last week in our office – he’s accepted a great opportunity in another part of our organization – I’ve baked these burnt almond torte-inspired cookies for him.  Farewell, Josh! Enjoy!

Almond Shortbread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add granulated sugar and almond extract and beat until combined.

Beat in flour.

Cover and chill dough for about one-half hour, until easy to handle.

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

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheets about two inches apart, then flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.

Bake 14 minutes, until bottoms are light golden brown.

Allow to cool before frosting.

Almond Frosting

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract; beat until fully combined.

Add heavy cream about 1/2 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition to reach a fluffy, buttercream consistency.

Burnt Almonds

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine almonds, sugar, and water; stir to combine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place half of the almond mixture in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 4-5 minutes until almonds turn a light golden brown. Almonds will start out looking wet and will appear dry when they are almost done.

Remove to the parchment paper to cool and repeat with the second half of the almonds. Allow to cool completely before using.

Note: you’ll only need about 3/4 cup for this recipe, so you can reserve your burnt almonds for another use or just keep them around for snacks. They’re delicious on their own!

To assemble:

Roughly chop burnt almonds; set aside.

Frost cookies, then dip tops into burnt almonds, pressing gently so the almonds will stick.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Red Velvet Cookies

red velvet cookiesDo you think of red velvet as a Christmas treat? I didn’t, until my friend Erika mentioned that she likes red velvet at this time of year. After all, Santa’s suit is kind of red velvety, and there are plenty of red velvet bows to go around.

These cookies are a delicious twist on the classic red velvet cupcake, and they were extremely popular in my office this week. You could add frosting to them, but I’d recommend just dusting them with powdered sugar once they’ve cooled; although this photo doesn’t do them justice, they have a beautiful red velvet color beneath the powdered sugar.

I also advise using a spoon to scoop your dough, instead of a cookie scoop, as my one-inch scoop met its maker with this dough.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar for rolling, plus more for dusting

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and white sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add beaten egg and beat until combined.

Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and red food coloring and beat until combined.

Add flour mixture in three batches, beating well between and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour, until easier to handle.

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

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, then dip in powdered sugar, tossing to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-11 minutes, until tops are cracked and edges are set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cookies are cool, dust with more powdered sugar.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Brown Sugar Pecan Toffee Rounds

brown sugar pecan toffee roundsWhy do some cookie recipes call for chilled dough? While it certainly makes your dough easier to handle, there are also some scientific principles at work. When you chill your dough, it gives the butter, shortening, or other fat in your recipe a chance to solidify, so when your cookies bake, the fat will take longer to melt than if it were at room temperature. This means your cookies will stay in shape, rather than spreading into puddles of goo. Chilling dough also dries out the dough a bit, but in a good way, enhancing the flavors of your ingredients. For more in-depth info on chilling dough, check out this great post from the folks at King Arthur Flour.

Slice-and-bake cookies, like these brown sugar pecan toffee rounds, must be chilled so you can actually slice them. The recipe below is adapted from one I found in a Better Homes & Gardens holiday cookie magazine, which called for ground almonds instead of pecans. As I only had pecans, I substituted them with great results.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup toffee pieces
  • 1 cup ground toasted pecans

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and butter until combined.

Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Beat in flour about 1/2 cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl well, then beat or stir in toffee pieces and ground toasted pecans. You may need to use your hands to fully incorporate the pieces into the dough.

Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 10-inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 5 hours, until the dough is firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices and place about 1 inch apart on your baking sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until edges are light brown and firm.

Cool on cookie sheets for about 3-4 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Peppermint Meltaways

peppermintmeltawaysIt’s peppermint season! With just a few weeks to go until Christmas, peppermint-flavored treats are everywhere…including my kitchen.

Peppermint is my favorite plant in the mint family, and not just because it pairs very well with chocolate. Peppermint calms headaches, soothes sore throats, tames upset stomachs, and can lower anxiety associated with depression. A pretty powerful little plant, when you think about it.

These peppermint meltaways are adapted from Taste of Home, one of my favorite recipe sources. They’re lighter than expected, perhaps due to the cornstarch in the dough. Next time, I think I’ll swirl together white and red frosting for a candy cane look. This makes a relatively small batch of 2 dozen, but they’d be a nice addition to your Christmas cookie platter.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the frosting

  • 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • About 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • red food coloring, if desired

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine flour and cornstarch; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add peppermint extract and beat to combine.

Add flour/cornstarch mixture in three batches, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each. Chill dough for about 20 minutes, until easy to handle.

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

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Be careful when checking – these cookies are very soft and crumbly until they’re cool.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat butter for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons milk, peppermint extract, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until combined, then add remaining powdered sugar about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well. Check your consistency; you want a spreadable frosting that isn’t too thick or thin, like the consistency of peanut butter. If necessary, thin your frosting with the remaining milk. Add food coloring, if desired.

Frost cookies and store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Caramel Apple Cookies

caramelapplecookiesShanah tovah, friends! Tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashannah begins, and we celebrate the Jewish New Year. We don’t have big plans here in the Kozusko-Marcus interfaith household, but naturally, all holidays must be marked with baked goods.

These caramel apple cookies are a great choice for fall, and for Rosh Hashannah, when one gives blessings for a sweet new year. I found the original recipe at Cooking Classy and adapted it slightly, altering the amount of grated apple in the cookies and adding several more teaspoons of apple juice concentrate to the frosting in order to make it spreadable. The frosting sets up very, very quickly – almost immediately – and the additional concentrate is absolutely necessary unless you’re going for something like caramel apple fudge (which would be delicious, but not really useful as frosting).

Tonight, whether you celebrate Rosh Hashannah or not, perhaps you’ll reflect on the coming year and what you hope to accomplish…I know I will, and that many recipes will be involved!

Ingredients

For the apple cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated (about 3/4 cup)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • scant* 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed but cold

*Note: “scant” = less 1 tablespoon

For the caramel apple frosting

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate, plus about 3-4 teaspoons more for thinning (see below)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

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

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

Place grated apple and lemon juice in a small bowl and toss to combine; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well to combine.

Add about half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined; with the mixer running on low, slowly pour in apple juice concentrate. Add remaining flour and beat until combined. Stir in grated apple.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, until cookies are set. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: in a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and 2 1/2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar melts.

Add powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and scraping the pan well. Continue adding powdered sugar, alternating with 1 teaspoon of concentrate at a time; I used about 4 additional teaspoons of concentrate to reach a spreadable consistency.

Very quickly spread frosting on cookies and immediately top with pecans; it helps if you have an assistant to sprinkle on the pecans as you continue frosting.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.