Whoever dreamed up such an appetizing name for these “dessert droppings”, I’ll never know. That’s what my mom called them and so that’s what they are. Delicious as far as dung goes. We always made them with coconut, but I recently realized that the rest of the world was using peanut butter. So this go round I made them both ways, coconut for the sake of tradition, and peanut butter for Dustin (like I’ve mentioned 800 times, he detests coconut, and it’s tragic).
They really are a snap to make. No preheating the oven, setting timers, shuffling cookie sheets. Just drop them by the blob on some wax paper and you’re done. The hard part is waiting to eat them until they’ve cooled. I’ve singed my tongue countless times due to lack of patience. And it’s ironic because afterward you can’t taste much of anything! (Luckily, the fridge/freezer will speed up the cooling process.)
INGREDIENTS 2 cups sugar 5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract pinch of salt 1/2 cup coconut OR peanut butter 3 cups old-fashioned oats
DIRECTIONS 1. In a saucepan bring sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add vanilla, salt, coconut or peanut butter, and oats. Mix well.
I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from All Recipes, and I did a little tinkering of my own. I tried it two ways: with classic white sugar and white flour and a “healthified” version with natural cane sugar and whole wheat. (The latter still contains a full stick of butter so it still doesn’t exactly fall within the health food realm.) I split the pan right down the middle, half whole wheat and the other half not.
It was an experiment of sorts. As you can see, the whole wheat crust was a deeper golden brown, hinting at its whole grain goodness. The test was to see how different they tasted. I made the mistake of telling my guests the difference, and predictably, they avoided the whole wheat bars. I munched on both (with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream on the side, yum!) and didn’t think either stood out as better than the other. But sometimes I worry that I’m slightly jaded, being accustomed to the taste of whole wheat. My husband though, who is brutally honest in his culinary opinions, happily gobbled up the leftovers with no discrimination. According to him- brown or white- the taste was the same. So there you have it… either way you make ’em, you’ll have blueberry bliss!
INGREDIENTS 1 cup white sugar (or evaporated cane sugar) 1 tsp. baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) 1 cup cold butter (2 sticks) 1 egg 1/4 tsp. salt Zest and juice of 1 lemon 4 cups fresh blueberries 1/2 cup white sugar (or evaporated cane sugar) 4 tsp. cornstarch
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, and flour. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. In a separate bowl stir together sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Top with the remaining dough crumbles.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, until the top is slightly browned. Cool before cutting into squares.
It has taken me five days to get around to finishing this post. These last two weeks of school (before a glorious summer break) have been the busiest yet. Why is it that teachers like to throw everything at you at once? I have a final tomorrow morning that I should be studying for right now. That or practicing giving a physical examination that I have to record to DVD next week. But instead I’ve got my laptop propped on the end of an examination table in our clinical lab, next to the otoscope and blood pressure cuff, avoiding productivity for just a few more minutes.
Food is my creative escape from this sterile world of hospital gowns and surgical gloves. I want to be a nurse. I signed up for this. But some days I want to be a the girl who doesn’t think about food as a measure of input and output. I’ll never again be able to eat a cinnamon bun without thinking about its spiking affect on my blood glucose. This heightened level of awareness is keeping me healthy, but it can be irritating.
Since adopting a natural foods diet, there are several treats we miss. I miss my daily Fiber1 Bar (they are way too tasty to actually be good for you). Dustin longs for his favorite packaged cookies: Keebler Fudge Sticks, Nutter Butters, and Oreos. When I came across this recipe I was super excited! Homemade Oreos! I was not expecting to be wowed, but Dustin and I both agreed (and he is the expert) that these are far superior the to Nabisco brand! The outer cookie is soft and chewy (and stays so stored at room temperature for a few days) and perfect with the fluffy frosting filling. Pour a glass of milk, pile up a plate of cookies, dip, and devour.
INGREDIENTS For the chocolate cookies: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg
For the filling: 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (suggested: Spectrum organic shortening made with palm oil) 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 2 tsp. vanilla extract
NOTE: While I try not to use shortening, it is essential in this case to maintain the consistency of the filling. If you were to use butter or oil it wouldn’t keep its shape at room temperature (and would alter the taste.)
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a food processor or electric mixer (this could be done by hand as well), thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. With the motor running on low add the butter and then the egg. Continue mixing until the dough comes together in a big ball.
3. Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets (giving them room to spread). Slightly flatten them with the tips of your fingers. Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the filling, cream butter and shortening at low speed, gradually beating in the sugar and vanilla. Turn mixer to high and beat several minutes until light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, spoon frosting into a piping bag (or a Ziploc with the corner cut off works just as well). Pipe dots of filling onto the center of half of the cookies. Place a second cookie (that is the same size) on top and press down gently so the filling spreads to the sides. Continue assembling all of the cookies and enjoy!
These cookies hit the spot when you’re craving something sweet but are bored of plain chocolate chip. They are notoriously soft and chewy and chocolaty! I’ve haven’t tried this yet, but I often read about bakers who freeze cookie dough in little balls and then pop them onto the pan and into the oven when they are wanting homemade cookies. (Because they are frozen, you will have to increase the baking time.) I think next time I make a batch (should work for just about any cookie) I’ll freeze half of it for future use. Talk about convenience! You’ll want to flash freeze them separately on a sheet pan for an hour or so before throwing them in a bag together. This prevents them from sticking to each other and becoming one frozen solid mass. If anyone tries this let us know how it goes.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups white chocolate chunks
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the vanilla. Combine the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt and gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffy but still soft. Cool on a wire rack.
Several days ago I wrote a lengthy, detailed post about this cookie recipe and lost it all to a faulty Internet connection. I’ve finally returned to try again, but I’m still pouting over my wasted time and creativity. I’m positive this post will be much worse than the original which was sucked into the void of cyberspace. But I suppose that even if my blurb about these chocolate chip cookies is not a literary masterpiece, it won’t change the fact that they they are (it’s a fact) fantastic!
These are the cookies that I grew up on. By the time I was old enough to operate the oven I had the recipe memorized (and still do) and was baking them by the batchful. They were the first treat I ever baked my then-boyfriend, now-husband (wink, wink) and continue to be a staple in his diet. No two batches are ever alike. Sometimes they turn out crunchy, sometimes flat, often puffy and chewy and perfect (variations are due to the temperature of the butter, cooking time, altitude, etc.). Sometimes we use M&M’s or butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips or a combination of all of the above.
The tattered recipe card I committed to memory so many years ago claimed that they were the original Mrs. Field’s recipe. I’ve never had a Mrs. Field’s cookie and so I can’t tell you if they taste the same. But like Mrs. Field’s we sometimes spread the entire bowl of batter onto a large pizza pan and bake a giant cookie. It makes a great alternative to birthday cake, decorated with icing, candles and all!
To achieve what I believe is the pinnacle of cookie perfection: make sure to slightly under bake your cookies. Take them out of the oven before they brown. Err on the side of too-gooey rather than overdone. The cookies will set up as they cool and stay moist and chewy for days (stored in an airtight container).
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups all-purpose flour 12 oz. (2 cups) chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth with an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
3. Drop into rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies), until they just start to turn golden on the edges. (They might still look doughy in the center, buy they will set up once cooled.)
4. Immediately remove from the cookie sheet to cool on a wire rack. They keep well for several days at room temperature (in an airtight container) or for several weeks in the freezer.
/ COMMENT / Share