Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I love cookies. Bad, bad cookies! :)

But, when you are making them for 8th grade girls to go along with pizza and get them full of sugar for a sleepover - they are perfect. These are so good - especially right out of the oven. Perfectly chewy!

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs (room temp)

2 1/2 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 SCANT tsp salt

5 oz butterscotch chips

4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

4 oz milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream wet ingredients. Add in dry. Fold in chips and nuts.

Larger cookies - 11 minutes - slightly sprayed cookie sheets. 350 degrees.

Cool and eat!

Question: Do have a favorite cookie sheet that looks like this one? And what are your fave chips to use in cookies?

Double Chocolate Ghirardelli Cookies (2010.9)

These are a wonderful bite of chocolate-y goodness! :) I made them before my 5k on Saturday, baked some afterwards and baked the rest this morning for the office. YUM!

This recipe of the week was definitely a winner and I think you can find the recipe virtually in every cooking magazine at some point - just as an advertisement for the BEST chocolate!

1 bag dark chocolate chips - Ghirardelli 60%

6 T unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 bag semi sweet - ghirardelli

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Melt dark chocolate and butter - let cool a bit.

Mix eggs and sugar till thick and creamy. Add in chocolate. Mix well. Add in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and nuts.

Put in seran wrap in 2 separate piles and chill for at least an hour.

Cut, roll, and bake for 11 minutes at 375.

Cool.

Best way to enjoy: warm with a tall glass of milk!

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

I love this pan! :) I got it at Joann's fabrics and just like my spring pan, it makes decorated sugar cookies so easy! I need one for every holiday!

Sugar cookies:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond

2 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt (I thought the batter was a little salty, so next time I might lower it to 3/4 tsp)

Cream, add dry. Spray pan cavities. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove gently with a butter knife. Let cool. Decorate. These would be perfect for kiddos to make! :)

Orange Molasses Cookies (2010.4)

I love healthy cooking magazines that don't always use the light version of everything. I want healthy stuff - not fat free or "light stuff". Eating Well is that magazine for me. A lot of their ingredients are either less of stuff or natural stuff. I like it. I love these cookies. I halved the recipe and changed it a little bit, but these are so good. I am glad these are going to the office tomorrow.

3/4 cup oats - put in a blender and ground semi-fine
2.5 T unsalted butter, softened
1/6 cup sugar
1/6 cup brown sugar
zest of one naval orange
1/4 cup molasses
3.5 T all natural applesauce
1/2 large egg yolk (scramble egg yolk, then just pour in half of it)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg (I didn't have any ginger)
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice (I added more of this and left out the pepper)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/8 cup whole wheat flour
Turbinado sugar to roll cookies in

Cream wet ingredients. Add in dry. Roll cookies in turbinado sugar. Bake at 375 on greased sheets for 9 minutes.
I love the orange flavor that comes out in the first bite - wow - orange! :)
About 76 calories a cookie, 2 fat, 1 fiber.

Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies (2010.3)

Bon Appetit comes through again for this week's recipe. I really love their cooking magazine. I halved the recipes and made it my own by adding some chopped pistachios - and the review I got "These are great, just what I needed, something a little sweet". The only thing that puzzled me about these were the timing. I couldn't get it just right - but they were still good. This version of the recipe makes about 2 dozen.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla (I upped it some from original amount)
1 egg
1 cup oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cherries (next time I would chop these before putting them in)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Cream the first three. Add in egg and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients. Fold in the additions.
Bake on greased cookie sheets at 375 for anywhere from 10-13 minutes, just watch them so they don't burn.
These were good. I would make them again.

118 cal, 6 fat, 1 fiber

Menu Week: Jan 25

I am excited about this week in cooking and eating. Pretend like this is being written on Monday morning (but I am writing it now so I can go grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon):
Coming off a great weekend of baking and getting some rest (I'm in the midst of a cold) - I am grateful that I have an office of professors and co-workers to bring yummy treats to. I promise I am not breathing on the food!
Orange Molasses Cookies
Dark Cherry Pistachio Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins
I will be eating leftovers this week: beef stew, pinto bean stew, curried veggies, salads.
Breakfast (coming off my delicious week of oats) will be vegan spiced banana pancakes all week - YUM!
I am taking dinner to friend's of mine who just had sweet baby Noah: chicken pot pie, salad, Best of Fall cookies (by request).
Recipe of the week is the afore mentioned Orange Molasses Cookies
Weekend will be in Nashville suburbs of Brentwood and Murfreesboro with new and old friends. I'm bringing with my Ghirardelli's Chocolate cookies for my friend who is pregnant. And get to eat out with some cool people while I'm there - so definitely check back after next weekend for my review of what we find!
The next couple of weeks will be spent clearing out the freezer because money will be tight. I have to pay my car tax - fun, huh! :) But, thankful to God I don't have to dip into savings to do it!

Menu Week: January 18

Since I am going to be out having fun this wknd in the Chicago area with my friend, I thought I would go ahead and post the menu for next week.
I am doing good so far. Spending less money on food. Cooking more legumes. This week I am doing well at the start of cleaning out the freezer work that I will need to do in the next 2 months.
So, here goes:
Leftovers: hummus pancakes (yum!)
Monday: brunch in Chicago with Janel and then probably a hummus pancake on an arthur's thin when I get home.
I am housesitting all next week for some friends so I want something easy and portable that I can just grab or eat in bowls.
All breakfast: oats - saving money, healthy, and filling (and versatile) - T-Friday. Saturday will be tea and muffins I think with a friend over a book review
Lunch: curried vegetables from a recipe that I am adapting from Crostini and Chianti. Yummy and healthy - even without the couscous. Just give me a bowl
Wednesday I'm hitting the salad bar at Jason's Deli with a friend of mine - taking a break from work and I haven't been to the new one yet.
Saturday - beef stew from The Kitchn - using some steak and roast that I have in the freezer - full of veggies. And my friend is bringing a late bday offering - oreo cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, there will be some running after that meal. And I have some bread in the freezer we are going to use to sop up all the goodness in the beef stew.
Recipe of the week is from Bon Appetit - Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. I am halving the recipe - and it will still make a lot - plenty for a plate for the office.
I am looking forward to picking up a few good finds in Trader Joes on Sunday - and dreaming of the day when I live within easy shopping distance of a TJ again!

Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread

I love other food blogs. These help when you finish all the stuff you had on tap to make, you look at your kitchen partner, and say at 830 on Christmas Eve, "I'm in the mood to make something" after you've been baking all day and you aren't going back out to Publix.

I found this on a new food blog that I'll definitely be looking at more in the future.

These were actually really yummy - very Christmasy. Just adjusted it slightly.

2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C finely peppermint chopped candies
3 oz. dark chocolate chips, melted

Cream all up to chocolate. Press in a greased aluminum foil lined pan and prick with a fork several times. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Let melt, spread over dough. Pour crushed candies on top of that, spread evenly. Drizzle (with fork) the dark chocolate on top.

Let chill completely before trying to cut into fun shapes or triangles.

12 Days of Baking - Day 12 - Santa Cookies

I don't remember ever setting out a plate of cookies for Santa. But, if I were going to start that tradition - these would be it. I like this recipe just like it is - and it makes a bunch (for Santa's bowl full of jelly)! So, if you have a cookie swap or an office to bake for - these are it. The cranberries, white chocolate chips, and pecans (or walnuts) are just the thing.
Enjoy. And Happy Baking for the holidays!

12 Days of Baking - Day 8 - Triple Cranberry Cookies

These cookies were hard to begin with, and an amazing result!
The reason they were hard is because I went to three different grocery stores to find whole fresh cranberries. Thank you Whole Foods!
This guy makes amazing oatmeal cookies. My next door neighbor and friend, Sloan, and I made his triple strawberry cookies this summer. For the holidays, the minute I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make them. I will now ALWAYS make these. I love any oatmeal cookie - and these are fabulous!
They get their tartness from three different means of cranberries (and orange juice/zest): whole, cooked, dried. They get their sweetness from vanilla wafers, dark sugar, and turbinado sugar.
You have GOT to try these. They are soft and crunchy and so yummy! Did I say these were good?
The recipe is on the link above - and very easy and details directions - no mess no fail recipe! Just follow it! I got 36 out of these.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Pecan Cake Cookies

My Mom has to do a lot of baking for her church during the holidays, so I am helping while I am home. We had plenty of pumpkin since we are stocking up in case of the after-pumpkin rush shortage. These are yummy, moist, and cake like.

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
10 oz white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine dry ingredients. Cream butter, eggs, and sugar. Add in pumpkin and vanilla. Combine dry. Fold in chips and pecans. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 19-22 minutes at 300.

Fall Spiced Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Will these take the place of my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe from Sara Foster - nope. Are they a good treat to bring to the office in the Fall - yes. How can anything with spices, oats, and dark chocolate be bad? I mean these cookies are practically good for you!

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sweet potatoes, mashed (I used some from my cousin's farm in AL)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix dry. Cream butter through vanilla. Combine. Fold in oats and chocolate. Don't overmix.
Bake on lightly greased baking sheets at 350 for about 12 minutes. I got 24 cookies.
You had to really hunt for the sweet potato in it. And since mine aren't a typical sweet potato, mine almost have a greenish tint instead of a orangish tint. I love the spice of these cookies - and I always love anything made with oats!
125 cal/5 fat/1 fiber per cookie. But you get over 2 grams of protein per cookie and less than 10 grams of sugar.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Its hard work coming up with a really great balanced chocolate chip cookie. I have mixed several recipes and trying to find the perfect one. For me, this is it. Slight crunch on the outside, very nice chew on the inside, balanced because of the different sugars and different chocolates. These were all enjoyed last night at a birthday party. The mixture of the m&ms in these were a request from the birthday boy!

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I do this first so it adequate time to cool)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (for chew)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (for depth of flavor)
1/3 scant cup of white sugar (just because!)
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 T vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup plus 2 T bread flour
1/4 heaping tsp salt
1/4 heaping tsp baking soda
3/4 cup semi sweet (or mini baking m&ms)
3/4 cup dark chocolate (I used girardhelli in this batch)

Cream together the butter through the vanilla till light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Mix together dry. Add just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Do not overmix. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes - don't overcook. I get about 30 cookies out of this - depending on the size.
Enjoy!

W-S Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies (2009.40a)

I loved working at W-S for the holidays. Couple of reasons: getting to know non-believers and building a relationship with them and the incredible discount (40%). That is how I stocked my kitchen! I also used the money one year to take a trip to Thailand with my church.
This cookbook has not been the best one though. I loaned this book to a friend last year and she didn't have much success with the pumpkin recipes. I tried it last night - again, not much success. It is the Pumpkin cookbook. At least I got it on sale!

8 oz canned pumpkin
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup superfine sugar (put regular sugar - heaping 1/2 cup - in food processor and grind till fine)
1 egg
1 1/2 cup oats
1 cup self-rising flour
5 oz white chocolate (I upped it from 3.5) chips

Cream wet. Add in oats and flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Let cool.

I liked the combination of the white chocolate and pumpkin, but I just didn't like the final product. Oh, well.

Miss Whites Molasses Cookies

My friend Tasya passed a recipe down to me yesterday after I had a first not so batch of molasses cookies. I mean, don't get me wrong, they were ok. But these were what molasses cookies should be - yummy!
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce (instead of all oil)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt (lowered from 1/4)
2 1/4 cup flour
raw sugar for dusting

Mix all. 375. 7-9 minutes. Enjoy!

Tampa Bay Bucs Molasses Cookies (2009.37)

Tried a new recipe. I personally like Ginger Cookies better. I like these because of their softness and chew. Even though the cookies aren't the greatest in the world - I still like the Bucs. And I still like molasses. These were probably a little runny, maybe because of the applesauce.

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce (I changed from all oil)

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all. 375 for 8 minutes on a lightly greased pan. I sprinkled the top with raw sugar. I loved the crunch that it added. I love raw sugar for topping cookies!

Lighter Fluffier Ginger Cookies (2009.36)

I have gotten to LOVE ginger cookies! I found a cookie in Cooking Light 2009 (September) that I really love. These make about 30 cookies - and they are light and fluffy and only 58 calories. You gotta love that.

6 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 T milk
3 T molasses
1 1/2 cup flour
dash salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp baking soda
Raw sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add milk and molasses. Mix dry and combine with the creamed. Spray cookie sheets with pam and scoop out small cookies. Top with a sprinkle of raw sugar (adds for crunch). 350 for 11 minutes.
Great flavor, a tad of spice, fluffy - not hard like some ginger cookies. Winner!

Hershey's Toffee Snickerdoodles (2009.34a) - Updated

Believe me, I was a little skeptical on these based on the raw dough. But, bake them - they are some of the best cookies. I love snickerdoodles - ever since Erin and I made them back in the Durham apt. They are so good and just sugary. These are even better. When the toffee pieces melt - they taste like brown sugar (which we all know I love).
So, try these! These came out of Hershey's Decadent Delights (Thanks Joneses)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (regular crisco)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp (scant) cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag Heath bits (toffee pieces)

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter, shortening. Add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Blend dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Fold in toffee pieces. Scoop and roll in mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 9 1/2 minutes. Cool on rack!

AMAZING warm. Taking them tomorrow to a member meeting at Sojourn!

Dorie Greenspan's Peanut Butter Cookies (2009.34b)

This week I have made two new recipes - to try to keep getting through all my cookbooks at least once in 2009. Dorie Greenspan is all things baking right now. So - her baking cookbook has some fabulous desserts in it.
Friends of mine recently had a baby so I made them Peanut Butter cookies. Took one of the variations and made one small change - they turned out great! Crispy on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside. Chunks of peanuts and chocolate inside made them extra special.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped salted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate
Raw sugar

Stir dry ingredients. Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugar. Then eggs one at a time. Combine with dry ingredients. Fold in peanuts and chocolate.
Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets, roll cookies in raw sugar, press down with fingers or fork.
Bake for 12 minutes, cool on rack.

Melting Moments (2009.32)

These cookies definitely sound better than they taste. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad. I just think of cookies as being sweet in some way. These are more of a shortbread cookie, with a slight sweetness and bit of crunch in their coating. Would I make them again, probably not. Am I going to share them, yeah - just to have something in the office. Would I use them at a cookie swap and mark it as my favorite cookie - nope. But, that's what this year is getting me - new recipes, some I will keep some I won't. This is from a tall cookbook called Cookies.

About 30 cookies (using small cookie scoop)

3 T butter, softened
5 T shortening
1/2 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour
rolled oats (to roll cookies in, about 1/3 cup)
5 candied cherries (the kind you use at Christmas time), chopped in quarters

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Combine with flour. Roll in oats. Top with candied cherry piece.
Sprayed pan, 350, 15 minutes or less depending on size of cookies. Don't overbake.