Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

1 c butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c whole wheat flour

2.5 c white flour

2 tsp cinnamon

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and egg, mix well.  Add baking powder and whole wheat flour, mix well.  Add the cinnamon and the rest of the flour a little bit at a time.  Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.  (No chilling necessary) Cut out the cookies and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Dip some of the cookies in dark chocolate, if desired.

Cocoa-Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

The Cookies

1/4 c butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 c pumpkin

1 egg

1 c sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/3 c white flour

makes approx. 24 cookies

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

The Filling

1/2 c cream cheese

2 tsp cinnamon

6-7 spoonfuls of confectioners sugar

1 tbsp apple cider

Inspired by this recipe.  I was looking for pumpkin cake recipes.  While browsing, the red velvet oreos caught my eye.  They sounded intriguing.  I've never made red velvet anything.  And I don't have any red food coloring.  But I turned that idea into these cookies.  So much for making pumpkin cake...maybe next time.

Chocolate-Covered Espresso Bean Cookies

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 c whole wheat flour

1+ c white flour

1/3 c chocolate covered espresso beans

Beat butter, oil, and sugars together in a stand mixer.  Add the egg, salt, soda, and vanilla, mix well.  Incorporate the whole wheat flour, then the white flour.  Crush the espresso beans, then mix them in. 

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

The Cream Cheese Cookies I made on Sunday were so delicious, I just had to whip up another batch!  This time, I added some cocoa powder...can't ever have too much chocolate!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

4 tbsp butter

2 oz cream cheese

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1+ tsp ginger powder

3/4 tsp vanilla

2+ tsp cocoa powder

1 egg

1/2 c wheat flour

1 c flour

handful of craisins

handful of mini chocolate chips

bake @ 375 for 10-12 minutes

These cookies hold their shape very well while baking.  The tops may look slightly under-done when you take them out, but they will firm up the rest of the way while cooling on a wire rack.  You don't want to over-bake the cookies, or the bottoms will burn.

I received a bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye Whiskey for my birthday.  Cracked open that bottle this evening and tried it with the cookies.  Perfect match. 

Cream Cheese Cookies

I went to a crawfish boil today and needed something to bring.  It seems that cookies are my go-to thing to bring at this point, because they are so quick and easy and there are so many possibilities.  Also, because it is one of the only things that I always have ingredients for...

So I took out the butter and threw it in the mixer to soften for a bit, and noticed the cream cheese I had in the fridge, that needed to be used before it turned all sorts of pretty shades of blue and green.  So I decided to substitute cream cheese for the vegetable oil I usually put in cookies.  I'm not sure exactly how much cream cheese I used, but it looked like a bit more than the amount of butter I used, so I'm going to guess 5 or 6 tbsp.

One of the best things about these cookies (other than the fact that they taste good) is that they hold their shape really well while baking.  I hate it when my cookies spread really thin in the oven.  I always chill the dough before baking it, which helps, but every now and then it fails.  These cookies held their shape so well, the first batch was burning on the edges before the center cooked.  So, I smashed the cookies on the second tray before baking them.

The cookies come out with more of a cake-y texture than a cookie texture.  

Perfectly soft, chewy, and yummy.

Cream Cheese Cookies

1/2 stick butter

5-6 oz cream cheese

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 c wheat flour

3/4 c flour

mini chocolate chips

bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes

Diabolical Bacon Cookies

Somebody come save me from myself! I was left unsupervised on a rainy Sunday, and 45 of these appeared in my kitchen.  There are still 42 left...

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1/4 c stout beer

4 slices of bacon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 c white flour

mini chocolate chips

My new favorite stout (after Guinness of course)

Magic Hat's Heart of Darkness Stout

Directions

Chop the bacon into little pieces.  Throw it in a skillet on medium heat.  When the bacon starts to look crispy, drain the excess grease.  Add the beer, cook until the liquid has evaporated off.  When done, put the bacon on a paper towel to soak up any remaining grease.

In a mixing bowl, combine the other ingredients, in the order listed.  Add the bacon and chocolate chips last.

Put tiny spoonfuls of batter onto a baking sheet.  I got 3 sheets of 15 cookies each.   

Cook at 375 for 6 minutes.  

(Longer if you make bigger cookies)

Enjoy responsibly with some beer.

PB & Butterscotch Chip Cookies

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4-5 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1/2 c wheat flour

1 c white flour

1/3 c butterscotch chips

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Lemon-Oatmeal Cookies

Lemon-Oatmeal Cookies

(sorry...I was in a hurry and didn't take any exciting pictures)

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp lemon extract

1/4 c quick oats
1/2 c wheat flour
3/4 c white flour

1 tsp crushed rosemary

Bake at 375 for 8-10 min

Pumpkin-Craisin-Choc Chip Cookies

I've had an actual stand mixer in my apartment for a whole week now and I didn't get around to breaking it in until this evening.  But somebody has a birthday coming up and will be receiving some cookies in the mail.

(Hopefully on time...but no promises. Who has time to go to the post-office?)

my new toy:

So this evening, I made cookies for the first time in 5 years without having to melt the butter first.  And I didn't have to use a fork to mix the dough.  Craziness.  Guess now I should stop bragging about how I can make delicious cookies without a mixer.

Pumpkin-Craisin-Choc Chip Cookies

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 egg

3-4 tbsp pumpkin

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 c wheat flour

1+ c flour

This is my basic cookie recipe, but I added the pumpkin.  I normally use 3/4 c white flour, but ended up adding quite a bit extra because the dough seemed too soft.  I have no idea how much I ended up adding.  

These are the "fluffiest" cookies I have made in a long time.  

Often my cookies end up pretty flat.  But even when I get the dough cold enough not to spread really thin, they don't usually end up as tall as this batch of cookies did!

Lemon Ginger Cookies

Lemon Ginger Cookies

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 tsp lemon extract

1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c wheat flour

3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp crushed rosemary

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

I didn't quite have the dough cold enough before it went into the oven, and so my cookies spread pretty thin and got crunchier than I like.  Oops.  They taste good though.  

As for the adventure of the day...I stuck my nose in the bowl after adding the lemon extract to see if it smelled lemony enough, and...I couldn't really smell lemon but I did get a big whiff of alcohol!  Was I supposed to know that extracts are mostly alcohol?  That blast of alcohol fumes pretty much guaranteed that I wasn't going to be able to tell how lemony the cookies were, so I had to just hope they were good.  

Ginger Craisin Cookies

Ginger Craisin Cookies

1 stick butter

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c wheat flour

2 c flour

1/4 c mini chocolate chips

1/4 c (scant) craisins

(I didn't actually measure the chocolate or the craisins...so 1/4 c is just a guess)

bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

makes about 40 cookies

I took these cookies out to the people hard at work in the State Forest building a new trail.  

There were no complaints.  

The trail is looking awesome and I can't wait to run it!

Rosemary-Chocolate Heaven

In cookies.  

Does it get any better?

I used my basic chocolate-chip cookie recipe, but added approx. 1 tbsp of dried rosemary.

Cookie Recipe

1 egg

1/2 stick of butter, melted*

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1/4 c wheat flour

1 c white flour

bake at 375 for 8 minutes

makes 24 cookies

*if you have a mixer you don't need to melt the butter...I melt it because I mix by hand

Yay Pictures!

contemplating the impending yumminess

the conclusion

best. cookies. ever.