Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My Dad's favorite kind of cookie is oatmeal raisin and they have been steadily rising to the top of my list over the years. I think it has something to do with age. You never wanted them as a kid but now, all the overly sweet desserts and cookies seem too much for your aging palate. America's Test Kitchen has come up with my favorite variety of oatmeal raisin cookies, their Big and Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. They don't, however, put any cinnamon in the dough and depending on my mood I will follow the recipe or add just 1/4 of a teaspoon. Lately I've been leaving it out like they suggest.  I also don't make them as big as they suggest either. Mine are probably half the size, using about 1 Tbs of dough per cookie. 

I should add that these oatmeal cookies get crispy real quick if you over cook them. That's why my cook time is weird like 16-17 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so you know how your oven cooks them. Remember that the recipe says to keep them on the pan for two minutes so maybe error on the slightly under done side for your first time cooking them. 

Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen medium size cookies 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

16 Tbs unsalted butter, softened 

1 c packed light brown sugar

1 c granulated sugar

2 lg eggs

 3 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 c raisins

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and both sugars.

While they are creaming whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. 

Add eggs to the butter mixture just until combined.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Stir in the oats and raisins just until combined. 

Scoop out about a Tbs of dough per cookie and keep it pretty rounded, roll with your hands if you'd like. 

Place 2 inches apart on pan. 

Bake about 16-17 minutes, until edges are just golden brown and the middles still look a bit wet.  Allow to sit on pan for two minutes after removing them from oven. 

Transfer to a cooling rack. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter

I use a lot of America's Test Kitchen recipes and I wish I used more. These are the only chocolate chip cookies I've made for years now. I probably should try a different kind every now and again but ATK hit the nail on the head, for me, with these. I can still remember the first cookie I had. 

My husband and I headed out to Hale Center Theater with another couple. My Mom handed us a bag of cookies as a snack to share and sneak in :). Well, we were only able to get seats of 2 together so we split up. Later, we met in the hall during intermission and asked eachother if they had tried the cookies because they were goooood. Haha thanks, Mom! 

I usually double the recipe and only cook one dozen. Then I scoop the remaining dough in large tablespoon portions on a pan and freeze them. Then after they've froze, pour them into a plastic freezer bag  and save them for later. I then cook half dozen portions each time I want fresh cookies. I can't really tell you how long they last this ways because I don't think I've left them in the freezer for longer than a month or two. Nomnomnom :) I bake them at the same temperature with the same amount of time. Maybe add a minute or two. Just watch them if you do it this way. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter (America's Test Kitchen Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Makes 2 dozen small cookies 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (best choice) or light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips 

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional) 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Whisk together flour and soda in medium bowl. 

Heat a medium pan over medium high heat and add 10 tablespoons butter (don't use a nonstick pan). Constantly stir until it gives off a nutty aroma and is golden brown. If you do not brown it enough you will get flat cookies. But don't burn the butter either. It can go from browned to burned quickly. 

Pour into a heat proof bowl (I use my KitchenAid but it's not necessary) and add remaing 4 tablespoons butter. 

Allow to melt. 

Add sugars, salt, and vanilla  and mix well.

Add egg and yolk and whisk on hight (very vigorously if not using a mixer) for 30 seconds and then let it sit for 3 minutes. Repeat whisking and sitting 3 times. It should become very light and fluffy 

Stir in flour and baking soda.

Add chocolate chips. 

Scoop 12 large tablespoon portions onto each pan. I think my scoop is #70 but I slightly over fill it. 

Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges have become light brown and middle is still a bit soft. 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

I like them cooled completely so you can taste the complexity of the cookie. Yummmm

Soft Double Chocolate Cookies

These are dangerously rich. The edges are slightly crisp but the whole of the cookie is soft like a brownie. They are great with icecream. Pretty simple to make yet packed with chocolate flavor.  I get 4 dozen out of this recipe but I like them on the smaller side because of how rich they are. I use a slightly over filled #7 scoop for my cookies which is about the same as a mounded tablespoon. 

Soft Double Chocolate Cookies adapted from The Gourmet Cookie Book

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

4 oz unsweetened chocolate *(or 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa mixed with  4 tablespoons canola oil)

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick) cut into chunks

4 large eggs room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

In a medium, microwave safe, bowl put unsweetened chocolate, 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and butter. Melt in 30 second increments stirring in between each, until smooth. 

In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs and sugars until thick, light colored, and fluffy. Really give it a good beating. 

Add vanilla and beat some more. 

In a small bowl stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. 

Carefully fold the chocolate into the eggs.  

Stir in the flour and remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. 

Allow the dough to rest for 15 min.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Drop mounded tablespoon fulls onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. They should be puffy and cracked. Don't over cook them, they should be soft, but don't under cook them either or they will be too soft and doughy to handle. You will get a good measure of time after you bake the first batch. If they are under done, just slide them back in for another minute or two. I take them out of my oven at exactly 10 minutes. 

Let them cool and rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

Berries and Cream Shortbread

I didn't have any eggs but was craving some kind of sweet baked good. I read through one of my cookie books (Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Cookie Book) and found the perfect recipe, although it was a Pineapple Macadamia Nut Shortbread, (There is no way I had candied pineapple and macadamia nuts on hand if I didn't even have eggs!) so I just left out the extra ingredients. I did, however, have some frozen blueberries and some whipping cream. The combination of berries and shortbread satisfied my craving, and then some (and they look quite patriotic).

I made these at like 9 pm so there was no way I was going to get a good picture. I will see if I have time to take another one today to replace this sorry photograph with a slightly less shadowed one.

Berries and Cream Shortbread

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. Flour
1/3 c. Packed Brown Sugar
1 c. Cold Butter
1 or 2 Drops Orange Extract (optional)
Berries and Whipped Cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Stir together the flour and brown sugar.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture forms tiny balls that start to stick together.
Add orange extract and stir in well.
Form into a ball and knead a couple times.
Roll out about 1/4 in. thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out dough with cookie cutter. Only re-roll the scraps once.
Place on a baking sheet and cook about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
Let cool and top with berries and whipped cream. yum.

S'more Bars

These bars were inspired from a campfire on the beach with some of our friends. It had been quite a while since I had had a s'more and after the delicious experience on the beach, it's all that I wanted for about a week after we got home. I thought there had to be a way to make s'mores the same way you make rice crispy treats. I tried it and it turned out so good! I did notice that the graham crackers got a little soft so I decided to put a little bit of a crispy rice cereal in it to keep the crisp factor up. I think in my childhood I had some type of these but made with Golden Graham Cereal. I remember the graham flavor of the cereal was too strong for me, but I think they could easily be substituted. These bars bring part of the camping experience to your kitchen.

S'more Bars

Ingredients

1 cube Butter or Margarine
1- 16 oz bag of Mini Marshmallows
2 pkgs Graham Crackers
1 1/2 c. Crispy Rice Cereal
1 c. Chocolate Chips -melted

Directions

Break up the graham crackers into a bowl with your hands into small bite size pieces.
In another large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter.
Add the marshmallows to the butter and coat evenly. Microwave the marshmallows about 30 seconds stirring very well after each. When they start melt and just start to string when stirring you know you are ready. *You don't want to over cook the marshmallows, this will make your bars hard.
Stir in the broken up graham crackers and the rice cereal. This may take some muscle.
Pour mixture onto a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper on it. Lightly wet your hands and smash and squish them flat to spread them around the pan. Make them as thick as you like.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Heat the water in a pot to a boil and turn down to simmer. If you don't have a double boiler you can use a large glass bowl. Set the bowl with chocolate on top of the pot and stir till melted. Spoon the chocolate over the graham crackers and marshmallows.
Let it set for a few hours (I sometimes cheat and throw it in the freezer for a few minutes) and eat!

Yummm.