Breakfast Cookies

 

There are no sugar or eggs in this recipe, yet they are not even missed. I just love these, and they are rather simple to make. It will bake in the same size and shape you make them, so what you see is what you get. The only dried fruit I had on hand was dried Cranberries, so that is what is in the picture, but anything you like will do.

Breakfast Cookies
1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup Flax seed Meal
1/2 cup chopped, Mixed nuts
1 cup dried fruit(a combination or just one fruit)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking sheet, or line with Parchment Paper.

In a large bowl, combine Oats, coconut, Flax seed Meal, nuts, fruit, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Stir till well distributed.

In another bowl, combine, oil, banana and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well.

With your hands, roll about two Tablespoons of batter, squeezing tightly. Place onto prepared baking sheet, press down and shape into cookies. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I was on a search for a quick Family Home Evening Treat for last night, and came across these. They remind me of the Grandmother's Cookies, but way better. Homemade cookies are always BETTER, right? I pressed the cookies down like she mentioned, and they spread out beautifully, and I didn't use as much icing on them as she did, and I thought it was just perfect. These are so good, I'm glad that I only made 6 cookies and stuck the rest of the dough in the freezer. Too much temptation! The recipe and photos are from smitten kitchen. I've got one more recipe I'm dying to try from there, hopefully I can get to that soon. Just click on the title and it will take you there. I had to delete the original pictures I had up, since I browsed her blog and realized her photos were copyrighted. Bummer. But, you get the idea.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Good to the Grain

Unlike most cookies, where spreading is a cause for concern, here, it is encouraged as it leads to a thinner, lacier cookie.

Yield: 30 3-inch cookies (with a 2 tablespoon or #40 scoop), larger if your spread more

Ingredients:
Butter for baking sheets
2 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour*
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs

Icing:
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
5 to 6 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Rub two baking sheets with butter. In a food processor, grind 1/2 cup of oats to a fine powder, then add remaining oats and grind them all together until it resembles coarse meal, with only a few large flakes remaining.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back any bits of grains or other ingredients that remain in the sifter. In a small bowl, whisk butter and eggs until combined. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Scoop balls of dough about 2 to 3 tablespoons in size (I used a #40 cookie scoop, which scooped 2 tablespoon-sized balls) onto cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. When tops are evenly brown, take them out and transfer them to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Let cookies cool completely before icing.

In a bowl, whisk icing ingredients together until smooth. It should have a honey-like consistency. Drizzle the frosting over the cookies. Let the frosting set for 30 minutes (or more; it took longer at my place but by the next day, was fully firmed up) before eating. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

* The original recipe replaced this volume with a multigrain flour mix that worked out to 1/2 cup barley flour + 1/4 cup millet flour + 1/4 cup rye flour. If you have any of these flours, swap them in and reduce the volume of all-purpose.

(Joys) Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you click on the title, it will take you to myrecipes.com where I found the picture. My sister-in-law, Joy passed this recipe on to me a while ago. I made these again last weekend for Kelli's Sunday School class at church, and most of the extra ones(except the ones that we ate), went to Brandon's Home Teaching families. This is another great recipe. I like to add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup more flour for a more fuller cookie.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips

Stir together the butter and sugars till well combined, add eggs and vanilla and stir, till combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Add to the sugar mixture, then stir in chocolate chips.

Bake @ 375 for 8-12 minutes.

Gingerbread Snowflakes (Gingerbread Cookies)

This is from the recipe page, click on the title.

 

This is what mine looked like. This is a perfect recipe for making cookies, not for a Gingerbread house. They hold together nicely for decorating, yet are soft to bite into. MMMMM. I used the Royal Icing to decorate. It's included below the gingerbread cookie recipe.

Gingerbread Snowflakes
Ingredients

Makes 16 cookies

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Royal Icing
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.




ROYAL ICING(This is the kind of frosting that hardens, so it packages well)

Ingredients
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 large egg whites, or more to thin icing
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more to thicken icing
1 lemon, juiced

Directions
Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Craisy Oatmeal Cookies

These have a great texture to them, and they taste so good. When I made these, they were gone VERY fast. The title takes you to the food network where the recipe is from Guy Fieri, with GREAT reviews.

Craisy Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature (or 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup canola oil)
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups quick oats
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I didn't add this to ours)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, soda, powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer. Mix in honey and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in coconut, dried cranberries, oats and rosemary. Fold dry ingredients into butter mixture. Form into balls, approximately 2 tablespoons. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake until cookies turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Let sit 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

The title takes you to where I found the picture, but I got this recipe from the Nestle Toll House best-loved Cookies cook book. These are simply delicious! I used Adams creamy peanut butter in these, and it worked beautifully.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour(I used half white, half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Press down slightly to flatten into 2-inch circles.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft(I had to bake mine for 13 minutes). Let stand for 4 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The title will take you to the William Sanoma site where I found these wonderful cookies. Try them, you will like them. :)
As these chocolate cookies bake, they puff up and crackle, so they are called crinkle cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Before you start
Be sure an adult is nearby to help.

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter.

Put the confectioners' sugar into a bowl and set aside.

Mix the ingredients
In another bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 egg and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the other egg and vanilla and beat until blended.

Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended.

Form the cookies
Using a tablespoon, scoop up a rounded spoonful of dough. Scrape the dough off the spoon into the palm of your other hand. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar until covered. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies
When 1 baking sheet is full, put it in the oven and bake the cookies until they are crackled and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, move the cookies onto the rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. Makes about 24 cookies.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Oxmoor House, 2003).

No Bake Cookies

I'm pretty sure everyone has a version of these, but I thought I'd post them anyway, since they are so tasty. My sister, Julie gave me this recipe years ago. The title takes you to where I found the pic.

No Bake Cookies
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Boil 1 1/2 minutes, and start timing at full rolling boil.
Remove from heat.
Then add:
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats (quick cooking oats work too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix and Drop by teaspoon on wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Mrs. Fields Cookies

Watch out, these are really really really good! I got this recipe from Paula, again, she's got some of the best ones!

Mrs. Fields Cookies
Cream together:
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
Add:
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix together in a separate bowl:
4 cups flour,
5 cups oatmeal (put the oatmeal in a blender or food processor, and blend until it is like powder or flour)
Add:
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and mix well.

Add:
24 ounces chocolate chips
1 8oz hersheybar, chopped(optional)
3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Blend well.
Bake on greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees(when we lived in Idaho we did 375 for 6-8 minutes).
Enjoy them!
I found the picture at www.mymuffinthursdays.blogspot.com

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Here is my first attempt at taking my own photo of the food I've made. My goal would be to have all of the posts be my photos instead of others that I have found. We'll see how it goes for future posts.

These Chocolate Chip cookies are seriously the best I've ever made. I'm sure there are a ton of great recipes out there, but this one is on the top of my list. My cousin, Marcella gave me the recipe, but I'm not sure where it is originally from. Kelli helped put the cookies on the tray and stuck them in the oven to bake. I love it when the kids want to be involved, it's my favorite.

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened (I used 3/4 cups butter, 3/4 cups canola oil)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar mixture, vanilla and eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour mixture (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
Flatten slightly.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1-2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

About 6 dozen cookies.

Ginger Crinkles

Certain foods, or smells can bring back a flood of memories. For me, the smell of Ginger Snaps bring back a ton of memories of going to Grandma and Grandpa Blands house and all the fun times we shared. These Ginger Crinkles taste like a soft ginger snap to me. Cyndi was over today and helped me "test" them to make sure they were the right consistency. The first batch was too hard, the second batch was too soft(under-done), but the third batch was just right. I feel like I'm telling a story to Kaleb. He loves the story of Goldy Locks and the Three Bears. :)
When I make these again in the future, I'll add a bit more flour to help them hold their round shape, and bake them at exactly 13 minutes.