Category Archives: Cookies

Oatmeal Craisins Cookies

I’m on a craisins kick! Why not? Really you could use any dried fruit you prefer. Craisin add a pretty hue. This recipe was inspired by a Bob’s Red Mill Recipe that originally called for nuts, I swapped out the almonds for chocolate chips. I think white chocolate chips would go good here as well

This recipe yields: 32 cookies using a number 40 scoop ( 2 Tablespoons)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (aka two full sticks)  (room temperature/softened but not too soft)

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Raw sugar or brown sugar

2 extra large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract ( I prefer penzeys vanilla)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour  or Graham Flour

1 tsp baking Powder

1 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3 cups Old fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate (pick your favorite)

1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees convection (standard oven 350 degrees). Parchment paper line two 1/2 sheet baking pans.  Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream butter, salt, and sugars together. Add in eggs, one at a time and follow up with vanilla. Mix until combined.

3. In a seperate medium to large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually add to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

4.  Fold in oats, craisins, and chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

5. Use ac cookie size 40 scoop to drop cookies onto parchment paper. I only placed 6 cookies to a 1/2 sheet pan.

6. Bake for 16-17 minutes and allow to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool off.

****Bonus trick….Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for a good hour before scooping & baking. This helps them hold their shape.

Simply the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

If I haven’t said it before, I have made at least 30 different versions of chocolate chip cookies. That said this recipe below is by far my most requested recipe!

In fact it’s the only recipe I have memorized by heart because I have made it so many times. I have been fine tunning it for years. My mom always says I don’t like to share my food but I do love to share my recipes! This one is for you Kathy 😊!

We are gearing up for our yearly Topsail NC road trip and I asked my nephew what cookies I should make. Despite I already knew the answer before I asked the question… CHOCOLATE CHIP Aunt Nelli ❤️.

This Recipe Yields: approximately 5 dozen cookies using number 60 scooper.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter  (room temperature)

¾ cup brown sugar (not packed)

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 small (96g) box jell-o vanilla instant pudding or white chocolate

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (penzey’s single strength)

2 3/4 cups All purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 (12 ounce) bag semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Aldi Brand this time but ghirardelli is always a winner too)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream together the butter, pudding, and both sugars. On a slow speed, add the eggs (one at a time), and vanilla extract to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually on  a low speed add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.

3. Lastly add the chocolate chips. Mix until the chips are spread throughout dough evenly.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

5. After 45 minutes have elapsed preheat oven to 350. Keep the dough in the refrigerator. Prepare 1/2 sheet baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

6. Drop on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I use a number 60 scoop to make them uniform.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes; longer for really large cookies. (13 minutes is usually the trick to my oven)

Let the cookies sit on the pan for about a minute and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy because they won’t last long !

Double Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

Fall is pumpkin madness as far as I am concerned so I am going to take advantage of the season and the bountiful harvest of the pie pumpkins! This is a spin off my hubbies favorite chocolate chip cookie. 

This recipe yields: 74 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/4 cup puréed pumpkin 

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups Whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher  salt

1 small box pumpkin pie instant pudding ( you can use sugar free)

1 (10 ounce) bag pumpkin spice baking chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Parchment paper line 2 half sheet pans & set aside.

3. In a small bowl thoroughly mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. 

4. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment beat butter until light and fluffy. Add in both sugars, vanilla, pudding mix, and pumpkin continue to beat with paddle attachment. Slowly add in eggs one at a time. 

5. Add in flour blend to the liquid batter. Slowly incorporate. Be cautious not to over mix. Fold in pumpkin chips. 

6. Portion out cookies using a # 60 scoop and place 15 to a pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on pan and then move to a wire rack to cool. 

Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Hershey Kisses

I made these cookies for our RD meeting today. This is a quick easy recipe and packed with some whole grain. 

This recipe yields: 36 cookies 

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked)

* 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

* 1 large egg

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

* 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

* 1 cup (6 ounces) mini Hershey kisses 

Pre-directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parchment paperline baking 1/2 sheet. 

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugars; beat in peanut butter, egg and vanilla.

2. In a separate medium size bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate kisses.

3. Drop by using a size 60 cookie scoop onto parchment paper-lined baking 1/2 sheet pans (9 cookies to a pan). Bake at 350° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute before removing to a wire rack. 

Whole Grain Oat and Raisin Cookies

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I was getting ready for our Topsail Trip this summer and made a batch of these cookies for our road trip down. The journey usually takes 12 hours on average for us. I always look forward to the road trip. My mom always says it is not always the destination but the journey it takes to reach the destination. I love this piece of advice,  and I learn the older I get the more I find truth to the quote.

We make a lot of memories on our drive down and back to Topsail. We put on various xm stations (90 on 9, The Blend, Highway, Y2K Country) and hit the cruise control. We usually get lost along the way but we always find new markets, cars for sale, or antique stores along the way. We laugh about getting lost later.

To fuel our journey,  we pack our car with a lot of snacks so we don’t have to stop as much.  Plus it saves us some money to spend later ….. on another vacation (hehe). My husband always says more than half of what I pack is food. Which is true and I guess because that is the dietitian in me.

I did make one healthy swap on these cookies and it was to incorporate more whole grain by using whole wheat flour. Next time I will try and decrease the saturated fat and sugar content by using unsweetened applesauce.

This recipe yields: 36 rather large cookies (when you use a number 40 cookie scoop)

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 egg

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp (soften)

3 cups Old fashioned Oats

1 1/2 cups of raisins or your favorite dried fruit

Tools for the job: 

2 half sheet cookie sheets: Line with Parchment paper

#40 cookie scoop

Oven : Preheat to 350 degrees.

Directions:

  1. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl attached to a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, add the sugar and cream the two together. Add in the eggs one at a time and lastly add in the vanilla.
  3. Gently add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low until incorporated. Caution not to over mix.
  4. Lastly fold in the oats and raisins.
  5. Use a number 40 cookie scoop to portion out the goodies on the parchment lined pan.
  6. Make sure to keep the cookies about 2 inches apart from one another.
  7. Bake for 11-12 minutes on 350 degrees.
  8. Remove from pan right away and allow to cool on wire rack.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Last Tuesday was my husband and I’s 9 year wedding anniversary. Every year as a tradition I make him one of his favorite dinners. The dish is usually chicken parm and fettuccini alfredo, but this year we did things a little differently. We made dinner together, I love cooking and baking with him in the kitchen. I find it gives us the time to talk about the day and plans for the weekend.


One dinner item I wanted to make sure was done before he got home was dessert. We were talking the other day about cookies and he mentioned to me he liked double chocolate chip cookies growing up. I couldn’t believe after 9 years of marriage that he just now mentioned he loves double chocolate chip cookies. Every time I telI him I am in the mood to make cookies his answer is always chocolate chip so I guess that is how these double chocolate cookies never came up in conversation.  He explained to me, he used to love going to the Oringal Cookie place in the mall and he would order these as a treat. From that point on I made it my mission to find the ultimate double chocolate chip cookie recipe. These cookies are rich in chocolate and will definitely satisfy your chocolate craving.

This recipes yields 56 cookies, using a size 60 cookie scoop

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (I love Rob’s Red Mill)

3/4 cup of Dutch Processed, High Quality Cocoa Powder ( I prefer Penzey’s)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp finely grounded espresso

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar (not packed)

2 sticks of butter (unsalted), softened to room temp

2 eggs

 

2 tsp high quality vanilla extract

1 bag of Extra Dark Chocolate Chips 63% Cacao 11.5 oz bag ( I used Guittard)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Parchment paper line 2 half sheet baking pans. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl sift the flour, salt, soda, cocoa, and espresso then whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly.  Set aside
  3. In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (approximately 1-2 minutes). On low speed add one egg at a time and then the vanilla. Continue to mix on low until the ingredients are incorporated; however, be careful not to over mix.
  4. While keeping the mixer speed on low, gradually add in the dry sifted ingredients into the wet batter. Once there are no signs of dry residue fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
  5. Using a cookie scoop (size # 60) portion out the cookies evenly on the half sheet parchment paper lined pan. I placed 3 cookies a cross and 12 to a pan.
  6. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minute, remove the cookies from oven and allow the cookies to rest on the pan for 1 minute than remove to a wire rack for the remainder of the cooling process.

Grandma Harper’s Pizzelles Recipe

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Pizzelles are a beloved and versatile cookie. You can make just about any flavor you can image. Traditional flavors  are anise, vanilla, almond and lemon. There is actually a cookie shop back home that makes all different kinds of flavors from margarita to key lime, so if you are turning your nose up to these cookies reconsider a nontraditional  flavor.

As a child, I can remember my Grandma Harper always having these delectable cookies around for the holiday. I recently was able to go through some of her recipes and lucky stumbled across this classic treasure. Her recipe as you can see below calls for anise and also anisette liquor.


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My husband and I were making these last night, honestly it is a two person task as fast as these have to bake in the press. The pizzelle iron we were graciously able to use had 4 pizzelles molds, which did cut some of the time in half. My grandfather let us borrow his 1986 iron which still was packaged nicely in the orginial box for preservation. A habit I have adopted but never knew, who I inherited that from, but now do and I am thankful for. I must say items not used every day last better kept in boxes and stack easier for storage.

By using my Grandma and Grandpa’s Sears and Roebuck Counter Craft Waffle Baker-International Dessert- Pizzelle Maker, it made me feel like she was with us pressing out the cookies. Even though I do have to mention, this was my first encounter making these cookies, which caused me slight stress trying to perfect them I still felt pleasure in creating them with her recipe & iron.

 

This recipe yields 56 standard size pizzelles

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 TB vanilla extract or anise

1/2 cup annisette

3 1/2 cups AP flour

1 cup of unsalted butter (grandma used margarine for everything): melted and allow to cool

 

 

Directions:

 

Beat eggs, add sugar gradually. Beat until smooth. Add cooled melted margarine (or butter)and anise. Sift flour and baking powder, add to eggs, mix anisette. Dough will be sticky enough to drop by teaspoon onto hot iron. Follow manufacturers directions. These gems in this device took only 30 to 35 seconds. Don’t use oil substitute per grandma. 

Helpful hint: Now, Grandma’s recipe directions were never elaborate. So I did beat the eggs in a standing mixer with whisk attachment. I sifted the flour with baking powder on parchment paper, which makes it very easy to pour into the mixing bowl without a mess and you don’t have to clean another bowl (hurrah) ! Also, our batter was slightly thick so it took about 1 heaping tablespoon which make our pizzelles thicker. So we will have to thin the batter more next time.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Bacon & Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

 

I made these this morning since it was something we could gab and go and be on our way to the strip district! In my opinion it’s the best way to spend a Saturday morning in the Burgh. 

These packed cookies have a little bit of everything to get you going in the morning.

12 large cookies 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups cornflakes

2/3 cup sugar

5 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

1 egg

1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 1/2 sheet baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside. 

2. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and peanut butter with sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add egg and and incorporate.

3. Reduce speed & add in flour and baking soda. Slowly increase speed to low medium to incorpate ingredients together. 

4. Add in raisins, bacon and cornflakes. Mix on low to blend ingredients together.

5. Use size 16 scoop to form large cookies placing 6 to a pan. Flatten the cookie slightly with glass cup. Place one sheet at a time in the center of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes. 

6. Remove pan from oven and immediately place cookies on wire rack to cool. 

Grandma Harper’s No Bakes Cookies

  

I am working on making a cookbook of my grandmother’s recipes. This recipe will definitely be added to one of the cookbook’s pages. 

Yesterday one of my cousins asked me if I had gramdma’s no bake cookie recipe. I looked at the several recipes I had scanned a few months ago and sure enough I had it. This was one of his favorite treats my grandma used to make for us growing up. I almost forgot about this classic cookie thay used to fill  her cookie jar and our hearts and stomachs years ago. 

She always had homemade treats in her cookie jar for the grandkids and for grandpa too! I can honestly say I don’t ever recollect the jar being empty. 

This recipe yields 51 cookies using a 60 scoop
Ingredients :

1/2 cup unsalted butter (grandma used margarine)

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned mother’s oats

6 tb Dutch Processed Cocoa (grandma used Hershey’s cocoa

1/2 c marshmallow fluff

Directions:

1. Mix together cocoa, butter, sugar, and milk in a 5 or 6 quart sauce pan. Place mixture on high heat and bring to a boil.

2. One sauce is boiling remove from heat and stir in vanilla, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff. Once sauce incorporates fold in the oats. 

3. Scoop the cookies using a size 60 scoop on wax paper. You can place them fairly close together. If you can resist allow the cookies to fully set. The resting period can take up to an hour but this will depend on the temperature in your house.

4. Enjoy!

  

Snickerdoodle Cookies

 
This past weekend we went to Lake Chautauqua and one of my favorite things about going there is all the quaint antique shops. You never know what you are going to find and what you might stumble across to inspire you to make something delicious! Two items I could not pass up was a pair of antique cookie jars …well my mom would not let me pass up.  
A friend of mine had these snickerdoodles at her wedding and my husband adored them! The bride graciously gave me her mom’s special recipe. 

  

I have been waiting for the perfect moment to make them! Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity! I had to fill up my “new” antique cookie jar! 
This recipe yields four dozen cookies using a 60 size scoop. 

Pre directions:
Preheat your oven to 400° in parchment paper lined to half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup shorten

2 eggs

2 3/4 cup unbleached AP Flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp  pure vanilla extract (I added this)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

Additional topping “dusting”

1 tb sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

(Mix above two ingredients together in shallow dish)

Directions:

1. Cream with paddle attachment butter, shorten, and sugar in stand mixer. Mix until light and fluffy. 

2. Add vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture mix to incorporate. 

3. In a seperate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tarter until everything well incorporated.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed batter. Make sure the mixer is on the lowest speed. Steadily increase the speed to medium to fully incorporate the flour blend. 

5. Portion out the cookies evenly by using a size 60 scooper. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon and sugar blend in a shallow dish.

6. . Yielding 12 to a 1/2 sheet pan.

7.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes and remove from oven and from pan immediately. Allow to cool on wire rack and enjoy.