The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Really? Pretty close. I am constantly on the lookout for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. This recipe came from the Cook’s Illustrated All Time Best Recipes magazine. You can find all the whys and whatnots about the sugars, the eggs, the butter, the science and all on their website. I learned a lot from reading about making these cookies.

These aren’t made with the typical cream-the-butter-and-sugars-add-the-flour method. You melt the butter, use more brown sugar, and use a whisk instead of a mixer.

The result? A cookie that’s chewy in the center, crispy on the edges, with a lovely toffee flavor. I did tweak the amount of chocolate chips and used some whole wheat flour with the white flour. I also doubled the recipe because I LOVE chocolate chip cookies and I need some in the freezer.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (if you want to double the recipe, the amounts are in parentheses)

1 ¾ (3 ½) cup all-purpose flour

½ (1) tsp. baking soda

14 (28) tbs. unsalted butter (that’s 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons if you use the 14 tbs. And unsalted is important)

¾ (1 ½) cup packed dark brown sugar (use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar which will make the cookies dry)

½ (1) cup granulated sugar

1 (2) tsp. salt

2 (4) tsp. vanilla

1 (2) large egg plus 1 (2) egg yolk

1 ¼ (2 ½) c. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 3 ½ c. mixed chips – milk, white, semisweet, and peanut butter)

¾ (1 ½) c. pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional) 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (definitely – you don’t want the chemical taste of cooking spray). Whisk flour and baking soda together in bowl and set aside. 

Melt 10 (20) tablespoons butter in a 10” skillet over medium-high heat (avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned).  

 

These are in chunks because I made unsalted butter the other day

 Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes (if you make butter toffee, it’s the same nice brown color and aroma). Transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Add remaining 4 (8) tablespoons butter and stir until completely melted (I poured the hot melted butter over the remaining butter).  

Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt (it helps if this is already measured into a separate bowl) and vanilla to melted butter; whisk until fully incorporated.

 

 

Add egg and yolk (I used fresh eggs and they are smaller so I used an extra egg yolk); whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds.

 

 

Let mixture stand for 3 minutes (so the sugar dissolves), then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.

 

 

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Give dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed. 

Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (this is where I tweaked it a bit too. I think the cookies are too big with 3 tbs. of dough, so I used 2 tablespoons. You don’t want to make them too small though, or they will lose the chewy texture that makes them so yummy).  

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are soft – 10 to 14 minutes (it only took 10 minutes in my lower oven and 9 minutes in my upper oven), rotating (turning) baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; let cookies cool. Or let them cool 2 minutes, remove them to wire racks.  

Note the crackly texture on the top - you want this because you don't want a cakey texture

If you don’t double it and use the full 3 tablespoons of dough, you’ll get about 16 cookies. I used 2 tablespoons, doubled the recipe and got 48 or 4 dozen cookies.  

Cool to room temperature before serving (that’s the recipe’s recommendation – I suggest you get a glass of milk and have at it!)

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies
I got this from the NPR website. They have some great recipes and these looked delicious! And they are flourless! They are super easy to make, too.

This is what the website says: All I can really say about these cookies is that they are addictive. It's impossible to eat just one (well, you can try). If you prefer peanut butter, feel free to swap in the equivalent amount and instead of slivered almonds try 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts or a nut of your choice.

1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside or use parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir almond butter and sugars together until well combined. Or do this in the food processor.

Add egg, baking soda, maple syrup, vanilla and salt and mix well.

Stir in the almonds and chocolate chips.

Using a teaspoon, scoop out small, walnut-sized amounts of dough and roll them in your hands to form a ball. Place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes.

These are really good - they lasted about 5 minutes with 6 grandkids here. Maybe 4 minutes.

Scones

Ahhh…. Scones. Rich. Buttery. Warm. Lots of different combinations. Buttery. Quick. Easy. Did I mention buttery? And warm?

I’m not talking about some canned biscuit dough that you flatten and deep-fry. That’s fry bread. I’m talking about breakfast or afternoon scones. The ones your English great-grandmother made. Actually, mine was Swiss so she probably didn’t make these. But I do.

Scones are so easy. Sift together some dry ingredients, cut in some butter, add any dried fruit or extra flavors, stir in the wet ingredients, pat into a ball, cut and bake. And eat.

The secret to flaky scones is to handle the dough as little as possible – just like homemade biscuit dough or pie crust. You want the butter to form those long, flaky layers as it melts while baking. You can roll out the dough and cut it with a biscuit cutter, but I prefer to just pat it out on a pan and cut into squares or wedges.

Scones lend themselves to all sorts of flavor combinations – use your imagination: raisins and cinnamon, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, cranberries and orange zest, blueberries and lemon zest, molasses and ginger, chocolate chips and zucchini, chocolate and orange…. I could go on, and I have, but it’s time to start baking.

Tip: if you don’t have buttermilk, use plain yogurt. Just stir in 2 tablespoons of plain milk with the yogurt and egg.

Another tip: use different flours – white, whole wheat, brown rice, garbanzo bean. I like whole wheat mixed with some white flour the best for scones.

Here are the basic instructions for scones:
Sift together dry ingredients.

Cut in butter.

You can also do this in the food processor – mix up the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into chunks, add to the processor.

Pulse until the butter chunks are pea size or a bit bigger.

Put dry ingredients with the butter in a bowl (if you used the food processor). Add raisins, cranberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, or whatever additions you choose to add.

Beat egg or eggs with buttermilk or yogurt. Add any other wet ingredients and whisk. Add to dry ingredients. Knead lightly; press on baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Cut into wedges or squares and slightly separate.

I like to brush them with a little milk or half and half. Then sprinkle with sugar – raw sugar makes a lovely crunchy top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or as directed by the recipe. When they come out of the oven, cut them again to separate. Serve warm.

Traditionally, they are served with clotted cream or jam.

Ready? Let’s go!

CRANBERRY GINGER OAT SCONES
1 1/3 c. flour      
1 c. oats      
¼ c. sugar      
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda     
1 tsp. ginger      
½ tsp. soda
¼ tsp. cardamom
½ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
3/4 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1 egg

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-16 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHIP
2 c. flour      
1/3 c. powdered sugar     
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda     
½ c. butter
1 egg
½ c. buttermilk
½ c. chocolate chips

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

WHOLE WHEAT
1 ½ c. whole wheat flour    
½ c. wheat germ      
1/3 c. sugar      
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda     
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
½ c. raisins
1 egg
½ c. buttermilk 

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

GINGERBREAD
2 c. flour      
¼ c. brown sugar     
1 tsp. baking powder     
1 tsp. ginger      
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
1/3 c. molasses
1/3 c. buttermilk

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

APRICOT
2 ½ c. flour      
½ c. sugar      
2 tsp. baking powder     
½ tsp. baking soda     
¼ tsp. salt      
½ c. butter
½ c. chopped dried apricots
½ c. buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon

When assembled, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

CRANBERRY
1 3/4 c. flour      
½ c. sugar      
¼ c. cornmeal      
2 tsp. baking powder     
¼ tsp. soda      
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
½ c. fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
2/3 c. buttermilk
½ tsp. grated orange rind
1 egg, lightly beaten

When assembled, brush with milk or half and half and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

BLUEBERRY
2 c. flour      
1/3 c. powdered sugar     
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda     
½ c. butter
2/3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 egg
½ c. buttermilk
½ tsp. vanilla

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

They don’t all have to be sweet. These are great with dinner instead of biscuits.
CHEESE SCONES
2 c. flour      
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda     
¼ tsp. dry mustard     
½ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
½ c. buttermilk
1 egg

Brush with milk and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.


These next scones are from Martha Stewart’s website. They just looked so yummy.
GINGER SCONES WITH CARDAMOM
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cardamom pods, crushed and inner seeds ground, or ground cardamom
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 large eggs

Use 1 egg in the dough and one egg, mixed with a teaspoon of water, to brush the wedges before you bake them.  Sprinkle with the 4 teaspoons of sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

This one is super-tasty!
LEMON CREAM SCONES
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup cream, 2 eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and form into a flat disc, about 8 inches across and 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and 3 tablespoons cream to make an egg wash. Brush scones with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until the tops are golden brown and firm, 15-20 minutes.

MUMMY’S SWEET WHITE SCONES
6 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Pinch of salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, superfine sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add butter. Using your fingers, work butter into flour mixture until a crumbly mixture is formed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead lightly and shape into a round. Roll dough out until it is 1 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out scones and transfer to prepared baking sheets.

In a small bowl, beat remaining egg and brush the top of each scone; sprinkle each with granulated sugar.

Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.

Have fun with any or all of these! Your tummy will thank you!

Cookies - Part 1 - Drop Cookies

You can take away cakes, you can take away ice cream – just don’t take away my cookies. I love cookies – chocolate chip, oatmeal, maple, fruit, pumpkin, shortbread, peanut butter – you name it. Having a cookie is one of the little things in life that makes a day wonderful. I’ve gathered most of my favorite cookie recipes here. I’ll save some for a Christmas cookie blog, but these are some of our preferred family treats.

COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

This first recipe was given to me by my friend, Lindy. She brought these cookies to a picnic, and I fell in love. I’ve tweaked it a bit by using whole wheat flour and flax seed. You can use any flavor chips you want, just make the final measurement 4 cups. Another thing – I don’t like chopped nuts; I mean the actual chopping. I love nuts, but chopped nuts make the nuts too small. So I break them.

I know – who has time, right? But when I make these cookies, I want everything to be just right. Oh, and when the recipes call for butter, use butter.

CHOCOLATE/WHITE CHIP COOKIES

2 cubes butter (1 c.) at room temperature         

3/4 c. sugar  

3/4 c. brown sugar

 2 eggs             

2 tsp. vanilla       

1 c. oats

1 ¼ c. white flour

1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. flax seed         

½ tsp. baking powder  

½ tsp. soda      

1 tsp. salt      

1/3 bag milk chocolate chips

1/3 bag peanut butter chips

1/3 bag white chocolate chips

4 c. of chips

1/3 bag butterscotch chips

Finish with good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips to make 4 cups

1 c. nuts – pecans or walnuts 

Cream butter and sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla.

Sift together and beat in dry ingredients.

Add chips and nuts and stir.

Keep stirring. This takes some stirring. The dough is basically just to hold the chips and nuts together. 

Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 375˚ for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cookie rack. This recipe makes a lot of cookies.

Let cool long enough to get another cookie sheet ready and in the oven. Eat one while it’s still warm. Oh my.

I make these when we go to the cabin. Hence the name. They have a little extra protein and fat with the peanut butter. They are great for a long hike. You can add more oats for a little more healthy carbs.

CABIN OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 c. peanut butter         

1 c. butter       

3/4 c. brown sugar       

1/2 c. sugar             

2 eggs               

2 tsp. vanilla   

1 1/2 c. flour 

1 tsp. soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. cinnamon     

1/3 tsp. nutmeg       

1 c. oats

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. raisins                                      

Cream peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in oats, chips, and raisins. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375° 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove to a cookie rack.

The grandkids love these – I don’t know if it’s the name or the candies. Note that there is no flour in this recipe.

MONSTER COOKIES

½ c. (1 cube) butter

1 ½ c. chunky peanut butter   

1 c. sugar       

1 c. brown sugar        

3 eggs           

1 tbs. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

4 ½ c. oatmeal

2-3 c. M&M’s, chocolate chips. Reese’s peanut butter chips, whatever you have on hand. 

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla, soda, and oats. Stir in candies. Drop by giant spoonfuls on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8-9 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cookie rack.

My friend, Sandra, gave me this recipe years ago. It’s a great way to use up bananas and is relatively healthy.

BANANA NUGGET COOKIES

3/4 c. butter          

1 c. sugar      

3 mashed bananas        

1 egg             

1 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. oats

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

¾ c. white flour

¾ c. whole wheat flour   

½ tsp. soda

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips                                                                       

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in bananas and egg. Sift together and add dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375° 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove to a cookie rack. About 3 dozen.

I tried all sorts of pumpkin cookie recipes and tweaked them until I came up with this. They are moist, fairly healthy, and yummy.

KIM’S PUMPKIN COOKIES

1 c. butter        

1 c. white sugar           

1 c. brown sugar      

2 eggs              

2 c. pumpkin            

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. whole wheat flour

2 c. white flour

1/3 c. flaxseed

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder  

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. salt

2 c. oats

3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. raisins (optional) 

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in pumpkin, vanilla and eggs. Sift together and add dry ingredients. Stir in chips, nuts, and raisins. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 375° 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove to a cookie rack.

You need to make some cookies fast! These are soft, moist, so good!

Pumpkin Cookies                         
1 box carrot cake or spice cake mix --just the dry ingredients from the box
1 -15 oz. can pumpkin--not the pie filling!
About 2 cups of chocolate chips--(I mix semi, milk, and white)

Beat it all together, scoop medium size balls onto greased cookie sheet, and bake at 350° for 15-22 minutes, depending on your oven.  Let cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove to a cookie rack.

 
COOKIES WITHOUT CHOCOLATE CHIPS

(I know - no chocolate - but they can be good)

OATMEAL APPLE COOKIES

¾ c. butter                 

1¼ c. firmly packed brown sugar    

1 large egg         

¼ c. skim milk        

1½ tsp. vanilla         

1 c. flour (plus 1-2 tbsp. flax seed)        

1¼ tsp. cinnamon               

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. nutmeg

3 c. quick oats (or mix with regular)

1 c. peeled, diced apples (or cranberries)

½ to ¾ c. raisins

¾ c. coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)  

Preheat oven to 375° and spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, soda and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, apples, raisins and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until just set. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheets and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes about 46 cookies.

I found this recipe last year and these are a wonderful fall or winter cookie! Well, anytime, really.

Vermont Maple Pecan Cookies

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon maple or vanilla extract
2 cups chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 300° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine oats, coconut, flour, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large bowl; whisk to blend.
Combine butter, maple syrup and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.
Combine baking soda and boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Add to maple syrup mixture, stirring well. Add maple extract. Stir into dry ingredients. Add pecans; stir well.
Place ¼-cup size balls of dough on baking sheets, 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly.
Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and set, rotating positions halfway through the baking process. Cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 ½ dozen cookies.

 

There are so many peanut butter cookies recipes, but this one is quick, easy, and wonderfully peanutty buttery.

THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE

1 c. peanut butter      

1 c. sugar        

1 large egg

1 tsp. soda                                                                       

Oven - 350˚. Spray baking sheets with cooking spray.

Beat together the peanut butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Sprinkle the soda over the mixture and beat till combined. Measure heaping teaspoon size pieces and roll in balls. Place on baking sheet and flatten with fork. Bake about 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cookie racks. About 3 dozen.

My grandmother made these whenever my brother and I would visit. So I don’t know if these are so good because they are a comfort food or if they are just plain delicious.

BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

Melt 1 package (6 oz) butterscotch bits and ½ c. peanut butter. Pour over 1 can Chinese noodles and 2 c. miniature marshmallows. Mix, drop on wax paper, chill. (Can also use 6 oz. chocolate chips.)

These are a Greek cookie. You can’t eat just one. Or two. These are so good!

MELAMAKARONA

1/3 c. oil         

½ c. butter            

1/3 c. sugar

1 tbs. orange juice

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda       

1 3/4 - 2 c. flour 

Blend oil and butter. Add sugar. Add juice, baking powder and soda. Add flour to make a medium soft dough. Shape into 2" ovals and place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Meanwhile, prepare:

3/4 c. sugar

½ c. water

1/3 c. honey

Boil this for 5 minutes. Use a fork as a scoop and dip the cookies in this mixture. Drain on cookie racks and store in loosely covered container. About 2 1/2 - 3 dozen.

These are also some of the easiest cookies ever. You know how sometimes in the summer you want a cookie, but who wants to heat up an oven? These are the solution.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter

2 c. sugar

Boil 1 minute and pour over: (have this ready before you boil the milk, butter, and sugar)

3 c. oats

3/4 c. peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir quickly and drop from teaspoon on wax paper on cookie sheets. Flatten with fork and cool. Store in the refrigerator if they last that long.

 

I'll do some bar cookies, shortbread and brownies next time.