Cookie Sleuth

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

These cookies have been on my list of recipes to try for quite a while, and this month's Alphabakes challenge (hosted by Caroline Makes...) for the letter "H" provided the perfect reason to try them. The cookies were crispy, but I think they needed fewer hazelnuts and more chocolate chips.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped finely

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter and shortening. Then cream in the sugars. Add in egg and vanilla extract.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-16 minutes until the cookies are slightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields 36 cookies.

Adapted from The All-American Cookie Book

DeLuscious Cookies & Milk

2012-05-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

I've heard and read about how great DeLuscious cookies are for over a year. Finally I had a chance to find out for myself last weekend! I tried the dark chocolate decadence and chocolate chip varieties. The dark chocolate decadence was fantastic and tasted a lot like the chocolate truffle cookie from The Cravory. What could be better than a chewy, gooey, rich chocolate cookie with chocolate truffles mixed in? Yum! The chocolate chip cookie was thin with a chewy center and crispy edges. Large chocolate disks, instead of chips or chunks, were used, and it worked well. Overall it was just an average cookie, though. Try to eat these the first day or two. They don't taste near as good after that.

There are 16 regular flavors plus seasonal ones. Orders must be made over the phone or via email in advance. Their minimum order is one half dozen (maximum of 2 kinds of cookies), which I ordered for pick up for $21.95. Picking up in their store (more like an office with a kitchen upstairs) is a bit strange. When we went, there were only two bakers who had to stop baking and come out to give us our cookies. Each cookie is individually wrapped and labeled with a sticker, which is a nice touch. It is packaged in a beautiful box with tissue paper and a ribbon, so it's a great gift. You can also order milk to go with your cookies!

DeLuscious Cookies is located at 829 North Highland Avenue in Los Angeles.

Visit their website at www.deluciouscookies.com for ordering information and to drool at their incredible cookie menu.

Candy Bar Cookies

2012-05-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

I tried another recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. The bars tasted great, but unfortunately they did not look nearly as scrumptious as they did in the BHG picture. That's what I get for trying to cut the recipe in half! The halved recipe did not hold in bar form, so I ate the "bars" with a spoon. (This was not nearly as bad as the first time I messed up a recipe- charcoal chocolate, anyone? I badly burned chocolate I was attempting to melt in the microwave. White smoke was pouring out, and our smoke detector went off. My mom told me about the time she made lasagna without cooking the noodles first to make me feel better. By the way, Happy Mother's Day!)

Anyways, back to the recipe... The flavor combination plus the gooey chocolate with chewy oats was amazing. I ate a good 75% of what I made in one sitting last night. (Right now I am wishing I saved more of it!). I will certainly make these again following the full recipe below.

Have you had any cooking blunders recently?

Ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar

2⁄3 cup butter

1⁄4 cup dark- or light-color corn syrup

1⁄4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

31⁄2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces

1 cup butterscotch-flavor pieces

2⁄3 cup peanut butter

1⁄2 cup chopped peanuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. For crust, in a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir on medium-low until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1/4 cup peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Place oats in an extra-large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats, stirring gently to combine. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9×2-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light brown.

Meanwhile, in the same saucepan combine chocolate pieces and butterscotch pieces. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Stir in the 2/3 cup peanut butter until smooth.

Slowly pour chocolate mixture over hot crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with peanuts. Cool in pan on a wire rack. If necessary, chill until chocolate is set. Cut into bars.

Yields 36 bars.

Sugar Cookies

2012-05-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I needed a break from chocolate. These cookies were perfect for the sweet fix I needed. I didn't decorate them (since they were just for me!), but when I decide to share, they will be easy to decorate.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
1 large egg

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing on slow speed until just blended.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, pressing down on the tops to flatten them. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the edges to brown. Cool completely.

Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

2012-05-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

Warning! You will not be able to stop eating these cookies! They are chewy and chocolatey and taste just as good two days later as they do out of the oven. I don't often use melted butter or an extra egg yolk, but the result was so good that I will have to start doing so more often, especially when I have a craving for chewy cookies. The full tablespoon of vanilla extract added great flavor, too.

This recipe was inspired by an ice cream sandwich recipe from The Sandwich King on Food Network. You can see his recipe here. While I do enjoy a good ice cream sandwich, I would much rather have them separately.

Ingredients

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix together the sugars. Stir in melted butter. Add egg and egg yolk plus vanilla extract. Mix in vanilla extract. Add in flour mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop 1/4 cup balls of dough onto cookie sheets and press down to flatten slightly. Bake 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.

Yields 18 cookies.

Dare Maple Creme Cookies

2012-04-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

I do enjoy maple every now and then. While I don't crave it, once I have some, it's hard to stop eating! That was the "problem" with these Dare Maple Creme Cookies that I found in a nearby specialty grocery store. The maple flavor isn't overly strong since only the filling is maple flavored. It's also not artificial tasting at all. If you can find them at your local store, definitely give them a try. I'm looking forward to testing out the lemon flavor. If you cannot find them, you can purchase in bulk from Amazon.

For those of you now in a maple mood, I made a maple buttercream frosting for a recent birthday party. It was very sweet, and the maple flavor intensified overnight. The sweet frosting paired nicely with yellow cake from a boxed mix. I took a basic buttercream recipe (1/2 cup softened butter, 4 cups confectioner's sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk) and started by adding two tablespoons of maple syrup. From here taste test until you have your preferred amount of maple intensity, keeping in mind the flavor will get stronger as it sits.

Do you have any maple recipes to share?

Banana Chocolate Cookie Bars

2012-04-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

The combination of banana, peanut butter, and chocolate is one of my favorite. Writing about it right now makes me hungry and very disappointed I just finished the last of these bars I made earlier this week. This recipe combines everything in one delicious bite- chocolate cookie base with a more banana bread like layer on top. I really liked the banana layer, so next time I will divide the dough so I have 1/3 for the chocolate cookie base and 2/3 for the banana layer. I added the peanut butter chips to the banana layer only, but the chocolate base could benefit for their extra flavor and texture.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 banana, mashed
1 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream together the butter with the sugars. Add vanilla extract and the egg.

Split dough in half. To one half, add the mashed banana and peanut butter chips. To the other half, add the cocoa powder. Put the chocolate dough in the bottom of a loaf pan and put the banana dough on top.

Bake for 20 minute. Cool completely before serving.

Yields 12 servings.

Vanilla Wafers

2012-04-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've had this recipe from Food Network's Alton Brown in my "try soon" folder for the longest time. It was so easy to make that I don't know why I didn't sooner! The vanilla flavor was excellent, and the texture was soft instead of crispy like the Nabisco Nilla Wafers. The recipe really does indeed make 70 small vanilla wafers. I'm saving the extra for banana pudding. Yum!

Note- To make vanilla sugar, stick a couple of vanilla beans in regular sugar. Regular sugar works fine in this recipe, too!

Ingredients

7 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
3 1/2 ounces vanilla sugar (about 1/2 cup)
1 large egg
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk

Instructions

Position 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and vanilla sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after 1 minute. Add the egg and incorporate on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. Add the vanilla extract and milk and blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just to incorporate. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before scooping.
Scoop the batter in teaspoon-sized balls and arrange them on 2 parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, approximately 35 cookies per pan. Use the heel of your hand to slightly flatten each ball. Bake, 2 pans at a time, rotating the pans halfway through the baking, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans to a cooling rack to cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.

Yields 70 wafers.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

2012-04-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

I came across this delicious sounding recipe on the kumquat blog, and the resulting cookies were every bit as delicious as I expected. I did cut this recipe in half, but the cookies were gone in one and a half days! Their strong chocolate flavor and chewy texture were amazing. I should have made the whole batch! They are so fast to make that it will be easy to make more.

Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Add egg whites and vanilla; stir until well-combined.
Spoon batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets in 2 tablespoon mounds or a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop. Bake at 350` for 14 minutes or until tops are cracked and glossy, and edges look done. Cool slightly; remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
Yields 2 dozen.

Disneyland

2012-04-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I had a fabulous visit to Disneyland! As the Cookie Sleuth, I am always on the lookout for great cookies, so my day at Disneyland was not only a day of fun but also a day of investigation!

The great thing is you can get the best cookies Disneyland has to offer both inside and outside of the park. Both the Winnie the Pooh Bakery in Disneyland and Marceline's Confectionery in Downtown Disney have a similar selection. There is something for every craving at these places- chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, and frosted cookies, plus fudge, cupcakes, and other treats. Prices are reasonable (for Disneyland) with cookies starting at $3.25.

I had an amazing chocolate and white chocolate chip cookie that was about an inch thick, full of chocolate, soft and chewy. The other cookie I tried was a decorated Mickey sugar cookie. The cookie itself was just average, but the decorative frosting combined with the cookie was delicious.

I cannot wait for my next visit! Do you have a favorite Disney snack?

Peanut Butter M&M Muffin Cups

2012-04-12T16:48:00.001-07:00

A craving for peanut butter and chocolate hit that Reese's peanut butter cups could not satisfy! These tasted great but didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. Next time I will make these in cookie form. Getting these out of the muffin tins was no fun. :( Eating them out with a spoon sure was, though! Why does that always seem so much more sinful? :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter or margarine softened
1 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup peanut butter M&Ms

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, shortening, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in peanut butter M&Ms.
Spoon tablespoonfuls into mini muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Yields 24 minis.

Backpacker Bars

2012-04-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was disappointed with this recipe I found on Betty Crocker for Backpacker Bars. I love Golden Grahams cereal and could not taste them at all. The bars had a great soft and chewy texture, and the crunch of the peanuts ruined that. Also, I should have added more chocolate. There simply wasn't enough! I would make these again with a few modifications: more Golden Grahams (not so finely crushed), no peanuts, and more chocolate.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Golden Grahams cereal
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

Instructions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Crush cereal. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cereal, 3/4 cup oats, the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in 3/4 cup of the peanuts and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips.
Spread in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup peanuts, remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons oats.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Yields 24 bars

Lemon Sugar Cookies

2012-04-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

With Easter coming up this weekend, I wanted to get into the spring mood. What better way than with these lemon cookies! Inspired by a recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, I took a favorite sugar cookie recipe of mine and made a few modifications. The lemon glaze is excellent and would be great on muffins, too. This recipe makes a lot, perfect for Easter gatherings.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
Zest of one lemon
1 large egg

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon glaze- Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice with 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Drop tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, pressing down on the tops to flatten them.

Bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the edges to brown. Cool completely before drizzling with lemon glaze.

Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Tintoretto & Sugar Factory- Las Vegas

2012-04-02T17:10:00.001-07:00

Another weekend trip to Vegas... Two more bakeries to try!

Tintorreto- The Venetian

I was intrigued by the Italian bakery at the Venetian with a wide array of cookies by the pound. I tried eight different kinds of cookies (about 4 bites each) for a little over $5. All were just average, but they will satisfy a craving and make a great afternoon snack. The M&M cookie was the best.

Sugar Factory- Planet Hollywood

What an amazing store! They have everything here from candies to ice cream sundaes to pastries. For $1.75 I tried a large chocolate chunk cookie. I will definitely be going back for another (plus try the brownie nut and peanut butter flavors). The cookie was soft and chewy with tons of chocolate chips. Yum!

Shortbread Brownies

2012-03-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

When I signed up for my subscription with Better Homes & Gardens, I was emailed a copy of their best desserts (all with pictures to go along with the recipes!). This is the first one I tried, and it turned out beautifully. Not only does it taste great, but it looks a good, too. Normally I don't like recipes that require blind baking (I don't want to wait that long!), but this did not end up being too difficult or time consuming. The shortbread layer bakes on its own (just very lightly browned) for eight minutes, giving me precisely enough time to prepare the brownie portion of the recipe. The mix of textures is my favorite part of this dessert. The edges are particularly good (super chewy and crispy all in the same bite)! I fully intend to bake just the brownies or just the shortbread on its own since both portions are so tasty.

Ingredients

1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄2 cup butter

3⁄4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces

1 1⁄3 cups granulated sugar

1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1⁄3 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9×2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Set pan aside.

For crust, in a medium bowl stir together 1 cup of the flour and the brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chocolate pieces. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake

for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together the remaining 3/4 cup flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, the 1/3 cup melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Carefully spread mixture over crust.

Bake for 40 minutes more. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use the foil to lift brownies from pan. Cut into bars.

Yields 16 servings.

M&M Cookies

2012-03-26T16:43:00.001-07:00

I think you all know how much I love M&M cookies. The chocolate burst they provide is so much bigger than just a regular chocolate chip. I love the crispier texture of the candy shell, too. This recipe produces a somewhat cakey cookie that balances well with the crunch of the M&Ms. I could not get enough of them!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cups M&Ms

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk cups of flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add in vanilla and eggs.

Gradually add in the flour mixture. Stir in M&Ms. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare baking sheets.

Roll dough into balls and place onto cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 12 minutes until light golden brown.

Yields 18 cookies.

King's Hawaiian Cookies

2012-03-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

I love King's Hawaiian sweet rolls! I have no problem polishing off a dozen rolls in a weekend. I was so excited to try the King's Hawaiian Bakery Restaurant near their United States distribution center in Torrance. Factory stores with all of their specialty products and low prices are the best.

I was amazed by the bakery delights I discovered there! Not only did they sell fancy cakes and a wide variety of breakfast pastries and other rolls and breads, but they also sold bags of cookies! The bags of roughly twenty cookies (about two inches in diameter) are $4.50 each. I passed on the plain macadamia nut variety and went with one bag of chocolate chip macadamia nut and one bag of chocolate chocolate chip. Both varieties were delicious, crispy and full of flavor. I preferred the chocolate chip macadamia cookies since the double chocolate chip ones were slightly grainy.

The bakery store is located at 2808 West Sepulveda in Torrance. Visit http://www.kingshawaiianrestaurants.com for more information.

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip

2012-03-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

When cookie dough tastes as good as this, you know the finished product is going to be great. The resulting cookie was very chewy with great chocolate and coconut flavor. The dough itself does not hold together well, so don't be alarmed. The cookie will hold together well. I refrigerated some of the dough for an hour before baking, and it does not alter the result.

I rarely use toasted coconut in my recipes, but I have forgotten how great it is! The kitchen smelled amazing all day. Do you have any recipes that call for toasted coconut?

Ingredients

1/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted and cooled

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the toasted coconut, rolled oats, and mini chocolate chips. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the canola oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Next add in the egg. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the oat mixture.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets, leaving at least one inch between each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown.

Transfer immediately to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Yields 24 cookies.

Green & Black Chocolate Brazil Soft-baked Biscuits

2012-03-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

While we were in London last November, we did an amazing Green & Black's chocolate tasting on the London Eye. I left with a new appreciation of Green & Black's chocolate plus some tasty samples and this cookie recipe. I had never baked with brazil nuts before, and I liked the nutty, but not salty result. Be sure to chop them well, though. These cookies were very cakey, but they could have used a bit more chocolate.

Ingredients

3 ounces butter (6 Tbsp)

2 1/2 ounces caster sugar (scant 1/2 cup sugar)

1 egg

6 ounces self-rising flour (I used 1 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp milk (I used 1)

3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

2 ounces brazil nuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a baking sheet with melted butter.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour once, returning the bran to the sifted flour, then fold it into the mixture.The bran gives a distinctive flavour and texture to the biscuits. Beat well, adding the vanilla extract and sufficient milk to make a pliable dough. Mix it with your hands, adding the milk in stages until the dough is fairly soft, but not sticky. Add the chopped chocolate, nuts and salt and distribute evenly through the dough. Roll out on to a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 5mm (¼in). Stamp into rounds and place the biscuits, spaced well apart, on the greased baking sheet.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't overcook. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Pinwheel Cookies

2012-03-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Over the holidays, I tried some great cookies from Joan's on Third and was inspired to make my own. I don't normally do sliced cookies since I don't want to wait, and the result is not always what I want. I was pleasantly surprised with these, though. Mine definitely do not look as pretty as Joan's, but they have nice crispy edges and soft middles.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup cocoa powder

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg. Gradually add in the flour mixture.

Remove half of the dough and place on wax paper or plastic wrap. In the remaining dough, mix in the cocoa powder. Put the chocolate dough on a separate piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Seal both and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll out the dough into two rectangles. Make one rectangle about one in larger on all sides. Put the smaller rectangle on top of the larger rectangle. Roll the dough lengthwise into a log. Make one inch slices and put the dough on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely on the cookie sheet before serving.

Yields 18 cookies.

Valerie Confections

2012-03-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

I had been to Valerie Confections a couple of times, but for some reason, I had never noticed their cookies! The selection is small (sugar or the durango cookie), so that will be my excuse for missing them.

The sugar cookie looked very plain, so for $2.00, I tried the Durango Cookie. This was basically a cookie with pieces of their durango bark (milk chocolate with roasted almonds, cocoa nibs, and hickory smoked salt) mixed in. Delicious! I was sad I only got one. The cookie itself was thin and chewy with LOTS of finely chopped bark mixed in. Sometimes cookies that are this thin are overly buttery or greasy, but this was not the case here. A great find!
Valerie Confections is located at 3360 West First Street in Los Angeles. You may also order treats from their website (www.valerieconfections.com). Their toffee is amazing, too!

Happy Birthday Cookie Sleuth!

2012-03-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

The Cookie Sleuth blog is turning 2! Time certainly does fly by. I have so enjoyed getting to know everyone and experiment in the kitchen. Thank you for your support! A few things I've learned over the past couple of years...

For Flat Cookies- Flat=Fat. The more fat (real butter) in your cookie, the more it will spread. If you want a flatter cookie, use butter instead of margarine or shortening. Replace some of the brown sugar with granulated sugar. Also, bring your dough to room temperature before baking. Try White Chocolate Macadamia Nut or M&M.

For Puffy Cookies- You know when the brownie mix package says for cake-like brownies, add an extra egg? The same applies for cookies. Or, you can use margarine in place of butter. Reducing the amount of white sugar in the recipe works, too. Try Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip or Apple Pie or Sour Cream Cookies.

For Chewy Cookies- Use brown sugar or honey in place of white sugar. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Try Coconut Oatmeal or Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies.

For Crispy Cookies- Use butter instead of margarine for crispy cookies. For recipes that call for two eggs, instead use one whole egg and one egg yolk. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack after removing them from the oven. Try Oatmeal Butterscotch or Lime Sugar Cookies.

Do you have a baking lesson you would like to share?

See's Gooey Chocolate Brownies

2012-03-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

The "gooey" in the name of these brownies does not really tell you how gooey they are going to be. Even though I cooked them through, the texture was more like fudge than like a brownie. The edges did have the same chewiness as a brownie, though, and a day later the brownies were more fudge-like and less gooey. Based on the ingredient list, I was expecting a rich final product, and these definitely were. Due to the texture, I used the remaining brownies in a trifle, and they worked beautifully. I would not recommend this recipe if you have a brownie craving, but if you are in the mood for a decadent chocolatey treat and want something a little firmer than fudge, go for this.

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup plus one tablespoon of butter, divided

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

Over low heat melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and tablespoon of butter. In a separate pan, melt butter and dissolve sugar. Add this to the chocolate mixture. Beat in the egg. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes and cool completely before serving.

Yields 16 brownies.

This recipe is also a great way to use up 1/2 of a can of sweetened condensed milk! What are some of the ways you use up a can of this ingredient?

See's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-02-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

I love visiting the See's Candies stores! Not only do I get to pick out a little treat for myself, but everyone gets a free sample for just walking in the door. During my most recent visit, I picked up a bag of See's Semi-Sweet chocolate chips. At a price of $5.75 for a one pound bag, I really hoped they would be good. The back of the bag has a recipe for chocolate chip cookies as well as chocolate brownies. Each recipe calls for a full one pound of chocolate chips, so I halved the recipe (halved recipe is below).

The See's chips themselves were about five times the size of a normal chocolate chip and tasted great on their own. The resulting cookie was chewy and tasted better the next day than warm from the oven. Because of the large size of the chips, some bites were super chocolatey while others (about half of the bites in the cookie) were without any chocolate. I absolutely would make this recipe again using normal sized chocolate chips in order to get a more even distribution of chocolate. I could taste the quality of the See's chocolate chips, but due to the cost, I would not use them for everyday baking. Check back soon for the See's Brownies using the remaining half of the chocolate chips!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/8 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 bag of See's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (about 1 cup)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter well until it is fluffy. Add the sugars and mix well. Mix in the egg. Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Yields 18 cookies.

Au Bon Pain

2012-02-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Au Bon Pain has so many delicious breakfast items, but I finally had a chance to try their cookies for an afternoon snack.

The day I visited, there were sugar, chocolate chip, English toffee, confetti (aka M&M), shortbread, and chocolate dipped shortbread cookies available. I debated between the English toffee and chocolate dipped shortbread. The shiny chocolate coating of the shortbread called to me! I should have selected the English toffee... The chocolate dipped portion was great (chocolate layer was very thick), but the plain shortbread section had more of a savory flavor. It actually tasted a little bit like cheese. Has anyone had a better experience and could recommend my next Au Bon Pain cookie?

Cookie prices range from $1.39 to $1.69. To find your closest Au Bon Pain, visit www.aubonpain.com.