Oreo Pudding Cookies

Dear all cookies (other than the one pictured above),

The huz has replaced you and he doesn't seem one bit sorry about it. 

Love,
The faithful dysfunctional dieter (who will still happily consume you)

These cookies are chalk full of everything sinful; Oreo pudding mix, Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bars, chocolate chips and they taste ahh-mazing!

I've made three batches in two weeks. Three. 

Oh, my poor thighs.

I realize that is downright embarrassing and I should be ashamed, but I'm telling you out of love and only to encourage you to bake them too. 

I'm pretty sure this is where the saying, 'Lord, if you can't make me skinny, make my friends fat!' comes in. Ha!

Love,
The faithful, always hungry and always eating cookies dysfunctional dieter


Oreo Pudding Cookies
Adapted from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (4.2 ounce) package instant Oreo Pudding mix
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bars broken into small pieces (I used 2.6 ounce King Sized bars)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Note: I found Oreo Pudding mix at my grocery store but I also saw it at Walmart and Target.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Stir in cookies n' cream pieces and chocolate chips.

Using a cookie dough scooper, place golf ball sized dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 7-8 minutes. You do not want to overbake these! Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container.

One-Pan Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

Chocolate chunk cookie in my cast iron skillet.

Oh, yes. I just went there.

This cookie is made entirely in the skillet. No bowls! No mixer! No mess! This is plain ol' easy peasy wonderfulness.

It's a simple but impressive dessert and it will make your friends love you more than they already do. Serve this warm with vanilla ice-cream and have fun exercising your will power by not going back for a second slice.


One-Pan Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie
Adapted from: sophistimom

Ingredients

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes.

Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Caramel Pecan Shortbread Cookies

You can never go wrong with shortbread cookies. A classic cookie studded with toasted pecans and drizzled with rich caramel sauce is a popular choice and go to for me; especially since it combines sweet and salty.


Caramel Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from: Daily Adventures in Cooking

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans
1C butter, softened
1/2 cup + 1 Tbl icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toffee or caramel candies
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a fry pan on medium low and add the pecans. Toast gently, tossing regularly until fragrant. This should take about about 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Place two thirds of the pecans into a ziploc bag and crush with the back of a pot. Keep the remaining third for garnish.

Beat butter until nice and fluffy then beat in icing sugar and then cornstarch. Stir in flour and salt, followed by 1/4 cup of the crushed pecans. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a cookie sheet. Roll each mound into a ball. If desired press a pecan onto the top of the cookies. Bake for 18 minutes, rotating trays halfway through cooking. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

Once cookies have cooled for at least 15 minutes you can start the caramel drizzle. In a small saucepan combine the toffees and the cream. Turn the heat on to medium low and melt them together, stirring regularly. Once it is uniform and bubbly you are ready to drizzle. Put cookies on a rack for drizzling. I recommend setting this rack on top of a paper line sheet for easy cleanup. Now drizzle away, be careful the caramel will set quickly and be harder to deal with. You can always reheat as necessary. Top drizzle with extra pecan crumbs if desired.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies

I learnt something the hard way this week.

Once you start baking with Nutella, you can't stop.

This time around was nutella cookies.

I don't think I have to tell you how fantastic they were.

Were. As in past tense.

::shame::

Just the words nutella and cookie should be an easy sell.

Plus, as husband mentioned, nutella is good for you. (Marketing works, even if it is directed toward kids).

Doesn't matter to me, I'll do whatever husband says.

I love the way that man thinks.


Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies
Adapted from: Sweetest Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Approx. 1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

Add flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.

Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down the balls to flatten slightly. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).

Allow to rest 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.

PS - Huge thanks to The Doctor's Closet for the delicious post and mention of our Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups!

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Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups

If I were a real psychologist, I would only have to ring a bell to get you to start drooling, not write an entire paragraph about a slightly undercooked, flaky, sugar coated cookie, baked in a mini-muffin pan, flavored with rich, smooth peanut butter and topped with sweet puddle of hazelnut nutella, known as…

… Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups

(Ding!)


Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups
Adapted from: Barbara Bakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter
Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), optional
Chopped peanuts, optional

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and continue beating on low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in turbinado sugar (I used granulated sugar). Place each ball in a cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are browned and crackled, the centers will not be completely set. Remove the cookies from the oven and use the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie and fill with your Nutella. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of Nutella. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Tip: Don’t worry about smoothing the Nutella at first. After you’ve put Nutella in each cookie go back and spread it. It will have melted a bit and be much easier to spread.

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Soft Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks

You have to add these cookies to your Christmas baking list!

These are phenomenal.

These soft ginger cookie are coated in sugar, strong in spice and studded with white chocolate chunks.

It's all kind of wonderful.

Make these. You'll be thanking me!


Soft Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks
Adapted from: Two Peas and their Pod

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks

1 cup granulated sugar-for coating cookie dough balls

Directions

Preheat oven to Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment papers or with a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.

Beat in the molasses, canola oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour. Next, stir in the white chocolate chunks.

Scoop the dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on lined baking sheets, about two inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, the cookies will still be soft. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Pumpkin Cookies

When the first day of fall came around I cleaned my grocery store out of canned pumpkin. I've been anxiously waiting for this season purely for that reason; pumpkin everything!

These cookies are the first in a series of pumpkin-inspired recipes that I have been dying to make.

On the "to bake" list this year is pumpkin cheesecake, quick bread, pie and muffins and the first to cross off the list are pumpkin cookies. I made these cookies for the first time last year and they are the absolute best!

These are a soft and cake-like textured cookie mixed with seasonal spices. Load the cookies with the cream cheese icing and you'll find it perfectly compliments the earthy pumpkin flavor.

Needless to say, these cookies are pumptastic and a perfect way to start start your fall baking. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies
Adapted from: Joy of Baking

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose   flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil or corn oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces room temperature cream cheese, regular of low fat
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and smooth (about 2 minutes).  Beat in the oil, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Using 1/4 cup of batter place small mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 5 cm apart.

Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean (I took mine out at 12 minutes). Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until the frosting is soft and creamy.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

Goodness me! I think my body is going into pre-hibernation mode and going on an only crave and eat carbs diet. Oh dear. Lucky for me (but unfortunate for my waist line) these cookies fall into my new “diet” category.

These are best described as collision between soft meringue and a fudgy brownie. They are perfect. I haven’t been able to put them down. Seriously. Absolutely no will power.

Each bite is chocolate heaven; soft and fudgy with nuts for crunch and bound with egg whites. What’s even better is that they are gluten and dairy free. Now no chocolate lovers have to comprise on chocolaty bliss.

There are just six ingredients between you and a batch of these cookies. No mixer necessary, just a big bowl and a wooden spoon. Pour yourself a large glass of milk and enjoy.

I’m going to go and look for my Spanks.


Chocolate Puddle Cookies
Adapted from: 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

3 cups pecans (or hazelnuts or walnuts)
4 cups icing sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
4 large egg whites
1 Tbsp. good vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Toast your pecans, cool them and roughly chop them.

In a large bowl, stir together the icing sugar, cocoa and salt. Add the nuts, then stir in the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and spoon the batter, about 2 tablespoons each, in mounds allowing for plenty of room between cookies. These cookies really expand! Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet and try to avoid placing the batter too close to the edge of the pan.

Bake for 10 -13 minutes. They will spread, puff, crack on top, get glossy and then turn matte. Slide the cookies on the parchment off the sheet onto a cooling rack and let them cool.

S'more Cookie Bars

Have mercy, these are delicious.

They seriously tasted just like a s’more, and they should, considering that all of the same ingredients are used, just kicked up a notch!

But that's exactly why these minions are so irresistible. They are rich and gooey with a layer of chocolate and marshmallow sandwiched between a graham cracker cookie crust.

If you really need further prompting, think back to your very first s'more. Now multiply it's size and taste by 100 and imagine it in the form of a soft, cookie bar with a little bit of salt added into the tender graham cracker.

Please, don't hold me responsible for any stomach aches or extra mileage added to your daily run as a result of this recipe but do know that each bite is worth every calorie.


S'more Cookie Bars
Adapted from: Lovin' From The Oven

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars (if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor use regular sized chocolate bars; enough to fit)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar) (not melted marshmallows)


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together). Spread it around gently.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (I took mine out at 27 minutes), until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are a classic, a proverbial favorite with both kids and adults and a cookie that everyone needs to have in their baking repertoire.

These cookies were fantastic! There were soft and chewy and chock-full of chocolate chips, spices and nuts. If you prefer different ingredients these are great cookies to make substitutions. You could add raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts or white chocolate chips. Add your favorite ingredients! These classic cookies prove that sometimes basic is best. Enjoy!


Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookies
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you are on a diet and have trouble practicing will power, this is your warning to leave. These cookies cause extreme satisfaction and may complicate weight loss.

If you are okay with torturing yourself for the next 5 minutes, please stay.

Blame my husband! He was the one who described his dream cookie to me; it’s his fault that I had to bake these sweet, wonderful, soft, chewy cookies.

These are the most perfect peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip cookies ever. I highly doubt I will ever try to recreate this amazingness. On top of including one of the most delicious list of ingredients, these cookies are then rolled in sugar and topped off with sea salt. Like I said, amazingness.

Go pour yourself a glass of milk; you’re going to need it. Good luck not polishing off a shameful amount of these cookies in one sitting!


Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen & Me!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
For rolling dough: 3 tablespoon sugar
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and the salt. Set aside. Combine the bananas, milk and the vanilla extract together in a separate bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the banana mixture and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place sugar in a bowl. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto un-greased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. The dough for these cookies is very sticky but it's worth dealing with. I let mine sit in the fridge for a little bit (and between batches that were in the oven) but there isn’t too much you can do, it is just sticky dough. Sprinkle the top of the cookies with sea salt. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are not your average chocolate chip cookies… these are different, delightful and mighty delicious!

This cookie differs from most because it calls for all brown sugar, which lends a chewier texture and more flavors of caramel. The recipe calls for shortening which provides the beautiful shape and height of the cookie and there is the addition of two spices, cinnamon and ginger, which lend depth to the caramel flavor without totally dominating the cookie. After leaving the dough to rest in the freezer for at least an hour to develop the flavors you roll the cookie balls in confectioners’ sugar before baking - this adds a brilliant touch of flavor.

I love all of the additions in this chocolate chip cookie and I'm so happy I veered away from the traditional recipe and took a chance on these. My dad said these were the best he has ever had and he has had a lot of chocolate chip cookies! Be sure to bake these - I guarantee you won't be disappointed!


Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: She Runs, She Eats

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup confectioners' sugar, and more if needed
additional coarse salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours with baking soda, spices, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter with the brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and beat to mix, followed by the vanilla and espresso. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture just until combined, then stir in the chocolate chips until blended. Transfer dough to a container and chill for at least two hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the confectioners' sugar in a wide, shallow bowl or pie pan and place next to baking sheet. Portion out rounded tablespoons of cookie dough to fill sheet. Roll into balls, then roll until completely coated in sugar. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, make a shallow indent on the top of the balls and sprinkle a few grains of coarse salt on top.

Bake for 11 minutes, until tops are just set and edges are barely beginning to brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack, cookies still on baking sheet, and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring cookies from the sheet to the rack to completely cool. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Martha, you've outdone yourself again!

This cookie really is like a mini-carrot cake! The edges of these cookies are slightly crispy but the centers are puffy and soft and loaded with everything delicious. Sandwich the flat sides of two cookies together with a generous dollop of rich cream cheese frosting and enjoy it's bliss in every bite!


Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes (I took mine out at 11-12 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Sorry Mrs. Fields, your recipe has been replaced (or at least the store bought frozen cookie dough I've been known to purchase).

These are delicious. Oh my!

My extremely hard working husband was out of town for a while and would often inform me of "the best" white chocolate macadamia nut cookies he was eating (and how many in a day)! Well, if those aren't fighting words I don't know what are. So, I started my research on my quest to find the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookie to ensure they would be on the counter waiting for him when he got home and that he would find a better cookie.

I like to think I accomplished my task; these were amazing. They were rich, slightly crunchy, bursting with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chunks. I like my cookies undercooked so I took them out at 13 minutes and had a husband who happily agreed.


White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Adapted from: Field Guide to Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped white chocolate
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325°F and place the oven rack in the middle. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. Mix in the white chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts until incorporated.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into even balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 16 minutes (I took mine out at 11-13). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Cookie Cake

 

I love to be creative in the kitchen and don't often bake the same thing twice but this recipe keeps me coming back. These simple ingredients produce a rich and chewy cookie with caramelized edges. So, if you're like me and love a cookie in any shape, size or form, this recipe is for you; and like any faithful chocolate chip cookie recipe, it won't let you down.

Cookie Cake

Adapted from: Mrs. Fields Cookie Book

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 large egg

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.

Combine flour and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to blend the sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips. Blend at a low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Transfer batter into the prepared pan, and level top with a rubber spatula. Bake in center of oven for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean but center is still soft. Cool on rack to room temperature.

Snickerdoodles

What are Snickerdoodles and why had I never heard of them?!

These cookies are unbelievable. If you like soft, doughy, melt in your mouth cookies these are for you.

My husband has been on the receiving end of a lot of baking and he (and his co-workers) have collaboratively agreed that these cookies are a definite favorite.

Snickerdoodles could mistakenly get referred to as sugar cookies. The difference between the two comes from the use of cinnamon, which is balanced with cream of tartar to give the cookies their sweet, spicy flavor.

I must admit, I didn't expect for these cookies to be such a hit. They are so simple yet so delicious.

Consider yourself warned, these Snickerdoodles are extremely addictive!

Snickerdoodles

Adapted from: Make-Ahead Meals

Ingredients

2 & 3/4 c flour

1 & 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
1/2 c shortening
1 & 1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter, shortening and 1 & 1/2 c sugar. Blend in the eggs at low speed. Add the flour mixture, and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Roll 1 tbsp of dough into a ball and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake - the centers will be soft, but will set upon cooling.

 

 

 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

These Ginger Molasses cookies are better than Starbucks!*

Isn't Christmas baking the best?

You get to use as much cinnamon, ground cloves, pumpkin, ginger, icing and cranberries as you want in these few winter months!

And then you get to hibernate inside, under blankets, on the couch watching Christmas movies (preferably Love Actually or The Holiday) and eat Christmas baking all day long! Or you could go for a walk in the snow and burn off some of these wonderful Christmas calories just in time to start thinking of January's new year resolution of eating less sugar and going to the gym.

Ahh, lucky for us it's still December!

These ginger molasses cookies are wonderfully chewy and sweet with a little bit of spice. It is important that you shape the dough into no bigger than walnut sized balls. These cookies flatten and spread - so unless you're looking for one giant cookie keep them small. You'll also probably find that you need a few more tablespoons of sugar to roll the shaped dough into but you can always add that as you go along. Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe.

These are quick to put together, fast to bake and don't last long around the house; at least they didn't in ours! Hope you're making your Christmas sweet!

*Proudly said by my loving and supportive husband ;-)

Big Soft Ginger Cookies
From: Allrecipes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.