Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

       Once upon a time I made Lime Sugar Cookies and I suggested substituting other citruses for the lime. These cookies are just that, but also a couple other changes: instead of lime I used orange, I added white chocolate chips, and I didn't roll them in sugar before baking. Thus Orange Dreamsicle Cookies entered my life. See how fun and easy it is to come up with a completely different dessert/snack?

       For me, what really make these cookies awesome are the white chocolate chips, adding a creamy deliciousness only they can. (Actually, I've decided the only reason I like macadamia nut cookies is because of the white chocolate chips. But that's a whole different story. Speaking of different stories, see that pattern under the cooling rack in the picture? That's my new apron my sister gave to me for my birthday!) The orange comes through nicely, too, creating a refreshing cookie. Betchya never thought you'd hear those two words together. If you really wanted to, I suppose you could add orange food coloring for added "orange" effect, but I like them the way they are. 

Orange Dreamsicle Cookies
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup orange juice (one orange)
• Zest of one orange (you can use less if you want, but I like it better with most of the zest)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
--Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

--Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt in a bowl and set aside for later.

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat until it's really fluffy.

--Add the egg, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix until thoroughly combined.

--Stir in the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Combine thoroughly. Mix in the white chocolate chips.

--Roll cookie dough into 1-in balls and place them on the parchment-lined cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart.

--Bake for 8-10 minutes.

--Let cool on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

--Enjoy!



Happy Baking!
--H

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

       Wow it's been a busy summer! Clearly, since we haven't posted in a while . . . again. C'est la vie, though, isn't it? It's not that my sister and I haven't been making things-- on the contrary we've been cooking and baking a lot! The problem has been getting pictures of the things we make. =) But no fear, I have finally taken a picture of deliciousness. Today, in fact. Above you see a picture of one of the non-banana-bread recipes I enjoy when using up extra overripe bananas. Although it's no secret I love banana bread, I also love cookies. So this combination works well for me, see?
       These cookies taste just like banana bread but are jam-packed with nuts, unlike the banana bread I usually eat is. The only reason I added in the almond slivers is because there was a little baggie of them floating around in my cupboard that I wanted to use up. I decided I liked the uniqueness of the walnut/almond combination so much though that I should keep the almonds in the recipe, so I did. I may add more than a half cup in the future, but for now I liked it that way. Also something I did that I normally don't was chopping up chocolate bars and sticking them in the batter instead of chocolate chips which I was fresh out of. And you know what? I loved the chunkiness of them! The randomness of the chocolate sizes make for fun eating. Another FYI: the cookies are relatively moist when first baked, but I believe they become even more moist after being stored. Hope you like them too!




Banana Oatmeal Cookies
recipe slightly adapted from tasteofhome


Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 3)

1-3/4 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions
--Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

--In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

--Stir in the softened butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

--Mix in the egg and mashed bananas, then add the oats. Mix until thoroughly combined.

--Add the chocolate chips/chunks, walnuts, and almonds and stir until everything is evenly distributed.

--Using a cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough on the parchment lined cookie sheets about 1-1/2 inches apart.

--Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

--Cool them on a wire rack, eat a few, and store the rest in a Tupperware container =)




Happy Baking!
--H

Lime Sugar Cookies

         I enjoy trying new things, especially when they seem a bit odd. For example, on the last road trip I took I tried eel sushi and it was amazing! So when I was looking for recipes including limes to use up extra limes I bought for my Top-Shelf Margarita Cheesecake, I came across this recipe which sounded rather peculiar. I would never think of making a lime-flavored cookie. Granted, it's not a different concept than putting lemon or orange in cookies, but for some reason limes just sounded weird to me. But I tell you what, after I made them they no longer sounded so weird--they're so stinkin' good! And cute too. I like the little green flecks of lime zest. The lime provided a surprisingly refreshing quality to the cookies, something I've definitely never experienced in sugar cookies. I took most of the batch to work and they were devoured. I was quite proud. =) Next time, in place of the lime I'll use either lemons or oranges just for fun. Maybe I'll even do a lemon-lime cookie. Or maybe I'll be adventurous and use grapefruit juice . . . we'll see . . .


Lime Sugar Cookies
Slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction

Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• Zest of one lime
• Extra sugar for rolling cookies

Directions
--Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Also, pour some sugar (1/2 to 1 cup) into a bowl and set that aside for now. This will be used to roll the cookie dough balls in.

--Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt in a bowl and set aside for later.

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat until it's really fluffy.

--Add the egg, vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until thoroughly combined.

--Stir in the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Combine thoroughly.

--Roll cookie dough into 1in balls, then roll the dough balls in the bowl of sugar. Coat 'em up!

--Place the sugary dough balls on the parchment-lined cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart.

--Bake for 8-10 minutes.

--Let cool on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

--Enjoy!




Happy Baking!
--H

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

      

       I realize that this cookie isn't much different than last week's. Really, it is the exact same, save for mixing brownie chunks into the cookie dough instead of creating a surprise brownie center. Not everybody has time to partition out balls of cookie dough, flatten them out, then wrap them around brownies. That is why this cookie is great! It's a super time saver. Because the brownie chunks are more spaced out in this cookie, you get a more even flavor of cookie vs. brownie than the suffed cookie version--one bite may have more cookie flavor while the other has a stronger brownie flavor. So if you have too short of an attention span to make the Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I highly recommend making this version instead.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies
based on the recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1-2 cups brownie chunks (however "chunky" you want the cookies)

*This recipe can be easily halved. Though you will still need to make the brownie mix according to its directions, you will just use less of the finished product.*

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into desired size chunks. Keep in mind you probably won't use the entire pan in the cookies, unless you really want to. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--Mix in the brownie chunks by hand so you don't break them up in the dough.

--Place the cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies. (In my opinion.)

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool a bit before transfering them to a wire rack.

--Share and enjoy =)




Happy Baking!
--H

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

       I first discovered this recipe a little over a year ago while two of my aunts and a couple of my cousins were visiting for Easter. As the rest of my family was playing games at the dining room table, I was busy in the kitchen making these cookies. They thought I was making simple cookies for a late night snack--boy were they wrong. When I brought these out of the oven and to the table, everybody was initally amazed and excited over the sheer size of the cookies, then they each took a bite and nearly died of suprise and delight over the discovery of a brownie tucked inside the chocolate chip cookie. Delicious. Since then, both friends and family have repeatedly asked me to make these cookies for special occasions--sometimes the special occasion simply being eating these cookies. The picture from where I found this recipe shows really flat cookies, but whenever I make them they always turn out like the above picture. I don't mind, though. I love being able to bite into a large brownie chunk instead of a skinny one.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into 16 equal sized bars. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--To make the cookies, use a cookie scoop to make two dough-balls. Take one of those balls and stick a brownie on top of it, then top the brownie with the other dough-ball. Push the cookie dough around the brownie, pinching the seams together.

--Place 6 cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies.

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool almost completely before removing them from the cookie sheet.

--Share and enjoy =)

Note: When I make these I don't refrigerate the cookie dough before I make the stuffed cookies and I think that's why whenever I make them they turn out poofy, like the above picture, and not a flatter, Saturn-like cookie. 


Happy Baking!
--H

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

       Valentine's Day is about celebrating the things you love. I love peanut butter. The other night, while leaving the campus after my final class of the day, I suddenly felt a huge zinger in my stomach--an intense craving for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. (I'm a girl, these things happen sometimes.) I've been trying to eat healthy lately, but cravings like these are hard to ignore. Convincing myself that it would be better for me to give in to a small "naughty" snack every now and again instead of experiencing occasional binge-trips (I'm a realist, I know it'd happen eventually) I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some mini chocolate chips. When I got home, I whipped these suckers up . . . and I fell in love. They were slightly grainier than I would have preferred (which could have been due to the type of peanut butter I used) but they hit the spot. I only changed one thing about the recipe and that was the temperature of the oven. I like my cookies extra chewy so I lowered the temperature down to 350 degrees instead of 375 degrees. I also took them out before they looked completely done, then let them sit on the hot pan for a minute or two to let them set up. I actually  do this with most of my cookies because I like to have the center slightly doughy and the outside to have a small crunch. I also find that cookies last longer when I do this because it takes a lot longer for the cookie to go stale if nobody is around to eat them. That's not a problem with these cookies, though. They're too tasty to not get eaten right away! With that being said, I had to give most of these away so my "naughty little snack" wouldn't turn into my "scandalous binge night". 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from About.com


Ingredients

•  1/2 cup butter, softened
•  1/2 cup peanut butter
•  1/2 cup granulated sugar
•  1/2 cup brown sugar (don't forget to pack it down firmly)
•  1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (or more depending on preference)

Directions

--Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. (Or be like me and do 350 degrees instead for a chewier cookie.)

--In a stand mixture, combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy.

--Add the egg and mix until fully combined and fluffy.

--In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir it up a little bit.

--Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little bit at a time (you don't want flour to fly everywhere when the mixture is turning).

--Add the chocolate chips.

--With a cookie scoop, or just plain ol' teaspoons, drop the cookie dough onto non-stick baking sheets. If you don't have non-stick sheets, either lightly grease your sheet or cover it with parchment paper.

--Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Mine always took ten.)

--When you take them out of the oven, let the cookies rest for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack.

--Serve happy people.

--Enjoy!







Happy Baking!

--H