Tag: Homemade Cookies

Brown Butter and Maple Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

Happy Holidays! It’s the week after Thanksgiving and normally this week I share a week’s worth of cookie recipes to inspire you to bake for the holidays. Unfortunately, this year that’s not happening. Time got the best of me, and I spent the bulk of my free time crocheting. I kept thinking that I would be able to test the recipes I had written up, but I opted not to rush the process just to publish some blog posts. I believe quality over quantity is more important. I recently tried a recipe for a Brown Butter and Maple Chewy Pumpkin Cookie that was absolutely delish, so I decided to share that recipe with you this week. It would be the perfect addition to your cookie platter this holiday season.

But first, in case you are wondering what I was crocheting… Granny Hexagon Christmas Stockings, 16 to be exact (not counting the 3 I also made to sell in my Etsy shop). It was an order that needed to be completed by the end of November. And while I finished them with a week or two to spare, I was then also fulfilling custom orders for ornament ball wreaths from my Etsy shop. So, I’ve been busy. 

And now back to the cookies. While I normally don’t bake (or gravitate towards) oversized cookies I decided to try these since the flavors sounded so good. Brown butter, maple and pumpkin are the perfect combination for the season. Although with Christmas just around the corner peppermint is dominating a bit more nowadays.

If you are intimidated to make browned butter don’t be. It’s an easy process that requires a bit of patience, a watchful eye and a constant stir. Don’t be tempted to raise the heat as doing so will cause the butter to burn a lot quicker and instead of having a nutty flavor, the butter will have a burnt flavor. Once the butter has a rich amber color it’s done. Remove it from the heat and transfer it to a heat-proof container to stop the cooking process. Leaving it in the pan will continue to heat and ultimately burn the butter. While the original recipe called for placing the butter in the refrigerator to cool, I opted to cool it to room temperature on my counter for two reasons. A) I didn’t have to worry about it solidifying if I left it in the fridge for too long and B) I’m always apprehensive of putting hot items in the fridge immediately.

Once the brown butter is cool these cookies come together quickly and easily. Simply mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another and then fold together the two to form the dough. After refrigerating the dough for about 15 minutes – to prevent the cookies from spreading while baking – roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture and then bake. After cooling you will have the perfect cookie to enjoy with a hot cup of cocoa, tea or coffee for the cold days ahead!

Brown Butter and Maple Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

  • Servings: 11-12 large cookies
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Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Begin by browning the butter. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, stirring until it reaches a rich amber color. Pour the butter into glass measuring cup, you should have just shy of 1 cup. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon – and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cooled brown butter. It should resemble clumpy wet sand. Next whisk in the egg yolk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients. Continue folding the two mixtures together until the dough forms.

Refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes so it can firm up and prevent spreading while baking.

In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the sugar coating.

Use a large cookie scoop (i.e. ice cream scoop) or 1/4 measuring cup to scoop out the dough and then roll in the sugar coating. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are darkened around the edges and the center are puffed and look slightly underdone.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe slightly modified from Butternut Bakery Blog

Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and today I am sharing the cutest cookies to make for the day. I’ve used all kinds of cake mixes to make cookies and in honor of Valentine’s Day I used a strawberry cake mix to make Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies that are topped off with a chocolate heart pressed into the center of each cookie.

Making the dough for these cookies is quick and easy. In a large bowl along with the strawberry cake mix, I beat together baking powder, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. While I normally don’t add any kind of leavening agent to my cake mix cookies, I decided to add baking powder to these to give them a little more rise. After the dough came together, I refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.

Next, I dropped the dough onto prepared baking sheets and baked in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 minutes. Just until the cookies were set. After removing from the oven, I immediately pressed a chocolate heart (I used Dove’s Milk Chocolate Hearts) into the center of each cookie. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolates to firm up again. Alternatively, you could use 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips folded into the batter in lieu of the chocolate hearts…

But a pink cookie with a chocolate heart couldn’t be any more perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies

  • Servings: 18 Cookies
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Ingredients:

1 15.25 oz. Strawberry Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

18 chocolate hearts unwrapped (I used Dove Milk Chocolate Hearts) *

*In lieu of the chocolate hearts, fold 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into the dough instead

Directions:

In a large bowl add the cake mix, baking powder, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven press a chocolate heart in the center of each cookie and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The chocolate may still be soft even after the cookies cool, allow them to firm up again before transferring to an air-tight container to store.

**If you opt to use chocolate chips instead, fold them into the dough after beating the other ingredients together and then follow the instructions for refrigerating, baking and cooling the cookies.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you still in search of cookies to bake for the holidays? Or maybe you can’t decide between baking a holiday staple, gingerbread, or everyone’s favorite, chocolate chip? If so, why not make both with today’s recipe for a Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I came across this recipe in the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and knew immediately that I wanted to try it. Especially after making my Gingerbread S’more Blossoms and knowing how well gingerbread and chocolate go together. Although, I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. While the original recipe called for Gingerbread Spice, I didn’t feel like searching for an actual jar of McCormick’s Gingerbread Spice (it’s a real thing just like pumpkin spice), so I created my own with a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Alternatively, you could swap out the cloves for allspice. And I opted to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to milk-chocolate chips. The result was a cookie with all the flavors of gingerbread with just the right amount of chocolate. And while they are delicious just as they are, they are perfect to make winter ice cream sandwiches – which is what a friend of mine did after receiving a batch of them from me!

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture, gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips and continue beating until the chocolate chips are well incorporated into the dough.

Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into balls and then place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and soft in the center. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring them to an airtight container.

Recipe slightly modified from Food Network

Brownie Cookies

‘Tis the season for cookies, cakes, treats and all kinds of sweets! And today’s treat is a take on a classic sweet that won’t have anyone fighting for the middle, edge or corner piece – everyone has a preference – it’s a Brownie Cookie!

The dough for these cookies involves a few steps. First up, chocolate and butter are melted together, stirred until smooth and then cooled to room temperature. Once cooled, the chocolate mixture is then added to a mixture of eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and coffee granules. And finally, dry ingredients and mini chocolate chips are added into the dough. Although, the dough won’t look like dough at this point, more so like brownie batter. So, it’s necessary to refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes so it can firm up and be perfect for scooping and baking.

And once baked, you will have delicious chocolaty cookies that are reminiscent of a brownie with a shiny crackly top and a soft chewy inside, perfect for any chocolate or brownie lover in your life. 

Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

2 4oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

In a microwave safe bowl melt the chopped chocolate and butter together. Heat for 20 second intervals, stirring between each until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature.  

In a large bowl beat together both sugars, eggs, vanilla extract and coffee granules with a hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and has increased slightly in volume, 2-3 minutes. 

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until just combined. Add in the mini chocolate chips and continue stirring until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, until the cookies are set. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies

You may have noticed that I have been experimenting with cake mixes recently. I posted three recipes in a row that used cake mixes as their base – a Banana Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake, a Chocolate Crumb Cake and a Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake – and today I am sharing with you a recipe for cookies that uses a cake mix as their base. A Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookie.

Cake Mix Cookies aren’t anything new. If you do a quick Google search for “Cake Mix Cookies” you will have your choice of recipes to try. I remember trying a recipe years ago and I just didn’t like it. I followed a recipe from a fellow blogger who ranted and raved about them, and I found the cookies to be flat and lacking flavor (they quickly went into the trash). Granted, from what I recall they didn’t do much to alter the “cake mix” flavor or texture. In other words, no add-ins like chocolate chips, vanilla extract, sprinkles, etc. Those small things go a long way in flavor and texture!

So, what made me want to try my hand at these cookies again? Well, not too long ago I bought two bags of Caramel Sea Salt Chips from Trader Joe’s. I knew I wanted to make a chocolate cookie with them, but I didn’t really want to follow the recipe that was on the bag. I am making a conscious effort to create recipes myself for the different things that pop into my head – I am still trying recipes I rip out of magazines and come across on social media and online that I will be sharing though. So, I did some brainstorming and decided to try my hand once again with cake mix cookies. I added in vanilla extract and coffee to help bring out the chocolate flavor. And I ended up with a cookie that was flavorful and thick. Definitely one that I will be making again and now that I have a good ratio of what to mix with the cake mix, I may experiment with other cake mix flavors!

A quick note, if you cannot find sea salt caramel chips you could use butterscotch chips instead and sprinkle the top of each cookie with sea salt prior to baking. One of my friends loved these cookies because of the sweet and salty combination but I told him not to get too attached since I did purchase the caramel chips from Trader Joe’s and things get discontinued there out of nowhere (I went to buy some spices a few weeks ago and all of a sudden they are no longer carrying ground ginger – HUH!?!). Thankfully Hershey’s makes their own version and butterscotch is a good alternative. 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies

  • Servings: 2 Dozen Cookies
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Ingredients:

1 15.25 oz. box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Devil’s Food)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup salted caramel chips**

*I used Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso.

**I used Trader Joe’s Caramel Sea Salt Chips. Hershey’s brand also sells Sea Salt Caramel Chips.

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, instant coffee, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer on medium speed and beat until well combined. Stir in the caramel chips.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading while baking since the dough will be soft after mixing it together.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 10-11 minutes, until the cookies are set. The center of the cookies will look underbaked, but they will firm up as they cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

If you cannot find Salted Caramel Chips, you could use Butterscotch Chips and sprinkle the top of the scooped cookie dough with sea salt prior to baking.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.

Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day! Rose are red, violets are blue, I have sprinkle cookies for you! Sorry for the cheesiness, I just couldn’t resist. That popped into my head the other day when I was thinking of what to write for these cookies. For a second I thought about switching up my plan for these cookies and using sprinkle colors to represent the teams playing in the Super Bowl this past weekend – since I was taking them to a Super Bowl party- but that would have been red & green, so I decided to spread a little love with them instead. That brings up a good point about these cookies, you can switch up the sprinkle colors for any occasion. They will taste good regardless. Similar to the Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies I shared a few weeks ago.

A couple of things to note about these cookies. The dough can be made in a food processor or using a hand/stand mixer. Since I like easy clean-ups, I opted to use my food processor. While the recipe I was following stated that you could use the butter and cream cheese right out of the refrigerator if using a food processor, I let both come to room temperature. Be sure to refrigerate the dough prior to baking, if not, the cookies will spread considerably. Also, the cookies will appear under baked when they come out of the oven but will firm up after cooling on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Resist the temptation to put them back in the oven for an extra minute or two.

Confetti Cookies

  • Servings: 28 Cookies
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Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks

2 ounces cream cheese (1/4 of an 8-ounce brick), cut into chunks

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse a few times to mix together. Add the butter cream cheese and sugar and process until the mixture comes together. Add the egg and vanilla extract and process until a ball of dough forms. You may need to scrape the bowl down a few times to ensure everything combines and mixes together. Transfer the dough to a bowl and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes so the dough can firm up.

Place sprinkles in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll the dough in your hands and then roll in the sprinkles before placing on the prepared cookies sheets 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to press the cookies down about 1/4 to 1/2 – inch. If the cookies have any bare spots press more sprinkles into the dough.

Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies will appear under baked and very soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you opt to use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make the dough… In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract beat again until well combined. With the mixer on low add in the flour mixture and beat until combined. Refrigerate 20-30 minutes until firm and then continue with directions.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

In my opinion you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes. You need your basic one and then you need those “special” ones that have some fun ingredients that really make them stand out. I came across the recipe for these Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in a recent issue of Food Network Magazine. Not only do they have cookie butter in the dough, but they also have sprinkles. I made them twice around the holidays using red, green and white sprinkles and just recently again for a friend and her family using rainbow sprinkles. Oh, and in case you are wondering, cookie butter is similar in consistency to peanut butter but is made with speculoos cookie crumbs, a fat, flour and sugar and it’s quite tasty.

To make the dough I whisked together my dry ingredients in one bowl and my wet ones in another. After combining them, I folded in the chocolate chips and sprinkles. The dough was quite soft so I refrigerated it for about 2 hours so it could firm up. Now, if you are thinking of freezing the dough to make it later, you could skip refrigerating it and scoop it out and place it on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and freeze until hard and then place the dough in resealable bags in the freezer until you are ready to bake it. You will just need to add a minute or two to the baking time.

Once the dough was firm I scooped and dropped it onto my prepared baking sheets and pressed some additional sprinkles into the dough before baking them. I believe you can never have too many sprinkles. Whenever I get vanilla soft serve in a cup I ask for sprinkles in the cup before the ice cream is added and then more sprinkles on top. Yum!

After removing the cookies from the oven, I let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The rainbow sprinkles gave the cookies a nice fun look. With Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter just around the corner you could really customize these for each of those holidays or any other occasion.

Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Servings: 30 cookies
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Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup smooth cookie butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons sprinkles (or jimmies, not nonpareils), plus more for topping

Directions:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter, cookie butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles until combined and evenly distributed throughout the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until the dough is slightly firm, but still easily scoopable.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a standard cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Press additional sprinkles onto the dough.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are set around the edges, puffed, but still soft in the middle. Let cool on the sheets for 3 to 5 minutes until transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe slightly modified from Food Network.

Cookie Palooza: Blueberry Crumb Cookies

I’ve saved my favorite cookie for last… A Blueberry Crumb Cookie. I got the idea for this cookie while baking one of my favorite summer desserts, a Blueberry Crumb Cake. Granted you can make it anytime of the year, but it tastes best when the blueberries are at their sweetest. Initially I was thinking of using fresh blueberries in the cookie, but for a few reasons I didn’t think it was the right move. I was concerned that some of the blueberries would be sour (not a good thing for a cookie), inevitably different sizes (you kind of want uniformity in a cookie) and that they might turn the cookies blue during baking. Since cookie dough is a lot thicker than cake batter, I thought that there was good chance of the blueberries being slightly decimated while folding them in. Thankfully I was able to find dried wild blueberries that eliminated all those concerns I had from using fresh ones.

For these cookies I made two mixtures… The cookie dough and the crumb topping.

Once both were ready, I rolled scoops of the dough in the crumb topping and then placed it on my baking sheets. And in case you are wondering, no, the crumb topping won’t burn and yes it will stick to the cookie even after baking.

And yes, the cookies will spread a bit while baking, but I don’t suggest refrigerating the cookie dough prior to scooping and rolling them in the crumb topping. You want the cookie dough to be slightly sticky so the crumb topping will adhere to it. And there’s no harm in a larger cookie. They don’t flatten and are slightly thick so it’s all good!

And I must say that while these cookies are delish the day they come out of the oven, the blueberry flavor gets stronger each day after so you may want to make these a day or two ahead of time and keep them stored in an airtight container prior to serving, sharing or giving. Because of this these cookies are the perfect cookie to mail to someone. They stay moist and the flavor only gets better.

I hope you have enjoyed this year’s Cookie Palooza and hopefully one, two or maybe all of these cookies will earn a spot on your cookie trays this holiday season!

Happy Holidays (and Happy Baking!)

Blueberry Crumb Cookies

  • Servings: 30 Cookies
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Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried blueberries*

For the Crumb Topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

*I used dried wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

For the cookies: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until just combined. Add in the lemon juice and sour cream and continue beating until well combined.

With the mixer on low add in the flour mixture. And then fold in the blueberries.

For the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl whisk together both sugars, the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. You may need to use your hands to really get the mixture combined well and to form the crumbs.

To make rolling the dough in the crumb topping easier (and less messy), first scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, then roll in the crumb topping and then return to the baking sheets. Place the dough 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are set and beginning to brown around the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn Spatula.

Cookie Palooza: Brown Sugar Vanilla Cookies

Cookies are my least favorite dessert to photograph. Sometimes they just don’t look as appealing in a picture as they do in “real life.” As is the case with today’s Cookie Palooza cookie… Brown Sugar Vanilla Cookies. They taste great, but that’s just not coming across in the pictures since there are no add-ins to give the cookies dimension.

They are essentially a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips. They get their flavor from, you guessed it, brown sugar and vanilla. While most chocolate chip cookie recipes call for using a combination of white and brown sugar which produces a cookie that is crispier, only using brown sugar in these cookies leaves you with a cookie that is chewier and denser. Something a little more comforting during these cold winter months. They are also the perfect cookie to make for anyone on your list who likes a simple cookie without much fuss.  

Brown Sugar Vanilla Cookies

  • Servings: 30 Cookies
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Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time and then add in the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture until combined. The dough will be very soft. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up so the cookies won’t spread as much while baking.

Use a cookie a cookie scoop to drop the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.

Cookie Palooza: Big Island Oatmeal Cookies

If you are dreaming of being somewhere warm during the colder months today’s Cookie Palooza cookie may help transport you there mentally. It’s an oatmeal cookie loaded with coconut, pineapples and macadamia nuts. All standard things you will find growing in Hawaii, hence the name, Big Island Oatmeal Cookies.

On my first attempt at making these cookies I used dried pineapple and I quickly learned that baking with dried pineapple is not like baking with dried cranberries or blueberries. The pineapple pieces dried out so instead of being chewy and adding flavor to the cookie they were a bit hard and had no flavor. On my second attempt I switched these things up and decided to use canned pineapple tidbits in pineapple juice that I drained. I also added in coconut extract to amp up the coconut flavor and opted not to chop the macadamia nuts. Also on my first attempt I chopped the macadamia nuts and they pretty much got decimated since they are so soft. When you bit into the cookie you really weren’t getting the crunch or taste of them.

So, with my tweaks, my cookies were perfectly loaded with pineapples, macadamia nuts and coconut in two forms. And the taste was exactly what I had hoped for. Not too sweet, the perfect amount of coconut flavor, a little crunch from the macadamia nuts and some added sweetness and taste from the pineapples. Also, because of the pineapples the cookies were incredibly moist. One of the reasons why it’s necessary to let them rest on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire to cool completely.

While these cookies may not have any of the standard flavors of the holiday season, they will be a welcome addition to your holiday baking menu. Yes, peppermint, sugar cookies, chocolate, etc. are delicious, but a little something different is good as well.

Big Island Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup pineapple tidbits in juice, drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and coconut extract and beat until everything is well combine.

With the mixer on low add in the flour mixture.

Fold in the macadamia nuts, shredded coconut and pineapple tidbits.

Use a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are set, and the edges begin to brown.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.