Category: Dessert – Cookies

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
This recipe was given to us by midwestern grad students who lived across the hall from us in 1976. They seem to please women too.

Ingredients
1 C marjarine (or butter)
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs

Cream the above together. Add

2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Blend in

2 C uncooked oatmeal
1 C coconut
1 C nuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl lemon juice

Directions
bake 12-15 min @ 350F

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 lb. butter
1 raw egg
1 hard boiled yolk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar

Directions
Mix sugar, butter, raw egg and egg yolk until well blended.
Combine four and baking powder and mix into sugar, butter etc.

Roll out dough…use juice glass as a cookie cutter
cover with egg, cinnamon sugar and nuts prior to baking

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
The double dose of ginger here comes from ground and crystallized ginger. Because the ginger flavor intensifies with time, these cookies keep especially well.

Ingredients
10 oz. (2¼ cups) unbleached all purpose flour
2¾ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. table salt
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup molasses
3 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, a small ice cream scoop, or two tablespoons, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1½ to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers for up to five days

Servings: 36
Preheat: 325°
Prep Time: 20 min
Source: Adapted from Carol Field
December 1992, Gourmet
Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.

Ingredients
1 1/3cups dried cranberries (1/4 lb)
2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1cup sugar
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/2teaspoon salt
3large eggs
1teaspoon vanilla
1cup salted shelled natural pistachios
1large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water to make egg wash

Directions
Soak cranberries in boiling-hot water to cover in a small bowl until softened,about 10 minutes.Drain, then pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Add cranberries and pistachios and mix at low speed.

Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead several times. Halve dough, then form each half into a 13- by 2-inch slightly flattened log on baking sheet, using floured hands and spacing logs about 3 inches apart. Brush logs with egg wash.

Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally into ½ -inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, a cut side down, in 1 layer on baking sheet (don’t worry if slices touch each other). Bake in middle of oven, turning once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Makes 2 ½ to 3 dozen biscotti Among pastry lovers, Venice is known for its cookies, and among the best known are these cornmeal-currant biscotti called zaleti, Venetian for “”little yellow things.”” in northern Italy cornmeal is a common ingredient in desserts, and in Venice, zaleti are as common as chocolate chip cookies are in the States. Traditionally made in diamond shapes, they also can be made like classic biscotti- i.e., sliced and twice-baked; see last paragraph.

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
I stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
1 cup plump currants (or raisins)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°E Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Put the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to blend. Add the butter to the bowl and, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub the pieces into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps; you’ll work them out as you knead the dough later. Stir in the currants.

Whisk the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla together in a small bowl, then, with your fingers or a rubber spatula, stir them into the flour mixture. At this point, the dough won’t come together in the bowl and it may seem a little dry, but if you pinch a bit between your fingers, it will hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly folding the dough over onto itself a few times, until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a 12-inch-long log. Press down gently on the logs with your palms to flatten them slightly and then cut the logs on the diagonal every 1 ½ inches to make 7 or 8 diamonds from each log. Transfer the diamonds to the prepared pan. Since the ends of the logs will not form perfectly shaped diamonds, set the scraps aside, and then, after all the logs have been cut, gather them together and shape them into a mini-log. Flatten the log, angle each end by pressing it with the back of your knife, and cut into diamonds.

Baking the Cookies Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are a light golden color, firm to the touch, and just slightly puffed. Check after 5 minutes to see if the bottoms of the biscotti are browning too quickly; if so, slip a second baking sheet under the first one. Slide the cookies, parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet and onto a rack to cool. (To make classically shaped biscotti, see last paragraph.)

Storing Diamond shaped cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight tin or plastic container-, twice-baked biscotti will keep for about a month similarly stored.

Classically Shaped Biscotti After the dough has been kneaded, cut it in half and shape into 2 logs, each about 12 inches Long. Flaten the togs slightly-they should be about 1/4 inch high-and place on a parchment-tined baking sheet. Bake the togs in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and just a little puffed. Let cool completely, then use a thin sharp serrated knife to carefully cut them into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Lay the cookies on parchment-tined baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re lightly toasted. The biscotti may still be a bit soft, but they’ll crisp as they cool. Coot the biscotti on the pans. (Makes 5 to 6 dozen.)

Servings: 2 doz
We like these cookies made with pecans and dried sour cherries, but walnuts or skinned hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans, and dried cranberries for the cherries. Quick oats used in place of the old-fashioned oats will yield a cookie with slightly less chewiness. If your baking sheets are smaller than the ones described in the recipe, bake the cookies in three batches instead of two. These cookies keep for 4 to 5 days stored in an airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag, but they will lose their crisp exterior and become uniformly chewy after a day or so.

Ingredients
1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (6¼ ounces)
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
1¼ cup rolled oats , old-fashioned, (3½ oz) 1 cup toasted pecans (4 ounces), chopped
1 cup dried tart cherries (5 ounces), chopped coarse
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks about size of chocolate chips (ab ¾ cup)
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
1½ cup packed brown sugar (10½ ounces), preferably dark
1 lg egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.

3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough evenly into 16 portions, each about ¼ cup, then roll between palms into balls about 2 inches in diameter; stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2½ inches apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball to 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 12 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will seem underdone and will appear raw, wet, and shiny in cracks), 8 to 10 minutes longer. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Servings: 4 doz
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
The texture of these simple-to-bake cookies is like a delicate yet fudgy brownie.

Ingredients
4½ oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour
½ cup natural or Dutch-processed cocoa
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) vegetable shortening
½ cup packed brown sugar, sifted free of lumps
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
About ¼ lb. (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy. Add both sugars, beating until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Mix in the nuts.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter about 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (After 5 minutes, switch the pans from top to bottom and rotate them from back to front for even baking.) The cookies will puff up and then settle down slightly when done. Let cool on the baking sheets on a rack for a few minutes. With a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Servings: 36
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
Chopping your own chocolate into chunks gives the pieces a welcome lack of uniformity: some bites yield especially big “”chips.”

Ingredients
9½ oz (2 cup plus 2 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
½ lb (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp very firmly packed light brown sugar
2 lg eggs
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2½ oz milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt to blend. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, slowly blend in the flour mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped chocolate with the spatula, making sure all the flour and butter are thoroughly combined.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for to three days.

Servings: —
Preheat: 325°
Source: Gourment, 3/1994
This dough produces a crisp cookie with oats for added texture.

Ingredients
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
I tsp salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats. In another bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto buttered baking sheets and bake cookies in batches in middle of oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool cookies on racks.

Cookies keep in airtight containers 5 days. Makes about 72 cookies.