Cowboy Cookies

One of the guys brought these to work one day. Even though he hid them in a drawer, they disappeared like ice cubes on a sidewalk in July.

INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups usweetened flake coconut
• 2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

PREPARATION
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.
3. In a very large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars, and combine thoroughly.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla.
5. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.
6. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.
7. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool.

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Copy-Cat Thin Mint Cookies

Copy-Cat Thin Mint Cookies

26 Oreo cookie halves, or 13 whole Oreos.
1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ tsp peppermint extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Separate Oreo cookies and scrape off the middle cream.
2. Combine chocolate and peppermint extract in a double boiler to melt, or put in a microwave safe bowl and melt in 20-second increments until you creamy.
3. Dip Oreo half into the chocolate using a fork and flip over to coat on both sides. Once coated remove cookie from chocolate and hit fork on the edge of the bowl to get excess chocolate to drip back in.
4. Place dipped cookie onto a piece of waxed paper and allow to set for a couple hours till chocolate is hardened.

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Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp kosher salt (plus more for sprinkling)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips, divided (I used 60% ghirardelli)
Instructions
1. Chop the butter into small pieces and roughly chop the fresh mint. Place the butter and mint in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring continuously, with the mint until lightly browned. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes (you don’t want it to solidify, just to cool)
2. Pour the butter through a fine sieve to remove the mint pieces. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to push on the mint and extract any juices back into the butter.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar. Mix in the vanilla and egg. Scrape down the bowl.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients just until combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
5. Fold in 6 oz of the chocolate chips, save the rest for topping the dough balls.
6. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour and preferably up to 24 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
8. Scoop large mounds of dough (about ¼ cup each) onto baking sheets. Put no more than 6 cookies per sheet. Top each mound of dough with several chocolate chips and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt.
9. Bake at 375ºF for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges are set and the middle still looks doughy. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes before removing.

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Salted Butterscotch Cookies

Salted Butterscotch Cookies; a bread flour recipe
adapted from Kitchenette.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons salted butter
3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 egg, beaten
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup bread flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Coarse sea salt
For crunchy sugar coating:
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 190°C and line baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine coating ingredients. Set aside.
4. Brown the butter. This article gives good advice on browning butter.
5. Using a mixer, combine butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves into the butter.
6. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and continue mixing.
7. Add flour to the wet mixture in 3 or 4 increments, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mixture will be thick and quite dry.
8. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls, flatten slightly (until approximately the thickness of your finger), coat in sugar mixture, sprinkle with some salt.
9. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the sugar on top is melted.

As a side note, I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available in paperback and e-reader. Check it out here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (218 g) packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (150 g) certified gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups (120 g) coconut chips
10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and whisk to combine well. Place about 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients in a separate, small bowl and add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Toss to coat the chips, and set the bowl aside. To the large bowl, add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and whisk to combine, working out any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the oats and coconut chips and mix to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. Add the chips and reserved dry ingredients, and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout. If necessary to bring the dough together, knead it with your hands. Divide the dough into 20 pieces, each about 2 ounces. Roll each into a ball and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each ball into disk about 1/4-inch thick.
• Place the baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven, one at a time, and bake until lightly golden brown all over (about 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or until firm before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Adapted from Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies, as reprinted in The Washington Post.

As a side note, I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available in paperback and e-reader. Check it out here.

Chocolate Pie Pecan Bars

Ingredients
• 3 cups pecan halves
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Arrange pecans in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking.
Line bottom and sides of a 9″x 13″ baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.
Whisk together flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa. Add cold butter, and combine with a pastry blender* until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into bottom and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.
Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crust. Allow to cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.
Place eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over partially baked crust.
Bake 28-34 minutes, or until edges are golden and filling has set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then, refrigerate for an hour.
Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars.
Notes
*You can also mix crust ingredients in a food processor, but I prefer mixing this way.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living, September 2012.

As a side note, I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available in paperback and e-reader. Check it out here.

Kitty Litter Cake

While we sat on the primary polls recently, one of the male workers shared a rather unique recipe with me. Now I’ll share it with you.

Kitty Litter Cake

1 White cake mix
1 German chocolate or spice cake mix
Make the cakes and cool.
Crumble up together.
Make 2 boxes of vanilla instant pudding in frig. (6 oz.) (big box)
1 16 oz. pkg. sandwich cookies in blender.
Reserve ½ cup and color with green food color in mixer.
Put the cakes, cookies, pudding in a clean kitty litter box with plastic liner
Sprinkle the green cookie crumbs.
Unwrap 16 oz. of Tootsie Rolls and barely heat them in the microwave and pull the ends to a point. Shove in the mix.
Make sure to put some of the tootsie rolls on top. Melt one more and flatten. Place on top.

As a side note, I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available in paperback and e-reader. Check it out here. 41KS+aVzQrL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_

Chocolate Chia Cookies

These cookies make the perfect afternoon snack. They totally satisfy every sweet chocolate cravings, yet they leave you feeling amazingly energised as they’re bursting with goodness. So you’ll never have to feel bad about eating cookies again! They have an amazing texture too with that perfect cookie crunch echoing in every bite. The chia seeds help to create this awesome crunch as they absorb up to ten times their weight in liquid once so they act as a glue sticking all the other ingredients together.

They’re also amazingly good for you! They’re one of the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential for keeping you heart healthy, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and reducing your risk of cardiovascular and heart disease. As well as being full of fiber, which aids the digestion process, protein, calcium, iron and zinc! The almonds, hazelnuts and quinoa also add lots of goodness with their huge amounts of awesome plant protein, while the dates add more protein and iron and the cacao adds tons of antioxidants. So these really are superfood cookies! Even better they’re made and baked in just 20 minutes!

Makes 10 cookies
– 1 cup of almonds
– 1 cup of hazelnuts
– 1 cup of quinoa or buckwheat flour
– 1/3 of a cup of pure maple syrup
– 1/4 of a cup of medjool dates
– 1/4 of a cup of water
– 3 heaped tablespoons of raw cacao powder
– 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
– 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Simply place the nuts into a food processor and blend for a minute or two until a flour forms, then add all of the remaining ingredients and blend again until a sticky cookie dough forms.

Scoop about a tablespoon into your hands, roll it into a ball and then flatten it using a spatula onto the baking tray so that they are nice and thin. Keep doing this until all the cookies are on the tray.

Bake for about twenty minutes at 180C, until the cookies are firm and starting to slightly brown. Then leave them to cool for a few minutes before enjoying!

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Doesn’t this look like spring?

Lemony Lemon Brownies
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the tart Lemon Glaze:
• 4 tbsps lemon juice
• 8 tsps lemon zest
• 1 cup icing sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
3. Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.
8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.
9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.
10. Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.
11. Cut into bars and serve.
I got this from http://www.bestyummyrecipes.com/lemony-lemon-brownies

Gingerbread House

One thing I try to do with my granddaughters every year is make a gingerbread house and let the girls decorate it. I love to watch their creativity blossom. Here’s the recipe we use.

Gingerbread House
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 egg
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
6 cups flour

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg and beat well. Dissolve soda in milk and add to batter. Sift together ginger, cinnamon, salt, and flour, and add to batter, mixing thoroughly. Chill dough at least 24 hours.

Out of cardboard:
Cut two rectangles 4 ½ x 7 ¼ inches to make the sides of the house.
Cut two rectangles 8 x 5 ¼ inches for the roof.
Cut two pieces for the ends of the house, 6 inches wide at the base x 7 ½ at the peak. Draw diagonal lines from that peak to 4 ¾ inches to form the roof.
Cut one piece for the floor 6 x 7 inches.
Roll dough out to ¼ inch thick on a rimless cookie sheet. Place the patterns on the dough and cut them out with a sharp knife. Peel the extra dough away.

Bake:
at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until dough feels firm.

This recipe is found in Family Favorites from the Heartland.