Seed-y Snow Day Cookies

These cookies are the right kind of seedy. They won't approach you in a dark alley, or make you question your safety, they will only fill you up with sweet nutty toasted seed goodness. They may also cause a drug test to reflect positive for opiates, but whatever.

The view from my living room window: tree limbs heavy with snow

Today is a snowday for most Bostonians. more than 2 feet on the ground already in many places, many businesses and schools declared they would be closing as of last night. Since I am home (my office was among the many closed) and safe and warm away from the big bad cold, I decided to bake something warm, using only things I had on hand. I browsed through my bookmarked recipes online and in cookbooks to decide on the perfect thing to make.

This recipe comes from Simplyrecipes.com, called Benne Wafers, they are simple sweet sesame seed cookies with a hint of lemon and vanilla. I only had half the amount of sesame seeds needed on hand, so I decided to add poppy seeds as well, which were left over from my lemon poppy cake. The resulting cookie is lightly sweet, pleasantly crisp, and a just a tad bitter from the poppy seeds. I suppose these may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I just can't stop eating them! So if you like crisp almost cracker like cookies, that are just a bit sweet, not overwhelmingly so, I definitely suggest trying these out. They were a breeze to whip up, minimal ingredients and minimal steps; they even cook quickly.

Sesame seed snow day cookies
From SimplyRecipes.com, Benne Wafers
1 cup sesame seeds, toasted / or 1/2 cup sesame and 1/2 cup poppy seeds for my variation
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Oven temp :325
1. Toast the seeds lightly in a pan over medium heat, until fragrant.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add in egg and mix to combine.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the wet, mix together
4. Add seeds, lemon juice and vanilla.
5. Place the batter by small spoonful on a greased cookie sheet, or one lined with parchment or a silicone liner. I used a silicone cookie pan liner similar to Silpat and it worked out wonderfully.
6. Bake for up to 15 minutes, or until browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Ok, I am off to drink some tea and then get back to my day's project (remember that yellow dresser? more on that soon).

The Best Oatmeal Cookies

These are THE BEST oatmeal cookies. Don't believe me? Ask my mom. That's right. She said so. But also, I say so, and a bunch of other people who tried these cookies seemed to agree. Also, they have cranberries. Who could turn down cranberries? They are such a pretty color, and add such a sweet-tart element that plays off the subtle fresh taste of the orange zest in the batter. Try these, they are just what you need right now. Really, I think you need a cookie. You're so thin! You look famished! (By the way, how have you all enjoyed your various events and family time over thanksgiving? Do I sound like anyone's grandma yet? Maybe an aunt?)

But truly, you deserve a cookie. Not crazy about cranberries? Change em out. Go traditional with raisins, shake things up with dried cherries, appease your sweet tooth with dark chocolate chips (orange and chocolate are a great pair!) go nuts (add nuts!).

This recipe works surprisingly well substituting margarine in place of the butter originally in the recipe, I used earth balance, and I swear you can't tell (I really mean it, and I am somewhat of a snob about baking with butter).

Ok, enough chitchat, go make these cookies. Then bring me a couple at my office; I could really use a cookie like this right about now.

The Best Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from this recipe from Gail Gand's Sweet Dreams

Makes 40-48 cookies
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups margarine or 3 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups rolled oats (not instant) 
• Zest of 2 large oranges (or a little more than 2 Tbsp)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (unless you are like me, and choose the make the dough in advance, refrigerate it or freeze it and than bake it off the next day- maybe I am just strange like that, I tend to start baking projects past 9pm, then get tired and want to go to bed in the middle.)

2. Cream together the butter and sugars. Doing this with a hand held or standing mixer saves a bit of effort, but is not entirely necessary. Butter will always get fluffier than margarine can, so don't sweat it if you are making this with earth balance and it doesn't really seem "creamed". I swear they will turn out good in the end.

3. Mix in the egg and orange zest.

4. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and oats.

5. Slowly combine the butter mixture with the oat mixture, then add the dried cranberries.

6. On a greased baking sheet form drop cookies approximately 1 tbsp each in size.

7. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes until outsides are brown and the middle looks solid. Bake a few additional minutes for crispier cookies.

8. Let cool, bring one to your friend Hannah, who is sitting in her office, and once again forgot about her lunch break.

Awesome

Here is a list of a few things commonly known to be awesome.*

•  Dinosaurs
• Kalamata olives
• cookies
• drawing with crayons

 Well, what if one person could combine those awesome things, to make one, entirely awesome something? Perhaps the result would be so awesome, it would grant the creator the power to take over the world. Well my 2 or 3 readers, I am happy to tell you I have created just that. Only I actually have no interest in taking over the world, so instead I will share the secrets with you, and perhaps one of you will recreate such a thing and be able to harness its power.

Kalamata olive cookies, dinosaur cookie cutters, and a gorgeous crayon drawn landscape. Yes, I said gorgeous. What? you're not impressed? Also, I think it is important to say here, that while a cookies with olives in them probably sound a bit strange, everyone I have forced these on (some people take some convincing) seemed to like them quite a bit. They are sweet and buttery, with just a hint of briney salty olive flavor. Also, they are shaped like dinosaurs, and nearly as fun to play with as they are to eat. I ate the pterodactyl first, mmmmm.



The cookie recipe (which I really do suggest!) was recently posted by Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks. Go check out the post, she used tiny little scalloped cookie cuters and her tiny, adorable cookies are just too cute for words. But they would look quite out of place in my little prehistoric backdrop.

*OK, maybe this isn't all that commonly known.

Peanut Butter Flax Seed Cookies

I noticed a product at Trader Joe's recently which intrigued me: natural peanut butter with flax seeds. I started wondering what peanut butter cookies baked with this product would be like. High in omega 3s, for one thing, and doesn't everyone need more of that? Studies have suggested that Omega 3 may do everything from prevent cancer to improve mood and lessen depression. Who wouldn't want all that? And in the form a crunchy little peanut butter cookie?  Also, these cookies are gluten free, so hey, you can even make them for your gluten intolerant friends you never know what to bake for...unless of course they are also allergic to peanuts.



The recipe for these cookies seems to be popping up everywhere. My cousin had a picture book when we were young in which (I believe) a little mouse made these cookies, and the book included the recipe. I have been making simple peanut butter cookies like this ever since, but unfortunately have no memory of what the book was called, and my google searching comes up empty.

I simply substituted flax seed peanut butter for regular, and kept the recipe the same: 1 part peanut butter (crunchy is best) 1 part sugar (I used raw cane sugar) 1 egg. The dough will be thick and rather greasy. Roll it into small balls, place on a lined baking sheet, and then flatten the dough balls with a fork, leaving the classic imprint shape. I sprinkled some raw cane sugar over the top before baking. Bake 10-12 minutes in a 375 degree oven, let cool, then enjoy!

Peanut Butter Flax Seed Cookies:
1 cup flax seed crunchy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

ice cream cookie sandwiches

On a hot, humid summery night can you imagine anything better than this homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich? Me neither. Made with dark chocolate broken into chunks, and a bit of whole wheat flour, these homemade cookies made a perfect base for rich, cold vanilla ice cream. yum.
Using your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (I used the classic tollhouse recipe below, but subbed in some whole wheat flour and used crushed dark chocolate in place of traditional chips) bake the cookies until crispy (these stand up better against the moisture of the ice cream than a softer chewy cookie would) and then let cool fully. spoon some vanilla ice cream in between two cookies, and if you are not going to eat it immediately, wrap in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer. Perhaps too simple to be worth the write up? but oh, so good. Go make this.

Nestle Tollhouse Cookies (one recipe everyone ought to know!)

Makes 60 cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

 Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sunday afternoon baking- Classic Crinkle Cookies

You all know how I love alliteration. Classic Crinkle Cookies- how can I resist? This is my attempt at the Betty Crocker original, and no, these weren't made at Christmas time in my childhood, I wonder if I was missing out? These chocolate cookies are rolled in powdered sugar, and as they bake they expand, creating a web of cracks that show the dark chocolate center from underneath the powdered coating. The ingredient list is simple, all things I ordinarily stock for baking projects, and while they do take a while to make (up to 4 hours total) most of that time is for the batter to chill, the active prep time is actually quite short, and the preparation itself is simple. Since they require so long to chill in the fridge, I chose to make the batter in the morning and bake them in the late afternoon. In between, a trip to the Children's Museum with some friends seemed like a perfect diversion.

Crinkle Cookies
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Makes 20-24 cookies
*Note- if you use dark chocolate that does not contain milk ingredients, this is a dairy-free recipe
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 oz Dark Chocolate or Baking Chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

The original recipe claimed to make 6 dozen cookies. This struck me as REALLY A LOT OF COOKIES. So, I got Brian, my math savvy roommate, to help me convert this recipe to a smaller yield. Though I have to say, tasting them now that they are done, I have no doubts 6 dozen would disappear quickly. Also, I once again had trouble doing the math to figure out how many squares of chocolate to use- I usually buy the pound-plus chocolate bars from Trader Joe's and store the left over in the freezer for my next baking project/midnight sugar craving. But, it all turned out. If your planning on using the Dark Chocolate pound-plus chocolate from Trader Joe's, let me save you some time and math: 4.5 squares was sufficient for this recipe.

All of the ingredients in this recipe were basics I usually keep in stock in the house.

1. Melt the chocolate.Start by chopping the chocolate into small pieces. put those pieces in a metal bowl, and set the metal bowl inside a pan with a few inches of water simmering on the stove. stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla extract and chocolate, stir together and then add in the egg and remaining ingredients besides the powdered sugar. Stir until blended evenly, then cover the bowl with saran wrap or wax paper and set in the fridge to chill.

3. Allow 3-4 hours for batter to chill in the fridge.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Pour powdered sugar into a shallow dish. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (alternately, you can use butter or non-stick spray on a cookie sheet) 

5.Roll batter into 1 Tablespoon sized balls, then roll in the powdered sugar, coating generously. lay out on your baking sheet leaving sufficient room for cookies to expand.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

These fudgey, rich cookies are easy to make, and will definitely draw attention when you bring them out as an afternoon pick-me-up, or on a cookie plate at a dinner party. They are simple, dairy-free, and bound to be a crowd-pleaser! Also, can I remind you, they have that sweet alliteration going for them.

Plantain-coconut cookies

I first started toying with this cookie recipe a few weeks ago, on a cold day in late march. The furnace in my building had been broken for over a week, and a final day in the 20s was enough to render my usually too warm apartment freezing. My roommates and I bundled in our sweaters and blankets, waiting for the oil company man to arrive. We ended up turning on the oven in an effort to warm up the house a bit. I decided at that moment: wouldn't it be better if we were slowly warming up with the oven on, and there were cookies? Yes. Of course. So I went out in search of interesting ingredients to bake into cookies. The following recipe is not exactly what I made that day, the first batch was a bit too cakey, and seemed to be missing something...This is a reworked version, adding honey and nutmeg to my original recipe, and reducing the flour and white sugar drastically, which I baked up yesterday, one of the warmest days so far this spring.

These cookies are sweet but not too sweet. Oats, chocolate chips, plantain, coconut, walnuts and nutmeg come together to create a wholesome cookie that tastes quite a bit like banana bread. These cookies are crispy at the edges and remain very soft inside.

Plantain-coconut cookies:
makes 4 dozen+ small cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (or 1 cup margarine. whipped and lite versions may not work as well)
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 oz chocolate chips
1.5 cup oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe plantains

Note: If you don't have plantains, bananas can be easily substituted. Just reduce the sugar in the recipe, as bananas are naturally sweeter than plantains.

I think golden raisins or dried currents would make an interesting substitution for the chocolate chips in this recipe, and for those who don't like coconut, increase the amount of oats for an easy substitution.

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl combine the butter, eggs, sugar, plantains (cut into large chunks), vanilla and honey. Mash together until smooth. add whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, oats, and coconut. mix until blended, then add walnuts and chocolate chips.

I created uniformly small cookies using a teaspoon measure for each. I used parchment lined baking sheets to reduce sticking.

Smaller cookies only need 8 or 9 minutes to cook, crispier if allowed to cook for 10 minutes. larger cookies may need 10-12 minutes.