Tag Archives: cookies

Dad’s Healthy Cookies

Posted on by
Reply

At the beginning of this year my dad started baking cookies on a regular basis. He told me that when his work relocated to a new location (in what I consider to be the middle of nowhere) he had to pack snacks for the whole day. He would buy gourmet cookies but the cost of that started to add up and one day one of his co-workers brought in a batch of yummy vegan cookies. After that day my dad decided he would do something similar and now it has become a ritual. Every Sunday afternoon he bakes a batch of cookies for the week. And these are not cookies that are packed with refined sugar and fat but instead are almost like a little meal in itself.

After he mailed me a few cookies this past spring I was curious to know what recipes he used but he explained that each week he invents a new recipe and that he plays around with the ingredients. I really wanted to know how he did it so this past Sunday while I was in Toronto visiting, I joined him in my mom’s kitchen where we created, what I call:

Dad’s Sunday (November 4th) Healthy Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

*Ingredients can be adjusted, as my dad explains, depending on how dry or wet the batter looks and feels.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup soy flour
1 cup corn flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp guar gum – be careful about spilling on your counter because it’s sticky once it’s mixed with wet ingredients.
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup sesame seeds

2 eggs
1 ripe banana
approx 1 cup sunflower oil
approx 1/2 to 1 cup milk
approx 1/2 to 1 cup water
1 cup + 2tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl lightly beat the eggs and mash the banana. Add 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of water, the brown sugar and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. If you notice the mixture is too dry you can add more milk or water or oil. Keep adding the dry mixture until it’s all incorporated. The dough will become very tacky and you’ll need upper body strength to mix it. Or you can use a stand mixer if you have one. We had a wooden spoon that I was afraid was going to snap :P

With an ice cream scoop, drop quarter cup-sized balls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet or as my dad does it with parchment paper sprayed with water. Next, press the balls down with the underside of a small plate or bowl dipped in water or the back of a spoon dipped in water. Once you’ve done that, you can press raisins into each cookie. Bake the cookies at 350F for about 16 to 18 minutes, making sure to rotate the trays halfway through.

I love that these cookies actually taste like nutmeg. It was one of the things that I commented on as we mixed ingredients. “You use one whole teaspoon of nutmeg?!” I said in shock because most recipes that call for nutmeg say to use just a pinch. My dad said, “I like the taste so I want to taste it.” Makes sense. I also liked the crunchy bits of sesame seed against the soft texture of the cookie. These are like mini bread cookies, light and subtly sweet. And now that I have this particular recipe I’m going to play around with it and see what I can come up with next time.

Ginger Spice Cookies

Posted on by
2

I have a blue hardcover notebook, which was empty up until early this year when I started to cut out recipes and health tips and pasted into the notebook. The cut outs aren’t organized in any way so sometimes I’ll just flip through everything I’ve collected so far until I find something that piques my interest.

Today has been perfectly gloomy and rainy. I say perfectly because it’s exactly the kind of weather that makes me crave something warm and comforting and I found just the thing inside my blue notebook – Ginger Spice Cookies.

Some times I have no idea where I got the recipe cut out from but in this case I owe my gratification to a Karla Cogghe of Chatham, Ontario, who submitted her grandmother’s recipe for these cookies to Chatelaine magazine.

These cookies are incredibly easy and quick to make and are ready in a flash – or it seemed that way to me because before I knew it I was popping a warm and soft cookie into my mouth. The outer layer has a delicate crunch and inside is soft and almost chewy. Once the cookies have cooled they are little more crunchy. The cut out explains that Karla found her grandmother’s version of these cookies to be a bit too spicy for her (cloves and ginger) so she played around with the ingredients until she found the right formula. There was enough spice in the cookies but I think next time I make these I may add a bit more to give it an extra kick.

Makes about 30 to 35 cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup vegetable oil – I used safflower

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl whisk the egg. Mix in the oil and molasses and then mix in the brown sugar until smooth. Add the flour mixture bit by bit until you have a nice sturdy dough. Put the granulated sugar in a bowl. Form tbsp sized balls with the dough and roll them in the granulated sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350F for 7 to 10 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until cookies start to crack.

Really lumpy meringue cookies

Posted on by
Reply

This was my first time making meringue cookies so I’m not surprised that they look like little misshapen turds. But don’t let their appearance keep you from trying this recipe. I purposely only made a dozen, counting on the fact that they would be yummy. I was right, sort of. They are way more than just yummy.

These cookies are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Filled with chewy dried cranberries and crunchy pecans, each bite is an absolute delight.

I’m not sure where I found this recipe as it was cut out from a magazine but here’s how to make one dozen cookies:

2 egg whites

1/3 cup plus 2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup plus a sprinkle more of semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp pecan pieces

3 tbsp dried sweetened cranberries

In a metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water whisk together the sugar and egg whites until warm and thickened – about 5 to 10 minutes whisking often. Remove from heat and beat on high with an electric mixer until shiny and very thick. Add the cornstarch and vanilla and beat for about a minute. Gently add the chocolate chips, cranberries, and pecans. (Unceremoniously) drop tbsp measures of the mixture onto a lined cookie sheet (I used a Silpat sheet) and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the cookies are dry and golden. I got a bit worried that my cookies would burn and I took them out a little early so they didn’t turn out as golden or as dry. Don’t worry, they won’t burn. Once out of the oven let cool completely.

Lumpy Cookies

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been in a cookie-making mood the last two weeks – probably because they’re easy to make and I love using my Huckle Cat cookie jar.
Inspired by the Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth, I decided to make my own variation of these fabulous cookies:

Makes about 30 cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
Dash of salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add the raisins, walnut pieces, and chocolate chips. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the dough, roll slightly with your hands and place on a lined cookie sheet, spaced well apart. Press each mound down slightly with your fingers but don’t flatten too much. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Let them cool completely. The cookies turned out sweet and chewy.

017 (6)

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Posted on by
2

To me, dipping a tablespoon into a jar of Nutella and licking the gooey, chocolately, hazelnutty spread is absolute heaven. Don’t judge. I know there are others like me. Tons.

It’s with this love of Nutella that I eagerly baked a batch of chocolate hazelnut cookies, filled with none other than Nutella. God I love that stuff.

This is another recipe from 1 Dough, 100 Cookies by Linda Doeser.

Makes about 30 cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

salt

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift into the mixture the flour, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips. At this point you will probably have to knead the dough with your hands. Don’t worry if it looks too dry and hard, it’ll turn into cookie dough texture once it’s kneaded. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and roll into balls with your hands. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hollow in the centre of each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before filling them with Nutella. I snipped off a corner from a plastic sandwich bag to “pipe” the Nutella into the cookies.

031 (3)

Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Cookies

Posted on by
2

Not too long ago I acquired yet another baking book. It’s called 1 dough, 100 cookies by Linda Doeser. I hadn’t baked any of the cookies in the book until today because I couldn’t make up my mind on which recipe to try. I figured chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon would be a safe and easy way to start. I’ve adapted the recipe slightly:

Makes about 30-34 cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup golden yellow sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 semi sweet chocolate chips

salt

For the coating:

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and combine. At this point I stared, confused, at the dry and crumbly “dough” in my bowl. It looked more like pie pastry before it’s kneaded together, which is what I decided to do. I had to knead the dough with my hands until it had the consistency of cookie dough. Once that’s ready, scoop out tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. For the coating, mix the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl and roll the cookie dough balls around to coat. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten each ball slightly. The book says to bake for 12-15 minutes but I’d say bake 15-20 minutes, depending on how crappy or awesome your oven is. In my case I took them out after 20 minutes because they never changed their shape, I thought the butter would melt and they’d transform into flatter cookies. Instead they kept their original shape.

The first cookie I tried was kind of a let down. I was expecting a hard and crunchy cookie but it was just crumbly and the flavour seemed a little weird, like old oil. The next cookie I ate was a thousand times better, crumbly, sweet and full of cinnamon. So I’m thinking that maybe the first cookie touched a part of the Silpat sheet with oil residue? I’m not sure. Anyway, these things are a little addictive and I’ve eaten about 10 of them now, so be careful.

Chewy Anzac Biscuits

Posted on by
Reply

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to an Australian themed food party. The lovely hostess served a crazy amount of delicious food and I have to admit, I stuffed myself to the point where I felt a little sick. I couldn’t help myself, everything was so good! It was also the first time I ever tried kangaroo and camel meat. I believe she bought those meats at St. Lawrence Market, for those who are curious.

At this party there was a plate of cookies that were so chewy and yummy. All I could taste was coconut and that was enough for me to fall in love with them. I must have eaten about six of those cookies that night. The hostess was kind enough to send me the link for the recipe.

As soon as I finished scanning through the list of ingredients I didn’t think twice before turning on my oven and pulling out ingredients. I had to use shredded coconut in my version. It’s all I had in my fridge but it made no difference; the cookies are fantastic and super easy to make.

 

White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on by
2

Maybe the dream described in my previous post had something to do with the party I’m going to tonight. I offered to make cookies for said party and I have just finished making them, 6 hours before the event is to take place. In real life, it seems, I’m on schedule!

I love making chocolate chip cookies because they are so easy to make and require very little preparation time. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, mix wet and dry together, bake. They are also very delicious and comforting.

These cookies are no exception. Since this is a recipe I hadn’t tried before I had to sample one to make sure it was edible (haha). The cookie was nice and chewy and the contrast between the sweet white chocolate and unsweetened bitter dark chocolate made it so that it was perfectly sweet. The best part about this cookie is that it comes from a Weight Watchers dessert book and at 2 points per cookie it won’t feel like you’re eating away your points all at once. Yea, eventually I’ll get back on a diet but I have to ease my way in. Starting with cookies.

Recipe for 24 cookies

1/2 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 oz white chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces, or chips

2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces, or chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Process the oats in a blender until finely ground. Mix the oats, flour, salt, and, baking soda in a small bowl. Beat the sugar, butter, egg, and, vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the egg  mixture and mix until blended. At this point, you have the option to combine 1 tbsp each of the white and bittersweet chocolates in a small bowl to be placed on top of the cookies before baking. I didn’t do this and instead I mixed all the chocolate with the batter. Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto a baking sheet and bake 9-11 minutes.

010