Mountain Cookies

What is it about men? They always seem to want to offer we single women advice. What is with that? Frankly, I’m doing just fine on my own, and neither need nor want their advice. After a recent, friendly, but annoying interaction with a male acquaintance, doing his best to raise my hackles by trying to tell me what to do, I knew that a cookie was in order. It couldn’t be any ordinary cookie; it had to be one with loads of taste, lots of substance, and ingredients that would replenish both body and soul. This Mountain Cookie came about as a result. You can make it normal size, or one of epic proportions. It’s up to you. Largely, it just depends upon how annoying the men in your life happen to be.

Mountain Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 3/4 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, espresso powder, and salt; mix well.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and milk; mix only until incorporated. Gradually beat in flour mixture and oats. Stir in chips, raisins, coconut, and pecans. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are crisp and browned but centers are still soft. Do not over bake. Cookies should be very brown on the outside but still chewy in the center. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks; let cool completely.

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For an equally satisfying chocolate chip cookies without the raisins, try Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 Even MORE recipes can be found here:

This post is linked to:

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Funtastic Friday

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Half-Pound Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies

Many a time I have voiced my opinion on the lack of fun in the so-called "fun sized" candy bar. How much fun can you have with a tiny candy bar? Go big or go home is my motto. The same thing goes for cookies. So, when I saw this recipe for Half-Pound Chocolate Chip Cookies how could I possibly resist?

It wasn't long after I read the recipe that I decided to make them. Unfortunately, I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, lacking the chocolate to be grated and stirred into the dough. I did, however, have some frozen Snickers available, so instead of using the called for chocolate, I grated a couple of frozen Snickers. Oh my! What a fabulous difference that made. So, my recipe is an adaptation of the Half Pound Chocolate Chip Cookie from the Cookies & Cups blog with a little something extra (Viva la Difference!), that I've renamed Half-Pound Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies. Yes, go big or go home, indeed. You're going to love these. Be sure to share them with one or two friends, these are indeed half-pound cookies, and that's a lot of goodness.

Half-Pound Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies
Slightly adapted from Cookies and Cups
 

1 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cold eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
2 frozen Snicker bars, grated (See Note)

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together at medium speed for two minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined.

Turn the mixer to low, and slowly add the flour, mixing until just combined. Add chocolate chips and grated Snicker bars, and mix until evenly incorporated.

Using a food scale measure out the dough into six equal portions of 8 ounces each. Form the dough into balls and place 4 inches apart on your prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned and edges golden. Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for four minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: I used a good quality box grater (see below) in order to grate the Snicker bars. Make sure to use frozen bars, although it seemed to me that grating them got a little easier as they thawed a tiny bit, but you certainly don't want to try this with a Snicker that hasn't been frozen.

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Cooking & Crafting with J&J

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Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
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Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

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Joanne Fluke's Pecan Divines

I have a love/hate relationship with the Hannah Swenson culinary mystery series by Joanne Fluke. Early on I read the books because I enjoyed them. These days I think I read them just to torture myself. I do enjoy the Hallmark movies based upon the series, and I do enjoy the recipes that are incorporated throughout the books. This recipe is one of them. These cookies are called Pecan Divines, and are from the book, Fudge Cupcake Murder. I'm not quite sure why they're called that because, essentially, they're nothing more than a chocolate chip cookie. The difference is they're very crisp, and I like a crisp cookie. These are made with melted rather than softened butter, and it yields a very nice texture. I will be making these again, but I think I'll probably use mini chocolate chips and twice as many pecans. Try them for yourself and see what you think. The cookie baking season will soon be upon us, and this is going to be a crowd pleaser on your tray.

Joanne Fluke's Pecan Divines

2 cups melted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 cups white sugar
4 tsps. vanilla
4 tsps. baking soda

2 tsps. salt
4 beaten eggs
5 cups flour (not sifted)
3 cups chocolate chips
4 cups chopped pecans

Melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar and the white sugar. Add the vanilla and the baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Add the eggs and stir it all up. Then add half the flour, the chocolate chips, and the chopped pecans. Stir well to incorporate. Add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.

Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it slightly and try again. Bake at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Yield: Approximately 10 dozen.

This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lately I have become obsessed with chocolate chip cookies. For someone like me, who for years (decades, really), didn't much care about them one way or the other, this is significant. During the course of my newly found obsession I have become amazed at the wide variety of recipes available for this one type of cookie. So, as a bit of a public service, I have decided to make them all. I have quite a few on the blog already (the possible creation of an e-book springs immediately to mind), but will continue to press on until I have tried every recipe known to man.

Today I made the recipe that is supposedly a copycat of those served at the Doubletree Hotel. I liked the addition of the oatmeal, and find that I really do prefer walnuts over pecans in a chocolate chip cookie. When I tasted them I thought they were really good, but then it dawned on me that I've never stayed in a Doubletree Hotel, so have no clue if this recipe, despite its claims, even comes close to what they serve. In the name of research, I could go to a Doubletree and hang out in the lobby in the hopes of snagging one, but I'd hate to be thought of as some geriatric hooker looking to drum up business, so perhaps that's not the best idea. Why not try them yourself, and see what you think.

Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place butters, sugars, and vanilla extract in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together until the ingredients are light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually incorporation the dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture. Fold in the oats, then the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scoop out large balls of dough with a cookie scoop or ¼ cup measure, placing 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden but the center of the cookie is still a bit soft.

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Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week

It’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week, and this is a celebration that I can really sink my teeth into. If you are looking for a way to celebrate (and why shouldn’t you?), here are a quartet of recipes to get your started.  Click on the name of the cookie beneath each picture and it will take you to the recipe.

Panera Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

All Grown Up Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 

This post is linked to:

Teach Me Tuesday

Inspire Me Tuesday