Cookie Monster

Attention Houston runners/walkers: There is a 5K Fun Run next Saturday, October 23 for the Health Museum called Run for your Life. I will be running it, and hope you’ll join too! It’s in the Museum District, so you don’t have to drive far, and you can wear a costume! There’s also a 1K race, and all participants get free admission to the museum after the race.

Click here to sign up for the Fun Run.

It’s no secret that I like cookies, but I actually like the baking process almost as much as the result. I like measuring and mixing and how the house smells like fresh cookies. It’s also no secret that Jeffrey doesn’t always like my cookies because they sometimes aren’t that great.

So for Jeffrey, I made two batches of full fat, bad for you cookies that taste so good.  We had lots of cookies, but don’t worry, we share. They also freeze perfectly for later.

Tollhouse Cookies:

This recipe is also not a secret, but it is a family favorite. It’s on the back of the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip package. It is the best chocolate chip cookie. We never mess with the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg
• 1 (12 ounce) package Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

• PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees 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 and nuts. 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.

Don’t you want to stick your finger in that mixer? I did. We all did.

With chocolate chips added.

Little drops on the baking sheet.

A heaping mountain of cookies. Makes about 5 dozen.

I think that’s a good one for me.

Oatmeal raisin spice cookies:

Next up is another classic cookie, the oatmeal raisin. This recipe is also not a “sub this and add that” recipe. It has white flour, lots of brown sugar, and oil. And it’s super tasty too!

I adapted this recipe from Brittany at Eating Bird Food. Her recipes are so pretty, we have similar taste in baking.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 cup unbleached flour, white
• 1 tsp orange peel, finely grated
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 C vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs apple sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup raisin

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Spray 3 baking sheets with Pam or use Silpat. (Highly recommend Silpats if you don’t have them.)
• In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, orange peel, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl with the mixer set on medium speed, beat together oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs whites and vanilla until fluffy and smooth. Slowly beat in the oat mixture. Lightly stir in raisins.
• Using a spoon, form cookie dough into 2 1/2-inch rounds and space about 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on rack.

The wet plus the dry.

All mixed together.

Finished cookie. Picture perfect.

These cookies were really great too. You can really taste the orange zest with the cinnamon spice. If you don’t like orange or want is more classic, leave it out. The brown sugar seemed like a lot in the mixing bowl, but it wasn’t too powerful once finished.