Mom’s Rich Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

About a year ago, Mom moved from Oregon back to Texas.  There’s a saying that you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the girl! We are all VERY happy to have her back here where she belongs!  With that said, Mom loves to bake! I’m not saying we wouldn’t love her just as much if she didn’t, but let’s just say we love it that she does!  These chocolate crinkle cookies are TO…DIE…FOR!  Rich chocolate bites of chewy goodness that completely satisfy that chocolate craving!  Be careful…they’re so good you might find them disappearing just as quickly as you take them out of the oven!

Mom’s Rich Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

Mom & Me at Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco

makes about 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• powdered sugar

Preparation:

Stir together sugar and oil in a large bowl.  Add the cocoa, beat until well blended, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt, then gradually add the cocoa mixture, beating well. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle, at least 6 hours.

Heat oven to 350°, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (if no parchment, spray with nonstick spray). Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in powered sugar to coat then place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled. Cool slightly, then remove  to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Cranberry Turtle Bars

And the Oscar goes to…

Cranberry Turtle Bars!

If the Oscars had a “Cult Favorite” category, these Cranberry Turtle Bars would definitely take the award!  Since Gourmet Magazine originally published this recipe back in 2001, these beautiful little bars have gained a cult-like following.  They were voted “THE” favorite cookie from 2001! (see The Gourmet Cookie Book-The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009)  Fresh cranberries mixed into a freshly made caramel along with chopped pecans and layered on top of a delicious buttery shortbread crust.  If that isn’t enough, the whole thing is drizzled with chocolate to make it a decadent,  unexpectedly delicious combination of flavors.  They are beautiful and pretty freaking AMAZING!

Drizzle with chocolate, cool, then cut into bars

Cranberry Turtle Bar

Makes 3 dozen bars (more for me, because I cut into smaller bars)

Slightly adapted from “The Gourmet Cookie Book-The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009”

Ingredients For Base:

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• ½ Cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ sticks (¾ Cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

For Topping:

• 2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter
• 1 ⅔ Cup granulated sugar
• ¼ Cup light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ Cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I used fresh and chopped in food processor)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Cups pecans (12 oz), coarsely chopped

For Decoration:

• 2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), very finely chopped

Special Equipment:

• A candy thermometer

 Make Base:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 short sides.  Butter all 4 sides, but not the bottom.

Blend flour, brown sugar and salt in a food processor, then add butter and pulse until mixture begins to form small (roughly pea-size) lumps.  Sprinkle into baking pan, then press down firmly all over with a metal spatula to form an even layer.  Bake in middle of oven until golden and firm to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack.

Make Topping:

Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 245°F on thermometer, about 8 minutes.  Carefully stir in cranberries, then boil until caramel returns to 245°F.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, then stir in pecans until well coated.  Working quickly, spread caramel topping over base, using a fork to distribute nuts and berries evenly.  Cool completely.

Cut and Decorate Bars:

Lift bars in foil from pan and transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into 6 crosswise strips, then 6 lengthwise strips (to form 36 bars).  Melt half of chocolate in top of double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove bowl from heat and add remaining chocolate, stirring until smooth.  Transfer chocolate to a small heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Seal bag and snip off a tiny piece of 1 corner to form a small hole, then pipe chocolate decoratively over bars. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate sets, about 1 hour.

Liz’s Tidbits:

• The original recipe notes that if you use frozen cranberries, do not thaw.
• Once you add the cranberries to the caramel, the temperature will drop substantially.  Make sure you bring the temp back up to 245° before taking off the heat.
• Use a small offset metal spatula to spread the cranberry mixture.
• Rather than cutting them first, decorate the bars and let the chocolate set before cutting.
• The bars keep in an airtight container (use wax paper between the layers) for up to 1 week.

Double Chocolate Almond Cookies

For all you fellow chocoholics out there, here’s a cookie that is sure to satisfy that craving for some “serious” chocolate! Ina Garten, aka Barefoot Contessa had Kathleen King on her show the other day making these famous cookies from Kathleen’s bakery, “Tate’s” in Southampton, NY.  She sells out of them every day…certainly a good enough recommendation for me to give them a try!  I used a small ice cream scoop to portion these out to that perfect 2-bite size…enough to satisfy my craving, but not so big that I worry about the calories. Now all I need to learn is how NOT to grab one every time I pass thought the kitchen!

Double Chocolate Almond Cookies

Slightly adapted from Kathleen King

52 Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup almonds, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix together. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined.

Add the chocolate chips and almonds and mix until combined. Using two tablespoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop the dough two inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment. Slightly press to flatten with the back of a spoon or your fingers.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Cool cookies on the cookie sheets. They should be very soft when removed from the oven, and they will firm up as they cool.

Liz’s Tidbits:

The recipe calls for 1 cup white chocolate chips, but, since I’m not a fan of white chocolate,  I just added another cup of semisweet to make up the difference.  I might try dark chocolate chips next time.  Also, these cookies don’t seem to spread much at all, so I flattened them slightly  my fingers before baking.

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies

Chocolate and Peanut Butter…..

Think Reeses Peanut Butter Cup….

with Jam….

Everyone in our house loves peanut butter cookies, and we also love Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  So when I saw these cookies with both chocolate AND peanut butter, I figured they had to be the best of both worlds!  I actually adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, and while she made just 10 extra large cookies, I made them smaller so they would last a little longer.  No such luck.  These were gone in a hurry!

Chocolate PB&J Cookies

Chocolate PB&J Cookies

Adapted from Giade de Laurentis

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (either smooth or chunky)
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
• 1/2 packed cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of your favorite jam

Preparation:

Put rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In medium bowl, sift together the flower, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In separate mixer bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, 3/4 cup sugar and light brown sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add egg and vanilla and mix until blended, then lower speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture until incorporated.

Put remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl, form the dough into balls about the size of a golfball and roll in sugar.  Place on baking sheet, and make an indention in the middle (a round 1/4 teaspoon measure works as does the end of a wooden spoon).  Spoon jam into each hole and bake for 8-10 minutes until the dough has spread and the surface of the cookies are crackled.  Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

**Liz’s Cooking Tidbits:

Butter…unsalted or salted?…room temperature or softened?

1. Always make sure your butter is unsalted (unless otherwise called for) and at room temperature.

• Room temperature butter-you can leave an impression with your finger…set out 1 hour in advance
• Softened butter-your finger will leave a deep impression but you can still pick it up without it falling apart
• Soft butter-too soft to pick up

The temperature of butter makes a difference in the outcome of the recipe. If you don’t have an hour’s lead time for the butter to come to room temperature, either cut it into small slices or grate it on a large grater.  It will come to room temperature in about 10 minutes. Never use a microwave to soften the butter.

2. Keep your cookie dough cold.  Refrigerate your dough for 10-15 minutes before baking to keep cookies from spreading too much.

3. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven.

4.  Always cool your cookie sheets between batches.  Dough put on a warm sheet will start to melt and spread, adversly affecting the cookie’s shape and texture.

5. Using an ice cream scoop will provide uniform cookies, and rule of thumb is to leave at least 2 inches between them when baking.

6.  Cream butter and sugar for about 30 seconds, and never go above medium speed as this will heat up the butter.