Haystack Cookies

This is my mom's recipe. She made these all the time when we were little. I hated them! That was until I got into my 20's and really started to appreciate coconut. As I child, I thought it was disgusting. Maybe it was because I had braces and coconut and braces do not mix, unless you want to look like a garbage pail kid, that is. Now I look at coconut as the food that keeps on giving because I can chew on a piece of coconut for hours...ewww, gross I know, but I love it! My sister Denise was the one that would eat them all up, she loved these and she still does. The best part about these cookies? There is only 5 ingredients so they are easy and delicious.

Val's Haystack Cookies

3 oz semi sweet chocolate

1 can sweetened condesed milk

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups walnuts, chopped

1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler. (I don't own a double boiler so I put a glass bowl over a pan of shallow water...it works like a charm.) Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the milk and cook until thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut, nuts and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. (My stuck to the pan like crazy. Next time I'm using parchment paper or silpat mats). Bake at 275 for 15 minutes.

Orange Butter Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

My last post here on Jaime & Jen Dish was for my Orange Chicken with Fried Crispy Basil - what I didn't mention in that post was that my family was also treated to another kind of orange that night as well, in a form of a cookie. Let me introduce you to Mr. Orange Butter Cookie with Mrs. Chocolate Drizzle.

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Both my son, Triston and my husband treated themselves to the cookie dough before I even had a chance to pop them into the oven. If I didn't take away the spoons there would have been no finished baked cookie, apparently the dough is that good.

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I did take one cookie, cut it in half and ate it. First half cookie in almost 1 1/2 months (stupid diet). It was SO GOOD. Who would have thought orange as the base to a cookie would end up so darn yummers.

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If you love to bake as much as I do, next time your at the store, purchase orange extract! If you have orange extract, use it!

What you need:

• 3/4 cup room temp butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons orange extract
• 1 1/2 cup of white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (drizzle)

Directions:

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla and orange extract. Combine the flour (I always sift my dry ingredients together), baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Bake for 9 minutes-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. When cookie is completely cooled, take the chocolate chips and place into a coffee cup and melt in microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Place melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag, cut the tip off the corner (make it a VERY small hole) so that you can easily drizzle or decorate the cookie they way you choose to. Let chocolate harden before you serve.

Caramel Chocolate Cookies

I love all things caramel so when I saw this cookie recipe on Rookie Cookie's blog, I had to try it. Holy Smokes!!! These were disgusting! Disgustingly good and addicting, that is. Yummy soft chocolate cookies with little chewy caramel bits. I couldn't stop eating them. I meant to send them to work with my hubby but he got sick and didn't go into work that day so here they were all bundled up nicely in our cookie jar...did I mention that our cookie jar is clear glass??? It was horrible. Everytime I walked by that cookie jar, one of those darn cookies was calling out to me. I gained like 5 lbs eating these and they were worth every bit of that weight. Those little caramel bits...I'm not kidding, you will literally be eating handfuls of those suckers right out of the bag, they are that good.

If you have not checked out Whitney's blog over at Rookie Cookie, you have to take a gander...I'm starting to dislike her very much, she's making me fat with all those great recipes!

Caramel Chocolate Cookies

2 cups flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup caramel bits or chopped up caramel squares

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Set oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar. Add eggs and vanilla until fluffy.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.

Stir in caramel bits and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until set. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

O.k., don't be alarmed, I didn't try this cookie (stupid diet) but I have 3 qualified people who did try it and they loved it. My sweet, dear husband, Bart, my sweet boy, Triston and my mommy. All 3 agreed, yummy! My husband said, "this is the best cookie you have ever made". Wait?! The best cookie I've ever made? Hmmm, this is the FIRST TIME, I have ever made a homemade cookie!!! I've made cookies that were made already, ya know, break off and bake sort of cookie but this is my first cookie from scratch. Poor Bart, all this time and he thought I was being some amazing wife and making him and our son homemade cookies. Well, I broke the mold and finally did it and let me say, I'll never buy cookie dough from the store until I am in a time crunch because by the look of it and by the families reaction, making cookies from scratch is the only way to go.

Again, diets sucks but I've lost 14 pounds in less than 30 days, so it's working.

So, where did I get this recipe? Well, let me introduce you to her! She has an amazing blog and has some pretty tasty recipes....Check her out! Joie de vivre. So, thanks my dear for sharing this cookie so I can try and share with my family and friends.

Enjoy,

Jenifer



Whatcha need to make magic:

Chocolate Dough:

1 1/2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of room temp butter
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Peanut butter filling:

3/4 cup of peanut butter
3/4 cup of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Preheat oven to 375. and lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

To make the dough, in a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.


In another bowl, get the sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter ready to beat.

Did you beat it up good, if you did, it should like the picture above?

Now add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

Now add the dry mix to the wet mix and.....

...mix it well, this is what it should look like....if it looks too dry, add another egg, that is what I did.

Let's make magic or otherwise known as the filling. In a small bowl, add your peanut butter and confectioners sugar and mix well.

Take the magic mix and start rolling into little balls, aren't my balls pretty?

Now take your chocolate dough and make a walnut size ball and pretty your thumb in the middle to insert the peanut butter ball.

See how cozy my ball looks? It looks like a big ol' eyeball.

Now, it's time to close the eyelid to cover up the eye ball. Gently pinch the chocolate dough around the ball, just like this! Once that is done, use both hands and roll it up into a perfect little circle and place on baking sheet. Take a drinking glass and slightly press on the ball to help flatten it up a bit before baking. Bake cookies for 7 minutes. Let cool slightly before you try.

Look at all these cookies, not one with my name on it.....I hate diets.

Cinnamon Scones with Vanilla Drizzle

I have been dieting for a few weeks now. My meals consist of salads and grilled chicken, lots of fluids and 1 low fat yogurt cup a day. I haven't cheated. Last night my sweet husband looked at me and said, "I miss all your yummy desserts". I felt bad because when I started my diet, my "cooking" has gone down lots. So I surprised him with scones drizzled with vanilla icing this afternoon.

This was my first time making scones and it was delish according to my husband and my 7 year old son and beleive it when I say, I haven't had a bite of these scones I made because I have pretty good will-power.

I was told they are really good and they want more tonight.

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
4 teaspoons cinnamon

In one bowl, add 1 cup of sour cream and baking soda together and stir until mixed well.

In another bowl add flour, cream of tarter, salt and baking powder.

Add sugar to the mix now.

Add room temp cuts of butter to the flour mix and mix until the flour looks like bread crumbs.

I used me hands to mix it up...easier that way.

Now add 1 egg to the sour cream.

Add the cinnamon to the sour cream mix as well, stir until blended.

Add sour cream mix to the flour and FOLD it into the flour.

It should look crumbly looking like this.

Knead dough no more than 10 times. Cut the dough into two and using half the dough, pat into a 3/4 inch loaf. Use circle press to make perfect circle and add to a greased cookie sheet.

Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once you take out the scones, let them set for 5-8 minutes before adding the icing. If you don't have time to make icing or devonshire cream, take half a cup of vanilla icing and microve for 20 seconds. The icing will then pour easily into a zip-log bag. Cut a VERY small hole at the tip and drizzle over the scones for that perfect drizzled look.

I froze the other half the dough for later use!

Bridal Tea Party

My brother, Kenny, is getting married. We had a little tea party for my future sister-in-law, Charlene, this weekend. I was up all night baking. I love to take over the desserts department so even though I was having a blast, it was pure torture because I'm on a diet. Here's a little teaser of what's to come this week.

I made Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cookies which I already posted. I also made Amy's Pecan Tassie's (she's my husband's cousin and I love her to death...super cool chic...GO STEELERS!). I made Oreo Truffles, a Kahlua cake, and then I was lame and made from box mixes...cupcakes and brownie bites.

The next day at the party, I ordered scones from my most favorite bakery in Scottsdale, The Bread Basket. I made homemade Devonshire Cream and served them with Lemon Curd and Raspberry Jam (from Trader Joe's), as well. And I also buy little Lemon Bites from Costco...those things are just pure evil.


I will post the recipes this week....stay tuned!

Thin Mint N' Chip Crispers

So I frequent this blog Picky Palate and if you frequent my blog, you will know from my cookie disaster post that I attempted her Chocolate and Cinnamon chipper cookies, but quickly found out that cinnamon chips are very different than cinnamon "wood" chips. Anyhoo, I decided to steer clear of that recipe for now but ended up with this recipe from her site...Thin Mint N' Chip Crispers. These turned out much better. I didn't even know they sold a bag of chopped up Andes Mints on the baking aisle but right there in Super Walmart sat the bag...I was so excited. These cookies are so yummy and they taste just like a certain cookie sold by a certain little girl in a certain uniform with the initials G.S. Try 'em out and let me know what you think.

Thin Mint N' Chip Crispers

1 Cup softened butter

1 Cup packed light brown sugar

½ Cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ Cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons instant jello French vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

10 oz bag Andes Mint Chips/pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. Combine flours, pudding mix, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Slowly add to mixer along with the mint pieces until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop batter onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, do not press cookies down. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges of cookies just start to turn golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few weeks ago, I had family in from out of town. We had the whole family and some friends over for 4 days solid! It was one giant whirlwind of cooking and baking. My niece Abbi has this super yummy recipe for cookies. She learned the recipe from school. It's like her thing she does...she always makes them for us. I hate pumpkin and I LOVE these cookies. She came over and baked these for us and we couldn't even get them out of the oven fast enough and they were gone before they even cooled down. Here is Abbi's recipe:

Marlee, River, Abbi & my little pumkin Gavin

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
You will need two bowls.

Beat these ingredients in the first bowl:
2 sticks of softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups (12-ounce bag) chocolate chips

In second bowl mix:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Then mix both bowls together.

Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are browned around the edges.