Black Gold Cookies

adapted slightly from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

It was weird. The first three months of my pregnancy I lost all desire for sweet things. This has never happened to me in my life. But around month five things settled back to normal and I woke one day to have that all too familiar chocolate craving - but it had been so long that I had even wanted any that there wasn't a drop in the house. What to do!

Anyway I got online and found this recipe; a perfect solution for a chocolate lover who wants a cookie so chocolaty that it will keep the cravings at bay with one bite.

Makes around 24 cookies

6 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz chocolate (about 340 g) *higher quality is always better!
6 Tbsp butter (about 85 g)
2 eggs
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven 325 F (162 C)

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

Melt butter and half (6 oz or 170 g) of the chocolate together (either a stove or microwave - just don't burn it!) mix until blended and set aside.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together for 6 minutes, then add in chocolate/butter mixture. Mix in dry ingredients, then take the rest of the chocolate and chop it roughly into chunks and add it to the mixture.

Scoop tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet, giving each cookie a little space for spread. (note: I like to make sure one nice big chocolate chunk makes it into every cookie!) Bake for 10 minutes, and let them cool for 30 more before eating. These cookies are really great soft, so even if they don't look completely done, take them out. If you want them to harden up a bit, put them in the fridge but don't over bake.

Nutella No-Bake Cookies

I love no-bake cookies. They are SO easy to make and use such basic ingredients that I never have to buy anything special to have them made. Plus when you have a sugar craving, they really hit the spot. The problem is, to make them one needs peanut butter and the only place I have found American peanut butter here is clear across town. So in desperation yesterday I used Nutella instead (which is found virtually everywhere here) and it was wonderful! Ben even loved them and he usually hates no-bake cookies.

makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup Nutella

3 1/2 cups oats

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. During this time measure out your oats and Nutella, then when the time is up, quickly mix them in to the hot mixture. Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool completely so they can harden before eating.

If your cookies turn out gooey and sticky, they didn't boil long enough. If they are crumbly, they boiled for too long. 2 minutes turned out perfectly for my stove, but experiment with your own stove to get the timing right.

Honey Gingerbread

adapted from Allrecipes

Well I looked and looked. Four different stores, many different people and no one could help me find molasses for gingerbread. The funny thing is, I see gingerbread everywhere here so I KNOW it's got to be around here somewhere in some form. This is the frustrating part of living in a foreign country, not being able to communicate what you want.

Anyway, after a long search I finally gave up and substituted the molasses with honey and it was a surprisingly nice little cookie. A little lighter perhaps, a slightly different flavor, but tasty nonetheless.

Makes approximately 24 cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 egg yolk

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in honey and egg yolk. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder and all spices. Stir in the flour mixture with the wet butter mixture, cover and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C) and roll the dough out onto a flat floured surface. Cut out desired shapes and place the cookies about 2 inches (about 5 cm) on the cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes if you want soft cookies, and around 10 if you want harder cookies. Let cool completely before frosting.

I used the Royal Icing recipe for a pretty sweet finish.

Royal Icing

From Joy of Baking

Royal icing is wonderful. It dries quickly. It is smooth and matte and very hard. It can be used to decorate cookies or to stick walls of a gingerbread house together.

In the olden days, royal icing was made simply with raw egg whites and powdered sugar, with a little flavoring mixed in. But now, due to the risks of salmonella meringue powder is often substituted with very similar results.

Both recipes make about 3 cups of icing

Royal Icing using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites (60 grams)

2 tsp lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners sugar

This is perfect for items you will not be eating, like gingerbread houses. In a bowl, beat the egg whites for several minutes with the lemon juice mixed in. Then add the powdered sugar slowly, mixing until the icing is completely combined and smooth. Use immediately.

Royal Icing using Meringue powder:

4 cups confectioners sugar

3 Tbsp meringue powder

1/2 tsp flavor extract (lemon, vanilla, almond, etc...)

1/2 to 3/4 cup of warm water

Mix the confectioners sugar and meringue powder well. Add the water and beat until the mixture is very glossy and stiff peaks begin to form (about 5-7 minutes). You will know that your icing is the right consistency when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the icing for several seconds before disappearing.

It is important to keep this icing covered as much as possible, because it dries out very quickly. Feel free to add flavors and food coloring to your liking.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

adapted from Fake Ginger

I make snickerdoodles often because they are distinctly American and I always seem to have all of the ingredients in my fridge. I made these for a church party and they were snapped up right away. They aren't too different from the cookie version, except they can be baked all at once in a pan like a sheet of brownies, so it is a little bit quicker to make. I ended up cutting them out with cookie cutters after they had cooled to make them look a little more interesting.

2 2/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter (250 grams)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

cinnamon and sugar mixture for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth, then add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then add in the vanilla and set aside. Sift dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then slowly add the dry mixture to the wet one, stirring until batter is smooth and consistent. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkles cinnamon sugar on the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is turning golden brown and you can stick a toothpick in it and it comes out clean. Wait for them to cool before cutting into them.

Lime Coconut Chewies

adapted from My Baking Addiction

I made these for a party and they were great! The flavors are subtle and interesting, and a nice change from the usual cookie. I would love to try this with lemon flavor as well.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup butter (225 grams)

1 cup sugar + some for rolling the cookies in

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp lime juice

zest from one large lime

1/2 cup coconut, toasted but not sweetened

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C). Cream together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet, and then add in the coconut.

Roll rounded spoonfuls of dough into balls, roll them gently in sugar and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing to cool.

The Chewy

From the Food Network

I had heard people on the blogosphere talk about Alton Brown's "The Chewy" but figured I would get around to it eventually. People often brag about having the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I have been disappointed so many times that I usually don't pay much attention when I see a new version.

But after trying the Chewy, I have to say that these were the best chocolate chip cookies. Ever.

They were beautiful. Soft and buttery, with big chunks of chocolate. They made me feel like a professional. And it's all about the technique. So try it out and see what you think.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup butter (225 grams)

2 1/4 cup bread flour (I used regular all purpose)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups chopped chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375

Melt the butter on medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown. Remove heat and let cool. In a medium sized bowl, sift together dry ingredients.

Once butter is cool, pour the melted butter in a mixer's bowl and cream together with the sugars. Then add the egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate dry mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for about an hour, then scoop (walnut sized) onto a prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking after 5 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

No Bake Cookies

From Allrecipes

These are so addicting, sweet and chocolatey and they can be thrown together in 15 minutes. Like the name says, these cookies aren't baked, but boiled! You have to be careful because if you let them boil for too long, they will harden in the pot and if you don't boil them enough, the wont set up properly. You can see that mine weren't boiled long enough so they were a little flat and gooey, but still delicious!

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)

3 1/2 cups oatmeal

First, measure out oats, peanut butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats. While still warm, quickly drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow the cookies to cool completely (about an hour) to become hard enough.

Tips: Preventing Flat Cookies

Here is the scenario:

You are craving a batch of cookies.

You pull out a recipe and start putting things together -- everything is going well and the batter looks great. They go in the oven and puff up and suddenly begin to spread out. Before you know it you have a sheet full of cookies as flat as pancakes. Like these:

Now, they still taste ok, but the texture is off. Sometimes they are too crunchy. And it can be frustrating. What went wrong?

Here are some strategies to help prevent this from happening:

1. When you cream your butter, be careful not to heat it too much. It should be pliable, but not weepy.

2. Chill your dough, and keep the batter in the fridge between batches. Some people even freeze their chocolate chips to help keep the cookie in better shape.

3. Mound your dough higher when putting it on your baking sheet

4. You could be over-mixing. It adds air, which causes them to puff up and deflate (like a souffle). It also causes the butter to melt more. So go easy on it.

5. Check the expiration date on your baking powder and baking soda. Also, baking soda can tend to make cookies flat, so try reducing that a little.

6. Use medium or large eggs (not extra large). Too much egg will flatten a cookie. If you are only making 1/2 a batch of cookies and there is an uneven number of eggs, use the egg yolk instead of a whole egg.

7. Try swapping 1/2 of the butter for shortening or crisco. Cookies using all butter will flatten out a bit more.

Baking is a science, with many factors to think about. Good Luck!

Cowboy Cookies

From Lovin' from the Oven

These are the Texas Governor's mansion cookies. The first time I made them, I accidentally omitted the oatmeal... and they were good, but flattened in the oven and turned out pretty crunchy. The second time I did everything right and viola! Beautiful, and with such great flavors. They were good warm, but even better the next day.

makes about 3 dozen large cookies

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 cups rolled oats

3 cups chopped chocolate

2 cups sweetened flake coconut

2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate, oats, pecans and coconut

Drop abou 1/4 cup of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned (mine were done at 12 minutes!) Rotate the sheet halfway through for even baking.

Remove cookies to a rack to cool. Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

from Eat This House

I made these for Ben to eat while I was on vacation and we ate them all before I even had a chance to leave. I have had a real thing for gingerbread lately and these blended flavors hit that and my chocolate craving all at once.

1/2 cup butter (about 113 grams)

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp boiling water

1 heaping cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white sugar (for rolling the cookies in)

Cream butter and sugars until soft. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and spices. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and boiling water. Then, taking turns, beat half of the flour mixture into the butter/sugar bowl, then add the baking soda/water mixture, then add the rest of the flour. Mix in the chocolate chips and turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat into a 1 inch log and refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours)

Preheat the oven to 325 F (163 C) Once chilled, slice the cookies into 1/2 inch rounds roll in granulated sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool slightly on the pan for a few minutes, then scoop them onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies

adapted from Every Last Cookie

I wanted to make a Christmas cookie and this was perfect. They were good warm and even better the next day.

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

2 3/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 sticks (20 Tbsp or 260 grams) butter

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

3 eggs

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup molasses

10 oz white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Line a rimmed cookie sheet with baking paper.

Cream together butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the vanilla and molasses. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and add slowly to the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in white chocolate.

Pour batter into baking sheet and spread around until even. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Martha's Lime Meltaways

from Martha Stewart

These are a version of the Italian wedding cookies. The lime gives a great tang to the sweet sugar, and I love how dainty they look once you are finished.

12 Tbsp butter (156 grams)

1 cup confectioners sugar

zest and juice of 2 limes

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until smooth. Add lime zest, lime juice and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients and mix into lime mixture. Roll the dough into two logs about 1 inch in diameter and chill in the fridge for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Once chilled, cut into 1/8 inch slices and place on a cookie sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes or when the cookies are turning golden brown along the edges. Let cool for 1-2 minutes. Place the remaining 2/3 cup confectioners sugar in a ziplock bag. Shake the cookies in the bag to coat in sugar and serve.

Lemon Pudding Cookies

This is a twist off of Symphony Cookies from the Sister's Cafe website. I had a box of lemon pudding and white chocolate and an urge for something sweet and these cookies were the result of my experiment.

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 3.5 oz box lemon pudding

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

7-8 oz white chocolate, chopped roughly

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Cream butter and sugar, add in the lemon pudding mix. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt then add to the wet lemon mixture. Fold in the chocolate and spoon into small golf ball sized balls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie starts turning golden brown. Let cool for several minutes before serving.

Chocolate Reeses Cookies

From Ben

We had a bag of Reeses chips that my parents brought from the states, and we just had to put them in something. These cookies tasted a bit like brownies-- fudgy and dense. I think it would work well with crumbled peanut butter cups as well.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups chips

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and combine with wet ingredients. Fold in Reeses peanut butter chips and roll batter into golf ball sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 min. Let cool before serving.

Maple Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Busty Baker

MMMMM the smell of these cookies alone is reason enough to make them. The maple flavoring amps up the buttery taste and leaves you with a deliciously soft cookie.

makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened (225 grams)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp Mapleine (maple extract), or 6 Tbsp maple syrup

2 eggs

4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C). Cream together butter and sugar, mix in Mapleine. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients and add to wet mixture until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl, spoon golf ball sized balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar and place them onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

from Quaker Oats

I like oatmeal raisin cookies because they feel healthier, while still giving you a sweet little cookie. I have tried quite a few recipes, but the classic one one the Quaker Oats box is still my favorite.

1/2 cup + 6 Tbsp butter, softened (about 200 grams)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add in eggs and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients and combine with wet. Add in oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool for one minute on baking sheet; then remove to wire rack.

Bake 8-10 minutes

(approximately 100 calories per cookie)

Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours"

Blondies are a less chocolatey version (aka Blonde version) of a Brownie. They turn out like chewy cookie bars, and these were great. Plus, I thought the name was so cute, I just had to try them out.

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (8 oz or 225 grams) butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips or toffee bits

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and set aside *Note, glass pans don't work as well for baking, if you have a metal pan try to use that one because it will cook more evenly on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3-4 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, mixing until it just disappears into the batter. Fold in the chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into your baking dish and try to smooth out the top as best as you can.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of your blondies comes out clean. (Mine took 50 minutes!) The blondies should pull away from the sides a bit and the top should be light golden brown. Take them out and let cool for 15 minutes before flipping them upside down on a cooling rack. Cool completely, cut and serve.

Sugar Cookies

from Allrecipes

For some reason I have always had trouble making good sugar cookies. I found this recipe highly rated and tried it out for the midsummer party we were having with some friends. They were awesome, so soft and held together perfectly. You could do more interesting things with the glaze, but I was out of time and food coloring so we went with vanilla.

(makes about 30-40 cookies)

1 1/2 cup butter

2 1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add dry ingredients to the mix. Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour (to overnight)

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out dough on a floured (or sugared) surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes and place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, cool completely. If desired, you can glaze them for a more polished look.

Cookie Glaze: (covers about 30-40 cookies)

2 cup confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

4 Tbsp water

food coloring (optional)

flavoring (I used 1/2 tsp vanilla)

Mix the glaze in a shallow bowl and dip the cookies face down, making sure the liquid reaches all parts of the cookie top. Allow excess to drip off the cookie, then set aside. The glaze will become smooth and hard as it dries (about 10 minutes).

World Peace Cookies

adapted from Dorie Greenspan

I've seen these cookies on cooking blogs for a while now, always with rave reviews. They say if everyone were able to eat these cookies every day, world peace would be in our grasp. With that kind of praise, I had to break down and try them out.

The first batch I cut too thin and they turned into ugly (but delicious) hockey pucks. The second time around I was more generous with my slicing and they turned out soft with chocolaty amazingness. They really were a wonderful, rich cookie. I feel more peaceful already.

1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

11 Tbsp unsalted butter (about 150 grams)

2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate

In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft then add sugars, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix. It may look a bit crumbly, but don't be concerned. Toss in chocolate and mix until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, split it into two batches and gather each batch together forming them into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours (until hard). They can also be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Preheat oven to 325. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. Do not make them too thin, or they will become very flat when they bake. They may crack a bit when cutting them, just squeeze them back together. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes (13 if they were fresh out of the freezer). Let them cool until room temperature and serve.