I love a good, chewy oatmeal cookie especially when it’s studded with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Add a big glass of cold milk and I’m a happy girl.

For this recipe, I add a dash or two of cinnamon to the dough for just a hint of spice and make smaller than saucer-sized cookies. I find that the cookies don’t spread as much while baking when the dough is a bit chilled. And since I like them on the chewy side, I make sure not to over-bake them. I usually don’t bake a whole batch of cookies at once. Instead, I make the dough, bake a few, then scoop the rest of the dough into balls and freeze them for later baking. This way, I can have freshly baked cookies in no time at all. In fact, I think I’ll turn on the oven and thaw a few cookies out right now…

Saucer-Sized Oatmeal Cookies
-recipe from Perfect Recipes For Having People Over by Pam Anderson

I like my oatmeal cookies crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. The ingredients and their proportions in this recipe deliver that perfect combination of textures. If you don’t have a 1 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop, simply measure the dough in 3-tablespoon portions (or a scant 1/4 cup if using a dry measuring cup). Makes about 18 large cookies.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chocolate chips or 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks

Adjust oven racks to highest and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oatmeal in a medium bowl. Beat eggs, salt, and vanilla in a small bowl. Mix butter, oil, and sugars in a large bowl. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in flour mixture, then stir in cranberries and chocolate.

Using a 1 1/2-ounce (3-tablespoon) spring-action ice cream scoop, scoop 6 dough balls on each of the cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes, switching positions of sheets and turning them around after 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Make ahead option: The oatmeal dough balls can be placed on a cookie sheet and frozen until solid, then transferred to a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw as many as needed slightly until soft on the outside and bake.

Tags: chocolate chips, dried cranberries, oatmeal cookies, oats

I like to call these cookies “Little Bites of Chocolatey Heaven”. They’re moist, delicious and loaded with chocolate. Need I say more?

Instead of using both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks,  I used 1 bag of Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (my favorite brand). I also used 1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Coffee Extract instead of the espresso powder because that’s what I had on hand. I made three different versions from the same cookie dough: Some plain, some rolled in powdered sugar and some rolled in Wilton Sparkling Sugar (as seen in the photo). Although the sparkling sugar is pretty and adds a slight crunch to the moist cookie, my favorite was the plain version (pure unadulterated chocolate). The cookies are best after they’ve cooled. Mmmmm, chocolate!

Double Chocolate Chunks
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com
 
Break open these dense, brownie-like drop cookies hot from the oven to find pools of melting chocolate inside. Once they’re completely cooled, the chocolate pools solidify into nuggets; either way, they’re oh-so-chocolatey-good!

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cups (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line with parchment two cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the flour; the dough will be stiff. Mix in the chocolate chips and chunks.

Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2″ balls) onto the prepared baking sheets*, leaving about 1 1/2″ between them. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan. Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

*Variation: Drop the dough balls into confectioners’ sugar or coarse sugar, rolling to coat, before baking. Or sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookies before baking, or drizzle with melted chocolate afterwards—or go wild, and do it all!

*Reader Mrs. M. says she makes a “Chunky bar” variation of these with 4 ounces (2/3 cup) chocolate chips, 4 ounces (3/4 cup) raisins, and 4 ounces (3/4 cup) peanuts, instead of all chocolate chips and chunks. We found that these cookies will be VERY soft coming out of the oven, but don’t panic; they’ll firm up nicely as they cool. Thanks, Mrs. M!

Tags: chocolate, cookies

Brownies are comfort food, plain and simple. Who can pass up a plate full of freshly baked homemade brownies and not have at least one? Good grief, that’s crazy talk!

These brownies are easy to make but the directions are a little different than other brownie recipes. In Step 3, I made the mistake of using a whisk to mix the eggs with the cocoa, vanilla, etc. Because there wasn’t enough moisture from the eggs, it all clumped up and stuck to the whisk. Definitely use a wooden spoon for this step. The rest was straight forward…just stir everything together and spoon the batter into the prepared pan. The recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa, a mellower and less acidic cocoa that is used in batters with baking powder and/or eggs. A fairly common brand to find in the grocery store is Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. Another option is to mail order Dutch-process cocoa through kingarthurflour.com.

Fudge Brownies
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com.

Fudgy, cakey, fudgy, cakey… can’t make up your mind? If you’re looking for a brownie that’s right in between those two styles, you’ve found it. These brownies combine a fudge brownie’s ultra-moist texture with a subtle cake-like rise, for the best of both worlds. Our guarantee: These brownies, deep chocolate brown inside with a lighter-colored top crust, will be about 3/4″ to 1″ tall when cut. They’ll be ultra-moist without crossing the line into gooey/underbaked.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan
 
2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
 
3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.
 
4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
 
5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.
 
6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
 
7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. Yield: Two dozen 2″ brownies.

Tips from King Arthur bakers:
When testing to see if brownies are done, take a cake tester or the tip of a sharp knife and carefully poke it into the center of the pan, digging around just enough to see the interior. You should see moist crumbs, but no uncooked batter. Yes, you’ll be left with a small divot in the center of your brownies; just cut around it when you’re cutting the brownies into squares.

Tags: Baking, chocolate, fudge brownies

Everyone needs a dessert recipe they can turn to that is quick and delicious. This recipe for moist and chewy Coconut Blondies is one of those. I think they’re really good exactly as written, but extra good with 3/4 cup of chocolate chips added to the dough. The recipe calls for toasted pecans but I don’t bother with that; I just use regular pecan halves and chop them in my handy nut grinder (see my post for the nut grinder under Cooking Gadgets).

Coconut Blondies
-recipe from Gourmet Magazine - epicurious.com

Yield: Makes 32 (2-inch) squares

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecans (6 ounces), toasted and cooled
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch baking pan.

Melt butter in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk into butter mixture. Stir in pecans and 1 1/2 cups coconut.

Spread in pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Tags: bar cookies, coconut, coconut blondies, pecans

During the holidays, time is a commodity. With so much hustle and bustle, I like to have a few recipes in my holiday baking repertoire that can yield maximum quantity with minimum kitchen time. That’s why I like bar cookies because you can whip up the batter, put it in a baking pan, bake the bars and be done with it. These Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheese Bars are extra great because not only are they delicious but they’re festive-looking, too. I love the flavor combination of cranberries, chocolate and a hint of orange. These bars will be a great addition to your holiday cookie platter!

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheese Bars
-recipe from verybestbaking.com
Yields 36 bars

A tasty treat for fall and winter holidays. A crunchy chocolate chip, cranberry and orange-scented bar is balanced with a lightly sweetened layer of cream cheese.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup OCEAN SPRAY® CRAISINS® Sweetened Dried Cranberries
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour, oats and orange peel until crumbly. Stir in morsels and cranberries; reserve 2 cups mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese in small mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Pour over hot crust; sprinkle with reserved flour mixture. Bake for additional 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Tags: bar cookies, chocolate chips, cranberries