Brown Sugar Cookies
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I think I’m in love. With a cookie.
It may not be the most handsome cookie around, but the taste makes up for what it’s lacking in looks. Imagine: chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and a rich and caramely flavor in every bite. My coworkers are going to love me (and their sugar high) tomorrow.
Perhaps someone well versed in the science of baking can tell me what the browned butter does to the cookie. Aside from the obvious, adding amazing flavor. And also, why is the salt added with the brown sugar rather than with the rest of the dry ingredients?
Just a note: My butter took around six minutes to brown, so don’t worry if three minutes go by and you’re wondering if you screwed up; you didn’t.
Photos of the process here.
Ingredients
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it is browned a dark golden color and smells nutty, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the browned butter to a bowl and stir the rest of the butter into the hot butter until it melts- let this rest for 15 min.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a baking dish, mix granulated sugar and a ¼ cup of the brown sugar until combined well; set this mixture aside to roll dough balls in.
Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Add 1 ¾ cup brown sugar and salt to cooled butter and mix until there are no lumps. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well, then add flour and mix until just combined.
Roll dough into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter, and roll balls in brown sugar and white sugar mixture. Place balls about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake sheets one at a time until cookies are puffy and lightly browned, about 12- 14 minutes. (It says the cookies will look slightly raw between some of the cracks and seem underdone, but be careful not to over bake.) Cool on sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.
Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated via South in Your Mouth.
Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
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Every now and then I try a recipe and the result is so good that I need to immediately wrap it up in four layers and stick it in the back of the freezer, all in an attempt to not eat the entire pan while standing at my counter. Not that I would ever think of doing such a thing. Never. These bars are that good. They have a candied crisped rice base (think Rice Krispie treats but flatter and denser) with a peanut butter/chocolate center, and are finished with a dark chocolate top layer. Yes, they are drool worthy.
However, I did run into a few problems: The base ended up really hard in some places and really soft in others which I suspect was a result of me not working fast enough getting it into the pan, although I thought I was doing it rather quickly. This made cutting them difficult because it was difficult to get the knife through those parts. Any advice? The other issue I ran into was the chocolate began to melt a little as I cut them, which made for a really ugly cut. I think the next time I will use tempered chocolate for the top layer.
Photos of the process here.
Ingredients for the crispy crust
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Ingredients for the chocolate icing
3 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cocoa), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Preparation
Make the crispy crust
Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.
Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.
Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.
Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.
Make the chocolate icing
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter.
Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.
Cut into 9 (Nine? They are nuts! You can easily get 18 from this) squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to 4 days.
Recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.
Oatmeal Cream Pies
I think I had my first Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie when I was in junior high. My mom never bought them for us, but they were sold at school and I developed a slight addiction. (As well as to Nutty Bars and those chewy cookies with rice cereal, whatever they were called–Star something.) Anyway, The cookie was chewy and soft and the filling was super sweet and gooey and when you’re 12-years-old, what could possibly be better than that?
Well, you may remember last year when I made these, I was hoping they’d taste like the Little Debbies. And they didn’t. At all. However, I’m happy to report that my 34-year-old self is pretty damn thrilled to finally have a recipe that does. The taste, texture, and gooey-ness are all exactly as I had remembered. They’re just not as pretty.
Two recipe notes: 1. Can anyone explain to me why the recipe calls for dissolving salt into hot water when making the filling? 2. I used a small scoop and my cookies were done in seven minutes.
One totally unrelated note: Nosh With Me is now on Twitter.
Photos of the process here.
Cookie Ingredients
1 cup margarine
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick oats
Cream Filling Ingredients
2 teaspoons very hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
- In large bowl, cream margarine, sugars, molasses, vanilla, and eggs.
- Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add to the creamed mixture; mix in the oats.
- Drop dough by TBS on ungreased sheets. (I used a small cookie scoop.)
- Bake at 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes,or until just starting to brown around the edges.
- They will look moist; don’t overcook.
- While the cookies bake prepare the filling.
- In small bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water.
- Allow this to cool.
- Combine marshmallow cream, shortning, powdered sugar, and vanilla in med bowl; mix on hi until fluffy.
- Add the cooled salt water and mix well.
- Spread filling on flat side of one cookie, press 2nd cookie on top.
Recipe from Recipe Zaar.
Peanut Butter Squares
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Chocolate and peanut butter–the two great tastes that always taste great together, right? Wrong. I know, I know, you didn’t think it was possible. Neither did I, until I made these. But they’re terrible. I mean, really, really terrible. The peanut butter base is mushy and gritty and the overall texture is just ick.
After I got over my initial disappointment, I Googled the recipe and found rave reviews which totally surprised me. Have you made these? What did you think?
Photos of the process here.
Base Ingredients
Scant 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
scant 1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Topping Ingredients
7 ounces milk chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preparation
- Stir all the ingredients for the base together until smooth.
- I use the paddle attachments to my mixer, which my children love operating, but a bowl and a wooden spoon will do the job just as well.
- You will find, either way, that some of the dark brown sugar stays in rubbly but very small, lumps, but don’t worry about that.
- Press the sandy mixture into a 9-inch square brownie pan and make the surface as even as possible.
- To make the topping, melt the chocolates and butter together (in a microwave for ease, for a minute or two on medium) and spread the base.
- Put the pan in the refrigerator to set. When the chocolate has hardened, cut into small squares because, more-ish as it undeniably is, it is also very rich.
Makes approximately 48.
Recipe from How to Be Domestic Goddess via WCHS.
Gingerbread Men
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Growing up, gingerbread men cookies were something we occasionally bought at a bakery, but never made at home. Perhaps it’s because they’re associated with Christmas, and well, being Jewish, we don’t celebrate Christmas, or maybe it’s just because my mom was not much a cut out cookie kind of person. (Except for a sugar cookie recipe that I must copy next time I’m in town, that I believe came from Aunt Helen–she of mandelbrot fame.)
Anyway, on to the cookie. The original recipe calls for margarine, which I never have in my house, so I used butter. Also, I swapped out half of the regular sugar for brown sugar as I wanted a slightly chewier cookie, and I’m happy with the texture. And although the title of the original recipe calls them spicy, they aren’t. In fact, they’re just right and oh so delicious!
If you’re looking for photos of the process, sorry, there aren’t any. This recipe has molasses in it, and as we know, I hate the smell of molasses and had to work super fast and not take pictures as to not gag for longer than I had to. Seriously, it’s that gross.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preparation
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (Mine barely spread so I think 2 inches is very generous.)
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.
