November 1: Sesame, White Chip, and Oat Cookies

Sesame, White Chip, and Oat Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (6.8 oz) white whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
12 tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted and cooled
1 cup white chocolate chips or white chips
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1/3 cup sweetened flaked, or sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready 2 ungreased baking sheets.
2. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in the brown sugar and continue beating for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and beat in the eggs and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Stir in the cooled toasted sesame seeds, white chips, oats, and coconut, if using.
4. Scoop up rounded tablespoonfuls of dough and shape into 3/4-inch balls. Arrange about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and press down the tops slightly. Bake one sheet at a time for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dry Ingredients

Addition of vanilla and eggs

Addition of flour mixture

Addition of sesame seeds

Addition of white chocolate and oats

Addition of coconut (optional)

Thoughts: I'm just going to throw out there that sesame seeds are expensive. I used a Spice Islands jar of sesame seeds that yielded about 2/3 cup and it cost $6. Sadly I feel that the sesame seeds was the taste of the cookie that we didn't like. The recipe calls for baking them for 11-13 minutes so I did that for the first batch (11 minutes) but then only 10 minutes for the next and I think they came out pretty much the same.

September 22: Apple Chunk with White Chocolate Cookies

Apple Chunk with White Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
3/4 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1/2 cup finely chopped green apple, such as Granny Smith
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
2 oz white chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the applesauce. Continue beating on medium speed, scraping the bowl often. Add the egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and maple flavoring; continue beating until well mixed. By hand, stir in the flour mixture until incorporated. Stir in the oats, apple, walnuts, and raisins.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely on a wire rack set over some paper towels. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies.

I know you can't see the label but I bought...imitation maple flavoring! I know I'm ashamed too. It's the only thing the store had.

Dry ingredients

Addition of applesauce

Addition of syrup, maple flavoring, egg and vanilla

Addition of the dry ingredients

Addition of raisins and oats

Addition of apple

Addition of walnuts

Clearly drizzling is not a talent of mine!

Thoughts: I hate recipes that include drizzling. I now have tools to make it easier but honestly I was lazy and just wanted to get it over with. I didn't have pure maple syrup so I just used store bought syrup (it has maple in it, right?). Other than that, it was pretty easy. I used about 1/2 of a Granny Smith apple. I baked them for 11 minutes and they come out pretty soft. It only yielded about 20. It tastes like a spice cookie. We both liked it.

September 14: Red, White and Blue Bars

Red, White and Blue Bars

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves or pie filling
1/4 cup blueberry preserves or pie filling
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9-inch square metal pan with nonstick foil.
2. Melt the butter in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute; stir. Add 1 cup of chips; let stand. Do not stir.
3. With a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs in a large mixer bowl until foamy. Add the sugar; beat until light and lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Stir in the white chip mixture and then stir in the flour, salt, and almond extract.
4. Spread about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool slightly in the pan. Soften the preserves in separate small, microwave-safe bowls or cups at 50% power for 5-10 seconds, then spread over the baked crust, spreading half of the crust with raspberry and the other half with blueberry.
5. Stir the remaining white chips into the reserved batter and drop spoonfuls of batter over the jam, spreading gently to cover it. The jam will still show through a bit. Sprinkle the almonds over the top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are browned. Let cool completely in the pan, and then chill briefly (for about an hour) so that you can make a cleaner cut when slicing. Lift the bars from the pan and set on a cutting board. Carefully cut along the center seam where the berry toppings meet, then cut each half into 12 bars.

Addition of sugar

Addition of chocolate mix

Addition of flour

Meanwhile while it was baking...

....

Raspberry on left, blueberry on right

Before the oven

and after

Thoughts: So after the disaster of the chocolate truffle cookies, I tried these instead. Very straightforward recipe...nothing complicated. I baked them for 28 minutes. I'm not crazy about fruity-jam things but they were ok. I think I liked the blueberry side more. Patrick didn't get a chance to try them before I took them to work.

April 6: White Chocolate Mango Cookies

White Chocolate Mango Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups (6 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2/3 cup pecans, lightly toasted
3 1/2 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped dried mango

1. Preheat oven to 375 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and cream. By hand or using the lowest speed of the mixer, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. When the flour mixture is absorbed, stir in the pecans, white chocolate, and mango.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2 1/2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 12-13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



Dry ingredients

Introduction of egg, cream and vanilla

 

Adding in the flour mixture

Thoughts: Another straightforward cookie recipe. The only alteration I had to make is that I only baked them for 11 minutes. I could've even baked them for 10 minutes and I think it would've been ok. The finished cookie picture is from 11 minutes and I think it's a little dark. Patrick and I both didn't like the cookie. I tend to dislike dried fruit (except maybe raisins but only then in Raisinette form) so I didn't like the bites with mango. Dough was ok.