Black and White Mocha Cookies

Everything drink should be a cookie.

First things, first. I have to confess I don't coffee. It it just a taste I dislike. Simple as that. I didn't even have a taste, however these cookies were approved by coffee loving friends. When I moved to Utah, I met 2 girls that have become good friends. We often go to coffee and they always get mochas. Thus the black and white mocha cookies.

On a side note. The blog as been silent because I got a full time job. I am the Marketing and Production Coordinator for a small firm that sells benefits to credit unions. The job is great, the adjustment back to full time employment has been tricky to find balance. Now that it has been a month on the job, thing are flowing a bit better.

Black and White Mocha Cookies 

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar                                                                                 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar                                                             
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon warm water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, cream butter with granulated and brown sugars until fluffy and well combined. In a small mug, dissolve coffee in water. Add dissolved coffee to creamed mixture, mix well. Then add in egg, melted chocolate and vanilla, blend until combined. 

In medium size bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture (dough will be sticky). Shape into two rolls (like refrigerated store cookie dough) about 2 inch diameters. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place apart on ungreased baking sheets, or silpmat lined cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate 20 seconds at a time, until chocolate is smooth and melted. Dip each cooled cookie halfway; shake off excess. Place on waxed paper to harden.

Slight change from Best of Country Cookies

Pineapple Cherry Cookies

Tropical cookies to fight the winter blues

There seems to be a desire for spring that many are feeling throughout the cold weather states. There are glimpses of sun and warmer days that trick you. When the sun hides its face for a couple of days, these cookies can help to rid you of the winter blues. The bright colors and tropical favors may transport you to a warmer time or place. These are also great if you don't like a really sweet cookie as the favors shine without the sweet. Until the sun shines through the clouds and spring has sprung, eat pineapple cherry cookies!

Pineapple Cherry Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, combine after each one. Also beat in vanilla. 
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in pineapple and cherries. 
Drop tablespoons on an ungreased baking sheet (or silp-mat lined baking sheet). Bake for 7-9 minutes until lightly brown along edges. Remove to wire rack and cool.
 

Slight change from All Recipes 

Grapefruit Ricotta Cookies

 Tart and creamy cookie

When we returned from our New Year's trip to California, we had an overload of citrus. We definitely reach our limit of vitamin C with all the oranges we ate in the weeks to followed. When I opened the fruit drawer in the fridge the other day, I noticed there were still some grapefruits left. Instead of just eating one for breakfast, I thought of cookies! I remembered a ricotta cookie I had seen. Surprising I also had ricotta in my fridge. I got right to making these cookies. My husband always claims that he does not like ricotta. I was not surprised when he didn't question what was in the cookies and just gobbled them up. Tasty. The glaze helps to add a bit more sweetness to the cookies.

Grapefruit Ricotta Cookies 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/2 grapefruit, zested

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons grapefruit juice

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl,  combine the butter, sugar, grapefruit zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well combined. Add the ricotta cheese, vanilla, and grapefruit juice. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Spoon the tablespoons of dough onto slip mat lined (or parchment paper) baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. While cookies cool, prepare glaze.

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1/2 grapefruit, zested
Whisk the powdered sugar, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

Adapted from Everyday Italian

Purple People Eater Cookies

Not just for the monsters to eat.

Valentine's day has arrived. I am not big on Valentine's day. I usually eat way too much candy and baked goods. Simply because sweet are everywhere. I always think of chocolate covered strawberries for V-day. This is probably because you can find them just about everywhere. Is that because strawberries in chocolate are romantic? My solution for Valentine's day-raspberries and chocolate in a cookie. Although not strawberries, frozen raspberries are a great substitution. I was hoping for a nice Valentine color, instead they look like purple people eaters. 

The recipe comes from a great cookbook I got for Christmas as a gift. Best of Country Cookies is packed for of contest winning country (not city) cookies. However I also found that she posted it on Allrecipes. Here is a great cookie for forced affection day or any other day of the year!

Purple People Eater Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup raspberries fresh or frozen (defrosted), pureed
1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips or bar broken into pieces

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition also mix in vanilla. Beat in raspberries until mixed in. Add in chocolate chip. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in white chocolate.

Drop by teaspoonfuls inches apart onto a slip mat lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool before serving.

Orange Butter Cookies

For wealth in the New Year. 

These cookies really made me think of the New Year when I was making them. It was as though oranges made me think of a new start or at least of January. Then it hit me why. In the building, I worked at in Arizona there would be bowls of oranges on desks for the calendar new year and the Chinese new year. I thought it was simply because oranges were the main fruit in season, until one day I asked. That is when I was informed that oranges are a symbol of wealth for the Chinese. I will be eating these cookies into the new year!

Orange Butter Cookies

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
Zest from half a large navel orange
1 large egg
orange juice from half of orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 Tablespoons milk
2 drops vanilla extract
couple squeezes of orange juice
zest of half orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or slipmat. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add vanilla extract and orange juice and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.
Bake about 10-15 minutes. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

When ready to serve, make glaze: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain.
Sift powered sugar into a bowl. Whisk in milk a Tablespoons before. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, juice, zest, and whisk to combine.

Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.

Adapted from New York Times

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

Crunch in a chocolate shell

I remember a younger version of my brother and myself rolling the peanut butter mixture into balls. He would eat 1 of about every 5 that he rolled, and I would eat none. Normally it would be that other way around, as he doesn't like sweets. In this case, I was not a fan of peanut butter. This is that cookie or bon-bon that just simply reminds me of Christmas. This is the first time that I made it on my own instead of just rolling for my mom. They are a great last minute make to set out for Santa, a no-bake cookie or truffle.

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

2 cups chunky or smooth peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups rice krispies
1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons shortening or butter

Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter together and roll into small balls. Chill for 20 min- 1 hour in the fridge. Melt chocolate and shortening or butter over low heat, or in microwave for 15 second at a time until melted. Dip balls into chocolate mixture, covering completely. Lay on wax paper to cool completely. Move to fridge if needed to cool more. 

Chocolate Butterscotch Blondies

 So chocolately won't believe its a real blondie.

When I was younger I was allergic to chocolate. My mom would try to be far and get me white chocolate, but I was still thankful when I outgrew that allergy. Today I still can't eat a long amount of chocolate without getting stomach aches. These blondies have enough chocolate to get in that fix, but not over the top chocolate. I think they are a great addition to holiday cookie tray. Even if they are a bar, have to change it up sometimes. 

Chocolate Butterscotch Blondies  

2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 cups packed light brown sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
4 Heath candy bars (1.4 ounces each), coarsely chopped or 1/2 cup Health baking pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 13"x9" baking pan. 
In a bowl, beat the butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir wet into dry ingredients until combined (batter will be thick and hard to stir).
Spread batter into prepped pan. Sprinkle with chocolate, butterscotch, and Heath pieces; press gently into batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Watch carefully after 25 minutes if not done, as not to overcook. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Adopted from Taste of Home

Coconut Kissed Macaroons

Kissed by the sun. 

Seven days on a Caribbean cruise was a great vacation. We spent a lot of time in the beaches, snorkeling and soaking in the rays. We returned with sun kissed skin and wanting more sweets! These cookies reminded us just of what we had experienced. Sun-kissed and great favors. 

Coconut Kissed Macaroons  

1/3 cup butter, softened 

3 ounces cream cheese, softened 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 egg yolk 

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract   

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3 cups flaked coconut, divided 

48 milk chocolate kisses

  

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and extracts. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in 2 cups coconut. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour-if needed until dough is easy to handle.

Roll into balls and roll in the remaining coconut. Place balls on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Once out of the oven, press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Cool on pan for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is softened. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

Slight Change from Taste of Home 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Colors of fall in soft cookies.

Usually my first pumpkin baked good of fall is pumpkin bread. However I was feeling a bit more like cookies, after making some for the dog! I had to give half of this batch to some friends because they are easy to eat at least 3 in a sitting. Having them sit on the counter means that they disappear in hours. Hayden woof thought when we were eating these that we were eating his and we should share. However we never did because of the chocolate chips! These are quick and easy cookies as they are just dropped onto the cookie sheet, or rolling into ball or cutting out. Quick to make and go quickly!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Changed from cooks.com

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup canola oil 
1 egg 
2 cup all purpose flour 
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a tiny teeny ball, dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside for now.
In a large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; combine until well blended.
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda/milk mix to pumpkin mixture, stirring to  mix wet and dry ingredients completely together to form a soft dough. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.
Spoon onto cookie sheet, slip mat, parchment paper, or ungreased sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Edges will be slightly brown where the cookie hits the sheet.

Caramel Apple Cookies

First day of Fall, needs a fall treat.

These little caramel apple cookies are perfect for the first day of fall. I have made these cookies for multiple occasions, and always leave with an empty plate. These won't even get stuck in your teeth, but a much simpler way to eat a caramel apple than on a stick. Since I have embraced fall already, the first day needs a treat to ring in the best season! So put on a sweater, take a walk in the crisp morning air, and bake these caramel apple cookies.

Caramel Apple Cookies
Big thanks to Craft Mag and GoodLifeEats

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 3/4 cups old fashion oats (not quick-cooking oatmeal)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz (1 bag) caramel baking bits
2 cups granny smith apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs. Beat until combined.
Measure oatmeal into a food processor or blender, and pulse until ground finely. Stir in the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined. Set aside.
Using a mixer, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Stir in the caramel bits and apples. Save a few of pieces the apple and the caramel for dotting on top of the rolled cookie dough balls.
Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Roll the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls. Bake on a parchment paper-lined or slipmat baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, for 10-12 minutes. The sheet should be placed on the upper middle rack. Cool on the pan for 4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
 Note: Dough is best the day of. In time the apples add extra moisture to the dough, causing a wider spread on the baked cookies. Alternatively, you can pre-roll the dough into balls and freeze if you aren't using it all the first day. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet until solid, and then transfer to a labeled sealable freezer bag. Use within one month. Simply add an extra couple minutes to the baking time since the dough is frozen.

Cowpie Cookies

Better to eat it, then step in it. 

Okay not the best name for a cookie, but seriously that is what they reminded me of in looks. Not in smell, touch, or taste. These cookies are another great tasty way to use up some zucchini. You can't even taste the zucchini, so really it is just like a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie with a serving of vegetables hidden in. The zucchini keeps the cookies really moist and soft, the chocolate chips give the cookies a bit of crunch. If you want to call them you can call them chocolate zucchini cookies instead of cowpies. I prefer cowpies, because I can't get past the little green strings through them, and the dark chocolate brown.

Cowpie Cookies

Adopted from Allrecipes  

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, silicone slip mat or grease cookie sheets. 

Cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Fold in the grated zucchini. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Monsters on the Plate

Monsters came out from under the bed and jumped on the plate! 

I don't remember my dad checking for monsters under the bed or in the closet. I do remember him shooting rattle snakes, reading in the car during shopping trips, and when my brother, sister and I were fighting he would yell at us, "Damn it, we're family". Even though I don't remember him checking for monsters for me, I know he would eat these monster cookies in an instant. Peanut butter, chocolate, and oatmeal would be somethings the majority of dads would go for. These cookies are a great way to get rid of the bottom of the bags in your pantry. You can add any types of chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk, or white), any type of nuts, or raisins.  For my monster cookies, I used M&Ms, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, and in half some shredded coconut. Just pour it all in to get rid of the monsters. 

Monster Cookies                                               

Ingredients added from Paula Dean

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies, M&Ms

1/2 cup chocolate chips, or a combination of any different chips

1/4 cup raisins, optional 

1/4 shredded coconut, optional (add a bit extra peanut to keep dough moist)

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

- In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins & coconut, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal.
- Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in airtight container. 

Chocolate Woodland Animal Cookies

Little woodland creatures as chocolate cookies!

These adorable cookies cutter are from IKEA. All I really needed was a couple of lamp shades, but I walked out with this set under my arm. In hopes that we can go camping sometime soon, these animals were made. I didn't want to make them typical sugar cookies because they seemed too outdoorsy for that. Chocolate helped them look more like they belonged in the woods. When rolled too thin these cookies were just crunchy and not that good, but when thicker they were yum. I used chocolate buttercream to give the animals a bit of dimension.

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

Slightly adapted from Allrecipes 

1 cup butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for rolling out. 

- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla. 

- Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder; add and mix well. 

- Wrap dough in waxed plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. 

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

- Divide dough in half. Put the half you are not working with back in the fridge. 

- Using a combination of cocoa powder and powdered sugar, to avoid sticking, roll out each half to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with desired shaped cookie cutters. 

- Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Today is Earth day and Good Friday. But I am posting some easy cookies. I bought a lot of strawberries because they looked so red, fresh, and juicy. Isn't it great the way our Earth provides. There were way to many to eat before they would go bad, so I made some Strawberry sugar cookies.

After the lime sugar cookies I wanted to make more sugar cookies with fruit. I chopped the strawberries pretty small. These cookies are ones that you are able to roll out and cut into shapes. I wanted to eat these, not chill, roll, cut and then bake. So I just rolled them into balls and flattened them out a bit.

Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Slight change from Professional Recipes
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 ¾ cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream or tartar
1 (or more, or less) cup of chopped strawberries

- In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together, until fluffy. When fluffy, mix in strawberries.
- Add egg and beat well, then mix vanilla extract.
- In a seprate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, until thoroughly combined.
- If wanting to cut into shapes: Divide dough into two equal portions, then flatten each into a disk. Cover each disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough is firm enough to work with. If it becomes too firm, soften in a room for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured board roll out dough, until it is about 1/3 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutter. Using a spatula, carefully move the cookies onto a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them.
- If wanting to get to the cookies quicker: Roll into ball (about 1"), Press down until about 1/3 inch thick. Place unto cookie sheet, leaving space between them.  
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake for about 8 to 11 minutes, or until gold along the edges.

- Remove cookie sheet from oven, and let them cool for 4 minutes.

In honor of Earth day, I will take an extra long walk and eat 2 of these cookies!

Sprinkles of Green

Only 7 days to St. Patrick's Day. I am nibbling on one of these cookies that are sprinkled with green. 

These lime sugar cookies are delicious. I rolled them in sugar and zest, because I wanted to try and get a bit of extra green in addition to more lime flavor. The cookies are very light, you may catch yourself eating five. I left out the coconut from Rock Recipes' version simply because I was more interested in the green color! 

Lime Sugar Cookies
Slight change from Rock Recipes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of one large lime, finely minced

4 tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

2 Tablespoons lime zest from rolling

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

- Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.

- Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.

- Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

- Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar and zest. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

- Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

- Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Makes approximately 24-30 cookies depending on size