chocolate chip cookie waffles

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. package of chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together in mixer for 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add gradually to butter-sugar mixture. Add chocolate chips.

Spray the waffle maker well and, using a one ounce scoop, drop the cookies on the waffle iron and close the lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Peace
Milton

kickin' peanut butter cookies

I’ve been contemplating new cookie adventures and here is my latest sojourn. The idea map for these

looks something like this: peanut butter and chili go together in Thai cooking; chocolate and chili go together in Mexican cooking; let’s make cookies. Though it may feel like a lot of Sriracha, the balance of sweet, spicy, and savory came out well.

Preheat oven to 375.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (crunchy or creamy — your choice)
2 cups brown sugar, packed

Cream the butter, then add the sugar and let the mixer run for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

1/2 cup Sriracha
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add the Sriracha with the mister on low and then the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl mix

2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 12 oz. packages chocolate chips

Gradually add the flour to the peanut butter mixture until well combined and then add the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours. I used a 1 oz. cookie scoop and then rolled the scoops into balls — about 1” in diameter, placed them on a lined baking sheet and pressed them down gently with a fork.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. (I bake them 9, actually.) If you want a bigger cookie, use a 2 oz. scoop and bake them for 13 minutes.

Peace,
Milton

oatmeal, apricot, and cardamom cookies

My quest for both sweet and savory continues. Here's the latest effort.

1 cup butter (two sticks0, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar

Cream the ingredients in a mixer for five to seven minutes, then add

2 eggs

and mix until combined. In another bowl, mix

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon salt

once combined, add to butter-sugar mixture. Then add

3 cups rolled oats (not instant0
1 1/2 cups diced dried apricots (unsulphured is best -- I got mine at Trader Joe's)

Drop on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes (for a 2-oz. cookie). Makes about two dozen.

Note: I bought whole cardamom seeds. I roasted them on the stovetop by heating to medium heat a small saute pan and adding the seeds. I let them cook for several minutes, until they became a little brown and fragant. I then let them cool and ground them up in my coffee grinder. The cardamom will have a different taste if you don't roast the seeds.

Peace
Milton

white chocolate coconut and cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (5-7 minutes) and then add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl combine

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture until blended then add

1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 12 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Using a one ounce scoop, drop the cookies on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.

Peace,
Milton

crystallized ginger and cheddar shortbread

1 cup butter, cut in small pieces
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture has the texture of small pebbles. Add brown sugar, ginger, and cheddar and mix the dough until it holds together. Roll out to about 1/3 of an inch thickness and cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Reshape left over dough without working it too much and keep cutting cookies. Place on a baking sheet and cook at 325 for about 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown a bit. Let cool for ten minutes on the sheet and then move to a cooling rack.

Peace,
Milton

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

Today is the last day for one of my favorite people at the computer store. When I asked for his favorite cookie, he said, "White chocolate macadamia nut." A man of great taste. I went searching for a recipe and found this one here to be the most helpful. And now I share it with you.

1 cup butter (unsalted, room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Beat butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add gradually to butter mixture. Then add

1 12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Drop in 1 ounce scoops on a lined cookie sheet (parchment or Silpat) and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about four dozen.

Peace,
Milton

super duper doodles

There are Snickerdoodles and then there are Super Duper Doodles -- same dough, with mix-ins.

1 cup butter (unsalted, room temperature)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter and sugars until they are smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add gradually to butter and sugar mixture until blended, then add

1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup Heath Toffee Bits
1 cup crushed sweet potato chips

 Chill the dough for at least an hour. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen 1 oz. cookies.

Peace,
Milton

oatmeal-craisin-chocolate chip-pecan cookies

This started as a quest to use up stuff I had around the house and to make cookies to take with me to work. It’s a variation on the cookie recipe in the lid of the Quaker Oatmeal box.

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, mix

1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar

As I have said before, I let the mixer run for seven or eight minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add

2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla

Mix well. In a separate bowl combine

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Add the dry mixture gradually to the wet mixture until combined. Finally, mix in

3 cups oatmeal
1 cup Craisins (not craziness, as first published)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a Silpat and bake for 15-18 minutes.

Peace,
Milton

elvis has left the building cookies

Ginger and I are heading out of town for a couple of weeks, which means I will be gone for a couple of weeks from my job at the computer store, which means I won’t be taking in cookies for a while. These circumstances inspired my recipe for today, which I can my “Elvis Has Left the Building Cookies,” or peanut butter-banana-chocolate chip treats.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 banana, mashed
2 eggs

Cream the butters, banana, and sugar together in an electric mixer. As I have said before, I usually let it run five to seven minutes. Then add the eggs and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine well and then gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture in the electric mixer until everything is incorporated. Then add

1 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (generous cup) dried banana chips

And mix it all together. Use a one ounce scoop to drop the cookies on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake in a 375 oven for 12-14 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Peace,
Milton

coffee toffee icebox cookies

An icebox cookie is basically a sugar cookie you chill (in the icebox) and then slice to cook.

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

Beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer for 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons instant espresso


Mix dry ingredients together and then add gradually to butter mixture. Then add


1 12 oz. bag of Heath Bits o' Brickle

Divide dough into four equal parts and form each section into a log about an inch and a half to two inches in circumference. Chill for at least two hours. You can keep them for up to three days. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350. Line your baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place them on the baking sheet. I find I can cook 18 on at a time. Bake 8-9 minutes.

Makes 8-10 dozen cookies.

Peace,
Milton





This recipe was first inspired by this recipe in the August 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine.

craisin-orange-rosemary icebox cookies

An icebox cookie is basically a sugar cookie you chill (in the icebox) and then slice to cook.

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange extract
2 large eggs

Beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer for 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons orange zest or dried orange peel

Mix dry ingredients together and then add gradually to butter mixture. Then add

1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
a big handful of chopped fresh rosemary.

Divide dough into four equal parts and form each section into a log about an inch and a half to two inches in circumference. Chill for at least two hours. You can keep them for up to three days. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350. Line your baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place them on the baking sheet. I find I can cook 18 on at a time. Bake 8-9 minutes.

Makes 8-10 dozen cookies.

Peace,
Milton



This recipe was first inspired by this recipe in the August 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine.

double squash cookies

These cookies went to work with me along with the coco-choco-peanut butter ones because some of my co-workers are allergic to nuts and a couple of others, inexplicably, don't like chocolate. I started with this recipe and made a couple of changes. The name for these cookies came from one of my co-workers since they have both zucchini and pumpkin seeds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 cups flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried lemon peel 
1 teaspoon baking soda 

2 cups grated zucchini squash 
3 1/2 cups oatmeal 
2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds

If the pumpkin seeds are not roasted, spread them out on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about seven or eight minutes. Stir and return them to the oven, checking them every two or three minutes until they begin to brown. Set aside to cool.

Mix the butter and sugar together for five or six minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again.

Combine the flour and the next four ingredients and then add it gradually to the butter mixture. When they are well mixed, add the zucchini, then the oatmeal. Finally, stir in the pumpkin seeds.

Use a 1-ounce scoop to drop the cookies on a baking sheet lined with either a Sil-pat or parchment paper. Cook for 11-13 minutes. Makes a little over five dozen cookies.

Peace,
Milton

 

coco-choco-peanut butter cookies

I've been on a cookie baking binge mainly because I bake them and take them with me to work at the computer store where they are well received. This recipe comes at the suggestion of Hakim, one of my co-workers and slightly adapted from a recipe I found here.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour

1 12 ounce package chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Start by toasting the coconut. Spread it evenly on a baking sheet and put it in a 350 degree oven for about seven minutes. Stir it and then continue in two or three minute segments until it is a little brown. :Let it cool on the baking sheet and it will brown a little more. Set aside.

Lower oven temperature to 325.

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until creamy and then add the sugars. Let the mixer run for a good five minutes until the mixture is fluffly. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together and then add it gradually to the butter mixture. Once they are combined, add the coconut and the chocolate chips.

I use a 1-ounce scoop to drop the cookies on a baking sheet lined with a Sil-pat. You can also use parchment paper. Cook the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Makes about five dozen.

Peace,
Milton

lemon-basil-ginger snaps

My search for a summertime cookie has led me here.

3/4 cup butter, room temperature3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine

Cream butter until fluffy; add sugar and let the mixer run for about five minutes. Add the egg and beat until mixed well. Add the other three ingredients and mix until everything is combined.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup fresh basil, julienned
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

 Put the julienned basil in a food processor and chop it into fine pieces. add 1/4 cup of flour to basil and combine until it creates a green flour. Whisk that in with the rest of the flour and the other dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, mixing until combined.

1/2 cup lemon sugar (I found it at Whole Foods)

Using a one ounce cookie scoop, drop the cookies into the sugar and roll until they are covered. Put them on a cookie sheet and press them down lightly with your hand. Bake at 350 for twelve minutes. Makes about three dozen.

Peace,
Milton

cocoa cinnamon treats

The story behind these cookies begins with a request from one of my colleagues at the Apple Store for a sugar cookie with either chocolate chips or toffee. I thought, “Why not both?” The first incarnation was pretty good, but I had some ideas on improvements. Our friends Areli and Leon are opening a coffee shop in our neighborhood called Cocoa Cinnamon, so, with them in mind, the second version of these I rolled in sugar mixed with both cocoa powder and cinnamon, along with a touch of chili powder. And there’s one more thing. Roberto, the chef at Old Havana Sandwich Shop, renders manteca from the pork they slow cook everyday. I use that for the shortening.

These may be the best cookies I have ever made, or at least so say most all recent reviewers.

Preheat oven to 350.

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg

Mix the butter and shortening together until blended; add the sugars and mix for five to seven minutes. Add the egg and mix until blended. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

With the mixer on low, add incrementally to the butter mixture until combined. Add

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

and mix until blended. Then add

1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (6 ounce) package Heath  Bits O’ Brickle chips

and mix until combined. You may have to do the last mixing with a spoon. I dump it out of the mixer into a bigger mixing bowl where I can stir it.

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Using a 1 oz scoop, drop balls of the dough into the sugar mixture and roll them to coat. Put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat and bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. I choose the lesser time because it make a wonderfully soft cookie.

The recipe that got me started is here.

Peace,
Milton

ginger molasses cookies

Here's how the story goes: in Asian cooking, ginger and chilis go together, so I decided to add some

cayenne pepper instead. Then I thought about the chili and chocolate combination in Mexican cooking and added a little cocoa powder. The result is one seriously good cookie.

In an electric mixer, beat together

2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup molasses

I let the mixer run a good five to seven minutes. Add

2 eggs

Mix eggs are combined. In a separate bowl mix

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add the dry mixture gradually to the butter-sugar mixture. Form 1 ounce sized balls and roll them in sugar before putting them on the baking sheet. Cook at 375 for eleven to thirteen minutes. I cook my one ounce cookies for eleven, the two ounce cookies for thirteen.

Peace,
Milton

white chocolate, craisin, and pumpkin seed cookies

This started from a recipe that had the white chocolate, craisins, and macadamia nuts, but I didn't want to spring for the macadamias, so I began thinking of other options. The roasted pumpkin seeds seemed a good replacement, bringing a little crunch and savoriness to the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter in electric mixer and then add sugars and mix until fluffly. Take your time: let the mixer run a good 6-8 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture gradually, mixing until just mixed. Then add

1 pkg (11 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup Craisins
1 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

Mix just until the added ingredients are well distributed throughout the dough. Drop on to a cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Peace,
Milton

red velvet whoopie pies

You heard me right.

I made them for a fundraiser for children's cancer research at Fullsteam Brewery tonight. They just seemed perfect for Valentine's Day.

1 1/2  ounces chocolate chips
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. I do it in thirty second increments until they are done. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Mix the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined (I used my Kitchenaid mixer). In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, mixing each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. They spread out a bit, so make them a bit smaller than you want them to be. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when you gently press. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

While they are cooking and cooling, make the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

They are awesome.

Peace,
Milton

P. S. -- This recipe was adapted from one at the Food Network.