French Toast Cookies

When I was younger, weekend mornings were my favorite. One or both of my parents would cook breakfast, my dad would make either scrambled eggs (which my sisters and I would eat with ketchup- SO gross now) or extra cheese-y omelets, and my mom would make pancakes or french toast, which I loved.

It's been a long time since I've had any of that (I hate eggs now), but I still love french toast and pancakes.

It's been a few weeks since I've baked, and I was craving baking something delicious and simple. I haven't made sugar cookies in a while, but I didn't want to make regular sugar cookies so I switched up the ingredients a bit and they taste exactly like the french toast my mom would make, soooo delicious!

French Toast Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tbs vanilla extract

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set that aside as well.

Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Then add in the eggs and yolk one at a time, and the vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.

Stir in the dry ingredients in three increments, making sure there are no streaks of flour. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Set oven to 350 and spoon dough onto cookie sheets, about 2 tbs per cookie. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown and the center is set. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Cheesecake cookies

Austen

I made these today. I haven't had one yet but apparently they're very good, according to my sister :P
I also made more bread today, but I doubled the recipe because I sent Daniel home with some.

For the cookies, I made half the batter plain, and half with mini semi sweet chocolate chips. They didn't come out very pretty, but that's ok.

Cheesecake cookies
Adapted from Baking Bites
Makes about 48 medium sized cookies
1 cup cream cheese, soft
1 cup butter, soft
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)


Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or line with parchement paper, but I ran out).
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add in sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs, salt, and vanilla extract.
In a small bowl wisk together baking powder and flour, slowly incorporate into cream cheese picture until well combined. Drop tablespoon fulls onto baking sheet, bake for about 11-13 minutes, until they just start to brown. Be careful not to over-bake.

Light and fluffy :P

Rugelach

My grandma always makes these cookies for my dad on Christmas that she called nut horns, but are actually rugelach. She hasn't made them in the past couple years because she did something to her shoulder and it hurts to roll them out or something. He was having a bad day so I decided to make them. They actually turned out much better than I thought they would. They're not hard, but they are time-consuming, you'll probably need most of the day to make them. Well worth it if you have the time, though. They freeze very well, too.

I used chocolate chips instead of raisins, froze them for a bit, and chopped them well. After rolling them up and everything, I rolled them in the chocolate chip/walnut mixture.


This is the recipe.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

I've made these quiet a few times because they are SO easy and use so few ingredients. My sister says they taste like M&Ms :P They're really chewy and chocolate-y and epic.

I use this recipe. I use chocolate chips instead of nuts, though. I also usually halve the recipe because the cookies are pretty big. You also really cannot put more than 3-4 on a cookie sheet, as they spread a TON. I would imagine they'd keep well for a few days in an airtight container, but they've never lasted that long in my house.

Shortbread

I was bored when I got home from work today and decided to try to find a recipe to use lavender in since I just got some lavender the other day. I decided on shortbread. I wanted it to be lemon lavender shortbread but I didn't have any lemons or lemon extract so it was just lavender. It was pretty good, especially if you like lavender, but I think it would have been better with lemon.
I also made some with dried cranberries, chopped almonds, and chopped macadamia nuts. Those were SO good. Seriously amazing. Oh my haha. I used this recipe. It is crumbly but amazing. Whip it like crazy. I used probably 2-3 tbs each of both kinds of nuts and the cranberries for 1/3 of the batter.
For the lavender cookies I used about 1 1/2 tsp of culinary lavender. The last of the batter I just left as is.
I've made these with dark chocolate chips before, as well, and they were WONDERFUL. Definitely a great base recipe :) Not super sturdy but they literally do melt in your mouth.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling

I had some peanut butter buttercream left-over from the cupcakes I made yesterday, and decided to make chocolate whoopie pies, because I've been seeing them everywhere lately and wanted to try.
I think this is almost the same as the buttercream I used. It should make enough, although I'm not positive because I'm not sure how much I used.

I used this for the whoopie pies. I added 1/4 cup of malt because I add it to almost anything chocolate :P
I'm not a huge fan of chocolate cake, but I still thought they were fairly good. My sisters loved them, haha. Definetely worth making if you like chocolate and peanut butter. Another nice thing about them is that they are incredibly moist and easy to wrap individually in saran wrap.
I think I got about 35 individual cookies, so 17 1/2 sandwhich cookies.
Enjoy! :)

Ginger cookies

The first time I made these, they came out terribly. They were oil-y and disgusting, and they cooled to be rock hard even though I cooked them for two minutes less than the time stated. About half way through the batch I added about 2/3 cup of flour, which I added it by kneading it like it was bread dough, just because that was easiest. After that they turned out great. Not exactly chewy in the way that a chocolate chip cookie might be, but still soft in the middle and slightly crunchy on the outside, provided that you don't overbake them.
I'm not exactly sure how much flour I normally add, I usually start with 3/4 cup of flour and add more as needed.
You have to be very careful to not overbake these, or else they get very crunchy. Once they start cracking on top, but are still very soft to the touch, they should be done. The time stated is for slightly bigger cookies, so be sure to shorten it for smaller ones.

Chewy Ginger Cookies
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
White sugar for topping


1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, vanilla, and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough into balls and flatten. Stick top of cookie in sugar and place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.
3.Bake for 9 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before cooling the rest of the way on a wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted*
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips


1.PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. (I used a convection oven at 325)
2.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla. Stir in eggs one at a time. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Chill in freezer for about 30 minutes, or at least 2 hours in the fridge*. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3.BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: You don't need to melt the butter, if you don't you most likely won't need to chill the dough, but I feel that melting butter before creaming it with the sugar gives it a better texture. You have to chill it afterwards or the dough spreads a bit too much. Well, I thought it did. If you don't mind the dough spreading a lot than it isn't bad.

These cookies were very good, and very chewy but I found them just a little greasy so next time I would definitely add a tad extra flour.

Peanut butter cookies

I made these the other day for a friend who had never had peanut butter cookies before and he loved them. I had a couple too, and I have to say they were pretty awesome :P

Peanut butter cookies
adapted from Crisco.com



1 cup peanut butter
1/4 quarter cup shortening (I used Crisco just because that's what we had)
1/4 quarter cup butter, very soft
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Note: The original recipe actually called for 3 tbs milk, but I forgot about it xD I don't really think it effected the recipe.

HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl. Mix until well blended. Add egg. Mix just until blended.

2.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt. Mix into wet ingredients just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of fork. If the fork gets stuck, get it wet. I always just have a cup of water right there when I make peanut butter cookies.

3.BAKE 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

This is my attempt at a baking blog :P My name is Ryan and I am 18 years old. I've recently become addicted to interested in baking. It started about 6 months ago when I was bored, found an extra can of pumpkin in my cabanet, and decided to make pumpkin bread. I ended up making quite a few changes to the recipe and it actually turned out very well. Ever since then I've been hooked.
I'm going to post the recipes that I've made, but for now I won't post pictures as the only camera I have is my phone camera and the pictures are atrocious. I will try to borrow my sister's camera from now on to post pictures.
Soooo yeah, I guess I will get to the first recipe! :)


Everyone I've made these for has absolutely loved them. My mom, who hates cookies (bizarre, I know), raves about them. They're like brownies in cookie form, only better. I sometimes will add 1 tsp of cinnamon because I think cinnamon and chocolate taste amazing together, but either way they're wonderful and incredibly addicting. The original recipe makes 72, this is scaled down to 36. I usually make the full 72 and give some away to my friends at school because they absolutely love them. Enjoy! :)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Adapted from
Allrecipes.com
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup malted milk powder
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate but really anything works)
Confectioners sugar for rolling


1.In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Place in freezer and chill for about 45 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls with your hands. Drop each ball into confectioners sugar until fully coated and place on cookie sheet.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Be careful not to over-bake the cookies, they should be slightly underdone, when they cool they should have the consistency of fudgy brownies.