Chocolate Chip and Popcorn Cookies

The instant I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.  Popcorn in a chocolate chip cookie?
Say whaaaat!? OK, let's do it!  I learned a few things, which I will pass on to you.... I used sweet and salty store-bought popcorn and semi-sweet chocolate chips - I think buttered popcorn would be better, and use dark chocolate like Joy suggests.  While mine were definitely interesting and tasty, I think the combination of those two flavours would bump this cookie up a couple more notches.

Chocolate Chip and Popcorn Cookies
originally from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
4 cups popped popcorn

Cream butter and both sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.
Add in flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until incorporated.
Fold in popcorn, 2 cups at a time - at first it will look ridiculous, but don't worry, the popcorn breaks down into smaller pieces, making it easier to blend.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Spoon dough onto baking sheet - balls should be about a tablespoon and a half each.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.  9 minutes if you prefer softer, almost doughy cookies.
Makes about 24 cookies.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

I know a couple of people who would say that everything is better with bacon.  I am not sure that I agree, but bake up a batch up these and decide for yourself.  This is not your average peanut butter cookie - the addition of molasses and a pinch of nutmeg are to thank for that, and you have the option to add bacon bits for a salty surprise.  The taste is...definitely interesting... well worth a try, and are a hit at any potluck or bake sale.   I suggest halving the amount of bacon and making a dozen with bacon, and a dozen without.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
from Joy the Baker

8 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup all natural peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp molasses
1/2 cup crumbled peanuts

Combine sugar and peanut butter in a bowl, mix well.
Add molasses and egg.  Mix well.
Add baking soda and nutmeg.  Mix until well blended.
Add crushed peanuts (and bacon bits if desired).

Form small balls of the dough and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and smoosh down with a fork, making the designated peanut butter cookie criss-cross pattern.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.  Makes about 2 dozen.

With bacon

Juan de Fuca Trail Cookies

Vancouver Island is one of my favourite places in the world.  Gorgeous and wild - it is the perfect destination for anyone who enjoys nature and hiking. On our last visit, we went for a hike on the Juan de Fuca trail, along the Pacific coast, not too far from Victoria.  It was stunning.  Afterwards, we refueled with some awesome cookies we found at a small grocery store named West Coast Trail cookies - basically oatmeal cookies with all sorts of goodies inside - nuts, seeds, raisins, and chocolate.  Sweet, salty, and wholesome. Who could ask for anything more after a long rainy trek along the coast?  OK - dry socks and a coffee would be cool, too. 

These are slightly adapted from the recipe for "Trail Mix Cookies" from Joy the Baker's awesome cookbook.  These remind me of those yummy cookies we ate wet, tired, and muddy after our trek on the coast (and our adventure rambling in the woods in search of Avatar Grove, but, that is a story for another time...) You can substitute seeds, different kinds of nuts, and dried fruit - anything goes!

Juan de Fuca Trail Cookies 

2 1/2 cups oats

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup M&M's candy

1 cup chopped peanuts

1/2 cup golden raisins

Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy.  

Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.

Add in flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.  . 

Add in peanut butter chips, M&M's, peanuts, and raisins.  Mix thoroughly. 

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, place balls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet for about 3-5 minutes until firm enough to remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Makes 4 dozen large cookies. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

I made these cookies for the first time for a long weekend at the cottage in the summer - I don't think they lasted an entire day - they were devoured within hours.  Earlier today I decided to make a batch of cookies for some friends who could use some cheery comfort food - these are perfect.

The browned butter adds a caramel-nutty flavour to the cookie - combine that with good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts to make the perfect gourmet chocolate chip cookie.   Speaking of the wonders of browned butter, check out my previous post:  Banana Rum Cake with Browned Butter icing.  See below for tips on browning butter. 

I changed it up a bit the second time around - omitting the extra tbsp of butter, and a half cup of light brown sugar - although it reduces the richness of the cookie, they are every bit as tasty.  The next time I make these I am going to try half a cup of white granulated sugar and half a cup of brown sugar - I will let you know how it goes!

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies with Browned Butter

adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp molasses

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (good quality)

Divide the butter into two halves.   In a small saucepan, brown 1/2 cup of the butter.  Cool in a small bowl.

Cream the remaining 1/2 cup butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy.  

Add the vanilla, molasses, and cooled browned butter, and cream together.  (If you like, you can add an additional 1/2 cup brown sugar if you like at this stage). 

Add the egg and egg yolk, and continue to beat. 

In a separate bowl, combine the sifted flour, salt, and baking soda. 

Add the flour mixture all at once to the egg and butter mixture. 

Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts until mixed in evenly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Place dough in balls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen, depending on how large your cookies are.

Bake 12 minutes for medium sized cookies and up to 14 minutes for larger cookies. 

Allow to rest for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then remove to wire cooling rack.

Browned Butter?? What the heck is that?!
In a nut shell, browned butter is simply cooked butter.  In a small saucepan, melt butter.  The butter will start to foam, and make crackling noises.  Once the crackling noises subside, look out for the brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. You will start to smell the nutty flavour as it cooks.  Remove the pan from heat and pour into a small bowl, ensuring that you scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Cool to room temperature. 

Chocolate Sugar-Crusted Slice Cookies

Ah - the holiday season is over - otherwise known as "the baking binge season", or "the baking bender season".  I was too busy hosting, visiting, baking, shopping, and drinking wine to post anything in the month of December, and for that I do not apologize!  

Each year I try one or two new cookie recipes out to go along with my tried, tested, and true family favourites.  This year was a success on both counts - and here is the first.

These cookies were easy to make, easy to freeze, and easy to bake.  A four star cookie for a busy lady. 

Watch for the cinnamon zing!

This recipe is from the December 2012 edition of Chatelaine magazine

Chocolate Sugar-Crusted Slice Cookies

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• coarse sugar for rolling- I used red sugar cookie decorating crystals

1. Sift flour along with cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. 
2. Cream softened butter with brown sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  
3. Add flour mixture, mix until well combined.  
4. Make dough into a ball, and divide in half.  On wax paper, roll each half until it is in log form.  The original recipe suggests 10 inches, but shorter log will make bigger cookies, so whatever you prefer!
5. Sprinkle the coarse sugar crystals onto wax paper liberally.  Roll each log in the sugar until it covers the log. 

6.  Repeat for each log, and wrap well in wax paper to chill for one hour or    

    freeze (well wrapped cookies freeze well for several days). 

7. Oven at 350 degrees F.  Slice logs into 1/4 inch thick rounds and leave 1   

    inch apart on baking sheets.

8. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are firm.  

Groovy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was a dark and stormy night....and I had a craving for home-made cookies, hot out of the oven.

This recipe is from my Mum's high school home economics class back in the Sixties....Groovy Cookies, anyone?  And no, this recipe does not contain any "medicinal" ingredients, please and thank you, just the good ol' basics.  Made a great cookie back in 1965, makes a great cookie now.  Yes, that is a photocopy of the original hand-written recipe!

This is my comfort food recipe...it makes between 3 and 4 dozen old-fashioned-style cookies, depending on how big you make them, of course.  This time, I threw in a handful of leftover peanut butter chips and walnut pieces to the mix.  You can also add coconut (3/4 cup) as per the original recipe if you like, I have never tried it but I am sure they would be even groovier.....

Groovy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all purpose or whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups oats
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup raisins and/or chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and oats.
3. Cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla
4. Add the oats and flour mixture.  Mix well.
5. Stir in raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
7. Flatten slightly with floured fork.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 mins or 'till golden.
9. Eat one soon as its out of the oven, making sure to burn your mouth : )

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.