Chocolate Delight Crinkle Cookies

Cocoa. It sounds, tastes, smells, and looks delicious. I have found a new favorite cookie - with cocoa. Lots of cocoa. I broke out my KitchenAid mixer, the Christmas tunes, and my red and white polka dot/snow flake apron and went to town.

This cookie may also make you do completely irrational things. Like eat it directly out of the oven while drinking out of a milk carton. I don't know anything about that - but that's what I've heard.

Please enjoy these - I am thinking that I may need to bake another batch since my cookie gift tins are taking it's toll on my personal cookie stash :)  It makes a yield of about 50. Think a dark deep chocolate taste balanced out with some icing sugar to make Christmas explode in your mouth.

Chocolate Delight Crinkle Cookies

Adapted  from simplyrecipes.com
Makes about 50 cookies.


Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can use  a wooden spoon and a regular bowl) beat together cocoa powder, white sugar, and oil until it comes together into a shiny, gritty, dark batter.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds each.  Add the vanilla and beat thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix into the chocolate mixture on low speed until just combined - don't over mix.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for 4 hours or overnight.

Preaheat oven 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place confectioner's sugar in a large plate with a lip.  Using a spoon, get clumps of the chilled dough and roll them into 1 inch (2.5 cm) sized balls using your hands. Roll the balls in the confectioner's sugar and place on the cookie sheet. You should be able to fit approximately 12-16.

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Marshmallow Roll Cookies

Marshmallow Roll Cookies
Taken from family friend Mrs. Strong.


Ingredients:

2 cups finely shredded sweetened coconut
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
1 bag large white marshmallows


Directions:

Place coconut and graham crumbs in a large mixing bowl.  Add softened butter and rub together with your hands until well blended.
Add condensed milk and vanilla. Stir until well blended.

On a flat surface, lay a long sheet (about 2 feet) of waxed paper.  Place half of cookie mixture on the sheet an flatten to a rectangle approximately 6 x 24.

Place a row of marshmallows side by side along edge of mixture.  Using the wax paper as a guide, roll mixture tightly around marshmallows and seal seam by pressing together.  Twist ends of waxed paper (so it looks like a giant candy wrapper) and freeze.

Repeat with remaining cookie mixture.

Cut cookies from frozen roll and enjoy frozen or thawed.

In two weeks, I've made these twice - they are a popular item for my Christmas tins!

This may look more like a stick of chicken schawarma, but don't be alarmed -
you can remove the wax paper and cut the whole roll,
or simply cut off the ends.

Haystacks

Try adding a little extra to your wreath with fresh cinnamon sticks and hydrated fruit! Smells great!

Warning: bite-size cookies that are highly addictive!  

These are a family favorite that we've been making for over 10 years. They are great for a cookie exchange, gifts, or parties. Basically, they are good for any event where you will need a large yield. This batch makes over 100.  They are small, so don't worry about thinking it will take forever - it's pretty easy once you get started.  

Originally they were made with the toffee bars - and the company stopped making them! I was stressed that I would never be able to make my cookies again. However, I checked the website and they do still make the individually wrapped toffee candies.  Christmas has many smells for me - and the smell of cooking toffee is definitely one of them! 

Haystacks

Taken from a family friend, Mrs. Strong.

Ingredients:

2 x 170 g Mack Toffee (Macintosh plaid wrapper) Package (total of 340 g)

(http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/Mackintosh_Toffee/Mack_Toffee_bag.htm)

1 package of large white marshmallows

1 package of Special K

1 tin of sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup of butter

Directions:

Prior to starting to make the cookies I would place the following in their own bowls to make things easier: 1) all unwrapped toffee 2) cut marshmallows in halves 3) Special K

Prepare a cookie sheet with wax paper and put to one side.

 

In a large saucepan, melt butter and add toffee.

When melted, add condensed milk and heat until bubbling and smooth, reduce to low heat

Using a fondue or regular fork, dip halved marshmallow into toffee mixture until coated

Drop into bowl filled with Special K and turn until completely covered (be careful it’s HOT)

Place on cookie sheet.

Repeat until you’ve made all 100+ cookies – this is a huge yield and it’s meant to be frozen until served. You can place cookies in freezer in cookie sheet until just frozen enough to then stack on one another in an airtight container.

This recipe requires a little of an assembly line mentality to ensure things get done without burning on the toffee or scalding your hands! Once you get the first few done, you'll be flying in no time. 

Before serving, thaw slightly. These are a favorite and I’m glad there are so many to share with friends who keep coming back for more! 

Gingerbread Men Cookies

It's never too early to start your Christmas baking! Especially if you're like me and you want to do up some fun homemade gifts of your baked goods. These freeze well if you plan to make them ahead. And I highly recommend that you do start baking early and store up your supply as the Christmas season gets hectic. Devote some time early to baking, and then you get to enjoy relaxing AND eating treats later too!

As for these cookies,  I am in love with gingerbread.  You can get as creative as you want with decorating. I kept mine pretty simple this year - but have also enjoyed experimenting with chocolate, chocolate chips, candy pieces, and/or frosting!  Also, depending on your cookie-cutter size, you may have a different yield. 

Enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit. I also won't tell anyone if you start listening to Christmas music - December is only a couple weeks away!

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Makes approximately 16 (5 inch) cookies.

 

Ingredients:

Cookies

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP ground ginger

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp.  finely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp.  salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.

Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed.

Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic.

Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place a third of the dough on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies.

Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".

Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

 

Royal Icing

Beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks.  

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes. (Or use a plastic sandwich bag, with the tip of one corner of the bag cut off.) Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.

Giant Chocolate Oat Cookie Wedges

A couple of years ago I stumbled across this recipe and it's become a staple of my hiking trip treats ever since.  It's a hearty snack and is compact enough to take a few wedges in your backpack without worrying about it getting smooshed to bits! It's also versatile so you can serve it warm, crumble it and have just a touch of ice cream or cream. Whichever way you let this GIANT cookie crumble, I promise you you'll be eating every last crumb! 

Giant Chocolate Oat Cookie Wedges

Taken from www.robinhood.ca website.

Makes 12 (if you want your wedges smaller you will get more out of it - but remember - it's called Giant Chocolate Oat Cookie Wedges for a reason!)

Ingredients:

3 cups quick oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/4 milk or water

1 tsp vanilla

1 pkg (about 350g) of chocolate chips (it calls for semi-sweet but I used milk chocolate)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream butter, sugars, egg, milk, and vanilla in large mixer bowl on a medium speed until light and creamy.  

Gradually add flour mixture on low speed, mixing until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Press dough frimly into a greased springform pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until light and golden.

Cool in pan on wire rack ( I have trouble with this waiting idea so you can take it out and cut it but remember - you run the risk of having the whole thing crumble)

Once cooled - cut into wedges to serve

Yum! You can also substitute chips to peanut butter, butterscotch, etc.

Peanut Butter-Cup Cookies

I have a confession to make.  I really love Reese’s Peanut Butter-Cups.  Around this time last year, I bought a 250 g package of mini Reese’s Peanut Butter-Cups and was going to try out this recipe. I thought, “what could be better than combining a chocolate bar and cookie?” 

But I made one tragic mistake. I waited. Or, should I say, I planned to wait.  I had set aside time to make the cookies on the weekend. But you see, I didn’t wait to sample a few mini Reese’s cups here. . . and there. . . so by the time my weekend came I was very full of chocolate and had no ingredients  left for my baking!


In my shame, I did not make the cookies.

Fast-forward to this year. I pulled my recipe out of my dilapidated red file folder and left it on my counter while I went and bought my package of chocolates. This time I was ready to bake them – almost right away. I let them sit in my food cupboard for one day, after which I realized I had eaten 3-4 cups on the sly. I got a hold of my apron and immediately threw myself into baking.

I will warn you. These are highly addictive. 

Peanut Butter-Cup Cookies

Adapted from Real Simple.com.  Makes approximately 20 cookies. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature (please make sure it is at room temperature – this does make a difference!)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 250 g bag of small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the peanut butter cups. Depending on the consistency of your batter, you may need to work this with your hands and then roll into small balls.

3. Place balls of prepared dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Tip: Do not overcook these! Even if they don’t look done – please take them out of the oven and do the toothpick test to see if any batter/crumbs come off on the toothpick.  Better a little chewy and gooey than hard. I left one of my batches in a little too long and they hardened up way to much for my liking. I was tempted to throw the works of it away – but I’m glad I didn’t and have something to snack on throughout the week!

Ice Cream-Cookiewiches

I love autumn.  But who said it was OK for summer to be over? Gone are the days of eating a fresh waffle cone and ice cream while you walk down the boardwalk.  But I want ice cream now! What could I do to make a perfect blend of summer and fall?

You guessed it. Ice Cream-Cookiwiches. I’ve got to give www.kraftcanada.com the credit for this idea. You see them in the freezer section at the gas station – but I wanted something homemade of course.

There’s no way I’m patient enough (remember from the Apple Crisp?) to bake my own cookies and let them fully cool to put ice cream on them. No. I'd have one melted mess on my hands. 

I decided to trot to the grocery store bakery and buy the chewy-chunkiest chocolate chip cookies they had. If you have more self-control, please feel free to bake your own cookies!

You can choose whatever flavor you want of ice cream – although cookiedough is a personal favorite I opted for classic vanilla since I was already making a cookie ice cream sandwich. 

Ice Cream-Cookiewiches

Makes ½ as many of your total sum of cookies. 12 cookies means 6 ice cream-cookiewiches.

Ingredients:

Chocolate chip or chunk cookies

Softened ice cream – leave out of the freezer for 5 minutes so it's easier to work with

Option: ¾ cup toasted coconut (or use chocolate chips, Skor bits, smarties, etc.)

Directions:

EASY!

Take ice cream and dollop ¼ cup on bottom side of cookie.

Take another cookie and palce on top and smooth edges with spoon.

Roll sides in coconut (or if you want to get fancy try the other toppings).

Store in freezer in a tupperware container.