Recipe: Amish Cook's Monster Cookies

Do you love a crisp cookie?  How about one made with no flour at all?  The dough for this delicious cookie is made with mostly peanut butter, sugar, eggs and rolled oats.  This recipe makes a huge batch of cookies (6 dozen) so you can freeze half the dough to make as-needed.

You can make these with chocolate chips, plain M&M's or both.  I made mine using Smarties candy that I brought back with me from our last visit to Canada (these are similar to M&M's, not the American "Smarties" candy).

So far, I have made many sucessful recipes from "The Amish Cook's Baking Book". So much so, that it usually gets eaten long before I get a chance to get a picture of it.  This is the kind of cookbook that I can open to almost any page, find a quick, easy recipe, and usually have all the ingredients for.  That's a rare baking book indeed!

MONSTER COOKIES
from "The Amish Cook's Baking Book"

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
4-1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (I used old fashioned rolled oats)
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups plain M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time and mixing between each addition, the vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, and peanut butter.  Mix well until smooth.  Add the oats and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Add the chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Then add the M&M's and mix well.

Drop the batter by the Tablespoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake until the edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheets for about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Cool the cookies on a wire rack or a plate and then put into sealed containers.  These cookies will stay fresh for up to five days.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to Cookbook Sundays over at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen!
Enjoy!

So the House was built; a cozy room for the cooking and eating.

story "How the Home Was Built"

from the book "Mother Stories by Maud Lindsay"

Illustrated by Sarah Noble-Ives

Milton Bradley Company, 1928

Recipe: Garam Masala Cookies

I am hosting my first Guest Post over at Mommy Cooks! today.

Julie is a riot and she really knows how to cook. 

Take a moment to browse her wonderful recipes, have a laugh, and be inspired!

Today we'll be making Garam Masala Cookies :)

Recipe: Basil Orange Cookies

My kids love these cookies.  A soft cake-like cookie full of orange flavour with a hint of fresh basil.  I frosted them with vanilla frosting as I didn't have any pistachio nuts and orange extract as called for in the original recipe.

This makes a huge batch of cookies (7 dozen) so you may want to half it unless you're feeding a crowd.  I'm going to freeze some of mine.  The longer they sit, the more prounounced the flavouring becomes.



BASIL ORANGE COOKIES
from "Heartland, The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens"
by Marcia Adams
makes 7 dozen

Cookies
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening (I used unsalted butter)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups orange juice (about 4 oranges squeezed)
3 tablespoons grated orange rind (about 2 oranges)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup dried basil

Frosting
2 cups or more confectioner's sugar
1 table spoon butter, melted
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Pinch of salt
Chopped pistachio nuts, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the granulated sugar and shortening (or butter) for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and continue beating until blended; add the milk, mixing thoroughly.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the mixture.  Add the juice, rind, and vanilla, then stir in the basil by hand.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, approximately 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched with your finger.  Remove to a rack to cool.

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients except the pictachio nuts in a mixer bowl, and beat until smooth.  The frosting should be rather thick; add more sugar if needed.

Spread a generous smear of frosting on each cookie and psrinkle on some pistachio nuts.  Pack the cookies in tins or plastic containers, using wax paper to seperate each layer.

Printable Copy

Enjoy!

from the book "Now We Are Six"

by A.A. Milne

with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard

1950 E.P. Dutton & Co, Inc.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Mudballs

Does a sweet treat count as "bad for you" when it's full of good stuff like dark chocolate, honey, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, oatmeal and peanut butter?  After tasting these you won't even care ;o)  They are rich, smooth, chocolatey, nutty, soft and crunchy.  Simply perfect.  They remind me of a truffle with nuts.

Last night we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and carrots for supper.  These were our dessert and they were perfect.  A couple of these with a glass of milk.. heaven.

I saw the recipe for these yummy Mudballs over at New Nostalgia and they looked so quick and easy.  I made these in a flash and adjusted the recipe to what I had on hand and doubled it.

DARK CHOCOLATE MUDBALLS

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup oatmeal (can use either quick cooking or regular)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Heat the honey and peanut butter on low until melted.  Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients.  Let cool enough to handle then drop by Tablespoonful onto greased or lined baking sheet.  Place in fridge for 30 min or so.  Store in a cool place (so they don't melt).

Find a printable copy of this recipe here.
 
 
Happily submitted to Frugal Fridays over at Life As Mom where you can find many more money saving ideas submitted by other bloggers.
 
Enjoy!  Sarah
 
from "The Busy ABC"
Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin
1950 Whitman Publishing

Recipe: Coriander Seed Cookies

I know they sound a bit strange but, seriously, go to your spice cupboard now and take some Coriander Seed out and smell it.  Now, isn't that a pleasant smell? 

I'm still trying to clean out my pantry and got curious about what to do with some of my spices.  I had too much Coriander Seed so I used Swagbucks (since July I have $10 earned in Amazon gift cards), and searched for a recipe. 

I came across a great site called The Green Earth Institute where they have recipes listed based on spice or vegetable ingredients.  I made these Coriander Seed Cookies and they are delicious.  I was thinking of adding cinnamon as well but they don't need it as the coriander holds its own.  When they're baking the house is filled with the wonderful scent.  The cookies are moist and chewy with the spicey, almost lemony, taste.

I searched medicinal uses and found on Gardens Ablaze that is used for everything from help with digestion and flatulence, soothing stomachs.  Wow, who knew?

CORIANDER SEED COOKIES

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons ground coriander seeds

3/4 cups softened butter

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon milk

Mix together first 3 ingredients.  Stir in butter.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the  first bowl.  Roll into 1/2 inch balls.  Place on cookie sheet (I used Silpat liner).  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, being careful not to overbake.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!  Sarah