Rhubarb is the first produce to be harvested from my garden and is one of the springtime treats I most look forward to each year. I have developed a lot of recipes using rhubarb and, today, present my recipe for Rhubarb and Pistachio Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. These are tasty drop cookies that are loaded with complementary flavors. Continue reading Rhubarb and Pistachio Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
It’s hard to beat a good Chocolate Chip Cookie, especially one that has a lovely soft texture with a tender crumb and is slightly chewy. Today, I am sharing my recipe for classic Chocolate Chip Cookies. Continue reading Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These old-fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Drop Cookies are a cookie jar favorite. Filled with plump raisins and pecans, the cookies have a delicious flavor profile owing to the combination of warm spices. The cookies have a lovely soft texture with a short, tender crumb and the key to keeping them soft is not to overbake them. Continue reading Oatmeal Raisin Drop Cookies
Hermit Cookies are hearty old-fashioned lightly spiced drop cookies with additions of dried fruits and nuts. There are various recipes for Hermits that call for different add-ins. I add dates, raisins, dried cranberries, and nuts in my recipe. Continue reading Hearty Hermit Cookies Recipe
These Christmas Fruitcake Drop Cookies are what I like to describe as a deconstructed light fruitcake turned into mighty tasty little cookies. The cookies, themselves, are not difficult or complicated to make though there are a couple of time delays required for them. One is the period required to soak the fruit in brandy and the second is the cookie dough resting period in the refrigerator. Continue reading Christmas Fruitcake Drop Cookies
As the old saying goes, there’s more than one way to eat your vegetables and these cookies prove it! This cookie recipe combines ordinary zucchini with chocolate chips that results in yummy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies. Continue reading Zucchini Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies
These hearty Cranberry and Eggnog Cookies are good any time but they are especially good at Christmas. This is because they combine traditional flavors of the season – eggnog, dried cranberries, orange rind, pecans, and the warm spices we associate with Christmas – cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Continue reading Cranberry and Eggnog Drop Cookies
These gluten-free Gumdrop Cookies are very easy to make and are super tasty. They are soft and chewy, studded with colorful fruit-flavored gumdrops. Continue reading Gluten-free Gumdrop Cookies
I have always been a chocolate lover. These chocolate cookies were ones my Mother often made when I was a child. I like the rich chocolate flavour and somewhat chewy center they have. These cookies don’t take any uncommon ingredients or ones most serious bakers wouldn’t have in their cupboards. Of course, using the best cocoa you can find will make for a richer, more flavourful cookie.
This cookie recipe calls for shortening (as opposed to butter). While some think that butter is the only fat to use in baking, I would disagree. There are times when the flavorless shortening can actually produce a better quality baked good with sought-after attributes.
For these cookies, I wanted puffy cookies with a soft, tender texture so shortening was my fat ingredient of choice. This is because shortening has no water content so, unlike butter with its water content, there is no water to create steam. Less steam means less gluten is likely to be formed thus giving the cookies their soft, tender texture.
In addition, shortening has a higher melting point that does butter. This gives the cookie dough a longer chance to set and establish its shape before the fat melts and spreads the cookies out flat. The result? Cookies with a higher rise and a softer, more tender texture. You can read more about the choice of using butter and/or shortening in cookie baking by clicking here.
These cookies are very easy to make and, being drop cookies, there is no rolling the dough and cutting out shapes and no need for any icing. Simply scoop up some dough with a teaspoon and use another to slide the dough off the spoon and on to the cookie sheet. These cookies can be dressed up with 1/2 cup of either chopped nuts, dates, raisins, or even chocolate chips. However, I don’t add any extras to them as I like the smooth texture and flavour they have on their own without any further additions.
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 375F.
With electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk.
Into separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are incorporated.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 10-11 minutes. Do not overbake or cookies will be dry.
Yield: Apx. 3 dozen
These cookies are good any time and make good lunch box treats as well as picnic basket fare. They are especially good with a dish of vanilla ice cream!
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Yield: Apx. 3 dozen
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