Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies

source: gina's skinny recipes  www.skinnytaste.com
posted by Lisa

I just can't say no to sweets.  So, I am always on the look out for something that is low sugar but still satisfying!  I tried this recipe for the first time today and I like it.  I might cook them a little longer next time to see if they crisp up a bit, but the flavor and texture are nice.  I used semi sweet choc because I didn't have dark on hand.  

Servings: 22 • Size: 1 sandwich • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 66 • Fat: 3 g • Protein: 1 g • Carb: 10 g • Fiber: 0 g • Sugar: 7 g 
Sodium: 7 mg • Cholesterol: 6 mg 


Ingredient List:

1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c old fashioned oats
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp 1% milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz dark choc melted (calculated with 1 oz only)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375degrees.  Line two baking sheets with, parchment paper, set aside.

In medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and oats, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine melted butter, milk, honey, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Drop 1 level tsp of batter onto prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them.  They spread in the oven.

Bake for 7-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Spread melted chocolate in a thin layer on the bottom of one cookie and sandwich it with another one.  Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched.

Store in air tight container and enjoy!

Crisp Oatmeal Cookies

 These have become my new favorite cookie.  I just love how the edges have a crunch and the inside has a chewy texture.  You can mix in some of your favorites aslo!  Even the kids like these. They don't like the soft oatmeal ones, but these are gone instantly.  Enjoy!

Source:  www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional) I toast it 1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate I use white chips (optional) I add 1/2 cup macadamia nuts or peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter until well blended. Mix in the oats, coconut and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
3.	Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned.

HONEY PEACH CRICKLES COOKIES

Submitted By: Lisa

Source:  adapted from recipe on www.cooks.com 

I ordered some honey today for our food storage.  I ordered it because it lasts forever, and it was suggested as a good sweetener for storage.  Then I sat down and, knowing that I don't necessarily like honey, I thought I better start finding recipes that include it, or it will sit in storage un-used forever!

I found this recipe and thought it would be a good start since it included both honey and sugar. (baby steps you know)

I added a fresh peach and some cinnamon to it and before I finished scooping up the 2nd pan to put into the oven, the kids had eaten the 1st pan full!  

They are really good, and delicate cookies.

2 c. sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. cooking oil
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Extra granulated sugar to drop cookies into

**My additions:  1 fresh peach, 1 tsp cinnamon 

1. Combine flour and soda thoroughly; set aside. Beat oil with sugar; add egg and beat well. 

2.Peel peach and cut into small pieces, place in frying pan with 1 tsp butter, and slowly saute for just a few minutes until softened.  Sprinkle the cinnamon over them and stir.

3. Stir in honey and vanilla, then add dry ingredients;  add in the peaches, blend. 

4. Drop with teaspoon into sugar. (my dough was very soft, I used 2 forks to sort of flip over the glop of dough and then lift onto the cookie sheet) ** I also put the dough in the fridge in between each pan so it would stiffen up a little.
Shape into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet three inches apart. 

5. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

German Twists

These were good, but the kids liked them better when I added the jam, even though they didn't hold together like I had hoped. (see the bottom of the post)  They ate all of them though, jam or no jam, so I consider it a hit!

Posted by Lisa

Source: www.allrecipes.com

German Twists Submitted By: Kaadee Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 3 Hours 45 Minutes Servings: 24 "A rich and tender sour cream cookie, raised with yeast, reveals delicate sugary layers as it bakes. Serve the traditional German treat for Oktoberfest or just have some with coffee anytime. The dough can be baked after 2 hours of chilling but it's better if chilled overnight." Ingredients: 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 3 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, sliced 3/4 cup sour cream 1 large egg 2 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup white sugar, or as needed Directions: 1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl and let activate while you complete remaining steps. 2. Place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Scatter butter slices over flour and process until butter is thoroughly mixed into the flour, about 1 minute. 3. Whisk yeast mixture, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; pour mixture into food processor. Pulse several times, just until the dough starts to hold together and clean the sides of the bowl (do not overmix). Remove dough from food processor and divide in half; form each half into a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. For best texture, refrigerate overnight. 4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. 5. Sprinkle a work surface generously with sugar and roll out one of the dough disks into an 8x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle dough with a generous amount of sugar. Fold the dough over in thirds, letter-style, and roll out again; fold as before and roll out and fold a third time, sprinkling dough with sugar each time. Finally, roll dough into a 4x14-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat process with second dough disk. 6. Cut strips from the short side of the dough rectangles, making them 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Place strips onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, twisting and slightly stretching them. If preferred, form into horseshoe shapes. 7. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies will puff up a bit to reveal delicate layers. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks. ***I took the 2nd 1/2 of the dough and made little danishes out of it with raspberry jam.  They were sooo delicious, but you would want to seal them better than I did.*** When they cooked, all the tops that I pinched together, separated and no longer looked so cute...but they were still tasty!

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

These cookies have been a long-time favorite. If you need a deep, dark chocolate fix and want more than just a hunk of chocolate (though that definitely has its time and place), look no further. Sometimes you just need the substance of a cookie, you know? That beautiful aroma of the warm, dark chocolate coming out of the oven is irresistible. My kids came flocking (and with 5 kids, they really do flock) when they started to smell these. One of my kids said, "Are they just brownies in a cookie shape?" I had to say "no," because while they are very chocolatey like brownies, there's something different. Maybe it's because more surface area is exposed to the heat of the oven and that makes them chewier? Maybe it's because you can eat it without crumbs falling all over from all sides? Oh, I'm just rambling now, but the bottom line is that these are fantastic cookies and anyone I've ever fed them to agrees. I wish I could take credit for the recipe!

When my sisters were recently visiting I brought some of these to the airport when I picked them up. It was a good way to start the weekend. By the next day they were calling them "devil cookies" because none of us could stop eating them! If you're wondering if it's worth using so much chocolate on one recipe, don't bother. It's totally worth it.

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 oz) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar

12 oz. (2 C.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overbeat. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes then transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough.

Source: The New Best Recipe

Sugar Cookie Bars

Submitted by Heather

(Sorry for the dark pictures.  I had to quickly take a shot of these cookie bars at night, because they were flying out of the pan fast.)

Raise your hand if you love those round sugar cookies with half an inch of pink or yellow (or whatever color!) frosting on top.  They seem to be an obsession among certain friends and kids I know, but I have never been able to fully embrace them.  They always lure me into taking a bite, thinking that they're going to be delicious this time.  Some people are going to argue with me that they ARE delicious, but to me they have an artificial flavor that I can't get over.   

Enter these wonderful sugar cookie bars.  They are great for many reasons.  First, does anyone hate how time-intensive sugar cookies are? Oh, I really like to make them sometimes, because I want to decorate cute shapes for the holidays, but sometimes I just want the sugar cookie taste without all the work.  That's why these are so perfect - you make the dough, press it in the jellyroll pan and you're done!  

Secondly, the frosting is really fluffy and delicious.  And if I'm truthful, the frosting is the whole reason for the cookie. Even if you don't love cream cheese, try this frosting.  My friend who doesn't like cream cheese said she actually really liked this frosting. 

And a third reason, as if you need another reason, is that this recipe makes A LOT of cookie bars.  That means you can share the wealth with friends and neighbors and still have enough for yourself.  I mean,you'll still have enough for your KIDS.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased 13 x 18" baking sheet (or a jellyroll pan, which is approx. 12x17"). Bake at 375 degrees for about 14-17 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean (they won't look done so do the toothpick test). Cool completely (sometimes I put them in the freezer to speed up the process) and frost.

Here's what they look like out of the oven.  Not pretty, but with a nice, thick coating of fluffy frosting it doesn't matter.

Fluffy Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened

1 tsp vanilla (you can also use almond extract)

¼ tsp salt

4 cups powdered sugar

3-5 Tbsp milk

food coloring (if desired)

sprinkles (I would say optional, but my kids would say "required")

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time (you may not need it all) and beat until fluffy and smooth. Spread over cooled cookie bars.  Dig in!

Source: adapted slightly from the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Submitted by Heather

These cookies are wonderful!  They're definitely on my list of favorites.  Peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate...what a great combination in a cookie.  Every time I make them, they bake up nice and thick and have such a delicious flavor.  I used chunky peanut butter, so I think the 'peanutty' flavor was upped even more by the fact that there were chunks of peanuts in the cookie.  My kids loved these and I refuse to admit the embarrassing number of them I ate during "quality control" testing.  

Makes about 32 cookies

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. butter, at room temperature
1 C. peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1 C. sugar
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 C. rolled oats
2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips or M&Ms or peanut butter chips (I used all three)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips/M&Ms/peanut butter chips.

4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Source: browneyedbaker.com

Shirley's Oreos

Submitted by Lisa

These cookies I have been making for about 15 years.  We love them.  I got the recipe from a neighbor I had when I lived in Utah.  Her name was Shirley.  The recipe calls for german chocolate cake mix, but I use all different kinds of cake mixes depending on my mood or what I have on hand.

Today, I happened to have a stars and stripes cake mix on hand so I am using that!  (my favorite way though is with the chocolate cake mix)

Ingredients:

2 boxes of german chocolate cake mix  (you can substitute other flavors)
4 eggs
1 1/2 C crisco

Mix all ingredients together until completely incorporated.  Roll into small walnut size balls.  Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 min at 350.

Cool on paper towels or paper bags.

Filling:

The easy way:  buy a can of frosting

The homemade way:
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cube butter softened
1 lb or so of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Mix that together


Assemble:

Frost one cookie and then add another cookie to make a sandwich.
Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Submitted by: Lisa

There is a story with this one. I had a bag of Peanut Butter M&M's and I thought it would be delicious to make a chocolate cookie and put them in it. Well all the recipes I could find online called for cocoa. Well, I didn't have any cocoa but I have tubs, literally, of high quality chocolate pieces.

I decided to "adjust" one of the recipes to use melted chocolate instead of the dry cocoa. A little unsure of how to do that, I just treated the chocolate as if it was an unsweetened chocolate square. So I removed some of the butter that the recipe called for and followed the conversion instructions on the (empty) cocoa container for using chocolate squares and walla...we have a cookie! They are really pretty good. The texture was nice an chewy, and the flavor of the chocolate is mild. But I consider it a hit and will probably do a bit more experimenting with other recipes now that this was a success.

1 stick plus 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 1/2 oz (weight) of good quality milk chocolate, melted

1 bag (11.4 oz) of Peanut Butter M & M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Melt the chocolate. Add to the Butter mixture and mix thoroughly.

Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt

Mix together until the dough appears completely combined. Add the M & M's and stir them into the dough. Drop by two teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Or roll into balls, place about two inches apart on the sheet.

Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Allow to cool on the sheet for about one minute before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bliss

Submitted by Heather

I don't really feel like I need a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, but everywhere I look there is someone claiming THEIRS is the best/softest/chocolatiest, etc..  I've tried many and  found some great recipes.  This recipe caught my eye because it 1) uses bread flour and cake flour, which is unique and 2) requires (okay, strongly requests) that you wait at least a day before  you bake them.  What?!  The idea is that with the wait time, the flour in the cookies have enough time to hydrate, resulting in a much drier dough and a softer and chewier cookie.  At least I think that's the science behind it!  


I will say that these cookies are wonderful.  The texture is crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and the little surprise of salt sprinkled on the top is very welcome and delicious.  So, make the dough and hide it at the back of your fridge so that no one knows you made it (allowing yourself, of course, to snitch some of the dough during the long wait).  Then you can surprise everyone with some fantastic cookies the next day and they'll all wonder where they came from.  Heaven.

By the way, the cookies in the picture at the top and bottom of this post are sitting on the same plate, but used very different quantities of dough. The average-sized-cookies at the top of this post are made with a cookie scoop that holds about 2 Tablespoons of dough, and the ones right above this paragraph followed the instructions in the recipe below which required me to weigh them (about 3 1/2 ounces).  The small ones are yummy, but you must also try the big ones - the contrast in textures is delish.


The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

•2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour * leave the TBs in for high altitude*
•1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
•1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used kosher salt)
•2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
•1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
•1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
•2 large eggs
•2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
•1 1/4 pounds (20 oz.) bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
•Sea salt (or kosher salt)

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt/kosher salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

source:  http://www.thesisterscafe.com/ (and The New York Times, David Leite and Jacques Torres)

Puddles (by guest cook, Susan Kolberg)

Puddles are a non-bake cookie type treat I made for my 6 children while they grew up. Four of those children are my daughters Lisa, Heather, Melanie, and Hannah who make up this "Minnesota Bread Blog". I am a guest in Lisa's kitchen today.

Some of Lisa's kids and their cousins are playing outside on this mid April and snow covered day. (The fact that it snowed last night is just wrong) Nevertheless, Lisa mentioned that the kids might like a sweet treat, so I looked in our family cookbook called; Memorable Minnesota Meals & Munchies, Dec. 2000. On page 63 I found our Puddle recipe.

Here goes:

Ingredient List:

2 C sugar

1/2 C milk

3 T cocoa

3 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter or margerine ( I use butter)

1/2 C peanut butter ( We like crunchy)

3 C quick oatmeal

Bring sugar, milk, cocoa, vanilla, and butter to a full boil. Boil for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (boil too long and cookies fall apart, boil too short and your puddles spread---good luck on your guessing)

Turn off heat and add peanut butter, stirring until melted. Stir in Oatmeal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper or parchment or silicone baking sheets and allow to cool.

Yum.

Signing off -- Grandma Kolberg

Monster Marshmallow Cookies

All I can say is....Oh yeah, this is a keeper! I found this recipe in one of my favorite magazines: Food Network Magazine (April 2011 issue). I made a few adjustments that coincided with my likings of course! : )

2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 c granulated sugar

1 c light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temp

1 tbsp vanilla

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/4 c crispy rice cereal

1 c milk chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)

1 c coarsely chopped pecans (I used peanuts )

1 c miniature marshmallows (I only had the regular size, I cut them up)

For the Topping

1/2 c milk choc chips (I used semi sweet)

1/2 c miniature marshmallows

2 1/2 tsp half and half (I used skim milk)

Pinch of cayenne pepper ( I didn't use)

1/3 c finely chopped pecans (I didn't use)

1. Make the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (or spray them) Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl.

2. In separate bowl, beat the butter and both sugars with mixer until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.

3. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined.

4. Stir in the oats, cereal, chocolate chips, pecans and marshmallows into the dough.

5. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared sheet, about 3 inches apart.

6. Bake the cookies until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Transfer to racks and cool.

8. Make the Topping: Combine the chocolate chips, marshmallow, and half and half and cayenne in a saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.

9. Drizzle the mixture over the cookies and let set. ( mine was never quite smooth enough to "drizzle"...)

**Tip** Don't try to remove the cookie from the cookie sheet until it has cooled for a couple of minutes. You will have issues.