March 22, 2022
Is there a COOKIE MONSTER in your life?
This blog is about COOKIES!
Do you ever get tired of the “same old” cookies? Chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, sugar . . . WELL, today is your lucky day! I love to experiment, and I love to bake and eat ALL varieties of cookies – even those that start out as the “same old” cookie!
So, get your creativity flowing – maybe you just need some new ideas, for snacks, lunches, gifts, etc.
Here we go! Let’s see how creative we can get . . .
MISO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
These have a secret ingredient – MISO PASTE, fermented soybean paste. Try it, a different and pleasing taste – something the Cookie Monster in your life might enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup white miso paste or red miso paste (which will turn the dough a pink/red color)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional – 1 t. flavoring such as coconut, butter, chocolate, almond, etc. – maybe match the flavor of your chips you’re using.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (you could also use chunks, milk chocolate, mini, or a flavored chip)
- Optional: And one I recommend – either along with or instead of nuts, crunch up some salted pretzels. Add them to the dough before baking – what a terrific twist on these cookies! And with the MISO? What a flavor boost!
- Non stick cooking spray for the baking sheet
Instructions
- Beat both sugars and butter together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.
- Add egg, miso paste, and vanilla (and other flavors if using) and beat until well mixed.
- Add flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and/or other flavored chips and pretzels if using.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (this is very important in order to have a chewy cookie that doesn’t spread out too much.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or use parchment paper to line the cookie sheets.
- Use a medium ice cream scoop to portion cookie dough on the prepared pans. Use two fingers to lightly flatten each scoop of dough. Bake, rotating and switching the pans halfway through, 13 to 14 minutes for a chewy cookie (a few minutes longer if you like a more well-done cookie.) Eat warm with a glass of milk and cool the rest on a wire rack.
The Miso paste is a little pricy. It can be optional – then they would be a chocolate chip cookie – which is equally as delicious!
And do try other flavorings – I was amazed the other day when I looked at the chocolate chip counter – the variety of flavors of chips is really awesome. Some stores have more flavors than others. And there is usually a bottled flavor extract to match or complement the chip flavor.
Another option is to add nuts – chopped pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pecans, etc.
Another tip: Sprinkle a very small amount of salt on top of the cookie dough before baking. Just a tiny bit!
TOFFEE COOKIE BARS/SQUARES
Easy to make and try! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with these!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- ½ cup shortening (such as Crisco)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk only
- Salt
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 6 oz. package chocolate chips
- 1 6 oz. package toffee chips (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pan with a baking spray or grease and flour.
- Combine all ingredients except chips. Bake in a 9×13” prepared baking pan at 350 deg F oven for about 15 minutes.
- While hot spread with the chocolate chips as they melt from the heat. If using the toffee chips – let set 5 minutes and sprinkle the toffee chips and do not spread.
- Cut and remove from the pan while warm.
DELICIOUS!
RICE KRISPIE MARSHMALLOW TREAT COOKIES
This cookie can be as unique as you can imagine! Add candies to the Rice Krispie cereal mix, use different flavor cereals instead of Rice Krispies, wrap the marshmallow cereal cookie mix around something edible (chocolate candy, chip, or a chocolate egg for Easter.) You could add flavored chips like chocolate, toffee, butterscotch, fruit flavor, etc. Maybe try using dehydrated fruits? Make them in shapes – letters A-Z, holiday shapes, or cool in a shallow pan and cut out shapes (X and O for Valentine’s Day, for example.) The possibilities are endless.
THE BASE RECIPE:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 40 large marshmallows
- 5 cups Rice Krispie (or other crunchy cereal)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- peanut or nut butter (optional)
Instructions
- Melt over low heat in a heavy saucepan – stirring constantly – ¼ cup margarine, 40 large marshmallows. You could add some peanut or other nut butter.
- When melted, add 5 cups Rice Krispie (or other crunchy cereal) and 1 t. vanilla.
- Stir until all is coated.
- Add toppings (candies, nuts, chips, crunched-up Oreo cookies, other cookies, coconut, etc.)
- Press into a 9x9x2” greased pan. Or form into shapes with greased hands – be careful, this will be HOT – maybe let it cool SLIGHTLY, it cools then solidifies. Use a larger pan, then cut out with cookie cutters. Add sticks to make “lollipop treats” while soft and warm. Frost if you choose to after cooled.
Just make sure to have fun with them. Whatever you use or do, they should disappear very fast — these are delicious!
BANANA WALNUT OATMEAL COOKIES
These cookies are full of memories for me. I was first introduced to these Banana Walnut Oatmeal cookies when I spent the summer with my cousins in Southeast Colorado out on a ranch/farm. When I was about 12 years old, my cousin, Helen showed me how to make these cookies. As the years have passed, I’ve added and made them a little creative occasionally but I still love the original recipe. I’m sure you will too. The banana makes them nice and soft.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sifted flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Crisco shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 ¼ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
- Optional — ½ cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, apples, coconut, etc.)
Instructions
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together.
- Beat shortening until creamy.
- Add sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and beat.
- Add bananas, oats, nuts, and other optional ingredients.
- Add flour and blend.
- Drop from teaspoon on to ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 deg F. for 15 minutes or until just done.
FROSTING:
- ¼ cup mashed ripe bananas
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons soft butter
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- Combine well until smooth but will still have some mashed banana texture. Which is perfectly fine.
- Frost with an offset spatula or dip the tops of the cookies into the frosting and let sit until the icing is set.
Here is an option for you: DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA WALNUT COOKIES
Add an extra ½ cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, another ¼ cup of shortening (or make it 1 cup soft margarine or butter), and 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Another variation: Instead of chocolate, make the original banana oatmeal cookie, but add chopped dates. Added chew, added flavor.
SNICKERDOODLES
A popular favorite with my daughters, both to eat and to make. They are easy. A variation on a sugar cookie but has a little different texture and the spices give it a different flavor. Doesn’t mean you can’t get creative though! These are traditional, but add small chopped dried fruits, nuts, mini chips of any flavor. You could even add some crispy cereal and/or butterscotch chips.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft shortening (such as Crisco or you can use part butter or margarine)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoon cinnamon (before baking)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 deg F.
- Mix shortening, sugar, and egg thoroughly.
- Measure flour by dip-level-pour method. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. And stir in.
- Form into balls the size of a small walnut. Roll balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Place about 2” apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen.
Adding optional fruits, nuts, chips, cereal, all give it extra texture and they won’t spread quite as much.
Do enjoy!
I hope I’ve shown you that once you’ve mastered a cookie recipe, technique, and textures along with appropriate measurements of fat and liquid to dry ingredients, you can pretty much change tastes around to make them not only YOUR OWN but unique and even perhaps a brand new recipe.
You can add sugar substitutes for cookie recipes. And you can use liquids other than milk, margarine which is made from oil instead of butter or a really good shortening like Crisco, and pretzels in place of nuts. Substitutions may not always work, but if you’re careful, most of them should work and give you a different taste and texture. You might need to change baking time or temperature, but once you get into the baking process, you’ll be amazed, maybe even surprised, how you can master your own baking!
I wish you the best, and may all your COOKIE MONSTERS be happy cookie monsters!
Bon Appétit
With love,
To download this recipe, click here.