A Very Fortunate 'Mistake'

Have you ever wondered why people call chocolate chip cookies 'Tollhouse Cookies'?

I have, many times. I wonder why all kinds of things are called what they are...why do you ask? My mind can be a confusing place sometimes...but I like it there! :)

So as I was pondering what to do with the kids on this icy morning (since school has been canceled), I went immediately to the most obvious choice...bake cookies! Who doesn't love cookies? And it's a win-win, because the kids can be involved and they really enjoy it! However, as I was considering what kind of cookies to make, and (of course) chocolate chip came to mind, I started wondering again (for the 874th time) why people call them Tollhouse Cookies.

What did we ever do without Google, people? It is by far one of the most important tools in this house. And no, I am not kidding. So I took some time to do a little research, and guess what? I'm going to share with you the reason chocolate chip cookies are so often referred to as Tollhouse Cookies!

Apparently, a woman named Ruth Wakefield (and her husband, of course) operated a New England lodge called the Tollhouse Inn, so named because the house was originally a "toll house" where travelers stopped to pay a toll for using the highway. While their horses were being taken care of, they enjoyed a home cooked meal in the toll house. Anyway, one evening she was preparing to make her favorite treat, Butter Drop Do cookies, and though the recipe called for baker's chocolate, she had none. Can you imagine? I would be in a state of distress! HaHa! So what did Ruth do? She had a bar of semi-sweet chocolate, a gift from Andrew Nestle of the one and only Nestle Chocolate Company...so she chopped it up into small pieces and used it in place of the baker's chocolate. Although she expected the chocolate to melt into the cookie like baker's chocolate would, it didn't. Oh, of course the morsels softened up a bit, but they didn't disperse and become part of the cookie.

She served the cookies to her guests, and before long, the word was out about these amazing cookies! The recipe was published in a local paper, and soon was featured on the Betty Crocker radio series, "Famous Foods from Famous Eating Places". Eventually, Mrs. Wakefield cut a deal with Nestle and offered to let them print the recipe on their packages of semisweet chocolate in exchange for a lifetime supply of their chocolate! What a deal, eh? Yes, Mrs. Wakefield, I think we'd have gotten along just fiiiiiine.

And as you all know, the Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe has become the most popular cookie of all time. Talk about a VERY fortunate mistake!

So there you have it! Now you (and I) both know why chocolate chip cookies are referred to as Tollhouse cookies! Or maybe it's the other way around, since they were called Tollhouse cookies first. Oh well, no matter! They are still the most scrumptious cookie in my book!!!

Orange Cornmeal Cookies

It never ceases to amaze me what chefs and bakers throw in a bowl together to create dinner and dessert. When I peruse recipes and read an ingredient list that doesn't "add up" I cannot help myself from reading the entire recipe because I need to know how they plan to make it work.

I have learned over the years that everything works together....EVERYTHING! I added a Granny Smith Apple to soup last week for Pete's sake and it was fantastic, so in my world...in my kitchen...anything goes!

When I saw this cookie recipe in a magazine and the title read "Lime and Cornmeal Cookies" I was like...."Of course!" ;)

It was late evening when I came upon this little gem, so bright and early the next morning I was in the kitchen creating this weird cookie. The recipe gave permission to substitute orange juice and orange zest for the lime, and since I had no lime at the time, I went with orange.

Delicious!

The recipe suggested drizzling melted chocolate over the orange cookies, but I felt the chocolate dominated the delicate taste of the cookie, so I went with the icing instead.

These cookies are refreshing and delightful. You could eat seven of them in one sitting and still go back for more.....or is that just me?

I made them one week later with lime and orange for comparison purposes and I personally prefer the orange. My "taste-testers" loved them both and made it clear that they would be perfectly happy if I made either of them again.


Orange Cornmeal Cookies

1-1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
One Egg
One Tablespoon Orange Zest
One Tablespoon Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat gently. Add vanilla, orange juice and zest. Then add flour and cornmeal and mix until a nice dough forms.

Roll into a ball and chill for at least one hour. Roll into a log and chill in fridge for 4-8 hours. Slice 1/4 inch thick slices and place on baking stone. Bake for 11-12 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

When cooled, drizzle with icing.

Buckeye Candy - The Good Stuff!

It's Buckeye Time again so we're reposting this little number........

Go Bucks!!!

~~~~~~

For those of you living under a rock, or outside the state of Ohio or Michigan, tomorrow is the BIG game between the OSU Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines. Of course, OSU will crush Michigan and as they do that, we'll all be cheering them on while wearing our Buckeye shirts, hats, and of course, our buckeye necklaces.

We wear the buckeyes around our neck because we can't eat them, due to the fact that they're mildly toxic. Instead, we take peanut butter and chocolate and create a candy that we can eat that looks just like a buckeye - smart, eh?

This is the thing, though....these Buckeye candies are super sweet and super horrible for you! It's never stopped us from making them or eating them, but we thought to ourselves, "There has to be a better way...."

And there is!

We posted a recipe not long ago of a family favorite called Peanut Butter Balls - remember them? They're a huge hit among kids and adults alike. As I ate one the other day, I thought to myself, "Wow, these are so good!" And then it happened....the light bulb moment...dipped in chocolate, these could pass as Buckeyes, easy!

Check out the difference in ingredients - but beware - the difference will shock you. This may be our greatest discovery yet!

ORIGINAL Buckeyes: 10 tablespoons butter, 3-1/4 cups powdered sugar, one cup peanut butter, and one tablespoon vanilla.

OUR Buckeyes: 4 tablespoons butter, one cup honey, one cup peanut butter, two cups dry milk powder, and one tablespoon vanilla.

The difference in butter and sugar alone is astounding!


Okay, here it is, the New recipe.....



Buckeye Candy - The Good Stuff!

4 Tablespoons Butter
One Cup Honey (no substitutes, please)
One Cup Peanut Butter
Two Cups Dry Milk Powder
One Tablespoon Vanilla
1-1/2 Cups Cherrios, mildly crushed
(in this recipe we crush the cereal a little because we don't want the O's sticking out and destroying the illusion of the Buckeye, but we don't want to leave them out either, because they add texture and fiber - and we could all use a little more fiber, wouldn't you agree?)

Melt butter and honey over low heat until hot and thinned. Remove from heat. Add powdered milk, peanut butter, and vanilla - mix well. This works the best with a big ol' Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add cereal and mix well.

Roll into any size ball you want - think of a Buckeye, here......

Place in fridge to let them harden a bit. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Take 5-6 peanut butter balls from the fridge at a time so they don't get soft, and puncture them with a toothpick one at a time, dipping them into the chocolate, leaving a bare spot on top - like a Buckeye - and place on a piece of parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set.

Once set, EAT!

Note: The recipe given above is a doubled recipe of the original Peanut Butter Ball recipe. This recipe will make approximately 60 small-medium Buckeyes.


Go Buckeyes!

Beat Michigan!

Betty G's Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oatmeal

click on photo to enlarge, then begin the drooling process

When my childhood friend, Jen came to play for the weekend, she showed up with a perky plate of chocolate chip cookies. I had just gotten home from work and had not eaten dinner, so my resistance to the cookie was super, super low - I ate three. When I got up on Saturday morning and started my day with two more cookies I knew something had to be done, and soon. I hid them. I figured out of sight....out of mind and it worked!

Jen left around noon on Sunday and a few hours later I rediscovered the cookies hidden in the cupboard.

Surprise!!!

It was like Christmas morning in July! As excited as I was to be reunited with them, I was now alone in my house with a plate full of cookies loaded with mucho chocolate chips. I didn't stand a chance. After I indulged in yet another sinful cookie, I knew I had to share them with the world, so I immediately emailed Jen to get the recipe while I crunched on one last cookie (had to be absolutely certain they were blog-worthy). I thought she told me the recipe came from our other childhood friend, Jen, who now lives in Vermont.

When I finally received the much anticipated email, I noticed the recipe was actually Vermont Jen's mother's cookie recipe, which made perfect sense. Betty was always a great cook and baker when we were growing up and everything she made tasted like it just fell from heaven's kitchen. I felt honored to have Betty's recipe in my possession, as I hope now you feel honored to have it in yours!!!

Happy Cookie Making!!!

Oh....and this little number does NOT get filed away under Healthy.... it falls somewhere between Yum Mee! and Oh My!

Betty G's Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oatmeal

1-1/2 Cups Flour
One Teaspoon Baking Soda
One Teaspoon Salt
One Egg
1 1/2 Tablespoons Vanilla
1-1/4 Cups Butter
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Quaker Rolled Oats
2 Cups Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 Cup Chopped Pecans


Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well until blended.
Add the oats, chocolate, and pecans.

Bake 9-10 minutes for a chewy cookie. Bake 11-12 minutes for crispy.

Below is what crispy looks like.....

Makes 72 cookies EXACTLY!

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Okay, so the truth is.....we've been mesmerized by the sunshine, distracted by the beautiful blue skies, and totally slacking on our job of getting fabulous new recipes to you. Actually, we did just make a fabulous meal together which gave us four new recipes to pass along to you, but we don't have them ready for you just yet, so we're re-sharing one of our favorite cookies in case you missed it the first time. These should keep you very happy for awhile....

What do they say - there is an exception to every rule?

This recipe is one of our exceptions to the rule of never using boxed mixes. BUT, in our defense once you taste these cookies and then your spouse tastes them, and then your children taste them, and your parents taste them, you will all be so in love with them, you will understand why this has become an exception to the rule.

AND, these cookies are the easiest cookies you will ever make that look like they came straight from the bakery. We assure you, that when we figure out a way to make them without the box, we will share that recipe with you too. Until then....

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

One Box of Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 Cup Oil
2 Eggs

Filling
4 Ounces Cream Cheese
One Tablespoon Butter
1/4 Cup Sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, oil, and egg until completely blended. Then roll the batter into little balls and place on a cookie sheet or stone one inch apart. We hate to be picky about the size of each little ball, but each one must be the exact same size, so when it comes time to finding them the perfect partner to make a sandwich with, we don't have complete chaos. Of course, if you like your sandwiches a little wild and crazy, then roll each ball into whatever size you choose!

As these bake for 10-12 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar to make the creamy filling.

As you pull the cookies from the oven, you will notice them flattening a bit and by the time you remove them from the stone they should be completely flat - perfect sandwich material!

Once the cookies are cooled, we begin the sandwich mating process. We start by choosing a cookie from the crowd. Then we search through the sea of remaining cookies for their perfect other half. Once we are happy with our match, we make the union official by bonding them with a little cream filling. For those of you with busy lives and more important things to do, you might just grab a random cookie, then another random cookie, and smoosh them together with some filling. That's cool too!

Now for our favorite part - the wiggle room factor!

If you like peanut butter with your chocolate, just add a little bit of peanut butter to the cream cheese filling and you have a wonderful chocolate peanut butter taste.

If you like the flavor of orange with Chocolate, or the ever-popular cherry flavor, drop a few drops of Orange Oil or Almond Extract in with the filling and create another wonderful flavor.

OR, you could separate the filling into three small bowls and make three different flavored cookies from one single batch! Like Magic - three cookies at once!

Also, choose your size when it comes to the cookie. You can make them as big as monster cookies or as cute and petite as the ones pictured above. However, if you're bringing them to a party, we highly recommend the smaller version, because they will disappear faster than cheese on a mousetrap!

White Chocolate Cookies with Pomegranate Jam

Cookie, cookie, cookie! Everybody loves cookies! It's the number one thing baking in ovens all around the world at Christmas time. Let's see.....there's chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and probably the most popular - the decorated sugar cookie. But if you're one of those plucky bakers always in search of something unique and exciting that will raise a few eyebrows and please a few palates, then you're in luck, because we have the perfect cookie for you!

BUT! If we're going to think outside the cookie box, we want to do it in style, which means cutting no corners. This festive cookie will undoubtedly please the eye, but in the end, it's the palate we most want to impress.

This is a white chocolate cookie...and we know there's no such thing as "white" chocolate, but yet there is such a thing as white chocolate. We've tasted some lousy ones and we've tasted some outstanding ones. We suggest you choose the best one for this cookie. And one of our favorite white chocolates, that in our book, achieves stellar status is Callebaut. We normally find it at Whole Foods, sold in big chunks. It's not cheap, but remember, it's worth it! Just take a walk on over to the cheese counter and kindly request that they cut it down to your size. No problem!

You may have your own favorite brand of white chocolate, but we ask that you don't assume they're all the same - they're not! Choose a delicious white chocolate and you will have a delicious new cookie that kids and adults will love!


White Chocolate Cookies with Pomegranate Jam

1/2 Cup Butter
One Cup Sugar
One Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
8 Ounces and 3 Ounces White Chocolate, Chopped
2 Eggs
2-3/4 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Jam

Melt just 4 ounces of the white chocolate over a double boiler. In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt. When combined, beat in eggs and melted white chocolate.

Beat in flour and add remaining 4 ounces of chopped white chocolate.

Drop 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes. Let cookies cool.

Over stove, melt the jam. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam on top of each cookie.

Over stove, melt 3 ounces white chocolate. Drizzle over each cookie.

Enjoy!

Note: Any jam of your liking can be substituted in this recipe....raspberry, strawberry, blueberry......In fact, you could arrange a variety of different colors of "jammed" cookies and have yourself a dazzling display of flavors.

Note: Once the jam and white chocolate is set, these cookies freeze very well. When removed from the freezer, they can stack on top of one another without sticking to each other.

Bragging Note: Recently, when served at a party alongside five other magnificent desserts, such as Tiramisu, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Mousse Cups with Raspberries, Pecan Pie, and Key Lime Cheesecake, these little White Chocolate Cookies were the only dessert that completely disappeared. I brought home an empty plate!

Ta-da!

Mission Accomplished!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cookies...who doesn't love them?

I mean, there are so many different flavors and textures, what's not to love? From plain, unfrosted sugar cookies to double chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin, and especially all those wonderful creations that only make their way out of the kitchen at Christmastime, cookies are as American to us as baseball and apple pie!! It's easy to get stuck in a rut of making the same cookies every time, and we're no different...but we're trying to break out of our norm and give all those new potentially awesome recipes out there a try. We love our Sweet Pumpkin Chippers first and foremost - because we make them with Ghiradelli chips, of course - but this recipe was sent to me by my friend Anita last fall, and we decided we had to try it. If one pumpkin cookie recipe is good, two can only be better, right?

Give these a try, folks!! You won't be disappointed. When I first made them, my dog stole seven of them off the counter and left two with the frosting licked off...no joke. Of course, I blamed my 3 year old son, who vehemently proclaimed his innocence...until I saw the cream cheese frosting on Scout's whiskers. So from ALL of us (even Scout), these are definitely worth the trouble!!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1 tbsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese

Heat oven to 375. Cream butter, sugar, and pumpkin. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and mix in with the creamed ingredients. Drop from spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Beat frosting ingredients until smooth, and frost cookies after they have cooled.

**Note: This is the original recipe, but I like to use 1/2 oat flour and 1/2 white flour, and I also add 1-2 tsp. of flax meal. You know what we always say..."just wing it!!"

Southern Sour Cream Cookies

When we were growing up, one of the cookies Mom always made was the Southern Sour Cream Cookie. They were one of my favorite to make because I was always eager to grease the bottom of a juice glass, dip it in cinnamon sugar, and smash the cookies with it. What fun for a kid...and also a great way to get them involved!

These cookies are very soft with a mild taste. In fact, upon your first bite, you may think "These are nothing special...what's the big deal?" But I assure you, these cookies will have you coming back for more! For some reason, they call to you from the cookie jar. They're great with tea, and I'm sure they'd be good with coffee too...but we wouldn't know that personally, because Sheri and I don't drink it! So if you're a coffee drinker, try these out with your coffee and let us know!

Southern Sour Cream Cookies

1 c. shortening (I use butter, of course!)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream
5 c. flour
3 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream shortening (or butter, if you don't fear the butter!!) with 2 cups of sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream and mix well. Sift the flour with the soda into the creamed mixture. The dough will get very thick...don't worry about it at all. Drop the cookies by teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Now mix the 3 tbsp sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl or ramekin. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass and dip it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and press each cookie to flatten. You may have to re-grease the bottom of the glass periodically. Slide them in the oven and bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so.

Pour yourself a big glass of milk, or a cup of coffee and sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labor! And then quickly pack up the rest and take them to work! It's the only way to stop yourself, AND you'll be the most popular person in your office...well, for the day anyway. :)

Oh My! Molasses Softies!

Don’t Molasses Softies sound yummy in the tummy? That’s what I asked my nieces and nephew the first time we made them together. Of course, what child doesn’t think cookies sound deelish? And when kids help in the kitchen, they always love what they help create.

I know when I volunteered in the kitchen as a youngster, I was always looking for any opportunity to grab a taste of something sweet. My nieces are no different. Sweet Emma was just two years old when she dipped her little finger in the powdered ginger, and boy was she disappointed! She couldn’t scrape that powder from her tongue fast enough.

Then, while I was tending to Emma, her older sister, Abby saw the chance to take a quit swig of the vanilla extract – and she too, was unpleasantly surprised. I had to laugh about that one. I assured her that a person only makes that mistake once.

As tempted as you’ll probably be to taste test ingredients yourself, try to show a little restraint while making these cookies. That way, you’ll be plenty ready to taste the warm soft cookies when they’re pulled from the oven.

Molasses Softies

Four Cups Flour
1-1/3 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Blackstrap Molasses
3 Tablespoons Karo or Brown Rice Syrup
2 Tablespoons Milk
One Egg
One Cup Butter
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1-1/2 Teaspoons Ginger
1-1/2 Teaspoons Clove

As with all cookies, we beat the butter and sugar together first. Then we add the molasses, syrup, egg, and milk until smooth. In a separate bowl, blend all the dry ingredients, add them to the wet ingredients, and mix them all together.
Roll the dough into little balls and then roll them around in some sugar. Place each little future cookie on a baking stone and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
When those twelve minutes are up, you’re going to open the oven door to beautifully flattened molasses cookies. After they sit for a minute or two, grab one for a taste test and prepared to be impressed!

We use Brown Rice Syrup as a healthy alternative to Karo syrup. We hope you give the brown rice syrup a try if you’ve never used it before.

Even though many people use white sugar, we prefer Raw Turbinado Sugar that can be found in your regular grocery store. Jen points out that rolling the little balls of dough in the Turbinado sugar adds the perfect little crunch to this cookie.
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Coming Soon..... Popeye's Favorite!

Sweet Pumpkin Chocolate Chippers

1 c. butter, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached all-purpose white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

These cookies are divine! The pumpkin adds some much-needed vitamins and nutrients, as well as keeping these babies nice and moist.

Anywho...the cookies are wonderful, plain and simple. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of toasted peanuts and 1 cup of raisins, as well as reducing the chocolate chips to 1/2 cup. Oh, the horror!!! If you're going to use chocolate, for goodness sake, USE IT!!! I like the original version (with more chocolate, of course), but my hubby and daughter have a "thing" about nuts in their baked goods.

My sister has it too. Weirdos.

But hey, if your family will eat them with raisins and peanuts, GO FOR IT!!! Increase the nutritional value!! And then bring some for me, because I like them that way too.
Now let's get on with it, shall we?

Prepare thy oven! Get that baby heated to 375!

Now we'll start as all good cookie recipes start...with creaming the butter and sugar. When that looks nice and smooth, add the pumpkin, egg, vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. You can sift it if you have a sifter...I just use a fork. I'm simple like that.

Now gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir to form a soft batter and then add the chocolate chips ( I HIGHLY recommend the Ghiradelli chips!!). Now, take a moment to thank God for chocolate. And for Matthew McConnaughey. And hey, don't feel guilty if you just have to stick your finger in the batter for a taste. We all do it...it's ok!

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, making sure to leave some room for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12-15 minutes. I find that these cookies take some practice to get right as far as the cooking time. Don't be afraid to leave them in until you see a little browning around the edges. Now hurry and get your glass of milk, because you're going to want it with these tasty little treats!

And here's a tip...I usually put a few back just for me in a special hiding place, because the cookie monsters have a way of eating them in 10 minutes flat. They don't last long!

Coming Soon... A Chicken Soup Like No Other, To Warm Your Hungry Belly!