Recently in Cookies from Home

• 3/4 cup pecan halves
• 1 stick, unsalted butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large organic egg
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade (but not flavored pie filling)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Favorite Homemade Granola Protein Bars

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup whey protein
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup locally made organic honey
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 ounces chopped combination of your favorite dried fruit such as cranberries, blueberries, golden raisins and apricots

Method:

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and flax seed and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and protein, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Shipping Overseas:

• Individually wrap bars in plastic wrap, place them in disposable plastic containers lined with crumpled wax paper. Colorful paper mache boxes also work nicely.
• Place your containers in a second larger box that is cushioned by crumpled wax paper or bubble wrap.
• A friendly letter or greeting is always appreciated. Be sure to include one with your care package.

Best Peanut Butter Cookies

I love good peanut butter cookies.  When I make them, I make a lot of them to give to other people.  This recipe will make about 5 dozen cookies.  If you don't want to make that many, you can simply cut all ingredient quantities in half. I opted for a larger recipe as many of these cookies are being made by military families who want to send cookies to Iraq or overseas.  

This recipe was adapted from a Carole Bloom recipe in her book, The Essential Baker.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup organic unsalted butter (softened at room temp)
• 1 cup peanut butter, chunky texture  and at room temp (freshly ground at the grocery store is best!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 extra large organic eggs (at room temp )
• 1 tsp pure vanilla (not imitation)
• 3/4 cup peanuts, salted and lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350.  Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl.

In mixer with a flat or paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).  Add the peanut butter and blend.  Add both sugars to the mixture and mix until completely blended.

Using a fork or whisk, beat the eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl.  Add to the peanut butter mixture and mix until completely blended.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula to ensure an even mix.  Continue doing this until the egg blends into the mixture and smoothes out.

Slowly add the dry ingredients slowly in stages so it is completely blended.  Scrap the sides with a spatula as you go to ensure everything gets completely mixed.

Add half of the peanuts to the mixture and blend by hand until mixed.

Using a large spoon scoop batter into balls or mounds.  Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Lightly dampen the back of a fork and press each cookie ball slightly to flatten it.  Then make a cross-hatch pattern by lightly doing the same across the first set of marks.

Using remaining peanuts - press a few peanuts into the top of each cookie.

Cover one baking sheet with saran wrap and place in refrigerator while other two are baking.  Place two of the baking sheets in the oven, one on the upper rack and one on the lower rack.  Bake for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes switch the baking sheets rack positions and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden.   

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets.  Carefully remove and enjoy!

Bake for 8-10 minutes for chewy

10-12 minutes for crispy/chewy

and 12-14 minutes for crispy but watch carefully. Cool completely. about 6 dozen.

Now, if you want to make sandwich  cookies make a spread of equal amounts of peanut butter and honey (or try sandwiching with ganache)  and put two cookies together with the filling in the middle.

Recommendations for shipping:

1. Use a vacuum sealer. Seal the bag and then place the sealed bag into a bag that you blow up like a balloon. Just place to original bag in, zip all but one edge, blow it up like you were inflating a party balloon and finish zipping.

2. Pack the inflated bags in popcorn.

3.Another thing to do is to be sure to use a label on each package. For example:

"4 doz. chocolate chip cookies - Baked 1/23/08"

4. Add a packing list to the inside of the package, with the recipient’s address as well as your own.

Gingerbread Cookies

Recipe by www.tasteofhome.com

Today a very nice reader asked me for recipe suggestions for cookies she could send to her son in Iraq.  It's a difficult journey for perishable items with an approximate two week shipping time and temperatures as high as 130 degrees.  I wanted to help her so I did some research and found this recipe online.  It was part of a heart-warming story about a mom's quest to send cookies to soldiers overseas.  She was nick-named... "the Cookie Mom"  (story here)

This recipe was included in that story.  She found that cookies with molasses survived the trek.  I will continue to post other recipes to this section as I find them in hopes that this becomes a nice resource for military families wanting to ship cookies to their loved ones.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, molasses and vinegar; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg.

Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; stir into molasses mixture to form a soft dough.

Divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter.

Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 3-4 dozen.

Packaging Tips (also from www.tasteofhome.com)

• Drop, refrigerator and sandwich cookies are fairly sturdy and less likely to break when shipping.
• Drop cookies should be bundled back-to-back in packages of two.
• Some refrigerator cookies can be stacked in threes and then tied with ribbon to make them look extra-special.
• Strong-flavored cookies, such as gingerbread cookies, should be kept separate from milder ones.
• Once your cookies are neatly bundled in plastic wrap, place them in disposable plastic containers lined with crumpled wax paper. Colorful paper mache boxes also work nicely.
• Place your cookie containers in a second larger box that is cushioned by crumpled wax paper or bubble wrap.
• A friendly letter or greeting is always appreciated. Be sure to include one with your care package.

For more information on ways you can help support our troops, go to Washington Operation Thank You. To find a soldier in need of cookies, visit www.anysoldier.com.

Recipe and Photos Reprinted with Permission by Chef David Lawrence

www.chefdavidlawrence.com

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and the vanilla, mix well to incorporate. Whisk the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl and combine with the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed to form the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and walnuts by hand, so as not to break them up or melt the chocolate with the heat of the mixer. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but trust me, it is well worth the effort!

Roll the dough into “golf ball” sized rounds and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the top of the cookie cracks and turns golden brown. The key is to slightly “under bake” them so the cookie stays soft and chewy. Cool completely, (if you have that kind of willpower) on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.

Shipping Overseas:  Cookies with chocolate chips are not recommended during the hottest months in Iraq as chocolate may melt.

Please check with your local post office as they will also have excellent shipping suggestions.

Chewy and Decadent Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies

What is better than fresh from the oven chocolate chip or chunk cookies?  The chewier... the better.  This recipe won't disappoint you if you're looking for that ideal cookie....

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted, melted butter (then cooled)

1 1/2 cups packed golden brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp real vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

3/4 cups broken gourmet semi-sweet chocolate bars (or 2 cups commercial chocolate chips or chunks)  I prefer Michel Cluizel 72% bars (you can find a great selection at Whole Foods)

3/4 cups broken gourmet dark chocolate bars (broken into very small pieces)

Directions:

Place oven rack in the middle (or lower middle) of the oven.  Preheat oven to 325.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  In a sauce pan on VERY low heat, melt the butter slowly.  Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the melted (and cooled) butter and sugars together with a mixer - medium speed (approx 2 minutes) Beat in the egg, york and vanilla until smooth.  You want to mix it long enough that the blend starts to lighten in color and looks like it's beginning to whip (about 3 minutes).

Place mixer on the lowest speed and very slowly add the flour mixture a small amount at a time... approximately 1 minute.  Do not over mix.. just do this enough to blend the flour. Pour in the chocolate chunks or chips and stir with a spoon until well-incorporated.  If using nuts, add them here and blend with a spoon. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Take approximately 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll the dough into well-formed balls.  Lay them on the baking sheets about 1.5 to 2 inches apart.  Bake the cookies for 7 minutes.. then rotate the cookie sheet.  Bake another 7-12 minutes.  The edges should just barely begin to brown.  The center will look puffy.

Remove the baking sheet and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to allow the cookies to completely cool.  Enjoy!

Friends Garr and his son Liam enjoying a fresh batch of these while these boys were at Monster Truck Jam . . . little boy heaven!

Shipping Overseas:  Cookies with chocolate chips are not recommended during the hottest months in Iraq as chocolate may melt.

• Don't pack crisp and soft cookies together: the moisture from the soft cookies will seep into the crisp cookies, making them lose their delightful crunch.

• Don't overstuff your container. Your cookies may be damaged. Likewise, don't under-pack your container. The cookies should fit snugly. If you have too much space, crumple up a bit of tissue paper to fill the holes.

• Individually wrap your cookies with saran wrap to keep them moist.

• Pack your tin or container in a heavy-duty cardboard box that's large enough to allow a two- to three-inch cushion between the tin and the wall of the outside box.

• Place a layer of shipping peanuts, air-popped popcorn, or crumpled paper on the bottom of your shipping box. Set your cookie tin on this bottom layer. Then fill in the sides and top with more shipping materials.

• Seal the shipping box with heavy-duty shipping tape. Place a mailing label on the box, and you're ready to send those treats on their way.

• Readers have also recommended using coffee cans or empty Pringles containers for shipping cookies.  Another reader suggested suggested packaging them in styrofoam and chill packs.  Layer each cookie in plastic bags and then wrap in newspaper.

Please check with your post office as they will also have excellent shipping suggestions.