My Everything Cookies

It's true, I've come out of my blog semi-retirement laziness to share these cookies with you. Because these cookies - they are my everything*. And they have everything in them. No, really, try me.

The look on some people's faces when I listed the things I'd crammed inside these cookies was comical. But one bite, and pretty much everyone I encountered was a convert. So what's in 'em? Well there's chocolate - dark and white. There are potato chips, pretzels, oats, a touch of honey and crushed up cookies. There you have it. 

Lemon Crumble Tart

No matter what the season, I love lemon desserts - the bright, mouth-puckering flavor and the tangy sweetness are the perfect way to end any meal. And when people think of a lemon tart, they almost always thing lemon-meringue, but I just don't love meringue that much. I still wanted something to top the creamy lemon curd in my tart shell, so I dreamed up a lemon crumble tart. And my dreams are good. 

No-bake Oatmeal Coconut Bars

This probably won't come as a groundbreaking statement to most of you, but it is hot. With temperatures passing 90 F almost every day, and without the advanced modern technology of... air conditioning, I'm not jumping to turn the oven on. But, my sweet tooth hasn't waned with the rising temperatures, so no-bake recipes have major appeal. And this bar cookie with oatmeal, coconut and chocolate fits the bill perfectly. 

Iced Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cupcakes

After six months of pastry school,  working with pulled sugar, wedding cakes, entremet, laminated doughs and the like, it is nice to go back to simple. And while these iced chocolate chip oatmeal cupcakes are simple, they're sweet, moist and packed with flavor. 

Guest Post at Dulce Dough

Hi All - 


The vacation is almost over, but before it ends I can direct you to my guest post with Jill, over at Dulce Dough, who is taking a vacation of her own. So head over and check out my recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Muffins!

Honey Granola Bars

This might be the healthiest thing I've ever made. Seriously. If ingredients like wheat germ, and sunflower seeds scare you, then maybe you should skip past this and come back another day. But if you're open to things that don't start with a stick of butter, try these granola bars!

Oatmeal Fudge Sandwich Cookies

As I proved last week, sandwich cookies are awesome. I also proved it a year and a half ago. Either way, sandwich cookies are a little more work than your average cookie - what with all the matching up, spread and sandwiching together. No more! These fudge sandwich cookies are baked up in one pan. Oatmeal, fudge, oatmeal. Done.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have more summer fruit desserts to share with you soon, but let me start with a dessert that has been sitting unposted for too long, and for no good reason.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

While I have an incredible recipe for crispy, light-as-air oatmeal cookies (which I can't find right now) already, I've really been looking for a great chewy cookie recipe as well.
These aren't it. These were good cookies, and I really liked the addition of the cocoa powder to the recipe. It added additional flavor without being noticeably chocolate-y.
Instead of being a "chewy" cookie, these were more of a "soft" cookie. Were those unnecessary quotation marks? Perhaps.
These are the type of cookie that would be good for an ice cream sandwich, or maybe in a whoopie pie of sorts, but they weren't my favorite plain. Although, my friends gobbled them up pretty quickly, so perhaps it's just a personal thing.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention, that in the making of these cookies, I actually committed the cardinal sin of (gasp!) running out of flour! Luckily I had some whole wheat flour on hand, and I used about 1 1/2 cups all-purpose and 1/4 cup whole wheat.

Tip of the Day: You can generally find two types of cocoa powder available: Natural and Dutch Process. Dutch process has an alkaline solution added to it, and is milder, and should be used with baking powder. Natural does not have anything added to it, and is a richer taste, and should be used in recipes with baking soda. The most common called for one is Dutch Process (and the only one I keep on hand).

Recipe:

1 cup (sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups oats

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the vanilla.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder and oats to the mixture. Stir until combined.
Let dough refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Drop by tbsp on to a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 F for about 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Dipped Oatmeal Shortbread Sticks

I made chocolate dipped oatmeal shortbread bars. I think I like the idea of dipping things in chocolate.
The recipe for these came from one of my new cookbooks, Bars and Squares. If you've been around here more than a week, you know how much I love bars. And squares.
So these bars are baked up in one 9x13" pan, and then cut into bars as soon as they come out of the oven, so they're easier to cut when cool.Though this recipe didn't actually call to be dipped in chocolate, another one on the same page did, and I figured it was a pretty good idea.
Originally, I had this grand idea to make long sticks and dip both ends in chocolate. But that was just too heavy to sustain, so a lot of them broke, and I decided it was better to make them all short and cute. Plus I got to eat some broken pieces along the way.
Did I mention that these were really easy? Five ingredients. One bowl. And with oats and brown sugar, they had a really great flavor and texture. They're just fine without being dipped in chocolate, or you could even make them chocolate chip!

Tip of the Day: Melting chocolate for dipping or decorating with a touch of vegetable oil ensures that it will dry nicely, and mimic "tempering" of chocolate.

Recipe: (from Bars and Squares by Jill Snider)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 cups rolled oats

Optional: melted chocolate with a pinch of vegetable oil mixed in.

Beat the sugar and butter together until light and creamy.
Stir in the flour, cinnamon and oats, mixing well.
Use your hands to make sure the dough comes together cohesively.
Press the dough in to an ungreased 9x13" pan. Bake on 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Score in to bars or squares as soon as it comes out of the oven, then let cool.

If dipping in chocolate, melt some semi-sweet chocolate with a touch of vegetable oil together.
Dip bars in chocolate and then place on wax paper. Refrigerate until set.

Chocolate Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

What's better than one cookie? Why two cookies, of course. What's better than two cookies? Two cookies and chocolate frosting. Welcome to the sandwich cookie.
The cookies in this sandwich are chocolate oatmeal cookies - a little chewy, a little crispy, a lot delicious. They're not too sweet, which is good because you're going to smother them in chocolate frosting, and, well, maybe there really can be too much of a good thing.
You can use whatever type of frosting you want - store bought or homemade. I used some homemade I had left over for half, and when I ran out went straight for the can. You could even try sandwiching these with vanilla frosting, or peanut butter if you're feeling adventurous.
After I sandwiched the cookies together, I stuck them in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up - since the cookies won't necessarily lie flat, they might slide apart and ruin the delicious sandwich. Refrigerating them helps them stay together, even once they're returned to room temperature.

Tip of the Day: When making sandwich cookies, the most important thing is finding cookies that match up in size. If you pair up the cookies before you begin filling, you'll be able to switch them around so everyone has their best match. And if there's an odd number? More to snack on.

Recipe: (adapted from Food Mayhem)
9 ounces (1 1/3 cups chips) semi-sweet chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsps instant espresso powder
3/4 cup flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups oats

Chocolate Frosting

Melt the butter and chocolate together.
Beat the eggs, sugar and espresso powder together until thick and pale.
Beat in the chocolate mixture.
Gradually stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.
Stir in the oats.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls on to a greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake on 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, until shiny and crackled on top.
Cool on sheets for one minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When completely cool, spread or pipe frosting on to the bottom of one cookie.
Sandwich a similar-sized cookie on on top.

Marbled Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and a New Home

I moved. Not apartments, since I've only been in this one a few months, but blog homes - I'm now at www.bakingandmistaking.com - no more blogspot in my name. This is the future people.
Also in your future - these cookies. Because you're going to make them soon. It's the right thing to do. And all you need is these few ingredients:
Like marble cake, marble cookies start with a basic dough that you split, making half into chocolate and leaving the other half vanilla. Add some oats and chocolate chips and we're ready to form the cookies. After two hours of refrigeration that is.If you're anything like me, the instructions "swirl one tablespoon of each dough together," will make you nervous, looking for more detailed instructions. Don't fret. Do it however you want. At first I made little ropes of each dough and twirled them around each other, but by the end I had one hand in each bowl and just smashed together whatever I had. Go crazy!
These bake up relatively quickly - and you don't want to leave them in too long or the different color doughs will no longer be discernible.
Now just grab a tall glass of milk, and dig in.
Tip of the Day: Recipes generally call for either baking soda or baking powder - but be careful, they're not the same. If you have soda, but need powder, use 1 part soda to 2 parts cream of tartar to replace. If you have powder but need soda, use twice as much, but omit the salt.

Recipe: (from Bake or Break)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla
2 cups and 3 tbsp flour, divided
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cups oats, divided
1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
Gradually stir in flour, baking soda and salt.
Divide batter in two, and to one half add the cocoa powder.
To the other half, add the remaining 3 tbsp flour.
Add 1/2 cup of oats and 1/2 cup chocolate chips to each.
Refrigerate dough for two hours.
Swirl 1 tbsp of each dough together, and bake on 375F for 10 minutes.
Cool on sheets for two minutes, and then transfer to wire rack.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars and an Epiphany

A one bowl recipe? For cookies? With butter?Yes, it can be done. I was looking online for a simple recipe for bar cookies, that of course, include only ingredients currently in my cupboards (and fridge). And I found this recipe online. For Oatmeal Chocolate Bar Cookies.
Now I love my stand mixer, really I do. But sometimes, I prefer just to use a bowl. And a spoon. And a little elbow grease. But its hard to do that for cookies, since they call for butter, which is a lot of work to mix in. Right?
Well, as this recipe pointed out, if you microwave the butter until its really soft, but not melted. It's really not too hard. And it's true.
This may not be a new epiphany for most of you. Or any of you. But it is for me. I can make anything! Without plugging in the mixer!

Okay I think you've gotten the point. Sorry for rambling. So these oatmeal bars. Were great. When they came out the oven I had to eat one.

(Yes I halved the recipe. Successfully for once!)

Warm. And chewy. Like a big oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. With less effort. And yes, I know they won't always be warm. But there's always the microwave.
So anyway, I couldn't just eat one. So I ate a few more. Don't worry, there are still some left. I promise. Well, there are right now. I can't make any guarantees for ....ten minutes in the future.

Tip of the Day: I think you can all see where this is going. Soften your butter. Alot. Put away your mixer. And roll up those sleeves. Result!

Low-fat Oatmeal Raspberry Muffins

I rarely bake low-fat things. If I haven't already told you, my motto is, if it doesn't taste good, why make it? But, in this case, I relented.When I found this recipe for Low-Fat Oatmeal Muffins, I thought I would for once give it a shot. Applesauce, oats, whole wheat flour, fresh berries - healthy right? And since it came from Joy the Baker I thought it had to be good. The original recipe called for fresh blueberries, but since I've never been a big fan of those I figured I'd go with raspberries instead.
Well, I'll be honest with you - they were...okay. Not great. Not awful, just okay. There were a few specific problems I had that could potentially be corrected.
Firstly, the raspberries I used weren't very sweet, they were actually quite tart, and so biting into one in the cakey muffin was sometimes an unwelcome surprise. For me anyway.
Also, the fresh berries made the muffin surrounding the berry a little wet, not overwhelmingly so, but noticeably so.
And I have to admit, I made a perhaps questionable substitution. As I was measuring out my oats, I realized I was about 1/4 cup short of the 1 1/4 cups the recipe called for. I searched around my kitchen, looking for anything that might work - and then I found some plain shredded wheat in the cereal section. Crushed some of that up, poured it in - and tada! Don't know if I would recommend that in the future, but I can't really say if it affected the recipe at all.
And, well, finally - they tasted low fat. I also felt the dough itself was a little bland - maybe increasing the brown sugar and the cinnamon just a touch would help. Then again, that's just me.
I don't want to discourage any of you from baking low-fat, there are great recipes out there - and I know alot of you have had success with splenda replacements for sugar and brown sugar alike.
So, go forth and bake! And then tell me about it please!

Tip of the Day: Substituting applesauce in baked goods works best in oil based recipes, not those with butter. If you're trying it, substitute the applesauce for oil 1 to 1, and then add 2 tbsp oil in addition. Good Luck!

Recipe: (from Joy the Baker)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
3/4 cup raspberries

Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combined the applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg.

Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. S

Fold in the raspberries.

Divide the batter in to 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake at 375 F for 16-18 minutes.

Crispy oaty goodness

These were crunchy and light, perfect for having one, or two or three.....
This recipe for Chocolate Oat Cookies comes from The Giant Book of Chocolate published by Barron's.
They were simple and baked up nicely - they were flat, crunchy cookies, so not for those who are looking for a chewy dessert - if you are try these instead.
I made these to send to a friend of mine, and I packed them up in a big ziploc bag when they were done - luckily they were just taking a car drive, not a trip in the mail, and they made it there mostly in one piece - or so it was reported.
In general mailing baked goods makes me nervous, sometimes even my quick subway ride to work can turn beautiful bar cookies into a mushy mess. Only some things will travel well - and chocolate chip cookies are one of them. If you wrap them in a layer of bubble wrap, they should make the trip just fine. But filled cookies, pies, cakes and other thing are best enjoyed right where they are. If you're decorating a cake for a party, the finishing touches are best placed once you arrive, so your masterpiece won't be ruined.

Tip of the Day: If your chocolate chips are on the large side, chop them up with a large knife or put them through a quick pulse in the food processor for finer shavings of chocolate.

Recipe:
Chocolate Oat Cookies:
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups melted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Stir together oats, sugars, flour and salt.
Make a well in the center and stir in butter, egg and vanilla.
Stir in the chocolate chips until well mixed.
Drop teaspoons of dough 3 inches apart on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack.

Update!

Hey guys - remember those Raspberry Oatmeal Bars I made last week, and encouraged you to try different fillings? Well I did! Last night saw the birth of strawberry oatmeal bars, and they were goooooood.This picture was taken shortly before I started eating them. Very shortly.
See, I can take my own advice! Which, clearly is not always the case. Remember that whole, wash the dishes while the food is in the oven thing? Yeah.....that always happens.
So this is my call to you to experiment! Have fun! Get messy! Yeah, that became a little Ms. Frizzle at the end there. Well, I've always thought she had alot to say.
Good luck fellow bakers!

Tip of the Day: Using the back of a spoon is sometimes easier to spread preserves and fillings, and won't cut into your base like a knife.

Razzle Dazzle!

These here are Razzle Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars, or so the recipe says. Oh recipezaar. My one true love.
These were just adorable, and they tasted good too. It's a really simple recipe (which I love) that just calls for oats, flour, butter and brown sugar. And the raspberry jelly of course. I used the same sugar free version that I used in the Raspberry Shortbread Bars, which was a much sweeter dough. Here, perhaps a touch more sugar in the jelly would have been better, but they were still good. For this recipe too I totally got in there and mixed everything together with my hands - it just gives a much more even finish...and its fun! Get all your aggression out squeezing dough. It does get messy though, especially under your fingernails. Plus make sure to take rings off before you go to it - that is tricky to get out - trust me! Thats about it for this one, it was short, simple, and tasty. Much less interesting when I don't drop something, right?
Never fear, more mistaking will be here! Oh look, that rhymes. Well we're not all perfect.
I hope you guys are trying out all my recipes - let me know what works for you. Write in the comments or send me an email at bakingandmistaking [AT] gmail [DOT] com!

Tip of the Day: If a recipe calls for preserves, experiment with different flavors depending on your preferences. Try apricot, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry - the possibilities are endless!

Recipe: (from Recipezaar)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup preserves

Mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and oats.
With your fingers, mix the butter in to the dry ingredients.
Press half the mixture in to a greased 8x8" square pan.
Spread the preserves on top, and sprinkle the remaining mixture on top.
Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes.