Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

I saw this recipe at Orangette and was somewhat skeptical that they could really taste as good as the original recipe. I think I'm a convert. Maybe it's my tastebuds changing as I get older, but I really like the nutty quality that the whole wheat flour gives. They also aren't too terribly sweet. I used a whole bag of chocolate chips, mostly because I didn't really care to measure out 8 oz. They turned out just fine.

I also made mine much smaller, because I like petite cookies... if you want bigger cookies, just drop a little more and cook a little longer.

Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chips (or an entire bag)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the chocolate, and mix on low speed until evenly combined. (If you have no stand mixer, you can do all of this with handheld electric beaters and/or a large, sturdy spoon.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Scoop mounds of dough about 1 tablespoon in size onto the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cardamom meringues

Everyone seems to love these cookies, and they are incredibly easy to make. This recipe produces cookies that I would call "medium-rare" in the meringue world: they are brittle on the outside and very chewy on the inside. For a slightly firmer cookie, leave the baking sheets in the oven until cool so that the residual heat continues to cook the meringues. For a crisp meringue, bump the temperature up another 15-20 degrees and leave in the oven until cool.*

From Swedish Cakes and Cookies (2008)

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 210 degrees F (100 degrees C)
• Beat the egg whites with half the regular sugar until stiff, preferably with an electric mixer.
• Add the remaining sugar, beating until thick and glossy, with no granules left.
• Combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and cardamom and fold into the egg white mixture.
• Spoon into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe small kisses or other shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (MG - You can just as easily drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet. Not as pretty, but also not as messy.)
• Bake on the center oven rack for 45-60 minutes, or until they are very dry and light.

Store in a dry place. Makes approximately 35 cookies.

* Of course, it could also be that my oven runs cool. If you give this recipe a try, let me know how they turned out for you.

Finnish Spoon Cookies (Lusikkaleivat)

These cookies are a little fussy but worth the effort. The browned butter imparts a nutty flavor to the dough. Use cloudberry jam to make them extra special.

Some of the recipes I found specifically called for letting the cookies sit for a couple of days before serving to allow the flavors to blend. I did this for my Scandinavian dinner, and I agree that the flavor was better after a couple of days. Of course, they are delicious when they are freshly made, too.

Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup jam, such as a berry, plum or cloudberry
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

• Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter browns lightly and smells slightly nutty, about 15 minutes. Transfer the butter to a medium bowl -- be sure to get all the tasty brown bits -- and cool slightly.

• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in another medium bowl.

• Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla into the cooled browned butter.

• Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to make a uniform but crumbly dough that looks like wet sand.

• Scoop out dough with a small teaspoon (the kind you set the table with, not the ones you measure with). Rock spoon gently back and forth against the side of the bowl, packing the dough into the spoon, then scrape/slide the spoon against the inside of the bowl to make spoon-shaped cookies. Trim excess dough with your fingers and slide out onto the prepared pans, preserving their shape. (Try to make sure you form an even number of cookies, since these sandwich together.)

• Bake cookies until just browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool almost completely on the baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

• When cool, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on the flat side of a cookie, and then sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies have met their match. Lightly dust the cookies with the confectioners' sugar. Serve.

The dough looks like wet sand.

Pressing the dough into spoon-shaped halves is a painstaking process.

The cookies are cooling before assembly.

Finished cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

The dough can be prepared several hours ahead and stored at room temperature. Freeze baked cookie halves wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, defrost at room temperature and assemble as desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not store with crisp cookies, as moisture from the jam will soften the texture of other crisp cookies.

Carrot cookies

This is an adaptation from a recipe I saw on 101cookbooks.com. I didn't have most of the ingredients, except for the carrots and the oats, but I gave it a whirl anyhow, substituting what I did have on hand. Here's the recipe I made. I kind of like these because they aren't over-the-top sweet, plus it has carrots, so it HAS to be healthy, right?


Carrot cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (kosher)
1 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. brown rice syrup (the original called for maple syrup, but alas I was out!)
1/2 c. coconut oil heated through
1 T fresh grated ginger

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheet w/ parchment paper
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl combine the brown rice syrup, coconut oil and ginger. Stir until they are completely combined.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the prepped cookie sheet.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.
7. Cool on a rack and enjoy (if you can wait that long).

Chocolate Chip Cookies on Crack

A few weeks ago Kim mentioned these in one of her blogs. I knew immediately I wanted to try it because who doesn't love cookies and ice cream? A big shout-out to Rebecca for actually mixing the cookies for me - otherwise we would have just eaten ice cream and that wouldn't have been nearly as fun.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2009/04/chocolate_chip_cookies_on_crac.html

I used the recipe that Kim suggests (although any recipe you like would do). It nicely filled 6 4-inch ramekins (see picture). I topped with caramel ice cream and it was heavenly.