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I’m A Sucker for a Good Cookie …
Date: Jan. 14th 2009
Category: Cookbooks, Cookies and Bars
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I think I’ve written this many times before on my blog but whenever people ask me what I most enjoy baking, my answer is always cookies.
I love all baking, but cookies are my favourite because to me they offer a certain freedom that other baked goods don’t. You have to commit to a cake or a pie. A cookie, in my humble opinion, is innately free.
You can make them big or small.
You can sandwich them or not.
You can dip them in milk.
Last year, I had the chance to review Carole Walter’s Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More. Later in the year, I had the chance the review another Carole Walter’s book, Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets.
I’m a huge fan of Carole Walter’s because to me, she is a baker’s baker. By that I mean that her books are perfect for helping the home baker produce truly worthy baked goods. While there are a lot of great baking books out there, some of them that claim to be geared to the home baker miss the mark.
Great Cookies won an IACP award in 2004 and rightly so. It’s a hardcore cookie book with recipes that cover every category from drop cookies to cut-out cookies.
Even though it was published in 2003, the recipes feature classics, some new cookies I’ve never seen before and lots of other cookies that are bound to please no matter how much time goes by.
While I was busy baking Christmas cookies, I was craving something old-fashioned and I found myself craving a good ol’ oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. In the days between Christmas and New Year’s, I cracked open Carole’s book and decided to try her recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies only to discover that I had exhausted my supply of chocolate chips. In fact, I had no chocolate whatsoever in the house.
Scary times.
Anyway, I did have a bag of butterscotch chips hiding in a cupboard corner so I improvised and threw those in. Next to the bag of butterscotch chips was a half empty bag of toffee bits so I threw those in as well. And I also had some praline left from the December Daring Bakers’ challenge so I figured, what the heck, why not throw that into the batter too!
The end result was surprisingly good. I was worried the cookies might be too sweet but they weren’t. And after the heavier and more complex foods and desserts that we enjoyed during the holidays, it was really nice to settle down with these cookies and a glass of milk!
Hope you get a chance to check out Carole’s book!
Ciao!
Everything-in-the-Cupboard Oatmeal Cookies
Based on Carole Walter’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets.Note: You can of course use chocolate chips or whatever add-ins you like. I made about 3 dozen 3-inch cookies with this recipe.
3/4 cup brown sugar
2-1/2 cups rolled oats (large flake)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 large egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup toffee bits
1/4 cup ground praline (optional)Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor, process the brown sugar, 1/2 a cup of the oatmeal and the granulated sugar until it’s very fine; set aside.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, the salt and the baking soda. Add in the remaining oats and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and the corn syrup. Mix with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
With the mixture on low speed, add the processed oatmeal mixture and mix until combined.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
With the mixture on low speed, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don’t overmix).
With a wooden spoon, mix in the chips, toffee bits and praline (if you’re using it).
Spoon dollops of the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. You can make these as large or small as you like.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes (keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn if you’ve made small cookies). When they’re done they should be slightly golden around the edges.
Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let rest on a rack for 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let your cookie sheets cool and then repeat with the remaining batter.
Enjoy!
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01/14/09 at 11:11 pm
Me too ;-P! These cookies look fantastic! A great oatmeal cookie is always welcome!
Cheers,
Rosa
01/14/09 at 11:42 pm
I’m a cookie person too and love making them…yours look fantastic
01/14/09 at 11:53 pm
They look great- I might have to try them out, especially with the butterscotch and toffee!!!
01/15/09 at 1:30 am
arn’t we all suckers for good cookies …these are so delicious !
01/15/09 at 2:36 am
01/15/09 at 6:31 am
I agree 100% about cookies. To me, they are the quintessential comfort dessert. These must have been wonderful.
01/15/09 at 7:52 am
You said it best, Ivonne!! The cookie is just too versatile and phenomenal NOT to love
**Just as a heads up: I will not be able to comment on blogs as often now, during this semester, due to work overload (I’m stressed already) - PLEASE know that I’m still loyally reading, but just won’t have time to comment. I hope you understand!!
01/15/09 at 8:17 am
These look delicious! The best thing about cookies is that you can add in whatever you want. I don’t have Carole Walter’s cookie book (just the cake one), but I’ll have to check it out!
01/15/09 at 1:21 pm
yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I like to use oatmeal in my baking. thes e look delicious. When I don t feel like baking complicated things cookies are always what I turn to
01/15/09 at 1:45 pm
One can never have enough good cookie recipes. Your cookies look superb. I love oatmeal cookies and am going to give these a a try.
01/15/09 at 10:11 pm
praline and butterscotch chips - these must be adult cookies!
01/16/09 at 1:51 am
i know i am writing this in the wrong place, but i made those amazing muffins from a much earlier post. i used strawberries and diced pineapple. gosh! they are pretty mind blowing. i just had to tell you….
01/16/09 at 3:33 am
I can never get enough of classic cookies like these — and with the addition of the butterscotch chip….oh my! I’ll look for that book…sounds like a great guide to cookies
01/16/09 at 5:51 am
Oatmeal cookie batter is the perfect vehicle for all sorts of other yummy ingredients. These look so good. Nothing llike a warm oatmeal cookie on a cold day! Hmm, it is 12 degrees here right now. I think I’ll go make these!
01/16/09 at 6:27 am
Thanks for this recipe… I agree. Cookies are definitely fuss free and there are so ma ny good recipes to choose from.
01/16/09 at 8:40 am
I’m so glad you posted about this! i love to read baking blogs but I’m always surprised that I dont’ hear Carole Walter’s name mentioned all that often. I got Great Cookies & Great Cakes for xmas 2 years ago and they are truly great cookbooks…I recently reviewed it on my blog as well. Thanks for pointing out this great book!
01/16/09 at 8:54 am
I think cookies are one of my favourite things to bake too. I made a batch of chocolate ones last night with dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries and I have visions of sandwiching them with some cherry ice cream that I’m currently in the process of making.
01/16/09 at 12:26 pm
Who isn’t a sucker for good cookies?
I had these chocolate dipped Oreos in the house I couldn’t resist!
01/17/09 at 6:40 pm
These are always the best kind. Not only do they taste good but they help clean out your cupboard as well!
01/17/09 at 9:36 pm
While these aren’t on my list of allowable foods right now (cookies are SO my weakness - I can never eat just one), I’ll definitely be licking my screen. Yum.
Just kidding about the licking part. Sort of.
01/18/09 at 11:13 am
Cookies are just the nicest thing to bake, you’re right :-). And these oatmeal cookies just look superdelicious!
01/18/09 at 1:13 pm
Love all your addition to the cookies, yum!
01/19/09 at 4:36 am
I love a good cookie too and I must say those Oatmeal cookies look just great!
01/19/09 at 5:24 am
I love her books too. I have Great Cakes, Great Pies and Tarts and the coffee cakes one too. I don’t have the cookie one yet but it is one the wish list. (Which keeps getting bigger, no matter how quickly I buy up books!)
Carol Walters does indeed deserve praise - and oatmeal cookies are my favourite - chocolate chips or not.
01/19/09 at 5:32 am
These look wonderful. I think I will try them with double the toffe, my DH fav and choco chips. Thanks for the recipe!
01/19/09 at 8:05 am
I live with a cookie freak, cookie monster, cookie beggar so guess what I am baking next?!!
Homey and delicious!
01/19/09 at 9:06 am
I too love a great cookie. This recipe truly sounds amazing! Thank you!
01/19/09 at 2:32 pm
Those cookies look absolutely divine!
01/22/09 at 4:09 am
I bought Carole Walter’s Great Coffee Cakes etc on my last trip home and love, love, love it! Fabulous bakes! These cookies look great, too and I must try them. Lucky you for getting to review her cookbook. Now I have to buy the other one.
01/24/09 at 11:01 pm
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful post. I made a batch of these oatmeal gems this evening… the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made! Hubby loved ‘em. I just purchased my third Carole Walter cookbook and her cookie book ranks way up there - will not disappoint.
01/26/09 at 5:48 pm
I adore cookies as well———– yummy, fulfilling, gratifiying and fun to boot. I baked cookies today, plain old chocolate chip and they were completely satisfying, it is that homey feeling perhaps. I will try your recipe Oatmeal Scotchies are one of my favorite cookies and your additions sound delightful.
Here’s to cookies——– I toast you with my glass of milk!
01/27/09 at 11:09 am
Good morning. I made these this weekend and the kids loved them. I could only eat half of one because of the dreaded D word. I also made a batch of Crescent Cookies inspired by the picture from your co workers cookies. I had to turn and squint to make out what looked fabulous and than find a recipe. I brought them to a tea and they were devoured. thanks for the great ideas and encouragment.
02/11/09 at 9:54 am
i chime in with a hearty ‘me, too!’ have you seen Stranger than Fiction? I love Maggie Gyllenhal’s character’s attachment to cookies, too. warm, out of the oven, and with someone you love! happy valentine’s day week!