Bready or Not: Pecan Spice Cookies
If you love pecans, I’d like to introduce you to your new bliss: Pecan Spice Cookies.
These fat, rich cookies are full of pecan goodness with the perfect blend of spices to enhance that goodness even more.
I love pecans. I am always on the look-out for a good sale on them, because they are certainly a more-expensive nut.
I modified this from the original at Averie Cooks in a number of ways. The biggest change is that I made the flour half all-purpose and half bread flour. This changes the gluten development, leading to thicker, chewier cookies.
I also added honey, because honey is perfect with pecans and pumpkin pie spice!
The end result is a dreamy cookie that will keep for days and days, and make your belly happy on each and every one.
Bready or Not: Pecan Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons cream or half & half
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt only needed if pecans are unsalted
- 2 cups pecan pieces
Instructions
- In a big bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, vanilla, and honey. Mix for several minutes, until completely combined and fluffy. Add the cream and mix again.
- Scrape down the bowl, then add the dry ingredients: both flours, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Blend until just combined. Fold in the pecans.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set in fridge to chill overnight or for several days. Dough can also be frozen.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a tablespoon scoop or spoon--this will allow for big chunks of pecans--to dole out dough onto the pan. Flatten each dough ball slightly, as they will not spread much, and also try to avoid having pecan pieces on the very bottom, as they might burn.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the cookies have set tops. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
- Cookies will keep for at least a week in a sealed container at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Caramel Mocha Cookies
It’s been too long since I featured a hardcore chocolate recipe, so let’s make up for that in a big way with these Caramel Mocha Cookies.
“I have this great looking recipe I want to try,” I told my husband. “Can you make it without nuts?” he asked, citing that a co-worker was allergic.
So I set about modifying the recipe, and realized this would be a good use for some leftover caramel bits I had in the cupboard. As I read over the full magazine clipping for the recipe, though, I noticed something weird.
It had a truly egregious typo: it asked the baker to start preheating the oven in step one, then to place the dough to chill for several hours or overnight. Oops.
Therefore, this is greatly modified from the original in the December/January AllRecipes magazine.
If anyone ever comes across an error like that in one of my recipes, please let me know!
These are chocolate cookies that will delight any chocoholic: dough loaded with melted chocolate and espresso powder, then packed with more chocolate chips. The caramel adds a touch of a different sweetness, and a different texture besides.
Bready or Not: Caramel Mocha Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 2 Tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup caramel bits
Instructions
- Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Stir until smooth; let cool. In another bowl, mix together the espresso powder and water.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the hydrated espresso, followed by the egg. Pour in the cooled melted chocolate. Gradually stir in the dry mixture until just mixed. Fold in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and the caramel.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill for a few hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto a cookie sheet, with space for each to spread. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand to set 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- OM NOM NOM!
Read More
Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies
These Chewy Almond Cookies are an old favorite of mine, recently rediscovered.
I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook I was given as a wedding gift back in 2000. I used to make them all the time.
I totally forgot about the recipe until I stumbled across it again, this time in a Taste of Home best cookies collection.
Guess what? The cookies are still fantastic! I did modify the recipe, as one does. The original version made a very small batch. Therefore, I doubled it, and also increased the amount of vanilla and cinnamon.
If you love almonds, well, you’ll be in heaven. It doesn’t take much almond extract to add a wallop of flavor, and the slices on top add a lovely crunch to complement the soft, chewy cookies.
This is a great dough to make ahead of time. Keep the wrapped dough in the fridge for days, or frozen for months. You could make these now and pull them out at the holidays.
Plus, the frozen dough sticks are a great weapon if anyone breaks into your house.
Adapted from a classic Taste of Home recipe.
Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 - 1 cup almonds sliced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and both extracts.
- In a another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gradually stir this into the wet mixture.
- Using plastic wrap, shape the dough into 2 or 3 long tubes of dough. Wrap them up well and refrigerate overnight, or freeze for months.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Cut dough into slices 1/4 thick; if they crumble a little, reshape with your fingers. Place spaced out on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Add several almond slices on each cookie.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Let them set on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you like some saltiness with your sweet, oh, do I have the cookies for you: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies.
As you might imagine, my husband’s co-workers get to taste a wide variety of cookies from me. But these, several declared, ‘were the best cookies they’d ever placed in their mouths.’
I consider that pretty high praise.
What makes these cookies different is the combination of flavors and textures. The pretzels add a lot here–bits of crunchiness and saltiness that is lovely cuddled with chocolate and caramel.
You can use whatever candy bars you want in this. I used Hundred Grands, but you can go for anything with chocolate and caramel, like Twix. Or you can use more chocolate chips and caramel bits.
You could play with the chocolate, too, and use whatever kind you want: milk, semi, dark. Or use a combo.
Whatever combination you choose, I hope you’ll consider these among the best cookies you’ve put in your mouth, too.
Modified from Two Peas and Their Pod.
Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup pretzels chopped
- 1 cup caramel-chocolate candy bars chopped, about 6 ounces
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 cubes, room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- extra sea salt or pretzel salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Prepare your add-ins. Use a food processor (or chop by hand) the pretzels and candy bars. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet by greasing well or lining with parchment. (Remember, melted caramel can get sticky.)
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the dry ingredients. By hand, stir in the chocolate chips, pretzels, and candy bars.
- Use a tablespoon to dole out dough balls onto cookie sheet, taking care to space them out; try to tuck visible caramel inside the dough to prevent too much oozing. Sprinkle some salt on top of the cookies.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies set on sheet for about 10 minutes before moving to a rack to finish cooling.
- Store cookies in a sealed container between layers of waxed paper or parchment. Keeps well for up to 5 days.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies
The green tea theme continues to celebrate the release of Call of Fire! This is a fully original recipe: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies.
The Cheesecake Bars from last week were such a hit, I decided to grab my old Philly Chippers recipe and revamp it with matcha.
The result? Rich, luscious cookies that worked well with the fresh taste of green tea! Weirdly enough, the green color ended up faint again. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for that, but for now, it remains a mystery.
This dough is great to work with. It doesn’t require any time to chill after everything is mixed together. Just make dough balls and start baking!
Since the cookies are already quite rich, I don’t recommend adding white chocolate to these. Instead, perhaps try some nuts like pecans for a nice complementary flavor and texture.
Or just eat’em plain. They are delicious with the recipe as-is!
Bready or Not Original: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter two cubes, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 box, softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 Tb matcha powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and slowly incorporate them with the wet ingredients.
- Use a tablespoon scoop to transfer dough to a cookie sheet. The dough will not spread much as it cooks.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
I continue the matcha-in-baked-goods theme to celebrate the release of Call of Fire last week, this time with Matcha White Chocolate Cookies.
The weird thing about these cookies is that the green tea’s color didn’t carry through in the baked results, but the taste is still there.
In fact, when my husband took these to work, a guy kept going back for more. He finally asked, “What’s in these?!”
“Green tea,” said my husband.
“Oh, does that make these healthy?” the man asked, making a face of disgust as he grabbed another cookie.
I won’t go so far as to say these are healthy, but these do have caffeine, and maybe those provided him with a much-needed jolt.
The flavor of these is unusual and hard to describe. The sweetness of the white chocolate is bold, and behind that is a mild and pleasant aftertaste from the matcha. It’s enough for you to know there is something unique about the cookies, but not to identify what it is.
If you want to be sure that the green color comes through in this recipe, maybe add a little bit of food dye before mixing in the white chocolate chips.
Or you may be content with your cookies coming out as mine did: pale yet undeniably delicious.
Bready or Not: Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon matcha
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cubes, softened
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips most of a bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, matcha, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined, then mix in the white chocolate.
- Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to dole out cookies on a sheet; the cookies will spread, so be sure to space them out. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes. Let set on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a rack to finish cooling.
- OM NOM NOM!
Read More
