by Joanne Fluke
Unwrap a roll of dough and cut it into ¾ inch pieces with a sharp knife. Place the pieces cut side down on a greased or parchment-covered cookie sheet, 12 pieces to a standard-sized sheet.
Unwrap 6 caramels and cut them in half. I find this is easiest if you dip the blades of your kitchen scissors in water and then cut the caramels with the scissors. You can also spray the blades of your kitchen scissors with Pam and try it that way.
Press a half caramel into the center of each chocolate cookie. Be careful not to press it all the way to the bottom. (If the dough is still too cold to press in the caramels, let it warm up a bit more and try again.) Make sure your caramels are surrounded by cookie dough and won’t melt over the sides of the cookies when they bake.
Bake each pan of cookies at 325 degrees F., for approximately 15 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the pan and then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
When all the cookies are baked and cooled, spread foil or waxed paper under the wire rack containing the cookies and prepare to glaze them. (I use extra-wide foil because it’s easy to crimp up the edges and make it into a disposable drip pan.)
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
1 and cups milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
cup water
cup light corn syrup (I used Karo)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
approximately 6 dozen pecan halves
Measure out the chips and put them in a small bowl so they’re ready to add when it’s time.
In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and white sugar. Place the saucepan on high heat, and STIRRING CONSTANTLY, bring the contents to a boil. Boil for 15 seconds, still STIRRING CONSTANTLY, and pull it off the heat.
Dump in the chips, all at once, and poke them down until almost all of them are covered by the hot syrup mixture. Let the saucepan sit on a cold burner (or on a pad on the counter) for 2 and ½ minutes.
Gently stir the mixture with a whisk (a fork will also work) until it’s almost completely smooth. Be careful not to whisk in air, or you’ll get bubbles.
Set the glaze down on a potholder next to your cookies. Spoon a little over the top of each cookie and let it drizzle down the sides. (You can also pour it over the cookies, but that’s a little harder to do.) When you’re all through, top each cookie with a pecan half, making sure the nut sticks to the chocolate glaze.
Leave the cookies on the wire rack until the glaze has hardened. This will take approximately 30 minutes. Then eat and enjoy!
Lisa’s Note: When I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to glaze the cookies, I just sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar, serve them with chocolate ice cream, and call it a day.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Norman says to warn any friends with temporary fillings that the caramels in the center of these cookies are chewy.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: You can store these cookies in a box lined with wax paper in the refrigerator, but take them out at least thirty minutes before you serve them so that the caramel in the center will soften and not break a tooth!
Yield: Approximately 6 dozen very tasty cookies.
MOLASSES CRACKLES
DO NOT pre-heat oven yet. Dough must chill before baking.
1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
½ cup molasses (use Brier Rabbit green label or a very
dark molasses)
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon 48
1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
4 cups flour (don’t sift it – pack it down in the cup when
you measure it)
½ cup white sugar in a small bowl for rolling the dough balls
Melt the butter in a large microwave bowl. Mix in the sugar and the molasses. Let it cool on the counter while you mix up the eggs.
When the mixture in the bowl is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them and stir them in thoroughly. Then add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring after each addition.
Add flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. The dough will be quite stiff at this point.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours. (Overnight is even better.)
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. Put some sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it to coat them. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (12 to a standard-sized sheet.) Press them down just a little so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will flatten out, all by themselves. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Hannah’s Note: Molasses cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, put them in a freezer bag, and they’ll be fine for 3 months or so. (You’d better lock your freezer if you want them to last that long.)
Yield: 8 to 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.
MYSTERY COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
½ cup melted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound)
3 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1 can (net weight 10 and ¾ ounces) condensed tomato soup
(the regular plain kind, not “Cream of Tomato” or
“Tomato with Basil” or anything else fancy – I use
Campbells)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups raisins (either golden or regular)
2 cups chopped walnuts (measure after you chop them)
4 and ½ cups flour (not sifted – pack it down when you
measure it)
Microwave the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl to melt it. Stir in the sugar and let it cool to almost room temperature.
When the mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, mix them in.
Open the can of condensed tomato soup, add that to your bowl, and then mix it in thoroughly. Then add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add the raisins and the walnuts, and stir them in.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Let the dough sit for ten minutes or so to rest. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet you’ve greased or sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Place 12 cookies on a standard-sized cookie sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to scoop, you can chill it for a few minutes, or dip your teaspoon into a glass of cold water.)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes (no longer or they’ll stick), and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
A batch of Mystery Cookies yields about 10 dozen. (I know that’s a lot, but they’ll be gone before you know it.) They’re soft and chewy and a real favorite. (And if you don’t tell the kids that they’re getting a helping of tomatoes with their cookies, I guarantee they’ll never guess.)
*NORWEGIAN CHOCOLATE PIZZA
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Ellie always brings these to Mother’s cookie exchange in pizza boxes from her restaurant, Bertanelli’s Pizza.
4 cups quick oatmeal (I used Quaker Quick-1 Minute)
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound) salted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (that’s one
&n
bsp; cup of chips)
¾ cup creamy peanut butter49
shredded coconut
red candied cherries, chopped50
chopped nuts of your choice
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the oatmeal, softened butter, and brown sugar together.
Round the mixture up in a large ball with your impeccably clean hands and place it in the center of the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Pat the mixture into a circle about the size of a small pizza.
Push the outside edges up a bit so that they form what looks like a crust.
Bake the “pizza” at 350 degrees F. for approximately 15 minutes, or until it turns brown and bubbles a bit.
Take your “pizza” out of the oven and let it cool slightly while you make your toppings.
If you have a double boiler, use it to make the topping. If you don’t, use a heavy saucepan and stir it to keep the contents from scorching.
Combine the chocolate chips and the peanut butter over LOW heat. Stir it until everything melts and blends together.
Remove the topping from the heat and pour it over your “pizza” crust.
Decorate the top of your pizza with the coconut to simulate shredded cheese, the chopped cherries to simulate chopped tomatoes, and the chopped nuts to simulate sausage pieces.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Be creative with your “pizza” toppings. See if you can find something to simulate pepperoni, or green pepper, or any other real pizza topping you can think of. Remember, the toppings don’t go in the oven so you can use any sweet treat you can find at the grocery store.
Refrigerate your pizza until it has hardened. To serve, you can either cut it in slices with a pizza cutter just like a real pizza, or break it into pieces like toffee or peanut brittle.
Yield: One small-size pizza that everyone will love.
OATMEAL RAISIN CRISPS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up with a fork)
2 and ½ cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup raisins (either regular or golden, you choose)
2 cups GROUND dry oatmeal (measure BEFORE grinding)
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and mix it in. Then mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda.
When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the beaten eggs.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Mix in the raisins.
Prepare your oatmeal. (I used Quaker Quick-1 Minute.) Measure out two cups of oatmeal and put them in the food processor, chopping it with the steel blade until it’s the consistency of coarse sand. Transfer it to your mixing bowl and mix it in. (This dough will be fairly stiff.)
Roll walnut-sized dough balls with your impeccably clean hands and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (If it’s too sticky to roll, place the bowl in the refrigerator for thirty minutes and try again.) Squish the dough balls down with a fork in a crisscross pattern (like peanut butter cookies).
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the Oatmeal Raisin Crisps from the oven and cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 6 to 7 dozen, depending on cookie size.
These cookies freeze well if you roll them up in foil and place them in a freezer bag. They also hold together well for shipping.
Andrea likes these and she’s never liked raisins — go figure.
OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES
DO NOT preheat oven — dough must chill before baking.
2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)
2 cups powdered sugar (don’t sift unless it’s got big lumps
and then you shouldn’t use it anyway)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)
1 teaspoon salt
4 and ¼ cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup
when you measure it)
½ cup white sugar in a small bowl (for coating dough balls)
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Let the mix cool to room temperature.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg is added. Then mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Chill the dough for at least one hour. (Overnight is fine, too.)
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. with the rack in the middle position.
Use your impeccably clean hands to roll the dough in walnut-sized balls. Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar to coat them.
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can make Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies special by mixing white sugar 2 to 1 with colored sugar for holidays. You could use orange for Halloween, red, white and blue for Independence Day, green for St. Pat’s Day, red and green for Christmas, and multi-colored for birthdays.
Place the sugar-coated dough balls on a cookie sheet you’ve greased, sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or covered with parchment paper. Place 12 cookies on each standard-sized cookie sheet. Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula or the palm of your impeccably clean hand.
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 10 to 15 minutes. (The cookies should have a tinge of gold on the top.) Cool the cookies on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them to a rack to finish cooling.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: These cookies can be decorated with frosting piped from a pastry bag for special occasions or left just as they are.
Yield: Approximately 10 dozen crunchy, buttery, sugary cookies.
ORANGE SNAPS
DO NOT preheat the oven – this dough needs to chill before baking.
1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate (I used Minute Maid)
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon orange zest 51
4 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl for coating dough balls
Melt the butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and orange juice concentrate, and stir it all up. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Add the beaten eggs, baking soda, salt, and orange zest, stirring after each addition.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each increment.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours (overnight’s even better).
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands. Put cup white sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it to coat them. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (or a cookie sheet you’ve sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray), 12 dough balls to a standard-sized sheet. Press the dough balls down just a little so they won’t roll off on the floor when you put them in the oven.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The dough balls will flatten out, all by themselves. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish c
ooling.
Yield: Approximately 7 to 8 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.
PARTY COOKIES
DO NOT preheat the oven – this cookie dough must chill before baking.
2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)
2 cups powdered sugar (not sifted – pack it down in the cup
when you measure it)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or any other flavoring you wish)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)
1 teaspoon salt
4 and ¼ cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the cup
when you measure it)
food coloring (at least 3 different colors)
½ cup white sugar in a bowl for coating the dough balls
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the sugars and mix well. Set the bowl on the counter and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
When the mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Then add the vanilla extract, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well.
Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Divide the cookie dough into fourths and place each fourth on a piece of wax paper. (You’ll work with one fourth at a time.) Place one fourth in a bowl and stir in drops of food coloring until the dough is slightly darker than the color you want. (The cookies will be a shade lighter after they’re baked.) Place the colored dough back on the waxed paper and color the other three parts. (You can leave one part uncolored, if you like.)
