Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook
Page 19
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Mix in the molasses and the vinegar. (I always spray the inside of my measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray before I pour in the molasses. Then it glops right out without sticking to the cup.)
Lindy sifts the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom together before she mixes them in with the wet ingredients. (She also weighs the flour and the sugar the way a true pastry chef would do.) That means she’s probably a better baker than I am, because I don’t do any of that. I just mix in the baking soda first, and then the spices. I mix everything up thoroughly, and then I add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each cup is added.
Use your hands to roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. If the dough is too sticky, put it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes and then try again. Refrigeration stiffens the dough and makes it easier to work with.
Put the sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (I used Pam), 12 cookie balls to a standard-size sheet. Press them down just a bit when you place them on the cookie sheet so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven. You don’t have to flatten them. They’ll spread out all by themselves while they bake.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F., for 10 to 12 minutes. (Mine took only 10 minutes.)
Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yield: Approximately 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.
STRAWBERRY FLIPS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
cup seedless strawberry jam
1 teaspoon strawberry extract (or vanilla extract if you can’t
find strawberry at your grocery store)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ cups chopped walnuts (or pecans)
3 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
small bowl of powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1 bag frozen strawberries for garnish56
Melt the butter and stir in the white sugar. Set the bowl aside on the counter to cool.
When the butter/sugar mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them and mix thoroughly. Then mix in the strawberry jam and stir until it’s thoroughly incorporated.
Add strawberry extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix everything up thoroughly. Then mix in the chopped walnuts.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each cup. The resulting dough will be quite stiff.
Roll dough balls about 1 inch in diameter with your impeccably clean hands. (If the dough is too sticky to roll, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator and then try it again. You can even cover this dough and let it chill overnight in the refrigerator.)
Roll the dough balls in the powdered sugar and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (You can also spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or cover them with parchment paper.) Make a deep thumbprint in the center of each cookie.
While the strawberries are still partially frozen, cut them in half lengthwise. (If your berries are too large to fit on your cookie balls, cut them in quarters instead of halves.) Flip the cut pieces over and place them skin side up in the thumbprint you’ve made on top of each cookie.
Bake the Strawberry Flips at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
When the cookies are cool, dust them with powdered sugar and place them on a pretty platter to serve them.
Yield: 7 to 8 dozen cookies.
Hannah’s 1st Note: The tart strawberry pieces are wonderful with the sweet cookie. Carrie Rhodes just adores these.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: As a variant, you can also make these cookies with seedless raspberry jam and small whole raspberries on top. Of course then you’ll have to call them Raspberry Flips instead of Strawberry Flips.
SURPRISE COOKIES
DO NOT preheat the oven – this dough must chill before baking.
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
½ cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons water (or coffee, if you have some left over
from breakfast)
3 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
1 package Bridge Mix or assorted chocolate candies 57
4 to 5 dozen walnut halves (or pecan halves)
Melt the butter and mix in the sugars. Set the mixture aside on the counter to cool to room temperature.
When the mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them and mix them in thoroughly. Then mix in the baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and water (or coffee if you used it.)
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Give a final stir, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour (overnight is fine, too).
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Scoop out a Tablespoon of dough (use a Tablespoon from your silver drawer, not a measuring spoon) and form the dough around a piece of Bridge Mix or a piece of cut-up candy bar.
Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (You can also spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or line them with parchment paper.)
Press a walnut half (or pecan half) on top of each cookie.
Bake your Surprise Cookies at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven. Cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 8 to 10 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s Note: When I use Hershey’s miniatures, Mother always tries to guess which cookies have the Krackel bars inside. If she gets one with a piece of Mr. Goodbar, she passes it to me.
SWEDISH OATMEAL COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
2 cups oatmeal (I used Quaker Oats – Quick-1 Minute)
1 egg yolk (use a large fresh egg)
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl on HIGH for approximately 1 and ½ minutes. Let it cool to room temperature. Mix in the white sugar.
Add the baking soda, flour, and oatmeal. Stir thoroughly.
Beat the egg yolk with a fork until it’s thoroughly mixed and a lighter yellow in color. Add it to the bowl and stir until it’s thoroughly incorporated.
Prepare to bake by greasing (or spraying with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray) a standard-sized cookie sheet. You can also use parchment paper if you wish.
Make small balls of dough with your fingers and place them on the cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized cookie sheet. Press them down with a fork in a crisscross pattern the way you’d do for peanut butter cookies.
Bake your Swedish Oatmeal Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re just starting to brown aroun
d the edges. (Mine took 10 minutes.)
Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
Yield: Approximately 5 dozen, depending on cookie size.
Hannah’s Note: This recipe is from a lady I met in the park, Karen Lood. She told me it was important to use high-quality ingredients in these cookies, because their taste depends on the best in butter, flour, and oatmeal.
TWIN CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
2 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar
½ cup cocoa (unsweetened, for baking)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
3 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional – your choice of nut)
2 cups chocolate chips (a 12-ounce package)
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and mix it in thoroughly. Then add the cocoa, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir until the resulting mixture is smooth and well incorporated.
If the mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them now. (Otherwise, wait a few more minutes.) Mix thoroughly so that the eggs are well incorporated.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each cup. Then mix in the chopped nuts (if you used them).
Stir in the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.
Place rounded teaspoonfuls of dough on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (You can also spray your cookie sheet with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.) You don’t have to flatten the mounds of dough. They’ll spread out all by themselves as they bake.
Bake your Twin Chocolate Delights at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Mother loves these cookies. If I bake them when she’s mad at me, she sweetens right up.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Twin Chocolate Delights should freeze well, but I can’t swear to that — they never last long enough to try it.
Yield: Approximately 5 dozen chocolatey cookies.
VIKING COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2 cups butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)
2 cups brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
4 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (nutmeg will also work, but
cardamom is better)
4 and 1/2 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
3 cups white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)58
3 cups rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal – I used Quaker’s
Quick-1 Minute)
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, or on the stove in a small saucepan. (It should melt in about 3 minutes in the microwave on HIGH.) Mix in the brown sugar and the white sugar, then set the bowl on the counter to cool.
Feel the bowl with the butter/sugars mixture. When it’s not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them and mix them in. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and spices. Make sure everything is thoroughly combined.
Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Then add the white chocolate chips (or pieces of white chocolate if you cut up a block) and stir thoroughly.
Add the rolled oats and mix. The dough will be quite stiff.
Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet (or sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray), 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet.
Flatten the cookies on the sheet with a greased metal spatula (or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand). You don’t have to smush them all the way down so they look like pancakes – just one squish will do it.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 11 to 13 minutes or until the cookies are an attractive golden brown. (Mine took the full 13 minutes.)
Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 10 to 12 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.
These freeze well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.
Hannah’s Note: These cookies will go fast, even frozen. If you want to throw the midnight freezer raiders off the track, wrap the cookie rolls in a double thickness of foil and then stick them in a freezer bag. Label the bag with a food your family doesn’t like (I use BEEF TONGUE, or PORK KIDNEYS, or even LUTEFISK. It works every time, even when Andrea’s around.)
WALNUT-DATE CHEWS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)
3 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
4 eggs, beaten (just stir them up in a glass with a fork)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon (3 teaspoons) vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped walnuts (measure AFTER chopping)
1 cup chopped dates59
4 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
Melt the butter on HIGH in a microwave-safe container for 90 seconds, or in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat.
Transfer the melted butter to a large mixing bowl and add the brown sugar. Mix it well and let it cool to slightly above room temperature, just enough so that it won’t cook the eggs when you add them!
Mix in the beaten eggs. Stir until they’re thoroughly incorporated.
Add the salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Mix it all up together.
Mix in the chopped walnuts and let the dough rest while you chop the dates.
You can chop your dates by hand with a knife, but it’s a lot easier in a food processor or blender. If they’re whole dates, pit them first (of course), cut each one into two or three pieces with a knife, put them into the bowl of your food processor or blender, and sprinkle a little flour (approximately ¼ cup) on top. The flour will keep them from “gumming up” when you process them.
Measure one cup of chopped dates and add them to your mixing bowl. Stir them in thoroughly.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. This dough will be fairly stiff.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls with your impeccably clean fingers. Place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. (You can also spray the cookie sheet with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.) No need to flatten the dough balls. They’ll spread out when they bake.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then use a metal spatula to remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.
Hannah’s Note: These were my father’s favorites. Mother likes them, too. Lisa says her dad likes these best with a dish of vanilla ice cream.
Yield: Approximately 8 dozen tasty cookies, depending on cookie size.
WALNUTTOES
DO NOT preheat oven — this dough must chill before baking.
2 cups chocolate chips (a 12-ounce bag)
¾ cup butter (1 and ½ sticks, 6 ounces)
1 and ½ cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when
you measure it)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you
measure it)
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
approximately ½ cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl
Melt the chocolate chips with the butter either in a saucepan on the stovetop over LOW heat, or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. (Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.) Mix in the sugar and let it cool to slightly above room temperature, just enough so that it won’t cook the eggs when you add them!
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Mix in vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each cup. Mix in the chopped walnuts and give the dough a final stir by hand.
Chill the dough for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Roll 1-inch dough balls with your impeccably clean hands. (This is messy — wear thin plastic gloves if you wish. If the dough becomes too warm and sticky, return it to the refrigerator and try again later!)
Drop the dough balls into a small bowl with the white sugar and roll around to coat them. Then place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. (You can also spray the cookie sheet with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.) Smush the dough balls down with a greased spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then use a metal spatula to remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling. (If you leave the cookies on the cookie sheet too long, they’ll stick.)