Cookie Dough Bites (Homemade Candy!)

So I decided I want to add a few more new candies to the homemade candy arsenal.  We already do Double Coconut Eggs, Peanut Butter Eggs, Buttercreams in several flavors, Peppermint Patties and Cordial Cherries.  I came across a recipe for cookie dough bars the other day and thought that might be a fun addition to the list, rolled in balls and dipped in chocolate instead of cut into squares.

I picked up mini-chips and threw them together, but I thought I could taste the flour too much, so I added more vanilla and some Korintje cinnamon, since I usually double the vanilla and add a bit of cinnamon when I made chocolate chip cookies.  But it still wasn't right.  It was good, but not what I was looking for.

Last night I tried again.  I wanted something that had the texture of a buttercream and the taste of the Nestle Tollhouse dough.  I started with my buttercream recipe and added the things that make a Tollhouse cookie so distinctive - the brown sugar, vanilla and of course semi-sweet chips.

I'll probably add these to the assortment of candies I make at Christmas time.

Here we go!

1 12oz bag Mini Chips

2 sticks Butter (at room temperature)

1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)

3 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder

lots of Vanilla Extract (a Tablespoon or so, to taste)

a light sprinkle of Cinnamon (optional)

Candy Melts or additional Chocolate for coating.

Cream Butter and Brown Sugar until fluffy.  Add Powdered Sugar and Arrowroot (or Cornstarch) 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between each 1/2 cup.  Add Vanilla and Cinnamon.  Blend again.

Add entire bag of Mini Chips.

Refrigerate 15 minutes to make dough easier to handle.  Roll into bite size pieces.  Melt Candy Melts or Chocolate according to package instructions.  Coat each piece and place on wax paper to let coating set.  Place in refrigerator to speed setting.

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies.

So, on Sunday, I decided to make some Christmas cookies.  But if you know me, you know that A) I try to tailor things very specifically to the people they're for and B) I don't do anything halfway.  So there would be NO ORDINARY COOKIES!  Well, except one batch, someone's favorite cookie is Sugar Cookies.

I had 4 cookie gifts to make and this is the criteria I was up against.
1) Sugar Cookies are Tom's favorite.
2) Marnie loves Chai Tea.
3) Dane specifically asked that I make my Chocolate Cherry Cayenne Cookies again.
4) I needed something Super Special for Eric, who had given me NO HINTS.

So, grab for the Cooky Book (I have a reprint of the 1963 Betty Crocker Cooky Book) but it's NOWHERE.  GONE.  Probably packed up in the basement.

But that's what the internet's for, right?

Search:  Sugar Cookies.
Found:  Allrecipes.com Easy Sugar Cookies, that though bookmarked, I can't find again because the bookmark apparently directs to All Recipes Argentina, even though it didn't 2 days ago.  And a new search yields the same error.  But at any rate, they turned out to be chewy, sweet, perfect sugar cookies.
Result:  I'm not sure Tom's kids actually got any of them, because I don't think they survived the day at work.

Search: Russian Tea Cookies.  I'm thinking that these are a pretty bland cookie on their own, but could easily be changed into a Chai Tea Cookie.
Found: Betty Crocker's Russian Tea Cakes.  We mixed some good cinnamon from Penzey's into the powdered sugar for rolling them in, subbed chopped almonds for the usual walnuts or pecans, and used Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte Mix instead of most of the powdered sugar in the dough.  After accidentally throwing a few on the floor, we discovered an awesome, mild, spice cookie with a hint of black tea.
Result:  Marnie loved them!  And shared with Carol who agreed!

Search: Nestle's White Chip Chocolate Cookies.  I have it here somewhere!  Ah, there's the bag of white chips.
Found:  After tearing the kitchen apart, I found the recipe I based my Chocolate Cherry Cayenne Cookies on.  I use the same recipe for the dough, but Semi Sweet Chips instead of the White, and then I add Dried Cherries, more of the cinnamon from Penzey's and ground Cayenne.  Except this time we had Cherry Flavored Cranberries instead of Cherries.  (Oops, grabbed the wrong thing in a hurry)
Result: I already know that Dane loves these cookies.

Search: Unique Cookie Recipes.  I still need something for Eric and I'm out of ideas.
Found: After a few false starts, (I didn't have parchment for Meringues, and so on) I settled on Thumbprint Cookies thinking I had to have some kind of interested thing to add to these.  And I found it in the pantry: Blueberry Limoncello Jam from Bittersweet Herb Farm.  I added a few packets of True Lemon to some water to dissolve it and added that, plus a bit of extra flour to the cookie dough and topped them with the Blueberry Jam.
Result: I haven't heard from Eric, but everyone else who's had them loved them!

So all in all, a successful cookie baking day.  I'll get some of the details of the recipes posted over the next few days, but for now, I need to get onto the laundry I've been avoiding.

Cappuccino Chip Cookies!

This is another one of those altered, basics that I like to make. It starts with your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - I like the old reliable Nestle Tollhouse recipe - then we add a few things. The first secret to awesome chocolate chip cookies in my book is always this: Good Vanilla Extract and lots of it. Don't use imitation, trust me it's worth the price to get the good stuff.

Here's what you need (in addition to the basic cookie dough recipe)

1 1/2 cups Crushed or Chopped Almonds

1 1/2 cups White Chips

2-3 Tbsp instant coffee (your favorite)

1-2 Tbsp Saigon Cinnamon (again, good cinnamon is totally worth the money!)

More Vanilla Extract

Prepare the basic dough according to your recipe, up to the part where you would normally add the chocolate (and nuts). Add the coffee, cinnamon and extra vanilla. I like a good strong coffee flavor for this and I love cinnamon and vanilla, so I use lots! Mix well.

Add the Almonds and White Chips and mix thoroughly. Bake according to your recipe instructions!

Enjoy!