Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios & Dried Cherries

I'm not a big fan of fancy things. Rather, I am a jeans and T-shirt, mini-van drivin', no frills, plain Jane sort of girl. It holds true for how I dress down to how I bake. I like to keep things simple. Christmas cookies are the perfect example of how I operate. This time of year most people break out their "fancy-schmancy" cookie recipes. They're baking nut cups, almond crescents and other uber traditional treats, but not me. No, I like to make an overabundance of the no-frills cookies that I love to eat throughout the year, plus a few others that make the holiday cut... for good measure.

Sunday Baked: Googly-Eyed Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Hmmm...What to do? What to do? How do I make this week's selection from Baked Explorations a little more enticing? I mean, another mint dessert... so soon! Yes, the department stores have had their Christmas displays up for a couple of weeks (which is pure ridiculousness by the way), but we are still way too far away from Christmas for this baker to be overly excited about these cookies. Not to mention, we just covered Grasshopper Bars, their minty kin, a few weeks ago. It's mint overload....Aaaahhh! How will I ever survive?

Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars

I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way I've become a snob. A complete and total baking snob. I admit it. I came to this realization not too long ago after I found myself turning my nose up at some birthday cake being served at a friend's party. Before you get all huffy with me, no, I didn't ask them if it was a "boxed cake" and then refuse when asked if I would like some. That would have just been rude. Rather, I accepted a piece knowing it wasn't from scratch and politely ate a bite. I proceeded to eat a second bite merely to confirm that I really didn't like the first bite. Yup, total snob. I couldn't eat it.

Sunday Baked: Rosemary Apricot Squares

I have never met an apricot I liked. To me they are the red-headed step-sister to the beloved almond, cherry, nectarine, peach and plum. They are the misfit drupes (yes, I googled that). Maybe it's cruel of me to label them as such, but I don't know why they have to be all musky and tart tasting. Why can't they just fall into line and be sweet and juicy like their brothers and sisters?

I am aware that I really should try to like these little fellows and that most people do. They are pretty little things after all, not to mention good for me - chock full of vitamins and other essential nutrients. Let me try again just to make sure....

** (paused for apricot tasting) **

Nope, I still don't like 'em (sigh)....maybe they will taste better cooked?

I hesitate to even mention this so fresh off my apricot tirade, but... I don't like rosemary either. Too woodsy tasting for me. I know! I know! Totally annoying, right? Come Thanksgiving I am a giant pain in the a** to please. Maybe if I mince the rosemary into fine, minute pieces it will somehow subdue the flavor.

Wait a second, things are looking up. Honey? Pecans? Now we are talking! I knew Matt & Renato weren't trying to purposefully crush my baking spirits...maybe there is hope for this recipe yet.

 

The Chewy: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was born and raised a Toll House girl. Plain and simple. No complaints. They are perfectly delectable and an American classic. My mom made them for us just as my grandma made them for her. I have wonderful memories of my Mom and me bellied up to the counter rolling dough balls to place on cookie sheets for baking. If I was really luck, we would forgo the rolling and press all the dough into a baking dish to make pan cookies (my favorite).

With such fond memories and a love for the Toll House recipe, why would I search for another chocolate chip cookie? That is a fair question. All I can say is that as I continue to write this blog, I have become a bit of a crazy person collecting recipes and reading baking posts from other talented bakers. It seems as though there is a bit of a debate in the blogging world as to which recipe produces the best, the supreme, the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.

I decided that I must join in on this quest even if I had to betray my beloved Toll House. And, who better to begin with than Mr. Food Science himself, Alton Brown. He has never let me down before. So, off I went to conquer, "The Chewy".

These cookies are reminiscent of the Toll House variety, but this recipe is unusual in that it calls for bread flour instead of all-purpose and to melt the butter before creaming it with the sugars. I had never heard of this before. What sort of craziness was this? However, after doing some research I discovered that the bread flour allows for the chewy texture of the cookie. Go figure. I am still not sure why he has you melt the butter first, but the cookies were delicious, so I am not gonna argue with his mad science.

 

Slowly and the flour a little at a time, and mix until just right.

Add your semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Toll House so I didn't feel like I was a total cookie back-stabber) or even better high quality chocolate chunks..... mmmmm! You want to make sure you get the proper chocolate to cookie dough ratio for each bite. It is a crucial step in my mind.

Alton's recipe tells you to chill the dough for 1 hour. I upped that big time to 12 hours, at least. In my opinion, it allows for the caramel undertones in the dough to deepen, and it prevents it the cookies from spreading while baking. I will actually chill mine for 24 next time I make these.

I also stick the formed dough balls in the freezer for 10 minutes before placing in the oven. Overkill? Maybe, but my cookies were pretty much perfect :)

 

They were chewy around the edges and soft and tender in the middle with just the right amount of sweetness. The salt to sweet balance was perfect. I heart these cookies!

Sorry, Toll House. You've been bumped by "The Chewy".

Hmmm... do I dare continue on this quest? Is there a cookie out there even better than "The Chewy"?

I will ponder the question and get back to you....

The Chewy  

(Recipe adapted from Alton Brown)  

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup (8 ounces) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Pour the butter into the bowl of your stand mixer and set it aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.

Add the sugar and brown sugar to the mixing bowl, and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed to low-medium and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Set the mixer to low speed, and slowly add the flour to the batter a little at a time.  Stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are thoroughly combined. Cover the dough with saran wrap and chill for at least 12 hours, if not longer. I chill mine overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Scoop the dough into large tablespoon (1 1/2-ounce) portions and place onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. (I placed my cookie sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.) Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven, and allow cookies to cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing from pans. Remove cookies from pan and place on cooling rack to cool completely, or pour yourself a glass of cold milk and enjoy warm... YUM!

Note: I baked mine for 13 minutes, rotating the pan after six and a half minutes.

Sunday Baked: Cowboy Cookies

Don't you just love when the stars align and things fall into place? As a mom of three little kids, things are always a little hectic and unpredictable. So, when something works out perfectly and makes my life a little easier, I rejoice and savor the moment.

Such was the case with this week's Baked Sunday Morning selection. My oldest son had his school's end-of-year fundraiser this past Friday... an Ice Cream Social chock-full of carnival games, bouncy toys, food and fun! One of the popular events of the evening is the 'Cake Walk'.  Basically, it is musical chairs except everyone sits in a numbered chair when the music stops. If your number is called, then you win your choice of baked good from the prize table full of hundreds of cakes, cookies and brownies.

Of course, I volunteered to make a few treats for the Cake Walk. But, what to make? What to make? Hmmm... I know! How about Cowboy Cookies?! Nothing like knocking two birds out with one stone :)

These cookies were yummy and a perfect choice for a kids event. What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn't love a moist, delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a few salty pretzel bits thrown in for good measure? Actually, since the recipe substituted pretzels for nuts, it became a much safer option for a school function. You can never be too careful with peanut allergies these days.

These cookies had a wonderfully crispy exterior with a chewy inside that was perfectly to my liking. The substitution of pretzels for nuts was clever and provided a delicious sweet/salty flavor. I will for sure make these again using pretzels, but I love cookies with nuts. So, I am going to throw some walnuts in next time and see how they bake up. I imagine they will be quite tasty since the recipe itself is oh, so good!

Stop on by the Baked Sunday Morning blog to see what my fellow bakers thought of Matt & Renato's Cowboy Cookies.

Have a Sweet Sunday!
Jaime @ The Great Cake Company