Oatmeal CookieBlog

Reader Query: A Variation on the S'more Cookie?

Stephanie, a reader and real-life recipe user, emailed me recently with an interesting twist on 'smores...and a suggestion:

We love your recipes. Our family just returned from a camping trip. Our favorite version of s’mores is what we call a salty dog. One golden brown marshmallow smashed between saltines smeared with peanut butter.

Inspiration for a cookie?

Hi, Stephanie. Wow. That salty dog of your sounds really good! Salty-sweet is one of my favorite flavor combinations. The funny thing is that I considered doing a version of my S'mores Cookies with peanut butter a few weeks ago. Talk about timing...there must be something in the air. I'll definitely have to do some thinking and experimenting with saltines, peanut butter, and marshmallows.

Berrylicious Cookies

My XXX cookies influenced this recipe. Why "XXX"? Simple...because I use three forms of fruit: fresh, dried, and cooked. And because they taste so good it's obscene. (Oh...and you can feel good about eating these because they're eggless.)

The blackberries and raspberries cooked with lemon juice, milk, sugar, and vanilla have a fresh, bright flavor that's the perfect background for the sweetness of the fresh and dried fruit. The white chocolate chips provide richness.

I didn't have Nilla Wafers--which the other XXX recipes use--on hand, so I improvised and used Cheerios cereal instead. I gotta pat myself on the back for that piece of quick thinking because the cookies tasted delicious.

A final roll in turbinado sugar before baking gives the cookies a crunchy exterior that contrasts with the moist, chewy interior.

The batch I brought to my Wednesday night supper club vanished, so be sure to set aside some of these guys. They will disappear.

Makes 3 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Berrylicious Cookies.)

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	2/3 cup sliced fresh blackberries 2/3 cup sliced fresh raspberries 3 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dry Ingredients	2 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 cup finely ground Cheerios cereal 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup dried berries 1/3 cup sliced fresh blackberries 1/3 cup sliced fresh raspberries 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping	turbinado sugar

1. In a small saucepan, heat blackberries, raspberries, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and white sugar over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, crushing the blueberries until the the mixture is smooth and evenly red.
2. Remove berry mixture from the heat and set aside to cool until Step 5.
3. Preheat oven to 350º.
4. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
5. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
6. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
7. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
8. Refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes to firm up.
   
9. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
10. Roll each cookie dough ball in turbinado sugar.
    
11. Place the sugared dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
12. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

A Standing O for My Oatmeal Snickerdoodles

Mnorman, a reader and real-life recipe user, had some some super nice stuff to say about my Oatmeal Snickerdoodles:

these are so cinnamon-y!! i love that, excellent recipe .... works every time!

Thanks, Mnorman. I'm so glad you like these guys. They were really popular with my real-life cookie tasters as well. I love how the cinnamon shines through.

Cookies Are for Sharing

Here's a cute short film called The Cookie Thief.

Festival Hits
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Picturing Berrylicious Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Berrylicious Cookies in process.

Combine the wet ingredients. Cook the blackberries, raspberries, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and sugar over medium high heat. Smoosh everything around until it forms a maroon pulp.

Cream the creamables. Butter and dark brown sugar.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables.

Grind up the Cheerios, then measure. Yup...that's right. Cheerios. (I was out of Nilla Wafers.)

Measure the fruit. For the dried fruit, I used Mariani's "Berries 'n Cherries" mix, which includes dried strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, and cherries. For the fresh fruit, I used more blackberries and raspberries.

Combine the dry ingredients--including the Cheerios and dried and fresh fruit--and add to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix.

Scoop and sugar the dough balls and bake. Make sure to set a few aside for yourself because these babies disappear. And that's no joke!

Bravo for Blueberry Cookies II

Amelia, a reader, real-life recipe user, and fellow food blogger, tried my XXX Blueberry Cookies recently and had some blog-love to share:

You're right Greg, these are amazingly obscenely good!! Did a little blog about it today. Super happy I made these /=D

Yay, Amelia! As always, I'm so glad you and your boys liked this recipe. You had a really good idea to swap out dark chocolate for the white chocolate. Hmm...I might have to try that!

A Different Kind of Cookie Monster

Oh my god. Lady Gaga Cookies!

The List...Updated

Here’s the most up-to-date list.

S’mores Cherry-Vanilla Crispies Chocolate Malted Good Ol’ Peanut Butter White Chocolate Macaroons Dark Earl Grey Caramel-Espresso Eleven Madison Hawaii Cookies Coffee Cake Fourth of July Grasshopper Elvis Dulce de Leche Chocolate & Salted Caramel Shirley Temple Golden Girls Juliana Skiffle PB & J(onnie) Mocha Mint Rosh Hashanah ChocAlmScotch Sweater Weather Cookies Peanut Butter Cup Hot(ter) Chocolate Almond Brickle Fluffernutter XXX Cranberry Cookies Almond Joy Mulled Apple Cider Yuletides (Peppermint Bark) Eggnog Cookies Sin-a-Buns Lime in the Coconut Fake-Out-Eos Raspberry-Chocolate Fondue The Girl Scouts Are...Jealous Heeeere's Johnnycake! Do You Like Pina Coladas? Va-Va-Vanilla Rocky Road Hazelnut Coffee Florida Cookies German Chocolate Cake California Cookies Raspberry Graham...Crunch

Scarborough Fair Better...Oatmeal Raisin Inside-Out Peanut Butter Cups Apple Jack Cookies Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Raspberry in the Coconut Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies Chocolate & Chipotle Cookies Orange in the Coconut Chocolate & Sea Salt Cookies Lavender & Lemon Lovelies Redheads Chocolate Orange...Coconut Cranberry Crunch Cookies Cranberry in the Coconut Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies Boston Cream Pie Cookies Toffee Figgy Pudding Cookies Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies Flat, Crunchy Choc. Chip Orange & Mint Cookies Stuffed Date Nut Cookies Red Bean-Stuffed Green Tea Maraschino Cherry Cookies Wine & Chocolate Cookies Almond Butter & Raspberry Rum Raisinet Cookies Coconut Rum Raisinet Cookies Spicy Valentine's Heart Cookies Mojito Cookies Black Sesame Cookies Irish Breakfast Scone Cookies St. Patrick's Day Cookies Hot Cross Bun Cookies Chocolate Lime...Coconut Copycat Compost Cookie Strawberry-Rhubarb Cookies Meyer Lemon & Thyme XXX Strawberry Cookies Lemon in the Coconut Strawberry Shortcake Cookies Peaches & Cream Cookies Lemonade & Iced Tea Cookies Neapolitan Cookies Blueberry & Lemon Cookies

XXX Cherry + Chocolate Cookies Ambrosia Cookies Caramel Apple Bars Lemon & Gooseberry Biscuits Parmesan & Black Olive Cookies Beach Plum Thumbprint Cookies Margarita Cookies Rose Water Cookies Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies Halloween Pinwheel Cookies Nutella-Stuffed Cookies Goat Cheese Cookies Peanut Butter & Apple Cookies Oatmeal Cannoli Cookies Honey-Roasted PB Cookies Peppermint Bark-Stuffed Cookies Oatmeal Snickerdoodles Bellini Cookies Peanut Butter-Stuffed Nutella Nutella-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cherry-Lemon Joy Cookies Tea, Lemon, and Honey Cookies Vanilla and Lime Cookies Sage and Orange Cookies Coca-Cola Cookies Key Lime Pie Cookies Buffalo Wing Cookies Orange Creamsicle Cookies Banana Cookies Lemon-Lime Coconut Macadamia XXX Blueberry Cookies Killer Chocolate Cookies

Reader Query: Fixing Flat Cookies?

JS5981, a reader and real-life recipe user, is still having a problem with his cookies coming out flat:

Hey Cookieguy

I'm still having problems with my cookies melting and spreading out wafer-thin in the oven. I took your advice and got rid of the electric mixer and opted for the wooden spoon for creaming the sugar and butter, but the cookies still won't hold up. Can you make any other suggestions to prevent this? Would refrigerating the dough a little bit before baking help?

Thanks for your input :-)

Hi, JS5981. Good to hear from you again! Hmmm... I've been thinking about your predicament for a while. It can be really frustrating to get flat, crunchy cookies all the time. (Unless you want to make something like my Flat, Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies, that is.) I think the problem might be that your oven is running hot. Your idea of parking the dough in the fridge for a bit to chill and firm up is a good one. I also suggest lowering the temp on your oven a little.

So the next time you're baking cookies, try chilling the dough in your fridge for about 30 minutes and baking them at a lower temperature--325º instead of 350º. I hope this helps!

Cookie Party!

Here's a cute cookie-related clip from the defunct Sarah Silverman Program. Isn't Google grand?

The Sarah Silverman Program
Cookie Party!
www.comedycentral.com
Futurama New Episodes It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Russell Simmons Stand-Up Comedy

Reader Query: Extract or Flavoring?

Gloria, a reader from Houston, Texas, wrote in with a question about the extracts I use in my Do You Like Pina Coladas? Cookies:

When your recipe says "coconut extract" is it "coconut flavoring" or "coconut extract." I can find the coconut flavoring, but not the extract. Also, can lemon extract (which I can find easily) be used instead of lime extract, which is not available here in Houston. Thanks!

Hi, Gloria. Thanks for writing in! The coconut flavoring/extract I use is McCormick's imitation coconut extract. (See picture at right.) I know that's not very definitive--not clearly an extract or a flavoring--so I think it would be fine for you to use coconut flavoring because that's what you have access to. As for a lime extract, feel free to replace it with lemon extract or even lime juice. It's such a small amount--1 teaspoon--that either one of these replacements will work fine. I hope this helps. Happy baking!

Sweet on Summertime Strawberry Cookies

Sarah (a.k.a., PurpleRacoon), a reader, real-life recipe user, and fellow food blogger, did a little riffing on my super-tasty, super-seasonal XXX Strawberry Cookies and had this to say:

Have been following your blog for ages, but never has a recipe coincided with an opportunity until a few days ago. Made without (Nilla) wafers or dried fruit, and with dark instead of white chocolate, they tasted fab!

Thanks, Sarah! With the abundance of berries we have this time of year, this recipe is a star. I'm so glad you like these guys...and that you did some tweaking to fit your ingredients.

Speaking of berries in the summertime, I think I might do some experimenting with blackberries or raspberries...or maybe even black raspberries, which is one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors. I think I might have a busy weekend ahead of me.

U.S. Cookie = U.K. Biscuit XXX

Yowza! Could it really be that this is the 30th of these posts? I guess so. This time, here's a clip from That Mitchell and Webb Sound radio show.

A Million Little Pieces...of Candy

I was watching TV last night and saw a commercial for Hershey's new Almond Joy and York Peppermint Patty pieces, and--of course--I started thinking up recipes, including a new take on my Mocha Mint Cookies.

And speaking of candy pieces commercials, those new M&M Pretzels got me thinking of doing an updated version of my Copycat Momofuku Compost Cookie.

What can I say? You can take the Oatmeal Cookie Guy out of the kitchen, but he's still gonna be all about the cookies.

Scenes from Provincetown

Here are some shots from my one and only trip to the beach last week.

I had a great time with my friends Gary and Alan. And I had some great food and some even better drinks. Who knew you could get absinthe at a bar in United States in the 21st century? No...I didn't see Kylie Minogue, but I did get very, very smiley. (Hmm...an absinthe cookie? I'll have to conduct some research.)

I wanted to document all my food finds, but it's a little difficult to carry a camera around everywhere when all your shorts have shallow pockets.

Happy Fourth of July!

What other than Galaxie 500's "Fourth of July" for today?

Oatmeal Cookie Guy to Ye Olde Cape Cod

I'm off to Cape Cod with my buddies Gary and Alan for the week of the Fourth of July. I hope to have lots of foodie adventures to report back on. In the meantime, though, here's a ditty from some lady named Patti Page to set the mood.

Pebbles Cereal Here, There, and Everywhere

Angela, a reader, real-life recipe user, and fellow food blogger, commented on my Killer Chocolate Cookie post with some blog-love and a product placement:

"I'm not a huge chocolate fan....But I do love me some Cocoa Pebbles"

I could have written that! I totally agree ;)

By the way, have you seen the new (ish) Cupcake Pebbles cereal? Oh, it's pretty bad for you, probably more sugar than you should have in two days. But it's so delicious and full of vanilla flavor! I actually used Cupcake Pebbles on your Cherry-Vanilla Crispies and it made for some adorable cookies, but I forgot to take photos =(

Love it, keep it up.

Hi, Angela. Thanks for writing in. Ooh! I haven't seen Cupcake Pebbles cereal before, but I'm definitely going to look for it now. I love the texture of Pebbles. It's crunchier and has a much more satisfying mouthfeel than Rice Krispies. Thanks for the product-placement and the heads-up. Who knows how many other recipes this Cupcake Pebbles discovery will lead to.