Oatmeal CookieBlog

Tea's the Secret Ingredient

The key to my Sweater Weather Cookies is the subtle warmth of cinnamon and spice.

But how do you get that flavor without churning out a cookie that tastes like a mouthful of potpourri? The answer's quite simple, actually. Use some tea!

Longtime readers will know that I've used tea a lot to infuse my cookies with flavor. Sometimes I brew the tea. But mostly I use tea straight from the tea bag. (For an explanation of why bagged tea over loose tea, see here and here.)

Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice tea was just the ticket for my Sweater Weather Cookies. Orangey but not too orangey. Spicy but not too spicy. It's the "three bears" tea that's fit for a cookie inspired by the season.

Auntie: The (Primitive Rug) Hooker II

Auntie Anne certainly is crafty! She and her rug-hooking studio were just featured on the Prim and Whimsy Girls site. Congratulations, Auntie!

Pop Rocks Meet Milk Chocolate

While wandering around the Lower East Side on Saturday, Pam and I found a little candy store and--of course--stopped in. (As if we hadn't had enough sugar at Doughnut Plant.)

There were all sorts of cool things there, including chocolates wrapped up and packaged to look like canned sardines and these: Pop Rocks covered in milk chocolate.

My first thought was to use these baked into a cookie. But as I thought it through, I realized that the stuff that makes Pop Rocks pop would likely melt or otherwise become deactivated when mixed into cookie dough and baked. Oh...and I took a closer look at the package and saw that these guys were meant for shaking on top of cakes, ice cream, etc.

I'll probably just use these as sprinkles on top of cookies, but it's fun to explore new places to search for potential ingredients. And good news for Pop Rocks fans: this also comes in bar form!

Caramel Bits for Caramel Cookies

When I was home visiting Mumma a few weekends ago, I came across Kraft's Premium Caramel Bits at the grocery store. I had never seen these before, so I picked up a couple bags. A cookie baker's pantry is never too full.

Caramel can be a tricky cookie ingredient because it's soft and gooey when your cookies are fresh from the oven, but it turns really hard and crunchy when your cookies have cooled completely. To avoid causing any damage to my real-life cookie tasters' dental work, I've used Rollo candies in my caramel cookies. The caramel centers of the Rollos stay soft and runny at room temperature, so you don't have to worry about someone busting a tooth or ripping out a crown. (And that gooey center is encased in chocolate. Who could ask for more?)

These caramel pieces feel pretty solid, but I'll give them a try. Stay tuned for caramel apple cookies!

The Great Cinnamon Hearts Hunt of 2009 II

Despite my best efforts to find cinnamon hearts candies in Manhattan, I struck out.

But I found a suitable replacement: Red Hots. They're the same thing but without the heart shape. That works for me!

I See's Chocolate!

The friendly folks at See's Candies sent me free chocolate...all the way from California! Ahhh, the perks of being a food blogger.

Truth be told, I'm not one of those people who's constantly jonesing for chocolate. But when this assortment arrived, I tore into it and ate half the box. And then I debated whether to hide the remaining half from Jon. (Don't worry...I shared some with him.)

My favorites were the caramel-filled chocolates, chocolate-covered toffees, and almond clusters. So good...and so much better than the other kinds of assorted chocolates you can get at the drugstore.

If you're thinking of getting chocolates for your sweetie this Valentine's Day, think about sending some See's. Or if you've got a favorite cause to support, See's even does chocolate fundraisers. (Who can say no to chocolate?)

Eggnog Flavoring...They Ought to Bottle the Stuff

Readers Diana and Em pointed me to the King Arthur Flour online store, where you can buy eggnog flavoring. Thanks, Diana and Em!

Adding some of this stuff to an eggnog-inspired recipe, I'm sure, will really pump up the flavor. Try adding a teaspoon or so to my Eggnog Cookies to really drive home the eggnogginess.

Reader Query: Gingerbread-Eggnog Cookies?

On my Poll Roundup XIII post, Mandy asked the following question:

Any chance of a combination eggnog and gingerbread [cookie]?

What a great question, Mandy. And what a great way to combine two popular Christmastime flavors!

At first I wasn't sure if spicy ginger and rich eggnog could work together in harmony. And then I saw gingerbread eggnog at my grocery store. Whodathunkit? (Hello...peace on Earth!)

So if you're looking for a truly unique Christmas cookie, try swapping out the standard store-bought eggnog in my Eggnog Cookies with some flavored eggnog. It looks like there are quite a few varieties out there.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Smells Funny

I read about CB I Hate Perfume a few weeks ago on Andrew Sullivan's blog. Perfumes/colognes that intentionally smell like rubber cement or roast beef? I just had to smell that stuff for myself.

On Saturday Jon and I headed to Williamsburg in Brooklyn to check out the store. (They call it a "gallery," but whatever.) There really are scents like rubber cement and roast beef that smell like rubber cement and roast beef. ("The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"). There's also a 90-pound mastiff named Zephyr who really likes to have his belly scratched.

It's all a touch silly, but it's fun. Here's a blurb about the scent called "Greenbriar 1968":

“This scent is a memory of my Grandfather, the sawmill that he owned and the stone house where he lived.

It is blended with Sawdust, Fresh Cut Hay, Worn Leather Work Gloves, Pipe Tobacco and a healthy amount of Dirt. There is also a faint whiff of cotton overalls covered in Axel Grease.”

And guess what: It really does smell like sawdust, leather, tobacco, and damp basement. I didn't pick up the greasy overalls, but you get the picture.

We got "Burning Leaves" and "Cedarwood Tea." They're so diffferent and interesting that you can't help but keep sniffing yourself. You definitely won't find these scents in a department store.

Cookie-Makin' Music II

It's a dreary September day here in New York City. The kind of day when you want to stay in your pajamas, sit on the couch, eat chicken soup, and watch TV court shows all day. Or, if your stuck at work, to find neato things on YouTube to watch and pass the time until you can go home, put on your pajamas, sit on the couch, eat chicken soup, and watch TV all night. (Or is that just me?)

Here's a mini-profile of Hem, one of my favorite bands. (Go here for a playlist.) I know...this is my second plug, but they're really good! Perfect mellow music for a mellow day or a cookie-makin' night.

Tools of the Trade

I got a couple questions recently about cookie scoops, so I figured I'd do a combo scoop-and-other tools post. Here goes:

Half-sheet baking pans: If I remember correctly, Cook’s Illustrated magazine rated the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pans highest, but I think any half-sheet pan will do because their thicker bottoms conduct heat better and more evenly than standard cookie sheets, and half-sheet pans have a raised edge with a rolled lip, which makes them sturdier than standard cookie sheets.

Silpats: These are silicone baking mats. Silpat is the best-known brand, thanks to Martha! But there are a bunch of brands available, so you can be sure to find one at a price that’s right for you. I absolutely love these guys. They’re dishwasher safe and reusable, and I’ve never had a problem getting cookies off of them. In fact, rested cookies literally pop off of a Silpat with a slight twist of your wrist. You don’t even need to use a spatula.

Cookie scoops: What’s the secret to getting perfectly round and perky cookies every time? Simple...a cookie scoop. But not just any cookie scoop. Steer clear of those shiny, retro-looking aluminum guys with visible springs in the handles. They’re expensive, they pinch your hand, and even worse, they break. Trust me. I’ve had a lot of luck with scoops that have plastic handles and mechanisms. Any cookie baker needs one.

You can find these tools at any home/cooking store. Don't feel like you have to spend a fortune: there are tons of brands available, so you'll be able to find stuff for the price that's right for you. I really like the King Arthur online store because it has a great selection and reasonable prices. Best of all, I can do my shopping in my pajamas...and who could complain about that?

Christmas in...Mid-September?

Yay! More cinnamon chips from the King Arthur store arrived yesterday. I am officially "re-upped."

I think I might have already done a Product Placement post on these guys, but another wouldn't hurt, right?

So here goes... Click here to get some cinnamon chips.

If you want to make my Sin-a-Bun, Apple Jack, Hot(ter) Chocolate, Chocolate & Chipotle, or Coffee Cake cookies, you've really got to get these cinnamon chips. They're indispensable!

Calling All Cookie Lovers: You've Got Class!

If you're going to be in New York on December 11, think about attending the "Cookie: Tasting and History with Francine Segan" program at the 92nd Street Y. (Tickets are $40 apiece.) From the Y's description:

“Join food historian and expert Francine Segan as she journeys through the past and present of our favorite foods! Programs include rich histories and delicious tastings.

Mallomars, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, gingerbread men and more--cookies have been popular since ancient times, when the Romans invented a two-sided sweet resembling an Oreo. Discover the fascinating history and origins of many of our favorite cookies, and nibble your way through dozens of delicious treats from China, Japan, Israel, Italy, India, South America and more.”

Doesn't that sound cool!? I found out about this program through a piece of junk mail. Yay, junk mail!

Dark Chocolate Chips

I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet baking chips in my (Dark) Chocolate Orange in the Coconut cookies.

I thought about using a chopped-up bar of dark chocolate, but I questioned whether the chocolate would melt too much and "bleed out" of the cookies as they baked in the oven. These chips were the perfect fix because they brought the dark chocolate flavor and the same meltability as regular semisweet chips.

So there you have it. Problem solved, question answered, and--most important--cookies baked.

"Woke Up This Morning..."

Looks like there is going to be a Sopranos box set soon. As Tony would say, "Madone!" I already know what I want for Christmas.

For a Sopranos-inspired cookie, check out my Juliana Skiffles.

The Secret to the Ultimate Chocolate Cookie? Willllllllmmmaaa!

Yup. That's right. Cocoa Pebbles cereal is the secret to making the ultimate chocolate cookie. I use it in almost all of my chocolate-based cookies:

Chocolate & Salted Caramel
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Fake-Out-Eos
German Chocolate Cake Cookies
Chocolate & Sea Salt Cookies

Lavender Is the New Basil II

Lorraine, Jon's mom, was recently at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and spotted Star Kay White lavender extract in the gift shop. She picked up a bottle and sent it to me. Thanks, Lorraine! I got it yesterday.

It looks like I can use it for baking or aromatherapy. From the bottle's label:

“Pure lavender extract has a fresh, sweet, floral aroma and flavor. May be used in baking as you would vanilla extract. Can also be added to a bath to relieve tension and stress.”

This stuff smells really good. I'm ready to take a nap...

Stay tuned for some tasty, stress-relieving lavender cookies! I'm thinking of making a lavender-infused base topped with a light, lemony icing.

Auntie: The (Primitive Rug) Hooker

Auntie Anne was named Rug Hooker of the Month over at The PRHG (Primitive Rug Hooking Group) Gazette. Congratulations, Auntie!

A T-Shirt for Cookie Lovers II

I know some people skeeve raisins (check out my Tell Me How the Cookie Crumbles poll), so all you raisin haters out there have to take a look at this T-shirt.

Freshman year of college, there was a girl on my floor who liked to sniff freshly opened packs of cigarettes because she said they smelled like raisins. She didn't smoke, and--here's the really strange part--she hated raisins, but she loved how the cigarettes smelled like raisins. It takes all kinds, right?

A T-Shirt for Cookie Lovers

Apropos of my Are You a Dunker? poll, all you cookie dunkers out there have to take a look at this T-shirt. So perfect!

The Secret to Making the Peanuttiest Peanut Butter Cookies

The secret to moist and flavorful peanut butter cookies is not to use a lot of peanut butter. (Isn’t it ironic…dontcha think?) Instead, you should:

1. Use ground-up Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, a trick I learned from Cook’s Country magazine.
2. Use only a 1/2 cup of really flavorful peanut butter. I prefer Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy.
3. Use peanut butter chips to pump up the flavor.

Using too much peanut butter straight from the jar will dry out your cookies, make them kind of bland, and give them a sandy texture. By using my three-source, flavor-layering approach, you get moist, flavorful cookies with the perfect crispy/chewy texture. This is the method I used in my PB & J(onnie) cookies and Inside-Out Peanut Butter Cups.

Okay…I think I’ve got peanut butter covered for a while. (I just noticed that orange appears to be the color of choice to signify PB...at least in the products I use. That's kind of how green has become the signifying color of "healthy foods" and how purple has become the signifying color of "low-cal foods." I know...I'm rambling.)

Feel free to cast your vote in my favorite cookie flavorings poll!

Looking for an Ingredient? Search Me!

Exciting news to report! The Oatmeal CookieBlog is now fully searchable! Woohoo! So now you can search my blog by ingredient, keyword, whatever. (The pic with this post is a screenshot of the results for the search "graham cracker.") Just use that BlogBar search box to the left...just below my mugshot.

Yes. Today is a very slow Monday...must be the heat.

Reader Query: Crumblin' Cookies

April, a reader, real-life cookie taster, and real-life recipe user, was making my Better Than Grandma’s Oatmeal Cookies and emailed me the following questions:

“When I tried to take them off the sheet, they fell apart and were still gooey inside. It's a work in progress!! And, they're just straight on a cookie sheet (nonstick but older) so they're sticking. Was the parchment paper/silpat (what is that?) necessary? Even with a nonstick cookie sheet?”

Hi, April! I think I know how to solve your problem. The best thing to do when your cookies crumble when you try to take them off your cookie sheet is to let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet before you try to remove them.

I usually let me cookies set on the cookie sheet for about two minutes before I move them to my cooling racks. This “resting” time allows for the carryover heat of the sheet to finish cooking the cookie centers and bottoms. (If you leave the cookies in the oven to finish off the baking completely, you’ll end up with hard--maybe even charred--little hockey pucks.)

To ensure that your cookies come out of the oven perfectly baked and that they release themselves easily from the cookie sheet, there are a couple cookie tools you might want to invest in.

Silpat: These are silicone baking mats. Silpat is the best-known brand, thanks to Martha! But there are a bunch of brands available, so you can be sure to find one at a price that’s right for you. I absolutely love these guys. They’re dishwasher safe and reusable, and I’ve never had a problem getting cookies off of them. In fact, rested cookies literally pop off of a Silpat with a slight twist. You don’t even need to use a spatula.

Half-Sheet Baking Pans: If I remember correctly, Cook’s Illustrated magazine rated the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pans highest, but I think any half-sheet pan will do because their thicker bottoms conduct heat better and more evenly than standard cookie sheets, and half-sheet pans have a raised edge with a rolled lip, which makes them sturdier than standard cookie sheets.

The 1-2 punch of a Silpat-lined half-sheet baking pan will give you perfect cookies every time. Thanks again, April, for emailing me your questions. I hope I answered them for you OK.

Stayin' Cool and Feelin' Countrypolitan

It's too hot to go outside, so I'm staying in and trying to reach the end of the internet. I hope you enjoy this Hem-based playlist. As I've mentioned before, Hem is perfect cookie-makin' music.

Salts for the Salty

I used Ravida sea salt to top my chocolate and salted-caramel cookies. This is the brand that Jon picked up at the grocery store, but any kind of sea salt or schmancy-ish flaked salt will do. Oddly, sea salt isn't particularly salty--at least not nearly as salty as regular old iodized table salt (the kind from the can with the pull-out spout) or kosher salt (the kind on soft pretzels).

There are loads of different kinds of salt available: Italian, French, gray, green, pink, smoked, etc. If you're going to make my chocolate and salted-caramel cookies, choose a brand that is the right price for you and that you're likely to use again.

My recipe calls for only a pinch of salt per dough ball, so don't feel like you have to buy a huge amount of the stuff. But whatever you do, do not use regular iodized table salt or kosher salt in place of the sea salt. You'll end up with a cookie that is spit-takingly salty.

My Favorite Marinara

I know, I know...I'll get back to cookies tonight. (Look for a chocolate and salted-caramel cookie posting TK.) But until then, here's a smidge more general food blogging:

The best jarred marinara by far, in my humble opinion, is made by Rao's. It's on the pricier side, but it's incredibly flavorful, light, and fresh--not like other brands that are too sweet, too salty, too thick, or just too darned herby.

I use this sauce whenever I make pasta; I also use it as the sauce whenever I make pizza. Rao's even rivals my Italian grandmother's everyday sauce--her secret ingredient notwithstanding.

Food Network in the Neighborhood

Holy oatmeal cookie, Batman! The contestants on The Next Food Network Star (TNFNS) do their shopping at my grocery store--Westside Market--in my building!

Nipa couldn't find turmeric in the spice aisle (which, oddly, looked kind of big on-screen but is really a tiny section squished between the peanut butter and the taco shells...don't ask). Regular readers know how wacky Westside's shelving schema can be. Poor Nipa should have looked for the turmeric next to the mixed nuts.

And, to top of today's Food Network sightings, we saw Bob Tuschman--a TNFNS judge and VP of Food Network--in the D'agostino market on 17th Street.

Cocoa Query

Meredith, a reader from New Jersey, emailed me to ask:

"Oatmeal cookie guy--your blog is so cool! Just discovered it via link on cookie madness. Quick question for you: when you say "Baker's Chocolate," do you mean Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate?  And what brand of milk chocolate (and cocoa power, since I'm posing so many questions) do you use?"

Thanks for the blog-love and the question, Meredith. For baker’s chocolate, I mean Baker’s brand of unsweetened chocolate. I’ll go back and update my recipe grids to reflect this. I use Hershey’s milk chocolate. And for cocoa powder I use Droste. (I always think Grolsch in my head when I say Droste…but that’s something else entirely and definitely not a brand of cocoa.) I hope this helps, Meredith. Happy baking!

Hoping for a Good Thing

Make sure you watch Martha Stewart on Tuesday to see who wins "Martha’s Favorite Cookie Contest." I entered two of my cookies: Golden Girls and Sin-a-Buns. Keep your fingers crossed for Oatmeal Cookie Guy!

Update: No soup for me!

Demystifying Dehydrated Raspberries

It occurred to me that dehydrated raspberries might not be the most easily procurable ingredient around. I know my grocery store downstairs doesn’t have them (but that’s another story).

If you are lucky enough to live near a super-mega-gigantic mart, you’ll probably find a large selection of dried fruits, including raspberries.

I found the dehydrated raspberries I used in my Raspberry Graham Cracker Crunch and Raspberry-Chocolate Fondue cookies at Whole Foods. The brand I used is Just Tomatoes Etc., and--of course--you can buy all kinds of their tasty dehydrated delectables online.

Vote for Oatmeal Cookie Guy

I entered pics of a couple of my cookies in the "Martha's Favorite Cookie Contest." Take a look at the entries for my Sin-a-Bun and Golden Girls cookies. Vote early and often!

Sourcing Ingredients

That's a fancy-pants way of saying "shopping."

Carole, a reader, emailed to ask where I bought the cinnamon extract I used in my Sin-a-Bun cookies. I found it in the extract section of the baking aisle in my grocery store. (But, as regular readers know, my grocery store has got little-to-no organizing principle. So when I say "in the baking aisle," that translates to "that tiny section between the eggs and the salsa." Don't ask...I'm still trying to figure it out.) So if I can find cinnamon extract in my grocery store, you should be able to find it in yours.

I use McCormick brand cinnamon extract. Nothing fancy--just good old omni-available McCormick. Here's a link to the cinnamon extract page on the McCormick website. Perhaps knowing what the packaging looks like will help you find it more easily on the supermarket shelf.

Less common than cinnamon extract, but just as easy to obtain, are cinnamon chips. I buy these through the King Arthur Baker's Catalogue online store. I buy these guys two bags at a time and keep them in the refrigerator, where they keep for months on end. They taste great--just like the crumb topping on a coffee cake--and can be used in a bunch of recipes. I melted two tablespoons' worth and used it in the cinnamon slurry I used to fill the Sin-a-Bun cookies' thumbprints.

I hope this helps, Carole. Let me know how they come out!

My Favorite Peanut Butter

In all my recipes that call for peanut butter, I use Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy. (Jeeze...that's a mouthful.) It's just a tad sweeter than most peanut butters and, best of all, tastes great--even in your baked stuff.

It can be kind of hard to find, especially at my grocery store, which sometimes stocks it next to the salsa and maple syrup (don't ask...I can't figure out their shelving schema) and sometimes next to the bread, which is across from the stinky cheeses and the beer (of course!).

It can also make a great snack to hold you over until the Rosa Mexicano delivery guy shows up.

My Favorite Brown Sugar

When I write brown sugar in my recipes, what I mean is dark brown sugar.

I love dark brown sugar. Light brown? Pshaw! If I found extra-dark brown sugar, I'd use that. The reason? The darker the sugar, the chewier and more flavorful the cookie.

In the next few days, I'm going to reproof my recipes and make sure that I specify to use dark brown sugar.

My Favorite Oatmeal

I began this recipe collection as "Operation Quaker," and it's no accident. The only oatmeal I use in my oatmeal cookies is Quaker Old Fashioned Oats. In fact, Quaker was the oatmeal my grandmother used to make her oatmeal cookies. And you know there’s no going against grandma.

I use "old fashioned" oats in my oatmeal cookies, not quick oats or instant oatmeal, because I’ve found that the old fashioned oats produce a cookie with the best texture. Quick oats and instant oatmeal are par cooked and have a mealy texture that doesn’t quite carry over to cookies. Just open an envelope of instant oatmeal and you’ll see what I mean: Are there oats in there, or is it flour?

If you’re making a recipe that calls for finely ground oatmeal, though, I guess quick oats or instant would work in a pinch. But be warned: The cookies' texture and flavor will likely be a little pasty.