Oatmeal CookieBlog

Reader Query: Enplumpening Liquid...Huh?

Cheryl wrote in with a question about my Cherry-Lemon Joy Cookies:

sounds like a yummy combo! what is enplumbing liquid??

Thanks for writing in, Cheryl! I think I go through phases when I fall in love with a particular technique or ingredient for a while, which means I've been doing a lot of enplumpening in my recipes lately.

To put it simply, to enplumpen is to soak some dried fruit in a warm liquid--either water or something flavored, like tea--to plump up and revive the fruit. The enplumpening liquid is flavorful juice created when the dried fruit and warm liquid hang out for a while.

Here's my original entry on enplumpening:

enplumpen \in- 'pləmp, en-\ vt (2009) 1 : to make dried fruits soft and moist before baking or cooking by soaking them in liquid : RECONSTITUTE 2 : to feast to the point of developing a temporarily protruding belly : STUFF

And I've even used it in a sentence. From my Picturing Toffee Figgy Pudding Cookies post:

“Chop the dried figs and then soak them in warm water to enplumpen 'em.”

And for the second usage:

“Last Thanksgiving I had so many Cranberry Crunch Cookies that I enplumpened myself and needed to put on my eating pants.”

Reader Query: Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes? II

Sara wrote in with some information to clarify my confusion about gluten-free oatmeal:

Oats themselves do not contain gluten, but many brands are processed at factories that also process wheat--and thus could still make gluten-intolerant folks ill. However, specifically gluten-free oats are also sold (i.e., processed at a separate facility). So, check the label for the gluten free designation to be safe.

Hi, Sara. Thanks so much for writing in with this info!

Reader Query: Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes?

A reader wrote in to ask about my progress with developing gluten-free cookie recipes:

Just wondering if you had any luck experimenting with gluten free recipes. I can eat everything but gluten & I LOVE oatmeal cookies, but I have had no success w/ my own so far--they tend to turn into oatmeal soup that drips off my cookie sheet & makes a giant mess...alas!

Well...that's a really good question, but I'm afraid I don't have much to report on that front other than I've done some investigating to see what gluten-free ingredients I can use.

Unfortunately, I've found conflicting information. Some sources say that oatmeal has gluten. Other sources say oatmeal does not have gluten. That darned interwebs just isn't as reliable as it used to be! I must do more research, dear readers.

Reader Query: Storing Cream Cheese-Filled Cookies?

JS5981, a reader and real-life recipe user, wrote in with some thanks and a question:

Hi Cookie Guy,

My wife and I took your advice about too much air due to our insanely fast mixer and decided to try mixing by hand instead. Thanks so much, b/c she made the most delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies I've even eaten as a gift for me on Valentine's Day.

I have one quick question, because I would like to make these Carrot Cake Cookies for her. I know there is cream cheese in the filing, how should these be stored then after baking? Should we put them in the fridge or can they sit out at room temp? Thanks for your help and please keep these awesome recipes coming! We're having a blast making them!

Hey, JS. Thanks for writing in! I'm glad I was able to help with a work-around for your supersonic hand mixer. (Those things really do border on dangerous!)

And great question about storing cream cheese-filled cookies. I've answered a couple queries (see here and here) about shipping my Golden Girls and Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies, but I think this is the first question I've gotten about storing stuffed cookies.

In general, the information I've found and the advice I've given about handling cookies with cream cheese filling is this: keep 'em cool and consume them quickly. To be abundantly cautious, go ahead and store the cookies in the fridge. Treat these the same way you would a cheesecake. Sure, you'd let a cheesecake sit out at room temperature for a while at a party or a holiday dinner, but you'd eventually return it to the fridge after the meal or dessert has been served. Same thing goes here.

But, truth be told, I don't think you'll have many leftovers with these Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies. They really do disappear quickly.

Reader Query: Banishing Beans for Beef?

My blog buddy Alicia wrote in to ask a question about my winning office chili cook-off recipe:

I am not a fan of beans. Can I leave them out and add extra meat?

Hey there, Alicia! Thanks for writing in.

Sure. You can leave out the beans altogether or replace them with a little extra meat. Chili is one of those recipes that you can tweak an infinite number of times. Feel free to experiment!

Reader Query: What's Next on "The List"?

Patrick emailed me with some questions about--and suggestions for--The List:

You should so make Coke cookies. Or like, chocolate-covered cherry/Coke cookies. What do you think? Would that work? Or what about caramel popcorn cookies? Or some sort of sweet/popcorn cookie?

Hi, Patrick. Thanks for your email! Funny you should ask about using Coke and caramel corn in cookie recipes.

I've been thinking about how to use Coke in a cookie for a while now. I know that Coke cake is "a thing," so that's intrigued me. The problem with using a wet ingredient as the sole--or main--flavoring is that you get a wet dough that yields spongy cookies. I'll have to investigate how to concentrate the Coke flavor without drowning the dough. Coke syrup, maybe?

As for the caramel corn, I've attempted a Cracker Jack cookie before, but they turned out really, really soggy because the popcorn kind of disintegrated once it hit the wet ingredients. (Dang! I should have turned that into an Oops! post.) But I know Cracker Jack can be friends with wet stuff because I had caramel corn ice cream once.

Hmmm. I see lots of experimenting in my future. Stay tuned!

Reader Query: Ginning Up Rum Flavor?

Linda wrote in with a couple questions about my Rum Raisinet Cookies:

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing the recipe. Would the cookies be very moist? I've just tried a batch of rum raisin cookies from another recipe and it turned out very moist, which I don't quite like. There's not much rum taste too... I used Bacardi Rum (light brown). I'm gonna try out your recipe...

Hi, Linda. Thanks for writing in! My Rum Raisinet Cookies aren't too moist. They have a chewy interior and a slightly crispy exterior, which I think is the perfect texture for a cookie.

One of the ways to achieve the perfect chewy/crisp texture is to use the right amount of wet ingredients. But baking with booze or any other kind of liquid flavoring can be tricky because the intensity of the flavor is directly tied to your wet ingredients. More wet ingredients = more cakey texture. I think the problem with the recipe you tried is that its wet ingredients were too wet.

I used spiced rum in this recipe. I'm not really a drinker, so I have no idea what that means or how it compares to other kinds of rum. (Booze is booze...right?) I soaked my raisins in the rum--enplumening them--which is a really good trick for imparting flavor and fattening up the raisins without throwing off the dry/wet balance in the rest of the dough.

You can taste the rum in these cookies--it's there--but it's not so pronounced that it will stop you in your tracks. If you're looking for a stronger rum flavor, there's another trick you can use: rum extract. Add 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon of rum extract, depending on how strong a flavor you want, to the wet ingredients. A small amount of extract packs a powerful punch of flavor and won't add much volume to your wet ingredients. I hope this helps!

Reader Query: Beating Creamables into Submission?

JS5981, a reader and real-life recipe user, wrote in with this question about hand mixers and cookie consistency:

Hi CookieGuy,

I had one quick question. We don't own a Kitchenaid mixer and have been using a brand new Sunbeam hand mixer we just got as a wedding gift. This thing is crazy powerful (it's speed at 1 is what our old mixer use to get at 10!). I guess my question is, is this okay to use for the butter creaming process because our last couple of flat crispy cookie batches have been more of doughy/airy consistency. Any suggestions?

Hey, JS. KitchenAids are great because the lower settings are reasonable in their power, and the paddle attachment creams creamables really well. But I've used a hand mixer to make quite a few batches of cookies, and I totally agree with you. The motor--even on the lowest setting--is obnoxiously, ridiculously powerful. You're lucky if you get butter-and-sugar shrapnel sprayed all over yourself and not your kitchen. Note to hand mixer manufacturers: It's a kitchen appliance, not an outboard motor.

I think your mixer might be over-creaming and whipping too much air into your creamables/cookie dough. For your next batch, make sure you leave your butter out on the counter for 30-45 minutes so that it comes to room temperature and is really soft. This should should cut down a lot on the time you have to use the mixer, which also cuts down on the amount of air you're whipping into the ingredients.

However, you might want to try creaming the creambables by hand--especially if you're using really soft butter.

I hope this helps!

Reader Query: Augmenting My Peaches? II

I love my readers. They came through with suggestions for boosting the peach flavor in my Bellini cookie after my first attempt, and now they've come through with even more suggestions after my second.

From DPLK:

Maybe you could take a jam/preserves-thumbprint cookie approach, or even a stuffed cookie with a thicker dried apricot or peach puree/mixture, and/or you could use apricot/peach nectar in the wet ingredients. I've spiked jam with booze plenty of times as a filling for layer cakes, and you could definitely adapt that concept to jam thumbprints!

From JS5981:

One other idea running through my head if this was the case, was the possibility of using either peach nectar in maybe a glaze topping or using Peach Nehi.

From Michelle:

How about some lemon zest or juice? Perhaps it would boost up the peachy flavor?

From Leeleemarie:

Peach flavored tea? You have used tea in other recipes too. Or how about peach jelly bellies! I love those!

Thanks, everyone. You're the best! These are some really good ideas that I'll definitely keep in mind when it's time to take another crack at this recipe.

Reader Query: Augmenting My Peaches?

This is more of a reader suggestion than a query. After posting about my failed attempt at a Bellini cookie, I got some pretty good reader feedback.

JS5981 suggested something boozy:

I don't know if it would work or not, but there is an alcoholic beverage called Lindemans Peach Lambic (usually found near the beer). It almost has a wine/champagne characteristic and is full of peach flavor. Thought I'd throw it out there as a possible ingredient addition. Keep up the great work!!

And DPLK suggested something fruity:

How about diced dried peaches added to the batter?

Thank you both for writing in! I'll have to check out the liquor store (we call them "package stores" in Massachusetts--go figure) for some peach lambic. And I'll have to hit the grocery store to see if I can find some dried peaches. My friend René suggested dried apricots because they are easy to find, are the same color as peaches, and are close enough in flavor to use as a substitute. So many options!

Reader Query: Hot Chocoloate Cookie Accompaniment?

Maureen emailed me a couple days ago to ask which of my cookies could be paired with hot chocolate for Christmas gifts:

Just wanted to get your expert opinion...

Which of your cookies do you think would go best with hot chocolate? I'm putting together gifts and would love to include some of your cookies!

Hi, Maureen. Thanks for writing in!

When I read your email, my Boston Cream Pie Cookies immediately came to mind. The chocolate topping and vanilla pudding filling are the perfect accompaniment for a cup of hot chocolate.

Definitely give 'em a try. And Merry Christmas!

Reader Query: Nut-Free Cranberry Crunch Cookies?

Gail asked about an almond-free version of my Cranberry Crunch Cookies:

This is almost exactly what I'm looking for my holiday cookies. However, I need them to be nut-free. Do you have an idea for a replacement for the ground almonds?

Hi, Gail. Thanks for writing in! Having a nut allergy can be tough, especially around this time of year when so many treats seem to be loaded with hazelnuts, walnuts, etc. (I'm afraid my next recipe--a Nutella and hazelnut cookie--will only contribute to the nutfest at the holidays.)

I think you could just go ahead and leave out the nuts. Or replace them with an equal amount of craisins. But if you want to retain the crunchy part of the recipe, you might want to consider using some unsalted soy nuts as an almond replacement. Soy nuts are crunchy, taste kind of like peanuts, and--best of all--aren't actually nuts. (Full disclosure: While I've been meaning to make a soy nut cookie for a while, I haven't actually tried it yet.)

For a truly nut-free cranberry cookie, you might want to make my XXX Cranberry Cookies instead. The flavors are very similar--cranberry and orange--but with ground up Nilla Wafers instead of graham crackers.

Reader Query: Crispy Cookie Bottoms with Silpats?

Tracie emailed me to ask a question about using silicon baking mats:

I've been wanting to try the silicone baking mats, but will cookies get crisp on bottom like they do with parchment paper? I'm dying to try the Margarita Cookies!

Hi, Tracie. Thanks for writing in! I love, love my Silpat baking mats. They make cleanup a cinch and make it possible to achieve any level of cookie crispness you desire. The few times I used parchment paper, I found that I had to put down a new sheet for each tray of cookies because the paper started to brown and get brittle after a couple trips to the oven, making it difficult to remove the cookies easily and cleanly. Which is the whole point, right?

I think Silpats--or any other brand of silicon baking mats--are well worth the investment, especially if you do lots of baking.

Happy cookie-making! And good luck with the Margarita Cookies. They're really good and are my friend Gary's favorite (so far).

Reader Query: Rolo Replacement? II

Laurel, my blog buddy all the way over in Belgium, had some advice for a reader from Denmark who asked about using a Rolo replacement in my Chocolate and Salted-Caramel Cookies:

I am not sure if they have these in Denmark, but in Belgium, they have a candy called Chokotoff, and they are essentially the same thing, just a caramel covered in dark chocolate. Maybe this is something she could find in Denmark too???

Thanks, Laurel! It really tickles me that I've gone international. :-)

Reader Query: Shippable Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies?

Hallee wrote in to ask a question about the shippability of my Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies, which have a cream cheese-based center:

My husband is in Afghanistan. He always has red velvet cake for his birthday (his late mother started that tradition and then died right after his 8th birthday, so he's never wanted anything else.) I've been looking for a red velvet cake cookie to send him and found this. We LOVE using ground up oatmeal - I found a phenomenal waffle/pancake recipe using that method. But I'm wondering about shipping these. They'll take about 2 weeks to get to him. I seal-a-meal cookies for him. These look like they'd collapse under the pressure of the sealing. So, I would probably just put them in ziplock then in gladware. Most of the time, the container carrying the mail will be outside or in a cargo plane with no heating, and it's cold outside. So I wonder if that will be good enough?

Hi, Hallee. Thanks for writing in and for sharing your family's wonderful tradition of red velvet birthday cake. Knowing what a treat and connection to home these cookies would be for your husband, I really, really want to tell you that you'll be able to send these cookies to him. But, based on some research I did for an earlier query about shipping my cheesecake-stuffed Golden Girls Cookies, I'm afraid I can't say with certainty that they'd be safe to ship. Here's some food-safety info on cream cheese that I found for my earlier post:

The Food Safety and Inspection Service, a department within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, states that cream cheese (and, by extension, cream cheese-filled products) should be shipped refrigerated and kept cold. Check out the mail order food safety chart (cream cheese is about halfway down).

In addition, FoodSafety.gov's info for food safety during power outages states that you should discard any cheesecake that has been above 40º F for more than four hours.

I'd hate for your husband or any of his buddies to get sick from spoiled cream cheese. So, instead of stuffing the cookies with a cream cheese frosting, why not top them with a thick, nutty royal icing? Here's a quick recipe I adapted from the icing I used from my Margarita Cookies:

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons water (or lemon juice)
1 tablespoon vanilla

You'll want a thick but not too-thick icing, so fee free to add water as needed until you get the desired consistency. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies and set aside for the icing to harden. (You can pop them in the fridge for a bit to speed this process up.) These iced versions should hold up fine for seal-a-mealing and shipping.

I hope you and your family have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving this year. And that your husband stays safe and returns home soon for some good and proper red velvet cake!

Reader Query: Rolo Replacement?

Line, a reader all the way from Denmark, wrote in to ask a question about the Rolo candies I use in my Chocolate and Salted-Caramel Cookies:

Hi :) love your blog. Do you think that I can use Dulce de leche instead of Rolo's? We don't have them here in Denmark. Maybe just ad a little melted chocolate under the dulce de leche :)

Hi, Line. Thanks for writing in! Essentially, these are thumbprint cookies, so I think the idea of using dulce de leche instead of the candies is a good idea. Just poke a little indentation into the cookie balls and scoop in some dulce de leche--about a 1/2 teaspoon's worth. Then sprinkle on the sea salt and bake.

I haven't tried this myself, but it seems like it would work. My only concern is about the dulce de leche leaking out of or being absorbed by the cookies while they bake. I guess it all depends on how thick your dulce de leche is. This is where your idea of using a little melted chocolate underneath the caramel could come in. If your dulce de leche is a little runny, the melted chocolate could provide a good foundation to keep the sauce from leaking out or being absorbed by the cookie. You wouldn't need much melted chocolate--just a light coating. If you're feeling fancy, you could even use a pastry brush to apply a thin, light coating of chocolate to the thumbprints before adding the dulce de leche. That should work!

The other night when I was chomping away at the movies, I thought of another candy that could be a Rolo stand-in. They're similar to Rolos--caramel centers coated in chocolate--but are much denser and chewier. And then I thought of how many dental problems a denser, chewier caramel center to these cookies could cause. So...I'm not recommending that other candy.  :-)

Reader Query: Freezing Cookies?

Whitney wrote in recently to ask about freezing cookies:

Do any of your cookies freeze well? Can you freeze baked cookies as well as the cookie dough?

Hi, Whitney. Thanks for writing in. The baked cookies hold up really well in the freezer. I know from experience.

I've frozen cookies plenty of times, and they stay tasty for about 3 weeks. The cookies I froze were supposed to be for distribution later on to far-away family and friends, but--truth be told--they didn't always last long enough to make it to their intended destinations. I'll eat cookies hot, cooled, frozen, or thawed. It's that frozen part that often sabotages my good cookie-spreading intentions.

Frozen cookie dough holds up well, but I have noticed that cookies made with frozen dough bake up a little rounder than cookies made with fresh dough. The frozen guys don't spread out or flatten much--something to do with the leavening, I think. They're not as pretty as the ones made with fresh dough, but they taste just as good. But, of course, the danger of having frozen cookie dough on hand is that you've got frozen cookie dough on hand. Be prepared to snack on dough nubbins snapped from the mama log until you've got only enough dough left to bake off a few misshapen cookies.

Reader Query: Oatmeal Cookie Guy's Best Cookie Ever? II

Carol, a reader and real-life recipe user, wrote in to remind you--and me--about my Cranberry Crunch Cookies:

I admit I haven't tried the ones that OCG recommends (but I'll have to soon), so I can't compare - but his Cranberry Crunch Cookies are to die for. I made them several times last fall and they were a consistent hit. I adore them!

Thanks, Carol! I can't believe I forgot about these guys. And this is an award-winning recipe. I'm going to add them to that earlier post.

Reader Query: Too-Moist Cookies, Creaming Creamables, and Silpats?

Melanie, a reader and real-life recipe user, emailed me the following questions after making my Apple Jack Cookies:

Hi Greg! :)

I tried making the applejack cookies yesterday, they taste great! However, i couldn't get them to be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Was it because of the apples?

While baking, my mother and I had an argument on how long the butter should be creamed for, or to what consistency. how long do you cream the butter and sugar for? Does it make a difference if it is creamed longer?

I discovered something amazing, silicon baking sheets! These things are amazing! the cookies pop right off the mat!   They're so easy to clean and wash too! but does the oven temperature have to be higher coz i use the mats? when i took the cookies off the mat, i found condensation on it, do you think the mat was the cause of my soft cookies? :o

thanks for listening to all my questions! I was so excited after i found a blog dedicated to making oatmeal cookies, i went out and bought a bag of oatmeal right away! hahah! would be trying golden girls next! wish me luck! :)

Love (all the way form Singapore!)
Melanie

Hi, Melanie. Thanks for writing in! I'll take on your questions one by one:

1) I've found that baking with apples can be a little tricky because the moisture content varies from one piece of fruit to another. The key to getting the right texture when making apple cookies is to keep an eye on the oven...and a finger on the dough. To make sure these cookies are done and not too soft, leave them in the oven until they are nice and evenly browned, the edges are firm, and the tops give some resistance when you poke them with your finger. You might want to let them rest for up to five minutes on the baking sheets before you remove them so that the carry-over heat from the oven can finish up their bottoms.

2) When creaming creamables, you want to be careful not to overbeat. Depending on the temperature/softness of your butter, it should take you only a few minutes to cream together the butter and sugar. If you overbeat the butter and sugar, your creambles will be to airy, which--I've found--leads to a flatter, crispier cookie that spreads out a lot. (Which is fine...if that's what you're looking for.) You'll know your creamables are good to go when when you can't see chunks of butter, and you've got what looks like a paste with even texture. Take a look at my Picturing posts to see what my creamables look like.

3) The condensation you saw on your Silpat is nothing to worry about. I don't think the baking mat was the cause of the too-soft cookies. I think both the condensation and the texture of the cookies means that you've just got to leave the cookies in the oven a little longer...that's all.

I hope this helps. Good luck on the Golden Girls Cookies. And congratulations on buying that big bag of oatmeal! :-)

Honey-Roasted Peanut Cookies

My blog buddy Laurel had a pretty ingenious sweet/salty combination: candy corn and salted peanuts. And she wondered if I could come up with a cookie version of her unconventional combo. Then I saw packs of Nature Valley Sweet & Salty granola bars at the grocery store.

I love sweet/salty stuff, so I was all over this one: sweet honey and salty salt on top of a crispy/chewy peanut butter cookie.

Believe it or not, I've actually attempted a cookie that used whole honey-roasted peanuts in the recipe. Unfortunately, the peanuts dried out during baking and tasted chalky, and the flavor of the honey-roasted coating just kind of faded away. Disappointing all around. So for this cookie, I'm going to build the honey-roasted flavor into the recipe, not rely on coated peanuts themselves to provide the flavor.

I'm picturing my super-tasty peanut butter cookies, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with sea salt, and baked to perfection. And I think those old-school criss-cross fork marks will look cool and provide some nice nooks and crannies for the honey and salt.

Reader Query: Candy Corn Cookies? III

My blog buddy Laurel wrote in to add an interesting twist on candy corn cookies:

Here's another thought Greg...I like to eat candy corn with peanuts. It is the perfect sweet and salty combination. Maybe you could add some candy corn to some almost cooked PB cookies. That way they keep their shape and don't melt or let them melt if the cookie consistency is good. Or stuff a PB cookie with candy corn and let them melt inside. Do you think this would work? If it doesn't have enough of the salt flavor, you could top them with some kosher salt like you do with the salted caramel cookies.

Thanks, Laurel! I'll have to try that combo. But you've sparked an idea for a non-candy corn cookie. I'm thinking of a salty/sweet honey-roasted peanut cookie. I know it's off topic, but you can never tell where the ideas will take you. :-)

Reader Query: Meal Replacement Bars?

JS5981 wrote in to ask a question about meal replacement bars:

Hey Cookieguy, I don't know how long it's been around but I've been noticing in the news lately that there's something called the "cookie diet". They say it consists of 5 high protein cookies which are to be eaten throughout the day when you're hungry. Which got me to thinking, have you ever tried to make a trail mix style cookie or a dense "clif bar" style cookie that you could use as a meal replacement?

Hey...that's a pretty good idea! I'll have to do some research on what high-protein stuff would have to go into a meal replacement bar. Nuts, certainly. But I wonder what else... Stay tuned!

Reader Query: Nutella Cookies?

I've been getting lots of reader queries and comments about new cookies and new ingredients. Bird, who agrees with my friend Katie about doing a goat cheese cookie, also asked this:

Any thought to adding Nutella to your recipes?

That's a great idea, Bird! There must be something in the air because I saw a Nutella commercial for the first time the other night, and--of course--I thought about making a Nutella cookie. Great minds thing alike, I guess.

Nutella, a hazelnut-chocolate spread, is the European equivalent of American peanut butter. In other words, it's pretty tasty stuff. Stay tuned for some stuffed and nonstuffed recipes coming soon.

Reader Query: Candy Corn Cookies? II

I've been thinking a lot about Carrie's candy corn cookie query lately, trying to figure out how to get the best result.

At first, I thought I'd make one batch of dough, split the dough into thirds, tint two of the thirds with food coloring, roll out the thirds into bands, join the bands together, and then use a triangle cookie cutter to make 2D approximations of candy corn.

But then I realized I'd end up with triangular cookies with inverted colors on the tops and bottoms and that only half of the cookies would be correct. Hmmm...what a pickle.

Now I'm leaning toward doing a multicolored rolled cookie that you slice instead of cut out or scoop. Oh...why not Indian corn? You know...candy corn with a chocolate layer at the bottom? Back to the drawing board.

Reader Query: Goat Cheese Cookies?

My friend Katie is really into my savory cookie recipes (see here and here), and she recently asked me this:

What about a goat cheese cookie?

Hmmm. My first thought was that Mumma wouldn't be caught dead within 50 miles of such a creation. You see, she absolutely abhors anything goat. (Blame it on a pet goat and a crafty mother who had a funnel and an empty milk bottle.)

But the more I thought about the idea, the more I liked it. Goat cheese is one of those ingredients that could go savory or sweet. I love goat cheese in my salad, and cheesecake made with goat cheese is really good.

I'm thinking goat cheese, dried cranberries, and almonds would work well together in a cookie. Just consider it: creamy, salty/tangy cheese + chewy, sweet/tart cranberries + crunchy, savory nuts. It's a combo that hits every flavor and mouthfeel receptor. Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

Reader Query: Carrot Cake Cookies?

Leeleemarie asked the following question about The List:

OMG!! Just thought of this one...Carrot Cake Oatmeal cookies! What do you think?

Hi, Leeleemarie. It's funny you should ask that question. I've been thinking of doing a stuffed carrot cake cookie for a while now, but I haven't settled on how to get the carrots into the cookies. Shredded carrots? Finely ground carrots? Carrot juice?

My stuffed cookies are always a hit, so it's a no-brainer to fill the cookies with the cream cheese and pecan frosting instead of spreading it on top.

I've got some thinking and investigating to do, but don't worry: I'll have a recipe up sometime soon, I hope. And I've added this one to The List.

Reader Query: Revising Recipes?

Greenbean, a reader and real-life recipe user, wrote in to ask about my process for developing, tweaking, and finalizing my recipes:

Hey OCG!

I love how you describe how you develop your recipes. You make it sound so easy. Is it really this easy? How many attempts does it usually take for you to settle on a recipe?

Hi, Greenbean! Thanks for writing in. That's a great question.

I've been pretty good with getting the flavors and textures of my cookies to match my expectations. But there have been a few times when the recipes I thought up just didn't work. (Check out some of my failures here, here, and here.)

I usually get the recipe right on the first test. I've been baking cookies for so long now that I've got a pretty good feel for the measurements. I've learned that some ingredients are tricky and unpredictable, though: apples, for example, because moisture and sweetness levels can vary from one piece of fruit to another. So sometimes I get a cookie that's slightly cakier than I expected but that still tastes great.

I think the key thing is to have fun and not take the process too seriously. If a batch of cookies comes out wrong or just plain inedible, I toss out the cookies along with the recipe, analyze what went wrong, and start over. In baking, as in life, you learn from your mistakes.

Too sweet? Cut back on the sugar or rethink another ingredient that brings too much sweetness to the party. Too flat? Rethink the wet ingredients. Bland? Pump up the flavorings or add them to each step of the recipe--creamables, wet ingredients, and dry ingredients. Too plump? Either increase the wet ingredients or, if the taste is just right, add a smooshing step while baking to make the cookies a little flatter.

It really is just about improvising and making corrections as needed as you go along. Believe me. I've made some humdingers. Just check out my Oops! postings.

Reader Query: Diabetic-Friendly Cookies?

Valsa left the following query on my XXX Cranberry Cookies post:

How do diabetics make a cranberry treat?

Thanks for writing in, Valsa! I've been meaning to make some diabetic-friendly cookies for a while now, and your question has my wheels turning again. I'll do some experimenting with Splenda and let you know how it goes.

Reader Query: Candy Corn Cookies?

Carrie emailed me to ask about Halloween-themed cookies--candy corn cookies in particular:

I looooove candy corn! Any plans to make a candy corn oatmeal cookie? Halloween is more than a month away. I can't get enough of the stuff.

Hi, Carrie. Thanks for writing in! It's not quite October yet, but it's never too early to think about new recipes.

I've thought about doing a candy corn cookie before, but I've never been sure how to maintain the integrity of the candy during the baking process. Candy corn is made of sugar and corn syrup, which, I'm afraid, will liquefy in high heat and "bleed out" of the cookie. (Hmmm...that's an interesting image for Halloween!)

I think that a drop cookie with with pieces of candy corn in it won't work so well. I'm going to play around and see if I can come up with a cut-out cookie with bands of color/flavor that mimic the look of real candy corn. Stay tuned!

Reader Query: What Kind of Tea? II

Em, a reader and real-life recipe user, left a follow-up question to an earlier Query post about loose tea vs. bagged tea. Here's what she had to say:

I work in a tea store (Teavana) and I am now a tea snob, if you will. meaning I don't like tea bags. Do you have ANY suggestion of how I could still use loose leaf rather than bags? We have an excellent Earl Grey Creme that would be stellar, or else we also have an Earl Grey White that would be full of antioxidants too!

Hi there, Em! Thanks for writing in. Great question!

I've tried using loose tea in a couple recipes, but it just didn't work well for me. The tea's flavor didn't disperse evenly in the cookies, and there was an unpleasant twiggy texture. Grinding up loose tea in a food processor took care of the twigginess, which helped, but the tea was still a little too grainy and unpleasant to eat.

The reason I use bagged tea in my cookie recipes is that I found bagged tea imparted a good flavor and was just the right consistency for eating. There are some really neat, funky loose tea flavors out there that aren't available in bag form, so I can understand why you'd want to use the loose tea in a cookie recipe.

The key to making cookies with tea is to make sure the tea itself is finely ground and absolutely free of twigs. Perhaps you could try grinding loose tea in a blender, which should give you a much finer grind than a food processor would. You might also try pulverizing loose tea with a mortar and pestle to achieve the right texture.

I hope that helps!

Reader Query: Which Recipe Should I Start With?

JS, a reader and a soon-to-be real-life recipe user, wrote in to ask where she should start on The List:

Hi CookieGuy,

Love the blog and I'm always anxious to see what recipes you come up with next. I have a question though, my fiance and I have yet to make any of your cookies and we're wondering what you think is the easiest most delicious recipe to make before trying our hands at making the more difficult stuffed ones? Thanks for your input and I'll let ya know how our first batch turns out.

Thanks for writing in, JS! I'd say the easiest cookie to make is my Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie. It's a classic, and it's sure to please. After that, I'd say you'd be ready to move on to any of the non-stuffed cookies. Give my Raspberry Graham Crunch Cookies a try or any of the state-specific cookies I've done: Hawaii Cookies, Florida Cookies, and California Cookies.

Once you've got a few batches under your belt, you'll see that the process is pretty easy and that the you can apply it to practically every recipe. The really fun part comes when you get to go hunting for funky ingredients. Have a blast! And let me know how your cookies turn out.

Reader Query: Packed or Unpacked Brown Sugar?

Jessica emailed me to ask about measuring brown sugar:

I often see fairly high amounts of brown sugar in your recipes, and I was just wondering if you meant for us to use "packed" cups of brown sugar, or if we should just scoop it out of the bag at the normal level of density. Since it can get slightly packed on its own, I wasn't sure how dense the cups of brown sugar should be.

Hi, Jessica. Thanks for writing in! Good question. I always firmly pack my brown sugar when I measure.

Reader Query: What's the Right Graham Cracker?

Sweetie, a reader and real-life recipe user, wrote in to say she wanted to make my Cranberry Crunch Cookies but didn't have my favorite graham crackers:

hi there, i'm going to give these a try next week. in your product placement post on graham crackers, you showed the cinnamon honey maid crackers. if i use plain honey maid crackers in the recipe, should i increase the cinnamon added later on in the recipe? do you ever use the plain graham crackers for your other recipes?

Thanks for writing in, Sweetie! If you don't have the Honey Maid cinnamon graham crackers, that's OK. Go ahead and use whatever brand of graham crackers you have on hand or that you can find easily at your grocery store. To more closely replicate the flavor of the cinnamon grahams, add another 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. I tend to use the cinnamon grahams in my recipes that call for ground graham crackers, but there have been a few times when I used another brand because that's all my grocery store had. Feel free to experiment! Another reader even used chocolate graham crackers to make a choco-version of my Golden Girls recipe.

Reader Query: Shipping Golden Girls Cookies?

Linda, a reader and real-life recipe user, made my cheesecake-stuffed Golden Girls Cookies and loved them. But she had a question about shipping these safely, as they have a cream cheese-based center:

I love these, and so did everyone at work! I'm always looking for good cookies to send to my son in college. Can these be mailed, or do they need to be refrigerated?

Thanks for writing in, Linda. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, a department within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, states that cream cheese (and, by extension, cream cheese-filled products) should be shipped refrigerated and kept cold. Check out the mail order food safety chart (cream cheese is about halfway down).

In addition, FoodSafety.gov's info for food safety during power outages states that you should discard any cheesecake that has been above 40º F for more than four hours. I'd say those conditions would would apply to cookies en route to your son.

So, for safety's sake, I don't think you should ship these guys. Here's an idea: You should talk these cookies up to your son so that he has no choice but to come home in order to try them!

Reader Query: Oatmeal Pancake Cookies?

Stephanie emailed me recently about coming up with a recipe for oatmeal pancake cookies:

Saw this today -- haven't tried it, but thought you might be interested in coming up with a pancake flavored oatmeal cookie. Heavy on the butter and real maple syrup flavor? Maybe using some maple flavored chips?

Hi, Stephanie. Thanks for writing in! The oatmeal pancake cookie is a good idea...definitely one I'll try. I really love the flavor combo of butter and maple syrup. So good! I've done a cookie that's a slight variation on the standard pancake. In New England, "johnnycakes," or pancakes made with white cornmeal, are pretty common. I did a johnnycake cookie a while ago, but I don't think I've done a "Picturing" post for it yet. I just might do that soon. In the meantime, though, checkout my recipe for Heeeere's Johnnycake!