Mmmm . . . cookies

Enough talk about the kiddos, let's talk about something really important: Cookies

I "heart" cookies. I don't care for cake, I don't like ice cream, but I'd eat cookies 24/7. Like my sister pointed on her Friday Favorite, my love of cookies probably started in childhood. Our grandma always had cookies on hand, usually chocolate chip or molasses. We would help ourselves freely to cookies at her house. Even on the other side of the family, I have vague memories of going to my great-grandma's house and she always had some type of sandwich cookie on hand like Oreos. At church every Sunday there was social time after the service which entailed eating cookies. I like cookies. Cookies are my favorite.

Since I am the self-proclaimed baker in the house (although dh claims he makes kick-ass chocolate chip cookies, he hasn't done that for a very looooong time) I get to pick what I want for my birthday treat. Usually it is cookie in some shape or form. One year I decided to make myself a BIG cookie on my large baking stone. What I didn't realize was just exactly how much my cookie would grow in the oven, so I ended up with burnt cookie on the bottom of my oven and a lovely smell throughout the house. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like wailing smoke detectors and the chilly March air blowing through the house for ventilation. I learned my lesson and have since become adept at making large cookies. Peanut butter chocolate chip are my favorite, with chocolate frosting and peanut butter frosting. Yum.

Last year right before my birthday I saw a recipe on the Today show that they were touting as the best. cookie. ever. I fell for it. I made them for my birthday and they were good, but not great.

Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 lb bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 c butter

1 3/4 c packed brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

5 1.4 oz chocolate covered English toffee bars (such as Heath) coarsely chopped

1 c walnuts, tasted, chopped (left out--not a big fan of walnuts)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2.5 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets.

I ate a few of the cookies and then frosted them and used them for ears on this cake:

This year I think I am going to try a light Snickerdoodle recipe. I won't post until I've tried it and can give my own review.

And because I'm biased, I'm posting my own favorite Monster Cookie recipe. Farm girl can keep hers, this is how I roll (or technically, drop):

Monster Cookies

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. + 2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 c. peanut butter

4 1/2 c. oatmeal

1 stick butter

2 tsp baking soda

M & M's

Bake at 350 10-12 min

(This is all the recipe says)

Gotta love recipes like that--the ingredients and not much else. I cream the sugars and butter, then add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter. Stir in the oatmeal and baking soda, then the M&M's. I tend to make these around holidays with the colorful M&M's. I've found it best to take them out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for a good, long time.

I've also found a new stop on my blog stalk: http://www.cookiemadness.net/ Sometime I'll try a few of her things out! I can't imagine making cookies multiple times a week--I hope she has a way to get rid of them all. That would be a diet buster for sure.