Turtle Thumbprints

Today we take a little break from sharing Madi's birthday party cupcake recipes to bring you turtle thumbprints.  And the debut of photos snapped with my graduation present, a Nikon D3100.  A big thanks to my family for such a great gift!

These cookies are a delightful, fudgy brownie texture.  The pecans become perfectly toasted in the oven.  And the caramel isn't too sweet.  While the cookie dough is only enough for 2 dozen cookies, there is plenty of leftover caramel.  To solve this "dilemma" make a double batch of dough, or use the caramel as ice cream topping.

Turtle Thumbprint Cookies (from America's Test Kitchen)
makes about 2 dozen

Cookie Dough
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Cream butter and sugar together on high until fluffy.
Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
Mix in salt and cocoa powder.
Slowly add flour.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
While the dough is the the fridge chop the pecans and begin the caramel.
 Once chilled, roll dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter.
Dip in egg white and roll in chopped pecans.
Place on cookie sheet prepared with cooking spray about 2 inches apart.
Use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make "thumbprint" indent in center.
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Caramel Filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Heat milk in a double boiler for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Allow to cool and using a spoon fill the centers of cookies.

Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats

You may either love me or hate me for this.  Meijer had serious Christmas clearance yesterday.  Gingerbread flavored marshmallows for $0.15!!!!  So rush to your nearest Meijer and hope you can find a bag of these little guys.

Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats
Makes one 9x13 pan, about 20 squares.

3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces of gingerbread marshmallows
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
6 cups Rice Krispies

Coat bottom and sides of 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray.
Measure Rice Krispies into mixing bowl.
Melt butter in large stock pot over medium heat.
Add marshmallows and stir while they melt.
Sprinkle spices over marshmallows.
Once melted, add Rice Krispies.
Mix until cereal is well coated.
Quickly pour out into prepared 9x13 baking pan.
Place extra marshmallows on top, evenly spaced so there will be one per treat (every 2-3 inches).
Let cool for half hour and cut with a butter knife.

Reindeer Cookies

We don't eat red M&Ms in ours house at Christmastime.  Blue, yellow, orange, green are all up for grabs, just not the red ones.  Want to know why?  Because Rudolf is a red nosed reindeer!

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

makes 5 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Small twist pretzels
Red M&Ms
Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*
Cream butter and sugars together, then add peanut butter.
Beat in eggs.
Add soda, salt, and vanilla.
Slowly mix in flour just until blended.
Roll into small balls and place 12 on each greased cookie sheet.
Press dough into triangle shape.
Add red M&M at point of triangle (nose), two pretzel twists (antlers), and two chocolate chips (eyes).
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are just barely golden brown.

Browned Butter Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made the mistake of giving the last two spiced pumpkin chai cupcakes to the intern and student from my sister team.  This made their senior pretty upset that he had missed out, especially when they began talking about how delicious the cupcakes were in front of him.  In an attempt to make amends, I asked what he'd like me to bring to him this weekend.  His response?  "I like pecans."

Discussing this with KWeage, she brilliantly suggested JTB's Brown Butter Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Wow!  I am so glad she did.  About half an hour in when I had only toasted the pecans and the butter was not quite sufficiently browned I wondered if all this work was really worth it.  I mean, if I had made just plain chocolate chip cookies and threw in a few pecans I would have been done and I'm pretty sure everyone at the hospital would be happy.  But no, I had to try something new and labor intensive!  However, as soon as I poured the brown butter from the skillet into a bowl to cool I caught the first full whiff of the rich nuttiness and I was sold.  Extra brown sugar and toasted pecans add to the depth of these chewy, caramely cookies.

Browned Butter Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from JTB, Smitten Kitchen, and Recipe Girl)

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3-ish cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat chopped pecans in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir every few minutes once you begin to smell the toasty aroma.  Transfer to a bowl.
Add butter to skillet.  Melt over medium heat.  You'll begin to see bubbles and hear an almost boiling sound.  That's just the water evaporating.  When the butter becomes quiet, watch carefully for it to start to brown... you don't want burnt butter!  Takes 15-20 minutes.  Transfer to mixing bowl and let cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
Now turn on the oven to preheat to 350*
Add sugars to butter.  Beat.
Beat in eggs.
Pour in vanilla.
Add baking powder and salt.  Beat.
Slowly add flour.  Beat until well mixed.
Carefully mix in chocolate chips and pecans.
Taste raw dough.  (If you get salmonella don't sue me!)
Drop tablespoons of dough onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

If you're into the whole salted caramel thing like my roommate and I are, sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the tops of the cookies as you pull them out of the oven.

German Chocolate Cookies

I didn't really have a good reason for making cookies other than 1. I'm leaving for the Yukon in 2 days and won't have access to a kitchen for a week and a half and 2. Jonathan practically begged me to bake something for the surgery residents.  Enter this merger of two classics: chocolate chip cookies and German chocolate cake (my dad's favorite).  Since I don't have much to say, I'm just going to let these pictures do the talking.

 

 

Adapted from the Original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe

Just shy of 2 cups of flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts (pecans would be more traditional, but I didn't have any)

1. Beat butter, white and brown sugar until creamy.

2. Add eggs, vanilla, powder, and salt.

3. Add cocoa powder.

4. Slowly add flour.

5. Mix in chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts.

6. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

7. Eat warm after dunking in milk :-)