NORTHFIELD, Minn. December 20, 2011 – When you are short on time, and/or low on baking confidence, make these no-fail chocolate cookies. Most people enjoy chocolate, making them seductive in the first bite. Better yet, both recipes are perfect for novice bakers as they are no-fail. You just have to melt, stir, and bake. Make these easy, delicious, homemade cookies today and watch them fly off the plate.
The fudgy cookie recipe comes from a former Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant. This contest is known as the “Super Bowl” of the baking world. My friend has attended the national contest three times and can be counted on for delicious recipes that are easy for a novice baker to replicate.
Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Santa's cookies
Makes 4 dozen (48) small cookies
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
8 ounces (2 1/4 cups) pecan, broken into pieces*
Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in microwave, or in the top of a large boiler over warm water. Melt chocolate (begin with 1 minute 30 seconds in microwave, stir, and then add 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted).
Stir in condensed milk and vanilla until smooth; stir in flour until incorporated. Mix in pecans.
Place rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart on foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes. Cookies will soft, becoming firmer as they cool. Slide the foil off the baking sheet; cool completely. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let stand until the bottoms are dry.
Store cookies in an airtight container with wax paper or plastic wrap between layers.
*To Toast Pecans
Place your pecans onto a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven as you are mixing up the cookie dough. Toasting will take 10-13 minutes; your pecans should be hot but not darkened.
Families can have lots of differing preferences for their cookie treats. Some like nuts, but others don’t. Some folks like mint. Others select the prettiest cookie on the plate. The chocolate chewy cookie recipe below can be adapted for all tastes and likes. Divide the dough into smaller bowls and make several kinds.
Chocolate Chewy Cookies
Christmas cookies and milk
Makes 5 dozen (60) cookies
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium size saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and water. Once melted, add chocolate chips. Melt together and stir well. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Beat your two eggs in a mixing bowl until blended. Stir the chocolate mixture slowly into the eggs while beating continually. Add flour, soda and salt.
Drop onto a cookie sheet with a teaspoon allowing room around each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes.
Options:
1. Place a mint (or half a mint, like Andes) on top of each cookie. Allow to melt and spread over the cookie top with spoon.
2. Frost top of cooled, baked cookie with vanilla canned icing and then decorate with crushed candy canes.
3. Frost top of cooled, baked cookie with chocolate frosting or frosting of your choice and sprinkle with red and green sprinkles.
4. Add 1 /2 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans) to cookie dough and bake 12-15 minutes.
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Donna Rae is an award winning writer, consultant, planner, facilitator, and coach. She holds the coveted “Future” award and was named an Outstanding Faculty member at the University of Minnesota. She has co-authored five books and numerous articles. And she bakes.
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