#52. Caramel Cinnamon Pecan Bites

I was a bit skimpy with the caramel glaze in the first batch because the cookies are sufficiently moist as is; however, feel free to add an extra ladle (and grab some extra napkins) if you want a better syrup to cookie ratio.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chopped sugar-glazed pecans

• caramel sundae topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the 3 tablespoons white sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Blend dark brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed. Add butter and blend until grainy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to sugar mixture, mixing at low speed just long enough to combine. Mix in glazed pecans.

5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball into cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool completely. Drizzle caramel topping over cookies.

#43. Caramel Apple Skulls

When I’m not baking, eating, and cycling, I work in the neurosurgery department of a local medical school.

No, they do not let me crack open people’s skulls (YET); rather, my role as a PhD (fake doctor) is to help the physicians (real doctors) write articles, grant proposals, and sometimes, even whole books! It’s rewarding in a thousand different ways and I love geeking out over rare conditions and crazy-ass (that’s a technical term) procedures.

Therefore, it’s highly appropriate that at some point during Year of the Cookie, I make some edible skulls. The interim week between Thanksgiving and the grand baking blitz that will be December seemed like the right time.

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 oz) pkg. Pillsbury caramel apple cake mix

• 1/2 cup flour (ish)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand-held mixer, blend together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.

3. Gradually add in cake mix and flour until thoroughly combined. Dough should just verge on crumbly.

4. On a floured surface, roll out dough. Punch out skull shapes using cookie cutters you bought at Halloween clearance.

5. Bake for 12 minutes

6. Cool completely and frost with Pillsbury caramel apple frosting.

#16. (C)raisin Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

There's something I absolutely adore about the contrast between fibrous oats and the chewy dough in the classic oatmeal cookie.

But why must dried cranberries play second fiddle to raisins with respect to America's favorite variation? Equal opportunity extends to baking, yo, and this mindset prompted me to swap the latter for the former when making these (c)raisin* caramel oatmeal cookies.  Yes, the caramels were leftovers, but with an extra dash of salt to the mix, they shine like new. 

Finally, I prefer nutmeg over cinnamon in my oatmeal cookies for its subtle bite.

*This post not sponsored by Ocean Spray. YET.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 3 cups quick cooking oats

• I cup dried cranberries

• 1 cup chopped caramels

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs, then add vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

4. Using a spatula, gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture. 

5. Add in oats, stirring thoroughly. Then add in dried cranberries and chopped caramels. Batter will be thick and chunky.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely unless you enjoy burning your tongue on molten caramels.

14. Potato Chip Cookies - St. Patrick's Day Retrospective

Okay, guys, here's the deal. I hate to admit it, but the Irish don't have a rich history when it comes to developing their own cookies. Or, for that matter, sweets. Or, actually, for that matter, food. Thanks to the feckin' Brits' control over Ireland and, specifically, their land distribution practices, the Irish had to rely on the potato for sustenance since that crop was one of the few that (usually) grew well in their meager land allotments.  So, it was all tato all the time, which, as you can imagine did not inspire much diversity in cuisine. And, of course, the shit really hit the fan when a destructive fungus caused a blight in potato production. 

So, I wanted to make potato cookies on St. Patrick's Day as a reminder in some ways of how far Irish cooking has evolved in just over 100 years. The island is now home to some of the best restaurants in the world led by game-changing chefs who are using local ingredients to make elegant innovations of Irish classics as well as some who are doing their part to preserve tradition by churning out elevated versions of Irish staples.

Most of the recipes I found (and there weren't many) that used regular ol' potatoes didn't interest me. HOWEVER, when I stumbled upon a plethora of potato chip cookie recipes, then I really got excited.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch chips

• 1 cup crushed potato chips

• additional crushed potato chips for coating

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla extract and beat until well-blended.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients, beating well.

5. Using a spatula or large spoon, mix in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and crushed potato chips.

6. Form dough into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter. Coat balls in crushed potato chips and place on baking sheets, evenly spaced.

7. Bake 10-12 or until desired firmness. (I like a gooey cookie.)

#12. Oh Snap! Caramel Ginger Snaps

I think it's a damn shame that ginger snaps/bread/basically any baked good featuring ginger are too often relegated to "seasonal" status.  Ginger is delicious all year round and its ability to add some tongue-tingling spice to sweets without scorching sensitive palates and giving rise to torrential runny noses is truly unique. I challenge you to try the same thing with chili powder.

I added caramels for some buttery contrast to this basic recipe for chewy gingersnaps, which, by the way, one could argue is an oxymoron if you subscribe to the idea that the 'snap' part of the name is designed to reflect the easily breakable, crisp texture of the cookie. I don't.

When making these cookies, it's important to remember that the caramels should only be slightly melted when you remove your tray from the oven. Five minutes rest time on the tray renders them the perfect consistency from the latent heat.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 24 caramels

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then beat in egg.

3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture.

5. Shape dough into balls roughly 1 and 1/2 inches in size. Press one full caramel into the center of each ball. 

6. Bake 11-13 minutes. Remove trays from oven. Let cookies rest on trays for 5 minutes or until caramels are just about to ooze all over the cookies.

7. Eat immediately and with caution if you have loose dental work.