Cooking
Chocolate Banana Cookies didn't make my list of favorites, but this is my favorite cookie photo so far
39 different cookies. It's quite possible that I've tried more cookie recipes in the past 10 months than in all the time prior to that. Making a batch of cookies every Sunday evening has become part of the rhythm of my weekends and something that has brought me great pleasure.
Not to say there haven't been some magnificent flops along the way. The ones that come to mind are 24-Karat Cookies and the cookie I will never live down - Poppy-Seed Wafers. There were near-disasters too - those cookies where I had to throw out a goodly portion because they stuck to the foil or burned.
But in between, there have been lots of good cookies and, yes, some mediocre ones. They start to run together after a while, but a few stand out and will no doubt be making encore appearances at my house.
With one exception, what follows is not an ordered list - it's hard for me to compare a cookie I tried two weeks ago with one I tried 6 months ago. There is one cookie that I keep thinking about, though, so I'd have to say that it is my favorite drop cookie. But first, the runners up...
Connecticut Nutmeg Hermits - nothing flashy, but definitely habit-forming
Date-Nut Wafers - sweet, crispy, chewy, with cinnamon, walnuts and dates. What more could you want in a cookie?
Date-Nut Rocks - hmmm... another date-nut cookie, maybe there's a pattern here.
Tijuana Fiesta Cookies - these were such a surprise to me - unusual and unusually good.
Which brings me to my favorite cookie so far...
Pumpkin Rocks - soooo good, wish I had some now. Crunchy outside, soft inside, loaded with nuts and raisins, and topped with a lemony glaze... mmmmm. As I said before, though, there's one caveat: these cookies are really best the day they are made.
Finally, just in case you're late to the party, all these cookies are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. All the recipes are also included in a later compilation called Maida Heatter's Cookies. I recommend all Maida Heatter's books, but her cookie book is obviously near and dear to my heart.
- Top Cookie
Nine of my personal top ten from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies Oh what a struggle! Limiting the list to ten was actually the easy part, ranking them was near impossible. I have a feeling if I did this again in a day or so, the order would...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...
- Mondays With Maida - Route 7 Raisin-nut Cookies
Page 48 in the old book / page 81 in the new book You know, a year or so from now, I'll be wishing for the good old days when all I had to do was mix up some dough and drop it on a cookie sheet. Making cookies every Sunday evening has become my routine...
- 117 Down, 96 To Go…
I had a cookie mini-marathon today. I mixed up four batches of cookies and baked off two. I’ll bake the others tomorrow night. They’re for a meeting at work on Wednesday. I used three different recipes – all old favorites. The chocolate pecan...
Cooking
My Favorite Drop Cookies
Chocolate Banana Cookies didn't make my list of favorites, but this is my favorite cookie photo so far
39 different cookies. It's quite possible that I've tried more cookie recipes in the past 10 months than in all the time prior to that. Making a batch of cookies every Sunday evening has become part of the rhythm of my weekends and something that has brought me great pleasure.
Not to say there haven't been some magnificent flops along the way. The ones that come to mind are 24-Karat Cookies and the cookie I will never live down - Poppy-Seed Wafers. There were near-disasters too - those cookies where I had to throw out a goodly portion because they stuck to the foil or burned.
But in between, there have been lots of good cookies and, yes, some mediocre ones. They start to run together after a while, but a few stand out and will no doubt be making encore appearances at my house.
With one exception, what follows is not an ordered list - it's hard for me to compare a cookie I tried two weeks ago with one I tried 6 months ago. There is one cookie that I keep thinking about, though, so I'd have to say that it is my favorite drop cookie. But first, the runners up...
Connecticut Nutmeg Hermits - nothing flashy, but definitely habit-forming
Date-Nut Wafers - sweet, crispy, chewy, with cinnamon, walnuts and dates. What more could you want in a cookie?
Date-Nut Rocks - hmmm... another date-nut cookie, maybe there's a pattern here.
Tijuana Fiesta Cookies - these were such a surprise to me - unusual and unusually good.
Which brings me to my favorite cookie so far...
Pumpkin Rocks - soooo good, wish I had some now. Crunchy outside, soft inside, loaded with nuts and raisins, and topped with a lemony glaze... mmmmm. As I said before, though, there's one caveat: these cookies are really best the day they are made.
Finally, just in case you're late to the party, all these cookies are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. All the recipes are also included in a later compilation called Maida Heatter's Cookies. I recommend all Maida Heatter's books, but her cookie book is obviously near and dear to my heart.
- Top Cookie
Nine of my personal top ten from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies Oh what a struggle! Limiting the list to ten was actually the easy part, ranking them was near impossible. I have a feeling if I did this again in a day or so, the order would...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...
- Mondays With Maida - Route 7 Raisin-nut Cookies
Page 48 in the old book / page 81 in the new book You know, a year or so from now, I'll be wishing for the good old days when all I had to do was mix up some dough and drop it on a cookie sheet. Making cookies every Sunday evening has become my routine...
- 117 Down, 96 To Go…
I had a cookie mini-marathon today. I mixed up four batches of cookies and baked off two. I’ll bake the others tomorrow night. They’re for a meeting at work on Wednesday. I used three different recipes – all old favorites. The chocolate pecan...