Iced Oatmeal Cookies

There are certain cookies that bring back fond memories of my childhood.   One of those Proustian madeleines would have to be Mother's Cookies Iced Oatmeal.  While chocolate chip  might top the cookie ranks for most, I was always team oatmeal.  There was something so attractive about these crunchy cookies with the pebbly white tops.  You can't imagine my joy when I saw a homemade version included in Shauna Sever's cookbook "Midwest Made."

Shauna's tribute to Midwestern baking has to be one of my favorite cookbooks of 2019.  As I was flipped through it there were so many delicious and nostalgic bakes that I had earmarked for future projects.  I previously made her Chocolate Bumpy Cake for this blog, with great success, so I knew her iced oatmeal cookies were going to be excellent.  Admittedly I was a bit skeptical about how authentic the cookies would turn out, but I stand corrected.  I couldn't believe how legit the finished cookies looked to the brand name.   

One of the best things about this recipe?  It's made entirely in the food processor!  How easy is that? These iced oatmeal cookies are definitely going to be added to my cookie arsenal.

Milk Bar Crack Pie

Have you been watching the fourth season of Netflix's Chef's Table like I have?  The current series focuses on pastry/dessert and the first episode profiled Christina Tosi of Milk Bar fame.  I don't know about you but after watching it I felt really inspired to make the dessert that started it all, Crack Pie. 

I'd visited the original bakery in NYC many, many years ago and didn't recall ever tasting the pie so I was really curious to see what all the hype was about.  Luckily I had all the ingredients in my pantry so it was basically a no brainer that I was going to make it.  

What's unusual about this pie is that the crust is made from oatmeal cookies.  The filling reminded me of the ones you'd find in pecan pie, i.e., very dense.  I admit I was concerned after seeing the  amount of sugar that's in the recipe because I don't care for overly sweet things.  Luckily the salt acts as a good counter balance to the sugar.   

My review?  While I personally thought the pie was too sweet for my taste I can see how people really like it because of the sweet and salty combination.  I had a scoop of coffee ice cream with my slice which I think helped offset the sugary factor.  Would I make it again?  Probably not for myself, but definitely for someone else if they asked.

Next on the docket - Milk Bar's celebrated Birthday Cake.  Stay tuned....

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies from Naturally Sweet Cookbook & a Giveaway

I've mentioned before on this blog that diabetes runs in my family which isn't necessarily ideal when you love to bake as much as I do.  Inevitably this question always seems to come up when I make something for the relatives, "can you make it less sweet"?      

How excited was I when America's Test Kitchen recently came out with a cookbook specifically dedicated to baking with less sugar, entitled Naturally Sweet.  If this book didn't have my family's name written all over it I don't know what would! 

The recipes in the book use alternatives to the traditional granulated white sugar, which helps to bring down the level of sweetness.  Sucanat, an unrefined cane sugar, is the one predominantly used in Naturally Sweet.   

I was keen to test out a recipe to see if the cookbook really lived up to its claims and decided to have a go at one of my all-time favorite cookies, Oatmeal Raisin.   The cookie dough came together really easily, although you do have to take the extra step of grinding the Sucanat in a spice grinder. 

The cookies browned beautifully in the oven with crispy edges and a soft center, just how I like them!  They tasted great and had a very nice molasses flavor to them.  I didn't even miss the extra sugar to be honest but the true test was to get other people's review.

I brought the cookies in to the office but didn't disclose that they were low sugar.   My co-workers devoured them and when I revealed that they were made with less sugar they were completely surprised.  One person even said I could have cut the sweetener a little more and they still would have been fantastic.  Now that's a testimonial if I ever heard one!  I plan on making more recipes from the cookbook for my family to enjoy this holiday season.

My friends at America's Test Kitchen have kindly donated two copies of Naturally Sweet to give away to my blog readers.  Here's how to enter:

GIVEAWAY RULES:

1) Only open to those with a U.S. mailing address

2) Leave your email address in the comments section of this post.  Sorry, comments without an email address will be disqualified.  

3) Deadline for entry: Saturday December 31 at 11:59pm PST.  

Good Luck!

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

These cookies take me back to my childhood.  I've been making them since I was a kid and is one of the first recipes that I added to my arsenal.  To this day they still taste great.

Oatmeal cookies are typical enough, but these have a bit of a twist.  Instead of the usual raisins and walnuts these cookies are chock full of sweetened coconut which makes them really moist and chewy.  

I love coconut but if you don't you can easily replace it with  raisins, walnuts, dried sour cherries...whatever you want.  The possibilities are endless. 

Oatmeal Cherry Walnut Cookies

My mom loves oatmeal cookies so while I'm visiting my parents this weekend I made her a huge batch. I baked off some of the dough today and she can freeze the rest to bake later.

Got the recipe from this great baking book my sister borrowed from the library called Advanced Bread and Pastry, written by Michel Suas who founded the San Francisco Baking Institute. It's a comprehensive guide to making breads, viennoiserie, cakes and cookies. Definitely geared more towards the serious baker and/or professional and it's written in that vain. I liked it so much I promptly ordered it online.

Used the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe but substituted dried cherries for the raisins and also added toasted chopped walnuts. Made the cookies super size and I think they turned out great...nice golden brown color on the outside and chewy inside. All it's begging for is a glass of milk.