Cookies!

Yum! are you a baker? do you like making treats? I have been a baker for a very long time, I just love making delicious sweets and treats for others to enjoy. Homemade is definitely better tasting and fresher. This year, I have decided to try some new recipes, yes, my old standby Jumbo Chocolate Chips will be on my list, but I'm hoping through trial and error to find some new delish additions to my nice list!!
Now- I know- who has tons of time to do this- really- it's not a whole lot of extra work to do it my way. What I do is- make a double batch, then bake off a single dozen, if they taste and bake properly- I line a few sheet pans with baking parchment- add my drops of cookie dough- then flash freeze them for a couple hours. When they are nice and cold, I add them to gallon freezer ziploc bags with their name, and baking temps. Then whenever we are ready for some fresh warm cookies- I pull out the bags, throw the frozen cookie bites on some sheets and within 15 minutes we can be eating cookies fresh from the oven!!
Monday evening I tried two new recipes- one chocolate- a must have in our house- and one not chocolate. I made Soft Molasses Sugar Cookies, and Mocha Crackle Cookies.



Soft Molasses Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup molasses, 1 egg- combine in mixing bowl and mix well.
add 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Add ti sugar mixture and mix well. Chill for up to 4 hours in refrigerator. Shape into 1 inch balls. Add a few pinches of pumpkin pie spice to additional sugar, roll balls into sugar, then place onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees about 7 minutes. The tops crackle and make a beautiful cookie! ( I added the pie spice to the sugar- you can leave it out- they taste sort of like ginger snaps to me)

Mocha Crackle Cookies
1/2 cup butter, 5 squares unsweetened chocolate, 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules. Heat in microwave safe bowl until all chocolate pieces are melted- this smells devine!!

In mixer - add 4 eggs, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar- creaming together. Next add chocolate mixture to this and mix well. this smells like heaven!!! omg!!
you'll also need some confectioners sugar for rolling cookies in

To chocolate egg mix- add 2 cups plus 3 tblsp all purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder - mix this gradually in, allowing each addition to combine before adding more. ( so it doesn't puff all over your kitchen!!)
Place in fridge for several hours and all to firm up. Shape mixture into walnut sized balls- then roll in confectioners sugar. Place on baking sheet about 2 inch apart and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.
These cookies are soo rich and fudgy- you need some milk with these definitely- or coffee. I would say the mocha flavor is very light- you could add more if you wanted it to be a stronger flavor.

hope you enjoy my recipes - they are from a Taste of Home magazine.
have a great day!
kris