Dr Wingnut

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (¾ pound) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups dried cranberries
• 1½ cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

Method

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 cups butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Mix in cranberries and coconut.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake at 350F until cookie edges just begin to brown, 8 to 11 minutes (shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie; longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie).  If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking.  Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Everyone seems to love these cookies as they have a very short crumb and loads of flavor; they’re cranberry-orange relish in a cookie.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (not semi-sweet chips)
• 2½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Method

1. With a double boiler, melt the chocolate and cool to room tempearture.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, set aside
3. In a mixer bowl combine the oil, chocolate, and sugar; mix well to fully incorporate the ingredients
4. Blend in the eggs and and vanilla; mix well
5. Stir in the dry ingredients and fully mix.
6. Chill covered in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 350 F.
8. Shape the dough into 1½ inch balls.
9. Roll in powdered sugar and place 2 inces apart on greased or parchment lined baking sheets.
10. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Less is more on the timing; don’t overbake, or they dry out.
11. Let cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

Notes

Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.  You might need a little more powdered sugar than 1 cup; don’t be stingy when rolling the dough in the sugar.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, margarine, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter until smooth.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture
6. Mix in the oats until just combined.
7. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until just light brown.  Don’t over-bake.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

These are scary good, but have tons of fat.  I think I’ll try some variations and see if I can get it to stretch a little.

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ pound 60%+ bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (4 ounces)
• ¼ pound 60%+ bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼” chunks or chips (4 ounces)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (4 ounces/1 stick)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or chocolate extract if you have it)
• ½ teaspoon large flake sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Melt the first ¼ pound of finely chopped chocolate with the butter.   You have two options:  Double boiler method: in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until fully melted.
3. Let the chocolate cool slightly while you sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
4. Transfer the melted chocolate to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and on medium, add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour/cocoa mixture.
6. Add the chocolate chunks/chips and stir on low until just combined.  Note: the dough can be frozen up to two months at this point.  Easiest is to shape it into balls, freeze on a sheet plan then transfer to a Ziploc once frozen.  Or shape into logs, wrap tightly in plastic then slice-n-bake.  Frozen dough’s can go right from the freezer to the oven, just add a few minutes to the baking time.
7. With a small ice cream scoop (1”) or a teaspoon, scoop Tablespoon size balls of dough and space cookies 2” apart on prepared sheet pans.  Note: I refrigerated the dough overnight, which made it very firm and rather difficult to scoop.  As shown in the pictures here, I flattened each dough ball so the cookies would bake more evenly.  If you use room temp dough, you don’t have to do the flattening part as they will spread nicely in the oven.
8. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt on top of each cookie.
9. Bake 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking – top to bottom and front to back.  The cookies will be quite soft coming out of the oven – once cool, they should be crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside.  Adjust baking time if necessary.
10. Let cool on pans then carefully remove and place on serving tray.
11. Cookies will keep for a few days, tightly wrapped.

Total time: 45 minutes; active time: 15 minutes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Dutch process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons softened unsalted butter
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup white chocolate chunks
• ¾ cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and vanilla extract until creamy, about 1 minute.  Beat in eggs one at a time until well incorporated.  Add flour mixture one cup at a time and mix on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in white chocolate nuts and cranberries.

Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 11 to 12 minutes, until cookies have risen but centers are soft.  Remove from oven.  Let cool slightly, then remove to wire racks to cool completely

Yield; 3 dozen cookies

Yankee Magazine Fall 2006

When time’s an issue, whip up these easy one-bowl cookies.  Cranberries and white chocolate sing in perfect harmony, while nuts lend a crunchy, toasty undertone.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2¾ cups K.A Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1½ cups white chocolate chunks
• 1½ cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Place the very soft (soft unto melting) butter in a medium-large mixing bowl.  Add the sugars, salt, vanilla and orange oil and stir well.  Add the egg and stir until well blended.  Add the baking soda and flour, mixing until blended.  Stir in the chips, cranberries and nuts.

Scoop rounded tablespoon of dough( a tablespoon cookie scoop works well) onto light colored baking sheets.  Flatten into disks, using gentle pressure from your fingers.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 375F oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned; the tops shouldn’t be brown.  Remove the cookies from the oven, let them rest on the pan 5 minutes, then slide them onto a rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 4½ dozen cookies.

The annual Star-Tribune holiday cookie contest was published this week.

Get the recipes for the winners and the all the runners up for the last eight years.  Just click the picture to go to the recipes: