Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

flat as a pancake
this chewy chocolate cookie
will have you begging for some more

overall rating: 3.78
ease to make: 4
clean up: 4

ok, not really. this cookie is weird. i really don't think i did anything wrong but ya know..... this one kind of bites the dust. it's super flat, and only taking one from the "air tight" cookie jar, as recommended by martha, is enough. right out of the oven they really form to whatever they're laying on....which makes me think that if you made them a little larger, took them right of the oven and put them in a muffin tin they would be the perfect shape for a scoop of ice cream..... drizzled in chocolate......sprinkled with sprinkles......
ok now im' dreaming.

Chocolate Charms

although they look like truffels
and are cute as a button,
they're not as sweet
as you may think

overall rating: 3.94ease to make: 5
clean up: 4 (cocoa powder everywhere!)

they're more of a shortbread that leaves you disappointed after you bite into it. i made all chocolate this week because it's all i had in the house. (how pathetic is it that all i have chocolate cookie making supplies and a cup of yogurt?) anyway, these are pretty cute cookies, easy to make and of course, martha is right... you should wait for them to completely cool down before sprinkling them with cocoa powder. the melted cocoa powder on top looks like fuzzy brown mold. although not good by themselves i do believe they're quite taste with a cup of joe.

Rum Balls

one taste from these
little rounds and you'll be ready to
ruummmmm-balllllllllllllll!

overall rating: 4.74

ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

these are definitely not for children and if sold in a shop you'd have to card. they're moist, delicious, and perfect in every way.

Cashew Caramel

hard on the bottom
sticky on top
these nutty rounds
will fill you up

overall rating: 4.44ease to make: 2. working with caramel is always frustrating
clean up: 2 cleaning up caramel is always frustrating

they're a little crunchier than i'd like but there's not much i can do about it. martha wasn't lying when she said to store them between layers of wax paper. now, if you want to grab one cookie you get 4: a giant cashew caramel sandwich.... the only thing people were wanting on top was chocolate, to make more of a turtle. oooh, also.... martha kills me. in the picture of this cookie the caramel is neatly put on in evenly spaced drizzles and there is a spoon in the background. so i'm thinking, ok cool! i don't need anything but a spoon for this. WRONG. mine were totally the opposite. putting caramel on with a spoon = big fat blobs = not attractive.

Coconut Macaroons

a wheat free cookie (!)
chocolate, or not,
hard on the outside,
soft in the middle...
how could you go wrong?

overall rating: 3.75
ease to make: 3.8
clean up: 5

the only 2 huge downfalls for these cookies are: a) the yield is wimpy! b) you form these in your hands but the mixture is so sticky that when you're done you can't touch anything and also can't get it off your hands! (i hate that feeling!) they are a wheat free cookie, which rocks! but i still wasn't a fan. they would be killer if i took a plain one and drizzled it in chocolate like an almond joy....hm. now there's an idea!

OK! i couldn't resist! i made my own special batch of coconut macaroons and that's right martha...hire me. yes! i got 5/5! ....just took some tweaking and i got rave reviews!
(no dog in pic. ez is already in bed)

Cigarette Russes

Sweet on one end
crunchy on the other,
hope you dont mind
a few crumbs on your sweater

overall rating: 4.13
ease to make: in all reality, 3, but i thought they were fun! i'm giving them a 5!
cleanup: 4

ok, so you can only make 3-4 at a time, and you have to work fast so they don't harden before you roll them up, but i had fun making them and would totally do it again. these make an uniquely shaped cookie that looks harder to make than it actually is!

Double Chocolate Brownies

when only a cakey,

moist dense mass of
chocolate will do,
you only need 1 brownie
to make you happy

overall rating: 4.2
ease to make: 5
clean up: 4
how easy are these to make? VERY. i'm still trying to grasp martha's concept of lining pans with parchment paper. i have an invention someday for this because seriously they taste good but don't look so hot. here is this mass of chaos going into the oven:yikes!
i seriously don't get it

Cookie Taster of the Week: Mary!

Mary is my old dorm friend who now lives in WI and has a beautiful little baby, Lucy! (sorry it took me so long to get this up! i've been sick)Our ratings are as follows:

The Pecan cookies: 2 (we aren't big on pecans... but they were tasty)

Chocolate Sandwich cookies: 4.5 YUMMMMM
Chocolate Waffles: I gave this a 5. The boys: 4.
Snickerdoodles: 4

Kim: you're up next!

Bailey, the next Vanna

bobbi and jon were tasters this week and submitted this of their dog (one of ezra's girlfriends), bailey with the sample platter!

Chocolate Waffles

when just a little chocolate won't do
and you come in from the snow
this black snowflake is a rich, sweet reward.
hope you don't mind wearing
your own powdered sugar dusting!

overall rating: 4.15
ease to make: 3
clean up: 2

i really think this would have been easier if my waffle maker made more than 2 at one time! it is quite the babysitting chore. after they're all done and waffled, you dip the top in another chocolate layer and then sprinkle w/ powdered sugar. my kitchen will never be clean again. it does make quite a few and it's worth the reaction for how much work it is to make!

Biscuit sandwich cookies

a little pick me up
when you want something
delicious but not so sweet

overall rating: 4.2ease to make: 2
clean up: 4

after making these i have come to discover that martha uses parchment paper FOR EVERYTHING! she does this so that she has less clean up-- i'm fairly certain this is the reasoning behind it. nevertheless i made them anyway and it was not worth the effort. someone told me it was a pepperidge farm (spelling?) homemade remake but since i havn't had that before i really don't know. in this cookie you go to all the effort to roll the dough out to 1/16" thick. so when the 1/16" round sticks to the parchment paper it is extremely frustrating, and to top things off, i read somewhere that it its supposed to make 36 rounds. considering that they are sandwiches, this only makes 18 cookies! the only releive i got from this was skipping making the homemade filling and pulling out nutella instead.

Buttery Pecan Rounds

the perfect cookie
if you're having guests over
and want to make a good first "smell"
when they walk in the front door

overall rating: 3.65ease to make: 4
clean up: 3.8

these are in the "light and delicate" section and they are just that. light and so delicate they break easily and are weird. did i mention that they're weird? mine did not turn out looking like martha's (go figure). seriously! mine are oblong with a hint of rhombus and oval! they kind of took over the entire pan and i'm sure they taste good but they look like complete "grown up cookies" that if were placed by other cookies on a potluck tray, they would be the last to go. i'm pretty sure of it.

Snickerdoodles!

even to the one with
gormet taste,
these thick perfect cookies
top the cake
(seriously delish)

overall rating: 4.87ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

this will new become the "in a pinch need cookies" cookie. these were so easy to make i whipped them up after class one night! according to martha you are supposed to make dough balls 1 3/4". i figured it up and if you make them like you're supposed to you end up with 20. ONLY 20! how does that make enough for cookie tasters? it doesnt. i made them smaller and everyone still liked them.
they're seriously amazing
(well, i havn't had any but people tell me they're THAT good)

Calling Cookie Tasters

i love my current "regular" tasters but i have received several comments about cookie tasting in one way or another. although i am pretty biased, i think this is a pretty fun project and the more people involved the merrier.... thus i have decided to add a feature to my blog:
a weekly featured taste tester

hopefully this will allow you out of town-ers or in-towners a chance at taste testing cookies too.
rules of being featured taste tester:
1) contact me to get on the list
(one featured tester/week)
first come, first served
2) receive cookies in mail
(cannot guarantee freshness)
3) send me email with picture of you, current location (town), a quirky fact about yourself, and a small quote + rating about the cookie

maybe you have friends that would like to test too....have them send their name in! i'll only send cookies that will mail best (like not sticky bars). also no requests for the cookie you hope to get. whatever is on the list that week is what will be mailed.

Lime Meltaways

this little cookie
is not so neat to eat-
but it does,
make a refreshing little treat
(betcha can't eat just one!)

overall rating: 4.48

ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

if you or your cookie lovers like lime there are pretty much the bomb. you make them exactly like the earl grey tea cookies, so once you figure that out then everything is easier. like martha suggests, i did pull my ruler out and measure these to the exact specifications of MIW (martha's infinite wisdom). they do get powdered sugar everywhere, but who doesn't like powdered sugar? the best part about these: they last up to 2 weeks in an airtight container! do you know how long that is? you could make a double batch of these (they would be popular, 1 batch would never last) and have 2 different groups of friends over on 2 different weekends and serve the SAME cookies each weekend... that's baking once for 2 events! whoa! good idea martha!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

more or less,
a sliver of pumpkin pie
topped with a frosting that
makes you sneak back into the kitchen
just to lick the bowl

overall rating: 4.19

ease to make: 1
clean up: 3, only if you don't let the batter or frosting completely dry and paste itself to the bowl like super glue

ok martha, what up? i followed this recipe step by step and you know what? yeah, that's right. the parchment paper didn't work.... as i'm in PEELING my cookies off of the parchment paper and i can see exaclty where they came from. why? because half the cookie is still stuck to it!!! accck!
they were so bad half my cookies went to ezra, who LOVES "pumpkin cookie" and knows them by name. (yes, pathetic). also, you may remember me saying that i hate frosting. i still hate frosting. i may need to invest in a frosting specific knife or something but in most cases putting frosting on is supposed to make cookies look better, not worse.
yes, it was a frustrating afternoon.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

the cookie for you,
when you want to come home
from a long day at work
and feel like a kid again

rating: 4.83

ease to make: 5
clean up: 4.5 (peanut butter is such a mess!)

i'm sold. this is the next magic cookie. although it does take a large amount of peanut butter, they're worth it! a gooey jelly filled middle is sandwiched between a peanut butter base and pb crumble on the top. minimal dishes and makes 36 easy bars! only downside: baking time 1hr.

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate and cinnamon cookies

good for an afternoon snack
with a rich peanut butter kick
or as a evening conversation starter
with the cinnamon after-taste
overall rating: 4.3

ease to make: 4 (the batter gets soft and you need to keep refrigerating)
clean up: 5 (i'm really learning to love parchment paper)

weird, weird cookies! this batter was really thing and since i'm a "fat" cookie lover i instantly knew these were not going to make the top 5 list. the dough is so thin you actually have to refrigerate them before cooking (another step....blah!) and if you follow the directions to where they are slightly brown they are flat and pretty crunchy. i'm a biased "cookies should be small cakes!" person so maybe my opinion doesn't count for this. surprisingly, the 1/4 t. of cinnamon shows up at the end of your bite for a nice surprise!

*also by request, ezra will now be the cookie mascot (i guess some people just really like ezra) and will be pictured with all cookies*