The Cookie Nook

double chocolate coconut cookies

2010-10-20T20:34:00.004-06:00

a little white,
a little dark,
would you like a little walnut
with the coconut?

overall rating: pending
ease to make: 5

dump everything in and bake! how easy could it get? fortunately, everything in these is pretty non-exotic and is probably somewhere in your pantry or freezer. although i havn't tasted these, i think martha likes butter too much. these come off the pan and just don't look right. i think they would be best with 1/2 c less butter....

ezra likes them anyway

Cookie Taster of the Week: my Dad!

2010-03-19T14:57:00.002-06:00

actually several weeks ago my dad was cookie taster of the week....and rightly so. my mom has given up sweets for lent and the poor guy needed come sweets! andi and ez to the rescue!

(my dad on the right, playing happy hands club with us)

Milk Chocolate cookies---4.4

These cookies were delicious and also chocolate--2 great features. However , even though they had great flavor, they lacked the gooey goodness of a true quad choc cookie. They were moist enough to not need to wash them down, a definite plus.

Sweet cardamon crackers---4.2

For a non chocolate cookie (cracker) these were great. The pronunciation is tough but eating them is a breeze. They have a distinct flavor that I was not familiar with, but I could sit around and eat them all day. Good cookie.

Milk Chocolate Cookies

2010-03-19T14:51:00.002-06:00

chocolate
inside of chocolate
inside of chocolate
need i say more?

overall rating: 3.92

ease to make: 3.5
clean up: 4

so there is cocoa, and melted milk chocolate, and milk chocolate chips. the only downfall is a bunch of dishes that no one likes doing. but then again, what's new with that?

for some reason these wern't as chewy as i might have liked them to be but they still had an addictive property for people that caused them to quickly disappear.

from the cookie testers.....

The chocolate cookie was my favorite of the two. The body of the cookie was an awesome chewy brownie like texture though noticeably less sweet with sweet chocolate chunks for contrast and good overall balance 4.5/5.

the cholcolate i am dubbing "Pyroclastic obsidian chocolatelove dream" Super nice chocolate quality. Pyroclastic because there is an airiness in it, obsidian because the bottom is smooth and harder.. the rest of the description is obvious. I'd bake 2 minutes less and remove immediately from pan if going for a more overall chewy sensation..... but what do i know? i'm only a taster. 4.5

Sweet Cardamom Crackers

2010-03-19T14:44:00.002-06:00

not called a "cookie"
but crackers are considered healthier.
eat as many as you like
and be happy!

overall rating: 4.43ease to make: 3.7
clean up: 5

so i hav'nt blogged for a long time and i'm real sorry. sometimes life gets in the way of the more important things, like making cookies. anyway, these little crackers are the most interesting blend of ingredients and are a real crowd pleaser.

i have 2 new cookie tasters who write rave reviews:

perfectly balanced in the sugar/sweetness, chewiness, flavor/theme categories. I have a personal affinity towards cardamom, coconut and pistasch.... so i'll give this a 4.76 because i could eat a dumptruck load of them and not feel ill. In fact these may be a welcome alternative to nasty pretend heathly energy bars.

The white cookie was really tasty. Zingy but not as bold as the lemon poppy and not too sweet. 4/5 is my rating.

Cookie Taster of the Week: Beezer & Dusty

2010-02-15T21:57:00.004-07:00

beezer schnitzel is my younger sister and newly engaged to dusty. she is working on her bs in mechanical engineering and eventually wants to go biomedical (yes, she's smart and helps me with ochem). beezer and dusty have signed up to be cookie tasters of the week on different weeks and i have decided to let it slide because they're college kids and it's fun to get stuff in the mail when you're in school (well, it's always fun to get stuff in the mail anytime when it's not a bill).
modeling the cookies, their kitty, phyllis
M&M Cookies: 2.8
They were very soft in the middle, which was great. M&M's are always delicious, but I think that chocolate chips might have been just as good if not a little better in them (I can't believe I just said that). I agree with you about Martha's love of coarse salt. I don't see why she thinks it is so amazing. It definitely made the cookies taste salty. If I wanted salty, Martha, I would eat potato chips and not cookies. It was a good try, but your angel cookies, Mom's top secret recipe, and Chelsie's chocolate chip cookie recipe beat Martha hands down.

Peanut Butter Cookies: 3.2
These cookies did not travel very well. They were a little dry and very crumbled when they got here. Other than that, they tasted pretty good. I haven't had a peanut butter cookie in quite a while, and I forgot how delicious they are. Maybe I should have drizzled some chocolate on them too...

Cakey Chocolate Chip

2010-02-15T08:02:00.003-07:00

when you crave that
"cake batter"
from cold stone,
try this instead.

overall rating 2.6
ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

another failure. i have a million better chocolate chip cookie recipes, and i'm sure your grandma's, or mom's, or someone's is more fool-proof than this one. i even used m&m's to make them extra pretty (and they were), and the batter really did look like a cake. unfortunately they came out awful.... martha suggests course salt in these and i couldn't disagree with her more. furthermore, these actually stuck to my little mat things i cook on (ya know, to avoid greasing the pan)....

the end. i 'm too frustrated to talk about them anymore

Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-02-15T07:51:00.003-07:00

with an added crunch
these cookies
are appreciated
by everyone
(even the dog)

overall rating: 4.0

ease to make: 4
clean up: 5
frustration with martha: 5

i can't figure out what happened to these. i have secret words for martha in my head when i do everything exactly as she says and my results look like pathetic ufo's that have skylights in them. this was an awful week for cookie making. aside from being sick and not even wanting to look at even the inkling of the kitchen..... 2 crappy cookies. ok so these pb cookies should be at the bottom of your pb cookie making list. this dough requires only 1 1/4 c of flour..... but it looks like it could use 2 more cups. so its really thin.... and then you add in some peanuts and are supposed to flatten them out and put your little fork marks in them . this doesn't happen either because the dough is so thin yo'ure basically pressing your fork into this hard chunk of peanut. oooh, and they don't ship.....just fyi.
grrrrrrrr

ok, so that was a bit harsh for a cookie review blog. seriously am frustrated

Lemon-Poppy Seed Crisps

2010-02-07T09:42:00.003-07:00

like a hard lemon poppy seed muffin,
still, probably not
the cookie to eat
if you have a drug test at work
the very next day

overall rating: 4.2
ease to make: 4
clean-up: 3.6

actually, i think at work we figured out that you'd have to eat 2 T of poppy seed to be positive for your drug test. these cookies only have 1 T, so you could technically eat the entire batch at one time and be just fine.
first, let me start off by saying that i've never been a lemon fan, so i'm very biased against these. after gathering all the lemon zest (you'll need 2 large lemons), and squeezing them to make 1/4c juice to make the lemon butter, walking into my house smelled like i was being engulfed in lemon scented cleaning agents. never the less, people loved these little things. they are easy to make and are rather pungent. you make the batter, roll it in sugar and excess lemon zest and sprinkle with additional poppy seeds. a few did complain of the salt in them, but martha uses course salt people! i'm sorry! they're gourmet! and then people did like the salt in them. i can't win with everyone. enjoy!

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

2010-02-07T09:32:00.004-07:00

traditionally a hard twice baked cookie,
this delicious gem
not necessarily to be dunked in coffee
because of its chewy center
(maybe its just the way i made them?)

overall rating: 4.62

ease to make: 3.8
clean up: 5

ok folks. if you are looking for a gorgeous cookie to make this is it! no joke. beautiful. and if dallas hadn't stole my camera for a week i would have taken pics of every single step because the whole process was simply beautiful. the pistachios together....gorgeous. the pistachios wrapped up in a chocolate blanket, breathtaking beauty. maybe i just love the way pistachios look..... but only for so long. shelling an entire cup of them was painfully slow and you can't eat but maybe 2 of them because it takes almost the entire bag to make a cup.

also, i'm wondering how martha did hers. of course, her picture shows perfectly cut biscotti but when i cut mine the pistachios wouldn't cut and it ended up looking more like a jigsaw puzzle than a cookie by the end. if i were to make these again i think i would turn off the oven after the first baking, let them cool entirely, THEN cut and bake again.

and if you are beezer (my sister who i gave the cookbook to for Christmas) and don't like pistachios, leave them out and just put more chocolate chips in! i think you'd like them a lot!

Cookie Taster of the Week: Doug!

2010-02-07T09:25:00.003-07:00

doug is one of dallas' older brothers who shares the same passions as dallas. activities they both enjoy: talking about nerd things, riding bikes, jeeping, camping, being outside preferably in the mountains....etc.

we are currently waiting for cookie reviews to come back from doug!........
waiting...... waiting......

Dear Nook-ers,

2010-01-24T23:43:00.002-07:00

I have to apologize in advance (see blogging blonde for details). Due to the hectic school schedule I have this semester, the cookie project will be retarded at about 1/3 its usual pace. I'm so, so sorry you cookie tasters of the week. Instead of the sample platter box you'll just get a larger portion of the cookie of the week. I simply cannot do it all. So plan for 1-2 cookies every 10 days but this is not going to be an action packed roller coaster anymore (or was it ever? maybe it just feels that way from my raisin fingers from doing so many dishes).

love,
andi
& ez

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-01-24T23:31:00.004-07:00

thin and sweet
like every female
aspires to be.
(unless you plain like cookies
and then who cares?
life tastes good!)

overall rating: 4.5

ease to make: 4
cleanup: 5

so the rating for this is a real approximate guess. these cookies didn't last long enough to get them to any of our usual tasters. it's not that it didn't make a big enough batch, just that dallas (and ezra! bad ezra!) liked them a little too well.... he gave them a 5 but i cant' give anything a 5 based solely off of one rating so i had to compensate. ez really did snarf these down (don't worry, we took out the raisins) at speeds where it would be impossible to actually taste what you are eating. at any rate, the picture above is the last cookie standing that i had to literally peel away from the boys in order to not have to make the entire batch over again, just for the stupid pic. (please, please don't judge this poor cookie. it was literally the ugliest in the batch, hence why it was the last one, but it's all that i had!)

this cookie, although has extra fiber in it from the wheat germ (that i couldn't find anywhere, where is this stuff hiding at in the store? i substituted with wheat flax, or something like that), it could really use some thickness. maybe for those of you who like thin cookies you'd like this, but in our house if they're not small cakes they've got to go.
dallas still loved them,
obviously.

Dark Chocolate with (sour) Cherries

2010-01-18T12:44:00.004-07:00

the most delicious mess
of chocolate
in the entire world
(certain of it)

overall rating: 4.93
ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

ladies and gents we have a new cookie winner. people went googliy over these. they checked the bowl to make sure they wern't all gone before they got another... this is THE cookie. actually the recipe calls for sour cherries but i have no idea where these are so i used dried cherries and it worked just fine

this dough was the most tempting to eat (and after all the rave reviews i broke down and ate one that was stale, and by golly they were right. it was worth all the bloating and headache and exhausted feeling that accompanied it!). it's this deep deep brown dough that looks like one giant truffle. mmmmmm..... yes. you need to make these. even if you bought the entire book for this one recipe, it would be worth it.

Cappuccino-Chocolate Bites

2010-01-18T12:26:00.003-07:00

small as a button
with delicious insides
is the perfect solution
to your afternoon caffeine
craving

overall rating : 4.6

ease to make: 3
clean up: 3

as much as i love coffee these were pretty annoying to make. they are adorable so if you're looking for that perfect cookie that looks like it should go in the pre-made 100 calorie packs (it would never qualify, even if it was the only cookie in that pack) this is it. let me tell you why this one annoyed me. i hate reading ahead and so i don't. so when i get to parts in the recipe saying "refrig dough for 30 min" and then "refrig middle mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight" i get very cranky. dear martha: if you make this book over put prep time on these recipes! actually, you could hire me and i'd do it for you. anyway, you do have to roll these cookies out to 1/8", which went better this time and use a skinny shot glass to make the most perfect size in the world. for real, it's worth it. my innerds on these didn't turn out like the picture but thats ok, dallas still ate them, one cookie/bite at a time!

on a real exciting note i did splurge $5.99 on a small sifter. if you don't have one of these in your kitchen i would really recommend one. for example, the tops of these need dusted with powdered sugar and cocoa powder, both which come out in clumps if you don't use a sifter. plus, martha uses cocoa all the time and it really does make a difference. go splurge!

Pecan Log Rolls

2010-01-18T12:08:00.004-07:00

not too sweet
not too salty
would go great
with a cup of coffee

overall rating 3.91

ease to make: 4
clean up: 5

so they're not the most exciting cookie but they still get ate. the only reason the ease to make ranking is lower is because appliances (like mini food choppers) that don't get used often are stored out in the garage (due to insufficient kitchen cabinet space) and i really hate going out there in the winter. it's cold and dark and well, just unpleasant overall. someone suggested a finer grain of salt as the recipe calls for coarse but this is martha we're talking about and well if she thinks her cookies are gormet than they must be.

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

2010-01-14T20:51:00.002-07:00

besides having a big name,
these big cookies
are a mouthful of chocolate and
delicious peanut butter filling

overall rating: 4.7

ease to make: 3 (they're sandwich cookies, ugh)
clean up: 4

so i can't eat the cookie portion of this, but let me tell you, the peanut butter inside is to die for! it's the most fattening deliciousness mixture of pb, powdered sugar and butter. YUM. and what is even better is that my aunt sylvia got me a frosting knife for christmas and it works awesome! thank you aunt sylvia!! you wouldn't believe how much a 60degree bent knife (or something like that) makes such a difference. even beezer likes them (although i think beezer likes all cookies)

Chocolate-Ginger Brownies

2010-01-13T09:26:00.004-07:00

a thick,
moist,
delicious brownie
with a kick at the end,
just for fun!

overall rating: 4.11
ease to make: 4.9
clean up: 5

people raved about these, so i suppose they were pretty good. i think you have to be open to options. for example, you don't like just chocolate, but are open to having something (like ginger) sharing the pan space. (by the way, i didn't realize how much martha likes using ginger! i use it all the time! if you don't have any in your kitchen and have this book i suggest you stock up now.) these only make a small 9x9 pan but one you wean out the non-ginger weenies you'll have enough for everyone else!

Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches w/ Chocolate Filling

2010-01-13T09:13:00.004-07:00

a mint sandwich
with chocolate innards
how could a 2 oz cookie
have any calories?

overall rating: 3.64
ease to make: 3.7
clean up: 4 (only if you do your dishes immediately afterwards!)

a cookie i could eat! what a concept. i must say, i really really miss cookies with flour. no flour and they're just not the same. like these were good, but i could leave them sitting on the table looking pretty (and i like mint). the real reason i made these for the Christmas plates were because they were pretty and i needed some color. by the way, i don't think i ever blogged how beautiful my Christmas trays were:
anyway, back to the cookie.
i've never really made meringue before but this stuff was beautiful! and i even broke down and bought one of these $5 kits with plastic ends in them for this cookie. it's worth it! yes, you get meringue all over the kitchen, and if yo'ure like me food coloring, and yes, they do bake for 1:45:00 (yes! and hr and 45 min!!), which is a total time suck, but make these and people think you're a total cookie goddess just looking at them. the chocolate filling is rather a time suck as well and when martha says that once the meringue is in the oven you need to start the filling, she's of course, right. it's like you make this stuff, and let it heat up real slow like, then let it cool, thickening up...... yeah... about that thickening up stuff. sorry folks that ate these. mine didn't thicken, i was in a hurry, you got skimped on the filling.
sorry!
would i make these again?
yes, only for their looks.

What is ________ used for?

2010-01-11T17:58:00.002-07:00

I have decided to occasionally write what, or why certain ingredients are used for recipes and others are not. I always wonder and am probably not the only one, what is the difference baking powder and baking soda?

in a nutshell it's their chemistry (ugh i though i would be done with this for a long while!). baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which means that when put with an acidic product it creates carbon dioxide so when you stuff your food in the oven the reaction causes things to rise. (this is why you use it with dairy products, chocolate, honey...)

baking powder has sodium bicarbonate as well as the acid and a drying substance, like a starch. what determines which one you use? (this, from chemistry.com)
Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.

now, you know!

Magic Blondies

2010-01-11T13:03:00.002-07:00

a good new year's resolution cookie,
yummy cake batter surrounding
fresh fruit and nuts.
how could this be bad for you?

overall rating: 4.74

ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

how can you go wrong when you bake your cookies in muffin tins? everyone loves these and they look cute. the recipe only makes 12 so take into mind that you may have to double it in order to make enough for everyone!

Cookie Tasters of the Week: Sandy, Andy & Justine

2010-01-09T21:48:00.004-07:00

yes yes, i know that one week off turned into two...whoopsie!
for the week of Christmas my cookie tasters were: Sandy (my old college roommate of 3 years and friends since preschool), Andy, her husband, and Justine, Sandy's super good friend and my FFA pal. Sandy is an appropriate cookie taster for Christmas because her life revolves around Christmas. I wouldn't be surprised if her blog already had a Christmas countdown for next year. Here are the official cookie taster notes:

Peppermint meringue sandwich w/ chocolate filling: 4
Andy expected a little more chocolate.
Really good refreshing, loved the peppermint meringue...couldn't eat a
ton of them which is probably good! :)

Candy-stripe cookie sticks: 3.33 ( I had to average our 3 scores)
good flavor would be super yummy with ice cream or coffee

Blondies: 3.67 I could be biased because I don't like coconut or
raisins...andy and justine liked the saltiness

Almond wafers: 4.3 yummy gingerness and again would be super super
super yummy with ice cream

Brownies: 4.3 love brownies and ginger taste....very moist....super
tastey....(justine like LOVED them!!!)

Turtle Brownies

2009-12-26T22:09:00.003-07:00

Carmel and nuts
and everything nice
makes this fudgy treat
something neat

overall rating:4.53
ease to make: 4.5
clean up: 3 (don't forget about the caramel mixture in the pan!)

how could anyone not like these? if you are a nut and chocolate lover there's no way you could say no. there's an easy brownie on the bottom... let it cool... make your own caramel sauce (which i have never done before....it takes a while but definitely worth it!) and stick it in the fridge. it only makes 16 bars but i guarantee you won't have any to worry about afterwards!

Candy-Stripe Cookie Sticks

2009-12-25T22:23:00.007-07:00

cute looking stick
lacking in taste
hope the calories
don't go to your waist

overall rating: 3.88

ease to make: -5
clean up: 2

OH MY GOSH.
is this really a recipe that you're going to ever want to make again?
i wanted to pull my hair out
i wanted to burn the cookie book
i got so angry i shut the oven off, with cookies baking in it and went to bed
i have vowed, never, ever again.

here is how the recipe goes:
1) make batter (still happy)
2) take out some batter and dye it red (still happy, as long as you don't spill the dye in the grout lines of your counter like me, getting grumpy)
3) make (i can't believe i actually did this) a 3x6" stencil for your cookies
4) put batter in rectangle stencil, spreading out evenly as you can. THEN make diagonal striped lines with the red dough
5) bake for 6-7 min, pull out of oven, burn fingers on hot dough and roll into cylinders

it was *so awesome,* please note my sourpuss attitude.

and to top it off they were boring cookies! for all that effort, if yo'ure going to make them (exclusively for the color, like i did) stuff a little nutella in the middle as a little flavor is needed.
this is messing up again...and again... and again...
think how many minutes wasted...(you only make 2-3 cookies at a time)

Almond Spice Wafers

2009-12-23T21:40:00.003-07:00

crisp and crunchy
with a hint of nut
makes your holiday plate
simply great

overall rating: 4.4

ease to make: 4.5
clean up: 5!

having guests that want some spice in their cookie? make these. the best part about them? the recipe makes a million of them and.... ta da! they're easy! you only have to plan ahead for freezer time. you're supposed to make these in miniature loaf pans. i went to walmart for some cheap ones and it seems like every grandma in denver was making the exact same thing because they were out of the good, sturdy ones. i made do with foil and it came out all wrinkly on the bottom, like this. this is fine until you go to make the actual cookie and then they look like a 3rd grader made them. the downfall to these? almost cutting your fingers off when having to use an extremely sharp knife. (i only know from experience!)

Pfeffernussen

2009-12-21T07:53:00.003-07:00

molasses
covered in
powdered sugar
yum!

overall rating: 4.58

ease to make: 4
clean up: 3. powdered sugar everywhere!

if you had to make cookies for a party in a pinch these would be it. forget the fact that it requires things like ground ginger, cloves, allspice..... if you have these in your kitchen they're the easiest to make! they are the perfect size and most people can't keep their hands off of them.

Fatal Kitchen Accident (hopefully the only one)

2009-12-18T14:05:00.004-07:00

my favorite small spatula was put on permanent disability leave today so i decided to suck it up and let it go forever. *tear*

tonight there is a little work white elephant exchange party. i thought i'd make a quick batch of cookies and have all day to do other things. uhm, no. look at these. sadly my mom's most awesome-est recipe (that should be in martha's book) somehow failed and i'm stuck with a bunch of giant poop pies. there is no way that i can bring myself to serve these, esp being martha stewart jr this year.
off to the store for the little weenies back up plan .........

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

2009-12-16T13:23:00.005-07:00

applesauce and raisins,
with frosting on top!
how could you go wrong
with this little drop?

rating: 3.75

ease to make: 3, i hate frosting
clean up: 4

i realize that this is not a Christmas cookie but i had applesauce in my fridge so i made them anyway. i think martha messed up on her frosting directions. it has a great maple taste but the way it is written it ends up being a glaze instead of an icing. did you see!? i figured out how to make the icing more attractive! in case you don't own a frosting kit thingie you can stuff frosting in a ziplock bag and just a corner off to the desired gauge you like. it works wonderful (isn't "green") but if you can easily dispose of frosting by all means i believe you are allowed. the only complaint is they are too big. i concur. make them smaller than the recipe says

you probably thought i had stopped making cookies. i did. after finals i decided it was time for a break from everything, including, gasp (!) cookie making. it really has been wonderful having no real responsibility but i have BIG plans for the neighbor cookie platters this year so you better get your oven mitts on and get ready!!

Chewy Molasses Cookies

2009-12-11T09:09:00.002-07:00

chewy or not
the hint of gingerbread
will make you the most popular
guest at the party

overall rating: 4.85

ease to make: 4.5
clean up: 4.5

just a typical cookie except you have a refrigeration step in here. once the dough starts thawing out you get "madam sticky hand trying to roll dough into nice ball." but it's not too bad. this makes a lotta cookies....hope you have some friends. if anyone out there knows why mine were NOT soft please tell me. normally i condone cheating but i had to stick them in a container with bread for a few hours in order to justify the name.

Hazlenut Cookies

2009-12-09T10:14:00.004-07:00

a uniquely shaped cookie
to match its taste
make copies of the recipe
to give away

overall rating: 3.96
ease to make: 4
clean up: 5

well, these are supposed to be triangle shaped, but i think the more p.c. 3-D term is pyramidal square. the only thing you may not have at your house to make these is an entire 6 oz bag of hazlenuts. otherwise, the batter is very unique as it has an egg white beginning. with only a little flour and sugar, it's easy to see why they're in the light and delicate section. the only downfall is that the dough is refrigerated between prep and baking. so when you leave it out while other cookies are in the oven it doesn't work as well when coming back to make pyramidal squares out of the rest!

Cookie Taster of the Week: Beth & Kiki the cat

2009-12-08T19:27:00.002-07:00

Beth is my old college roommate who just moved from 3 years of NYC to Belt, MT. (Check out her blog, ROOMMATE!) fun fact: Beth is the least boring person you will ever meet and is the girl to hate since she always dresses cute! :) Kiki is William's (my cat) old gf.
Chewy molasses cookies: 5

Even though they're not chocolate, they're good enough to eat a whole bunch of them at once. Would be good to have if you are stuck inside watching movies all weekend!

Hazelnut cookies: 4

Hazelnut flavor is a little overpowering, but would be good dunked in hot cocoa - the sweet balance would be good for these salty cookies.

Whole Wheat Date bars: 3.5

They were ok, I just don't like dates very much... I like the dough, though. I would serve them with afternoon tea. :)

Whole Wheat Date Bars

2009-12-07T11:06:00.006-07:00

the thing to eat
when you feel guilty
about everything you engulfed
over Thanksgiving break
(even has fiber!)

overall rating: 3.83

ease to make: 1
clean up: 2

so either you like these of your don't....which means i don't ever have to make this cookie again because i would be real disappointed if someone didn't like them. has anyone ever tried making something with dates? oh my gosh. here's how this recipe goes in a nutshell: make dough and refrigerate in rectangle things. boil dates in applejuice and then simmer until almost all the juice is gone. then puree this in a blender and after you have rolled the dough into the thinnest sheet possible cut in half and put date puree in the inside.

here's what i did:
make dough and refrigerate. boil dates in pan and sautee. turn off heat. become sidetracked. come back to pan to realize that the dates have super glued themselves to the bottom of a "stickless" pan. work on super man arms in order to pry them off with a spatula. put in blender. watch dates twirl around, and around, and around in a giant blob instead of chopping up. swtich to a mini food processer....which works only slighly better. get frustrated and decide to start in the morning. stick food processor in fridge. come back in the morning and realize dates are impossible to work with. try microwaving, which makes a runny super glue mixture...etc. so i ended up having only enough date stuff to make 1 rectangle's worth, not 2. so if anoyne wants to make the date portion of this you may have the other rectangle and knock yourself out, but as for me, i'm finished!

Mocha Shortbread Wedges

2009-12-06T19:13:00.003-07:00

chopped up expresso beans
mixed with coco
makes this little wedge
a slice of heaven

overall rating: 4.8

ease to make: 5
clean up: 5

i think a coffee lover could live on these. my neighbor would like this with ice cream and chocolate drizzled on top. although this only made 8 slices its well worth the effort. the only downfall....lining the stupid pan with parchment paper. i still have a difficult time with this.

Cookie Taster of the Week: Kim & Phillip

2009-12-02T08:29:00.003-07:00

Kim and Phillip are some of my great friends who just recently moved to Germany. Ironically I have worked with them both at different jobs while in college.

Fun fact: Kim has the most contagious laugh in the world and will laugh at anything, even when you get in trouble from the owner of the bookstore while throwing a football in the back shipping room. here is clara with her cookies!

(since i'm still deciding how to do the reviews, i'm just going to put on here what they thought of each of them)
Brownie - P=4, K=4.5 They were really good, sweet with just a hint of saltiness. These were the only ones that didn't make the trip well. They were hard, so if they were fresh and soft they would have definately gotten 5s.

Sticks - P=4.7, K=5 These were our favorites!! We were so surprised that they were so soft. Phillip says if it had been completely covered in chocolate he would have given it a 5!

Carmel cookie - P=4, K=4.8 My second favorite. Couldn't get them apart, so we ate them as big globs. Still good, and still really soft.

Coconut white - P=3, K=3.5 Important to say that neither of us really like cocount, so these were at a disadvantage from the start.

Coconut brown - P=3.5, K=4 These were definately better than the white ones. Phillip thought they reminded him of no-bake cookies. Still mostly coconut though.

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

2009-11-28T21:28:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-26T21:13:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-25T21:45:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-21T09:57:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-21T09:46:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-21T09:36:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-21T09:27:00.005-07:00

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!

2009-11-20T23:07:00.004-07:00

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

2009-11-15T13:43:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-14T22:32:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-14T22:07:00.004-07:00

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

2009-11-14T21:58:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-11-14T21:42:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-09T21:03:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-08T21:12:00.004-07:00

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

2009-11-08T21:00:00.006-07:00

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

2009-11-06T09:52:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-04T07:45:00.002-07:00

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*

chocolate mint sandwiches

2009-10-31T18:47:00.003-06:00

rich round cookies
sandwiching a mint chocolate filling
to make a delicious treat
for anyone with a sweet tooth

overall rating:
4.4

ease to make: 1.5
cleanup: 2

phew! these are a lot of work for the yield. i brought the ruler into the kitchen for this one, did everything just like martha said, and got maybe 20. but, they are delicious and would be the first to go if you took them to a party!
*(also note that one of my tasters doens't like chocolate unless it's milk chocolate. otherwise, i believe the rating would have been higher)*

freak out!

2009-10-31T18:46:00.002-06:00

so doing the math today, i realized that i need to make 3.3 cookies a week to get thru the cookbook in a year. i hope you cookie tasters are ready!

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

2009-10-31T18:33:00.003-06:00

pleasant with tea
or cup of coffee,
has a hint of orange
to make the perfect,
mmm...perhaps,
breakfast?

you either like them or you hate them
overall rating:
3.4

ease to make: 3.8
cleanup: 5!

martha errked me on this one. you're supposed to roll these into round logs. anyone that can do this is my hero. i made more of a rhombus. my tester ladies were fans (5 star ratings) while the men had an avg of 1.5. make sure you have your parchment paper for this!

Apple-Cherry Crumble Bars

2009-10-29T20:58:00.004-06:00

bars that make people smile
a fruit filled middle between
layers of oatmeal crumble
would taste great warmed up under
a mound of ice cream
overall rating 4.8
ease to make: 4.5
dishes clean up: 5!

these require some ingredients that you probably won't sitting in the pantry. fruit is sauteed in apple cider to help soften. not a good recipe if you are bad at cutting butter into a crumble crust mixture

Chocolate Crackles

2009-10-29T20:42:00.004-06:00

These are little tasty treats
with a bitter chocolate bite on the inside
and a sweet sugar taste on the outside
leaving your fingers with a
white dusting to lick off at the end
overall rating: 5.0ease to make: 2
(super sticky dough + refrigeration time)
clean up: 4
(powdered sugar everywhere!)

sometimes martha really peeves me because she's usually right. for example with this recipe you're supposed to split the dough into 4 equal sections, put each section in plastic and refrigerate. although it's an extra step it gets me irritated that it actually works. not only does it refrigerate faster it also makes it easier to split into the 1" dough balls in order to get the cookie yield yo'ure supposed to. martha always knows....

Pumpkin Cookie

2009-10-29T20:40:00.005-06:00

although not Martha's cookie, my old friend, Sandy's

PUMPKIN COOKIE

like a small cake,
these are perfect for the season,
retain their moisture very well,
do need frosting (sugar or cream cheese)
disappear fast
overall rating: 4.6

ease to make: 4.5
(easy but sticky batter + frosting everywhere)
amt of dishes and clean up: 4
(i let the frosting dry to the container, whoops!)