COOKIES! discussion

This folder is for those recipes that you create and have tested, but they aren't quite there yet. This is for things that are EDIBLE as they are,but may not quite be what you are EXACTLY trying to make the profile taste like. These recipes are open to beta testing by other members and open to suggestions on improvement. If you do decide to try these, please respond with what changes you made and keep note of brands and amounts. If and when the recipe is perfected, then please feel free to re-post it in the appropriate section.

This is one I created last summer. I called them "edible prototypes" as they were not what I wanted them to be. I recently made them again and I made a few changes. They are still not quite there, so I am posting this here, hoping for some beta testers to help me work out the problems.



CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIES


Chill 2 hours or over night

Pre heat 375


1 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. instant coffee

2 eggs

2 TBLSP UN-sweetened UN-flavored applesauce

2 1/4 c. flour

2/3 c. baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

30-40 caramels, the un-filled kind, cut in half width wise, making 2 rectangles.

Combine flour,cocoa,salt,and baking soda in medium bowl. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, applesauce, coffee,and vanilla. Mix in dry. Cover and chill 2 hours to overnight.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (Yes,this is a MUST) Take enough dough to cover the caramel. Roll into a ball and place 2" apart with no more than 15 to a sheet. They may spread. Keep your hands chilled and use food gloves is needed. Re-chill dough if it becomes too sticky.

Bake 8-9 minutes at 375. Cool 2 minutes on sheets before removing to racks. Bottoms may stick and this is one of the problems I am working on.

Will make about 5 dozen.


I was using the bulk generic caramels that I usually can find and they are a little hard. Recently, I discovered my grocery store carries Milkmaid by Brach's and they are much softer, but I found this out after I had made the second batch. I hope to try them soon and see if they make a difference.

Please let me know if you make these how they turn out and if you do any thing different from me, what you did and how much time/ingredients, or equip0ment you used.

Thanks.

Hey Bakers! I'm a cupcake person, myself. And I have a very weird but brilliant idea for something. Are any of you guys a fan of soda? I was thinking, don't call me crazy, that you could make three different yellow cake batters for cupcakes. Flavor each one with your favorite soda. Like orange, grape, and fruit punch? Then, you could kind of make a layered cupcake! I don't know about you but I think it's genius. The frosting is the only problem.... Any ideas? I was thinking something fruity or maybe like a vanilla ice cream icing? I used the ice cream one for rootbeer float cupcakes...

Actually this is not too far fetched. There are many cake recipes out there that use pop in them. 7Up cake and Coke-a-Cola cakes come to mind. They are very popular in the South, so I don't see why this wouldn't work. If anyone try's this and it works out well, please share your recipe.

Yeah, I've done some before. But don't you think this is interesting?

Turtle wrote: "Hey Bakers! I'm a cupcake person, myself. And I have a very weird but brilliant idea for something. Are any of you guys a fan of soda? I was thinking, don't call me crazy, that you could make three..."

Interesting idea! I just made some cupcakes for a bake sale using three bowls and different jello powder in each one. They were called "tie-dye fruity cupcakes". I put regular canned vanilla frosting on them and sprinkles, and they were a big hit!

I would try a white cake instead of yellow so that the colors were really true. Just a thought, but the whole idea is cool. As for the jello cakes, I remember that being big in the 70's using Angel Food cakes or white cakes. They were called "poke cakes" because you poked them with toothpicks to allow the colors to run down.

Hmm, white cake... Yes, I think that's better. You know what would maybe make them more original? Pound cake.. Just a thought. Poke cakes, I'll have to try that sometime! Do we have a topic for international baking? If we don't I think I'll make one. It'd be interesting to try something new.

So, I'm guessing most of you have heard of Amish Friendship Bread? Well, yesterday at my theater group I got a bag of starter, and I'm super excited! I've decided that since I'm a total cupcake lover, I'll make it into cupcakes rather than bread! I think I'll put a vanilla cream glaze on them. The kind of glaze you use for cinnamon rolls. It's a perfect plan because this recipe that goes with the starter is a sweet bread. I think it'll turn out great. Just wait until I tell my friend whom I got it from! She'll think I'm insane but wait till she tastes them... *Crazy look in eyes*

Amish Friendship Bread,the fastest way to lose friends.....kidding.

There is a great book called "Friendship Bread" and it has some really good ideas for how to use the stuff in other ways.

Lol