BLUE RIBBON FAIR COOKIES, ADAPTED

Last Wednesday, on my way home from Morehead City, I ran into an intense storm system and wound up in a ditch filled with water. My car was totaled because of the flooding, but I was unhurt. I'm currently driving a rental car, waiting for the insurance company to settle our claim. So this week, it's dessert all week. That makes sense, right?

Anne Overeboe, a County Fair Judge, produced this recipe, but I'm not sure if her cookies won a prize of if this is what she thinks it takes to win a prize. Whatever....these are some good cookies. They're not quite as chewy as I'd like, but they are slightly crispy with soft centers and a delicate crumb, nicely browned, not overly sweet, but sweet enough, with a hint of orange (my addition).

I added nuts though, because I do prefer nuts in my CCC. I also added creme de cacao, subbed some Stevia for part of the sugar and subbed Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend for the butter.

The chocolate I used contributed to the richness of this cookie -- a combination of Nestle Chocolatier 62% Cacao Bittersweet chocolate chips; Ghirdadelli Intense Dark Citrus Sunset 60% cacao bar; and Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips. The orange undertones in the Ghiradelli bar came through nicely without overpowering the cookie.

For nuts, I used a combo of toasted walnuts and pecans and salted Brazil nuts from a can of mixed nuts. The brazil nuts, when chopped, resemble macadamia nuts in appearance and flavor.

Usually, I like to mix cookies by hand -- this avoids overheating the butter which contributes to a flat cookie. But I decided to make the full recipe, and thought it was just too much batter to mix by hand. I carefully mixed this with my KA mixer, keeping it on low and not overmixing -- the cookies did not deflate after they cooled.

Blue Ribbon Fair Cookies

Adapted from Anne Overboe

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup low-protein flour (such as White Lily all-purpose or cake flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1-1/4 cups sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar + 4-1/2 tsp. Stevia)

1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter (I used Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend)

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. creme de cacao or other liqueur of choice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks, or combo (see my notes above)

1-1/4 cups toasted nuts of choice (my addition, omit if you don't like nuts)

Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Whisk flours well before measuring, then spoon lightly into measuring cup. In medium bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, soda and salt together till combined; set aside.

In large bowl, combine sugars and SB on low speed of mixer till smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs, liqueur and vanilla and continue to beat on low till eggs are incorporated. Scrape bowl well. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed just till barely combined. Stir in chocolate and nuts using mixer or spatula by hand. Using a 2" diameter ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets 2" apart.

Do not push balls down -- leave them as they come out of the scoop, nice and rounded and high.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or till cookies are light golden brown. Do not overbake. (Mine took 12 minutes, and I used a toothpick inserted in center to tell me if they were done.) They won't puff up in the oven; instead, they'll kind of melt down.

Cool cookies in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. (This is supposed to help make them chewy, but they're not chewy.) This recipe is supposed to make 40 cookies, but I got 24 (3-1/2") cookies. I probably used more dough for each cookie, but I do like mine nicely big and fat -- make yours the way you like them. Either way, everyone is loving these. And when I eat one, I momentarily forget all about last week's disaster and the fact that I lost the car I loved (3-year old Honda Accord with 5,500 miles).

PRIZE-WINNING OATMEAL-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I haven't made this 5-star Southern Living recipe for more than a year, but it was once my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. No wonder. A crisp outside, soft middle, just enough chocolate and combo of nuts make this one remarkable cookie. It took first prize in the chocolate chip cookie category in a previous festival and remains a favorite treat in many Eureka Springs kitchens. Maggie McCarthy, Dallas, Texas, came up with this recipe, and it was first published in the February 2006 issue of Southern Living. When I made this half batch, and then ate them, I remembered why I liked them so much. These are really top-notch cookies that could easily be made into "super cookies" with 1/4 cup or more of dough. The texture is similar to the Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies, only with more chew from the oats. But be sure to use quick-cooking (1-minute) oats and not the instant or 5-minute for best results. I didn't change much on this recipe, because it's so good to start with. I did sub some Stevia for sugar, Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend for butter, added coffee flavor and increased the chocolate chips slightly. If you make these, they'll become one of your favorite chocolate chip cookies, too.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted Half Batch from Southern Living

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
10 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, or butter
1/4 cup sugar (or 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 egg (2 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. strong coffee or coffee brandy
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups quick, 1-minute, rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, by hand, beat butter till smooth; gradually add sugars, beating again till smooth. Add egg, vanilla, coffee, baking powder and sea salt, beating till smooth and well combined. Stir in flour till it's absorbed, then stir in oats, chips and nuts till ingredients are well distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or till just barely done. Cool on wire racks. Yield: 19 2-1/4" cookies.

MORNING CALL'S #5 CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE WINNING RECIPE

The fifth-place winner in Morning Call's Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest is interesting. I've never tried cream cheese in a chocolate chip cookie. I am wondering if the cookie comes out flaky. I would like to try these, but can't because I'm on a weight-loss program. My 50th high-school reunion is coming up in November and I don't want to go to it looking like an overweight senior. My list of cookies to make when I get off this kick is so long, I fear I'll never get to these. So if you make these, please do come back and leave a comment letting us know how they turned out. If they're really good, I may put them at the top of my list of cookies to bake after I slim down.

Melissa Marsh's Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine cream cheese, butter and sugars. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chips. Grease cookie sheets and bake 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. (The recipe doesn't state how much dough to drop, or how many cookies the recipes makes.)

MORNING CALL'S #4 WINNING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

I have a prejudice against Crisco. I don't care if it's butter flavored or plain. I don't like tasting crisco in a cookie -- and I CAN taste it. So I'll not be making these. But for those of you who don't mind using Crisco, here's the recipe that won 4th place in the Morning Call's contest for new chocolate chip cookie recipes.

John Joseph Yanek's You Can't Have Just One Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick of butter-flavor Crisco
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. organic honey
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. Kamora Coffee Liqueur
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375F. Combine shortening and sugars in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in sour cream, honey, egg, vanilla and liqueur until mixture is blended and fluffy.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another mixing bowl. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended. Stir in chips. Drop slightly rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minute, or till set. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove onto wire racks to finish cooling. Makes about 7 doz. cookies.

MORNING CALL'S #3 WINNING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

I haven't tested these, but they sound really good, and different.

Diane Toomey's Chocolate Chip Graham Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

For the top: 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

For the garnish: 3 Tbsp. crushed peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350F. In large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In medium bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon. Slowly blend dry mixture into butter mixture until completely blended. Stir in 1 cup milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips. Roll dough into 1-1/2" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls to about 1/2" thick. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or till lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a small microwaveable bowl, microwave 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Spread about 1 tsp. of mixture in center of cooled cookie. If desired, sprinkle crushed peanut butter chips on top of melted chocolate mixture. Makes about 3 dozen.

MORNING CALL'S #1 WINNING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

Since I posted on the #2 winning recipe in the Morning Call Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe contest, a reader commented that the link in my post did not go to the Morning Call article as it was supposed to. I tried for more than 1/2 hour to find the article, but no matter how or where I searched, it was not to be found. Luckily, I printed the article out when I first read it, so as I have time, I'll post the other 3 winning recipes. Here's #1 to get us started, and as I stated in my previous post, I don't use Grape Nuts, so I won't be making these, although I'm sure they're great if they won first prize:

Jo Ann Sheesley's Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
12-oz. bag Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet mini chips

Combine flour, oats, cereal, baking soda and salt in one bowl. Combine butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla in another bowl. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate 2 hrs. or overnight. Drop batter onto greased sheets or sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. Rotate sheets halfway through the baking time. Cool on wire racks.

MORNING CALL'S #2 WINNING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

Happy 4th of July! We had a wonderful neighborhood picnic celebration yesterday in the circle at the end of our street (see slideshow on the right side of this blog.) Today's recipe was part of our celebration.

The Morning Call newspaper of Allentown, PA, recently had a chocolate chip recipe contest, and published the five winning recipes. The #1 winning recipe looked interesting; it had Grape Nuts cereal as one of the ingredients. I would make it, but what would I do with the rest of the box of Grape Nuts? I don't eat Grape Nuts, though I used to.

The recipe posted here won second prize. It calls for York mini peppermint patties chips, but honestly I'd never even heard of them. They must not be widely distributed yet. So, unfortunately, I used plain chocolate chips, and I know that changed the outcome. The cookie, itself, is a soft but sturdy one, almost cakelike, and just very slightly crisp on the edges. There are no nuts in this one, and I am partial to nuts. Still, I liked these, even if they aren't my faves. I mean how can you go wrong with chocolate chip cookies? It's like there are no ugly brides and no bad chocolate chip cookie recipes. I added more chocolate chips than the recipe called for, and I mixed them, using part semi sweet, part milk chocolate, part Hershey's Special Dark. These went to the 3rd of July party and there weren't any left over, so I guess that speaks for itself.

Joanne Heller's Chocolate Chip Patties, adapted (half recipe)
Rating: 8 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar, preferably superfine
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 large white, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2-1/8 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white whole wheat + 1-1/8 cups all purpose)
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 oz. milk chocolate morsels (2/3 cup)
4 oz. semisweet chocolate morsels (2/3 cup)
4 oz. Hershey's Special Dark morsels (2/3 cup)(or use the Peppermint Pattie chips if you can find them)

In large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. (I do this by hand using a wire whisk, but you can use a mixer if you prefer.) Add the egg, white, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat till smooth and well combined. (If you use a mixer, be sure to use low speed so you don't overheat the dough.) Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt just till combined and fold in the chips. Refrigerate the dough for 1/2 hour. (I left it in the fridge overnight.)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Form the dough into
1 to 1-1/2" balls and flatten the balls to make a thick disc, using a damp juice glass bottom. (I dropped large tablespoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet and left the dough mounded. I baked one batch at 375F and didn't like the results. For the remaining batches, I heated the oven to 375F, but as soon as I put the cookies in, I reduced the temp to 350F, simulating a commercial oven with decreasing temperature. These turned out better I thought. After a batch came out of the oven, I turned it back up to 375F, then reduced it to 350F again when the new batch went in.) Bake 10-12 minutes (depending on how large your cookies are). Use a toothpick inserted in center of cookie to test for doneness. When it returns with just a few crumbs on it, take the cookies out and let them cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. These are best if you underbake them just slightly. Yield: 25 - 3" cookies