Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Scribble Picnic - COOKIES


You know what's always good to bring to a Picnic?  COOKIES!  An easy, handheld dessert.  And aren't we at the right time of year to start thinking about COOKIES for the holidays.  I spend way too much time online looking at all kinds of things, but I've also picked up some good recipes along the way whether from blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, or websites.  I've even tried some of them.  

When I saw a picture of these Molasses cookies on Facebook I knew that's what I wanted to draw for this week's theme.  I also knew that I wanted to give them a try because they were described as being soft, moist and chewy - three things I look for in a molasses cookie.  So I added the ingredients I did not have to the shopping list for HWNSNBP to pick up.


I should have paid more attention to the recipe than I did because I did not realize that it called for 5 cups of flour.  Oh goodness I thought as I started measuring out things.  This is going to make a ton of cookies.  By the time I had followed the directions and added everything together the batter was right up to the top of the biggest mixing bowl that I have.  I was far past the point of realizing that I should have used the stand mixer as the beaters on my hand mixer were completely submerged up to the mixer itself.  And to top it all off, the butter, which I thought was softened enough apparently wasn't and there were little lumps of butter throughout.  

The oven was warming so I put the bowl on top of the stacked cookie sheets on the stovetop hoping that the butter blobs would melt a little more without cooking the batter in the bowl.  Well, that worked but then the batter was so warm it was too runny to "roll into balls" as the recipe stated.  So I put it all in the refrigerator to cool off and harden up a little.  An hour later, it was cool enough but the batter was way too sticky and soft to roll into balls so I spooned it out onto the parchment paper-covered cookie sheets and baked them.  

Now, if I showed you what the recipe photo looked like, you would see that those cookies were definitely rolled in sugar and were crispy on the outside but crackled with moist insides showing.  Mine were not!  They looked like sandwich cookies you would see made into whoopie pies.  Which makes me think that the recipe did not go with that picture.  

They tasted okay, were soft, but not moist and chewy. They were cakey which is not at all what I was craving.  So after the first two dozen were baked I put the batter back in the fridge and when the cookies were cool, I bagged them up to take to work today.  (You know if you leave food in the faculty room it will disappear like magic!)  The consensus was that they would make good molasses whoopie pies with some cream cheese filling so you know what I'll be doing with that leftover batter this weekend.  

If you want that recipe you can click here.  But I'd rather share my recipe for Ginger Spice Cookies which I am going to make tomorrow.

Ginger Spice Cookies

1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
small bowl of sugar

Mix flour, sugar, salt, soda and spices in a large mixing bowl.  Cut in shortening.  Stir in molasses and egg.  Chill the dough for a little in the fridge.  

Shape into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes. Do not over bake or they'll be hard and crisp instead of soft and chewy.  Let cookies cool on rack.

Makes approximately 6 dozen.

Now I'm really craving these cookies, but I want to see what COOKIES all the other Picnickers have brought.  Click here to join me.  

20 comments:

  1. Your painting looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your baking adventures, I am not a baker per set, prefer roasting meat or veg.

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    1. Thanks Christine. I laughed at you calling it an adventure, but you know, it was.

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  2. Oh Lorraine, I laughed out loud when I read your cookie story ... I can just picture the poor hand mixer submerged in cookie dough. The whole story was fun and I hope, in the end, the Whoopie Pies are to your liking after all the work you have put into this. Thank you for the recipe, I will pass it on to my neighbor who loves to bake. Me, I don't bake, because I have found that I eat most of what I bake before anyone gets home to have some so you know what that can do to the bod ... I am better off just looking a nicely drawn pictures of cookies :)

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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    1. I made those other cookies today Andrea and I had to limit myself! It helps that I can take them to work to share.

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  3. OOh I'm so glad you gave us a recipe and was rather hoping one of you here at the Picnic might. Also, glad it was on tried adn true than the molasses one...wchih I can see why you made as its photo looks incredible. Gosh, Andrea, that was seriously funny. I literally laughed out loud and Alex kept asking me what was so funny!:)

    Your depiction of the cookie is obviously inspired by the initial picture than the ones you made then, right? Well, at least THOSE look great! I like how you added th ewod grain and made it into your own.

    Great job here and better luck there (in the kitchen)! :D

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    1. You're right Michael, I drew my picture of the cookies in the linked recipe not mine. I've been waiting for some cooler weather to do some baking and Mother Nature is finally coming through with that here.

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  4. I'm sorry, oops! I meant, Lorraine! You see, can you imagine me making those cookies, using salt in stead of sugar or something?!! Thanks again, Lorraine.

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    1. Funny, I had a sister by the name of Andrea. My mother used to make that mistake sometimes.

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  5. I'm going to have to try your recipe this holiday season. Sounds yummy. Your plate of cookies look wonderful. Well done.I love the blue plate and red/white towel. x

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    1. The colors in the photo I followed was what drew me to it. I hope you get a chance to try my recipe. They do go well with tea.

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  6. That is quite an experience. A little bit of a nightmare. Taking them to work was a great idea.

    Your art is lovely.

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    1. Yes, I often use my co-workers as taste testers. Most of the time the outcome is favorable. Thanks Tammie Lee.

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  7. Enjoyed your cookie adventure, even though it wasn't what you had hoped for! Yep, one can always count on extra goodies to magically disappear in a faculty workroom. In fact, better check it out before noon if you want a taste!

    How funny that the cookie we both chose to draw is the same, and that we have a go-to recipe we can count on. Looks like you and I use exactly the same ingredients, just in different amounts!

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  8. sounds delicious! looks delicious. great take on the theme.

    have a lovely day.

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  9. A lovely art piece for the 'cookie' theme, Lorraine! But, oh my, I felt for you and your dilemma. Sometimes, we just have to live and learn the hard way. hehe I had to google whoopie pies...I've heard the term before but never really knew what they were.

    Anzac biscuits/cookies are a popular treat in Oz as they are baked with dark, thick golden syrup so can be a little on the chewy side...so delicious!

    Thanks for the recipe too as I can easily veganise with substitutes. :)

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  10. Oh yikes, I hate that sort of disaster. And with that volume, too! I felt a little like that when I was trying to make flat-topped cup cakes for a wedding. In the end when I'd given away and eaten more than I wanted to, I just revised my plans for decorating them. At least your picture is lovely. And makes me want some fresh-baked ginger snaps, but I am away from home and my aunt's kitchen is not set up for baking, I'll just have to go hungry.

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  11. Hi Lorraine :) Very nice cookies!! :) It's definitely the season...I'm in the midst of looking up new cookies I've never made before. I've tried a few different molasses cookie recipes, I can never get that nice cookie that I have tattooed in my memories that my grandma made. I'm going to try again though. I laughed when you described your beaters, I've been there and it causes slight hand-beater-anxiety for me lol...

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    1. I've been looking to recreate a soft molasses/gingerbread cookie that we used to get at a specialty bakery when my kids were little. So I've tried a number of recipes myself without success. Well, some of them have been good, but not exactly what I was looking for. I wonder if that would be possible anyway, even with the original recipe in front of me! But..... these spice cookies that I normally make are very good ..... and can be addicting so I like to package them up soon after they're done to give away.

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  12. Oh I so enjoy a few of my fav things! Nice job.

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