"Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have already published my "I LOVE YOU" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I found it while living in Japan and it's small amount worked great for my small oven. But, then I moved back to the US. And all my favorite recipes written on paper...were in a box...somewhere. And the computer was off so it was a pain to find THE recipe. So, I turned to...the back of the chocolate chip bag. How's that for creative? Oh, and I have a full sized oven. Now if I just had another cookie sheet, think how FAST I could make LOTS of cookies!!!

I think that cookies are my favorite food in all the world. Not bar cookies. Individually baked ones. And I love to share them with other people. While I lived in Japan, the "other people" often preferred a less sweet version of whatever I was making and I am no longer a "pack down the brown sugar" gal. I also cheated on butter, I see now. Oh well. But, the audience I bring my cookie offerings to lately are folks who like a little health in their food, but don't want to leave the taste at home. And, it was for them (AND ME) that I was making these cookies.

So, I started with the recipe on the back of the bag, substituted whole wheat flour and...flax seed meal. I read on a blog once about putting flax seed or flax seed meal in chocolate cookies. I was appalled. Why would anyone mess with the Queen of Cookies (aka: Chocolate Chip)? With FLAX SEED? But, as I mentioned, the consumers for this batch of cookies liked some health, so I threw in some.

I would just like to say that I-HAVE-NEVER-TASTED-SUCH-A-GOOD-AND-UN COMPROMISED-CHOCOLATE-CHIP-COOKIE in all my life! Yep. All of it! BTW, the basic recipe is ALSO found on the back of the soda box. Different name, but...same old recipe!

"Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup butter - I would just like to say, to my friends in Japan, I am consuming enough butter AND sour cream for myself and most of you! The scales support me in this. I'm about to check out the yogurt section of my supermarket.
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I NEVER used granulated in Japan - the wet white was fine.)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I never pack it in anymore.)
2 eggs

Add:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seed meal (I'm so sorry, I have no source for this in Japan!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

When mixed well, add:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins

Chill the dough for an hour or two. Drop by rounded spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 9 minutes. So yummy!

Cake Mix Cookies

I clicked on this blog by accident today. Took it as a sign I should...you know...WRITE something on it! And, I have been planning a post, so...here goes!

Cake mixes are around 500-600 yen each in Japan. $USD? $5-6. So, when I bought one, I always got out my kitchen scale, divided it in half and made at least two desserts out of it. The fact that we have only 3 people in our family, owned only one round cake pan, and had an oven the size of a microwave perhaps also contributed to my thriftiness. Oh, and the fact that I'm not a big cake eater and the fact you maybe should put frosting on it - and powdered sugar is sold by the Tablespoon in Japan, may have been factors as well.

Anyway, when we got to the US and went into our first supermarket, other than being totally overwhelmed, we saw a display for cake mixes. 69 cents each if you bought 4 or more! So, we bought 5. And, though many of the other reasons were solved, we are still a family of 3. And I still don't really eat much cake.

Then I remembered the recipe for Cake Mix Cookies I made a few times in Japan, that a friend taught me in grad school. However, she used a marble cake mix and actually came up with cookies that were marbled! TMW (My new acronym for Too Much Work!)!

So, I started with a lemon cake mix. Purchased at the suggestion of my husband. The first lemon cake mix I have ever bought in my entire life. And I don't think my Mother has ever bought one either. But we needed a treat after hard labor working on this rental, so I whipped up these cookies. They are listed on about 1,000 sites on the Internet, so I will just put it here again!

My father thought I was a genius. My husband kept waiting for the next batch. We ran out of cake mixes. I went to the store in our town. Cake mixes? $2.50! I passed out in the aisle. Finally found a cheaper brand that were 4/$5 and got two! Guess 69 cents WAS a good buy!

Cake Mix Cookies

1 Cake mix - any flavor
1 egg - any color
1/4 cup water - any temperature
1/4 cup oil - any type (that is relatively flavorless, I expect!)
1 cup - any yummy thing in your cupboard (choco chips, nuts, coconut, raisins, quick oatmeal, etc.)

Mix it all well. I let it set a bit. I think the cake mixey taste goes away with a bit of a wait - 10 min. or so.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 min.

NOTE: Yep, guess I divided an egg in half in Japan. Half an egg is about 2 Tbsp!

Cookie Scoop

I have been interested in getting a cookie scoop for a long long time.

When I was a kid I loved to mix up the cookies, but hated using the two-spoon process to put the cookie dough on the cookie pans. I turned the kitchen over to my Mom for that and went outside to play. She always did a great two-spoon job.

Now that I have my own home - OK, I've been on my own since High School, but... - I make cookies for the fans at my house! It is so fun that Jun loves cookies. Must be the taste of Mother's Love - or the sugar. Hmmm. Anyway, I have been doing the two-spoon process all the while pining away for a cookie scoop.

On various trips back to the States I have looked for the right sized scoop - whatever that is - and FINALLY found one on my trip this summer. My parents' smallish town has a very very well stocked kitchen store. I paid over my $14 for a cookie scoop - is this NOT expensive? - used it once at home and, when packing to come back to Japan forgot it!

A couple of weeks ago my folks sent a package of stuff I'd ordered and threw in my cookie scoop too! Today I mixed up a batch of cake mix cookies and got out my cookie scoop. I had cookies on the pan in nothing flat.

Then I began to think. (My husband often tells me I think too much.) Each and every cookie is the exact same size. With the same amount of dough. The same shape. They'd be the same color too, if my oven was a bit more uniform in heating. And scooping out the dough really took so little time, the cookies could not be called a labor of love at all. Well, the fact that I started with a cake mix might have made you all wonder about the love, but cake mixes are spendy here, so the fact that I did use one was an expression of love - oh, and thanks to my friend for giving it to me!

So, I'm in a quandary about the cookie scoop. It is the process of baking that helps me relieve stress. That helps me use some creativity. It isn't the end product, though if it is good, I'm happy. It isn't exactly the ease of it, though this blog is called "kantan" (easy) cooking. Being able to do the two-spoon process well was kind of an initiation into adulthood. Anybody can use a cookie scoop.

But, I must admit, I DID pay $14 dollars for it. And it was really easy. And kind of fun. And...well, we'll see if I put it in a box when we move next, or pass it on.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

THERE! By THAT name, perhaps people who WANT to make these cookies can actually find a recipe to do so!

This recipe is called Peanut Butter Cookies in my "Old-Fall-Apart-Cookbook" Favorite Recipes of the Great Northwest. Anyone who has EVER made a peanut butter cookie knows it is round, light brown, and has fork marks making an x across the top! These cookies are NOT Peanut Butter Cookies! I am shouting!

And, I CANNOT make these cookies successfully. Again - one more point AGAINST DNA, and FOR ... what was the other ... Nurture!

My Mom and niece make them regularly. Successfully! The problem is not in the recipe! Well, not now that I called my Mom and asked HOW she made those cookies, and what "full boil" really means! The problem is in ... my favorite things in the world - substitution and scrimping!

I have tons of old fashioned oats from Costco. I use them for making granola. This recipe calls for quick cooking oats. I don't have any of those and am not really sure WHERE to get them in my town. So, I used the old fashioned kind. Big big looser. Took the batch to church. No one actually said it tasted like they were eating chocolate covered horse food, but...

The next time I decided to toast the oats before using them. I was too embarrassed to take this batch to church - burnt the oats a bit - so they tasted like chocolate covered burnt horse food.

So, as Japanese cornflakes seem to be harder, thicker and crisper than US ones, I decided to use them instead. This was the worst substitution yet. Though they may be a bit crisper, I bought the cheapo store brand, and I ended up with soggy, tough chocolate covered cornflakes. ARGH!

So, unless someone has a good way to make old fashioned oats into quick cooking oats, I may have to put off making this recipe till I find the "real" thing. Or, until I think of another option. Seriously - don't you think this recipe would be good with slightly broken up salty pretzels? Mmmmm?

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies (Peanut Butter Cookies)

contributed by Mrs. Fred T. Mellinger, Portland, OR page 168

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter (we use margarine)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa
2/3 cup peanut butter
3 tsp. (1 Tbsp.) vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in saucepan. Bring to a full boil. (Full boil means a boil you can't stir down. Then I counted to 10.) Remove from heat and add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. Spoon onto waxed paper. Cool. Yield 3 dozen.

From my experience, one should not skimp on any of the above ingredients (sugar, peanut butter)! Also, from my experience, if making a substitution for the oatmeal, one might just want to start with a half batch!

I tried other recipes like this one that had less peanut butter. They tasted more chocolaty, but didn't set well. This really tastes like peanut butter chocolate fudge with oatmeal in it. If you make them right.

Remember, I am waiting for your ideas about a better substitution for the quick cooking oats!!!

NOTE: I DID try to cut those oats up in my blender/mixer thingie before trying again. And they were much much better. If I had quick oats, I think they are still best, but "blended up oats" worked just fine! Thank you for the suggestion!

HEY! I might use the chocolate/peanut butter mixture as frosting on my birthday cake this Friday!!!??? What do you think??

NOTE: I DID use the "chocolate sauce" part for frostening on my cake! It turned out great! I made 1/2 batch to "frost" a single 8" layer that I cut in half to make two layers. And you don't need a knife!

Rice Krispie Egg Treats

When Tana sent the big box of yummies, there was a hug box of Rice Krispies included. While trying not to hoard them, I have been holding out on using them till I found the perfect idea. And...Easter came! We invited our friends over to celebrate. Their little girl is about six months younger than jun. I wanted to decorate and hide eggs, but...didn't want the mess in my living room of decorating without a kit. So, I decided we would use Rice Krispie treats instead.

I used the standard recipe for

Rice Krispie Treats

and spread them out on a pan a bit larger than recommended, so the Treats were about 1/2 inch thick. I pushed them down pretty firmly, as I wanted a firm cookie-like Treat.

The next morning, I printed off an egg shape from the internet and Ryu used the kitchen scizzors to cut the Rice Krispie Treats into egg shapes. They were the PERFECT size.

I bought a jar with 6 different kinds of sprinkles in it...some time ago. Jun was SO eager to use these sprinkles. I thought the kids could put them on the RK Treats and they would stick. Luckily I tried this out before the party. They didn't stick! But, then I barely moistened the top of the RK Treat with water, and the sprinkles stuck fine and the Treats quickly dried out! They turned out GREAT! See the pic below!

Incidently, I use this same recipe with cornflakes, granola, choco krispies (sold in Japan), and other cereals to make treats. But, having the regular Rice Krispies was a treat as they AREN'T sold here!

Peanut Butter Cookies (With Chocolate Chips)

Ryu didn't grow up on American cookies and cakes. Poor guy! Probably why he was as skinny as a rail when I married him. But he loved my chocolate chip cookies! So, those were the cookies I made. Then, and I don't remember why, he asked for a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. So, I tried. I added peanut butter to the chocolate chip cookie recipe. Nope. Then I added chocolate chips to the peanut butter cookie recipe. Nope. Ryu was "happy," but I was not satisfied.

Then, a few weeks ago when I was looking for an egg-less peanut butter dessert (and found the lovely recipe for Peanut Butter Shortbread), I also ran across this recipe. And, it is the winner, hands down! I love it. Ryu loves it. Jun? She just likes cookies!

I made the cookies according to the recipe. I bought "coffee sugar" to roll the cookies in, but lost it as soon as I brought it home. Oh well, I'll be making these cookies again! Also, I had a cosmetic debate. REAL peanut butter cookies are rolled into balls and then imprinted with a criss cross of fork tines. These aren't REAL. So, I first dropped some dough into some regular (wet) white sugar and flattened it out gently with the bottom of a glass. Then, I rolled the rest of the dough into balls and rolled them in sugar and flattened them out too. I kind of liked the look of the "dropped" cookies. Kind of rustic. But, Ryu loved the ones I rolled into balls. Something about the uniform size and shape.

This recipe is a keeper! (As long as you have a nice big quantity of peanut butter!! Thanks, Tana!)

Peanut Butter Cookies (With Chocolate Chips)

Rice Cookie Idea? Anyone???

Being the wonderful housewife that I am, I often have leftover rice in the rice-cooker after dinner. As many of us here in Japan do, I'm sure, I wrap up the bits and put them in the freezer to save for pilaf, lunches, etc.

As yummy as those dishes turn out - especially when it is Ryu making them - I truly think that this leftover rice could be used as an ingredient in cookies. Maybe in place of coconut? oatmeal? OK, those are my only two ideas. I think it would result in a chewy "mochi" cookie.

What do you think? Do you have a cookie recipe using rice? If so, DO SHARE! The only one I've found calls for blanched almonds, flaked coconut, egg whites...well, those things are not part of my larder or my idea of Kantan Cooking!!!

Peanut Butter Shortbread

I try to make good things last for a long time. I like delayed gratification. I've saved some things so long, they were no longer any good. So, I am trying to change my spots!


I received a four pound jar of peanut butter (see Scotcharoos), and am determined to enjoy it rather than hoard it. Jun had a peanut butter sandwich yesterday and loved it. Today, we had a meeting for Mamas at church, so I decided to try another peanut butter recipe. I was out of eggs, so this was perfect!

Peanut Butter Shortbread

The site is called Peanut Butter Lovers. They have ALL kinds of peanut butter recipes! I'll have to try a few more, I think! Entrees too!

Abigail saw this recipe and "tweaked" it with .... CHOCOALTE! Click HERE to see her version!

Scotcharoos

Last fall, our last (and first, I think) overnight visitor of the year, Tammy from Ukraine, practically twisted my arm until I got signed up for Facebook. Already a bit busy with blogs and life, I didn't expect to find it so fun! Blast after blast from the past blew me away during the first few months. One friend from college, that I got reacquainted with, Tana, uses the SAME Cooky Cookbook that my family has ALWAYS used. One note led to another, and...she sent me a wonderful box...

filled with yummy ingredients...

to make these SUPER DUPER yummy bar cookie-like snacks! Please forgive my poor photography, and documented inability to melt chocolate and butterscotch chips! The results were great, in spite of my downfalls! In fact, my hubby, who "doesn't eat much sweets" said that these were too wonderful to be homemade and should need to be purchased in a store! YATTA! (Means "yay" for me!!!)

Jun loved the making of the Scotcharoos...

And, couldn't get enough of that GREAT CEREAL! Sugarless and milk-less, to go with her clothes-less state of dress.

Now, for those who might live in a place where some of these ingredients are hard to come by...like Japan, I'll give you some ideas for substitutions at the end! So, read on!

SCOTCHAROOS

In a saucepan, melt:

1 cup sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

When it reaches a bare boil, remove from heat and add:

1 cup peanut butter

Stir tell melted and blended.

Pour over, and mix into:

6 cups of Rice Crispie cereal

Press firmly into a well buttered jelly-roll pan, with a well buttered spoon/spatula.

Melt:

1/2 pkg. chocolate chips

1/2 pkg. butterscotch chips

Spread over the top. When set, cut and EAT!

Now, I am not sure if Karo syrup and Japan's "gum syrup" are interchangeable. I kind of think that "gum syrup" is too watery. So, if I were doing this with ingredients I could find in Japan, I would take two packages of marshmallows (in the candy section at the super), and melt them with a bit of butter in a deep fry pan When melted, I'd mix in 1/2 cup peanut butter. I'd semi crush a box of cornflakes, and mix it all together. I'd probably use a well buttered round or square cake pan. Then, sighing sadly at the lack of butterscotch chips, I'd buy a few milk-chocolate bars at my local convenience store, melt them, and "frost" the top of the cookies. It wouldn't be exactly the same, but...it'll give you the chocolate peanut butter, crunch, YUM!, without waiting for the next trip home, or without breaking the bank finding the imported ingredients here.

I Did It!

Thank you all so much for your comments on the cakey vs. chewy cookies! I took your (and my) advice and made chewy oatmeal cookies for the first time in years! I am so so happy. Jun is too!

I searched the web for Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. As I read through the comments on the recipe I chose, many people commented that it was the same recipe that is on the Quaker Oatmeal Box top. I checked the box top recipe I have used unsuccessfully, and, yes...it is the same recipe, though the name of the recipe on my box is Vanishing Oatmeal Raising Cookies.

Well, as the copied recipe said they were supposed to be chewy, I took heart and did the following:

1. Made 1/2 batch. (Abigail - I grew up in a household where cookie recipes were always doubled. Here in Japan, I always halve mine. Not because I can't get rid of them, but...the oven size. I can get 9 cookies in mine at a time, but...who wants to bake cookies all day.? I have refrigerated or frozen extra dough, though.) On to the cookies!


2. Actually measured the margarine instead of guesstimating it.


3. Packed the brown sugar in the cup instead of lightly sprinkling it in.


4. Packed the wet white sugar in the cup too.


5. Mixed the sugars and margarine by hand - well, the whole thing by hand, actually!


6. Was shocked that the pack of 6 eggs that Ryu bought are advertised as "various sizes", and chose a smallish/medium egg. Nearly 1/4 cup of egg.


7. Used regular Japanese flour. Hmm, I should take a pic of the bag.


8. Used US Arm and Hammer baking soda


9. Carefully measured the other ingredients and mixed well.


10. Preheated my oven for 170 instead of 180 (Keiko-san, I hope you are preheating your oven when you bake cookies!)


11. Kept peeking at them to see when they got barely brown. (Thanks for the advice, Sue.)


12. Remembered that they will cook for a bit on the pan when they get out, so let them sit for about 2 minutes before removing them to the rack. (I always hit 'start' on my oven while I am doing this, so the oven doesn't cool off between batches.) They came off the pan much better/cleaner than at other times.


13. And, they are CHEWY!!!!!

Here's the recipe. My cookies are flatter and...look chewier.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Cookie Theory: Cakey vs Chewy

Keiko, who sent me the wonderful homemade soap, sent me an e-mail asking about cookies. She has tried to make cookies using American recipes and Japanese ingredients, and those that should have been chewy were cakey. Keiko-san, I have had the same problem, as I know other bakers here in Japan have had (Illahee!!!)

So, here are some questions for Keiko and other bakers. PLEASE leave a comment with your answers. Maybe we can figure out the problem together.

1. Keiko asked if it was the difference in flour. I originally thought this too. However, Illahee's mom brought her a bag of flour from the States, and chewy was still cakey! So, let's leave the flour out of it for now.
2. Sugar - American recipes call for granulated sugar. Do you use it when you make cookies? I don't! If you use the "wet" white sugar (like I do), when you measure, do you pack it into the cup, or just kind of shake it in lightly? I shake it in lightly. And...do you reduce the amount of sugar the recipe calls for - adapting to Japanese friends and family members' taste buds? I do.
3. Eggs - An egg in an American recipe should be 2oz. volume - 1/4 cup. Eggs come in all sizes here. I made a cake recently that called for 3 eggs. Ryu had bought XXL. I should have used 2 instead of 3. What size of eggs do you use? I think Medium would be 1/4 cup.
4. Leavening - Baking powder, baking soda. Do you use Japanese products, or American brands? I use US Soda, and Japanese baking powder. I'm not sure if there are differences in their 'power' or not.
5. Fat - butter, margarine, shortening, oil. All are different, according to the websites I looked at, and produce a different shape of cookie. Bottom line, butter seemed to be the ingredient of choice on the web. What do you use? I used to use butter, but have switched to margarine recently. Shortening is tough to find, and recipes using oil are few and far between.
6. Salt - this won't affect the cakey/chewy-ness of your cookie, but I thought I'd ask. I find Japanese table salt - the non-wet kind - to be nearly twice as salty as expected. I often reduce the salt by 1/2 for a normal taste, ie - NOT FOR HEALTH! How about you?
7. Mixing - do you use a mixer (hand or stand), or mix by hand? I mix by hand. Besides the fact that I don't own a mixer (I make cake with a fork or whisk!), a friend used to use her stand mixer to make chocolate chip cookies, and I thought they were too cakey! Too much air got mixed into the dough before baking. So, I mix by hand. What do you do?
8. Oven - well, size is really not an issue, in that most of us have the tiny, microwave sized ovens. But, have you ever used an oven thermometer to check the temperature in your oven? I haven't. I always guess at the right temperature. I guess 170C. for 350F. I am NOT precise in checking this. Also, my oven does temperatures in 10 degree increments, so I am a bit limited in terms of exactness, were I to become more careful. How about you?
9. Time - Chewy cookies need to be nearly underbaked. The web says that if they are browning, they are over done. Once you take them out of the oven and off the pan, they continue to cook till their internal temperature lowers to the temperature of the room. So, how do you tell when to take your cookies out?
10. One "trick" I read on the net was to drop the pan of cookies (top side up) on the floor when you get them right out of the oven. This knocks the excess air out of them, and they are chewy. I'm not sure the older woman who lives in the apartment under us would appreciate this, however.

The cookie I have not been able to make chewy vs. cakey, is an oatmeal raisin cookie. Have you ever eaten the ones at Freshness Burger? They import them from the States. I WANT to make and EAT lots of those kinds of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies.

Chocolate Crinkles

This was a childhood favorite. From that Betty Crocker Cooky Book that Jun loves to read, also! I love the way they look in the picture. Dark chocolate with white splotches. They are fun and yummy to make. And, they don't take shortening, which is harder to come by here in Japan! However, they do take powdered sugar which, at your local supermarket, is usually sold by the Tablespoon. So... I happen to have some powdered sugar left over...from a long long time ago, that I want to use up. I used some last week when I made cinnamon butter, and it seemed alright. So, I will make these for Ryu for Valentine's Day!

Check out the picture! Yummy!

Chocolate Crinkles

Feb. 17 Update! I made these cookies for the first time in forever. I should have read the recipe. The dough needs to be refrigerated before baking. But, I started the cookies at nap time on Valentine's Day. Finished them up after dinner. And, we were a little disappointed. So, I put them in some plastic storage boxes and Ryu took a box to church the next morning - and they were WONDERFUL! I just had two more for Mama's snack time, and they just keep on getting better and better. I guess as a kid, they never lasted this long. But, they get moister, and chocolatier and yummier with time! Some people put chocolate chips or walnuts in them. Ohhhhh! Sounds so so good!

Lemon Squares

I recently got in touch with a friend from college, and it turns out we were both raised on, and are still using, the SAME Betty Crocker's Cooky Book recipe book (1963) for all the cookies that really count! Well, most of them anyway!

She asked me which of the lemon bar cookies I liked and I flashed back to my shy high school years! My sister and I went to a High School youth group from church. One February they decided to have a baking contest. The girls would bake something sweet and the guys would judge whose was the best. Probably wouldn't fly in this generation of PC, but it flew fine way back then!

I made these lemon squares. Dusted them carefully with powdered sugar, and glued red hearts to the end of toothpicks and stuck a toothpick in each piece. Of course, this was all done with fear and trembling, as everything in High School seemed to be.

Well, imagine my delight and surprise when I WON! So, these are very very SPECIAL Lemon Squares to me! Dear to my heart!! Oh, and Ryu, my non-dessert guy, LOVES them too!

Lemon Squares - page 13!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 (mod.). Blend flour, butter and powdered sugar thoroughly. Press evenly in square pan 8X8X2". Bake 20 min. Beat rest of ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20-25 min. more. Do not overbake! (The filling puffs during baking but flattens when cooled.) Makes 16 squares.

Lemon Crinkles

This recipe is in my Mom's Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, copy write 1963. The book was given to her by my Grandma Mary. Nearly every page has grease stains, leftover flour, smudges! It is a delicious and much loved and used book. As a kid, I loved to look through book at all the pictures of the cookies. My sister found used copies for each of us kids for Christmas one year. It is Jun's favorite cookbook too. We like to read cookbooks together!



This recipe wasn't on Betty Crocker's web site, so I will put it here for you all to try!

LEMON CRINKLES

From Mrs. ALfred T. Neilsen of Council Bluffs, Iowa, who prefers simple and easy recipes that leave her time for her hobby of making hats. (My mom asked if she burnt a batch of cookies if she was called "The Mad Hatter." We rolled our eyes for her!)

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
about 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind (My mom used 1/2 tsp. lemon extract instead.)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger (dried powder stuff)
granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees (mod.). Mix shortening, sugar, and egg thoroughly; blend in lemon rind. Blend dry ingredients; stir into sugar mixture. Roll in 1" balls (2.5 cm); dip tops in granulated sugar (I rolled them in it.) Bake on ungreased baking sheet 10-12 min. Makes about 3 doz. cookies.

Graham Crackers

When I got back from my trip to the US this summer and realized that all the "black syrup" I had from Okinawa (from students) was, in reality, a form of molasses, I wanted to make a quick whole wheat bread using said "molasses". So, I went to the expensive food store to see if they had whole wheat flour. They did, but...it was too expensive for the condition of my wallet that day - so, I bought graham flour instead.

Well, I never made the bread and have been trying to get rid of 1/2 kilo of graham flour, a couple of tablespoons at a time in pancakes, etc. Then, Trisha posted about making whole-wheat crackers with her little ones. Actually, rolling dough out and cutting it out and baking it! I was humbled and inspired to try the honey graham cracker recipe I found and printed off months ago.

Sunday afternoon is my favorite time for baking, so, while Daddy took a much needed nap, Jun and I made graham crackers. Half way through the process, I began to doubt myself. When it got time to roll out the dough, I began to curse myself. When Jun cut our chosen shape out of the MIDDLE of the 1/8 inch thick dough, well, I didn't do anything bad, except, well, kind of scream plaintively. Then, when trying to remove said 1/8 inch thick pieces of dough to the baking pan...well, it wasn't pretty. I did, however, enjoy stabbing the pieces of dough countless times with the tines of a fork. Not sure what that says about me.

I was absolutely shocked at the outcome! They taste like graham crackers! They actually look like the shape they were supposed to look like before they got all ripped up and smudged back together before baking! Wow!

Oh, you need the recipe! Here it is!

Honey Graham Crackers

I made 1/2 batch to try things out. I also substituted "cake margarine" for the butter and shortening, because that is what I have. "Cake margarine" is margarine in bars. I am also clueless as to what graham flour in the States might be like - assuming this recipe is from the States. But, I think mine is really really rough, so it didn't soak up much of the liquid, leaving a very sticky dough. To which I added more flour when I was rolling it out to the dreaded 1/8 inch. With a rolling pin, I might add, proudly. Oh, and I used my pastry blender/knife thingy to cut in the margarine! Just wanted to mention those two wonderful tools I had to wash the dust off before using! LOL! So, anyway, next time I will adjust the ration of graham flour to regular flour - increasing the wheat flour, and decreasing the graham flour a bit. Oh, and the recipe didn't call for salt, but I put 1/4 tsp. in for 1/2 batch.

And, I have lots of graham flour left, so, I guess I will be making these again! Sure beats graham flour in pancakes!

Molasses Crinkles a la Ginger

I just love molasses cookies! Years ago I worked in an office with a woman named Ginger. She has the best recipe for Molasses Crinkles! But, even better than HAVING the recipe, she would often go home on her lunch hour and whip up a batch and bring them back to the office! I can't eat just one!

But, the problem with these cookies, is getting molasses in Japan. I did find a bottle of it at an import shop years ago, but I tend to like to cook with what I can find locally. That way if I introduce it to my Japanese friends, they can make it easily too.

This brings me to the next part of my story. It seems my students visit Okinawa often. Basically I get two souvenirs from them. Sea salt and kuromitsu. Kuromitsu is a very dark brown sweet, but not only sweet, syrup. Doesn't work on pancakes for me. I have had it just sitting around wondering what to do with it. Finally I woke up. Basically, kuromitsu IS molasses! So, I used it to make these cookies, and they were wonderful!

Molasses Crinkles a la Ginger

3/4 cup. margarine or shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger

Mix the first four ingredients well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put in the fridge for an hour or so to firm it up. Roll into 1" balls, and roll these in granulated sugar. Bake at 170 C. for 8 minutes. Let rest on the pan a bit before removing to a cookie rack. Try to keep your toddler from reaching the cookie rack and completely ruining her lunch! Put the toddler down for a nap. Gorge on the cookies while reading a good book with a cup of tea!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was a teacher/missionary in Kansai in the mid-'80's, my roommate and I seldom got packages from the States. Then postage and phone calls were too expensive. Videos and computers were non-existent. Yes, we walked to and from church daily year-round in the snow - uphill both ways! HAHAHAH!

So, I will never forget two packages we did get. One was dried out used tea bags. We laughed and laughed. Made us feel like real missionaries from 100 years ago!

The other package was a Tupperware container filled with chocolate-chips and a cookie recipe! THE BEST gift I remember from those years.

That recipe is long gone, but I have another one to take its place. I tried to find the origin of this recipe today, but it is gone. I first made it because it makes a smaller batch of cookies and I can only cook 9 at a time in my oven, and don't want to be in the kitchen forever. I also don't want to EAT 5 dozen cookies. Ryu loves this recipe too, so I am saved from gluttony, oh, and Jun helps a lot too!

This recipe just tastes a bit different from other chocolate chip recipes. I did some comparison today and found three changes from the standard. First, it uses mostly brown sugar. Second, it uses more vanilla than the standard recipes and, third it uses more baking soda. I think the later is what gives it the taste that we love. Hmmm.

If you are still looking for THAT chocolate chip cookie recipe, give it a stir!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

100 gm butter (1/2 cup) - softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tblsp. white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla together. Combine the flour, soda and salt, and then add to the butter mixture. Mix well and add the chocolate chips

Bake at 180 C. for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will puff up while baking, but settle down when out of the oven. This makes them nice and chewy and moist. My Japanese friends say, "like Country Ma'am." "Much better than she!" I say! Now I'm off to raid the cookie rack. I just made a batch this morning!

NOTE: I was weeding out my cook books and FOUND the source of this recipe. It is from More Gifts From Your Kitchen by Current Inc. 1989. It was originally a big 12" cookie to give as a Christmas gift. I wonder if that is why it has more soda? Hmm?

Ginger Cookies

Jun and I were at a community center where I took a child's CPR class. In the lobby they happened to be having a kind of bazaar. There was a table selling cookies. I hope the organization I so felt impressed to help support was a good one! I bought a package of four cookies the size of a quarter for one dollar. There were various kinds for sale. Chocolate, chocolate-chip, tea, etc. But, I wanted something I thought Jun could eat too, so got the ginger cookies.

Now, please forget your image of ginger cookies. These cookies are WHITE! And, they take raw ginger root! And they are really yummy!

I found a great recipe for these cookies.
3/4 cup of butter/margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped raw ginger
2 cups flour

Cream the margarine and sugar together. Stir in the ginger. Then add the flour. By the time the flour is all in, you will be mixing with your hands. You can roll these cookies out after refridgerating, or you can roll the dough into snakes 1 1/2 inches thick or so, and then refridgerate. When they are firm, slice them 1/2 inch thick and bake for 20 minutes at 170C. (Preheat your oven.) They don't brown or rise, so you can put many on one cooking sheet.

So, if you are thinking of making a new Christmas Cookie, please give this a try and let me know how you liked them!