Crispy Oatmeal Cookies with Blueberries

I had already been baking, but I wasn’t happy with how the cookies I had made turned out. I knew that I needed to make a different recipe, but I was also fairly short on time. I do have a well-stocked kitchen, but sometimes even that isn’t sufficient. Thankfully, I was able to select this recipe, and while I made a few edits, it worked perfectly.

This cookie originally called for dried cherries. I’m pretty sure that I had those on hand, but I needed a small amount and I came across freeze-dried blueberries first, and used those. Later when I was typing up the recipe, I realized that I should have added nuts to the cookies, but I didn’t see that in the recipe at all. I guess that happens when you are working quickly! 

These cookies are thin and crispy, but not too thin! I think that the maple syrup in the dough helps them remain a little chewy, and the butter helps with the crispness. The blueberries are very small and they don’t add a lot of flavor. You could use whatever dried or freeze-dried fruit that you have on hand. The cinnamon oat flavor and the texture of these cookies is the real winner. I think you could use this as a base for just about anything, and it would turn out wonderfully. 

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies with Blueberries
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
2 tablespoons cup maple syrup
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 cup freeze-dried blueberries

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the oats, sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Stir on low to mix. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla to the oats, and mix on medium until the mixture is well combined. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until the four almost disappears into the dough. 

Switch to a spatula and fold in the freeze-dried blueberries.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, using about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. The cookies may spread so don’t place too many on each baking pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies look set and begin to brown along the edges. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe based on Red Wine Dragons

KitKat Brownies

My husband and I have been visiting the local Trader Joe’s, and they always have a bounty of interesting items. Sometimes I see items and keep them in the back of my mind. I’m usually thinking “What recipe could use that item?” I don’t always have an answer, but when I was looking through recipes, I found the perfect thing! 

The recipe I found was for KitKat Brownies. Trader Joe’s had a candy bar that was a peanut butter wafer covered with chocolate. They are a little different from Kit-Kats, they are slightly thicker and aren’t scored into 4 parts. For this recipe, you need to cut the candies to fit the pan anyway. I used about three and a half bars of Trader Joe’s version, including the bit that I chopped up and sprinkled on top.

This was an unusual recipe for me that I didn’t use the mixer. You just have to make sure that you start with a large enough bowl to melt the butter and chocolate. The whisking takes a little effort, just to make sure that all of the ingredients are properly incorporated. You have barely enough batter to make the base and then top the bars. These are a little difficult to test for doneness, so I baked them for a full 30 minutes. These cut beautifully, just be careful with the wafer candies. These have a lovely crunch, but then a gooey brownie as well. They are just excellent!

KitKat Brownies
½ cup butter
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6-8 KitKat Bars (enough to fit the pan)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8” square pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the butter into cubes and place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Microwave the butter/chocolate mixture in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from the microwave and whisk in the sugar, whisked eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl and whisk to incorporate fully and no lumps remain. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Top with a layer of candies, cut as needed to fit the pan. Top with the remaining batter. Chop some of the remaining candies and sprinkle on top of the brownies.
 
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center of the brownies is baked. It is difficult to test the bars with the candies in the center but do your best. 

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting them into bars.

Recipe from Bite-Sized Bash

Lemon Blackberry Cookies

I was chatting with my friend the other day and she mentioned that she wanted to find a fool-proof recipe she could make that included blackberries, lemon, and mint. This fascinated me, and the last time that I searched for a recipe to fit a flavor profile, it was so enjoyable. I started searching and there are many blackberry and lemon recipes, and I also found a mint glaze that could be incorporated. I found quite a few recipes and wanted to give them a try.

These cookies do not contain mint, but I could have added a mint glaze. I don’t always want mint in my desserts; it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. Blackberries are in season right now, so I picked up a small package at the grocery store. This recipe originally called for partially thawed blackberries, so I did the opposite. I washed the blackberries, cut them in half, and then placed them in the freezer for a while. They were nearly completely frozen by the time I made the cookies. 

I made these cookies smaller than the original recipe, as the yield was 14 cookies and my batch made about three dozen. The cookies varied from batch to batch. I could tell at first the blackberries were frozen, so the berries were distinct. Later batches the berries were cold but not frozen, and the blackberries were more swirled through the dough. I liked both, but the ones with the swirled were better and looked more interesting. I loved doing the research to find this recipe, and am so pleased with the results. 

Lemon Blackberry Cookies
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg + 1 yolk
2-3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup blackberries, frozen

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the room temperature melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes. The mixture will become very creamy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. When the dough almost disappears from the dough, remove from the mixer. 

Add the frozen blackberries to the dough and fold in with a spatula. 

Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), scoop the dough in rounds onto the prepared baking sheet, about 8 cookies per sheet. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Refrigerate the cookies and cookie sheet for 10 minutes. (Between batches, refrigerate the dough so it doesn’t get too warm.)

Bake for 14-16 minutes until lightly golden along he edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe from Stephanie’s Sweet Treats

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Bars

I had picked up several lemons recently at the store as it’s a great ingredient to have on hand. Several recipes that I was considering called for lemon juice/zest, and I just needed to select the right one. I was comparing a couple of recipes, but also being mindful of how many lemons I had. One other recipe I considered required more juice and zest, but I probably would have been ok. That recipe was from a British cook, and I have noticed that lemons in the UK are considerably smaller than the ones I buy locally.

The only atypical ingredient was the sanding sugar to top the bars. It’s a large-grained sugar, but there are lots of other options if you don’t have it on hand. (I had orange sanding sugar, but that wouldn’t really work.) You could use regular sugar or raw sugar, but I crushed up some pearl sugar that I had on hand. Use whatever is convenient for you.

These bars came together quickly, and I was happy that the pearl sugar that I used on top of the bars didn’t completely melt while baking. The poppy seeds weren’t original to the recipe but it had been suggested in the comments. I have made lemon poppy Bundt cake that I adored, so I thought that would be lovely. These bars have a soft texture, not quite as soft as cake and just a little chewy. This recipe was a tasty surprise and super easy to make, and I look forward to making these again.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Bars
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla 
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Sparkling sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large mixer bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest. Mix on medium to mix the flavors and then allow the mixture to set for a few minutes. Add the butter on mix on medium for several minutes, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix until well combined.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the flour just disappears into the dough. Add the poppy seeds and stir on low to distribute throughout the dough. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the dough with sparkling sugar. 

Bake for 22-26 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Five Heart Home

Blackberry Lemon Meltaway Cookies

I have had this recipe saved for a long time- the cookies looked so perfect for when the weather starts getting nice. It’s a fairly simple butter cookie topped with an icing made from homemade strawberry syrup and lemon juice. The original recipe has you cook down fresh strawberries to make a syrup, which isn’t that hard, but I wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of the stove.

I remembered that I had some Blackberry Syrup in the refrigerator that we have used as a dessert sauce on a few occasions. I had purchased the syrup from Bateman Acres at a local farmer’s market. I figured that the blackberry syrup would work perfectly in place of the strawberry syrup. I did add some lemon juice to the icing, because it adds brightness that is always welcome. 

I made these cookies fairly small, but that seemed to work well. I shaped the cookies and then chilled them for about 10 minutes before baking. I’m not sure that was necessary, as the cookies don’t have any leavening and don’t change much while baking. The icing, with the blackberry syrup is fantastic. You do have to make the icing thick, but I still had a  couple of dribbles that I tidied up, but otherwise the icing stayed put. These are so tasty, the cookie just melts in your mouth and the icing adds the perfect touch of sweetness.

Blackberry Lemon Meltaway Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla 
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour
Additional sugar

2 ½ tablespoons blackberry syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. 

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter until light. Add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add the cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together; the dough may be crumbly. 

Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon balls, then roll the balls in additional sugar. Flatten the cookies to about ½” with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until barely golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a cooking rack to cool completely.

Make the icing: in a medium bowl whisk together the blackberry syrup and lemon juice. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until the icing is smooth but thick. Spread the icing on the cooled cookies. Allow the icing to set before serving.

Recipe from The Café Sucre Farine

Baklava Cookies

I really like all of the flavors in baklava, but it’s never quite right. I get a piece and I’m so excited, but then I can’t finish it because it’s usually dry. I’m not quite sure what I can do to overcome that, but this cookie with the flavors of baklava might be just the thing. 

This cookie starts with a cake mix base, which is a nice time saver. That in itself should help from the dryness I associate with baklava. You can use any nuts that you have on hand. Walnuts and pistachios are traditional, but I don’t usually have walnuts on hand. I used pistachios, almonds, and pecans. Not traditional, but more to my tastes! 

You partially bake these cookies, then make an indentation and fill it, then finish baking. That’s a slightly different technique that I am used to, but it makes sense as the indentation usually disappears while baking, and the filling doesn’t need much extra time in the oven. These were all that I dreamed of, without being dry! A nice soft cookie topped with a flavorful filling!

Baklava Cookies
1 box vanilla cake mix
2 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup melted butter
1 cup assorted nuts, chopped
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons honey
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½-1 tablespoon warm water

Heat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, and oil on medium until combined. The dough will be thick. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, chopped nuts, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, and cinnamon. 

Scoop the dough into the prepared baking sheets, using about 1 tablespoon per cookie. 

Bake for 9 minutes and then remove from the oven. Make an indentation in the cookies with a tart tamper or similar tool. Fill the indentation with the baklava nut filling. 

Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the 2 tablespoons honey, powdered sugar, lemon juice and half of the water.  Add additional water if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle over the cookies and allow the glaze to set.

Recipe from Practically Homemade

Crème Brulée Cookie Bars

I have had this cookie saved for quite a while, likely because I look at the recipe and think that I must have already made these bars! Well, I hadn’t made these bars so now is the time. I have quite a supply of white chocolate chips, so this is the perfect recipe. White chocolate can be fussy and burns easily, so when you are melting the butter and white chocolate, watch it carefully. You aren’t going to get a smooth mixture, but it will smooth out when you add other ingredients.

Finding the right toffee bits can be a challenge. You can get plain toffee bits (bits o’ brittle) and toffee bits with chocolate (usually called English toffee bits). I wanted the plain bits for this recipe, but I only had the ones with chocolate. Stores almost universally have one type or the other, but I can never remember which store carries which variety. After visiting a few stores, I was able to get the ones I needed. 

I melted the butter and white chips, and it wasn’t smooth, which is scary! I let it cool then mixed all the other ingredients and added the melted white chocolate mixture and you get a thick, sticky dough. It isn’t all that cooperative when trying to smooth it in the pan; do your best. The bars cut nicely, although the toffee chips want to fall everywhere. These have a beautiful smooth cake base, topped with the sweet toffee crunch. Very tasty indeed!

Crème Brulée Cookie Bars
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup toffee bits

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. 

In a medium bowl over low heat, or in the microwave, melt the butter and white chocolate chips, stirring frequently to ensure that the mixture doesn’t burn. The mixture won’t be completely smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. 

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs. Mix on medium until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the partially baked bars from the oven and top with the toffee bits. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until browned along the edges. The center may still be slightly soft, but you do not want to over bake the bars. Allow the bars to cool in the refrigerator; the bars will set as they cool. Cut into bars once cool.

Recipe from Crazy for Crust