Sunday, 4 November 2007

Holiday cookbook showdown

Back during the Christmas of 2004, my Mom gave me these three little holiday treat cookbooks. I leafed through the pages, drooled of the pictures and then put them aside. I have flipped through them many times since that first day I received them, but until now never tried a single recipe from one of them.

I am not really sure why. True, some requested ingredients that I didn't stock in my pantry for baking on a whim, such as condensed milk or toffee bites. But, I will be frank and say I think I used that an an excuse. Really I was just over whelmed and didn't know where to start! How could three, tiny books get to me like that? Well last weekend, I wanted to try something new, and selected a recipe in one of them, got everything out and went too it!

The spell has been broken, and it only took just shy of three years!

The cookies, our first of the holiday season, were simple and delicious. I will be trying more from all of those books before too long. I am even going to make sure I pickup some condensed milk so I have no excuses.

Chewy Chocolate-Cinnamon Cookies:


  • 6 Tbsp butter
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp, plus 1/4 cup, sugar divided
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheet.

Beat butter until creamy, add brown sugar and 2 tbsp granulated sugar and continue to beat. Add egg, baking soda, corn syrup and vanilla, Mix well.

In a separate bowl stir together flour and cocoa. Add to butter mixture and mix together. Stir in chopped chocolate.

Cover and refrigerate until dough firm enough to handle (approx 30 minutes). Share dough into balls, approx 1" diameter. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in separate bowl. Roll balls in mixture and place on cookie sheet approx 2" apart (These cookies did spread out quite a bite when cooking).

Bake 9-10 minutes, or until tops cracked. Remove from oven and cool slightly, then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have many many cookbooks that I've read through several times but have never tried a recipe. But nowadays I find that I prefer to use cookbooks as reading material and inspiration and then try to create my own things in the kitchen. Even when I do start with written recipes, I find myself making several changes by the time I'm finished! But I think I would like to start trying a real recipe from a book once a week and writing about it so that I can start sharing some of my favorite cookbooks on my blog.

Those cookies look wonderful! Great photos!

Amanda said...

These look incredible, oh that I had the ingredients on hand right now as my 10 o'clock sweet tooth hits.

Janet said...

These cookies look so good! I must try them.