Friday, January 4, 2019

A GOOD "MAKE IT YOUR OWN" COOKIE

I know it might seem like I cook a lot of cookies. I guess I do. Often times I just need a little bit of sweet to satisfy me and I can't think of a better way to do that but with cookies. I usually try to find recipes that make only about 3 dozen cookies. If I see a recipe that sounds really good, but makes twice that many cookies, I look at the eggs and if it's an even number, I will just cut the recipe ingredients in half. Often times when I make a recipe that makes 3 dozen cookies, I will end up giving friends Janice and Fran some so they won't get old in the cookie jar.

While we were in CO with our older son, Jeffrey, and his family for Christmas, I wasn't feeling great. My sinuses had been bothering me a day or two before we left, but nothing serious. After our first night there though, I woke up Saturday morning with a head-splitting headache. Nothing would faze it all day. Jeffrey said he thought the elevation was making it worse. Almost 11 yr - old granddaughter Sadie had made some cookies but only crumbs were left. I did eat one or two crumbs though and loved the cookies. Before we left on Sunday (early because another snow was expected to move in Monday night and we didn't want to interfere with their New Year's Eve's celebration), I asked Sadie for her recipe.

Her recipe was the one you may have seen for "cake - mix cookies". One of Wayne's aunts had sent me some recipes when we first got married 40+ yrs ago for some of her favorite recipes and one of them was for a cookie that was a favorite of her sons that used a Swiss German Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies. Sadie had used a white cake mix and butter. Myra Elizabeth's used the German Chocolate cake mix and oil. The only other change was the length of cooking.

I got to thinking about it and because I wanted to use a sugar-free cake mix and the only one I had was a Devil's Food one, I thought, "you know you could use any flavor of cake mix and any mix in", such as a white cake mix and peppermint chunks, a spice cake mix and raisins, or a butter pecan cake mix and toffee chips or even coconut, a chocolate fudge cake mix and peanut butter chips, - you get the idea. As I so often say, "You are only limited by your imagination".

Anyway for my first try, I used the sugar-free Devil's Food cake mix and peppermint chunks. We love the cookie! Don't think Janice or Fran will get any of these. 😋 The only change I might suggest, is chopping up the chunks. They were kinda big and didn't want to hold/stick to the dough. I had to use my hand and fingers to press the dough together to form the cookie.

Click here for a printable version of just the recipe.


MAKE - IT - YOUR - OWN COOKIE

1     cake mix, your favorite (I used a sugar-free Devil's Food cake mix)
1/2  cup oil or 1 stick of butter (I used the oil)
2     eggs
1     cup add-in (I used peppermint chunks)
1/2  cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray cookie sheets or use nonstick ones.

Combine cake mix, oil/butter, and eggs and
stir with electric mixer til combined. 
Add nuts, if you are using them, and the "add-in". (Next time I will chop peppermint chunks some.)

Using a cookie scoop, place "cookies" 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Can press lightly with fingers to flatten some. (I had to compress the dough to form a shape because the chunks were so big.)
Bake 10 - 12 minutes.
Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

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