Tag: Cookies

Ginger Cookies – Light Version
Cookies · Lightened Up Recipe

Ginger Cookies – Light Version

RefreshHer4 Comments

I get teased A LOT by my family for always using recipes from Cooking Light, but I say if you can eat delicious food – even dessert – and make it a little healthier, why not?! I enjoy having dessert, but don’t want to overdo it with the fat and sugars!

I found a Ginger Cookie recipe recently that tastes every bit as good as my favorite Ginger-Molasses recipe (which is amazing!), but this one is much lighter!! I’m not sure I’ll ever make my old favorite version again! These were so yummy! Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, they are the perfect treat! This is one of my husband’s favorite cookie flavors, so I’m glad to have a recipe to make that I can feel a little better about making!

I always under-bake my cookies a little because I like them soft. I probably baked these around 8 minutes. You be the judge, but that’s all the time my oven required.

Ginger Cookies – Cooking Light

  • 6 Tbl. Butter, softened
  • 2/3 Cup plus 3 Tbl. sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground mace (I didn’t have this and it was still great)
  • Cooking spray
  1. Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar, beating at medium speed until light and well blended.
  2. Add molasses and egg; beat well.
  3. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through mace), stirring with a whisk.
  4. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until well blended
  5. Divide dough in half.
  6. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap, and freeze for 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°.
  8. Shape each portion of dough into 26 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass to 1/2-inch thickness.
  9. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, but don’t want to kill your diet with dessert, please make these yummy treats! I can’t wait to make up another batch!

What’s your favorite splurge food-wise?

Here’s another special cookie from Cooking Light that we love and this is a delicious Angel Food Cake that is a special dessert!

Cocoa Fudge Cookies
baking · Cookies · Lightened Up Recipe

Cocoa Fudge Cookies

RefreshHer7 Comments

I love it when simple meets delicious! These fudgy cookies can be mixed right in a saucepan and spooned onto the baking sheet. They end up crispy around the edges and soft in the middle.

I made these last weekend for a girl’s trip I went on, and they were the perfect ending to our poolside lunch! They were also the perfect little snack in the middle of the day! If you love chocolate AND a soft cookie, this is your recipe!

Cocoa Fudge Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup plain low-fat yogurt 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • Cooking spray

Directions

  • Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Step 2 Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
  • Step 3 Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

I failed to mention that these are only 78 calories! Cooking LIght does a great job at providing low cal treats! These Raspberry Strippers are another favorite cookie recipe I found on their site.

Are you a crispy cookie lover or do you prefer a soft cookie?

Happy baking!

Peanut Butter Cookies
baking · Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

RefreshHerLeave a comment

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When you learn that a young man who just had a birthday loves Peanut Butter Cookies, and when your grandsons are coming over who also love Peanut Butter Cookies, you thumb through your cookbooks and find your best recipe so you can whip up a batch! I have an old cookbook that never disappoints, and this cookie recipe joined the ranks of recipes like my Beef Enchiladas that also come from its covers.

This recipe has simple ingredients and instructions.
The longest part of the process is chilling the dough a bit before baking.
The quickest part is devouring them when them come out of the oven with their signature crisscross patterns stamped on their little round tops!

If you have a Peanut Butter Cookie lover in your life, these will win their hearts!

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Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 Cup Crisco
1/4 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1 1/4 Cup flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter, shortening, peanut butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add beaten egg and mix well.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Chill dough.  Roll into 1-inch balls and arrange on cookie sheet. Dip fork in sugar and flatten each with a crisscross pattern.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or lightly browned.  (Adding the chocolate chips makes this traditional cookie a bit more interesting.)

Sing with me….Peanut, peanut butter – COOKIE!
Enjoy!

denise a

 

Biscotti Making!
Cookies · snack

Biscotti Making!

RefreshHer2 Comments

My morning coffee needs nothing to make it delicious, but if I have a cup in the afternoon, I enjoy having some kind of cookie that will make the perfect plunge into the dark liquid and come out even tastier than it was before!

The perfect solution is Biscotti!  It’s normally a very crispy cookie or biscuit-like treat that is a tad hard to eat, UNLESS it’s dipped in a liquid, and coffee is the perfect choice!

I found a recipe in my Cooking Light cookbook that has a little tartness with dried fruit and a little sweetness with the addition of chocolate chips.  This recipe has a cup of wheat flour, making it a little healthier!  Am I saying, healthy cookie?  Well, pretty much! They’re only 81 calories and taste fantastic!

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Don’t be intimidated about making these. If you can bake a roll of slice and bake cookies, you can make these!  It’s just a simple double-baking process!  First, you roll the dough into logs and bake them, then after they cool ten minutes, you slice them into strips, lay them on the baking sheet and bake them one more time.  That’s it!  Here;’s the recipe from Cooking Light ~

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2/3 cup dried tart cherries – I used Craisins
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Cooking spray

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and salt in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Step 3

Beat sugar and eggs with a mixer at high speed until thick and pale (about 4 minutes). Add oil and extracts, beating until well-blended. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in cherries and chocolate chips.

Step 4

Divide dough in half; turn out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape each portion into a 10-inch-long roll, and flatten to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove rolls from the baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

Step 5

Cut each roll diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

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I love having these on hand (they freeze great!) for when a friend stops in for coffee or when my afternoon cup of java needs a little something sweet!

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Enjoy!

denise a