Cookie Recipes!

If April Fool’s Day drives you up the wall, here is one post that is 100% no tricks!

I love to bake and for the last few conferences I’ve attended I have brought cookies with me to share with friends and those other nice, nice people who attend my sessions. From time to time I have been asked for recipes, so I thought it would be fun to pass them on!

More cookies than anything else

ALSC 2014

Triple-Ginger Cookies from 101 Cookbooks

These cookies are so amazing I brought them to ALA Midwinter 2015 too. For these cookies, I am like one of those annoying food blog commenters who say, “I love these cookies! It’s a perfect recipe and I made 800 changes!” So just in case you make them and they don’t taste exactly like mine did, here’s a couple of notes: I only used half the listed amount of crystallized ginger because the first time I made this recipe that’s all I had in the house. They were still superb. I do want to try them once with the whole amount, though! I substituted cloves for the anise, again, because of what I had on hand, but I liked the result so much I did that again the next time too. I used white whole wheat flour, and regular cane sugar and plain old molasses instead of unsulphured. Oh, and I also used demerara sugar instead of turbinado, but those are pretty similar.

CALCON 2014

Orange Creamsicle Cookies from The Girl Who Ate Everything

If you have fond memories of Creamsicles you owe it to yourself to try these cookies! The flavors really do come across in great combination and I have trouble eating just a few. I make this recipe as is, except I always double it because it doesn’t make enough.

I brought another cookie but I can’t think of what it was! Anyone else remember?

MIDWINTER 2015

Bigger conference = more cookies.

Perfect Rice Krispie Treats from Cookies and Cups

I loved the tip to add extra mini marshmallows after you mix in the cereal; it really boosts the gooey factor. I also appreciated the reminder not to smoosh the gooey mixture into the pan too hard when you let it set, that way it stays softer and chewier. I did make 2 changes: I added a little vanilla (maybe 1/2t or 1t) because I think it rounds out the flavor, and just for fun I swapped out about a quarter of the plain Rice Krispies for Fruity Pebbles.

Coconut Cranberry Chews from Sunset Magazine in 2001.

This is a standby Christmas cookie in our house and it’s so decadent I couldn’t resist making more a month later for Midwinter. I make these as is, but I do take the time to roll each scoop of cookie dough into a tidy ball before putting them on the cookie sheet (rather than just dropping the dough from the spoon or scoop). When I looked for an online link to the recipe, I also found this story describing the original recipe, before Sunset adapted it for publication. I haven’t made this version yet, but I probably will at some point!

Raisin Puffs

My mom has had this recipe clipped for a long time. When I Googled it I found it online, and that it was originally from Midwest Living Magazine. This is a sweet, soft cookie and if you are someone with no raisin issues you will love it! I get about 6 dozen when I use my smallest cookie scoop. I’ve also had good luck switching in white whole wheat flour for the regular–you just might need to add a tablespoon of water if you do.

So what should I bring to Annual? What are your favorite cookies?