Chocolate Banana Cookies didn't make my list of favorites, but this is my favorite cookie photo so far
39 different cookies. It's quite possible that I've tried more cookie recipes in the past 10 months than in all the time prior to that. Making a batch of cookies every Sunday evening has become part of the rhythm of my weekends and something that has brought me great pleasure.
Not to say there haven't been some magnificent flops along the way. The ones that come to mind are 24-Karat Cookies and the cookie I will never live down - Poppy-Seed Wafers. There were near-disasters too - those cookies where I had to throw out a goodly portion because they stuck to the foil or burned.
But in between, there have been lots of good cookies and, yes, some mediocre ones. They start to run together after a while, but a few stand out and will no doubt be making encore appearances at my house.
With one exception, what follows is not an ordered list - it's hard for me to compare a cookie I tried two weeks ago with one I tried 6 months ago. There is one cookie that I keep thinking about, though, so I'd have to say that it is my favorite drop cookie. But first, the runners up...
Connecticut Nutmeg Hermits - nothing flashy, but definitely habit-forming
Date-Nut Wafers - sweet, crispy, chewy, with cinnamon, walnuts and dates. What more could you want in a cookie?
Date-Nut Rocks - hmmm... another date-nut cookie, maybe there's a pattern here.
Tijuana Fiesta Cookies - these were such a surprise to me - unusual and unusually good.
Which brings me to my favorite cookie so far...
Pumpkin Rocks - soooo good, wish I had some now. Crunchy outside, soft inside, loaded with nuts and raisins, and topped with a lemony glaze... mmmmm. As I said before, though, there's one caveat: these cookies are really best the day they are made.
Finally, just in case you're late to the party, all these cookies are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. All the recipes are also included in a later compilation called Maida Heatter's Cookies. I recommend all Maida Heatter's books, but her cookie book is obviously near and dear to my heart.
8 comments:
Now I'm craving pumpkin goodies, too! I hope you're excited to move beyond drop cookies, Cathy. It'll bever be easier than those, though.
So nice with a little round-up - you sure have done a load of cookies! Looking forward to the next chapter!
Oh man, I knew those pumpkin rocks sounded good...I have GOT to try them now! :)
Hi Nic - I am excited - many of my favorite cookies are bar cookies. I really like a moist, chewy cookie and I think bar cookies are more likely to fit that mold. You're right though - the degree of difficulty is going to start to inch up!
Hi Zarah - glad you liked it! Yes, a change will be nice - I'm looking forward to it too!
Hi Alice - they are, they are! Yes, you must!!
Hi Cathy,
I wasn't keeping track and I had no idea that you had already baked 39 different cookies from the book. Has it honestly been that long?
WOW! I can't even begin to think of my favorites, but I think that the Pumpkin rocks sound great, especially since they are loaded with nuts and raisins! Excellent choice.
Hi Reid - yup, I started last November. I know, it's really hard to choose. I was thinking I'd pick at least one chocolate ones (I really did like those chocolate icings), but when I thought about it those weren't the ones that stood out in my memory.
Cathy, I feel like you should receive a medal or an award for your dedication! Thanks for sharing your mondays with us!
PS: Is there an application procedure for becoming one of your taste testers?
Hi Rachel - Aw shucks, thanks! Actually, so far (knock on wood) it hasn't required that great an effort. Most of the cookies have been pretty simple.
Ha, ha... no, no application! All the panelists were appointed by me. I tried to get a varied group of people (though all from my office), but mostly I picked people that I seemed to eat the cookies every week (I had started bringing them in quite some time before I convened the cookie panel)... there are an awful lot of people that don't indulge regularly. How do they do it?
Post a Comment