My Favorite Hand-Formed Cookies

With a come hither look that's hard to refuse, these Fudge Mallows made the Cookie Panel's top ten, but were too sweet for my taste.

Can you tell I'm running out of steam? I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true. I think I've had enough cookies for a while, but there are only 16 to go and I can't stop now! Unfortunately, whether it's my waning enthusiasm, or that after 132 cookies I've become hypercritical, or possibly even that the cookies in this chapter weren't quite up to the standards of the earlier chapters, I was slightly underwhelmed by these hand-formed cookies. There were definitely cookies I liked, and even some I liked a lot, but in my opinion there were no WOW cookies this time around. I should hasten to add that I may be alone in my view of this group of cookies, for the cookie panel in its infinite wisdom awarded its first 5.0's to two cookies from the chapter: the Fudge Mallows and English Gingersnaps #1.

This chapter brought the most dramatic cookie disaster yet, the second cookie to get a reputation in the wilds of the blogosphere for looking like a turd (I kid you not. And I'm not telling what the first one was, it's in the witness protection program), but still and all, it was fun. Lots of fun, actually - there is something very, very satisfying about rolling dough with your hands, be it into little balls or long ropes.

So, on with the show. I hope my earlier comments don't deter you from trying some of these cookies. Even if they're missing that wow-factor, there were still some very good cookies. As usual, the runners-up are in no particular order and I've saved my very favorite cookie for last...


This is a classic, but still sooo good - delicate, buttery, and nutty Austrian Walnut Crescents.


Chewy and crunchy at the same time, with the winning flavors of brown sugar and toasted almond. I think I'm going to have to find an excuse to make these Señoritas again very soon.


Not to everyone's liking because of the sesame seeds, I thought these Italian Sesame Sticks were delicious... and habit-forming!


And finally, my favorite: Coconut Washboards. I made them with unsweetened, dessicated coconut, which I expect is what made them so crunchy (the recipe says they are semisoft cookies). Though I'm curious to try them as Maida intended (probably with sweetened, shredded coconut), I loved this crunchy version. They taste great too - it always amazes me how basic ingredients such as brown sugar, butter and vanilla can combine to produce such wonderful flavor.

One more chapter!!! I get my weekends back!!! But I'm getting ahead of myself... there are still 16 cookies to go and hopefully a few gems yet to be discovered. Please join me next Monday when I begin the mysteriously titled last chapter, "Et Cetera". And if you're just tuning in, all the cookies on this page are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. The book is out of print but still available as a remainder, used, or in your library. All but one of the recipes were also reprinted in the newer Maida Heatter's Cookies which also includes cookie recipes from a couple of her other books. Read about my little project here and start here if you're interested in exploring my earlier posts.

Mondays with Maida - Italian Sesame Sticks

Page 235 in the old book / page 259 in the new book

Here we have another plain but good cookie that (I think) got undeservedly low scores. I think there were quite a few people that didn't enjoy these, but on the other hand a large batch of over 70 cookies was gone by the end of the day, so someone must have liked them! I know I did. They are rich and crumbly, have flavorful crust of sesame seeds and are one of those cookies where you keep going back for another.

In the recipe notes Maida explains that the recipe comes from a trattoria in New York's Little Italy where she enjoyed them with espresso. She noted that she saw the regulars dunking them in red wine (hence my photo above which you may have been puzzling over). I tried one dunked in wine and I think it might be an interesting combination, but unfortunately the only wine I had on hand was opened long ago and long past being drinkable.

If you (like me) loved playing with Play-Doh as a kid, you are going to have a blast making these cookies. You trained your entire childhood for this! Remember rolling out long, worm-like ropes of the stuff? The instructions for this cookie have you roll out 20-inch-long ropes of dough and then cut it into shorter logs. Fun!



Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love sesames on anything. As a matter of fact the only type of bagel I eat are sesame bagels. My first impression was that there wasn’t much to this cookie, but after the second bite, I really enjoyed the lemony taste and the sesames. The cookie was a little on the dry side. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "It had to happen. A recipe that someone should not have passed on due to mediocrity. I found these dry, seedy and not really that good. More like a not-so-crunchy breadstick. If it were a breadstick, I'd give it a 3, but with the no chocolate penalty, I'd rate it a 1.0. Rating - 1.0"

Laura: "Too many sesame seeds! Cookie underneath is tasty, but the sesame seeds ruin the cookie for me. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These cookies remind me of a shortbread cookie rolled in sesame seeds. Actually, they are a bit like a cracker. Mine was delicious with my morning coffee - not too sweet, but filling. Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.4

This is the last cookie in the chapter, so please join me again on Tuesday to find out which of the hand-formed cookies were my personal favorites!

Next week - Craig Claiborne's Chocolate Macaroons

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - English Gingersnaps #2

Page 234 in the old book / page 258 in the new book

This cookie is a smaller, spicier, and orange/lemon-scented (and yes - snappier!) variation of last week's English Gingersnaps #1. I loved the orange and lemon rind in these - it really brightened the flavor and made the cookies a little out of the ordinary.

The dough for these cookies has slightly less flour than the original recipe, so the dough is softer and needs a longer chilling time. After chilling, the dough is very easy to handle and shape. These gingersnaps are a more conventional size, so you get a generous 80 or so cookies per batch.

The cookie panel is a little short-handed this week. I really thought I would catch Suzanne and Denny later in the week, but a late flight delayed Suzanne's return and Denny worked from home at the end of the week, so the cookies I'd saved for them were enjoyed by someone else - me! Here's the panel (what's left of it, that is)...

Laura: "Yummy and crunchy. These cookies remind me of the wonderful gingersnaps my grandmother would make. Delish! - 4.5"

Terri: "These ginger snaps are a bit spicier with a tinge of orange taste as compared to Gingersnap #1. Also, they are not as chewy and smaller. I prefer the #1 G.S., but if you like spicier - try these. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Italian Sesame Sticks

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - English Gingersnaps #1

Page 233 in the old book / page 257 in the new book

Well, I could hardly have been more surprised if Denny had deducted points for chocolate - the cookie panel (with Drucie subbing for Denny) bestowed a perfect 5.0 upon these very simple, very unchocolate gingersnaps. What made this perfect score even more befuddling was that I wasn't all that crazy about the cookies myself.

The recipe makes a relatively small number (22) of large cookies. The dough requires only a brief chilling time and the cookies are easy to make, so the entire process is not very time consuming. The dough is formed into balls which are coated in sugar before baking. The sugar coating splits open during baking forming the familiar crazed surface.

Ginger "snaps" doesn't seem quite the right name for these large semisoft cookies. They have the requisite spicy ginger flavor, but the texture is hardly a "snap". I was never a fan of gingersnaps until Nupur introduced me to Trader Joe's triple ginger snaps. I couldn't help but compare these cookies to the TJ's version. In my opinion, those yummy little TJ snaps would best these cookies hands down. It will be interesting to see how next week's cookie, a smaller, crisper version of this cookie with more ginger and some grated orange and lemon peel, will compare.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I’m usually not a big fan of ginger, but I loved this cookie. My first impression was, 'wow, what a big cookie', but after my first bite, I wanted more then one cookie. The texture was just right, soft yet had some crunch to it. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Large, moist, chewy and delightfully gingery! These Ginger Snaps #1 are definitely a 5! Rating - 5.0"

Drucie: "These cookies were moist and chewy with a great flavor. I think that these are my favorite so far - even though they aren't chocolate! Rating - 5++" (I promised Drucie I'd include her ++)

Terri: "These are the best ginger snaps I've ever tasted! Just the right amount of ginger and spicy but sweet. Very moist and chewy texture. The sugar sprinkled on top is perfect. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 5.0

Next week - English Gingersnaps #2

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

Page 231 in the old book / page 255 in the new book

One look at the list of ingredients and I knew this one was a contender for the "Top Ten" list: cinnamon, brown sugar, salted peanuts, peanut butter, and chocolate chips (not to mention two sticks of butter). I liked these very much, but... how do I put this... they're good in an obvious and not very subtle way. They're kids' cookies - not that there's anything wrong with that. We're all kids when it comes to cookies I suppose!

This cookie is a thumbprint cookie made from a brown sugar dough with a little cinnamon added. You roll each ball of dough in chopped, salted peanuts and then poke it with your thumb to make way for a dollop of peanut butter. Then to absolutely, positively guarantee that everyone will love them, you arrange a few chocolate chips atop each one.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love the name of the cookie. You will never get a complaint from me when the cookie has peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips. There is a certain way you need to eat these cookies since the chocolate chips are in the center and on top of the cookie. You need to eat around the chips and then put the center of the cookie with the chips in your mouth all at once. Then you get a surprise of peanut butter and chocolate chips together. Can you tell my favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Crunchy and very peanutty, with a dab of chocolate. Delish! Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Wow. Awesome to look at. They actually look overloaded and they are. Almost too many peanuts, but not really. Extra crunchy and not too sweet and the crown of chocolate chips puts them over the top. Can't think of too many better except for my Mom's. Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "These are fantastic! I could eat the whole batch! A great combination of nuts, chocolate, peanut butter and chewiness. The nuts are not ground completely, so they add to the crunchiness of this great cookie. A big winner. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.8

Next week - English Gingersnaps #1

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

Page 229 in the old book / page 254 in the new book

These cookies are formed like thumbprint cookies, with a smidgen of brown sugar, sour cream, pecan, and cinnamon filling. They are firm, but not quite chewy and have a hint of cinnamon from the filling. One person who really liked these was certain they had pumpkin in them (they don't).

They're quite easy to make, but don't be alarmed if you wind up with lots of extra filling. Well, maybe I should qualify that... I had lots of leftover filling and I think the cookies were just fine. In fact, I'm not sure where all that filling was supposed to go. Perhaps if I'd chopped the nuts more finely I might have been able to fit more into each cookie. If you do end up with extra filling, I found a great way to use it up: spread some on a piece of bread and put it in the toaster oven or under the broiler. Yum!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie was good, not great, but good. I would have liked the cookie a little bit softer, but I did enjoy the taste of the brown sugar and pecans. I didn’t really taste the sour cream topping since it was mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon. Rating - 3.5"

Laura: "Sweet and tasty cookie with a very yummy bit of pecan-pie type dollop in the center. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent. Subtly flavored but really good. I'm not sure why I like them so much, but I do. I'd give them a 3 after -1 no chocolate deduction. Rating - 3.0"

Drucie: "These cookies are moist and chewy with a flavor that is subtle yet delicious. I don't usually like cookies with nuts in them, but these have made me see the light! I really like these cookies. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Austrian Walnut Crescents

Page 228 in the old book / page 253 in the new book

Tender and buttery little cookies in a pleasing crescent shape - you'll get no complaints from me! Well, perhaps one teeny weeny quibble... they need a bit of salt. But these cookies are easy to like even without the salt.

The dough is slightly crumbly (and seemed to become more so as time passed), but still relatively easy to handle. The shaping takes a little time, but is quite doable. Maida tells you to roll the dough between your hands, but I found it easiest to first shape the dough with my fingertips into the shape you see at the top of the picture below - sort of like two back-to-back cones. This shape must then be thinned out and lengthened. You can do that either by rolling it between your hands, or by rolling it on a flat surface with both hands. I found that this second method was better for getting evenly tapered ends, but sometimes resulted in the cookie caving in. Fortunately, the dough can be easily pinched back into shape with your fingers. The final step is to bring the ends around to form a crescent shape.



Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Yum! The taste reminded me of a similar cookie that’s round with walnuts in them and is covered with powdered sugar. The Austrian Walnut Crescents didn’t crumble when you ate them and were not as heavy as the round cookie. The crescent shape with the powdered sugar was attractive. I loved the walnut taste of the cookie. I could eat them all. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Yummy, tasty and crunchy... but just a little drier than I like. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "A very nice little cookie, but a little bit on the bland side. Crunchy and tasty with a bit too much powdered sugar. Even with the -1 chocolate deficiency, I'd give them a 3.0. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These are outstanding! The walnuts are finely ground and the buttery flavor is delicious. These would be an excellent choice to serve with a chocolate type cookie Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

Nutrition Facts


Ghosts of cookies past

Mondays with Maida - Cracker-Barrel Raisin Cookies

Page 226 in the old book / page 252 in the new book

Just out of the oven, these cookies had a nice little crunch on the outside and were soft on the inside, but a day later that nice contrast of textures had disappeared and what was left was a dryish, soft cookie. Happily, lots and lots of soft raisins add moisture and chewiness to what otherwise might have been a rather unremarkable cookie.

There are two ways to shape these cookies. Since this is the "Hand-Formed Cookies" chapter, I went with the first method: chill the dough, roll it into balls, then make crisscross markings with a fork. However, if I were to make these again, I think I'd use the alternate method - drop the dough (without chilling it), then press with a fork. This second method would certainly save time and having seen the results of the first method, I don't think the extra effort is necessary.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Cathy tried in vain to pick out the cookie with the least amount of raisins for me since she knows I’m not a raisin fan. I do like raisins if they aren’t cooked. I think I’ve figured out why I don’t like raisins in cookie. Somehow they loose their sweetness and become bitter tasting. Even though I like a crunchier cookie, I didn’t mind the soft texture of this cookie. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Moist and yummy cookies. Very plump raisins, with a hint of lemon in the cookie. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "These were OK. Not crunchy enough for me, raisins were a little too plump for my taste. That suggests to me that someone might even really like these a lot, just not me. Minus one for lack of chocolate, so I rate them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These cookies are definitely for raisin lovers! Each cookie has about 6 raisins and they remind me of a raisin bran muffin. I like the slight lemony taste - they may be a bit dry, but very tasty with morning coffee! Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.6

Next week - Austrian Walnut Crescents

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Coconut Pennies

Page 224 in the old book / page 251 in the new book


Time for another chapter in the continuing saga of Cathy's coconut adventures... As you may recall from last week, the cookies billed as "semisoft" turned out very crunchy. Well, this week the cookies described as "crisper" (than last week's Coconut Washboards) were actually quite chewy. I suppose there could be some other explanation, but at the moment my assumption is that it all comes down to the coconut.

Last week I used unsweetened, dessicated coconut. This week I used a store brand of sweetened "flaked" coconut. The flakes of this coconut are broader and shorter than either the "Angel Flake" or "Fancy Shred" Baker's coconut you may be familiar with and I think account for the chewiness of these cookies. I neglected to take a picture of the coconut, but Leigh suggested I do a post with pictures of the various types, which I think is a great idea, so look for that sometime soon.

This recipe had small amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg in it, but I couldn't detect either. The cookies are most noticeably sweet, rich (two sticks of butter'll do it), and chewy. I didn't think they were as good as the Coconut Washboards, but they earned equal marks from the cookie panel.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie reminded me of a dry, chewy, oatmeal cookie. I don’t know if I really tasted the coconut except it did make the cookie chewy. This wasn’t one of my favorites. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Chewy and sweet - not as coconutty as I would have expected, but still a very delicious cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and coconutty. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 3.0 to my tastebuds. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These have a chewier texture then the Washboards from last week. I prefer these. The amount of coconut is just enough to give them a coconut flavor but not like a macaroon. I'm not sure why the name 'Pennies' except the shape is round! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next week - Cracker-Barrel Raisin Cookies (oh-oh, Suzanne's not going to like that...)

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Coconut Washboards

Page 223 in the old book / page 249 in the new book

OK, here we go with my big coconut dilemma again. A conundrum that is only aggravated by the fact that I currently possess four different kinds of coconut, all of which must eventually be used up. Ideally I would try each kind of coconut in each recipe, but I'm afraid for now it's going to be try one and see how it turns out...

I made this week's Coconut Washboards with the unsweetened, dessicated coconut. This time, I did not rehydrate the coconut and I measured it by weight. The cookies turned out very crunchy - which was how I envisioned them (for me, that name conjures up an image of a store-bought cookie from my past), but a little different from the semisoft cookie described in the recipe notes.

The other difference I noticed was that the dough was easy to handle. In fact, I didn't need to chill the dough before shaping. Each portion of dough is first rolled into a sausage shape, then flattened, then pressed with a fork. It takes a little time, but is easy and nearly foolproof.



I thought the cookies were very good, but I'm curious to try the recipe again using sweetened, shredded coconut, which I expect would produce a cookie closer to the semisoft cookie Maida describes. Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was a plain-looking, rectangular shaped, big (but not thick) cookie. Even though it was plain-looking, the taste was anything but plain. I love the crunch of the cookie and the coconut, buttery taste. It tasted great with my morning coffee. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Crunchy and yummy - not too sweet - just right! I would have liked just a tad more coconut, but overall a very delish cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "These were good. I liked the crunch and the coconut taste. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "If you like the combination of coconut and crunchiness, this is the cookie for you! I particularly like coconut and found this cookie had just right amount... not as much as a macaroon. Also, a nice size cookie since it's rectangular in shape - with ridges like a washboard. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next week - Coconut Pennies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Danish Butter Sandwiches

Page 221 in the old book / page 248 in the new book

These big, sweet cookies definitely have eye appeal, but they are very big and very sweet - too much so for some. I didn't test them on any kids, but I imagine they'd love them. I thought these buttery, crunchy cookies were very good, but my conscience was troubled with the knowledge that there were over two sticks of butter in just 24 cookies - that's 2 1/4 teaspoons per cookie!

They're very easy to make, but I had one little problem. To shape the cookies you roll them into balls, flatten them slightly between your hands, and then use a fork to imprint them with the stripey design. As you can see above, the dough was a little crumbly, so when I flattened the balls they tended to split on the sides. The only remedy I can think of (except - perish the thought - add more butter), would be to try beating the dough a little longer. The instructions are to beat it until the mixture holds together, but maybe I didn't let it go quite long enough.

I found my kitchen scale came in very handy in shaping these cookies. Since I find those cues for sizing cookies confusing (is a well-rounded teaspoon more or less than a rounded teaspoon?), lately I've been using the scale to create sort of an exemplar cookie. I weigh all the dough and then divide it by the number of cookies it's supposed to make to find the weight of one cookie (say 25 grams). Then, I weigh out 25 grams (or whatever the amount is) of dough and I can see exactly how big each cookie is supposed to be. With these cookies, since it's important that they be uniformly sized and it was a small batch, I weighed each portion.

By the way, the beautiful tray the cookies are sitting on was given to me by Zarah when she visited about this time last year. The gorgeous spring weather that has finally arrived has me fondly recalling her visit and wishing we could make it an annual tradition!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookies were very attractive with indentation lines going down the center of the cookie. I guess I’m not a fan of sandwich cookies. I’d rather eat one at a time. Maybe that’s why people (me) separate Oreo’s and eat the center filling before eating each cookie separately. I thought the center browned butter filling was too sweet. The cookie was rather plain tasting. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Yummy, buttery, delicious cookies with added treat of a creamy sweet icing in between. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "OK, nothing special, so nothing to say. Minus one for no chocolate. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These are delicious - if you like shortbread cookies you'll love these ones. These sandwich cookies are like two shortbreads with butter creme holding them together. Very sweet and buttery. I particularly like the crunchy crispness in the texture. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next week - Coconut Washboards

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - French Filbert Macaroons

Page 219 in the old book / page 246 in the new book

Funny that this cookie comes so soon after my revisit with its Italian cousin, Brutti ma Buoni, or as Maria Grammatico calls them, Belli et Brutti. Last time I tried that recipe which is made with almonds, I was thinking it might be interesting to try it with hazelnuts rather than almonds. Little did I know that I was just a couple of weeks away from trying Maida's take on that very thing. According to Maida, these cookies are traditional for Christmas in France.

Her version has not only the expected nuts, sugar and egg whites, but also a small amount of seedless black raspberry jam and finely minced candied cherries. There's not enough of either to provide more than a hint of flavor, but that's OK - hazelnuts are the star here and their flavor comes through loud and clear. What the jam and cherries do is help make the cookies moist and chewy. Hazelnut... moist and chewy... I think we have a winner!

These cookies are very easy to make. I used the food processor to grind the nuts and it worked well. I worried that I should add some sugar to prevent the ground nuts from turning to butter, but that was not a problem at all. I didn't get them ground quite as evenly as I'd hoped, but the few larger bits of nut here and there provided a nice texture.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I enjoyed the taste of the cookie, but didn’t care for the texture. The texture was extremely chewy and I felt like I was chewing gummy bears. I think that it probably was the candied cherries that make the cookie so chewy. The cookie took too much work to enjoy. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Very moist and chewy. Lovely flavor of hazelnuts. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent. Very tasty and not as crunchy as they look. Couldn't pick out the raspberry taste, but the cherries added to the overall excellence of the cookie. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 3.5 for me. Surprisingly good since I'm not much for regular macaroons. Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are absolutely fantastic! If I closed my eyes while eating one of them, I'd think I was in a French pastry shop! These macaroons are chewy and have just the right amount of hazelnuts, jam, and candied cherries. They are all blended so well, one can see a slight reddish tint in the cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.8

Next week - Danish Butter Sandwiches

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Señoritas

Page 218 in the old book / page 242 in the new book

Sorry, my cookie post is arriving a little late today... I just got back from a wonderful weekend which I'll tell you a little about in the next day or two.

These cookies have lots going for them: they're crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle, they're very easy to make, and they're loaded with brown sugar and toasted almonds. Once again I find myself championing a cookie that some found plain. I thought the toasted almonds in these cookies gave them great flavor and added a nice crunch, lifting them well above the ordinary.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This cookie grew on me. At first, I thought there wasn’t much to the cookie, but after a few bites, I really liked the brown sugar and crunchy almond taste. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "These cookies are sweet and crunchy. The flavor is nice, but they aren't very "exciting" (as cookies go). Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "OK but a little too sweet 2.0 (-1 for no chocolate). Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These are delicious, especially if you like almonds. The texture is chewy, but the almonds make them a bit crunchy too. There's just enough brown sugar, so these are almost an almond flavored sugar cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next week - French Filbert Macaroons

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate and Peanut-Butter Crescents

Page 216 in the old book / page 241 in the new book

You might be thinking, "What's with the thumbprints, aren't these supposed to be crescents?" Yes, yes, that's true and as you can see, I did make some crescents, but the dough was painfully crumbly and the crescents were pitifully cracked, and (perhaps most importantly) shaping those crescents was taking far too long. After a good hour and a half I had only shaped about half of the cookies. It was becoming more difficult rather than easier, as the dough seemed to be getting more crumbly. I seriously considered tossing the remaining dough, but then it occurred to me that a thumbprint shape might work.

I can't say Maida didn't give fair warning: "These are small candylike cookies that take time and patience." I just ran out of time and didn't have the patience. The cookies are shaped by taking a small amount of dough, rolling it into a ball, pressing the ball flat between your hands, and then wrapping the flattened dough around some peanut butter filling. The filled cylinder is then tapered on the ends and curved slightly to form a crescent. Rolling the dough into a ball and even flattening it was not a problem, but wrapping it around the peanut butter caused the dough to crack. I did the best I could to heal the cracks by pinching them, etc., but it was futile. Thankfully, the cracks didn't get any worse during baking and the filling didn't ooze out.

And though the crescents weren't especially attractive, I thought they tasted great. The cookie is thin and hard and the filling is quite soft - a really nice contrast. (The panel, you'll see, was less than enthusiastic.) The thumbprints were OK, but there's too much of the dense cookie and not enough of the filling.

I opted not to roll these in powdered sugar or vanilla sugar as suggested in the recipe, but one or the other would have made the cookies a little more attractive. I'm not sure I have it in me to try making these again, but if I did I think I might try cutting down slightly on the flour with the hope that the dough would be less crumbly. I'd also be tempted to drizzle on some chocolate and/or peanut butter icing to give the cookies eye appeal. If I resorted to making thumbprints again, I think a dollop of chocolate icing on top (so that it completely covered the peanut butter filling) might make the cookies more like Reese's peanut butter cups.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I thought, 'What could be better – chocolate and peanut butter together'. Somehow, I was disappointed. The cookie was very crunchy almost to the point of being hard and wasn’t fudgy enough for me. The peanut butter was too thick and stuck to the roof of my mouth and teeth. I know Cathy said that the crescent shape was difficult and took a lot of time, so I feel bad about making a negative comment, but the cookie for me was disappointing. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! The cocolaty cookie crescent was a little too crispy/crunchy, but the flavor was delightful... especially when mixed with the creamy peanut butter filling. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Not bad but kind of disappointing. My taste buds were expecting a Reese's peanut butter cup cookie, but it was not even close. Not enough chocolate or peanut butter in the recipe. High expectations meet a lesser reality. Even with the chocolate bonus, I rate them a 3.0 as crescents or thumbprints. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These are delicious - kind of like a cookie-Reese cup candy! They have a crunchy texture and just the right amount of peanut butter. Even though I don't consider myself a
'chocoholic', these are great. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Señoritas

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies

Page 214 in the old book / page 240 in the new book

Light and crunchy with lots of texture from rolled oats and coconut and a deep dark chocolate flavor - can't complain about that! I expect these cookies would keep very well and despite the fact that they shatter into tasty bits in your mouth, they seem relatively sturdy too. Definitely one to remember next time you're thinking about mailing cookies to someone special.

For some reason lately I've been in a dither over what kind of coconut to use. In years past I've always relied upon either Baker's or the store brand of shredded coconut and never thought twice about it. But these days I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods and neither type is available there. That together with my sense that the product I've always used has been getting sweeter and stickier over the years has led me to seek out an alternative. I'm confused about the kinds of coconut too and suspect there are some alternatives that either are not available to me or I haven't stumbled upon yet. For these cookies I used Bob's Red Mill Medium Shredded Coconut, which is a dried, unsweetened coconut. I rehydrated it in warm water, then put it in a paper towel and blotted out the excess moisture, and then measured it. I've also used frozen (the one I was able to find was sweetened, but presumably less so than Baker's), and I've used the "coconut powder" available in Indian grocery stores, but can't remember for what. I'd be curious to hear what types of coconut you use and any tips you may have about swapping one kind for another.

OK, back to the cookies. They use semisweet chocolate, which give them a surprisingly dark color and taste. They're very easy to mix and shaping is just like a peanut butter cookie: roll a blob of dough into a ball and then press a fork in two directions to flatten the cookie slightly. They spread during baking, so though they're shaped like peanut butter cookies, they don't look like them.

Here's the panel...

Laura: "Tasty, crunchy, and deliciously chocolaty. A little bit drier than I like my oatmeal cookies to be... but still very yummy! Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and chocolaty with lots of texture. Better than you'd think just by looking at the name. Rating - 4.0"

Drucie: "You can't go wrong with chocolate! These cookies were nice and crispy. The oatmeal and the coconut gave the cookie a nice texture. And best of all - no nuts in these cookies! Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - Chocolate and Peanut-Butter Crescents

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Aggies

Page 213 in the old book / page 239 in the new book

No drama this week - in the making or the eating. These cookies were simple to make and very, very good. They're moist, chewy, and perhaps most importantly - chocolate.

I can't recall if I've made these before, but they certainly are a familiar cookie. You'll find similar recipes on the net under the names "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies" and "Chocolate Snowflake Cookies". Maida's name for these cookies puzzled me and I hunted around to see if other cookies were known as "Aggies", but as near as I can tell the only recipe out there with this name is Maida's own. There are two other meanings of the word: students of an agricultural college or agate marbles. I'm guessing it's the marbles that inspired the name of these cookies. As you see them in the photo above they don't much look like agate marbles, but before baking I suppose they did.

In case you're not already familiar with these cookies, what gives them their distinctive look is a coating of powdered sugar that is applied before baking. When baked, the cookies split open and spread in a way that clearly inspired their other monikers - crinkles and snowflakes.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love chocolate brownies and that’s exactly what this cookie tastes like. The sweetness of the powdered sugar topping was an added treat. The cookie had walnuts inside which added to the fudgie brownie taste. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Chocolate with a dusting of powdered sugar sweetness! Deliciously moist and chocolatey. Very yummy cookies! Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "Very nice little cookie with maybe just a little too much powdered sugar. Not much to say about it, but it was good. Rating - 4.0"

Drucie: "Not only are they pretty to look at, but they are chocolatey and chewy as well. I'm not a fan of nuts in cookies, so I found the walnuts a little distracting. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.5

Next week - Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Fudge Mallows

Page 211 in the old book / page 235 in the new book

The Cookie Panel has spoken and they've said, no - demanded (think Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors), "CHOCOLATE!" Okay, so I'm still smarting from the panel's utter rejection of my beloved Big Newtons last week, but regardless, this week's scores are shocking. Their first 5.0 ever - and this for a cookie that I thought was only average.

It's appearance certainly is seductive, but these cookies are much too sweet for my taste. The cookie base has good flavor and alone wouldn't be overly sweet. Its texture is sort of blah though - firm but cakey. It is the marshmallow that puts the cookie over the top in sweetness, but on the other hand it also provides a chewy gooeyness that saves the cookie from being truly ordinary.

The cookies are quite easy to make. Maida recommends wetting your hands slightly before rolling the dough into balls (presumably to prevent sticking), but I didn't find that necessary. I used the marshmallows that Whole Foods sells in plastic containers. They're sort of like homemade, and I thought they'd have better texture than the "jet-puffed" variety. Which brings me to this:


I call it "cookie massacre". After baking the cookies you stick half a marshmallow on top of each and put them back in the oven for between one and one and a half minutes. I left mine in about a minute and 10 seconds. They actually didn't look this bad when I first pulled them out of the oven. The marshmallows on one sheet were still perched on top of the cookies. Those on the other sheet had mostly toppled off but had just started to melt. Unfortunately, the marshmallows continued to melt out of the oven. I probably should have slid the paper off the cookie sheets immediately rather than attempting to lift the cookies off individually, but even after the cookies were on the racks, the marshmallow situation got worse. I tried to do damage control for a little while and then just gave up and decided to wait until they cooled. The moral of this story is watch those suckers closely and consider taking them out before you think they're ready. I doubt I'll make these again - but if I did, I'd probably pull them out after 30 seconds or so.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Wow! Yummy! This cookie had everything you could want. The cookie’s texture tasted more like chocolate cake then a cookie. There was a whole pecan in the center. On the top of the cookie was a blob of marshmallow and on top of that a thick blob of deep, rich chocolate fudge. Very sweet, but delicious! I think I've died and gone to heaven. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "A. Maze. Ing! These cookies were very yummy fudgy brownie-like cookies topped with gooey marshmallow and fudge glaze. Terrific! Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "Excellent! Chewy and gooey. One of the best yet. 5.0!!! Just a wee bit sticky but worth it. The marshmallow makes it extra sweet but adds its texture to the chocolate icing above and the chocolate cookie below for a wonderful combination. Rating - 5.0"

Drucie: "These cookies were delicious! Sweet and chocolaty, and the marshmallow was a nice contrast in texture. I really like these cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 5.0

Next week - Chocolate Aggies

Nutrition Facts