Walnut Chocolate Circles Cookie Recipe

The walnut chocolate circles cookie recipe has a great rich flavor that is great for dunking in a tall glass of milk or hot cup of coffee!

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely ground

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Vanilla Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

Hardware

Large bowl

Small bowl

Cookie sheets

Plastic wrap

Mixer

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set on medium-high for 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat until combined.

Step 3: Beat in ground nuts.

Step 4: Beat in as much flour as you can with the electric mixer, then stir in remaining flour with spoon.

Step 5: Shape dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-24 hours or until firm enough to slice.

Step 6: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 7: Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Step 8: Cut log into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Step 9: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies look dry. Transfer cookies to cooling surface.

Vanilla Icing:

Step 1: In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and enough milk (1-2 tablespoons) to make drizzling consistency.

Step 2: Drizzle each cookie with icing, let dry.

Makes 40 cookies.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.

8 Favorite Chocolate Cookie Recipes From Around the World - Part 3: India and China.

Here is our third part of "Favorite Chocolate Cookie Recipes from Around the World" series.

Part 3 - "Favorite Chocolate Cookie Recipes" from India and China...

WORLD CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPE - India
"Indian Biscuits"

Here is an Indian chocolate cookie just for fun! It is a sweet cookie recipe with peanut butter and a hint of aromatic coconut.

Makes: 1 to 2 dozen

2 1/2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tbs vanilla essence

2 cups sugar

4 tbs cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 stick butter

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Mix the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and coconut. You should get a crumbly texture.

2. Heat sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a pot over moderate heat. Bring to boil for exactly 1 minute.

3. Pour over oat mixture and stir swiftly.

4. While the cookie mixture is still warm, drop on to waxed paper by the teaspoonfuls.

5. Allow to cool before serving.

Store in airtight container and refrigerate.

WORLD CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPE - China
"Fortune Cookies"

Ok, so the fortune cookies aren't actually from China, but actually originate in the USA. Its roots are from the Chinese New Year and traditional Moon Festival treat, "moon cakes", which were used to conceal messages in the 13th and 14th centuries in China. Thus, a tradition began, where wishes and messages became a popular form of expressing good fortune.

The fortune cookie came about in the US with Chinese railway workers of the great American railways from Nevada to California. These Chinese workers had invented the fortune cookies that we know today, to exchange with each other in replacement of the traditional Chinese moon cakes in celebrating the annual Moon Festival.

Some debate the fortune cookies true origins and whether they were invented by a Chinese or possibilities by a Japanese. But we all agree that today, they make great smiles and fond memories for all.

Makes: about 2 dozen

2 egg

2/3 cup sugar

4 tbs oil

6 tbs water

3 tbs cocoa powder

1/2 cup cornstarch

24 note slips about 1/4 inch wide by 2 1/2 inches long

Method:

1. Write your wishes or messages onto the notes slips. You may wish to write extra slips in case you have leftover batter for more fortune cookies.

2. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F.

3. Mix the water, cornstarch and cocoa together.

4. Beat the eggs and sugar well till it thickens.

5. Mix the oil to the mixture. Add cornstarch mixture with the egg mixture and stir until smooth textured.

6. For each fortune cookie, spoon one tablespoon of batter onto baking sheet and spread with the back of the spoon to a 4 inch large circle. Bake for about 2 minutes, or until bottom side is golden brown.

7. Use a flat metal spatula, gently lift the baked cookie from the edge and flip to bake other side till golden brown.

8. Working swiftly, but carefully, lift the baked cookie from the baking sheet to workbench. Place your fortune note slip in the middle, fold the cookie in half without creasing it.

9. Make the fortune cookie shape by placing the folded edge across the rim of a cup. Pull the ends down towards each other.

10. Place fortune cookie in cupcake tin to hold its shape while it cools down.

Work with maximum two to three cookies at one time as the cookies cook and stiff quickly. Wear cotton gloves for handling hot cookies so you can work faster.

Store in airtight container.

In our "Favorite Chocolate Cookie Recipes from Around the World" series we have recipes from Italy, Vienna, Mexico, United States, Germany and France.

Be sure to look out for all four series.

These recipes make great party favors, theme gifts or treats.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Recipe

The white chocolate raspberry cookie recipe combines the magical duo of white chocolate and raspberries. Truly out of this world! A great one for that special Valentine!

Ingredients

4 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares, chopped.

4 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares, melted

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

3 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares

1/2 teaspoon shortening

Hardware

Large bowl

2 x 1-quart saucepan

Cookie sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2: Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

Step 3: Coarsely chop 4 ounces of white baking bars; set aside.

Step 4: In a 1-quart saucepan, melt 4 ounces of white baking chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly; set aside to cool.

Step 5: In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.

Step 6: Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined.

Step 7: Beat in eggs and melted baking bars until combined.

Step 8: Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour with spoon.

Step 9: Stir in chopped white chocolate baking bars.

Step 10: Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Step 11: Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookie set for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling surface.

Topping:

Step 1 Just before serving, in a 1-quart saucepan melt jam over low heat. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam over each cookie.

Step 2: In another 1-quart saucepan, melt 3 ounces white baking chocolate squares and 1/2 teaspoon of shortening over low heat until smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Using the tines of a fork, drizzle white chocolate over cookies. Let stand until set.

Makes 48 cookies.

Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.

How to Judge a Cookie Recipe Based on Ingredients and Ease of Use

The name is the first thing I notice on a new cookie recipe. Descriptive flavors entice me, especially if it is unusual. Flavors like coffee or rosemary interest me more than a sugar cookie. Not to say that you can't have a lot of fun flavoring up a plain sugar cookie with some interesting spices.

I like to read through the list of ingredients. If the recipe asks for something that I don't have on hand, I ask myself whether it is worth getting. I do try to see if I can make a substitution. I've been known to exchange cottage cheese for sour cream to cut back on the fat. I also like to make spice or extract substitutions. With cookies involving fruit I'll use one berry for another or use figs instead of dates to avoid running to the store. You can create a lot of happy accidents with well-placed substitutions.

If I don't understand the ingredient, I immediately dislike the recipe. For example, a recipe calling for caster sugar, could just as easily say very fine sugar or instruct you to grind up some regular sugar in your food processor. I think of these recipes as a bit snobby. (Caster sugar is used because it dissolves faster and more thoroughly.)

On the other hand, a recipe that asks for corn syrup or a box of cake mix or a can of frosting isn't likely to make the grade either. One reason I bake is to avoid man-made chemicals and overly sweet recipes. If there is a gooey icing involved, then I know they are selling sugar over any real flavor.

Ingredients aren't the only reason to select a cookie or bar recipe. I also like to read how long it takes to bake. Cookies that take longer than 20 minutes or bars that take longer than 35 minutes usually don't make the grade. I don't like using up a lot of electricity for a single recipe, nor do I like to spend a lot of time on just one item.

If the instructions are several pages long, I know I'm in trouble. A cookie most often involves creaming some form of sugar with some form of fat and then adding flour, flavoring and nuts or fruit. I used to avoid cookies that said, "chill overnight." Now I understand that chilling allows the flavorings to spread throughout the dough and solidify it for better baking results. I often make several recipes at once (since the ingredients are so similar) and bake them the next day. Or I will make larger quantities and freeze some of the batter for later use.

Like with anything, there are exceptions. I make cutout cookies at Christmas and over the years I've collected more do-dads for decorating than I'll ever use up. Decorating takes time and some of that sugary icing, but it's just once a year and it looks so festive. Finding a good cutout cookie can be challenging.

So the next time you go rummaging around in your cookbook or go browsing online for a good cookie recipe, ask yourself these questions. Do the ingredients include flavors (other than sugar) that you like? Is it worth going to the store to get special ingredients? Are you truly baking from scratch or just adding more ingredients to a cake mix? Are the instructions easy? How long does it need to bake? And does it require any special pans or tools you may not have? The answers will help you focus on flavor, healthier choices and convenience.

Ultimately, it is the taste of the cookie that determines whether the recipe is a keeper. Don't forget to jot down those that you like, not only for their flavor, but for their ease of use.

Traditional Cookie Recipes - Why Are They Loved So Much?

Long ago, taste and feel of a homemade oatmeal cookie is a very gratifying indulgence. Today, with the so many dessert recipes in thousands of cookbooks everywhere, traditional cookie recipes are every so often set aside.

The way things have change decades after decades also brought dramatic transformation to our old favorite cookies. But how come traditional cookie recipes continued to survive in the ocean of new delectable modern delights? How come traditional mounds of sugary, peanut buttery, chocolatey goodness are still very addicting? There must be something about traditional cookie recipes that makes it so much loved.

Despite the fact that oatmeal cookies are not much considered a favorite these times, old cookie recipes are still among the best, and the reason why? Traditional cookie recipes carry the emblem of the memorable delicious taste and spirit of long ago. Therefore it is proven that sometimes traditions are best! Even the kids today will want to get savvy to make a treat of this wonderful historical taste in their cookie.

If you look around, we are still so used to hearing about the old classic cookie recipes. Pillsbury bake-offs have been existing for over 50 years. Even with the popularity of Splenda today, a lot of people still use the classic brown sugar and wheat pastry flour in place of modern enriched flour. It's also awesome that oatmeal is still remembered a great substitute to contemporary dried ingredients. I feel nostalgic that even though I style my mother's traditional oatmeal recipe into modern dreidels, I still feel close to her arms it's like making the whole thing more delicious.

In my opinion, traditional cookie recipes personify the taste of the old fashioned. The fork pressed edges, the so indulging filling that ranges from raisins to farm-fresh jam, all things carefully made by hand, slower but sure-paced and apron-clad homemakers along with the country smell of fresh-from-the-oven cookies. All these are the extraordinary spices added to traditional cookie dough making the whole wonderful difference.

My best friend bought me old-fashioned chocolate cookies from the oldest bakery in Chicago, once and I swear they brought me back to my childhood! One of the best feelings I've ever had. As soon as I took my first bite of these I immediately thought that they have the taste that I love so much. After thinking that perhaps the ingredients are very similar - butter, sugar and cocoa, I have no idea what makes the cookie so delicious. For some reason I am determined it's the spirit of the cookie's origin being delivered by horse and wagon in 1905, the year my grandfather was born.

If you are like me, you know why traditional cookie recipes are as delicious as they sound. They are a great thing to make with kids today if you have any little hands eager to help in making them. They will enjoy your cookie childhood stories along with eating the dough straight from the bowl! Truly tradition makes a difference.

Do you have a very old cookie recipe that you'd like to share? The world would love it.

How to Make The Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Which Wow Everyone

Cookie baking is fun - particularly when you have simple and easy to bake sugar cookie recipes to follow. But the most enjoyable aspect is the decorating. This is what turns a plain ordinary cookie into an edible work of art. You really are limited only by your imagination.

The first step of course is to make the cookies. There is no creaming butter and sugar involved. The dough is worked in a food processor. Nothing could be easier.

Ingredients you will need:

9 oz / 280 g /2 ½ cups plain / all-purpose flour

5 ½ oz / 170g unsalted butter, chopped

Pinch salt

3 tablespoons caster / superfine sugar

2 egg yolks beaten with 4 tablespoons ice-cold water

Preheat the oven to 400oF / 200oC. Line two baking sheets with parchment or baking paper.

In the bowl of a food processer, process the flour and butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the salt and sugar and process again until just combined, being careful not to overprocess the mixture.

With the motor still running, add the egg yolk mixture and process using the pulse button until it forms a glossy ball.

Remove from processer, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove from the fridge and divide the mixture into smaller portions for rolling. While rolling one portion, keep the remainder refrigerated. Roll the dough out to a ¼ inch / 6 mm thickness. Using cutters, cut out shapes, placing the cutters as close to the edges as possible to minimise the number of times you re-roll the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough, then combine all the leftover dough and re-roll.

Place onto the baking sheets allowing room for spreading and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a golden color.

Remove them from the oven and leave on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes before lifting them onto wire racks to cool.

Allow to cool completely before icing and decorating.

Now comes the fun part, icing and decorating. Glace icing is perfect for this sugar cookie recipe. It can be drizzled over the top or piped into simple designs.

This glace icing recipe is sufficient to ice 24 cookies.

1 cup icing / confectioners sugar

A few drops of vanilla essence

1 tablespoon of hot water

A few drops of food coloring (if required)

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl then add the vanilla essence. Gradually stir in the hot water until the mixture is the consistency of thick cream. Add the water a few drops at a time until you have the desired consistency. If you find you have added too much water and the icing is too runny, simply add more icing sugar.

Spoon a little icing into the centre, then using the back of the spoon, spread out to cover the entire cookie. Glace icing sets very quickly, so if you are adding other decorations, you will need to work quickly before the icing sets.

Glace icing is also extremely versatile. It is perfect for feathering and drizzling.

To create a feathered effect, cover the cookie with icing as above, then pipe several straight parallel lines of icing in a contrasting color across the top. Take a toothpick and draw lines in the opposite direction, gently dragging the color through the icing.

Alternatively, pipe lines of icing, or, if you want to be adventurous, pipe designs over the tops of your cookies.

Really, the possibilities are endless.

Having a large collection of sugar cookie recipes that you can decorate in creative ways is great fun.

Enjoying 'Different' Cookies Through Gourmet Cookie Recipes

Chocolate chip cookies, raisin cookies, or wheat-based cookies are perhaps among the most loved of all time. But for anyone who wants to try something different, gourmet cookie recipes might be the one for them.

As the term suggests, gourmet cookie recipes entail doing something different with the usual recipes people make. The term gourmet is mostly used to high quality cuisine or foods that are prepared with exquisite care or with a unique presentation.

For anyone who wants to bake gourmet cookies, one should be more resourceful and creative so as to distinguish them from the more commonly baked treats such as chocolate chip cookies.

Baking can be quite a delightful surprise if one decides to be a little creative and different with what they want to create.

Cookies are always a wonderful treat especially for kids, but for parents who want to bake something else than chocolate chip cookies, there are recipes they can use to give their kids a different kind of treat.

There are times when some would prefer to have a little 'adventure' with their treats.

One example of a cookie that most people are not aware of is the banana bread cookies. They are easy to bake and a lot different from the cookies that people are used to eating. Banana bread cookies are simple to bake. By just adding bananas that are peeled and mashed in replacement of chocolate chips or chunks, anyone can already enjoy cookies that actually taste like banana bread.

There are also gourmet cookie recipes that include coconuts as the added ingredient. Coconut macaroon cookies are becoming a favourite treat and they are simple to make.

From coconut to bananas, baking gourmet cookies can help anyone use their imagination to create a wonderful delicious treat.

The best thing about these recipes is that they are available online. Thus, learning how to make gourmet cookies is not a lot easier!

Endless Cookie Recipe Variations

Finding great cookie recipe variations always puts a smile on my face. If there's one sweet treat I can't say no too it's a perfectly baked cookie.

In the quest to try new flavors I've found the best thing to do is change a few ingredients instead of trying to re-invent the wheel with a whole new recipe. Simple changes can make your old cookie recipe seem like sometime brand new.

The basic structure shouldn't change but you can play around with different flavors. If your recipe called for equal parts white and brown sugar using only brown sugar will make the cookie much richer. Also using only white sugar will give a softer flavor.

Along with your classic vanilla extract you can add a few teaspoons of your favorite flavored extract or liquor. Almond extract is great for an everyday cookie, lemon gives a nice springtime flavor, brandy extract brings memories of Christmas and peppermint is always refreshing.

Some of my favorite cookie recipe variations begin with the endless varieties of chips available. Subsisting peanut butter, butterscotch or cinnamon chips can make for a whole new cookie experience. Even if you prefer chocolate there are milk, white, dark, semi sweet or mint chocolate chips to choose from.

M&M's or other candy pieces also make a great twist. Think of crushed pieces of peppermint, toffee or your favorite candy and give it a try.

Sliced or chopped nuts add extra crunch along with their distinct flavors. Chopped or crushed almonds, pecans or macadamias nuts are classics for cookies.

Dipping your cookies in tempered chocolate or drizzling them can add another layer of flavor. If you're not into working with chocolate you can make a frosting for your cookies instead.

Frost the bottom of your cookie and slap a second one on and you have a sandwich cookie. Fill two cookies with a scoop of softened ice cream and put them in a freezer for a bit and you have an ice cream sandwich.

Easy Cookie Recipes Make For Fun in the Kitchen

Admit it: You love cookies. I love cookies too, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I mean look - they're tasty, sweet bites of perfection, when they're made right - and that makes for a wonderful meal-ender. If you're like me, then time is at a premium, and you don't have a whole lot of it to spare on recreational things like baking cookies. That's why I'm always on the lookout for easy cookie recipes...in particular, quick easy cookie recipes!

Another reason I look for easy cookie recipes is that I have a 2 ½-year-old son who loves to cook and bake, whether in his own little pretend kitchen (which has an oven, a stove, a sink, and a refrigerator) or for real with Mommy and Daddy. He stands on his step stool and proudly wears his monkey apron to help measure, pour, mix, and whatever else we'll let him do. One of the funniest things is that when he's cooking in his own kitchen, he narrates what he's doing. Take THAT, Next Food Network Star wannabes!

Not too long ago, I found myself searching for some easy sugar cookie recipes, thinking they would be a refreshing change from the usual chocolate chip cookies that we make. Not that there is anything at all wrong with chocolate chip cookies - we all love them at my house - but I figured it would be a good idea to  introduce my son to the wider world of easy cookie recipes that's out there. There are dozens of easy sugar cookie recipes out there on the web, so that's a great place to start.  Even though the Traditional Rolled Sugar Cookies recipe might look like it's complicated, it really does fall into what I would consider an "easy sugar cookie recipes" category. You basically just mix the stuff, stick it in the fridge, then roll it, cut it, and bake it. Of course, the most fun part of making these is the decorating, and since my little guy loves his art projects, we'll go with the edible paint.

In my quest for easy cookie recipes, I've also found some that don't even require baking. They do require some stove top time, but even that is minimal. Now that summer seems to finally be here, this no-bake thing seems like a pretty good idea. Plus, these seem to be super easy cookie recipes, with most of them having the same basic ingredients. My son will still get to help "cook," naturally, even though there isn't a whole lot of cooking involved. He is an excellent mixer, and maybe I'll let him help spoon the cookies onto the cookie sheets. That should be interesting! Messy, but interesting. I sometimes think that the messier he gets, the better day he has had! He is a lot like Adrian Monk (of TV show fame), so I'm sure he'll want to wash his hands at the first possible interlude. That's OK - I think my younger son is heading to be the opposite, so at least I'll have one clean kid!

Turtle Cookie Recipe

The turtle cookie recipe is reminiscent of the well loved confection. A chocolate cookie surrounded by pecans, and topped with melted chocolate and caramel-simply delicious!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

48 round milk chocolate-covered caramels, unwrapped (Rolo brand or Reisen from Werther's candies work great)

Hardware

2 x medium bowls

Cookie sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, soak pecan halves in water while making dough; drain well.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, beat sugar, vanilla extract, and egg with an electric mixer set on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Step 4: Beat in flour and cocoa powder until dough firms.

Step 5: On an ungreased cookie sheet, for each cookie, place 5 pecans to look like the head and legs of a turtle.

Step 6: Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls. Place ball on top of each group of 5 pecans, pressing lightly into pecans with the palm of your hand.

Step 7: Bake 7-10 minutes or until set. Immediately press 1 caramel candy gently on top of each cookie. Let cookie set for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling surface.

The Turtle Cookie Recipe makes about 48 cookies.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.