MDBD - Carrot Cake Cookies

This was probably my favorite MDBD we have had so far. The actual experience of bake day was not so great. Zoey tried to stick her finger in the batter ... while the mixer was going. Thankfully she didn't get it caught in the beaters. Despite that, and the fit that followed, it's still my favorite MDBD. Why? Because it involved carrot cake themed cookies! I love carrot cake!!!! I found this heaven sent recipe at A Whisk & A Prayer

Carrot Cake Cookies!!!!!!!

Lots of ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)

Cream Cheese Frosting ( I used canned)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside.

Combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until well combined.

Here is where Zoey stuck her finger in. Letting her help scrap was not a good idea.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; stir to combine.

 Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended.

Mix in oats and carrots.

Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour. (I skipped this step cuz I'm impatient).

 Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled completely, spread cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. 

Sandwich together with a second cookie. 

Original Source Picture

I opted not to use the frosting and make sandwich cookies. Mainly because I knew that a sandwich cookie would mean I would eat twice as many cookies. However, Scott took the frosting to work and said they were really good that way. 

 Final Ranking (1-10)
     1= Throw Directly in the Trash
     5= Not Bad, but Not Great
     10= Best Thing I've Ever Eaten

Scott: 9 (It was like a really soft oatmeal cookie, and with the cream cheese frosting they were fantastarific)

Kristin:9 (I thought about giving these a 10, but I'm not sure I can say it the best thing I've eaten, but pretty dang close. The carrot cake flavor was actually pretty subtle, so it wasn't just that. These cookies were just awesome!!!!)

 

MDBD - Coffee Cake Cookies

I am behind on blog posts, so this MDBD actually took place two weeks ago. I love me some coffee cake, so when I saw this recipe for Coffee Cake Cookies on Pinterest I was intrigued. The recipe was pinned from Cookies & Cups

Coffee Cake Cookies

Our Ingredients

 INGREDIENTS:

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 2/3 cup flour 

Cookies 

10 Tbsp butter 

1/3 cup shortening 

1 cup light brown sugar 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

2 eggs 

2 tsp vanilla 

2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

3 1/3 cup flour 

optional ~ 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner. Set aside.
Mix all the crumb ingredients together in a medium bowl and cut together with a pastry cutter or a fork until evenly mixed. Refrigerate while making cookie dough.

(You will be fine if you decide to cut the ingredients in half and maybe even in half again. This makes a lot of crumb topping. However, I did find that for some reason mine didn't really ball up like crumb topping normally does. It was more of a dust consistency)

Before I used any

After I had made all the cookies

 Mix together butter, shortening and both sugars for 1-2 minutes on medium speed.

Add in cinnamon, eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until evenly combined.
Turn mixer to low and mix in baking powder, salt and flour, mixing until dough comes together.
Scoop cookies out, using a cookie scoop or spoon (about 3 Tablespoons) and place on lined cookie sheet. If using a spoon, form the dough into rounded balls.
Make an indentation in the center of the cookie dough.

I had some difficulty using a spoon to do this, so I just used my thumb

Scoop at least 1 Tablespoon of Crumb Topping into the center of the dough pressing lightly to stick.
Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until edges start to get golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes on cookie sheet, then transferring to a wire rack.
Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Final Product

 Final Ranking (1-10)
     1= Throw Directly in the Trash
     5= Not Bad, but Not Great
     10= Best Thing I've Ever Eaten

Scott: 6 (He had a hard time remembering them, so obviously they weren't outstanding. They were cookies but he ate them for breakfast)

Kristin:6 (At first I wasn't really a fan. It took a bit to get used to the fact that these aren't as sweet as traditional cookies. I also would say they were better the next day)

MDBD - Peanut Butter Cookies with Butterfingers

It didn't take long, but I got sick of making cupcakes, so this past week we went back to making cookies.  I've noticed that I tend to be drawn to candy themed recipes and this week was no exception. We made Peanut Butter Cookies with Butterfingers from a recipe I found at Chocolate, Chocolate and More

Peanut Butter Cookies with Butterfingers

Our Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
8 snack size Butterfinger bars, chopped (I used 2 boxes of Butterfinger Bites cuz it was cheaper that way and didn't leave me with leftover temptation)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Stir together flour, soda and salt and set aside

 In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 30 seconds, just to cream it a bit 

Add sugars and peanut butter

Beat until fluffy

 Add in egg and vanilla, beat well

 Add flour mixture and mix until all combined

Now fold in your chopped Butterfinger bars

Shape dough into 1-inch balls then roll balls in granulated sugar

 Place on ungreased cookie sheet and crisscross with a fork

 Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 9-10 minutes

Zoey's version of double fisting it

This is what happens when you forget to crisscross your cookies before baking. I ended up smooshing them down and cooking for a few more minutes. They turned out a little funky. 

This is how they are supposed to look

Original source photo

 Final Ranking (1-10)
     1= Throw Directly in the Trash
     5= Not Bad, but Not Great
     10= Best Thing I've Ever Eaten

Scott: 5 (Butterfinger candy does not survive baking with any flavor)

Kristin:4 (I agree with Scott regarding the Butterfinger. They just didn't live up to expectations. The cookie itself was also a little hard for my taste, even when I tried cooking it less)