Cookie season!

@sillyheathen do you brown the butter you make it with (assuming you use butter)?

@duodec I surely do! It just adds an extra depth of that caramely goodness.

@duodec @sillyheathen
OMG had a cookie using that (browned butter) from a friend that has a bakery a couple of days ago… It was AMAZING!. Gonna have to try that.

@chienfou @duodec I just put it in a nonstick or stainless steel pan and melt it. As it starts to lose moisture the milk fats start to caramelize. You can see the surface start to almost foam. If you’re doing anything else just turn off the heat at that point and leave it on the stove. The carryover will continue to cook the milk solids. I always make sure to use a rubber spatula to get all the goodness out of the pan. If adding to eggs, make sure you temper them or cool the butter slightly when adding it to your mixture. I usually whisk the sugar, vanilla and eggs together and slowly add the melted butter as I whisk. You just have to be careful not to curdle the egg.

@chienfou @duodec @sillyheathen My favorite is a fresh baked CC cookie washed down with a nice hoppy IPA. Heavenly!

@chienfou @duodec @macromeh I concur! I love IPAs. Granted I’m not a fan if they completely punch you in the face with bitter, especially on the backend. The PNW definitely offers the bounty of the IPA!

@duodec @macromeh @sillyheathen
beer and chocolate go very well together…

@chienfou @sillyheathen
I think I recall it was @Pantheist wife who used to claim the worlds best brown butter chocolate chip cookies but wouldn’t release her recipe. I’ve made a few batches now and again using the Toll House recipe as a baseline but with brown butter and variation on other ingredients and some have turned out incredibly well.

@chienfou @duodec @pantheist @sillyheathen hate to break it to ya, but she’s not my wife anymore. If you wanna find her, you can ask for it, but we don’t talk.

@chienfou @duodec @pantheist I don’t claim to be the world’s best anything!

@werehatrack Both versions sound delicious! I’m going to have to try them.

@Kidsandliz I second this!

@Kidsandliz @sillyheathen
Here’s one of my favorite songs related to that thought.

@Kidsandliz
I’d do a cookie exchange, I’ve always wanted to do one but I don’t have enough friends

@Kidsandliz I will gladly send you cookies or candy!

@ironcheftoni Thanks. I just might take you up on that… But all I can give you in return is thanks though. I am not a fan of cooking.

@ironcheftoni Yummmmmmm !

@ironcheftoni
I’d take toffee instead of cookies

@mike808 Post it again. I’m intrigued.

@metaphore

1 cup all-purpose flour. Don’t sub. It changes the taste and ruins the texture.

1 lb Paradise extra fancy fruit mix. Don’t sub. Other brands just suck.

1 cup pecan pieces or rough chopped. Broken by hand is best, though.

1 cup shredded coconut. Don’t sub for no-fat or unsweetened versions. This recipe needs the fat (coconut oil) from this and the pecans.

1 can sweetened condensed milk. Don’t sub for low-fat or chocolate versions. Eagle brand is best, but store-brands are OK with the same label/ingredients (same grams of fat and sugar are the main ones).

---

Mix in each in order in a large bowl with a silicone spatula (useful for coaxing all of that sweetened condensed milk out of the can). We cut the whole cherries in half with scissors.

Makes 2 full size cookie sheets, 12 cookies each, 4x3.

USE SILICONE BAKING SHEETS! If you don’t have these, just eat the dough before ruining your cookie sheets pans.

Bake at 360 for 25-30 min until golden brown (the sweetened condensed milk carmelizes). Let cool for 5 minutes and peel off onto cooling racks to harden. You’ll find the sweet spot of temp and time for your oven.

Rinse everything (easy cleanup) and make the next batch. Yes, you can lick the spoon or your fingers.

They will absorb humidity from the air, so they will be crunchy right after they cool, but will get chewy overnight or over the next few days if they last that long.

@metaphore @mike808
Where, pray tell, is ‘Paradise extra fancy fruit mix’ found?

@compunaut @metaphore @mike808 https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Fruit-Peel-Mix-Ounce/dp/B003O6EXWI/ref=pd_vtp_3/134-2688656-0768115?pd_rd_w=NL2NI&pf_rd_p=016e3697-91be-4dc2-9533-ef9350e7e73d&pf_rd_r=WJP1XMVS9HZVR6BBY27C&pd_rd_r=9f3fedf7-e113-4278-bbd9-35a7ae6eaef0&pd_rd_wg=kBqfi&pd_rd_i=B003O6EXWI&psc=1

@compunaut @metaphore
My local grocery stores carry it. I’ve seen it at Target as well. It is very seasonal, and it will be in the section with the sweetened condensed milk, nuts, corn syrup, pie fillings, pumpkin, and marshmallows for the holiday baking season.

Also, the fancy mix is not the same as combining the separate containers of the red, yellow, and green candied fruit (usually pineapple). The cut size is different.

Almost always the label cover is also a $0.50 off coupon, so pull it and scan it to save a little.

Also, you want the 1lb size, or 2 of the 8oz variety.
/image paradise fancy fruit mix

@metaphore @mike808 I love that you specify not to sub. I had a friend eat a piece of my cheesecake once. She lost her mind. She thought it was the most amazing thing ever. Then, as if some lightbulb had gone off, she thought I should make a fat free version. Ummmmm no. It’s dessert. There’s an extra S for a reason. You want fat free? Go to the desert. If you don’t want it to be sumptuous, don’t eat dessert. Don’t get me wrong, I adore fresh fruit etc. just don’t mess with the fat because you’re worried about calories. If you don’t want calories, don’t eat it.

@metaphore @sillyheathen
Ingredients and amounts in recipes are sometimes there for a reason. Fat in cookies and pastries is a crucial ingredient. And since this recipe doesn’t have butter or eggs, that makes the fat content in the coconut and pecans critical. Even butter temperatures can have very noticeable effects in pastries, e.g. croissants or phyllo/filo pastries.

I can’t stand when someone gets a recipe I grew up making and eating, makes it for the first time, changes it around “to make it their own”, and then is surprised/disappointed when it comes out like crap.

Unless you really understand a recipe and its ingredients, what is in the dish, how it is prepared and cooked, don’t go fucking around with it. At least the first time you make it.

It’s like people who salt the shit out of their food before tasting it and then complain that everything they eat is too salty.

@metaphore @mike808 you make it sound like SCIENCE or something…… I don’t think most people understand that baking truly is chemistry. I think that’s why it and chocolate/sugar work are my favorite. They’re cruel at times but yield pretty amazing creations if done properly.

@mike808 @sillyheathen I’ve recently gotten into arguments with a friend (that admits they don’t really know how to cook) on how necessary following the directions is when baking. They tried to tell me measuring spoons aren’t vital and that preheating the oven is a scam.
OK dude, go enjoy your poorly seasoned, undercooked, off textured food and gtfo of my kitchen. And you’ll be lucky if I keep sharing cookies.

@metaphore @mike808 honestly I typically use weight when baking. It’s far more precise than volumetric. And yeah, your friend doesn’t deserve your cookies! That ish ABSOLUTELY matters. Just like when I would quote people for custom cakes ans cupcakes and I would get “what? It’s JUST cake!” F you pal. If it’s JUST CAKE, why are you asking me to make it?

@metaphore @sillyheathen
I noted not to sub on the flour because I tried one year to use unbleached flour. Came out with a very off flavor. Tried whole wheat flour next. Same crap outcome.

Just saving some time (and mistakes) for those thinking that subbing potato flour or rice flour or almond flour will be the same. It ain’t. Texture, browning, and taste are all fucked up.

So don’t do it. Check your virtue signaling at the door or put it back in the closet until you’re done making these fabulous cookies as the recipe calls for.

@metaphore @mike808 thanks for the recipe. The boys are going on a scout camping trip in the snow this weekend so the girls and I are going to make shit with lasers and bake cookies. We will definitely be making these bad boys fo sho!

@sillyheathen If im cooking something on the stove, that i can taste and adjust, sure eyeballing spice is the way to go. I break out the scale when im making bread, but for most cookies volume is good enough. So while not the most precise tool, measuring spoons are still worth having/using sometimes.
@mike808 while you’re being overly specific about ingredients, which brand of flour do you use? Because i think king arthur has more gluten in their all purpose than gold medal

@sillyheathen On baking these for a scouting trip. You definitely need to keep a close monitor on the temperature if you’re not cooking in a normal kitchen oven, as in a campfire.

Too hot and all that sugar in the sweetened condensed milk will scorch and burn.

Too low/cool and it won’t really brown or toast the little bit of flour that’s in the dough.

In that Goldilocks temperature (~360 for me), it will take about 30 minutes to get golden brown.

Humidity and altitude will also mess with your baseline Goldlocks temperature for this recipe.

These will definitely be more desired than the GORP/Trail Mix by the kids that try them and figure out they’re the shiznit. And 24 cookies per batch might seem like a lot, but they will disappear faster than you think.

@metaphore @sillyheathen
I’ve been using Gold Medal. It is more available here. The flour really disappears into the mix. It’s really just there to coat the fruit pieces so they don’t stick together and clump before the sweetened condensed milk goes in. That’s why it is first and the fruit mix is second in the recipe.

You don’t have to be exact with the cup. over/under a tablespoon won’t mess it up.

Same for the pecans and the coconut. If you like more or less of either, you can probably vary those by 1/4 to 1/3 cup one way or the other, though if you short one, you should probably give the other a little lagniappe.

That is also what makes the recipe so kid-friendly. Because kids aren’t all that accurate. And they can lick the spoons and bowls and fingers and sample the pecans and coconut and even just eat the raw dough.

Also, when spooning out the cookies, they’re intended to be drop cookies. Just use a big tablespoon, scoop a hunk and a silicone spatula to drop it on the silicone baking sheet. Portion it for 2 sheet pans with 3x4 cookies per pan.

It won’t make a difference which pan is in the upper-middle rack or the lower-middle rack. And you won’t need to rotate them or otherwise mess with them. Set the temp for 360 and the timer for 25 minutes until you’ve dialed in your oven’s time.

@metaphore @sillyheathen
The only real drawback is the cost. The fruit mix is running $10 for the 1lb container. Add in the rest (pecans and coconut), and it probably works out to about $0.80 per cookie. So worth it.

@mike808 what about using parchment paper instead of silicone baking sheets?

@ironcheftoni
The sugar will turn into glue and stick to the parchment like liquid nails.

Silicone baking sheets are the way to go. They’re cheap nowadays.

@ironcheftoni
Try these. Under $10.
GRIDMANN Pro Silicone Baking Mat - Set of 2 Non-Stick Half Sheet (16-1/2" x 11-5/8") Food Safe Tray Pan Liners https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06XX5LYCC

For $12, I like these because they have targets for the cookies.
YORLFE Silicone Baking Mat Set, 2 Pack Non-Stick Silicon Liner for Bake Pans & Rolling with Measurements, Heat Resistant Cookie Sheets for Macaroon/Pastry, 16" x 11.5", Brown) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0791CBL6M

@metaphore @sillyheathen

We will definitely be making these bad boys fo sho!

So, how did they turn out?

@mike808 @sillyheathen I still haven’t had a chance to make them. Haven’t made it to a store yet to pick up the fruit mix but hopefully I make it out while its still in stores. Maybe I can make some before the end of the year.

@mike808 my mom used to make fruitcake cookies but they were were more cakey than cookie and she put bourbon in them And speaking of that, years ago when she was making fruitcake cookies. She had the bourbon measured out in a glass on the counter. My then three year old sister comes into the kitchen. Toddles up on her barstool reaches for the bourbon and take a big swig off it before my mom could grab it away from her. Mom held her breath. Sister had no reaction. Just puts the glass down and said, “Hmm, I don’t like dat wine”. And walks away.

@ironcheftoni @mike808
Out of the mouth of babes…

@ironcheftoni
Costco has silicone mats on sale for $12. I thinknit is a set of 4 in different sizes, though. They look like they have the targets for cookies.

@mike808 i have several sizes. Including a full size pan I use for candy making. Most of the time I prefer parchment because it’s easy clean up

@ironcheftoni @mike808
I’ve got the Costco set. It has a colored border, but no pattern of targets the way I’ve seen it on some others. They work well for a lot of things.

@ironcheftoni @werehatrack
The ones I saw did. They looked like this:

@ironcheftoni @mike808 @werehatrack those are interesting. Are the little ones half size?

@ironcheftoni @tinamarie1974 @werehatrack
That’s what it looks like. Or maybe they’re “fun size”?

@ironcheftoni @mike808 @tinamarie1974 @werehatrack the red and orange are half sheets and the blue and green are quarter sheets.

@mike808 Less fruity that I expected. Will make again.

@metaphore Not bad. Looks like they were a little too “wet”. Maybe more coconut and/or flour to tighten it up. Temp looks right amount of caramelization. Lower the temp 5 or 10 degrees if you like them less “crunchy” on the bottom and more chewy cookie-like. Also, since you’re lowering the temp, you probably need to bump the time another 10 minutes.

Overall, excellent. I’d eat them.

So, any leftovers? That’s the real test.

@mike808 Yeah, I think I should’ve dropped the temp a bit, my second sheet ended up being a bit darker on the bottoms that I would have liked. They did seem a bit on the wet side, but I also had no idea what I was looking for consistency wise.
I’ve only ate like 5 so far.

@metaphore One thing we’ve found with the “fancy mix” is that the whole cherries are too big. So what we do, after adding the fruit mix to the flour and stirring to coat each piece so they don’t stick to each other, is use a pair of kitchen shears and cut the cherries in half or quarters so that they are the same size as the other fruit pieces. Sometimes there is a large piece of fruit that gets cut in half too.

The only way to make it more “fruity” is to use less nuts or coconut, i.e. shift the proportions. If you use too little flour or coconut, they will be a little loose as you’ve noticed. Unfortunately, the fancy fruit mix only comes in 1 lb tubs, although I think I did see 8 oz tubs. It’s still pricey this year at over $10/lb.

The dough won’t come together like a cookie dough that you can shape. They’re drop cookies and the “however they turn out” shape is part of the deal. So if they’re loose, there is too much liquid in the sweetened condensed milk, so adding more dry ingredients to get coated, e.g. an extra 1/4 cup of coconut or pecans, or an extra tablespoon of flour works great.

@mike808 I will admit I used pennent deluxe mix after it was the only mix I could find in 2 stores, the internet did tell me it’s made by the same people as paradise. The cherry pieces weren’t that much larger than everything else so I left them, but there was a number of larger square pieces of fruit I couldn’t identify that I knew I should cut down but didn’t because I was trying to hurry.
I’ll do a few adjustments next time I make them and have a better idea what I’m aiming for.

@metaphore The fruit is most likely pineapple (regardless of the coloring), from what I can tell of the texture and firmness and general attributes.

@rtjhnstn so cool. Thank you for sharing

@rtjhnstn These recipes are from their annual cookie cookbook.

@rtjhnstn @tinamarie1974
OMG - I think I just gained a couple of pounds scanning through those recipes!

@chienfou Yowza!

@chienfou sounds bloody fantastic to me! Capsaicin for the win!

@chienfou
I used that mix with True Orange added (ten packets, and I could have used more) and an additional 6 ounces of chips (I like LOTS of chips). It was pretty good, but I think I’ll start with the scratch recipe next time.

@tinamarie1974 As in chocolate batter with chocolate chips or two types of chocolate?

@sillyheathen chocolate batter and chocolate chips

@tinamarie1974 I’ll be with you in a bit. I do have a fab recipe!

@sillyheathen thank you!!

@tinamarie1974

1 cup/145 grams all-purpose flour
¾ cup/75 grams cocoa powder I prefer dutch or Hershey’s special dark
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons/141 grams unsalted butter, at melted and or browned…
¾ cup/150 grams dark brown sugar
⅔ cup/133 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 Tb coffee - if you have instant it’s easy - it’s not to truly flavor them it just really brings out certain compounds and notes in the chocolate
2 cups/305 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips (I sometimes mix various types)
*also 1/2-1C of toasted pecans is amazeballs in this!

Preheat oven to 350 - I prefer convection
Line two half sheets
Melt/brown butter (make sure you get all the good bits)
Whisk together sugar and butter. Once butter has cooled a little whisk in the egg. Add coffee and vanilla.

Mix together dry ingredients in medium to large mixing bowl. I actually add my chips to the dry because I don’t like overmixing the dough. Make well in center. Put liquid in center. With a spatula, gently fold the ingredients together until it forms a dough. Put in plastic wrap in the fridge for at least an hour. Overnight is better because the flavors really meld.

Portion out cookies and bake for about 10-12 minutes. I usually rotate trays after about 6-7 minutes. Let cool and shove in your face!

@sillyheathen sounds good and simple! Thank you, will let you know how it comes out

@sillyheathen making them this week!!!

@tinamarie1974 can’t wait to see what you think of them. I may make them later today. If there are any adjustments needed I’ll holler at you!

@sillyheathen sounds good. Thanks

@sillyheathen dough is made and is in the fridge overnight. I did cheat and try the dough and it tastes amazing. Can’t wait to try a hot gooey cookie

@tinamarie1974 now I really have to make them tomorrow. I may cheat and not let them rest. kids are home so they won’t last long!

@sillyheathen well I mixed three batches of dough. Will split them with mom and sis tomorrow, however I may have a sample or two fresh out of the oven. Sis will bring what she baked and Sat we will help mom make her cookies. Will be a crazy baking weekend at the TM74 household!

@sillyheathen those cookies are A-MEH-ZING!!! Thank you very much for thr recipe

@tinamarie1974 woohoo! Mine are in the fridge. We lost power before I could bake them so they’ve been marinating for 48 hours. We’re actually headed home from a friend’s place now and praying they fixed the line.

@metaphore Those look good! I need to get that done next week.

@metaphore oatmeal? or ginger cranberry?

@metaphore @mike808 I think I see a chocolate chip

@mike808 @tinamarie1974 chocolate chunk with half the flour being oat flour.

I’m sure everyone’s cookies are lovely but these are the only one I’ve seen in the thread so far that would be put in the front window display of a bakery.

@metaphore @njfan We don’t make the cookies to put on display. They’re made for eating by real people, not fake influencers for their food porn insta channel.

@metaphore @mike808
/youtube hey jealousy

@mike808 @njfan food porn is the best porn

@njfan Eventually, I think someone is gonna weigh in on if they taste as good as they look, as long as they survived shipping.

@mike808 I didn’t know that was a Christmas thing!

@tinamarie1974 It isn’t. Some folks are upset about it too. The season starts on Twelfthnight, or January 6. I’m not complaining because it’s Randazzo’s. Although I’m partial to Haydel’s German Chocolate version. And I won’t say where the true best ones come from these days. Gotta keep it real for just the locals. If you know first-hand what shade of K&B purple is, and know what K & B stands for, then whisper me and I’ll confirm your guess.

@mike808 @tinamarie1974 That’s awesome! And I do miss the K&B and the Schwegmanns! Did you ever get one from Cannatas? I just remembered they had tons of different fillings but it’s been so long that I can’t remember if they had decent dough. Now I might have to order one.

VAN GOGH! MANGO! TANGO! AWESOME!

@mediocrebot just keep those bloody ground squirrels to yourself!

@sillyheathen Please don’t tell me you’re a Tastee Donuts fan…

@sillyheathen

@mike808 killin me with the nostalgia!! Mr Ronnies was always a stop if the hot sign was on! There was also Ernie’s donut king in Amite when I was just a kid and they were amazeballs. I think he opened Navarres and does mostly kind cakes but I’ve never had one from there either. Need to book a trip home in the spring!

@sillyheathen

#kingcakeonastick

/giphy mic drop

@sillyheathen @tinamarie1974
They had Christmas ones too, with red and green.

And apparently someone’s been busy with the gooey butter cakes. I bet the gooey wedding cake is delish.

The finished product. I pull the silicone mat to stop any carryover cooking from the pans. Pinch by the diagonal corners to not burn yourself and make a sling - pull taut to keep the sheet from sagging or dropping your cookies. Lift and carry to a cooling rack.

These were overdone by 5-10 minutes in a preheated 355°F oven timer set for 25 minutes.

@mike808 I got everything but the fruitcake mix to make them this weekend. I “should” have picked it up last week on the way back from Austin. Stopped at a grocery store in the middle of no where for a potty stop. Saw it and said, oh I’ll find it in DFW. Yeah, right… Walmart is iffy or at least the neighborhood markets are, Kroger has only their brand. There’s a Tom Thumb on the way back from the post office. I’m trying that today.

Oh and it was only $7 for a pound… shoulda, coulda, woulda.

@Tiamat114 So pretty!

@mike808 my dad swears by this one ( I don’t eat FC, so I have no opinion)

https://www.trappistmonks.com/

@tinamarie1974 Looks similar, but a bit skimpy on the pecans.

@mike808
They had plenty of the sliced ones at the outlet out on the freeway when I dropped by. Maybe it’s just the online site that’s out of stock.

OBTW, soaking it in some Captain Morgan Coconut Rum works really well.

@mike808 @werehatrack Coconut rum sounds like a great idea!

@mike808 Many of the Grocery stores in DFW stock these for the holidays. Collin Street has only started selling outside of their stores just a few years ago.

Made the fruitcake cookies last night. I compared your recipe to several others that were similar. Added a splash of vanilla and baked in a silicone mini muffin pan at 300 for 25 minutes and they turned out perfect. Hoping my fruitcake loving relatives like them.

@ironcheftoni No first-hand taste testing for quality control? I’m suprised you got much browning/caramelization at 300 for so short a time. Maybe the mini-muffin pan being smaller cooks them faster. Mine are pretty large for a cookie, and smaller cookies means more work/batches, in my experience.

@mike808 here they are. Mom deemed them good

@ironcheftoni I do like that you get a bunch more than my drop method, and they’re uniform in portions. Looks like you get 36 vs 24.

Mom clearly has a refined and discerning palate.

@mike808 I used a #50 disher to scoop them out. Several were eaten before this photo was taken. I think I ended up with almost 4 dozen. Using the mini muffin tin and a brownie bite pan. Which is why some look a little square.

@ironcheftoni You know that if you take a recipe with 24 portions and turn it into 48, you’ll just eat twice as many.