Show & Tell Friday for October 23

More fall baking...

This has been a busy day with a lot of unusual activity going on... Mr. T had an unexpected day off, so he is using the time to put in a new, more energy-efficient picture window we bought. Then I got a call from an old friend I hadn't heard from in ages. In the midst of this I was doing some baking -- partly because it's been a long time since I've baked cookies, and partly to help warm the house up while the picture window was being changed over. I decided that my show & tell today would have to be my baking!

The cookies on the lower racks here are favorite ones to bake in the fall, probably because they contain both cranberries and pumpkin pie spice.

The photo also shows my favorite stacking racks which make it possible to cool a lot of cookies in a very small space!

Would you like the recipe? I thought you might, so...

CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. apple pie spice OR pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (craisins)
1 cup white chocolate chips

In a large bowl beat the shortening and butter for 30 seconds, till softened. Add the sugars and beat well. Add the eggs and extracts; beat again. Sift together the flour, spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into the shortening mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Drop the mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten each one slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass which has been greased and dipped in sugar. (You will only need to grease it for the first use.) Bake at 375º for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are golden. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies, I think -- I didn't keep track.)

I adapted this from Cook & Tell, my favorite cooking newsletter. Some of my best recipes come from this source.


And the other cookies are chocolate malted cookies.

They contain malted milk powder and milk chocolate chips and also call for semisweet chocolate chunks. I usually use just semisweet chocolate chips in place of the chunks, but this time I happened to have on hand a Lindt Intense Dark chocolate bar, so I chopped it up and put it in the cookies.

The recipe for these? Of course...

CHOCOLATE MALTED COOKIES

1 cup butter-flavor crisco
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup malted milk powder
2 Tblsp. chocolate syrup
1 Tblsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup milk chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; beat for 2 minutes. Add egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Shape into 1” balls and place about 2” apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375º for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies.

I love malted milk flavor, so I think these are the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. The original recipe called for making them larger -- rolling them in 2” balls -- but you will get a lot more cookies this way.


And there's my Show & Tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to My Romantic Home.

Happy Show & Tell Friday! And happy baking, too!