Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Posts Tagged ‘cookie gifts’

Fans of cookies, brownies, and bar cookies alike will delight in the combination of delicious ingredients that make up a Cookie Brownie. It’s simply taking the ingredients of brownies and chocolate chip cookies and turning them into a sort of cake-like cookie brownie, and they make a great, inexpensive gourmet cookie treat!

Here are some recipes. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, simply use any non-stick cake pan. Usually a 13x 9 inch pan will work exactly the same way.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies (from food.com)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/4 cups flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan with foil, and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and 3 of the eggs until smooth. Add the baking soda in pinches. Mix in the flour and stir until smooth. Pour half of the batter into the pan and spread in a thin layer.

Press the chocolate chips into the batter.

Beat the remaining eggs and cocoa into the batter until smooth. Mix in the walnuts. Pour into the pan on top of the first layer and spread evenly.

Bake on the lowest rack for 18 minutes, until the top is dry but the interior is not yet firm.

Store for up to one week, wrapped in plastic.

Cookie Dough Brownies (from tasteofhome.com)

When I take these rich brownies to any get-together, I carry the recipe, too, because it always gets requested. Children of all ages love the tempting "cookie dough" filling. This special treat is typically the first to be gone from the buffet table - even before the entrees!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

FILLING:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

GLAZE:

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and sugar. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in walnuts if desired. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool completely.

For filling, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Spread over the brownies; chill until firm.

For glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over filling. Immediately sprinkle with nuts, pressing down slightly.

Don't forget your friends. Put some of each cookie brownie in a cookie tin and let your friends know that you're thinking of them!

Cookie arrangements are a lovely and delicious idea. What they consist of are cookie pops. They can be sugar or other types of cookies made by you. You simply insert a lollipop stick in each one before you bake it and then you’ll be able to set up a gorgeous arrangement. Cookie arrangements make great gifts for everyone on your list.

First, think about the types of containers you want to give your bouquets in. Coffee mugs or a vase stuffed with oasis floral foam work well. But anything that will support the cookies and allow them to stand up straight is fine, too. You can also arrange your cookies in a flat box like roses. They will make a stunning entrance.

You’ll start by baking your sugar cookies. These are the type of cookies that work best as you can decorate them most beautifully. They are by no means the only cookies you can use and you may even want to include various cookie recipes in your arrangement.

The key is to insert the lollipop stick before baking. Try to do it after the cookies are baked and you risk having a crumbling cookie on your hands. Get the large lolly sticks at your craft store or online. Then you can make a long stemmed bouquet. Or, if you’re planning on using your bouquets for table top favors or displays at a dinner or party, get the smaller sticks and do shorter arrangements.

The whole idea is to make the cookies delicious and lovely. So you’re going to need to think about how you’ll decorate. Buy colorful sanding sugars, icing and a cookie cutter or two that matches the occasion. For Valentine’s Day, you might make heart pops and for Easter you might make egg-shaped cookie pops. It can be reindeer for Christmas or even clovers for St. Patrick’s Day. Get creative, send your dentist cookies shaped like teeth. Now make a list of the colors and shapes you’ll need before setting out to the baking supply or craft store.

Use any recipe you like and then insert the sticks. Simply place a stick in the bottom of each cookie while it is lying flat on the cookie sheet. Don’t try to insert the stick and then move the cookie to the sheet. It will fall apart. Insert the stick part way. You won’t want to have any stick showing out of the top, so just about half way is good.

After the cookies are baked and cooled, decorate them. Then you can start arranging them. Decide if you’ll want to house each individual cookie in a cellophane bag with a ribbon, or just leave it as is as part of the bouquet. If you have to transport or store the cookies, definitely wrap them. But if they’re for an indoor party at your home, there’s no need to wrap them unless they’ll be standing for a few days.

Start arranging the cookies by sticking them into floral foam or Styrofoam placed in the bottom of the container. You can add more or less depending on how full you want your arrangement to be. Then you can decorate the jar or mug any way you like. Paint it or tie ribbon on it. It’s up to you. The more decorative, the better.

Give the bouquet right away before the cookies turn hard and inedible.

Jerry Seinfeld made it famous and New Yorkers have claimed them as their own. The black and white cookie is in a class all by itself. Anyone who has ever eaten one can tell you why.

In an episode called, “The Dinner Party,” Jerry Seinfeld, on his namesake show, eats a black and white cookie while waiting for his friend Elaine to come out of a New York bakery. Jerry likens the cookie to a perfect metaphor for racial harmony. He advises that everyone should “Look to the cookie!” for world peace.

Despite the hilarity of the situation, the cookie has always been a serious New York icon. The iced cookies are simply a circular shortbread, sponge-like cake/cookie that is frosted on one-half of the top in chocolate fondant and the other half in vanilla fondant. The icing is sweet and when combined with the cake-like texture of the cookie, is pure eating delight.

The origin of the black and white cookie is really a mystery. It may have something to do with a cookie called the Half Moon which originated in upstate New York. The cookies look similar, but are actually quite different in texture. So, any stories traced back to the Half Moon fizzle out when held under scrutiny. The mysterious black and white has no definite birth place. But New Yorkers are still crazy about it nonetheless.

The black and white is a bakery favorite in its larger version as well as in its mini version. Grocery stores have tried to emulate that classic flavor and texture, but end up falling short. Perhaps only a hand-made batch of batter can turn out the perfect black and white. Maybe it needs to be made by someone’s Uncle Joe in a basement bakery in Brooklyn to taste right.

Anyone visiting New York City, in addition to seeing the Statue of Liberty and eating a dirty water hot dog from a street vendor should rush to a bakery and grab hold of a luscious black and white cookie. It matters little whether you eat the vanilla or the chocolate side first. One bite and you’ll be hooked. You may require weekly shipments of cookie boxes to your home after that first delicate bite. Or, you can try making them yourself if you dare. Here’s how.

This recipe is from epicurious.com.

Black and White Cookies

For cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

For icings

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 to 2 tablespoons water

• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

Make icings while cookies chill:
Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:
Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

Cookies that are soft are moist and delicious. Cookies that were meant to be soft but have turned hard are a disappointment. To avoid having your gourmet cookies turn out like hockey pucks, follow these guidelines.

First off, get an oven thermometer. Every oven is different and if a recipe says to bake your cookies at 350 degrees, you can’t just assume your stove is an exact 350 degrees when the dial says so. Test it. Make sure the internal temperature matches what it says on the dial. Then you can compensate for it if it’s not accurate. Don’t just stick your cookies in the oven and walk away. Come back eight or nine minutes later and you may find that you have discs as hard as steel that are going to have to end up in the trash.

Another way to get soft cookies is to store them properly. You may bake up the perfect batch but then store them incorrectly. Air will lead to drying out of the cookies. If you want your cookies to stay soft, store them only after they are cooled. Place them in an airtight cookie tin and stick a piece of bread in there with them. The bread will emit moisture that will be absorbed by the sugar in the cookies. That will keep them soft for a little while. Of course they won’t last forever because they have no preservatives in them. And change out the bread every two days or so to ensure that mold won’t grow. But more likely the cookies will be eaten before they can ever go stale!

Be sure to use the freshest ingredients and don’t over bake your cookies. Allow for the fact that they will harden a little when they cool, so take them out before they feel hard in the oven.

Here are some recipes from Allrecipes.com for soft cookies you can whip up today.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Cookies can be so ornate these days that they are actually works of art. If you are interested in creating your own little artistic masterpieces, consider cookie stenciling. Many stencils can be purchased online or in a kitchen store for cookie baking, but you can also make your own. Heart shaped cookies with the words "I Love You" stenciled across them would make a thoughtful valentine's day cookie bouquet.

It’s labor intensive, but fun to make a cookie stencil. Think of the stencils you used as a kid or stencils you see in art stores. You can, in fact, use any stencil that you find. You just need a clean stencil and a clean X-Acto knife to cut the cookie out.

Start with a sugar cookie dough. It’s best not to use a dough that is store bought. Those doughs are designed for slice and bake recipes. They tend to flatten out and burn in the oven if you try to do anything else with them.

Make your cookie dough batter from your favorite recipe. Then let it chill while you create your stencil.

You’re going to need sheets of acetate or vellum which you can find in office supply or discount stores. The acetate sheets are the ones that teachers use for overhead projectors. Vellum is just a clear sheet that artists use. It’s thicker than tissue paper so you can cut it, but you can see what’s underneath much like a tracing paper.

Find a design you like. It can be from a book or from online. Use a design that is not so intricate that you will be cutting until all hours of the night. You want to start with a simple stencil. Maybe a leaf or a bird.

Once you have found your design, print it out. Lay it down on your work surface. If it’s not the right size, you’ll want to reduce or enlarge it now on a copier. Place the acetate or vellum over the image. Trace it with marker. Remove the image and cut it out. Intricate parts of it will need to be cut with the tip of an X-Acto knife, so work on a rubber mat or a cutting board, never your table.

Once the design is cut out, you’ll be placing it on the cookie dough. Round up a ball of cookie dough and then press it flat. Or roll out a big piece so you have a whole sheet to stencil on. Place the stencil on top of the cookie area you want to cut out. Cut out the areas that make the design on stencil. Then cut around in a square or circular shape for the size of the cookie you want. Lift with a spatula carefully and transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake as per your recipe’s instructions.

If you want a less labor intensive way to use a cookie stencil, use food coloring powder and a stencil brush. You can tamp your brush into the powdery food coloring and stamp it onto the cookie directly. Cut the shape of the cookie out with a cookie cutter in a circle or other shape that fits your stencil’s design. Food coloring powders can be found at large craft stores or in cake supply stores.

It’s fun to make stenciled cookies. They’ll look like you spend a long time making them, but actually, once you cut the stamp they are very easy to do. Try cutting out flower shaped cookies and create a beautiful flower cookie arrangement. Have a stencil making party where you and friends get together and make a bunch of stencils. Then you can all trade stencils so everyone gets a chance to go home with a luscious batch of delicious and adorable cookies.

Another version you can do with a stencil is to make ornaments with it. Do the same thing you would with the cookie dough, but use home made salt dough or a baking clay. Of course, you can’t eat them, but they’ll look pretty on your tree or as package ties.