BethNH's Reviews
26 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 26Sort by: Title 
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The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook
By King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 2004
Chocolate Crinkles : page 254
Classic chocolate fudge cookie covered in powdered sugar. These taste like a brownie in cookie form with the sugar on giving an extra hint of sweetness.
The dough can be a bit of a pain to come together but once it does it's a very simple cookie.
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Chocolate Wakeups : page 320
I first made these cookies after eating a chili pepper chocolate bar. I was searching for a cookie with the same taste and found it here.
These are thin chocolate wafers with a kick supplied by black and cayenne pepper as well as cinnamon. At first bite, you don't really get the heat but by the second bite everyone wonders what the secret ingredient is.
If you like a little spice in your life you'll be sure to love these cookies.
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Chocolate Whoopie Pies : page 418
In need of something for a concession stand, I decided to make an all time favorite - Whoopie Pies.
I made whoopie pies from a different recipe a few weeks ago but thought I'd try a different one. This batter was actually much looser than the last but was still scoopable and able to hold its shape on the sheet.
I made these much smaller than called for as I didn't thin 5 inch whoopie pies were necessary for anyone. Instead, I used my Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the batter and had enough for 40 cookies (for 20 whoopie pies). I adjusted the baking time to 8 minutes. I then used the same scoop to put in the filling.
I had just enough filling and batter for 20 whoopie pies. Using the cookie scoop for both cookie and filling made this recipe very manageable. All in all, it's a very easy recipe made with common pantry ingredients.
Loved by all!
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Chocolate-Peppermint Snaps : page 52
Tastes like a Girl Scout Thin Mint though it looks nothing like it. Perfect combination of chocolate and mint. Everyone asks for the recipe after they taste them.
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Crisp Molasses Cookies : page 87
Similar to a Gingersnap but with more molasses flavor. Perfect little crispy rounds that go well with a glass of milk or cup of tea.
Can be made just as easily without chilling the dough with no ill effects.
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Fudgy Brownies : page 156
King Arthur lists many variations of brownies in this cookbook including fudgy, cakey, and on-the-fence. I went with the fudgy brownies because I wanted brownies like the ones that come from a mix with the crackly top.
I followed the directions exactly - including the admonition to heat the butter twice (once to melt the butter and again after the sugar is added). I used Bensdorp Dutch Process cocoa which KA sells through their catalog and in their VT store.
The batter was so thick it was difficult to spread but using my wet hands I was able to get it spread nicely. The top is not nice and shiny and crackly like the recipe stated it would be. The brownies are not quite sweet enough either - though with 2 full cups of sugar they should be.
They're fine. We'll eat them. I just wouldn't make them again when there are other brownie recipes to try.
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Fudgy Peanut Butter Squares : page 216
Yummy peanut butter chocolate squares/bars. These start with a peanut buttery crust made crisp by the addition of bakers's ammonia (which is optional). This crust needs to cool and then a fudgy layer is added and baked. Finally, after this layer cools a peanut butter and chocolate "frosting" is added.
You'll want to cut these small as they're quite rich.
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Gingerbread Cookies : page 173
There is little more quintessentially Christmas than Gingerbread cookies.
This particular recipe starts with melted butter to which the sugar and molasses are added. This mixture, along with an egg and the dry ingredients are then mixed together. I found this made the dough come together quite nicely.
The dough sat in the fridge for a couple of hours before we rolled it out. We rolled the cookies to 1/4 inch as specified in the recipe and this made thicker than usual cookies that are chewy rather than crunchy.
The spice level is on the mild side - those who prefer gingerbread with more bite should add more cloves or allspice. The large cookies were baked in 10 minutes while the smaller ones took only 7.
I believe we've found our new gingerbread recipe.
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Maple Walnut Crisps : page 276
Maple-walnut always seems like a Dad flavor to me. When you go for ice cream, the kids order chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or some mixed flavor while Dads order maple-walnut or pistachio or something old-fashioned.
During a visit to the King Arthur store, I picked up some maple extract and was anxious to use it. The cookies themselves use both maple extract and maple syrup in addition to toasted walnuts.
The recipe says to flatten the cookies with a glass but the dough was much too crumbly and dry for that. Instead, I had to keep the cookies as balls. The dough didn't flatten or spread at all in the oven.
Basically, I ended up with cookie balls. Fortunately, the cookies have good maple and walnut flavor.
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Maple Walnut Crisps : page 276
Maple-walnut always seems like a Dad flavor to me. When you go for ice cream, the kids order chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or some mixed flavor while Dads order maple-walnut or pistachio or something old-fashioned.
During a visit to the King Arthur store, I picked up some maple extract and was anxious to use it. The cookies themselves use both maple extract and maple syrup in addition to toasted walnuts.
The recipe says to flatten the cookies with a glass but the dough was much too crumbly and dry for that. Instead, I had to keep the cookies as balls. The dough didn't flatten or spread at all in the oven.
Basically, I ended up with cookie balls. Fortunately, the cookies have good maple and walnut flavor.
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Mocha Mudslides : page 298
Perfect combination of chocolate and coffee flavor!
I made these cookies for my coffee loving middle son. The cookies get the coffee flavor from espresso and the chocolate flavor from cocoa and chocolate chips. The cookie is moist and chewy with great mocha flavor.
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On-The-Fence Brownies : page 158
And the perfect brownie search continues ...
I thought these brownies held real promise - a mix between a fudgy and cakey brownie. I baked them in a 9x9 pan instead of the 13x9 pan called for because I know I like my brownies thick.
This recipe calls for dutch process cocoa and I guess I can now officially say, after many tries, I don't care for dutch process cocoa. The chocolate is too "dark" tasting for my boys and the brownies are just not sweet enough tasting for me. They're also missing that nice shiny crust on top.
They taste fine - in fact, I'm sure others would love them. They're chocolatey and moist. Fudgy and cakey. They're just not what I'm looking for.
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On-the-Fence Molasses Cookies : page 88
This cookbook often gives numerous variations on a single cookie recipe. In this case, there are soft molasses cookies, crisp molasses cookies, and on-the-fence molasses cookies. The texture of these cookies is described as "bendy" - neither crisp nor soft.
While the taste of these cookies is everything you'd expect from a molasses cookie, I can't say they are "bendy". They are crunchy. They don't shatter when you bite them but they do crunch and make crumbs.
They are spicy and delicious and the perfect cookie for a chilly fall evening.
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Peanut Butter Chews : page 98
Perfect little round peanut butter cookies without the normal criss cross normally associated with them.
I was worried about these cookies as I scooped them onto the cookie sheets. Using a Tablespoon cookie scoop, I portioned out this very moist batter. I was worried the cookies would just spread out to a melted peanut butter mess.
Instead the cookies firm up nicely into nice round cookies. The cookies are soft and a bit chewy - not crunchy like regular peanut butter cookies - due to the addition of corn syrup.
A very nice cookie!
Check out the link to the cookie recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.
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Peanut Butter Smoothies : page 192
It's a peanut butter brownie!
Very moist peanut butter bars with chocolate chips in the batter. The top is nice and crackly like a fudgy brownie. Strong but not overwhelming peanut butter flavor.
Very easy to make with only common pantry ingredients.
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Pizzelle : page 432
King Arthur Flour never disappoints. I got a new pizzelle maker for Christmas and knew that this would be my go-to resource for recipes.
The dough itself is super simple to make using only a bowl and a spoon. I used vanilla extract because my children aren't fond of anise. To form the pizzelles I used my Tablespoon cookie scoop.
This pizzelle maker is super fast - 30 seconds per batch - so I had to work fast. In less than 15 minutes I had 30 beautiful pizzelles. They are thin, crispy and delicious.
I'll have to work on my technique to get the dough in just the right place on the plates but I don't really care if the cookies are perfectly shaped for my family.
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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies : page 419
We have a friend who, despite all odds, is celebrating his birthday today. Jim LOVES whoopie pies more than anything so it seemed fitting I shoudl bake some for his birthday.
These Pumpkin whoopie pies seemed like the perfect thing for a mid October baking session. They are flavored with molasses, cloves, ginger and cinnamon and are a beautiful orange color once baked. They are a bit more moist than chocolate whoopie pies and I would recommend baking on parchment paper.
I chose to make the more typical shortening and fluff filling as opposed the the cream cheese filling as I didn't want to have to refrigerate them. I substituted maple extract for vanilla to complete the fall flavors.
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Rocky Road Bars : page 201
Essentially a fudgy brownie with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips on top.
The bars are very moist and chocolatey. Although the marshmallows give a nice Rocky Road flavor, they make cutting the bars pretty difficult. I'd recommend baking these in a foil lined pan so that the entire thing can be removed for cutting.
**The cooking time in the cookbook is wrong - the bars should be baked for 22 minutes before adding the toppings.
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Ruth Wakefield's Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars : page 189
Just like the classic toll house cookie but in bar form.
These are perfect for when you just don't have the time to bake sheets of cookies. You can whip these together, pop them in the oven, and go about your busy day while they cool.
Just don't over bake them or they'll be very dry.
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Scout's Honor PB Sandwiches : page 104
A homemade version of the Girl Scout cookie Do-Si-Dos.
This is a peanut butter-oatmeal drop cookie made with peanut butter, flour and oats which is then sandwiched with a filling made of peanut butter, honey and confectioner's sugar.
This is WAY better than the boxed Girl Scout version and, sadly, way more addictive.
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Sinfully Rich Chocolate Crunch Bars : page 204
These are two stage bars. First an oatmeal, sugar, corn syrup base is baked. Then melted chocolate is poured over this cooled base and nuts are sprinkled on top.
My issues all came after the bars were finished. Even in a non- stick pan that was well greased, these bars did not want to come out of the pan. Cutting through the hardened chocolate and the very chewy oatmeal base was very difficult.
These bars should definitely have been baked on an aluminum foil sleeve parchment paper. I just about ruined my favorite jelly roll pan trying to get these out.
The bars themselves are very rich - not crunchy at all. The base is moist and chewy and very, very sweet. I'd probably like them more if I hadn't had to wrestle with them.
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Snickerdoodles : page 60
This recipe makes the perfect Snickerdoodle. They're light, crispy and have great cinnamon flavor.
I know that traditional Snickerdoodle recipes call for cream of tartar but this one uses baking powder and makes a very crisp cookie.
My middle son's all time favorite cookie.
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Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds : page 251
A very rich brownie like cookie with toffee bits.
These cookies are quite rich and very delicious. Without fail, adults love them. Kids, on the other hand, seem to find them a bit too "adult" tasting.
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The Essential Chewy Sugar Cookie : page 55
I was looking for a cookie recipe that would only use ingredients that I had on hand. Although we generally prefer chocolate in our cookies, I thought a nice sugar cookie would fit the bill tonight.
These cookies are indeed chewy like the title suggests. They are puffy and moist rather than thin and chewy. I'd have liked more chewy and less moist.
The cookies are good. Fine. Definitely not essential.
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The Essential Crunchy Oatmeal Cookie : page 75
Following the baking instructions goes a long way in making these come out well. I misread the temperature for the oven - these bake at a low temperature of 325 - so I burned the first batch.
These are a lovely oatmeal cookie on the thick side - they don't thin out much during baking. They are crunchy but not brittle.
Delicious with chocolate chips added!
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The Essential Peanut Butter Cookie : page 97
The classic peanut butter cookie. It's quite good but every time I make it the dough seems just a tad too dry. I might add just one tablespoon of shortening.
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