The Cookie Chronicles 5th Ed.

Cookie #10
November 11, 2011
Coffee Spice Cookie
Dave Dinardi 

Mr. Dave requested this cookie a few weeks ago. It has taken me this long because I've been fighting a flu or a bad cold or something. It has just drained me.  I'm finally feeling better and I knew that we would be seeing Mr. Dave and I wanted to make sure we could deliver the cookies. Here is the thing about our Mr. Dave. He is a great husband to his wife (and my sweet friend) Amy, a fun dad to his 3 children, coaches their sports, was President of the PTA, was my children's favorite Sunday School teacher and he is a dedicated detective for the Daytona Police Department. So, it shouldn't surprise you that he would choose a cookie with coffee as one of its ingredients. Admit it, when you think of law enforcement, you can't help but think about the donuts and coffee consumption that takes place. Now I think that some of that is just Hollywood's perception, but I know this law enforcement friend of ours loves his desserts! Sadly we have been unable to convert Mr. Dave to becoming a Starbucks lover, but we'll never give up. So here we are happy to oblige him with our Coffee Spice Cookies.

I wanted to remind you that you can find this cookie recipe on my kitchen blog Krypton's Kitchen. Please go check it out. I give step by step instructions (with photos) including some of my special twists on how they are prepared. I think you will enjoy just stopping by the kitchen.

So since Pop has moved to his new home, there is no reason to have instant coffee in the house. The last time I made these cookies I had a decaf container of instant coffee because Pop couldn't drink regular. So I had to buy some. Just look at those cute little packets of instant coffee..perfect for recipes that only call for a teaspoon. Disclaimer: I have actually had instant coffee in my home...but it is in a whole different league. I chose not to use it in these cookies because it would require me to dispose of what is leftover from the packet and I couldn't do that. So much easier to buy the cheaper brand and use it for baking and reserve the best for coffee on the go or iced coffee. I was going to share this in my other blog but I think it will fit better here. You want to know what kind of instant coffee is the best...sit back and watch this 9 second clip of pure joy...



So much goes on in my home on a daily basis. As you know I homeschool my children, so when it is baking time, I love that they are with me and can participate in whatever way they want to. However, before they can help with the fun...reading must always be done! So here is Shane..reading his reader while I'm getting my mise en place ready. (Check out the other blog)

In between history, math, reading, and writing oh and remembering our Veterans..baking did get done.
This is one case where I have to say, the batter does taste yummy. Low on sugar, this cookie will totally appeal to coffee lovers, because it doesn't interfere with the sweetening of your coffee. Sometimes, sweet cookies throw off the balance of taste when you are drinking coffee with your cookies. I know some of you understand what I'm talking about..then there are others that are thinking I'm just insane!

This is my Official Taste Tester..Shane..making sure the dough is perfect. I will talk about the dough and give some personal hints about how to make this recipe work in my other blog. You will have to give yourself some time for this cookie, the dough must be refrigerated for a few hours before you can slice them. The final product made the house smell so good.

Here they are above. To taste it alone, my children (except Shane) would prefer a sweeter cookie, but I kid you not, take one bite of this with a cup of coffee..and you will feel like you've left earth and gone to heaven. It is the perfect coffee cookie!

I wanted to throw this little picture in of my adorable little potholders that my precious adopted grandma Carla Sellers made for my 40 birthday a few years ago. You can tell she made them with my superheroes in mind...two identical ones to represent my twins and a one slightly different to represent my Shane. Aren't they sweet? You know, homemade thoughtful gifts are priceless and sweet - we have a dish of Coffee Spice Cookies nicely wrapped for Mr. Dave (we were hoping to surprise him at the station on Friday..but he was called away), I'm sure he'll sit with his plate and a cup of coffee. Hope we got your interest peaked and you will stop by Krypton's Kitchen for more information plus the recipe. Wonder what will fill my cookie jar this coming week? These never made it to the cookie jar...gave them all away this time. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Cookie Chronicles...until then..stay sweet..after all, we all need a little sweet now and then.

The Cookie Chronicles 4th Ed.

Cookie #10
October 28, 2011
Candy Corn Cookie Bark
Lisa's Choice

Found this recipe on The Girl Who Ate Everything's Blog. There are so many wonderful blogs that I love to read. She actually credits another website, so if you are interested feel free to follow the link (she a professional so her photography is beautiful). So the story behind the cookie (there is always a story right?!) is that my son Brendan couldn't choose a cookie because he was "sweeted out" - all because we made these this week too...

Remember, the caramel apples? Well, he really couldn't commit to a cookie and I couldn't let a week go by without inscribing the next edition of The Cookie Chronicles, so I decided to make a different kind of cookie for a harvest party that we will be attending on Monday night.

Take a closer look at these ingredients. This is something that I never ever do....substitute. If a recipe calls for butter, I use butter, if it calls for exact measurements, I use exact measurements. Remember, I'm not a cook, I just love to bake. I could not find almond bark/white chocolate candy melts anywhere local. I mean I'm talking, WalMart, Winn-Dixie, Publix, Target, K-Mart...I had to use what was in my closet..so I had to combine white chocolate baking squares, white chocolate chips, and some white bark. This killed me. My husband laughed at me, my best friend laughed at me, but it really troubled me that I didn't have the exact ingredients. I did however weight the white sweetness on the scale and that was indeed exact. (Also called for the orange colored filling in the oreos..something else I was unable to find.)

The 2nd issue I had with this "cookie" was that it didn't require any baking...I think I'm only good with baking cookies...this was not my thing. My children loved crushing up all the ingredients and even my husband got involved by melting the chocolate, while I consulted the website to follow the "exact" instructions. It was a messy ordeal, but fun and extremely sweet.

Here is the final result. I allowed the children to sample a few pieces of bark and they absolutely loved it - me..not so much. Way too sweet for my liking. I have a feeling it will be a hit among the young people at Monday's party. The final issue with this particular cookie is that it isn't going into my cookie jar. So the jar is empty. Sad isn't it? Feels strange to have this beautiful jar sitting empty. Next week it will be filled again...until then we will talk, ponder and dream about the next pleasurable delight that will fill my glass cookie jar, because after all, we all need a little sweet now and then.

The Cookie Chronicles 3rd Ed.

Cookie #9
October 20, 2011
Chocolaty Drop Cookies
Shane's Choice

I am realizing that chocolate cookies do not photograph well with a smartphone. Someday perhaps I'll invest in a real camera. Anyway, its not about the photography, its about the memories. These cookies are Shane's pick. He actually chose these cookies last time, but I couldn't find mini M&Ms...they sell them at Walmart, just not the food stores. So these cookies were highly anticipated by my cute little rock star of a superhero.

What fun we had planning this day. Our friend Mrs. Michelle came to help me spruce up my blog, you will notice a difference eventually, she is secretly working her magic behind the scenes right now. We cannot have Mrs. Michelle over and not have a party. It is kind of a tradition with my boys. The last time she came, we sat in their mess of a bedroom and had a fantastic party with music, games and a granola bar cake. Good memories. She is a very special lady, and we just love her. You can catch her blog right here.

To make it even more special, it really was her birthday just the day before. So we treated her to flowers and a balloon and Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins, as well as peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I know we really go all out! :) While the boys were pining for her attention I was able to finish the cookies. These may look like really yummy kid friendly cookies, but I must be honest, only one of my children (Shane) really loved them. They are not sickeningly sweet, I think it has more of a dark cocoa flavor..goes very good with coffee. Mr. Incredible loved them, but my twins had no problem saying they were NOT bad cookies, but...not their favorite. The picture below makes me laugh because I totally have another picture of Michelle doing that very thing. It's a sign of love for the cookie...I promise!  

Not sure who will be trying these cookies yet, but I want to update and let you know that last week (after publishing the 2nd Edition), we were able to deliver a butterfly net to another friend as well as a sampling of the Cherry Vanilla Drop Cookies....

..they were a hit! We are thrilled to share the love! That is what it is all about, the memories around the cookies! We have realized that there is always a reason to celebrate. Maybe its not your birthday or a holiday, but it is a new day and it is a day that the Lord has made, so we rejoice in Him and that is reason enough to celebrate. So how are you going to celebrate your day today? Let me know, and in the meantime stay tuned to the next edition of The Cookie Chronicles and remember to celebrate something today...because we all need a little sweet now and then.

The Cookie Chronicles 2nd Ed.

Cookie #8
October 14, 2011
Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies
Kyle's Choice

I really enjoyed making these. I was surprised that Kyle wanted something with fruit in it. He is typically a very "plain" kind of boy. They looked appealing to him. When asked why he chose them, he just said that they look "happy." On this day I purposed to look at everything and choose to see beauty. It is amazing how things change when you make some serious choices. What a "happy" this day was.

I'm not sure why, perhaps it was a highlight of a dim childhood, cherries make me smile. I think my Aunt Dottie use to make me Shirley Temples when I was little. She and my cousin would treat this little pauper child like royalty when they would visit me.
Ah...my mise en place! Enticing ingredients right?

So often when I'm baking I have an audience. I watch the Dinardi children (well two of them) after school. It is good to have a panel of judges...keeps you humble. :)

Everyone gave the warm Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies 5 Smiles!! Of course we made our deliveries around to our neighbors. Sent Shane to do that and he came back with candy. How does he do that? He was just supposed to deliver with a smile....I'm thinking that like any superhero, those eyelashes and dimples just ooze cuteness and they melt people right were they are, not to mention that precious little heart that wants to "love" on everyone! Oh..that is another reason why we are making cookies - to bless our neighbors and be sure we leave an impression of Jesus on them.

Well, finished product. Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies! It was a sweet day...we even ended it with pancakes and sausage for dinner. Stay tuned to the next edition of The Cookie Chronicles and in the meantime think about how you can add a little sugar to your day...because we all need a little sweet now and then.

The Cookie Chronicles - 1st Ed.

Once upon a time, someone gave me a cookie jar that just called out to be displayed. Once my eyes beheld its unique beauty, I new it had to be filled. I was notorious for baking cookies when I was a teacher up north. I would spend 20 hours the Saturday before Christmas break and bake well over 1,500 cookies. In the beginning, I did not have the beautiful Kitchen-Aid....I had a wooden spoon, a bowl and lots of ingredients.

Times have changed. Several years ago, Mr. Incredible purchased a Kitchen-Aid and life became more simple. I continued the tradition of baking every Christmas..tons and tons of cookies. Cookies to share, cookies to eat and cookies to give as gifts. I baked cookies only during Christmas...it was...my thing!

Now that our lives have changed so dramatically here at our home, and since someone gave me a cookie jar that screams..."Fill me up!", the kids and I have decided that we would attempt to make a different cookie every week. I don't know if we will actually accomplish it, but we will certainly have fun trying! So thus begins the Cookie Chronicles. (Silly right?...I just miss writing).

Every cookie was sampled by several people, consistently, and not to be mentioned hereafter, those would be my family and Mr. Dave Dinardi. He appreciates a good cookie..so we make sure he gets at least one from each batch. :)

Cookie #1
August 12, 2011
Oatmeal Scotchies

I had just received the cookie jar as a gift from my best friend and these were the ingredients that I had in the house. Of course Lorrie Blandy sampled many of these. She was with us a lot this particular week. Blessing us by painting the boys rooms and building shelves. Good memories.

Cookie #2
August 18, 2011
Triple Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Kyle's Choice

What can I say, the boy loves chocolate. (Dodger did steal one and then we had to have the talk about how chocolate could be deadly to dogs....we can only hope Dodger was listening..he seemed to be too busy drooling to listen.) We made goodie bags for Lorrie Blandy and our special sister, Ms. Charlotte Sweet (she was in the midst of a challenging group project).

Cookie #3
August 30, 2011
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Shane's Choice
These were by far the #1 favorites...delicious Andes Mints gave this cookie a smooth cool mint flavor, surrounded by decadent chocolate both white and dark! YUM! After the last picture and my husband's comment about how the cookies looked like droppings...I decided against an actual finished product picture here! But did manage to get a unique shot with that very cute little boy in the picture! Our neighbors got to try these. We are good to our neighbors. I was supposed to bring some of these to my Life Transformation Group but I left the baggie on my counter when I left to meet them. They were very disappointed. Ms. Katie did call later in the week to see if there were any left, sadly for her, these were highly loved cookies that just didn't last very long!

Cookie #4
September 7, 2011
Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip
Brendan's Choice
His words exactly...."Why mess with the best Mom!" Both he and Mr. Incredible love these traditional favorites. I'm not sure if it is because of how delicious it is or because it just seems to make tons of them!
Cookie #5
September 25, 2011
Snickerdoodles
Kyle's Choice
Typically a favorite for Christmas, but Kyle loves their crunchy, yet seemingly soft bite and of course that delicate cinnamon sugar combination....Mr. Incredible loves how wonderfully this particular cookies goes with coffee or tea! Did you happen to notice there is a gap in the dates? That would be because the very next day after making Cookie #4 Chocolate Chips, I experienced the worst cluster headache attack that I've ever had. What an ordeal. I was in serious, almost suicidal, pain for almost 2 weeks straight. Even had an adverse reaction to one of the many drugs given to me. I was in no shape to get out of bed, let alone make cookies. UGH! Memories! So I missed two weeks, but that isn't the point. The cookie chronicles reminds me what happened in the gap. Fun huh? Oh and before I forget, Ms. Aleatha and her boys were here when I made these, then after she left Ms. Allison showed up and snagged some for her family too! This makes me smile...remembering my friends stopping by and sharing cookies with them.
Cookie #6
October 1, 2011
Mocha Orange Crinkles
Shane's Choice
What a fun cookie! The delicious combination of orange/chocolate and coffee...you savored each bite and they were beautiful. The dough was made on a Friday and had to be refrigerated overnight. The next day would be Saturday and Brendan's Baptism was the following day. We gave some of these to our new neighbor Ty and our dear friends Mr. & Mrs. Broadway (Mr. Paul & Mrs. Hazel) Mr. Dave Dinardi almost missed out on these, but when there were only 4 left, he picked up his children at my house and was able to snag one before they were gone!
This picture reveals why I love doing cookies every week...it lets me have fun in the kitchen with my superheros. Look at my Shane all disheveled and cute. We are not just making cookies you know...we're making memories!

Cookie #7
October 7, 2011 (My Dad's Birthday-love and miss my Dad-he would have loved these cookies!)
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Brendan's Choice
Just look at those ingredients...how could anyone not want this cookie. The fun part for my superheros is helping to unwrap the chocolate and not get to eat any. There are 36 cookies and 36 candies in a bag. Mom only buys one bag...so there is no eating the peanut butter cups. I however did acquire another bag of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, because as I was rolling the balls I thought I wouldn't have enough candy. So I made an S.O.S. call to Mr. Incredible and he saved the day by stopping and buying more. When I finished making the balls there were exactly 36. (Didn't need the extra candy afterall)...now those extra candies sit in my Lydia bowl and tempt all the children that walk by my entertainment center. The problem with this recipe is that it only makes 36 cookies and you must roll the balls correctly for these to actually work.
Hence the reason for the ruler. I am very particular when baking. I never ever just use a measuring cup..measure cups are always used with knives to level off every single time. Got a lot of comments to this cookie post on Facebook. But it makes me smile nonetheless! My Life Group got to try these. Too bad we had some people absent. They missed great fellowship, and delicious cookies.
I wonder what is next. I'm excited (and I'm probably the only one). So, good for you if you made it all the way through. The next edition of the Cookie Chronicles will only be featuring one cookie. If you need the recipe, just comment and let me know. I'll get it to you. Noticed the I intentionally used the word "need", because we all need a little sweet now and then.