Cookie #61 - South Carolina Puffed Rice Shortbread with Peach Filling

While vacationing in South Carolina, I had some of the best peaches I've ever tasted. 

I've always associated peaches with Georgia, but the peach is also

the state fruit of South Carolina. 

Rice is also one of the major agricultural outputs of the state. 

When I first set out to make this cookie, I intended on just making a shortbread. 

Then I got the idea to integrate peaches in the filling. 

I pressed the shortbread rather thin, making a crispy wafer, and added some peach preserves in between.

My husband loved them, declaring them one of the "top five" cookies I've made. 

The puffed rice in the cookie adds to the crispness of the wafer and the peach preserves bring the necessary sweetness to the party. 

South Carolina Puffed Rice Shortbread Cookies with Peach Filling

1 cup butter

2/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup puffed rice cereal
Peach preserves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in flour until just combined.  Stir in rice cereal.  Don't worry about crushing the cereal too much. 
Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls and place 2" apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Press each cookie flat using either the bottom of a glass or the heal of your hand.*

Bake for 9 minutes.  Don't over bake. 
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Once cool, top half of the cookies with about a teaspoon of peach preserves (or less if your cookies are small).  Top with remaining cookies. 

*This dough is thick enough if you want to roll it out and cut with cookie cutters.  Just don't work the dough too much or you risk it getting tough.

Cookie #56 - Cleo's Oklahoma Buffalo Chip Cookies

I'm so excited about these cookies! 

Why you ask? 

Because they come with a story! 

I LOVE stories!!

This recipe was sent to me by a member of the NSBR message board at Two Peas in a Bucket.  I've been a member of this community for over 7 years.  It's an interesting mix to women (and some men) .  They've offered me some great, and not so great, advice over the years.  They were there with words of encouragement when I was first dealing with my daughters developmental delay.  They make me laugh, they make me cry.  It's a great place and I'm happy to be part of it. 

When I first started this blog, I asked my friends, the "Peas" as they're called, for help coming up with the recipes for the states.  I was so excited when one member sent me this lovely story about her grandmother, Cleo Holloman, who made these cookies for Oklahoma State 75th Anniversary Celebration.  She writes:

"This was my grandmother's recipe that she made for the Oklahoma state 75th anniversary celebration. From what I understand each county extension homemakers group did a special tribute at their county fair booth and she made these cookies. That's one reason the recipe makes so darn many cookies.  She sent these to church camp and 4-H camp with the kids from my hometown as snacks for years as well."

Cleo passed away last September at almost 93-years old. 

When I read this recipe and the story that accompanied it, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that THIS was my Oklahoma cookie.  I can tell you, Cleo's recipe doesn't disappoint. 

These are FANTASTIC cookies.  I made them tonight and the smell of them is still fresh in the air.  I'm fighting the urge to get up and get another one. 

They're sweet and soft in the middle with crunchy edges and, oh yeah, 

THEY ARE HUGE! 

They only advice I received when making these cookies was to make them BIG.  So I did. 

The cookies spread to a whopping 5 or 6"!! 

 

 

Cleo's Oklahoma Buffalo Chip Cookies

2 Sticks margarine (I used butter because I had it on hand)

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups oats

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans

2 cup cornflakes

1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt together butter and shortening. Cream in brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, soda & baking powder. Mix in oats, cornflakes, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans. Mix all together until well combined.

Drop by 1/4 cups full onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  You will only be able to fit 6 cookies per sheet (I used full sized sheet pans).  Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Cookie #12 - Cinnamon Toast Crunch

While researching cereal-themed cookies, I came across this great recipe at Maple <3 Spice, a vegan food blog.  These cookies were just so stinking adorable, I knew I had to adapt them for this experiment.  Sure, I could've gone the vegan route, but hey, I like me some butter.  Some real, delicious, fatty butter.  Yum. 
So, I made some adjustments and topped the shortbread with a crunchy cinnamon topping and sweet drizzle to mimic the cereal. 
The worst part of these cookies is that fact that they take THIRTY MINUTES to bake and the smell of cinnamon goodness wafts through the house calling to you......  You have to be patient.  Trust me.  It's worth it. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup AP flour

Topping: 
2 tbsp turbinado sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg yolk.  Sift together cornstarch and flour, add to butter/sugar/egg.  Form the dough into a log.  Shape the log so it's rounded on one side and straight on the other three.  Using a chopstick (or unsharpened pencil like I did) make two indents on either side of the log towards to rounded top.  Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Slice the cookies into 1/4" slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Whisk powdered sugar and milk together into a thin glaze.  After the cookies cool, drizzle with glaze. 

The picture posted was taken right before baking.  I chilled the dough really well after slicing and before baking and they did not spread at all.  They retained their sliced bread shape perfectly.

Cookie #11 - Corn Pops Cookie

Another entry into my top five cereals is Corn Pops.  I love how they get squishy in milk and how dry, they're slightly sticky. 
I knew I wanted to attempt a cornmeal cookie and I figured it would be the perfect vehicle to try and duplicate that Corn Pop flavor.
I'm happy to announce:  I SUCCEEDED! 
I'm doing to super happy cookie success dance in my living room right now. 
The cookies have the texture of cornbread because of the cornmeal.  I added honey to the mix and topped them with a honey glaze.  The two flavors combined and these cookies taste just like a big bowl of Corn Pops.

So I took this batch of cookies to share with my eager co-workers and I forgot to take a picture. 

Corn Pop Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 tbsp honey

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp honey
2-4 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg and vanilla until well combined.  Add salt, baking powder and cornmeal.  Add flour slowly.  Mix in honey.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown around the edges.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool
For glaze:  whisk sugar, honey and milk together to form a loose glaze.  Spoon over warm cookies.

Cookie #10 - Honey Nut Cheerios

For this cookie, I attempted to capture the sweet, crunchy, nuttiness of the classic Cheerio flavor Honey Nut.  Using a peanut butter cookie as the base, I mixed in some honey, honey-roasted peanuts and, of course, Cheerios.  I used the original oat Cheerios instead of the Honey Nut.  Since I was using the cookie to provide the honey nut flavor, I didn't want to over power it with the Honey Nut Cheerios, too.

My husband enjoyed them, though he felt they were a little dry.  I didn't think so, because I like a drier peanut butter cookie.  When I formed the cookies, I flattened half the batch like a traditional peanut butter cookie and kept the other batch in the ball shape.  Both worked out well.

Honey Nut Cheerio Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups Cheerios

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and honey together.  Mix in egg and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to the butter/egg mixture in batches mixing well after each addition.  Fold in cheerios and peanuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until they just start to turn golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cookie #9 - Raisin Bran Cookies

My husband loves Raisin Bran.  I love watching him try to eat a bowl while Sydney picks the raisins out.  I really wanted this cookie to come out like a soft, chewy, fluffy oatmeal cookie.  Instead, they fell flat.  Literally.  In retrospect, I needed baking powder, not baking soda.  This mistake is the reason I'm doing this experiment - so I learn all the quirks of creating your own cookie recipes.  So I give you the recipe to critique.  The flavor was fantastic - they tasted just like Raisin Bran cereal.  I just need to work on the texture.

Raisin Bran Cookies

1 cup flour

1 cup Raisin Bran
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream together butter and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla.
Add flour, cinnamon and baking soda.  Fold in cereal and raisins.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until done.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I invite any and all constructive criticism to my recipes.  If you have an idea as to why a recipe failed or what might make it better, please feel free to leave me a comment.

Cookie #8 - Froot Loop Cookies

Today's cookie starts a 5 cookie series based on breakfast cereal.  I was inspired by Kellogg's variety pack.  I knew immediately I wanted to make cookies inspired by and, in some cases, using America's favorite breakfast cereals.  I start with Froot Loops.

Definitely in my top five cereals, I love the sweet, fruity taste of Froot Loops.  Imagine my excitement when one of my favorite food blogs, gas●tron●o●my blog featured these Froot Loop cupcakes from The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet by David Hoffman.  I made them that night.  They were fantastic.  The flavor was spot on.  I used that flavor profile and transferred it to a thin, crispy sugar cookie and added a lemon glaze.
The result was a cookie with almost the same texture as a Froot Loop.  My husband is a sucker for any sugary cereal and any thin, crispy cookie. He was in love.  He did think the glaze gave the cookies a little too much sweetness.  Perhaps with the next batch I'll leave out the glaze and place the Froot Loops right on the cookies before baking, just like the cupcakes. 

Froot Loop Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp orange zest

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp taking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup Froot Loops for decoration (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, lemon and orange zest, and vanilla. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Add to butter/egg mixture in small batches whisking well after each addition. 

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

While the cookies are cooling, mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice to make the glaze.  If the glaze is too thin, add more sugar.  Too thick? More lemon juice (or orange juice would work, too)

While the cookies are still slightly warm, pool about a teaspoon of glaze on each cookie and top with a few Froot Loops.