One Cup Cookies

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One cup cookies.  Sounds simple.  And it is.  Or rather they are.  Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies.  They were invented in America and are an undeniably American cookie.  They are not my favorite, not even in the top 5.  Shocking, I know.  I usually like a cookie with more bite and texture.  I like to add a little fiber and nutrition into the cookies when possible by adding a couple of tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran.  No need to go overboard here because well . . . they are cookies.  And it would be nice if they tasted like cookies.  So this recipe for One Cup Cookies is what I consider my version of chocolate chip cookies because they have chocolate chips in them.  That simple minded approach can keep one blissfully happy. Yup.

I have to say I really love this cookie.  I am not sure if they are my favorite, but when I make them I can't stop eating them.  I made them over Halloween to keep everyone from eating too much leftover candy.  It sort of worked.  I cannot remember where this recipe came from but I am sure it was from a magazine or newspaper many years ago. In an early attempt to get organized, I actually took the time to type this recipe up along with a few others although I didn't think the source information was important at the time.  Yes, I have made these cookies a few times.  You may be asking why are they called One Cup Cookies?  Well, it is because the main measuring tool is a dry cup measure.

The basic process of making cookies is to cream the sugar and butter/shortening together, add the eggs, add the dry ingredients, and stir in any additional ingredients.  These cookies are no different.  Easy peasy drop cookies.

Let's get to it.  Make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature, especially the eggs and butter.  Also the peanut butter if you keep it in the refrigerator like I do.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together until it has lightened in color.  You will notice a slight increase in volume.  Add the peanut butter and mix well.

Note on creaming:  Creaming butter/shortening with sugar is a method of incorporating tiny air bubbles into the batter that acts as a leavening agent (like baking powder) when it is cooked.  The tiny air bubbles expand when heated.  Using melted butter would produce a denser cookie, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.  It all has to do with the result that recipe or baker wants.

Add eggs one at a time, blending completely each time. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the flour mixture at a time while slowly mixing until incorporated.

 

Mix in the vanilla.  Stir in the coconut, chocolate pieces, nuts, oatmeal and raisins (and I added two tablespoon of wheat germ).

Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Place heaping teaspoons or use 1 3/8 inch ice cream scoop (as I did here) 2 inches apart.

 Here's looking at you!  That cookie looks like he is ready to jump off of the pan.  Looks devious!

Bake until slightly browned on bottom edges, approximately 11 to 13 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.  You did this already, right?!

Let them cool a couple of minutes on the pan and then move them to cooling rack and allow to cool.  What's left?  Cookies and milk of course!

Notes on possible changes:  Using white sugar ensures a crisper cookie on the edges.  If you substitute brown sugar it is still a great cookie just a bit softer.


I have used natural, Jiff peanut butter and peanut butter I ground myself and they are all good.  The Jiff style PB gives a smoother texture to the cookies but I don't like the hydrogenation or extra sugar so I actually like the natural PB.


The recipe actually calls for dark raisins but I really like golden raisins.  I have also substituted dried cranberries but I really like the golden raisins with this combination of ingredients.   I have used dried cranberries in a different combination that turn out excellent and will blog about them one day.  Hopefully soon, but so many recipes and so little time.


If you like cinnamon or nutmeg, feel free to add some.  My suggestion would be 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or a touch of nutmeg.  I am a cinnamon lover but really like these cookies the way they are.


This is also an easy recipe to cut in half.  Nice.



One Cup Cookies
makes approximately 50 to 60 cookies

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sweet butter
1 cup of smooth peanut butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of sweetened coconut
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup of chopped walnuts, light toasted (or pecans)
1 cup of oatmeal, old fashioned rolled
1 cup of golden raisins
2 tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cream the butter and sugar together until lightened in color.  Mix in the peanut butter until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time until well blended.  Mix the flour and the baking powder together in a bowl and add to the cookie batter one spoon at a time.  Mix in the vanilla. Stir in  the remaining 5 ingredients into a bowl (coconut, chocolate pieces, walnuts, oatmeal, raisins) by hand or with a mixer on lowest setting until incorporated.

Place by heaping teaspoon, or use a small 1 3/8 inch ice cream/cookie scoop,  and place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until lightly browned on bottom edges.  Cookies will not spread much while baking.   Allow to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.  They should be crisp around the edges and soft in the middle.

Enjoy.

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