cinnamon roll cookies

I have about a million cookies at my house already.  Between my love of baking, cookies the kids made, cookies exchanges, you name it...

So of course I decided to make some more cookies yesterday.  By the way, if you remember that I'm (trying to) keep track of how much I've baked just this December the numbers are as follows:

• about 25 dozen cookies
• 10 pounds of caramels
• 4 batches of marshmallows

and I'm seriously just getting warmed up!  I'm curious what the final count will be now.  

Anyway, I felt like experimenting yesterday and I think I found a winner.  In fact, I can't stop eating these, and I'm usually pretty good at only eating one or two.  I really like this recipe.  It makes soft chewy cookies that taste EXACTLY like a cinnamon roll.  

Start out by making a standard sugar cookie dough.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Take 2/3 of the dough out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured counter.  Leave it and return to the bowl.  Add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and dash of vanilla to the remaining 1/3 dough in the bowl.  Mix well and upturn onto the lightly floured counter next to the other dough.  

Roll both sets of dough out into rectangles of the same size.  I'm TERRIBLE at this.  You can see that from the photos.  I'm just telling you this so you know that it really doesn't matter if your rectangles are perfect.  The cookies will still look good once they're rolled out even if you rectangles are ugly.  I promise.

Gently pick up the cinnamon dough and lay it on top of the original dough.  The dough should both be pretty pliable if you need to shape them a little into matching sizes.

Roll the dough into a log.  If you didn't use enough flour on the counter and the dough sticks a little, you can use a scraper to help un-stick the dough and move it along.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.  If you make this dough up to a few days ahead of time (I love options!) just set the dough on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften.  If you try to cut the dough straight from the fridge it will be too stiff and the two dough sections might separate.

Slice the cookies and place them on parchment covered cookies sheets.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.

Once the cookies come out of the oven you can start making the icing.  When the cookies have cooled drizzle the icing over top, then allow about an hour to dry fully.

The icing takes a while to dry, but once it has you can stack the cookies without smudging the icing.  Yay!

I don't usually frost or ice cookies, they generally don't need it, but please don't forgo the icing here.  First of all, cinnamon roll cookies just aren't the same without it, and I tried a cookie before I iced them (always a must with new recipes) and the crazy amount of cinnamon without the added sweetness of the icing made for a very spicy cookie!  The icing just helps balance the flavors so much.  A necessity.

I like the random icing drizzle, but if you want to get fancy you could drizzle the icing in a spiral or go crazy and cover the entire cookie lightly.

I'm going to have to give these away, because otherwise I'm going to eat them all.  I LOVE cinnamon rolls, and having smaller (and less guilty) versions available anytime I want is very dangerous.

AND, some gratuitous cookie shots...

Cinnamon Roll Cookies
make about 18

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 1/2 tsp
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Icing

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and the egg.
2. Slowly mix in the baking powder and flour.
3. Remove 2/3 of the dough and place on a lightly floured counter.
4. Add the 1/2 tsp vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the remaining dough in the bowl.  Mix well.  Remove the remaining dough onto a lightly floured counter near the first dough.
5. Roll both doughs out into rectangles of matching sizes.  Gently pick up the cinnamon dough and set it on top of the other dough.  Roll up dough and wrap in cellophane.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Slice dough into medallions and place on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  
7. Make the icing and drizzle over the cookies once they've cooled.

cooking with kids

Anything whose met Liam should know how hard it is to get a picture of him standing still and smiling.  This is literally as good as I could get.

I love cooking with Liam.  I love being able to teach him something useful and yummy, while spending time with him.  I know he loves it because I let him pick what we make... we make lots of cookies  :)

Honestly, it only takes a little bit more time to cook with you kids than it does to cook by yourself, unless you kid is in a crazy distructo mode (like flinging flour ALL OVER THE COUNTER).

Don't believe me?  Here are a few pros to teaching your kids to cook:

• kids are more likely to eat food they helped make
• teaches them confidence
• helps math skills
• inspire creativity with new flavor combinations
• learn kitchen safety young
• more exposure to new foods
• don't allow your kid to go off to college only knowing how to make toast
• fun bonding time

I love Wednesdays.  That's the day that my Mom takes Jack for a while and I get some one on one time with Liam.  We can do whatever, but he likes to cook with me.  Mostly because he wants cookies, and he thrives on routine.

This week was chicken for lunch, plus funfetti sugar cookies.

Liam loves chicken, especially breaded baked nugget style.  If he's really hungry though he'll make a seasoned baked breast.  It's faster to make, and if I let him season it himself he eats more of it.  Liam LOVES seasoning his own food.  It means he gets to open all the spice jars and sniff them before picking out which ones he wants.  His favorites are always basil and lavender (luckily not together).  He's really good at picking combos.  Yesterday's chicken was salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic, oregano, basil, paprika, and olive oil.  Just a pinch of each, then baked at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes.  Served with a side of baked potato pieces and garbanzo beans.  Liam's favorite.

decorated by Liam

After lunch it was time for cookies!  I have a HUGE bag full of super fun shaped cookie cutters, which I let Liam go through to pick out a few for the cookies.  He picked a circle.  Seriously.  He did cave and decide to use the fluted circle edge instead of the smooth edge though.  Sometimes I can't decide if Liam is horribly unimaginative with desserts, or just enjoys the fancy classic styles.  Once the cookies baked and cooled Liam decided the frosting should be "the color of Fluttershy's skin".  Okay, light yellow is it.  Yeah, you know you're a parent when you know the colors of all the My Little Ponies.  We jazzed them up with rainbow sprinkles, and Liam's cookie even got sugar eyeballs. 

 

Cooking with kids can be a bit messy, but so rewarding, and I can't recommend it enough.  Even if you are only making peanut butter sandwiches together, try cooking with your kids today.  :)

soft & chewy orange creamsicle cookies

When I bake its for one of three reasons.  I'm happy and baking makes me happier, I NEED cookies, or the kids are driving me crazy and I need to bake to help me relax while the kids are napping.  Yesterday was definitely the latter reason.  Crazy hyper little mess makers.  All morning they were full out bonkers.  So nap time was relaxation time, and okay, I really needed a cookie too!

I'd been wanting to try making an orangesicle cookie for a while now.  I just love the combination of orange and vanilla.

These turned out really well especially since it was my first time trying this new recipe I made up.  I figure if I didn't mess it up on the first try, the recipe must be pretty easy.

The cookies turned out just the way I'd hoped.  Chewy, soft, and full of vanilla and orange goodness.  Excuse me, I think I have to go eat another one right now...

   

Orange Creamsicle Cookies
makes 18 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 Cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract
• zest of 1 small orange
• juice of 1/2 small orange
• 2 1/4 Cups AP flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F.  Cream together butter and sugars.
2. Add in the egg, extracts, zest, and juice one at a time.
3. In a small bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into the large wet bowl.  Add the white chocolate chips.
4. Use a cookie scoop and drop them 6 at a time onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake 13-15 minutes for large cookies, or until edges are golden.
5. Let stand to 5 minutes to cool and set.

Note:  If you kitchen is too warm put the cookie dough in the fridge for 5 minutes before scooping and baking to help the dough firm up a bit.  This will help if your cookies tend to spread out and flatten too much.

surprise! cookies

If you are reading this and it isn't currently Fall, ignore the pumpkin shape.  These cookies are awesome.  They can be made in any shape: pumpkin, star, Christmas tree, heart, circle, etc.  Really, when isn't it a great time to make a cookie that is essentially 2 1/2 cookies stuck together with mini m&ms in the middle?

Use your favorite sugar cookie dough.  I added orange gel color into my cookie dough to make pumpkin cookies.  Roll the dough out thick enough for the cookie to stay together, but thin enough so three cookies stacked will fit into your mouth!

Count how many cut cookies you have and use a pairing knife (or other sharp kitchen tool) to cut out the center of 1/3 of them.  Bake them according to your recipe.

I like my sugar cookies nice and soft, but I kept these in the oven some additional minutes to make sure they were firm enough.  Keep an eye on them.  You don't want them too crunchy.

Once the cookies are out and cooled use royal icing (with optional gel coloring mixed in to match the color of the cookies).  I love this royal icing recipe.  Just pipe out a thin line of icing along the middle of where the cut-out cookie will go over it.

Translation:  Don't pipe icing too close to the edge of the cookie.  When you press the cut-out cookie on top you don't want icing leaking out the sides.

Press the cut-out cookie over the icing on the bottom cookie and fill the hole with mini m&ms.  Don't fill too full though, the top cookie still has to fit on!

Pipe a second line along to top of this cookie and press the top cookie on.  Make sure you are doing this whole process fairly quickly because royal icing hardens quickly.  No worries though, as long as you set up everything you need ahead of time, this entire process should only take minutes.  Easy.

Once the cookies are complete allow them to sit out and harden for a few minutes.  Decide how or if you want to decorate them.  They don't need much because they are already 2 1/2 cookies with candy inside.

I opted for just a basic pumpkin top made with a large dot of green buttercream (I was already using it for another recipe, so it worked out great for me).  My recipe made a dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

My favorite part (or two) about these cookies?  Watching someone bite into it and get a surprise, and the fact that you can easily make them a day in advance.  That just makes parties sooo much easier.

These will last for several days in an airtight container on the counter.

double chocolate coconut zucchini cookies

I love this recipe!  I adapted it from a recipe on Shape magazine's site, so between it that and the zucchini, oats, and whole wheat flour I generally feel okay lying to myself and saying they are healthy cookies.  Well, they are healthy for a cookie, but a cookie is still a rather sugary treat.  So what I'm saying is that I don't feel guilty at all eating two of these in a sitting and as I don't plan on doing that every single day its okay.  I love "logic" that allows me to do things like eat cookies guilt free, or buy a cute pair of shoes...

Mix together the ingredients, minus the zucchini, oats, and coconut flakes.  Then gently mix in the last three ingredients.  Use a packed cookie scoop to transfer the cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheets.  The cookies must be tightly packed to insure the dough stays together.  These cookies are soft and might fall apart otherwise.

I always make sure to place my cookies (no matter the recipe) at least 2-3 inches apart.  Better safe than sorry.  No one wants cookies that are all stuck together.

Yum.  Fresh out of the oven.  This cookie holds its shape pretty well, but is soft.  LET IT SIT UNDISTURBED UNTIL IT HAS COMPLETELY COOLED.  Otherwise it might very well fall apart.

Doesn't that look delicious?  And if you want to serve them to people who might cringe at the thought of eating a "healthy" cookie, they honestly won't be able to tell.  The faint bits of oats and zucchini barely visible here are hard to see without bright direct light.  Just remember to tell yourself not to feel guilty eating these.

The longest these have lasted in our house is a week, and only because I made a double batch!  Store them in an airtight container in a dry cool place.

print recipe

double chocolate coconut zucchini cookies

by Liesl September-21-2014

let's pretend they are healthy, shall we?

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, sugars, cocoa powder, egg whites, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the zucchini, oats, and coconut flakes until barely incorporated.
2. Use a cookie scoop to drop packed scoopfuls of cookie batter onto lined baking sheets. Leave at least 2-3" between cookies. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cookies look just set. Be careful not to overbake. Leave the cookies cool completely before moving as they are very soft.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins 
Total time: 30 mins 

Yield: 2 dozen