Chocolate Milk Cookies

Not Milk Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Milk Cookies.

I found this recipe on bakingfix.com. Those of you who know me know I cannot leave well enough alone. So when you get to the recipe you will see that there are really 2 of them. The original one and then my 'changed' version.

The weather is cooling off in our area of the country. The leaves are turning beautiful colors. The football games are in full swing. Everyone is wearing sweatshirts and jackets. Some of us like coffee, some tea. But almost everyone I know loves hot chocolate. Rich, creamy, hot and oh so chocolaty. Cold weather = hot chocolate.

So can you think of anything better for a cookie than to make it a Chocolate Milk Cookie? (At least until the next experiment!)

The one thing not in these cookies is marshmallows. I was concerned about that at first. Yes the marshmallows would be a wonderful addition, but these are wonderful without. Just like a cup of hot chocolate, some times you might want a few mini marshmallows on top and other times you don't.

Anyway, I started mixing up the dough. The dough was dry. I mean really dry. I thought it was way to dry as written. I was afraid the cookies would totally crumble apart when touched. So I added an extra egg. With that addition the dough held together quite nicely.

So I didn't have any Quick. But I do have some Campers Cocoa. (I will add the recipe for it at the end.) I love that stuff. 1/3 Cup added to a mug of hot water and you have a cup of hot chocolate. Should work, right? It adds a little dry milk and non-dairy creamer. Nothing wrong with that.

The recipe says to "flatten slightly". The first batch I flattened with a glass dipped in the Campers Cocoa. Worked fine but I thought it could be done a better way. As I'm thinking about it, a light bulb goes off over my head. (like in the cartoons) You know how when you make Snickerdoodles you roll the dough balls in a cinnamon and sugar mixture? I thought that might work using the Campers Cocoa. But I didn't flatten the dough. They did flatten ok by themselves and if you want a little thicker more brownie like cookie that's the way to do it. The next batch I rolled then flattened to see how they would turn out. Just fine too!

Batch #1

Batch #2

Batch #3

Here it is:

Chocolate Milk Cookies


½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup vegetable shortening (3 1/4 oz)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar (I only used 1/4 cup)
¾ cup powdered chocolate drink (Campers Cocoa)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg (2)
3 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment. (I did 350 convection and baked for 13 1/2 minutes)
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, both sugars, and powdered chocolate drink. Blend in vanilla and egg.
3. In a separate bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then add to the first bowl and mix thoroughly. This will be a very dry dough.
4. Scoop dough with a ¼ cup measure ( I used a 1 oz scoop) and place at least 3-inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten lightly.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set with moisture peeking through cracks. Cool.

Campers Cocoa

8 qt box Dry Milk
2 lb Quick
16 oz CoffeeMate (whatever flavor you like)
1 lb Powdered Sugar (use less if you want)

Mix all together in a large bowl. Store in an air tight container.

Put 1/3 cup into a 12 oz mug and fill with hot water.

Italian Wine Cookies

This being September and the first day of Autumn just around the corner, I'm thinking about all the things that I can bake. With cooler temperatures Ron will let me use the oven more. :)

Today happens to be my granddaughter Emma's birthday. She is 4. It is also my Mom's birthday. She is 74. We are having a little party tonight in the garage. (Garage Supper instead of Garage Breakfast) Ron will be grilling Smoked Pork Chops. I will be making Cheesy Potatoes and probably Green Beans with Bacon. But where the baking comes in, my sister Mary will be making and decorating the birthday cakes. So I won't get to bake for the party. :(

But those of you who know me know that won't stop me from baking. I found a couple of recipes that need to be experimented with.

How does Italian Wine Cookies sound? It calls for 1 cup of red wine. How wide open is that?? This could take several batches to see what I like best. And of course I will have to share and find out what my friends like best. And then there is all of those open bottles of wine that can't go to waste. What is a girl to do???

This recipe is actually from an Italian. (Don't you just love the internet?) It had to be converted to American measurements. How much fun is that? I loved looking up the conversions, very interesting. But I'm odd that way. Anyway, here is the Italian Wine Cookies:

3 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Oil
1 Cup Red Wine (or white, or blush)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Raw Sugar

Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the wine and mix with a spoon. Add the oil and mix again. Dough may have to be worked with your hands. (A silicone spatula worked great.) You don't want it to be too sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Notice there is no leavening.)

Dust your counter with a little flour.  (I used a mixture of powdered sugar and corn starch that I had already made up.) Take tablespoon size pieces of dough and form them into a rope. Secure the two ends together to make a doughnut shape. Lay on a parchment covered cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap until you are done forming all of the cookies.

Take each cookie and press gently into the raw sugar and place sugar side up back on the cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for bout 15 to 20 minutes. Till just starting to brown on the edges.

Store in an airtight container. (if they last that long)

OK that's the original recipe. Now for the fun part. I changed out the oil for 1 Cup melted butter. The dough had to stay in the refrigerator longer was all.

The wine that I used was from Santa Maria Winery in Carroll, Ia. The "My Blackberry" wine. I love sweet fruity wines. Right out of the oven the wine flavor is not very pronounced. I think if they sit for at least a few hours or even days the flavor will develop better. (Do you think I can wait that long???) But still, anything with a very light subtle flavor will get lost in these cookies, I would think.

The Italians dip these in their glass of wine. They are a bit crisp and the dunking would soften them up. I will have to try that later tonight.

Here is a picture of the different stages of the cookie. Wine, dough ball, dough rope, formed, dipped in sugar, baked, sampled.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I found a recipe for Cinnamon Roll cookies on the internet. They sound very good. But if you know me at all you know I already have several 'modifications' in mind.

Baking is a science. A recipe is actually a formula. Most of the baking I do is a science experiment. There are many, many failed attempts at a lot of things. The trash can can get pretty full and heavy around here at times. Of course that's only when I can't find taste testers.

Back to the cookies.

3 Cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 T Cinnamon to roll the dough in

Glaze
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 T Milk
1 T melted Butter


Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.

Chill 15 minutes.

On piece of parchment paper, shape 1 tablespoon cinnamon into a line about 5 inches long. Using floured fingers, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a rope 5 inches long. Press one side of dough rope into cinnamon.

On cookie sheet, coil dough rope tightly, cinnamon side facing center, into cinnamon-roll shape. Press end of rope into roll to seal. Repeat with remaining dough. Cookies barely spread…Place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from pan to cooling rack.

Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over warm cookies and allow to cool completely.

Store in an air tight container. If they last that long. Yummy!

I made these exactly like the recipe calls for. They were very good. I would make a half batch more of the frosting though, so they each had a nice coating. That's how I like my cinnamon rolls too. I would also use vanilla bean paste instead of straight vanilla. It just looks tastier! It is tastier too I must say.

Also there is this flavoring called "Buttery Sweet Dough Emulsion". It gives everything I put it in a fuller, richer flavor. It is wonderful stuff. This dough would benefit greatly from it.

I hope you will try these. If you are not a bread baker, these are the next best thing to homemade cinnamon rolls.

Darn I might just have to make another batch so I can get a picture to put on here.