Malted milk powder is probably most commonly known as being an ingredient in malts (malted milk shakes) and in the chocolates, Maltesers or Whoppers.  It can also be used in homemade pancakes, waffles, ice cream or gelato, hot chocolate, cake, and cookies, etc.  In our home, we grew up with the malted milk drink, Horlicks.  As an infrequent treat before bed time, my dad would make it for us with boiling water or hot milk and sugar.  Once in a blue moon, he would randomly call out, “Who wants Horlicks?”, and we would all yell, very excitedly, “I do! I do!”.  You see, we lived in, for the most part, a junk food and sugar free home.  To this day, I still get a little bit excited every time I decide that I deserve a hot cup of Horlicks, but it never tastes as good as when my dad makes it.  I associate malt drinks with comfort and I’m loving experimenting with malted milk in baked goods.

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I love the texture of these cookies; they’re soft and chewy without being heavy or dense.  They’re the perfect spring or summer cookie; bring them to a picnic, tea party, bbq, or the beach.  I have posted 2 versions of this cookie.  The first one is plain with the option to add a hint of lemon.  This simple sugar cookie is perfect for when you need something in a pinch, because you [probably] already have all of the ingredients on hand.  The second variation (my preference) is a lime and coconut sugar cookie that has a lovely subtle flavour.  Try experimenting with other combinations like orange and cardamom!

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These cookies are delicate, light, and beautiful.  The cornmeal lends a wonderful crisp and crunchy texture.  I like to think that using a bit of cornmeal makes them healthier too.    If you use craisins (see photos below), these would be perfect for the holidays (ie. for entertaining, gifts, cookie exchanges).  I love these cookies and everyone that tried them loved them too.

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These are bite sized, deliciously soft and chewy, chocolate and peanut butter treats that are similar to Hershey’s peanut butter and chocolate kiss cookies (recipe here).  I made them for a hockey night, a birthday lunch, and for Valentine’s day when Reese’s released heart shaped mini peanut butter cups.  These would be great for picnics, pot lucks or cookie exchanges.

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A few months ago, my sister requested ginger molasses cookies or gingersnaps, so I did some recipe testing and discovered the best recipe just in time for the holidays.  All of the other cookies that I made tasted fine, but none of them blew me away.  This recipe, however, produced the most amazing crunchy and chewy texture.  Everyone that tried them Loved them.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ed and Krystal eat so many cookies in one sitting.  Furthermore, my housemate – who is as critical as I am about food – asked for the recipe; and my little brother – whom I almost never hear from – texted me just to say, and I quote, “Man Alison, great cookies”.  That may have been the best compliment I have ever received. 

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When I test recipes, it usually takes between 3 and 15 trials before I declare a favourite [and put an end to the obsession].  But when I tried Gina DePalma’s sugar cookie recipe, I couldn’t imagine myself feeling compelled to try another sugar cookie recipe ever again.  Gina DePalma is an award winning pastry chef that worked at Mario Batali’s Babbo Restaurant in New York City.

My family is usually indifferent to cookies, but when I presented them with these over last year’s holidays, they devoured them and requested hundreds more.  I baked them 3 more batches before having to cut them off, despite their pleading.  They’ve asked a few more times over the past year, and I’ve insisted that they wait until the next holiday season.  But now that the holidays are fast approaching, and I am very busy with work and courses, I’ve decided to dedicate my [little] free time to trying all new recipes this year.  So I’m posting this recipe without a photo (for now), because I just had to share it.  It is so good that I’d hate for you and your families to miss out too.

These thin cookies are delicate and crispy with the perfect amount of sweetness, so they are meant to be enjoyed plain.  If you’re looking to decorate cookies, I suggest using this sugar cookie recipe instead, as it will withstand the royal icing much better (recipes here).

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I have been trying, and been disappointed by, shortbread cookie recipes for years.  Jamie Oliver finally put an end to my search.  His self proclaimed, Best Shortbread in the World really is the best homemade shortbread that I’ve ever made or tasted.

If you’ve ever made shortbread cookies, you know that All of the recipes call for cornstarch.  But I’ve discovered that the secret to shortbread cookies is to use anything but.  This recipe works well with semolina or corn flour.  Note that corn flour is not the same thing as cornstarch.  Semolina and corn flour give the cookies a firmer, crunchier texture with a lot more flavour.  For the sake of recipe testing, I tried this recipe using cornstarch and the cookies were inedible in comparison.  Now that I’ve found my favourite base recipe, I can’t wait to experiment with variations like dried apricot, citrus zest, chocolate dips, etc.

Note:  I used an 8″ x 8″ pan by accident for the latest batch of cookies (shown above).  A 9″ x 9″ pan is suggested, and I highly recommend sticking to that.  Otherwise, the cookies are too thick (as shown above), take longer to bake, and turn out slightly dry on the bottom but crumbly on the top.  The cookies I made using a 9″ x 9″ pan turned out beautifully.

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During my search for my favourite oatmeal raisin cookies (recipe here), I came up with a buttery, chewy, oatmeal cookie base.  So I adapted that recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in 2 ways – a standard cookie that’s thick and healthier and another one that’s thin and not so healthy.  Both recipes make chewy cookies but the second recipe makes great crunchy cookies too.

The first recipe below makes cookies that are on the thin side (the way I like them).  They’re buttery and chewy in the middle with beautifully crisp edges.  The second recipe makes cookies that are healthier, heartier (ie. “oatier”), and thicker.  They can be made chewy or crunchy to suit your preference.  Both recipes have received great reviews but I personally like the first recipe (the less healthy one) a lot more [of course]. 

Check out my tips for baking cookies.

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I used to get anxious about baking cookies because it was a guaranteed Fail for years.  But I finally got the hang of it by pushing my way through more than a dozen different peanut butter cookie recipes over a short period of time.  Here’s a link to my tips for baking cookies.  After I recovered from baking peanut butter cookies, I took on a mission to find my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I love cookies that are chewy in the middle with crunchy edges.  I tried 13 different recipes before I declared 2 of them the best.

Both of the recipes that I’ve posted below will give you beautifully chewy and crunchy chocolate chip cookies.  If you like your cookies crunchy, the second recipe makes excellent crunchy cookies if you make them smaller or add an extra minute or two to the baking time.  The first recipe is the one I use when I want to make a large batch quickly and easily.  The second recipe is unique in that it uses browned butter.  I prefer the flavour of the first recipe but I prefer the texture of the second recipe.  Also note that cookies from the second recipe taste better on the second day compared to cookies made from the first recipe.  Both make excellent cookies but the second recipe requires a bit more time and work.  Also, the second recipe doesn’t make as many cookies as the first one.

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For the longest time, I was horribly defeated every time I tried to bake cookies.  But through batch after batch (to the power of an insanely large number) of trial and error, I figured out the following basics for baking cookies.  It took me a Very long time, Much work and even more butter, but I can finally say that I think I’ve got it.    Hopefully you’ll find these tips helpful.  Keep in mind they’re more geared towards baking cookies that are chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside because that’s how I like my cookies.

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Most people call these Peanut Butter Blossoms and they are Very Very good.  These are my favourite peanut butter cookies and I’ve tried 13 different peanut butter cookie recipes.  There are many different kinds of Hershey’s kisses, so use your favourite.  I imagine these would taste great with the caramel kisses (available in the USA) or Rolo’s.  I made these for a baby shower and even though there were several other desserts, not a single one of these cookies made it home with me.  I’ve tried this recipe using shortening, butter, and a mixture of both.  All of these options work well, but I prefer using half shortening for the texture and half butter for the flavour.

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