One Christmas, many years ago, when I was volunteering for Camp Trillium, the coordinator made small cookies for all of the volunteers. I have to admit, being the pickiest cookie eater you may ever meet, I almost didn’t try one. They looked like ugly, over baked, firm mounds. I usually prefer thin, chewy cookies. Luckily, I talked myself out of my cookie snobbishness and tried one. They were absolutely addictive! After eating the entire bag within a few minutes, I emailed the coordinator and begged her to share the recipe with me. She said they were called ‘100 good cookies’. I never forgot them, but I didn’t make them until now.
After putting my first batch in the oven, I worried that maybe my palette had changed and that I wouldn’t like them anymore. You’d think I would have learned not to doubt these cookies again. They made it to John’s top 3 favourite cookies list. Several of his co-workers and my sister used the word “addictive” after trying these cookies. John’s manager even said, “Your wife is evil.” as he left his office for the third time to get more. 🙂
These cookies have a bit of everything in them: oats, coconut, Rice Krispies cereal, and toffee bits. But the flavours are so well balanced, that you almost can’t tell what’s in them. The texture is just as varied: crispy, light, and crumbly with chewy specks. Finally, this recipe actually makes 100 cookies, so it’s perfect for bake sales, large parties, pot lucks, cookie exchanges, and holiday gifts. You also have the option of freezing them.
‘100 Good Cookies’ Recipe
makes 100 cookies, but the recipe can be halved; adapted from here
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup, lightly packed, light brown sugar (Note: I used brilliant yellow sugar. Don’t substitute dark brown sugar for this.)
1 large egg
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup large flake oats, pulsed in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until broken into very small pieces
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (Note: I omitted this once and the cookies were still good; they were chewier and had a stronger toffee flavour.)
1 cup toffee bits (Note: I prefer Hershey’s Chipits Skor brand.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (or see here for substitution)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar (if using). Set aside. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated white sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg, oil, and white vinegar (if using) and beat on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula as needed. Then add the Rice Krispies cereal, oats, coconut, and toffee bits and stir on the lowest speed just until combined. On the lowest speed, stir in the flour in 2 or 3 separate additions until well combined.
(Note: The original recipe made about 200 bite-sized cookies and suggested rolling teaspoon-sized dough balls. I prefer slightly larger, 2 bite-sized cookies. Although you could make these cookies even larger, I don’t recommend it, because the texture of these cookies can be a bit crumbly and hence, messy to eat.)
Very gently, scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough (heaping if you prefer larger cookies) and use your finger tips to gently shape it into the rough shape of a ball. Try to keep the dough airy and don’t compress it when shaping it into a ball. Place the ball of dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat this with the remaining dough, placing balls of dough about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven until the edges and bottoms are a nice and light orange brown colour, about 12 minutes. Bake for an extra minute if you want your cookies to be crunchier and harder in texture. Remove them from the oven and allow them to stay on the baking sheet for 3 to 5 more minutes. This will allow the cookies to depuff (i.e. flatten), crisp up more, and firm up for transferring to a cooling rack. Allow them to finish cooling on a cooling rack. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature. These cookies taste best on the day they’re made. Note that although still delicious, the texture gets crunchier and drier after the first day. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or they can be frozen. Simply defrost at room temperature before serving.
Cooking with Alison 