39.  Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, pg. 287

This page, by far, is the most disheveled in my copy of MWL, and entirely due to this recipe.  I've made this recipe many times and have rarely been disappointed (minus those few times I tried substituting applesauce for ALL the shortening, and/or using a banana instead of the eggs...remember that one, Mom? :))  This recipe brings together the best of all of the cookie world, in my opinion.  Chocolate, oats, and peanut butter.  Yum.

I almost always use all veg. shortening, though occasionally will split it with butter.  (Never have and never will use lard, as it suggests.  Sick.)  Because I like peanut butter a lot, I typically dump in a very hearty 1/4 c., probably more towards 1/3 c.  Using crunchy peanut butter does make a more dramatic entrance for the PB flavors, but for a more subtle approach, use creamy.

I'm not a huge nut-in-cookie fan, so have never tried adding extra nuts, but I'm sure making this cookie a bit more divine (for you nut fans) will not pose a hardship on your tastebuds.

Baking time seems to be a bit longer -- anywhere from 12-15 minutes from my experience.

Overall: 5 out of 5  A new classic which never fails.

[[Another review from Amanda Maust, who lives and works in the Democratic Republic of Congo! Thanks!!]]

38.  Molasses Crinkles, pg. 290
I have been craving molasses crinkles for some time now but had been unable to find molasses anywhere in DRC.  Although I had been told it could be found in several stores and the market I was unable to actually find any.  Now I'm doubting that it really can be found.

However, a woman that lives on campus has a friend that lives near a sugar refinery and the refinery throws away molasses, which is a biproduct of the refining process.  Waste to some equals deliciousness to me!  Long story short...I procured a liter of molasses for about a buck and thus began a weekend of molasses cooking craziness.

The molasses crinkles in More With Less are wonderful and I have even given out this recipe to several people after making them here.  These are the only things I do differently with the recipe:

-I use butter instead of shortening
-Here I have omitted the ground cloves because I don't have any
-Only bake for 8 minutes if you want a chewy cookie, and I do!

Yum!

30.  Oatmeal Cookie Mix, pg. 286

Because I enjoy having some baked goods around to satisfy my sweet tooth, I figured making this mix might be a good way to have half of the mixing up completed whenever I needed to bake again.

After one attempt at baking, I am a bit disappointed at the final product.  Halving the final combination, I substituted one small banana for one egg (which has been met before with mixed results), dropped in a few chocolate chips, and then followed the rest of the recipe.  The outcome was a never-done cookie that lacked any personality.  The cookies spread out a good bit, and even after baking for over 15 minutes (versus the stated 12), were quite gooey and wouldn't stay together.

So, the verdict isn't out yet.  I think I should try it again, using egg instead of banana, and then I'll give it my final score.  Stay tuned.

Has anyone else ever tried this recipe with different results?

Old Faithful

I will be the first to admit that like many Americans, I am addicted to sugar. The stuff is good. And while, sure, I try to watch how much I eat of it, I tend to gravitate towards making sweets at any chance possible. Recently, I've been borrowing a "Holiday Recipes" book from my mum, with new and exciting recipes that I've never tried (but look easy enough). So, with baking from there AND trying to keep on counting down in MWL, it's always nice to have people to share these treats with, so that I don't end up eating them all myself.

18. Chocolate Chip Cookies, pg. 287

Speaking of cooking "more with more", this recipe packs in all sorts of crazy things! Well...two...I have never made a cookie that used soy flour, so I was excited to see how the taste would differ (if at all). Soy and whole wheat flours change (primarily) the taste of the cookie by giving a bit of a nutty-er, more complex taste. Though they distracted my taste buds at first (with that "pure white" smoothness), after two or three samples (from different cookies...), I found that I was enjoying the complexity. This recipe seems to blend the classic soft-batch approach with almost-healthy. So, if you have the whole wheat and soy flours on hand, I recommend you giving these cookies a try.

Per my experience at the bakery, it's best if you can make the dough a day before and let it do its thing in the fridge overnight. If you're short on time, a few hours would be sufficient in getting a prettier cookie.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5

Almost healthy!

[[ A fine chef herself, Amanda Gross submitted the following review. Thanks, Amanda! ]]

12. Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies, pg. 289

When I heard that my baby brother (turned large, adult male) was coming to visit this weekend, I knew I'd need something yummy and caloric to hold him over between meals. My favorite cookie recipe is a slight adaptation of Whole Wheat Peanut-Butter Cookies (pg. 289). I've made this recipe several times and had to alter it from the beginning.

First off, Ms. Beachy is out of her mind to claim that this recipe yields 5 dozen. When I make them, I get just over 2 dozen of modest, mom-sized cookies (equal to one dozen large, brother-sized cookies).

If you follow the recipe directly, you will find that the result is too dry to form into cookies. I double the water at least. Depending on the creaminess of your PB , you might require more.

And who wants to eat a whole wheat cookie with out chocolate chips? I like to add two generous handfuls of chocolate chips along with a 1/3 cup of walnuts or pecans. For extra yummy cookies, use brown sugar and substitute 1/2 cup oats for 1/2 cup of the flour.

And be careful not to burn them. Place on upper racks and check frequently. The bottom of these cookies get dark fast.

Bake and enjoy.