Cooking Baking Extravaganza

Allow me to apologize for the length of time between this post and the last, but this week marks the last week of the semester, and we all know how that goes. In addition to wrapping up this semester, I'm training for numerous races, including a triathlon which is coming up in just a couple weeks and two races back-to-back this coming weekend. To further add to the list, I'm still working part time. Needless to say, things are hectic!

To combat the insanity of these past couple weeks, I decided to add even more activities to my schedule by baking not one, but three batches of cookies a couple of days ago. I know that more cookies have been baked by a single person in one day, but I felt pretty accomplished cranking out three batches in an eight hour span considering my to do list at the time (I spent the day alternating between making batches of cookies and completing homework assignments). I even tried a new recipe! Now, on to what you're waiting for: cookies!

The trio of doughs ready to be baked!

The first batch I made was found on the wonderful blog, How Sweet Treats. I am seriously impressed with what this woman creates (thanks to my cousin Lily for introducing me to this gem). Naturally, I had to try out one of her recipes. Since we just happen to have a large, seldom used bottle of Bailey's in the house, I decided to try her double fudge Irish cream cookies. I know Saint Patrick's Day is over, but who cares? Bailey's is undeniably delicious and it could only taste better in a cookie!

Getting the party started

Bailey's dough ready to go

Fresh out of the oven, yummmm!

For these cookies I used the recipe from the How Sweet Treats blog, which you can find here. I made a couple of my own modifications though:
1. I didn't add white chocolate chips because I have yet to find any that are free of hydrogenated oils, and half of my goal here is to produce treats without too many horribly unhealthy ingredients. I just substituted for the white chips with semi-sweet milk chocolate chips.
2. We do not have any instant coffee in the house and there is nothing I despise more than having to run to the store (I basically live on top of a mountain where what others know as a quick run to the store takes a minimum of 40 minutes because of driving time) for just one semi-crucial ingredient. So I just omitted the instant coffee. This probably would've given these cookies the extra kick that they needed...
3. We have chocolate-covered coffee beans, which I meant to stick on top of these, but I completely spaced. Just an idea for the future if any of you have chocolate-covered coffee beans and want to try it. I will remember to do this next time!


Overall, I'd say these cookies turned out well given the modifications that I made. At first I thought these cookies were kind of bland, then I loved them, and then I thought they were bland again. I couldn't make up my mind with these! You'll just have to try them for yourself.


The next cookie added to the trio was the obligatory monster cookie. I halved the recipe, which always leaves me a little dissatisfied because it is difficult to halve (the proportions are always a little off). These cookies are also temperature sensitive: if the dough is too warm before they go in the oven they spread like crazy, but if the dough is chilled for too long they don't spread enough and come out looking like muffins. The dough wasn't cold enough prior to baking so these spread a little more than I would have liked. Luckily spreading is mostly just an aesthetic issue; they still tasted amazing.

Stack of flattened monster cookies

Lastly, I decided on oatmeal raisin cookies. I could probably count all of the times that I've made oatmeal raisin cookies on one hand. I have no idea why I hardly ever make these cookies, because they aren't any less delicious than any other cookie out there. I guess that depends on who you ask, but personally, I have nothing against oatmeal raisin cookies. So I decided to make these cookies the last members of the cookie trio. They turned out quite well.

Oatmeal raisin cookies cooling off

Here's the recipe I used for these oatmeal raisin cookies:

• 1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups oats (I use Quaker old-fashioned, none of that instant stuff)
• 1 cup raisins (I would recommend adding a little more, I felt like these could have used a few more raisins) 

Bake 8 to 12 minutes at 350, until golden brown.

Cookie trio at the end of the day

Monster Cookies

Many of you will be disappointed by this post because I am going to omit the recipe. The reason for this is that I believe the monster cookie may be my secret weapon, or perhaps even my trademark cookie, someday in the future at Beluga Bakery...

For my paternal family members, this is a familiar treat. I remember visiting my grandparents in Montana when I was little, hoping that someone would make these cookies because they were so, so amazing. My father has nine siblings, so when the family gets together we spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing large meals. The same goes for baking; every time the family got together it was guaranteed that someone would spend a good chunk of time baking up enough cookies to serve the Tranel clan. These cookies were always a go-to not only because they were delicious, but also because they yielded four dozen (!) aka enough to serve a giant family like ours. I have many memories of sitting in the back of the family van while taking a break from ice skating on some remote frozen lake, monster cookie in hand. These cookies defined my childhood experiences in Montana.
As I became more interested in baking I finally asked my grandmother for the recipe. From that moment on I've made these irresistible "garbage can" cookies. When I say "garbage can" I don't mean it in a disgusting sense, but it in the same sense that you'd refer to something like hornblende. For those of you who haven't been spending four hours every Friday in a geology lab, it's a lot of things mixed in together (peanut butter, m&ms, chocolate chips, oatmeal, and more). I'm not entirely sure of the origin of this recipe. All I know is that I copied it down when I was about 14 years old from a recipe card my grandmother had, which looked well-loved and fairly dated. To this day, this is the one of the few recipes I use that has not been modified or copied from a cookbook or the internet. These are undoubtedly my favorite cookies of all time.

I halve the recipe when I make it at home, since there are only two mouths to feed (dog not included) and the full deal is so hefty that it sends my trusty stand mixer into overdrive.

I love being able to reminisce with a plate of cookies...