Posts Tagged ‘Cookies’

Recipe: Pac-Man Cookies

Apr
28
2014

Pan-Man Cookies

I had a huge 80s-themed birthday last month (stay tuned for the updated post), and went to town on all the treats and decorations. One of them was Pac-Man cookies. Super simple to make, and they were a hit.

Yield: About 60 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of Oreo cookies (or any dark-coloured cookie)
  • 200g of yellow candy melts or moulding wafers (for the body)
  • 10g black or chocolate-flavoured candy melts or moulding wafers (for the eyes — optional)
  • Coconut Oil

Method:

  1. Using a double boiler (I used a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with some water), melt the wafers over simmering heat, stirring constantly until they have melted. Remove from heat.
  2. Take an Oreo cookie and dip it halfway into the mixture, letting the excess drip off carefully back into the bowl. Rotate the cookie 90° and dip it into the mixture again. This should create the “open mouth” Pac-Man shape.
  3. Place cookie on a lined baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  4. Repeat with remaining cookies until all are dipped. Water should not come in contact with the wafers, as it will ruin the smooth consistency. If the mixture is too thick you can add a bit of melted coconut oil to thin it out. 
  5. For the eyes, melt the chocolate-flavoured wafers in a small bowl in the microwave for 1 minute on low power (or until melted). Fill a sandwich bag with the mixture, cut a small piece off the corner to form a piping bag. Gently squeeze a bit of the dark mixture to dot eyes for the Pac-Man cookies.

Pan-Man Cookie Method

Cookies harden fairly quickly. After 20-minutes or so they can be stacked in a reusable container, ready to be eaten!

Recipe: Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Aug
03
2009

Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

In my search to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I knew I wanted a certain texture along the same lines of shortbread cookies, but not so soft that they break apart in your hands. At the same time, I didn’t want to create them too hard and crispy that they were a tooth hazard. So after three attempts I think I’m satisfied with this version of mine. The first time around I added too much cornstarch and they crumbled in my lunch bag like streusel topping. The second attempt I was trying to think about how I could make them a bit more crisp. I guess I shouldn’t have added that extra egg, because the cookies (while delicious) came out too “cake-like” and that wasn’t what I was aiming for.

In my trials and research I learned the following baking facts:

  • More butter = more spread; more flour = less spread
  • By reducing the amount of ingredients that retain moisture (e.g. egg, flour or brown sugar), you can make a nice, crispy cookie.
  • Using white sugar instead of brown sugar allows for a crispier cookie, since brown sugar has molassas (higher water content)
  • Adding an extra egg, milk or water to the dough can lead to a cake-like cookie since the additional moisture adds steam during baking (making them puff up)
  • Baking a cookie for a longer duration and at a lower temperature will allow your cookies to become more crispy.

So now for attempt number three, and as they say, third time’s the charm. This recipe has just the right amount of a chewy, soft centre, and a crisp outside that will leave tasters asking for more.

Yield: 24-32 cookies (depending on size)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:Cookie Batter

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugars with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  4. In three parts, gradually fold the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.Cookies on parchment paper
  5. Drop about a tablespoon of cookie batter onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie.
  6. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden-brown.
  7. Remove baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest about 5 minutes before placing on a cooking rack.