Boiled Cookies by Chris

Boiled Cookies by Chris

Photo By Chris Absheer

This simple yet delicious cookie recipe is the brainchild of St Louis Food & Wine Chickie friend Chris Absheer (here with adorable grandson Mikey).  What could be better than cookies you can enjoy WITHOUT baking!?

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Put sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for one minute.
  2. Remove from heat and quickly add peanut butter, oats and vanilla.  Stir well to combine the ingredients.
  3. Drop the cookie batter by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper.  Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Biscuits Frigidaire (Icebox Cookies)

Biscuits Frigidaire (Icebox Cookies)

Growing up, my mom made the most succulent food one could ever want, but she wasn’t a baker.  In her short baked goods repertoire, is what we French Canadians call “Biscuits Frigidaire”.  Each time I make these icebox cookies, it brings back memories of getting the wax paper-wrapped cookie dough log out of the freezer so we could enjoy fresh baked treats within minutes.  This is truly one of the easiest cookie recipes, but one that yields crisps-chewy golden cookies on a moment’s notice.  Perfect for when unexpected guests stop by for coffee and you need a quick treat to serve.

Icebox Cookies

Icebox Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Cookie Dough Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the two sugars until light and fluffy – 4 minutes.
  2. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, the baking soda and the salt.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in half cup additions, beating to just incorporate between additions, then finally beat until dough begins to come together – no more than 2 minutes total.
  5. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a large sheet of wax paper (dough should be at the top of the sheet – think top of a sheet of paper).  Shape the dough into a log using the wax paper to help smooth the dough (think sushi roll), then wrap each dough log completely with the wax paper and twist each end to seal the logs.  Place logs in the refrigerator for several hours and up to three days (logs can be frozen for up to a month).

Baking Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray.
  2. Cut the logs into 1/4 inch thick slices using a sharp, thin-blade knife.  Place the cookies on the cookie sheets approximately two inches apart.
  3. Bake 10-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack (waiting for the cookies to cool completely will be extremely difficult).

Makes about three dozen cookies.

Notes:  Cooled, baked cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a week (you’ll never have these cookies on hand for a week – trust me).  Thaw frozen cookie dough in the refrigerator before slicing.  Want to vary the recipe a bit?  Add mini chocolate chips to one of the dough logs!

Chocolate Crackle-Top Cookies

Chocolate Crackle-Top Cookies

Crackle-Top Cookie Ingredients

Crackle-Top Cookie Ingredients

The name for these easy-to-make and succulent cookies comes from the fact that the baking of the cookies causes ‘crackles’ in the powdered sugar coating. Kids LOVE to help roll the unbaked cookies in the powdered sugar, so summon help!

Crackle-Top Cookie Batter

Crackle-Top Cookie Batter

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 tbs. butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
Crackle-Top Cookie Dough Balls

Crackle-Top Cookie Dough Balls

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Microwave 1 cup chocolate for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave at 10 seconds intervals until completely melted.
  3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Add melted chocolate until well blended.  Incorporate eggs, one at a time. Gradually incorporate flour mixture in the chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
  5. Shape cooled dough into 1 ½” balls (about 1 teaspoon).  Place powdered sugar in a shallow dish and roll dough balls into it to cover completely.
  6. Place balls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 13-15 minutes ( the cookies won’t be set in the center! ).
  7. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.

Makes 24 cookies.