Leftover Cookies

ivoryhut leftover cookies

 
Baking is a fairly new experience for me. I’ve always been intimidated by it. I’m more at ease with cooking, since being able to taste as I go means I can nudge and cajole and prod a dish towards the desired finished product. But baking? Even if the batter tastes good, there’s no guarantee that what comes out of the oven is what you envisioned as you carefully sifted and measured and creamed and folded. To be frank, the suspense and uncertainty scared me.

 
Then I tried Hyacinth’s Everything Cookies, and for once—for the first time in my life—I baked something that was more than just edible or pleasantly nondescript. It was chewy, crunchy, nutty, and before I knew it, I could actually start to imagine baking in my future. And as I baked my second (or was it third?) batch of her cookies and grew more nonchalant about measuring, I was happy to discover that baking actually does have a forgiving side.

 
And thus began my foray into the wonderful world of home-baked goods. First cookies, then cakes, and, most recently, artisanal bread. I’ve even ventured into flan territory without requiring adult supervision.

 
I’m writing this long introduction to this Leftover Cookie recipe to assure you that, as far as the add-ins are concerned, you really can’t go wrong. If I can do it, then anyone can. Seriously. The base recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Chewy Oatmeal and Raisin Cookie, which in itself is a wonderful cookie. But at some point last week, I decided to re-organize part of my kitchen and discovered all these half-empty (or half-full) bags of various baking chips and ingredients. Shredded coconut, dried cranberries, golden raisins, my last cup or so of oats … and since I had just started compiling a bunch of “leftover” recipes to help me use up items in my refrigerator and freezer instead of simply tossing them (waste not, want not), I figured, why not a leftover recipe for baked goods?

 
ivoryhut leftover cookies

 
These cookies were moist, chewy, with crisp edges. The original recipe called for larger cookies, but I had grand illusions of making small, almost bite-sized cookies to help appease that stubborn kill-joy, ol’ Portion Control. Of course, Portion Control is only happy when you stop after the first one. Care to guess how that turned out?

 
ivoryhut leftover cookies

 
Leftover Cookies
(Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 sticks butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir with a whisk.
  2. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. When you add the second egg, add in the grated ginger and vanilla along with it.
  3. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. When just combined, fold in the remaining ingredients. (Aside from the oats, you can vary all the remaining ingredients according to what your leftovers are. Chocolate chips or any other baking chips would work, too.)
  4. On a silpat-lined cookie sheet, drop tablespoonfuls of dough, about 12 to a sheet. Bake for about 9-11 minutes, until edges are light brown. Leave cookies on the sheet for a few minutes to set, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

 
ivoryhut leftover cookies

 
These were absolute delights. They were so good that I locked Portion Control away in the basement and made it stay there until it promised to make itself scarce any time there was some kind of baking going on in the kitchen. It’s stubborn, that Portion Control. It’s still down there, fuming in the laundry room, and I’m quickly running out of clean clothes to wear.

 
 

10 thoughts on “Leftover Cookies”

  1. That funny I have vision of something akin to that Will Power superhero cartoon/commercial for those portion controlled snacks, in your laundryroom, None too pleased that his efforts are being ignored to help you out for your well being.

    As far as Portion control goes, everyone knows that for portion control to be effective you need to make BIG cookies. If they’re tiny you can fool yourself into eating 32 of them “cause they’re just little!” So you make big cookies and only eat 1 or 2. That makes sense, don’t it?

  2. I like the idea of making them bigger, so then you only have ONE. I would also lock portion control in the basement if I had those cookies around, though, so I totally am with you on that. :)

  3. I like taking the “left-over” approach to baking. We already do that so much when we cook savory dishes. It only makes sense that it would work equally well with sweet treats, too.

    1. Yes! I was thinking the same thing. I already have a number of recipes to take care of refrigerator leftovers, and so why not do the same with dessert?

      Speaking of leftovers, my aunt once got tired of her son’s propensity to just save everything—even just the last one or two bites of something. So one day, she fried everything up crisp, flavored it with garlic (and possibly bacon, I’m not sure), and served them as croutons on salad. She waited until he polished off his second big helping of salad before telling him what she did. :)

      How wonderful of you to visit here. Thanks!

  4. Well if the taste is anything as good as your pictures….
    They look so lovely my mouth watered, wanted to grab one from the screen to have a bite.

    1. Thanks! I’d gladly tell you to help yourself to one, but … I don’t know that happened to them. They’re all gone. Must have walked away while I was sleeping. Yes, that’s it. No one kept reaching into the cookie jar to ‘sample’ just one. I didn’t see anything.

  5. I don’t get it. I linked to you from the Pioneer Woman (sorry, The Pioneer Woman), but the voice, writing, tone…everything is the same. Sounds, acts, writes the same. What gives?

    1. Hi Amanda! Nice of you to visit. PW is a darling, and I do enjoy her writing and her humor. So I consider it quite a compliment that you think our styles are similar. Be assured, though, that I have no horses in my backyard, no adorable punks tugging on my skirt (I have one college-age punk, but he does sometimes tug for cookies), and instead of ballet, I spent most of my younger years … playing basketball. In the Philippines. And I was never known to be attached to any pair of black pumps.

      Plus. I’m not that tall. :)

      Hope that clears it up for you!

  6. Crystal, Melanie, I think I’ll try that next time! Bigger cookies. Hmm … would making a double batch negate that?

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