Cookies: Be sure you make enough to keep and to share

In the past 10 days, I’ve had the chance to moderate two more discussions with cookbook authors. They were featured in the Cooks & Books series co-hosted by Browseabout Books and the Lewes Public Library. Late October brought the audience to the Utah kitchen of Erin Renouf Mylroie, whose new cookbook is “101 Greatest Cookies on the Planet.”

If the title alone wasn’t encouragement enough to buy the book, watching Erin demonstrate how to make Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting would convince you. From the outset, Erin did things a little differently from most traditional recipe instructions. To start, instead of reaching for a handheld mixer, she used the back of a wooden spoon to mash softened butter.

This technique continued with the addition of brown sugar, creating a light, fluffy consistency. The ingredients that followed included egg, pumpkin, buttermilk and spices. For leavening, Erin taught us that baking powder helps batter “puff” and baking soda helps cookies “spread.” This recipe called for both.

But, the dry ingredients weren’t mixed separately and added to the wet all at once. Both baking powder and soda were sprinkled over the pumpkin mixture, followed by the flour, all mixed into the correct consistency with the sturdy wooden spoon. The slightly loose batter was poured in small puddles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and nudged into perfect circles with a spoon.

While the cookies baked, the frosting came together on the stove with Erin answering questions from the audience as she worked. One of the most helpful pieces of advice came when we watched her ignore the measuring spoon for the half-teaspoon of salt, suggesting we practice measuring the specific amount in a spoon, then pouring it into the palm of your hand to learn what a half-teaspoon looks like.

Inspired by her recipes, I made the peanut-butter and jelly streusel bars in the photo. And, inspired by her guidance to experiment, I substituted chocolate chips for peanut butter chips and pecans for chopped peanuts. There will definitely be a few more batches of cookies in my future.

Earlier this week, we enjoyed a conversation with Ciarra Siller, creator of the online recipe site called Peanut Butter plus Chocolate, and author of “Vegan Chocolate Treats: 60 Indulgent Sweets to Satisfy Your Inner Chocoholic.” Not only is the book title enticing, but so are the section titles, like Snack Attack and Chocolate for Breakfast.

Ciarra also gives her recipes engaging names, including the one she demonstrated from her home in Atlanta, Life Changing Oatmeal Cookies. Although the cookies didn’t have chocolate in their name, the ingredient list featured hefty chunks of chocolate. The addition of tapioca flour helps this vegan batter bind together.

Although the recipe (below) is vegan, it can also be modified to be gluten-free by substituting a gluten-free flour blend (not a single-source flour like almond flour, but a blend like Bob’s Red Mills gluten-free baking flour). Watching Ciarra make these cookies gave us a glimpse of her beautiful kitchen and her pets – the dog wanted to go out; the cat shared the screen in the final image.

When we asked about her “chocolate for breakfast” recipes, Ciarra confessed they were probably more like dessert, but a great excuse to add them to your morning menu. The book is beautifully designed with photographs of each treat. If you’re looking for more recipes from Ciarra, you can find them on her blog, peanutbutterpluschocolate.com. Many thanks to these two creative cooks, the Lewes Public Library and Browseabout Books.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Streusel Bars*

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C creamy peanut butter
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C peanut butter chips
1 1/2 C raspberry preserves
1/2 C flour
1/2 C old-fashioned oats
1/4 t salt
1/4 C creamy peanut butter
1 T unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Combine the butter, peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl; mix until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until combined. Gently blend in peanut butter chips. Firmly press the mixture in the prepared baking pan. Spread evenly with preserves; set aside. Combine the flour, oats, salt, peanut butter and nuts in a bowl, mixing until coarse crumbs form. Scatter the topping over the preserves. Bake until light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Yield: 16 bars. *Adapted from “101 Greatest Cookies on the Planet” by Erin Renouf Mylroie. Note: you can substitute chocolate or butterscotch chips for the peanut butter chips; pecans or walnuts may be substituted for the chopped peanuts.

Life Changing Oatmeal Walnut Cookies*

1 T flax meal
3 T water
1/2 C vegan butter
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C rolled oats
3/4 C plus 3 T flour
1 T tapioca flour
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C chopped walnuts
3 oz chopped vegan chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together flax meal and water; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter with both sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and flax mixture, beating until combined. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, both flours and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and stir with a spatula until well-mixed. Fold in nuts and chocolate. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, make 18 balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. *Adapted from “Vegan Chocolate Treats” by Ciarra Siller.