This month’s daring bakers challenge was all about cookies! Peta of Peta Eats challenged us to make cookies, she gave us 12 recipes and gave us the choice to make one of them or any other cookie recipe we liked. I can tell you one thing, it is dangerous being faced with that many cookie recipes. It is almost like taking a child to a toy store and saying you can have anything you want lol

After much struggle with choices, I made 3 cookie recipes, chocolate crinkle cookies, caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies and oatmeal apple cookies.

The chocolate crinkle cookies were adapted from my friend Eva’s recipe. She posted a chocolate espresso crinkle recipe and I couldn’t resist trying them. I adapted the recipe slightly to accommodate the kids. I replaced the espresso with coco powder and added a little cinnamon and cardamom. If you remember, I used the same flavor combination for my chocolate birthday cake. I love the slight hint of spices when paired with chocolate. The cookies are soft and chewy and the kids loved them because they reminded them of brownies.

The caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies were the result of searching for turtle cookies. Peta provided us with a recipe for turtle chocolate bars that were super tempting but very very rich. I was looking for a recipe with the same flavors in cookie form and came across a recipe for turtle cookies. I replaced the pecans with hazelnuts and the result was unbelievable! The hazelnut, caramel and chocolate combo is everything you expect it to be and then some!

The oatmeal apple cookies were an attempt to provide a healthy balance to all that chocolate, sugar and butter. I, personally am a big fan of oatmeal cookies. Add apples, raisins and cinnamon and I could hardly wait for the cookies to cool down. These cookies are soft, chewy and cake like

Blog checking lines: Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.

Chocolate crinkle cookies

Adapted from Eva’s chocolate espresso crinkle cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup icing sugar

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar by beating them in your food processor or using an electric mixer

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat  until pale

Sift the flour and coco powder in a bowl, add the cinnamon, cardamom, instant coffee and salt

Slowly mix in all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined

Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or freeze for 30-45 minutes

Sift icing sugar into a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll dough into a small ball about the size of a walnut

Roll balls in the icing sugar

Place on parchment covered baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the sheet; transfer to racks to cool completely before storing.

Caramel chocolate thumb cookies

Recipe adapted from pixilated crumb who adapted from  America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies 2010 Special Issue

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups hazelnuts, chopped fine

1 egg white

14 soft caramel candies

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

With electric mixer  or food processor on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture  to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

Place your  oven rack in  upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy.

Place hazelnuts in another bowl.

Roll dough into small balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in the nuts.

Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Using the 1/2-teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball.

Bake until set, about 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Place the caramel and heavy cream in a pot and gently heat them, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Once cookies are removed from oven, gently re-press existing indentations (they tend to fade with baking).

Fill each with caramel mixture.

Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack

Oatmeal apple cookies

Adapted from food.com

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups quick oats (not instant or old fashioned)

1 cup peeled diced apple

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Grease your baking sheets or line with parchment

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat till pale.

Add milk and beat till combined.

Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, soda and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended.

Stir in oats, apples, raisins

Use two tablespoons to drop the dough onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 13 minutes or until just set.

Cool for a minute or 2 on cookie sheets and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Thank you Peta for an amazing and delicious challenge 🙂