baking history :: not chocolate chip {life}
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 12:00PM 
Something has changed for me and baking. Look, I'm not a baker (that's my mom) and I never will be, but I have had a bit of a shift in my baking kitchen. Before, baking felt like such a production to me. All that precision and the measuring and the flour and vanilla extract (Don't get me wrong, I love vanilla extract.). It felt like lots of moving parts and bits and pieces spread out across the kitchen island and lots of steps in the recipe and dishes to clean up after. Dishes for Neel to clean up after.
Like I said, a production.
But things have shifted a bit somehow. Before, baking was never something I would have attempted without much forethought, after dinner when the dishes were done and put away. Not on a weeknight when the homework was heavy and the evening was drawing close. You can't start a production when the day is nearly done, can you? It's different with these cookies. Brown Sugar Spice Cookies. Well. There you have it. Adapted from a recipe by Joy the Baker, these cookies have been described as being like Toll House Cookies without the chocolate chips. The dough always was the best part, really. That molasses-ey taste of brown sugar. And the spice? Cinnamon and ginger. That is all. Just another layer of flavor that shows that these are not your average cookie.
The first batch I made were perfect. For me and Neel, at least. Just a hint of sweet, they were more spice cookies than sugar cookies. Cal noted the difference and was less impressed. Oh, he ate them, but. They could have been sweeter, I guess.
So last week, once the dishes were done and the evening was dark upon us and the only sound was the scratch of Cal's pencil on his algebra homework, I said, "Maybe I should make cookies." And then I looked at the clock, saw that it was after 8 PM, and decided I was tired. And Callum said, quietly, "Oh."
Well. These cookies might just be worth pulling out the mixing bowls and the flour and the eggs, even on a week night.
Especially on a weeknight.
And when I went to make them sweeter, I knew I still didn't want them too sweet. I'm not a fan of fruit in cookies, so that eliminated raisins or cranberries. Chocolate chips would, I thought, overwhelm the spice. Too much sweet. But toffee? Now maybe we're onto something. A little nutty, a little sweet, toffee bits might be the perfect addition to our Brown Sugar Spice Cookies.
Turns out it was.
Brown Sugar Spice Cookies, adapted from Joy the Baker
2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1.5 sticks (6 oz.) butter (I used salted), softened
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 C or more, toffee chips, depending on taste
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a stand or hand-held mixed, blend butter and and sugar until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl, and then add the egg and vanilla extract before blending one minute more. Once blended, add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter and sugar. Blend on low speed incorporating all of the flour. Once the flour disappears, add the toffee chips and blend the rest of the way with a spoon or spatula.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work with.
Using baking pans lined with parchment paper, drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto the sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes and transfer to a wire wrack to cool completely.
They'll keep (unless you have boys) for about 5 days in an airtight container.
One last note, we're not gluten free, so it's pretty obvious that this recipe isn't either. Because we aren't I haven't paid much attention to what goes into modifying recipies to make them gluten-free for all my dear friends who are cutting gluten out of their own diets or those of their kids (I'm looking at you, Christine!). If you have any suggestions for me, pass them along and I'll do my best to incorporate, but remember, I'm no expert!
Oh, and you guys know I baked cookies just so I could play with my new lens, right?
Reader Comments (10)
My only skill-set in the kitchen aside from awesome dish-cleaning is my ability to bake. That's all I got. The results with baking are almost sweet, so it's worth the effort. On Friday I made a 13x9 cake (from a box!) and proceeded to eat my feelings the entire weekend. There's like a small sliver left of it, I'm not proud. I prefer baking to almost everything else. The measurements are precise and you really can't mess it up too terribly. These look delicious.
Also? Your lens rules.
I am definitely putting this cookie on my to-bake list. I'm a baker but not a very good one, meaning that I have no patience and I don't like to take the time to measure correctly. But things still turn out okay in the end. I mean, how could they go that badly if the worst thing you could eat was cookie dough?
Really like the new lens. How long does it take for each one of your photo sessions?
Oh my goodness those cookies look SO delicious! I can't wait to give them a try. I'm so glad you are feeling empowered about baking. Everything you've baked that I've tasted has been wonderful. And now you've created a new cookie! The toffee idea is brilliant. And the new lens is too. Those pictures make me feel I could reach out and grab a cookie, Good for you!
you're killing it with these photos! they look fab! as for the cookies, i can't bake to save my bacon, but i'm so envious of anyone who finds tranquility when neck-to-toe in flour!
That;s a lovely lens, good that you had something attractive to test it on ;-)
I'm loving the sky blue backdrop.
I'm with you on the production line of baking, so many bowls and spatulas and mixing equipment, blah blah blah... and then they are all eaten in 5 mins.
Baking isn't my strong point either but I'm going to give this one a go, thanks love x
You are so sweet! I need to figure out how to make gluten-free cookies because they are one sweets weakness I have. I think it's pretty easy these day to find flour mixes that are not wheat based. When I find one I really like I will surely pass it on! Now the fact that we can no longer have oats in the house is the most devastating, because one thing I love in this world is a good oatmeal cookie. These look like a perfect substitute though and I think it might just have to be my first GF cookie attempt. I also love that you have toffee on hand ;)
What I love most of all are these photos though! You weren't kidding about your new lens. It is glorious!! LOVE the bakers twine staging too. Consider it pinned. xo
LOVE Joy The Baker!!! She's funny, gorgeous, a superb writer and her recipes (adapted of course!) are a HUGE hit in our household. :D
Being pregnant with L and craving special needs cake for breakfast was what got me into baking. I used to consider it such a chore before that.
I tend to substitute brown rice/oat/buckwheat flours in a 2:2:1 ratio for all-purpose flour and it tends to work out just fine. I find that a lot of the gluten-free mixes tend to sneak in processed flours like white rice - tut, tut, tut.
Your cookies look so, SO good and I love that they aren't particularly sweet (being sugar-free, I'd have to leave out the toffee chips) - neither is L's tooth. :D
Thanks for sharing the recipe! xo
P.S. You MUST try Joy's chicken pot pie with cheese and chive biscuits (http://joythebaker.com/2011/04/chicken-pot-pie-with-cream-cheese-and-chive-biscuits/) - To. Die. For!!!
P.P.S. That new lens of yours is a beaut - stunning photos! :D
It's reassuring that you prefaced this post with "I'm not a baker" because it's giving me hope. Hope that I could quite possibly pull this recipe off. My kids would be thrilled. The addition of the toffee bits in lieu of the chocolate chips was a great aha moment. I can close my eyes and taste it all right now. I must add that your new lens is definitely helping you work your magic. Straight out of a magazine these photos are (sorry, didn't mean to get Yoda on you). xo
have to bake them too! your pictures are amazing * all the best julia
They look so yummy! And these shots are mouthwatering perfection! Now i need to bake xx