Best Recipe: Mint and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cook’s Notes: We had just eaten the last Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies from our secret stash in the freezer two weeks ago. They’re only sold in March in our town. March 2008 is another few months off. Luckily, Mollie Katzen developed a similar recipe, and food blog writer Kat on Thyme refined it. I scaled the recipe down to use just one stick of butter. These are indulgent, heavenly cookies — just one is enough. And, according to Mollie, “they freeze beautifully stored in a tin.”

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter (not margarine)
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c white sugar
1 egg
2/3 tsp vanilla
2/3 tsp peppermint extract
1 c unbleached flour
3 T unsweetened cocoa, sifted (Dutch processed)
2/3 tsp baking soda
pinch salt (scant 1/8 tsp)
1 c chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and extracts to the creamed mixture and mix briefly on medium speed.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture on low speed. Add the chocolate chips and mix to blend. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again, just until incorporated. Drop dough with a Tablespoon scoop, fitting 13 cookies onto each sheet. Flatten the tops of the cookies by pressing lightly with a fork.

Bake about 12 minutes, rotating half way through. As Kat writes, “It’s kind of hard to tell when these cookies are done since they’re already brown. Look for puffed centers and a dry exterior. They are better slightly underdone than overdone. Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then slide the parchment paper to the rack to cool.”

Yield: 26 cookies.

Source: Scaled a recipe from Kat on Thyme‘s blog. Read her notes for the tasty-sounding variations she’s developed: Orange Chocolate Chip and Mexican Chocolate Chip with almond and cinnamon. The recipe came originally from the book Still Life with Menu by the amazing Mollie Katzen.

Peanut Butter Power Balls

Cook’s Notes: A healthier version of the Buckeye that tastes like peanut butter cup filling. Since the peanut butter I used already contained honey, I didn’t add the full 1/4 c (2 oz) called for in the recipe. I just used enough to hold the mixture together. I brought these to a potluck breakfast, and they were very popular.

12 oz jar peanut butter (I used MaraNatha Natural Honey Peanut Spread)
1/4 c honey, any kind (I used desert mesquite, grade A amber)
Optional: 1.5 tsp pure vanilla
1.5 c non-fat dry milk powder (as much as mixture will take)
1/2 c roasted sunflower seeds

Using an electric stand mixer, cream the peanut butter for a few minutes. Beat in the honey and vanilla. Add the milk powder 1/2 c at a time, beating well to thoroughly blend after each addition. Beat in sunflower seeds. You want a mixture that will hold its shape. Roll into walnut-sized (1-inch) balls and serve. Makes 36 balls.

If placing the balls in a container, place a sheet of waxed paper between the layers.

Tip: Use a teaspoon-sized cookie scoop to dish out mixture, and roll mixture into a ball between your palms. The scoop ensures the balls are evenly sized. Wearing food-handling gloves for the rolling keeps your hands from getting sticky.

Options:

• Use raisins or chocolate chips instead of sunflower seeds.
• Dip in melted chocolate.
• Dollop these balls with Nutella Dip (blend equal parts hazelnut-cocoa spread and plain yogurt).
• Roll in graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate (or freeze — balls will thaw by lunchtime).

Sources: Based on recipes from http://life.familyeducation.com/snacks/recipes/45396.html and Crescent Dragonwagon’s book The Passionate Vegetarian

Diagonal Washcloth with Scallop Edge

Free Patterns Copyright Statement: Non-Commercial, Share-Alike

It is my pleasure to share these patterns with the craft community. If you make one of these items, I would love to see a picture of it. This free pattern is not in the public domain. You may not use this pattern for commercial purposes. You may not receive compensation or charge a fee for this pattern or sell items made from this pattern. You may donate items you make from this pattern to charity. You may use items you make from these patterns for charity fundraisers, only if 100% of the money raised from the sale is donated to the charity.

Pattern origin: Modified from a blanket pattern by author “SMG” posted on 11/13/2006 to the NoMoCo Stitch ‘n Bitch site

I stumbled across a really cool blanket pattern while looking for “HDC decrease” instructions, and I modified the instructions by “SBG” to create a washcloth. This is the second time I have made this wonderful washcloth, so I have refined the pattern a little more and posted the instructions here.

Yarn: 80 yards cotton worsted. 1 ball Lily brand Sugar ’n Cream, ombre colors & prints, 3 oz/85 g, 150 yd/138 m. Color: Playtime.

Hook: US G-7 (4.5 mm) crochet hook

Finished Size: 8.5 inches or so on each side (gauge is not important.)

HDC decrease: yarn over, pull a loop up through the first stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop through the next stitch. There are 5 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all five loops.

Instructions:

Ch 2.
Row 1 – In second chain from hook: DC, sc, DC, ch 2, turn. 4 sts.
Row 2 – Work (HDC, DC) in first stitch, sc in 2nd stitch, (DC, sc) into 3rd st, and (DC, HDC) in last stitch, ch 2, turn.

Work 16 increase rows as follows:
(HDC, DC) increase in first stitch, and *sc, DC* across row.
Work sc into DC on row below, and DC into sc on row below. End with a sc.
A sc is always the first stitch after and before the increase.
Work (DC, HDC) increase in the last stitch of the row. Ch 2, turn.

Decreasing
Continue with the decrease row until only 3 stitches remain:
HDC decrease in first two stitches, and *DC, sc* across row.
Work DC into sc on row below, and sc into DC on row below. End with a DC.
A DC is always the first stitch after and before the decrease.
Work HDC decrease in last 2 stitches. Ch 2, turn.

HDC decrease over the last three stitches.

Scallop Border
Ch 2, turn, and work scallops (sc, skip 1 st, work 3 DC in one st, skip 1 st) evenly around outer edge of cloth.

Work 5 DC in each corner.

On the third corner, work (2 DC, ch 12, 2 DC) in the same stitch to make a hanging loop.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

Blocking
Mist with water to wet the piece, and block into square shape. Let piece dry flat on a towel.