What Started All of the Creative Cookie Ideas?

What Started All of the Creative Cookie Ideas? Cookies are cookies, right? Not to me. When you eat a cookie, you look for a specific flavor, texture and softness. It is very common to get the perfect combination of these in a chocolate chip cookie, but peanut butter cookies have been eluding me for decades. I highly dislike crunchy cookies and who had ever heard of a soft peanut butter cookie? I love peanut butter but because peanut butter cookies were always crunchy I could not get beyond the crunchiness to even want one. I eventually resolved to simply avoid them and stick with the classic fail safe chocolate chip cookie or brownies when at parties. Finally, my love for peanut butter got the best of me and I started my quest: The search for a soft peanut butter cookie recipe.

I started out with a basic cookie recipe that had a phenomenal taste to it. I tried various techniques of baking to try and get them soft. I undercooked them, I increased the temperature, I lowered the temperature, I even baked them on the top rack with a pan underneath so they would cook on top and not in the middle to hopefully keep them soft. None of these ideas worked. I tried adjusting the baking soda amount up and down and then combining these changes with the baking technique changes. Still no luck. I adjusted the shortening amount and then the peanut butter amount and then the flour amount. OOps! Now the batter tastes like flour. The batter is too wet, it tastes wrong, now it tastes like baking soda. Sheesh! No wonder you can not find peanut butter cookies that are soft. Two years later I finally had success. A soft peanut butter cookie with a flavor and texture that will knock your socks off. It took a long time and many trial batters but I found the perfect combination of ingredients to make them soft. Softness is an important factor for me when it comes to cookies as I know it is for many people. I know there are a few people out there who prefer crunchy cookies but the majority of people do prefer soft cookies. Another factor that many consumers find important with cookies is for the cookie to have body to it and lift. This was my next challenge. My cookies were a little flat. I spent a lot of time and many trials to get the cookies to lift more. Again, I adjusted the baking soda amount and had no luck. I started playing with the baking temperatures and the location of the baking sheets in the oven still to no avail. Finally, I lessened the amount of shortening in my recipes and had success. My cookies had lift and more body and more texture. The most important thing to remember when embarking on quests such as these is the pride you have in your abilities to bake and create such incredible flavors to provide pleasure for others. When you take pride in what you do, it shows in the final product and you take more care with what you do resulting in a higher quality product. If there is something you would like to see and you want to try it for yourself, never give up, only you know exactly what combination of flavor, texture and softness you want. Who knows, maybe you could be the next famous TV cook! What Started All of the Creative Cookie Ideas?

Easy Dutch Oven Recipes - Getting Started Cooking With Your Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven cooking is fun and easy. Dutch oven recipes are abundant and adapting them from your favorite home recipes is easy. With a little experience you'll find that it is fairly simple to cook with your Dutch oven. Here are some easy Dutch oven recipes to try:

Easy Dutch Oven Mountain Man Hash

Easy Cookie Recipes For Kids

1 lb. Bacon or sausage

2 lbs frozen potatoes (shredded or southern style)

1 dozen eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cut bacon/sausage into smaller pieces (about 1"). Cook the bacon or sausage in the Dutch oven. Add potatoes, cover with lid with coals on top. Cook until potatoes are done, stirring occasionally. Mix eggs together in a bowl and pour on top of potatoes. Replace lid with coals on top and cook until eggs are done (shouldn't need a long time if the lid is hot). When eggs are done, sprinkle cheese on top, replace lid and bake until cheese is melted. Serve as is, or wrap spoonfuls in warmed flour tortillas to make breakfast burritos (provide salsa).

Easy Dutch Oven Taco Pie

1 ½ lbs. Ground beef

1 medium jar of taco sauce

6 large corn tortillas

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz can of tomato sauce

Brown the ground beef and drain it. Mix the taco sauce and tomato sauce. Line the Dutch oven with tin foil and put 3 tortillas in the bottom. Put ½ of the ground beef on the tortillas and cover with ½ of the sauce. Put 3 more tortilla shells on top, and put the remaining ground beef and sauce on top of those tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the Dutch oven, place a few coals on top, and bake until the cheese is melted. You could also add onions, olives, mushrooms for some variety.

Easy Dutch Oven Au Gratin Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, sliced thin

2-3 Tbsp. Melted butter or margarine

2-3 medium onions, sliced thin

15 oz can of cheese soup

¼ cup milk

½ cup cracker or bread crumbs

1 cup shredded cheese

Put a little oil in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom and brush with the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add a layer of sliced onions. Continue the layering with potatoes and onions as described until all have been used. Mix the soup with the milk and pour over the top. Sprinkle the top with the bread or cracker crumbs. Add any additional desired seasonings. Put Dutch oven over 6-8 briquets and 16-18 briquets on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Replace lid and let the cheese melt-shouldn't take long.

Easy Dutch Oven Cowboy Stew

4 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 can of corn

1 can of peas

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of green beans

1 can of baked beans

1 can of tomato soup

Bay leaf

Brown ground beef and onions. Add all other ingredients (don't drain the cans). Add bay leaf and any other desired seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are done.

Easy Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread

4 cans of refrigerated tube biscuits

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup of sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a zip-lock bag. Put the biscuit quarters in the bag and shake until they are all well-coated. Place the biscuit pieces in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Melt the butter and then pour over the biscuit quarters (you can do this with another pan, or you can use the inverted lid of the Dutch oven to melt the butter). Put 6-8 coals underneath Dutch oven and 14-15 on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Each of these is a quick and easy Dutch oven recipe and will help you get started with Dutch oven cooking. Have fun!

Easy Dutch Oven Recipes - Getting Started Cooking With Your Dutch Oven

Scott Carey enjoys all types of outdoor cooking, including Dutch oven cooking. See http://www.outdoorcookingmagic.com for more Dutch oven cooking tips.