When Root Beer Becomes a Problem

I have been trying (with mixed success) not to have too many treats in the house, since I’m working hard on keeping my blood sugar levels good.  And I’m happy to report they are, mainly to walking daily with a newfound friend.  So, yeah!

Yesterday, though, Jack had a new friend over after school to play.  In my mind, a good June Cleaver-type mom, if at all possible, makes a homemade treat for such an occasion.  So, I took the opportunity to try out a new recipe I found on the internet for Root Beer cookies.

Don’t get me started on why they intrigued me!  Suffice it to say someone kept talking about theirs but ignored my request for the recipe.  (You know how that makes me behave!)  So, I, of course, took matters into my own hands and found several versions of it on the internet, and decided the ones with chopped pecans sounded the best.

I thought they were terrific!  (Probably too much so.)  Curt thought they were on the dry side.  But since he doesn’t drink milk at all, let alone with his cookies,  I tend not to worry.  Plus, he tends to be a one cookie man (ie, chocolate chip cookies.)   Jack, who doesn’t ever drink root beer because he hates carbonation, loved them too!  I think overall, then, it was a success.

If you’re wondering what they’re like, they have two components.  The base, has a root beer concentrate* flavored dough with finely chopped pecans, like a “sandie” cookie.  The cookie bakes and has a springiness similar to a pumpkin cookie.  Then, the cookie is topped with a butter cream icing flavored with root beer concentrate, which really makes it taste like a root beer float.  Next time, though, I will only make half of the icing, since I had a lot left over.  But for those who like a lot of icing, the recipe is probably just right.

One final note, since I found these so addictive and therefore troublesome, I will only make these again when I have an occasion to bring them,  like to a party or picnic.

 

the unfrosted cookies cooling

 the finished cookies

Root Beer Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (I substituted sour milk**)

3/4 tsp root beer concentrate

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

Frosting:

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cups butter, softened

3 tbsp water

1 1/4 tsp root beer concentrate

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.  Beat in buttermilk and root beer concentrate.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and add to wet mixture 1 cup at a time.  Stir in pecans. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.

 

In small bowl, combine frosting ingredients, beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cookies.  Makes 4 dozen.

 

*I had to look around, but did find the concentrate at Wal-Mart, alongside the vanilla and other extracts.  It costs between $3 and $4.

** I make sour milk by adding milk to 1 tbsp of white vinegar to measure one cup total.

Finding Mr. Right – A Search for the ‘Perfect’ Chocolate Chip Cookie

I’ve always been a fan of the chocolate chip cookie (CCC) as, I imagine, are many of you. While it’s no secret that I found my own Mr. Right, Curt, a lot later in life than I would have preferred, my quest for the ultimate CCC took even longer.
In high school, I’m ashamed to admit the whole class shared (hello salmonella!) a tube of pillsbury cookie dough in Ms. Festa’s advanced algebra class. Through college and beyond, I tried the nestle’s original tollhouse recipe, a recipe that one of my college roommates swore was stolen from Mrs. Field’s, and various recipes from friends at church. One, Arnold J.’s famous oatmeal CCC’s were pretty darn good, but not ‘the one.’ I would have loved to found a great enough cookie to impress the guys. Perhaps that’s WHY it took so long to find Curt…
Sometime during the newlywed years, I ran across this recipe. I regret I didn’t write down the source at the time, but it was probably Good Housekeeping or Ladies Home Journal or Better Homes and Gardens. (You can definitely assume I was reading the magazines from the Family Services waiting room on my lunch hour. I was at the peak of being in love with all things domestic, a common ailment of the new wife.) Its title caught my attention right away: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Apparently, I wasn’t convinced, as you can see I’ve adjusted the butter, eliminated shortening, and about doubled the chocolate chips. (And I find them the best if I use unsalted butter, pure vanilla and fancier chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli. Amanda, in a high elevation area, finds they need a little more flour, too.)
My longer than desired quest proved to me that there is a ‘Mr. Right.’ You might have to change your criteria, make adjustments, decide some qualities are more important than the ones you valued in your youth. But you’re older, wiser and better able to recognize all the best ingredients. And you don’t worry if others say they found ‘the perfect’ recipe, because yours is perfect for you. Just relax and enjoy!

Both Mr. Rights

Lisa’s ‘Perfect’ Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

1 c butter, softened

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c choc. chips

Cream sugars and butter in mixer until creamy, add egg and vanilla and mix well. In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly blend in mixer with butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Chill dough for at least 1 hour. (DON’T skip this step.)

Bake in preheated 375 oven for 8 minutes, until browned on edges. Makes 5 dozen small cookies.

Note: In the following photos you can see the scoops I use. The small I used for these cookies, they make smaller cookies. The medium make larger, the large scoop makes jumbo size. Baking time needs to be adjusted for bigger cookies. They are poofy when they first get out of the oven, but they deflate and brown a bit more while cooling in the pan.