Sometimes You Need A Cookie

Do you ever have one of those days when you just need a cookie? Lately I think many of us have been having one of those weeks or months! For me the cookie has always represented a time when the house smelt cozy and you knew you were going to get something yummy. There were times when my mom would bake cookies when I was feeling sad about something or when there was a bake sale at school or church. Usually cookies were meant for a certain occasion or a special time. Maybe that’s why they have a place in my heart. In searching my memory I don’t remember having store bought cookies at all. I remember the Keebler Elf’s cookies but I think that’s more from their commercials than actually eating them. I do however, remember the moist, soft and crunchy cookies served hot out of the oven. They weren’t actually served hot I would usually try and sneak a couple before they were cooled! Having homemade cookies with a glass of cold milk is one fond memory of childhood for me.

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler I think it’s time to cook up a batch of cookies just for the heck of it. Since I’m here in the Northeast and apple season in in full swing I thought it would be fun to make some apple cider cookies. I’m using a recipe that I found on another food blog, The Farm Wife Feeds. She found the recipe in a magazine years ago so I did what we all should do and I used the recipe as a base and tweaked it a little bit to make it right for me. Remember, in most cases, a recipe is just a guideline to go on and you can changed things to suit your needs. What I like about this recipe is the cookies flatten out and the edges become crunchy while the inside is moist and chewy. One thing I discovered is these cookies stay very moist due to the fresh apples so make sure not to place them in plastic containers for at least a day or two, or they will stick together.

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For the apple in the recipe I think using a sweeter apple is better because the cookie itself isn’t that sweet. I used a Ginger Gold apple since that’s what I had in the house. Some people will make a frosting for cookies like these but I thought a frosting would make them too sweet and possibly soggy. A few things to remember when baking is to get your wet ingredients like eggs, butter, apple cider and apple to room temperature before starting to make the recipe. Always preheat your oven unless the recipe states otherwise. With these few baking tips let’s get to making cookies!

• Apple Cider Cookies
• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
• 2 Cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/3 Cup light brown sugar packed
• 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 Cup diced apple, at room temperature
• 1/4 Cup apple cider, at room temperature
• 1/2 Cup chopped pecans (optional)
• Cream together the butter and the sugar, add the egg to the creamed butter and sugar and incorporate well.
• In another bowl add the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Mix together throughly .
• Add the diced apple and apple cider to the creamed sugar mixture.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients , making sure to mix everything together until a uniform look is achieved.
• Using a tablespoon drop the cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
• NOTE: These cookies flatten out so be sure to give them plenty of space or you’ll end up with stuck cookies like I did!Must be a man thing I tried to sneak in an extra cookie so I wouldn’t have to wait as long.
• Bake for 17-22 minutes, they will look brown but that’s normal.
• Wait about 2 minutes before trying to transfer them to a cooling rack.
• Eat them!

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This is a great Fall recipe and it’ll give your house that cozy smell we all love. You can add more cinnamon or maybe try a little ginger. Dried apples might also work and give you a bigger burst of apple flavor, but I’m fond of using fresh apples as it adds another dimension of texture to this cookie. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try and if you made your own adjustments to it. If you have a another cookie recipe you’d like to share please do so in the box below.’Also as always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Enjoy, and until next time Boone Appétit!