Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
These Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are super-chewy thanks to that combo. Plus, they aren’t super-sweet, which lets the chocolate shine through.
I love how old-fashioned these cookies look, like something I’d eat when I was a kid, with my grandma on a visit to friend’s house. There’s a certain level of heartiness and coziness to these cookies.
These cookies are quick to assemble, too. After posting some intricate recipes this month (I’m looking at you, Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart) it’s nice to share things are simple and good.
Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Equipment
- parchment
- tablespoon or tablespoon scoop
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats also called old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips semisweet, milk, dark, or a mix
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars to create a creamy mix. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; mix this into the butter bowl. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips. and coconut until everything is distributed.
- Use a tablespoon to place scoops of dough spaced-out on the baking sheet; the cookies will spread.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and set, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them sit on pan for about 5 minutes before moving to a rack to fully cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Moving!
I’m interrupting the usual flow of recipes and book news to bring you an important update: I am moving from scalding hot Arizona to the wintery wilds of Minnesota. That means you may see me at Twin Cities-area conventions and other Midwest gatherings in the coming years. Do you have a favorite? Are you involved with a convention or bookstore that’s looking for future guests? Well hey, drop a comment on this post, send an email via my contact form, reach out on social media–make a connection! (But also please understand if I’m slow to reply.)
As this move is happening at the same time as the full release of A Thousand Recipes for Revenge, I’m also looking for people to keep an eye out for promotions I might miss while in-transit and unpacking. There might be ads on Goodreads or Kindles, recommendations from Amazon–all kinds of things! If you see something, please try to get a picture or screencap and send it my way! Thank you in advance.
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not: Soft Lemon-Ginger Cookies Redux
Today we’re returning to a Soft Lemon-Ginger Cookies recipe I last featured in July 2017! Why let something delicious wallow in the archives, right?
This is a great dough to make hours or days ahead; just stash it in the fridge until baking time. Coolness also makes the sticky dough easier to work with.
The lemon brings in a fresh element, while the ginger delivers the right amount of heat. These are sweet and refreshing cookies overall.
The one modification I made in this redux is that you can use sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both products contribute moisture, fat, and acid.
Bready or Not: Soft Lemon-Ginger Cookies Redux
Equipment
- teaspoon scoop or teaspoon
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons sour cream or vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and brown sugar until they gain a fluffy texture. Beat in the egg, sour cream or yogurt, and extracts.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, ginger, and salt; make sure to press any lumps out of the cream of tartar and ginger. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the other bowl. At this point, the dough can be wrapped and chilled for a few hours or days; this will also reduce the dough's stickiness somewhat.
- When it is baking time, be sure to preheat the oven. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned and no longer jiggly. Watch out–they can overbake quickly. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for just a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Golden Syrup Brownies
I’ve made a lot of brownies that I’ve shared here on Bready or Not, but these Golden Syrup Brownies are the fudgiest I’ve ever made.
Seriously, they are good but they are dense and rich. I highly recommend cutting these things small, just as one does with fudge.
Golden Syrup and coarse sugar are what set these brownies apart. I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup, the original version, imported from the UK. Sometimes you’ll see honey and light corn syrup mentioned as American substitutes; if you want to go that route, split them half and half, but it still won’t be the same as Lyle’s.
As for the coarse sugar, the original recipe printed in Bake from Scratch called for unrefined light muscovado, but I used a mix of demerara and turbinado. Hence my general recommendation for coarse sugar.
This recipe will keep for weeks in the fridge, have you the fortitude!
Bready or Not: Golden Syrup Brownies
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 teaspoons coarse sugar such as turbinado and demerara
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons golden syrup
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chopped or in chips
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large saucepan, heat the coarse sugar, butter, and golden syrup over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, around 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until everything is melted. Let cool for a bit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Strain them through a fine mesh sieve into the batter. Stir everything to incorporate. Add flour, stirring until no white streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap it on the counter a few times to knock bubbles free and level the batter.
- Bake until brownies are set with the center still moist, about 45 minutes. It’s okay if they look slightly underdone. Let pan cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Use a large knife to cut brownies into small squares. If the brownies stick to the knife, wipe it clean after each pass and dip the blade in hot water before each cut. Store brownies in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze for longer.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Date Drop Cookies
If you’re in need of a old-fashioned homey cookie, these Date Drop Cookies may be just what you need.
They won’t win any awards in the looks department, but you know what? They are GOOD. Quite similar to a soft, chewy oatmeal cookies, but with chopped dates instead of raisins.
I used kitchen shears to chop up dates from a big container from Costco. If you use pre-cut dates, such as from a bin, those will be good in this recipe, albeit a not quite as soft.
These should keep for at least a few days in a sealed container at room temperature.
Bready or Not Original: Date Drop Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- teaspoon or teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 3/4 cups chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Fold in the oats, dates, and walnuts.
- Using a teaspoon or teaspoon scoop, place round dollops of dough spaced out on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are set. Transfer them to a rack to completely cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart
This Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart isn’t a beginner’s recipe, I’ll say that straight up. There are gobs of steps, multiple rise times, lots of dirty dishes. But the result? Wow.
This is really a show-stopper kind of bread for a dessert, breakfast, or brunch. You have an enriched bread with a creamy, rich filling topped with spiced apples.
We had to test the best ways to eat the leftovers, too. The tart is fantastic fresh. Because of the creamed cheese, it needs to be stored in the fridge–but it’s thick and cloggy if eaten cold.
However, heating it in the toaster oven doesn’t work–the cream cheese will melt off! Like Goldilocks, we eventually found the “just right.” It was a quick zap in the microwave, maybe 15-20 seconds depending on your machine. Enough to take the chill off without making it hot.
The things we bakers must do for science and the good of the people…
Bready or Not: Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart
Equipment
- rimmed baking sheet
- 9-inch springform pan
- parchment paper
- stand mixer with paddle and dough hook
- nonstick spray with flour
- pastry brush
- uneven spatula
- instant read thermometer
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 cups apples peeled then sliced to 1/4-inch, about 1 1/2 medium apples (Honeycrisp recommended)
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 0.25oz package Platinum Yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup milk or half & half, warmed to 120-F to 130-F
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
Filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Topping
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon water for egg wash
- Swedish pearl sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the sliced apples by using a large bowl to stir them with sugar, lemon juice, and pie spice. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread apple mixture in an even layer on prepared pan.
- Bake the apples until they are fork-tender and have released significant moisture, 12 to 16 minutes. Rotate the pan and stir halfway through. The apples should reduce in size slightly but retain their shape. Let the apples cool while continuing with other stages. Also, turn off the oven, as it won’t be needed for a while.
- Begin the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup flour, white sugar, brown sugar, yeast, and salt at medium-low speed. Add the warm milk, eggs, and vanilla, beating everything on medium about 2 minutes until it’s combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl a few times. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough is smooth and elastic. It should start to pull away from sides of bowl. This will be around 6 to 9 minutes.
- Add the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. This will take 6 to 8 minutes total. Scrape the sides of bowl and dough hook as needed. If the dough looks slightly broken during this stage, that's okay–keeping beating it and it'll come back together.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-low and beat until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 6 minutes.
- Turn out dough onto a clean surface and knead 4 to 5 times. Shape into a smooth round. Place dough in a large ungreased bowl. (At this stage, the dough could be covered and placed in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.) Cover it and place it in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cut a piece of parchment to fit in the base of a springform pan. Apply nonstick spray with flour in pan. Add cut paper. Spray again to coat paper and sides.
- Punch down dough, then cover it and let it rest for about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Use the bottom of the springform pan to poke a 9-inch circle in the middle of the dough. Fold and press outside edges inward to create a crimped edge. Lift the dough to place it in the prepared pan. Press dough to make sure it fills the bottom. Crimp and secure the edges again if needed. Cover and let rise again in a warm place for 25 minutes. Dough should be puffed and hold an indentation when it’s poked.
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees.
- Now make the filling. In the clean bowl of the stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and pie spice at medium speed. Gradually add the cream cheese, beating until smooth. Add egg, beating until combined, then add the flour. Scrape the bowl to make sure everything is mixed.
- Use your fingertips to dimple center of dough back down, leaving outside crust higher and puffed. Crimp and secure edges if necessary, and press out any air bubbles if you see them.
- Spoon and spread cream cheese mixture in an even layer in center of dough. Arrange the sliced apples slightly overlapping in two concentric circles. (You may have leftover slices. Eat’em on their own!)
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Brush outer edge of dough with egg wash. Sprinkle pearl sugar along the crust.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan. If the crust is browning, cover it with foil. Bake for another 25 to 28 minutes. When the tart is done, the crust will be golden brown. The filling should be set around outside edges and slightly jiggly in center. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center should register at least 175-degrees.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, loosen edges of bread. Remove sides of springform pan. Let cool completely on pan base on a wire rack.
- The tart can be enjoyed fresh after it cools. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge, but will be cloggy if eaten chilled. It’s best warmed with a short zap in the microwave, about 15-20 seconds; if it’s made too hot, the cream cheese melts! Leftovers can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later. Thaw in fridge.