Under The Cue

Under The Cue


Under the Cue is a blog about family, genealogy, emotions, or anything else that suits my fancy.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Cookie Comfort

I needed some comfort this weekend and I turned to cooking. Isn't that the best place to get comfort?

I decided to try to tweak a chocolate chip cookie recipe I made. It contains some ingredients that most people don't normally have in their kitchens. I have an extra refrigerator in my garage so I can keep bags of flour in it so they don't go bad while waiting on me to cook. I love to cook and I have developed my own recipes through the years. Some recipes have taken many tries and other happened the first time. I have thrown out the old tries for this chocolate chip cookie recipe. Now I wish I had kept them for reference sake. I could have gone back to see what didn't work and what did. I make notes on the recipe card telling me if the recipe is too sweet, too dry, too grainy, too anything. After trying the recipe this weekend using Buckwheat flour I have decided that I like the previous recipe better. At the same time I want to incorporate Buckwheat flour into more of my recipes because it is much healthier than white flour. I have tried to stop using white sugar for the same reason.

For all those who are adventuresome and would like to try a healthier cookie here is the recipe.

Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together and sift into a bowl.

1 cup 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Buckwheat flour
1/4 Cup Graham flour
1/4 Cup Oat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Sift all flours, salt, soda, and baking powder together. This gets out any lumps from the baking powder.

In the mixer, I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer with the large paddle, combine the following ingredients.

2 sticks of unsalted butter softened
(I had unsalted butter on hand but if your salt intake is not restricted I see no reason you could not use salted butter. I'm not a cooking scientist.)

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Turbinado Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 large eggs

Beat until smooth and creamy.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the mixer bowl and beat again until all is mixed well.
Add one 12 oz. package chocolate chips. I used Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips this time.

You may add:
2 cups Old Fashioned Oat Meal
(This is the ingredient that I forgot to add to the cookie dough. I will remember next time because I love Oat Meal in my cookies.)

Bake at 350 degrees on greased cookie sheet. Bake about 9-10 minutes.

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This recipe seemed to have a gritty feel in my mouth when it was warm. I didn't notice the gritty feeling after the cookies had cooled. I don't know how adding the oat meal will change this grittiness.

This is the sugar I used in this recipe. I love this sugar.
region: Hawaii, USA
Sugar In The Raw Turbinado Sugar is made using 100% pure Hawaiian cane sugar from the initial pressing of the cane, allowing the natural molasses to remain in the crystals. The flavor is sweet and rich. The color is natural amber.

Whole Grain Oat Flour, 22 oz (1 lb 6 oz) 623 g This is the Oat Flour I used. Bob's Red Mill is the brand. I don't know if there are other flour brands, this is the one I bought and used. I'm sure others are just as good. I used Bob's Red Mill flours on all the flours.