A Cookie of Many Names

I was home for Memorial Day this past weekend (and by home, I mean my family's home), and I did a lot of cooking/baking. I am a nerd when it comes to cooking, so when  I am at school and wanting to procrastinate (after FaceBook has gotten boring), I spend my time on websites such as www.allrecipes.com and www.foodnetwork.com. I am always finding new recipes so that when I am home, I have something to try out on my family. Also,I recently decided that I don't necessarily like to eat everything that I cook/bake--I just like to make it. This fact annoys my mom who says that I am in the kitchen waaayyy too much.

That fact aside, I am going to share with you one of my newfound favorite recipes that is just slightly unusual. By unusual, I mean that this recipe is for chocolate cookies that have no EGG. This recipe came from my friend Grace who has siblings with multiple allergies. The best thing about these cookies, though, is that they are really good. Also, if you are like me and you like to eat the cookie dough before you bake it, you won't have to worry about that silly thing your mom or grandma probably told you about raw cookie dough having worms because of the raw eggs (which it doesn't).

The title of this post comes from the fact that this recipe doesn't really have a name. I call it "Grace's Cookies" because the recipe was given to me by my friend...Grace. My sister thinks that these wonderfully soft and chewy cookies are similar to brownies, so she calls them "Brownie Cookies." My mother, on the other hand, has a similar recipe in which the unbaked cookie dough ball is rolled in powdered sugar before baking and is given the moniker "Chocolate Crinkles."

Regardless of their name, these cookies are so delicious and very easy to make. Are you ready for the recipe? I hope so...

First of all, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Here is a picture of the ingredients (minus the flour and sugar, which are purchased in bulk at my house and stored in containers that are too large to sit on the counter






Step 1 - Cream 3/4 cup margarine and 2 cups white sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

Step 2 - In a separate bowl, mix 3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons oil and 2 teaspoons Baking Powder.  This mixture acts as the "egg" for the cookies.

The mixture will start to bubble and fizz. This is some sort of chemical reaction of which I cannot explain as I am an English major. Moving on...









Step 4 - Add the "egg" mixture to your creamed butter and sugar. At this point, mix in 2 Teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 cups all-purpose flour.

The mixture will look as though it doesn't have enough liquid as you combine everything together. It should be okay, but I have sometimes added a few teaspoons of water just to make sure everything is combined and that it isn't too dry. This is completely your choice whether you want to add water. I usually go by the look of the dough.

All the ingredients have been added and combined together (This is where I might eat a little bit of dough) :-) 

Anyway...







Now you are ready to distribute your dough balls on to an ungreased cookie sheet. I use an airbake cookie sheet, but you can use any kind. I also use a handy little tool that scoops up the dough so that it is perfectly rounded and every cookie is equal in size. Again, if you don't have such a tool, two spoons work as well.

I would space the cookies out just a little bit on the cookie sheet.They don't usually spread much while baking, but putting space between the cookies allows for airflow and even heat distribution. Also, make sure you flatten your cookies slightly so that they aren't completely round. Basically, your pan should look something like this...

Now they are ready to go into the oven (remember, 350 degrees) for 10-14 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on your oven, but it is VERY important that you don't overbake them.

When the time is up, the cookies will look soft and undercooked. This is GOOD. They will continue to cook on the cookie sheet and will harden up as they cool. Let them rest for a few minutes so that they don't fall apart when you take them off the cookie sheet.

But once you put them on the cooling rack, it is up to you as to how long you want them to cool. These cookies are delicious fresh out of the oven AND long after they've cooled.

I believe that one batch yields 25-30 cookies, depending on how big or small you make them.

I hope that you will try this recipe and wow your friends with this new kind of cookie. The great thing about these cookies is they are very difficult to mess up. So, go out and bake them AND then come up with your own name for these delectable little treats.

Here is the recipe in its totality:

3/4 cups margarine
2 cups sugar
3 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. water, and 2 tsp baking powder mixed together separately ---this is a substitute for egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour.

Beat the margarine and sugar before adding the “egg” mix and the vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and salt, and then add the cocoa powder and flour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. The cookies may not look done when they come out, but will harden as they cool.

From me to you on this lovely Memorial Day 2011...Enjoy!