TWD: Honey-Wheat Cookies

These cookies are a perfect illustration of one of the reasons that I love being a part of the Tuesdays With Dorie group. If they hadn't been "assigned" to me for this week, I would have never made them, and that would have been a shame. I may have a new "almost-favorite" cookie!
I never would have thought that I'd make a cookie that contained wheat germ. Heck, I didn't know what one would do with a jar of wheat germ! But I bought a jar, and I'm glad I did! (And I did buy the "honey crunch" flavor, because I thought it just sounded tasty!) These cookies are so simple...some of the ingredients include wheat germ, lemon zest, and honey. I loved the flavor of these cookies. They were sweet from the honey, but I loved the slight lemon flavor. They taste like something I've had before, but I can't put my finger on it.

As I was rolling these cookies out, dredging them in the wheat germ, and pressing them into rounds, I found myself thinking about my grandfather, Grandydaddy. He owned and worked a cattle farm that I grew up on. He was on the farm every single day, and I loved to go "help" him, especially when I was little. He had a barn full of cats, and I loved to try to catch them! The farm was the one he grew up on, and "The Ol' Homeplace" is still there. It was his parents' house (my great-grandparents), but now it's in a state of disrepair. Anyway, he had a refrigerator in the house that held two things: Pepsis and Zagnut candy bars. I remember loving to stop by that house for a can of Pepsi and a Zagnut with Grandydaddy. And the whole time I was rolling, dredging, and pressing, I remembered eating those Zagnuts with Grandydaddy. He passed away about 10 years ago, and guess it's been even longer than that since I've had a Zagnut. These cookies didn't taste anything like a Zagnut, but I was so glad to have those memories while I baked!

If you're interested in these tasty little cookies, visit Flourchild's blog. It looks like she had a ton of fun baking these cookies with her daughters, so I guess Honey-Wheat Cookies will hold lots of memories for her, too! Please, don't let the wheat-germ freak you out or turn you away from these cookies. If it hadn't been for TWD, I'd have never made them, but I'm so glad I did! Yum!

TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a confession to make. (It seems like I do that a lot around here...) Anyway, I don't like to bake cookies. I like to bake cakes, pies, tarts, but not cookies. You know why? Because you constantly have to tend to them and watch them. I like to mix up one big batch of stuff, stick it in the oven, then come back about 45 minutes later to some kind of delicious confection. But cookies? There's scooping, baking, removing to a cooling rack, letting the cookie sheets cool, etc. On and on until you finish the batch. And there's another thing about cookies. One cookie isn't a satisfying snack. I need to eat three or four to feel like I've had something. But one piece of cake or pie is satisfying! Anyone agree with me?
Another problem I have with cookies is that I haven't perfected a cooking method. I like chewy cookies, but I always let mine cook until they're crispy. And I'd rather have no cookie than a crispy cookie. And my cookies always spread out and get really flat. What's with that?
Anyway, Dorie's cookies solved at least one of my problems!

Even though I let the first batch cook a little long, they were still chewy after they'd cooled! And the next day, they were still chewy too! Thank you, Dorie, for a chewy chocolate chip cookie! These did still spread an awful lot, but I can take a thin, chewy cookie. These cookies had a great chocolate chip flavor...they were better than the Tollhouse recipe, which is the only chocolate chip cookie I've tried. They were very well received at the Super Bowl Party (everyone loves chocolate chip cookies!), and David and I snacked on them for a couple of days afterward. These will definitely be my chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on! Kait, of Kait's Plate, picked these cookies. If you'd like the recipe, head on over to her website.

TWD: Brownies for Julia

I've got conflicting opinions on these brownies. The flavor is absolutely wonderful. They are sinfully chocolatey. But they're...too gooey. I love a fudgy, gooey brownie, but these go beyond the beyonds. Maybe I underbaked them, but I'm not so sure. After reading Dorie's description and checking out the other TWDers, I think they pretty much turned out like they were supposed to.
See? They've got the dry, crackly tops. When I inserted a thin knife in the middle, they were still "pretty gooey."

But then, I started cutting them, and this happened...

Yikes! I salvaged the brownies around the edges for the Super Bowl party, but I think only one or two were eaten. I put the gooey brownie mud back in the fridge, and I've been eating it bit by bit with a spoon. Oh, it's good. If you're a batter-licker (like me), you will love these. I just had a hard time serving them to other folks because I was terrified that someone would get sick. Or think I can't cook. Yes, I could have cooked them longer, but I was hosting a Super Bowl party and was on a deadline! I had cookies, dips, and pizzas to cook, too!

If you want to try your hand at these delicious (but gooey) brownies, visit Chocolatechic's blog. That lady loves her chocolate!