Bake-off: Cookies!

Posted by Mama Spoon

My kids love to bake. What can I say -- I have taught them well. I guess all that time that I have spent in my kitchen baking up yumminess has finally paid off by setting an example.  We have been watching the Masterchef show as a family (ok, #4 -really- hates it and tantrums 'cuz he is super bored by it and we are not playing with him since we are all starting at the tv). Anyway, we decided to have our own culinary competition and I organized a bake off for the three oldest kiddos. 

 

Yeah, they made a mess, but had a great time. :)

I gave them all the same vanilla cookie recipe (chocolate chip cookies minus the chocolate chips), and had a lesson on substituting ingredients (how much oats or cocoa to sub for flour, adjusting liquid and dry ingredients depending on what was added, etc.), filled the counter with piles of ingredients and all manner of mix-ins, and let them go. The only rule was they had to run the recipe by me before they could start baking (to verify the proportions would work). 

They did awesome. Spoon #3 did a black and white cookie -- making 1/2 the dough vanilla with chocolate chips, and half chocolate, and then he mashed two balls together and baked them so they were 1/2 and 1/2 (he called them Yin Yang Cookies). They were very fluffy and yummy. Spoon #2 turned hers into a dense and fudgy and very minty chocolate brownie cookie. Yum.  Really.
Spoon #1 won the contest 'cuz he played to the judge.  Big Daddy Spoon loves all things peanut butter and chocolate. Obsessively so.  I guess it wasn't very fair to the other kids, since when he smelled the aroma of chocolate and peanut butter floating from the kitchen, it was in the bag.  

It was a very well done peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. It turned out supremely delicious with a very nice texture, I think they all did a fabulous job and I am sure that we will be doing this again soon with my little bakers.

The winning recipe:

 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #1 
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (heaping)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Add peanut butter and mix well. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, flour and oats; mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Form into 1 1/2" balls and bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Brownie Mint Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #2
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup mint chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, cocoa, and flour; mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Form into 1 1/2" balls and bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Yin Yang Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #3
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, and flour; mix until well combined. Divide the dough in half.  Mix in the baking cocoa into 1/2 of the dough until well combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips into the chocolate dough.

Form into 1 1/2" balls by rolling a ball from each the chocolate and vanilla dough.  Press them together and gently roll them into a new ball.. Bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.