Teresa’s Bake Shop – Christmas Cookie edition – 2012

Okay, folks, this is my last Christmas cookie offering this year! I’ve saved the best for last! These cookies are to die for!!! The wonderful thing about this cookie is that it almost didn’t happen. These started out as my rejects! I was going to throw the whole kit and kaboodle in the trash because they didn’t turn out pretty. These were the potato chip cookies that ran together on the cookie sheet when I baked them (causing me to have to bake another batch). These were the potato chip cookies that got a little too browned and crispy for my taste (and didn’t look pretty). These were the potato chip cookies that were breaking apart because they were too fragile. Yeah, they were a mess.

On a lark, I decided to use up some of the chocolate frosting I had left over after making the Double Chocolate Oatmeal Sandwiches the same day and the Chocolate Drop Cookies from a few weeks ago. I put all the scrap potato chip cookies together and voila! I’m not kidding, they turned out to be the best cookie I think I’ve ever tasted. I can’t imagine how good they would have been had they all had the right texture like they were supposed to. To describe them accurately they taste like a sugar cookie with a fabulous chocolate icing sandwiched between two of them. It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! When I say, amazing, I mean seriously!!!

I took a plate of these rejects along with me to our church’s fine arts and music gala last Sunday night and dared the folks that came by my two large dessert tables to try them. Everyone who did thought they were spectacular. Some came back for more but they were long gone by then.

I know I get to raving every now and then about how great something is, but to say these “reject cookies” were to die for is an understatement. They were F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!! I probably should have titled them my “reject cookies” but I just couldn’t persuade myself to do so because they really turned out tasting so delicious. Or maybe I should have titled these “Teresa’s Folly” or something. I’m glad I didn’t give up just because they looked so deplorable because with a little tweaking they can be something special. I’ve determined to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly in the pictures that follow. So please bear with me.

If you want a cookie that’s going to wow your guests (and your family) consider this amazing cookie. I DARE YOU!!!

You’ll be able to tell by looking at these fabulous cookies that they are not pretty and they’re quite rejected-looking. Fortunately, they’re not inferior in taste. They taste incredible.

Obviously, the saving grace of these “reject cookies” is the delicious chocolate icing. Thanks, Mom, for this great recipe.

This picture shows one of the really fragile cookies that’s about to fall apart. I ended up eating this one because I didn’t think it would make it on the cookie platter otherwise. Oh my! Talk about heavenly! I couldn’t get enough of this cookie. I wanted to eat all of them. Thankfully, sanity ruled, and I quickly piled the cookies onto a platter and into my freezer for last Sunday night’s debut.

Look how flat and ugly these poor cookies look!  :-(     Believe me when I say I would NEVER be showing you these horrid pictures if the cookies didn’t taste so amazing they were beyond belief!

Some of these “reject cookies” were squares instead of pretty circles because they all flowed together on the pan. Yikes! I hate turning out that kind of a cookie!

Here’s another look at the ones that got too brown. When you’re making four batches of cookies at one time and on one day stuff happens! These poor babes were definitely headed for the reject pile or trash bin as the saying goes.

Here’s what I did. (I’m giving you the correct recipe and directions so yours will turn out looking good and not like my reject cookies).

You will need plain potato chips. No fancy seasonings and it’s better to choose potato chips that aren’t wavy or ruffled if possible. Any cheap brand of plain potato chips will do. Also, this is a great way to use up the last of the potato chips in your bags. You can put them in a baggy and freeze them and pull them out when you have enough saved up.

Crush the potato chips. I usually crush them in my two hands and it doesn’t take very long.

Once you have the correct amount set aside the potato chips for later.

Unfortunately, as I had so much going on at one time I failed to get a picture of the butter for this recipe. Imagine in your head 3 1/2 sticks of softened butter. Not 4.

Cream butter with an electric mixer.

Add vanilla.

Add sugar.

Cream these ingredients together with an electric mixer.

Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour will toughen anything it comes in contact with: cookies, pies, cakes, cobblers, noodles and pasta. Don’t ever use it with baked goods if you want a superior result.

Add crushed potato chips.

Stir flour and potato chips into cookie mixture with a wooden spoon. If you use an electric mixer to add flour it will also toughen cookies as it overmixes the batter.

Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Roll potato chip cookie recipe into balls and place on greased cookie sheets.

This step can be omitted if you wish. Dip fork in small bowl with sugar.

Place dipped fork onto cookies in criss-cross fashion to flatten slightly.

Here’s what that looks like.

I added a little more sugar because I wanted the tops to look pretty.  Duh!

Here’s what the cookies look like before baking.

This is what they are supposed to turn out like.

This is what a lot of mine turned out like. Ugh! I can’t stand it when my cookies turn out like this. When I try a recipe where the cookies flatten out like this, I immediately increase the flour because that’s usually the culprit. In this case the culprit is the butter. I decrease the butter and then the cookie has the right consistency. This was my first batch. I think I ended up making 3 or 4 altogether because I had some variations.

These are the ones that came out overcooked and the edges are rough. (I have a sneer of disgust on my face at this point).

Okay, how do we salvage such dreadful looking cookies? I set these aside while I worked on the Double Chocolate Oatmeal Sandwiches and when I finished those I still had a lot of chocolate icing leftover. So guess what??? I said to myself, “Why not try some chocolate icing on these cookies to see if we can redeem them?” And then if they taste as bad as they look I’ll just throw everything out!!!

Well, guess what? They didn’t taste as bad as they looked. They tasted superior to their appearance (thankfully) and were so fantastic I’m going to start making them this way frequently. 

I had two batches of this icing leftover which I had saved from making the Chocolate Drop Cookies a few weeks ago. I used one batch on the Double Chocolate Oatmeal Sandwiches, and the other batch on this cookie. Because it had hardened slightly I added about 1/4 cup of milk and used and electric mixer to get it to spreading consistency again. But so you have the recipe right before you, here it is.

Melt butter in large mixing bowl.

Add cream.

I used the dark roast cocoa and it certainly gave the icing a much richer flavor. I’m drooling as I type this.

Add vanilla and dark roasted cocoa.

Add powdered sugar.

Blend all the ingredients together with an electric mixer until well blended. Add a little more cream if you have to in order to make the icing of spreading consistency.

Here I’ve gobbed icing on the back of one of the reject potato chip cookies.

I’ve covered the icing with another cookie.

I made lots of cookies that day.

You can see how dark and awful looking these cookies are. These rejects cooked a little too long.

See how thin each cookie is? In spite of that, they tasted so amazing my mouth is watering as I remember how incredibly good this cookie was. 

If they tasted so good as reject cookies I can’t imagine how much better they will taste the next time I make them when the cookies have the right shape and consistency and aren’t overcooked and too brown! 

After I badgered people coming by my tables to try some of my reject cookies I saw the most incredible looks come over their faces. First, they were turned off by the idea of potato chips in cookies. But with the combination of bad looking cookies and potato chips in cookies at that, most were overwhelmed when they tried them. Thankfully, I have a reputation for being a pretty decent cook and most people are willing to try almost anything I make.

They could not believe anything with potato chips–not to mention ugly cookies–could taste so AWESOME! I watched their faces in amazement as they enjoyed each and every bite and licked their fingers, too! Even the kids who tried them thought they were amazing. That’s saying something!

I dare you to try these fabulous “reject cookies” some day. Maybe even on a lark like I did. Oh, my! You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s the recipe.

CHOCOLATE POTATO CHIP SANDWICHES

(Recipe adapted from Annie White, Eckerd Photo Lab, Clearwater, FL)

3 ½ sticks butter

3 ½ cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens cookies)

2 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup crushed potato chips

Blend butter to a peak, add sugar, and vanilla and cream again. Stir in flour and potato chips. Bake on greased or sprayed cookie sheets at 350° for 15 minutes. Can press down with fork dipped in sugar  in a criss-cross fashion for a flatter cookie. Cool. Spread bottom of one cookie with chocolate icing. Top with another potato chip cookie. Makes about 1 ½-2 dozen sandwich cookies.

CHOCOLATE ICING:

(Recipe from my mom, Helen Mattis, Titusville, FL)

5 tbsp. melted butter

3 tbsp. cream

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 squares unsweetened chocolate or 1/3 cup cocoa  (I used dark roasted cocoa)

Mix together and spread between two cooled cookies.

NOTE: Mom always used cocoa rather than chocolate squares.

Here’s a platter of these spectacular “reject cookies.”

I piled the icing on each cookie. That’s probably what made them so good.

Here you can see some of the fragile cookies that were cracking as I tried to ice them.

These were the “reject cookies” that cooked too long.

They don’t look like much but they tasted fantastic. I will start making these every year during the holidays!

Poor babies. They don’t look pretty but they are some of the best tasting cookies I’ve ever had. They taste like sugar cookies with chocolate icing in the middle. Yum, yum!

I dare you to bring a plate of these “reject cookies” along to your next holiday function.

I double dare you to bring some of these jewels along to Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner!

How can anything that looks so miserable taste so wonderful?

This was the fragile cookie that I ate. It was so mouthwatering as it disintegrated and dissolved into my mouth. It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten anything that tasted so marvelous.

Here’s another picture of my poor “reject cookies.” Thankfully, they weren’t rejected when I brought them to our gala last Sunday night. In fact, they were the first and only cookie that was cleaned out completely!

I double-dog dare you to try these fabulous cookies in your holiday baking this Christmas season!

You may also like these fabulous cookies:

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Potato Chip Cookies

Mimi’s Potato Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Sandwiches

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Toffee Almond Sandies

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