Stanwood cookie person Evelyn Tracy recently asked us for help, explaining, “Every time I make chocolate chip cookies (I use the original Toll House recipe), after a couple days, they get very dry and quite hard. What am I doing wrong? And/or what can I do to alleviate this?”
One answer to Evelyn’s question comes to us from Helen Powell of Marysville. She writes, “For the cookie person, I use 1 stick oleo (I prefer Imperial brand) and half of a half-stick of butter-flavored Crisco. I changed the amount of flour from 21/4 cups to 3 cups.
“If you follow the recipe on the bag for Toll House cookies,” she adds, “the cookies flatten while baking, which I found to cause them to harden and be dry.”
And faithful Forum helper-outer Michael Koznek of Snohomish offers her solution to the problem. “Keep thin, crisp cookies in a container with a loose-fitting lid,” she says, “and keep soft cookies in an airtight container. I put a slice of bread in with soft cookies to keep them soft. This will also soften dry cookies. …
“Or, the old standby cure for keeping your cookies fresh: Eat them faster!”
I love it! And besides, that’s just so true, isn’t it?
Now, moving along to a different cookie problem, Janis Tawrel of Everett is hoping to replace a missing recipe for a certain peanut butter and honey combo. “These cookies took lots of honey,” she says, “and they are one of my husband’s favorites!”
Maybe this recipe, taken from the March 19, 2003, Herald Food section will do the trick:
Peanut butter and honey cookies
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3/4cup peanut butter
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
In medium mixing bowl, cream honey and butter or margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, peanut butter and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking soda; mix until combined. Drop dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, onto well-greased baking sheet. Dip fork into flour and press flat on each cookie to form an X. Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet; cool on wire rack. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
The next Forum will appear in Monday’s Time Out section.
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