If you like light and crisp cookies that shatter in your mouth, here’s a recipe for your collection. The original version is called 100 Good Cookies which in accordance with the name, yields exactly 100 sophisticated, handsome cookies which would be perfect for a tea, cookie exchange or gift. Not planning on attending, participating in or giving any of the former, I chose to make 50. Frankly, I don't know what I'm going to do with the 50, but oh well...
Given the title of the recipe, I was compelled to get the yield exactly right so I measured my cookie balls ahead of time using a cookie scoop, laid them on a foil lined cookie sheet and pressed them down so that I’d have pre-formed cookie discs ready to bake as needed. The pressing down part is important because these guys don’t spread much and given their texture, they need to be thin rather than thick.
More baking notes are at the end of this recipe.
50 Good Cookies
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, cold (114 grams)
½ cup very firmly packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ tsp. vanilla
OPTIONAL ADDITION: 1 tablespoon malted milk powder (reader tried this and said it was terrific)
1 ¾ cups flour (a little less than 8 oz/230 grams)
½ teaspoon salt
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup quick cooking oatmeal
½ cup rice krispies
½ cup toasted shredded sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
⅓ cup (use less if desired) of miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Cream mixture for about 5 minutes, then beat in the egg. Continue beating until light and fluffy, then reduce speed and beat in the oil, vanilla and malt powder (if using).
Mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda in separate bowl. Gradually add to egg mixture, stirring until incorporated, then stir in oatmeal, cereal, coconut, nuts and mini chocolate chips
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out fifty little balls of dough and arrange them on a foil lined cookie sheet so that you can chill the dough and bake as needed. PRESS THE BALLS DOWN BEFORE CHILLING. If you chill them as balls, the balls harden up and they crumble when you press them. Chill only if you don’t plan to bake them right away.
When ready to bake, space the little dough circles about 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and bake for 12 minutes at 350 F. or until lightly browned. Cool completely to get the proper texture. These cookies are NOT great warm.
Makes 50
Recipe Notes
-- Since I’ve been using my stand mixer a lot these days, I creamed the butter and sugar for a long time to dissolve the sugar. I’m not sure this had anything to do with the light texture, but it didn’t hurt anything. I also beat the egg quite a bit after adding it.
-- This recipe has a lot of flour, so make sure you weigh it or fluff it up and spoon and sweep before measuring. Too much will make the cookies dry. The dough shouldn’t be crumbly at all, nor should it be sticky
Jennifer says
Anna,
Hmm.. maybe I'll leave the crispy's in then. Our lawn mower broke and a neighbor mowed our lawn for us last night (and even weed wacked.) So now I REALLY need to bake something tonight to say "thank you." I keep going back and forth between the cookies and making the Shirley C. yellow cake. He's a bachelor, so I'm wondering which would be better. I'm dying to make the cake, but he could freeze the leftover cookies or share them with co-workers maybe easier than the cake...
Jennifer
Lorie says
Love the new look, Anna. So behind on reading blogs, but I'm really interested in your yellow cake comparisons, as I have been looking for a good yellow cake recipe. Plan to try some of them soon!
Anna says
Jenn, I just made an update as you were typing your comment. A reader, Sarah, said she added a tablespoon of malt powder to the recipe and that it worked well. So if you have malt powder around and you like malt flavor, you might want to try incorporating it. I'm not sure you'd get the same results without the Rice Krispies, but that's not to say your version wouldn't be good. If you make changes, you might want to try the half batch version rather than go straight for the 100. Or maybe you're more daring than I am ;).
Jennifer says
Anna,
Thanks for the coconut info. I am planning on making these tonight. I might even make the full 100 and freeze part of the dough. I am thinking of leaving out the rice krispy's, doubling the pecans and adding in Heath Bit's 'O Brickle instead of the chocolate chips. I think that would be a really good combination-coconut, toffee, pecans.
Jennifer
melissa says
Nice new header!
This recipes looks great. I love crisp cookies!
Sweets By Vicky says
OOOH i love your stylish new outfit Anna! 🙂
And the name of these cookies are just so adorable. 🙂
Mackenzie@The Caramel Cookie says
Love the new look! And these cookies sounds like a great way to use up the rest of my rice krispies!
ruj says
Can I substitute cream of tartar by anything else? I stay in India, ingredients like cream of tartar are not easily found...
Andrea says
Hi, I've been following your blog for almost a year by now. I'm 16.
I love your new look! And these cookies look extremeley delicious.
Martha in KS says
New house, new web layout, you're full of surprises. I like the look!
Anna says
Yes, they're rotating. I like the new one, but I am attached to my old one.
Sue says
These cookies have some of my favorite cookie add ins! I rarely make crispy cookies. I wonder why?
Yesterday I mentioned that I like the new look, but today when I logged on and got a different picture I thought maybe you preferred one over another one. Now I realize they're rotating. Cool.
Anna says
Kim, administrative professionals love these cookies. It's a fact ;).
Jennifer, I should have mentioned this above, but you can barely taste the coconut.
Jennifer says
Those do look really good. I think the coconut would add a nice flavor but the amount is small enough that maybe my coconut hating family wouldn't notice it. They look like they'd make good bake-sale cookies, too.
Kim Fluck says
Those look really good... blog updates look really good too! Might have to run to the store to buy some of these ingredients. Secretaries Day/Administrative Professionals Day is this week (at least we are celebrating it this week)... might be what I bring to work. Thanks!
Anna says
Thanks Katrina! The banners rotate. Right now I only have two. Still trying to work out the kinks, but I'm liking this new theme.
Katrina says
I like it! (The blog.) Love the big cookie on the top. Love your big blog name and I really like the yellow sides. I thought I typed in the wrong blog at first.
Thumbs up.