These cookies may not exactly be “World Famous” to anyone outside of Colorado Springs, but they certainly are within a small group of people, and sometimes that’s all that counts. This is a family recipe that has been passed down for a while within the family, and in my humble opinion, is one of the better recipes there is. They don’t rise a lot, which results in smaller and sturdier cookies that are good for dipping in coffee or milk. When they are fresh, they are easy to tear and melt in your mouth. I can’t count how many times I’ve woken up a few hours before school starts and begun baking a batch of cookies. It’s always the best to show up to school with warm cookies in hand and see the amazed looks of friends and teachers as they reach for a cookie. . . or a few. These cookies are a real crowd-pleaser and relatively simple for anyone who is looking for a good starter recipe. You can also substitute in white chocolate chips or dried cranberries to add a little spark of interest.
I tend to make multiple batches of cookies at the same time which results in a floury mess in the kitchen, which is my family’s cue to remind me to clean up after I finish baking. My other favorites are Ginger cookies and Brown Eyed Susans. I’ll share both of these recipes soon as well. You’ll also see some Coconut Macarons in the photos that I took. I experimented with them a few weeks ago and my they were *delicious*. They had a melt-in-your-mouth taste and were gone within a few days.
Depending on your altitude, you may have to adjust a few factors of this recipe. This could include adding water or flour or baking for a longer amount of time. There are more details in the following recipe. Living in CO Springs, I usually bake for 10-12 minutes, but sometimes the dough may be inconsistent. The most fool-proof way that I have found is to bake a batch of 2 to 3 cookies at first. You can see how these turn out and if you mess it up, it was only a few cookies. You can then go from there, adjusting the oven temp, ingredient amount, and baking time.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond flavoring *vanilla flavor can also be used, but almond tastes better in these cookies*
- 3/4 cup AP flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour *I usually do 1 1/2 cup AP flour for simplicity, but it’s up to you.*
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips *I round up to 1 cup for funzies sometimes. Depends on how chocolatey you like your cookies.*
- Optional: 1/2 cup toasted and coarsely chopped almonds
- Optional: 1 cup dried cranberries and/or white chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Mix sugars, butter, egg, and flavoring together. Beat well. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Drop by the rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, about 8-10 minutes. *Depending on altitude you may need to bake for a longer or shorter amount of time.*
- Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.
- *If cookies spread out too much or look too greasy, add 2-4TB flour. If the dough is too stiff, add 1-2 TB of water.
