Kitchen Sink Cookies

There are times when I need a break from chocolate chip cookies. Call me crazy, OK, I'm crazy. As I've been looking out in cookieland this week during National Cookie Week I've seen a lot of great chocolate options, but I've decided to provide yet another no-chocolate cookie. It is chock full of tasty bits though, so I'm not sure you'll miss the chocolate!!

So far, this has won the YUMMY AWARD of the WEEK around The MacKay Way. They are that good! Bake up a batch, turn on the milk tap and dive in... we did!

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Makes 5-6 dozen (which you'll find to not NEARLY be enough. Perhaps pencil into your calendar now to make them up again early next week.)

Ingredients:
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk (reserve the white for that omelette you've been craving all day!)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 cups of oatmeal
1.5 cups of unsweetened grated coconut*
1 bag, 11-12 oz. of butterscotch chips (I've seen bags in both sizes
2/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (I like the small sort you find in India markets called Char Magaz)
1 1/2 cups of toasted and candied pecans (see below for instructions
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toasted & Candied Pecans:
1 1/2 Cups of pecans as listed above, chopped
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
large dinner plate

Preheat oven 375°F.

Toasting & Candying Nuts:
Break the nuts into a few pieces by hand or with a large knife. When candying them, I prefer to break them by hand and have less "nut dust". Have all items at the ready, including the dinner plate and stirring spoon when you begin this part. Put the nuts into a small, dry, frying pan over medium high heat and cook until they begin to toast. Be sure to stir the nuts as you cook. BEWARE: Nuts will go from toasted to burned quite quickly. When they begin to toast, lower the heat to medium and dump on the brown sugar and mix quickly. When I say quickly - I mean it will burn super fast so stir like hell and pour the contents out onto a plate immediately to begin cooling. DO NOT touch any nuts that spill onto the counter or that remain in the pan. You WILL get one heck of a sugar burn, and sugar burns suck. Let the nuts cool and break them up once cooled.

Let's get on with it, shall we?
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside for now.

In a mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugars and mix well. Add the eggs (including the additional 3rd yolk) and vanilla and mix on medium speed until the batter is fluffy. Add the flour a little at a time until all is well blended.

TIP: When I add the flour to the mixer, even though I have a splatter shield, I place a towel over the mixer to help keep the flour from invading the entire kitchen.

After the flour is mixed in, add the coconut followed by the oatmeal, mixing between additions. Finally, add the butterscotch chips, pumpkin seeds and candied pecans and give it a quick mix.

Place by tablespoon full, flattening slightly with damp fingers, onto ungreased cookie sheets. They do not spread very much. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown around the edges. Allow to cool enough on a wire rack that you don't burn your tongue snarfing one down.

Happy National Cookie Week!!!
*Unsweetened coconut can be found in the freezer section of your local Indian market.

Art by Gerard Conte ©2011

www.gerardconte.com

Kitchen Sink Cookie