25- Fudgey cocoa no bakes, redux with different “butter” + special ingredient

I have such an exciting idea for June CTIAT that I kind of blanked the last week of May.

It’s also a busy week with both my mother and my father having birthdays.

In my real life I’ve been trying different versions of cookie butter, because Aldi had some packages of speculous cookies for super sale that I want to make cookie butter out of. An experiment, if you would.

Because that is what cookie butter is. Kind of like peanut butter is made from nuts, cookie butter is made from grinding the crap out of cookies.

I wanted to try different versions of the speculous cookie butter. Never thinking that I was going to be a bear in Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

I bought a jar from Trader Joes while away at the nursing convention in April. Too sweet said my mouth. (daddy bear bed)

I bought another jar from Trader Joes, the crunch version this time, wondering if a texture change would be good. Nope. Too sweet with crunchies in it. (daddy bear bed who has been eating crackers in bed)

The Trader Joes jars were the Trader Joes brand.

I bought a jar from a rather bougie grocery store. This was from lotus Biscoff, the maker of the cookies. Again, way too sweet. I have got to investigate the ingredients. (mama bear bed)

Then I saw a version at the other local grocery store. This is another “store brand”. This one was just right. (baby bear bed)

Not too sweet, not too crunchy.

The only criticism that I have is that the product is almost too smooth. It’s consistency is almost pourable, instead of a semi-solid state.

I’ve made this cookie before with the Trader Joe’s branded cookie butter. The cookies were WAY too sweet and half of them went uneaten.

This time I used the third store jar, and replaced 1 of the cups of oatmeal with unsweetened coconut. And I used dark chocolate cocoa powder.

The resulting cookies were tender and not as break apart-y as the traditionally made cookie with peanut butter and the full 3 cups of oats.

These I will definitely not kick out of the cookie jar.

Cookie Thursday 5/8/25- Egg replacement brownie

Last month I decided to find the best egg replacement for cookies. Chocolate chip cookies to be precise.

And I found it. The best egg replacement was the banana egg and psyllium husk egg combo. These cookies were perfection. The banana added the moistness and the psyllium husk added the binding and the moisture retention properties needed.

Well, after four solid weeks of making the same chocolate chip cookies I decided I was sick of chocolate chip cookies. I wanted a change, is that too much to ask?

This month I decided to not continue with the egg replacement in chocolate chip cookie experiment and move on to baked goods with different egg replacement.

The recipe is one I had made before “Lunch lady brownies”. I made them this last September for that month’s lunch lady theme for back to school. It is a simple recipe with 5 ingredients. I just swapped out the four eggs for 4 egg replacements. I used 2 bananas and 2 psyllium husk eggs. To give the batter a fighting chance of rising, I added 1 tsp of baking soda to help with lift.

It was very promising and the brownies rose beautifully.

The brownies took a bit longer to cook and I used the time tested method of sticking a toothpick into the baked good and removing it to check for no batter left clinging to the toothpick. I prefer this method over timing for cakes and brownies, especially when browning can’t be trusted because of the chocolate.

I took the brownies out and left them to cool for 10 minutes. I was going to mix the frosting after this time.

And then I got called in. Cool, that’s what I do. I put the brownies in a cat secured place and went to the hospital.

One case turned into 2 and it was nearly 5 hours before I could get back to frost them. By then they had shrunk down quite a bit and I shrugged, thinking that it would make for a very fudgy brownie. It did.

My husband saw me frantically frosting the brownies after I got home from the hospital because I had a full night. He remarked, casually, “I didn’t think you liked making brownies.”

He has a point. I resisted making brownies for CTIAT for YEARS. I also don’t like making frosting.

I frosted the now very cool brownies and placed them in the refrigerator as the recipe ordered.

This morning I cut them into 2 inch x 1 inch slices and put them in the delivery device.

I would let the department weigh in on the egg replacements.

Me, I was just happy that the frosting set.

Cookie Thursday 4/24/25- applesauce egg replacement

When I first started planning this month’s theme of “That’s a good egg…substitute!”, I began, as I always do with searching for suggested egg substitutes. I hoped I would find at least 4 to round out the month.

To my shock, I found so much more than four.

There are egg substitutes for different applications, too. Some for baking, some for cooking, and some that switch hit.

I was certainly not spoiled for choice.

To recap

April 3, 2025- flax egg. 1 tbs flax to 3 tbs water per egg. These cookies did not behave like I was expecting them too. They were almost too crisp with no give in the mouth feel. These cookies tasted stale, even right out of the oven. 4/10
April 10, 2025- chia egg. 1 tbs chia seed to 3 tbs water per egg. I felt that this second egg substitute had a lot going for it and I was prepared to wowed. I was not wowed. But this was a fresher tasting cookie, even right out of the oven. 5/10
April 17, 2025- banana and psyllium husk eggs. No idea what led me to combining the different egg substitutes but I am so glad I did. Definitely the star of the month. Soft, pliable cookie, even 4 days later when I retrieved the leftovers. 10/10
April 24, 2025- applesauce egg. This one came highly recommended by some bakers I know. I was underwhelmed, especially after last week. The applesauce led to quick browning yet not quite done cookies. I understand the ease of these because most kitchens, especially those with children, have applesauce in them. But eh. 5/10.

Looking back at my prepared list of egg substitutes it appears that the month isn’t quite over yet. And so I will be continuing the theme for next month.

I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised at the breadth of choice for egg substitutes. You have the people with allergies and you have the vegans.

Everyone deserves a cookie sometimes.

Cookie Thursday 4/3/25-That’s a good egg…substitute

Let’s talk about a different kind of flu. The bird flu that is still having a devastating impact on birds across the US. The best that can be said about it is that only one person has died. Also positive is that there has been ZERO person to person transfer.

Believe me, that’s a good thing. Remember, measles, the hot virus on the block that is attacking humans, is 90% infectious. If there are 10 unvaccinated people in a group and all are exposed to a person who has the measles, 9 will get the measles.

There has been bird to other animal transfer. To cows and even pet cats. Even bird to human transfer. Which is a stepping stone on the way to infect human to human. This is stepping stone we don’t want.

Ever.

This uncertainty and lack of supply impacts egg prices. Which leads to limits on how many cartons you can buy at stores and your wallet can limit how many cartons you buy a week.

To run a weekly morale project such as Cookie Thursday is a Thing means that sometimes the box must be thought outside of.

The theme this month will be “That’s a good egg… substitute”.

I have done a ton of reading on what other people are doing to substitute eggs in cooking or in baking. I mean the vegans have been doing it forever.

I am going to bake the same recipe and the same cookie each week for this month. The only change will be the egg substitution method.

First up is the flax egg.

One flax egg is 1 tbs ground flax and 3tbs of water. You let it sit for a few minutes to gel and then add to a recipe and bake.

I am going to use the most familiar of the cookie recipes in my repertoire- the Toll House chocolate chip cookie. The recipe normally calls for 2 eggs so I will be doubling the flax egg recipe.

Wish me luck.

Cookie Thursday 3/13/25- Dreamies

No, not the kind that you have in bed while you are asleep.

Let me explain.

This is the second week of the Baking the Freezer theme for March. Where I delve into my freezer and make up cookies based on the ingredients.

I was in the kitchen freezer and I realized that there were two(!) frozen loaves of bread. Which created something of a quandary. I could make croutons but would people like them as a Cookie Thursday is a Thing offering? I also still have a boatload of cheese in the fridge. Perhaps another Why is There Still So Much Cheese month?

No, no, Kate, stop getting distracted.

Back to the recipe books. I saw this vintage recipe for itty bitty grilled cheese looking bites. They go by different names, depending on the era, but the earliest recipe I was able to find was from 1910.

Bread, cheese, butter, spices. What can go wrong?

The uniqueness of this recipe is that the cheese goes on the outside and the butter goes on the inside of the itty bitty sandwiches. And then they are baked. Kind of like a reverse grilled cheese. Interesting. Y’all know I like an interesting cookie. Even though this is a bake.

I think a dab of mustard powder in the butter mixture might set this one up well.

Hours later…

The Cookie Thursday is a Thing offering has been made at the hospital.

The best thing I can write about this is to trust the process.

The best advice that I can write is to bake it on a warm enough day so that the all the windows in the house can be opened.

Because this recipe? Is a smoky one. Not smoke as in “eek, there is a fire”. But smoky as in the ingredients gave off a lot of fragrant steam. Or I need to clean my oven. Or a combination of the two.

The taste is 10/10. Would absolutely do again, perhaps with a bit of Worcerstershire sauce.

I am off to clean my top oven.

Cookie Thursday 2/13/25- Ritz cracker caramel chocolate crack

This is the second Thursday of Baking the Baking Pantry theme. This means that I am using up some of my lesser-used ingredients.

Because I was hosting for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the little voice inside my head ensured I purchased enough crackers for the events. Even though my sister is gluten-free. The other voice inside my head said that I could never only buy one box if they were BOGO (buy one, get one). Twice.

We have a lot of crackers.

Normally, I keep at least one box in reserve in case I make pimiento cheese for a work event.

Yeah, we have four boxes that were unopened and 1 box that was only missing 2 sleeves. One sleeve for each night of the festivities, you know.

And the best Christmas crack crackers to use are Ritz crackers. I know because I’ve tried saltines, Ritz, matzoh, club crackers, digestive, and graham crackers. There is just something about the butteriness of the Ritz that puts the rest of them to shame.

But, of course, I wanted to do a little experiment. I made a ring of unbroken crackers around the cookie sheet, duly lined with parchment paper, and I crushed a sleeve of crackers to fill the center. The ring itself took half a sleeve.

What? I wanted to see what would happen.

I theorized that the caramel would make even a crushed cracker more interesting and the bigger surface area would make it adhere more.

I was half right.

Okay, three quarters.

Yes, the crushed cracker and the caramel interaction was interesting. And weirdly even more buttery.

Yes, the bigger surface area of the crushed cracker edges did make the caramel adhere more.

No, it didn’t adhere quite like I was picturing.

Not a total failure. I must increase the amount of caramel to account for the increased amount of edges.

I give myself a B. With the caveat to try again with more caramel.

Also, I used milk chocolate in the beginning over half of it and it refused to spread evenly while melted. Semi-sweet is the way to go here.

After all, Cookie Thursday is a Thing is all about experimentation.

Cookie Thursday 1/30/2025- sourdough chocolate chip cookies

This is it. The last week of the Cookie Thursday is a Thing extravaganza.

I’ve gone through some CTIAT is a thing background details. I’ve gone through some of CTIAT secrets. And I made 5 weeks of the department’s favorite cookies of the past 10 years.

There was one of the original cookies with the Twix cookie.

There was the original experiment cookie- the Jalapeno chocolate chip cookie.

There was the second favorite cookie- the pepper jelly cheddar thumbprint.

There was the crust cookie and the story of how CTIAT got its name.

Today’s cookie was a sourdough chocolate chip cookie.

I’ve done this in the past. Heck, I’ve done all of these cookies before. What earns it a spot on the list is the interplay of how the sourdough changes the cookie consistency.

The cookie is crisp but still chewy.

Alchemy!

That means magic!

Last time the addition of sourdough waste added a different texture to the cookie. As it did today.

What I did differently was that I left the dough at room temperature so that it could ferment. I left it for 6 hours before baking, covered of course. This definitely changed the consistency of the dough, giving it a fluffy appearance. Some might say that cookie dough is already fluffy. It is the only way I can describe it.

Tomayto-tomahto.

Spoiler, I had a cookie for breakfast.

Now for the final secret of CTIAT.

I began CTIAT as a morale project for the evening shift of the operating room. This is still how I advertise and talk about it. I freely give out any recipe when asked. I genuinely think that weekly cookies, no matter the time elapsed, has an impact on morale.

I see it every time I walk into the lounge and its dedicated drawer is open, usually by people interested in the cookies. I hear it when people stop me to tell me their favorite cookies. I see it when I pick up the empty container the next day. There are weeks that people don’t know about the cookies or the OR is too busy. But that is when they need the cookies most.

However, what you might now know is that it has an impact on my morale. I don’t even have to see people enjoying the cookies. It is the act of planning and creation that is important to me.

The weekly date with my kitchen doesn’t hurt.

Cookie Thursday 1/23/25- pepper jelly cheddar thumbprints

The Cookie Thursday is a Thing show must go on.

Especially in this crappy month/week/year/administration.

Especially for the 10th-anniversary celebration of CTIAT.

The cookie for today is the first savory cookie that I made. I had to persuade people to try them. I told them that these were really similar to a cheese straw, with just a touch of spice.

People were skeptical.

They had never had a savory cookie before.

Not a cookie, more of a cracker I said.

Finally, my boss tried them and then tried to take the entire batch into their office. Seriously. I had to cut them off.

Over time, these became known as one of the bright spots for CTIAT. Easy enough with a food processor and simple ingredients.

This was the cookie that allowed me to expand peoples’ minds as to what might constitute a treat.

It doesn’t always have to be sweet.

Savory has a home here at Cookie Thursday is a Thing too.

This was also the cookie that struck off my recipe shackles.

Let me explain.

All my life I’ve been taught to read a recipe carefully and follow it. Including oven temperature and baking time. Also including how to handle the dough.

The original recipe called for rolling out the dough and carefully cutting out the shapes. I don’t have time for that. Instead, I wondered what would happen if I made small balls instead, or used a cookie scoop. And it worked! My mind was blown. I saved myself at least 45 minutes that day. For a workaholic, that is a big time savings.

Of course, Cookie Thursday is a Thing being a place where I experiment, I got right to work. And started breaking culinary rules left and right.

I experimented with lower oven temperatures. This meant I had to be able to tell when to take the cookies out as they baked at different times with the lower temperatures.

I experimented with higher oven temperatures. This also meant that I had to adjust the baking times.

Around this time I got really loose when explaining baking times to people. I probably caused a lot of frustration. Because people want concrete answers about how hot an oven and how long to bake. They would go away frustrated when I said until whatever you are baking is done. Because all ovens are different and a lot of different things can impact baking time.

I experimented with different cookie sheet metals. Yes, baking times are different depending on the color of the cookie sheet. Because, science.

I experimented with different additions to cookies, trying to see what went well together and what didn’t. An early success here is using orange flavoring oil, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.

The baking world opened wide. And my recipe collection got unruly. If I recall, this was when I decided to theme the months to make CTIAT easier for me. I could be more economical in my ingredient sourcing.

The biggest takeaway is that a treat doesn’t need to be sweet.

And my long-held baking rules are just suggestions.

Cookie Thursday 1/16/25-Twix Cookies

I did a very unscientific poll on which flavor of Twix Cookies I would do. Are you team caramel? Or team peanut butter?

Out of the 10 people I asked, nine said caramel.

Sorry, peanut butter person.

This is the 3rd Thursday in the 10th-anniversary celebration of Cookie Thursday is a Thing, and the cookie that was voted on as one of the top 5 cookies of CTIAT was the Twix Cookie.

You see, there is a bit of science to my madness. I chose this cookie to be the third on the list because that way there is a break between the jalapeno chocolate chip and the pepper jelly cheddar thumbprints. And the last cookie has the longest preparation time.

The Twix Cookie was one of the original cookies of CTIAT. In fact, I don’t think it was called CTIAT yet.

It started, as CTIAT so often does, with me seeing a cookie recipe. It is seeing a cookie recipe and wondering if I could do that. Often I can but sometimes I recognize that I have limits on my time. Especially in the early days when I was driving to Charlotte or Winston-Salem for meetings.

Thank goodness for Skype and Zoom. The learning curve was steep in the early days, though.

Today’s secret of CTIAT is that I often lean into the experimentation phase but I have to be mindful of people’s favorites. I try to institute a favorites month into the year’s calendar. This cuts down on surgeons asking when I am going to make the jalapeno chocolate chip again.

I don’t want people to be so complacent that they are gonna get cookies but also not bore them. I wouldn’t want to be bored.

The Twix Cookie takes a fair amount of time. There is the baking of the base cookie, waiting for it to cool, melting and adding the caramel and waiting for it to cool, and melting and adding the chocolate layer. All those steps take time.

What else takes time is realizing that you are out of caramel. To the store in the middle of baking! Maybe all the pauses make sense.

I also utilized the Midwest Refrigerator and cooled the cookies outside on the front porch. This definitely sped up the cookies.

Cookie Thursday 1/9/25- enduring happy accidents

This is the second week of the Cookie Thursday is a Thing 10th-anniversary baking frenzy. Not really, it is just a highlight reel of the department favorite cookies from the past 10 years. It is a good thing that this month has 5 Thursdays.

The cookie that I made today was a perennial favorite and is always at the top of the cookie wishlists.

I, of course, am making the jalapeño chocolate chip cookies.

As always, I am shocked and tickled pink by the enduring love for this cookie from my department. Many people put it at the top of their list. Of course, there are always the naysayers who say vegetables don’t belong in cookies.

Nay, I say. Cookies are only bound by your imagination.

The jalapeño chocolate chip cookies were begun after my dad planted my garden for me. And included three jalapeño plants.

No one in the house would eat them and I needed to dispose of them somehow.

Looking at the pile of peppers on my countertop and the supplies of Cookie Thursday is a Thing started me wondering what if.

What if I put the jalapeños in the cookies?

This started the experimental phase of CTIAT. A phase I am proud to continue as I am always down to experiment on willing participants.

Since it is January and peppers are getting weaker and weaker I use dried jalapeños. I reconstitute them in water for several hours and use the entire ramekin of peppers and water in the batch. I do increase the amount of flour to compensate for the increased fluid.

So really the jalapeño chocolate chip cookies were an accident. A happy accident but an accident nonetheless.