Rhubarb & Custard Cookies

I searched all over the internet for Rhubarb and Custard cookies but it seems that nobody has made them! So after much testing I have invented my own recipe, and it is good. You'll need to think ahead a little though as the Rhubarb needs an hour of slow roasting in a low oven before it's ready to be baked. I tried using raw rhubarb but the cookies were too wet. This recipe makes for a lovely vanillary custardy cookie with sweet chewy rhubarb pieces.

Praline Cookies

I keep saying this about each cookie recipe that I bring out, but this really is the best cookie I have ever eaten. I am a huge fan of those crunchy sugary caramalised praline nuts that you find in European markets. They are often very expensive, but I've finally worked out how to make my own. So what do I do? Put them in a cookie. Yes. This is good. Very good. The nuttiest cookie ever.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Peppermint fans get ready, for my new Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. Imagine the taste of an Aftereight mint in a ooey-gooey-crunchy cookie. The texture of these cookies is just perfect; the fresh minty taste is something that many people will not have had in a cookie before. Everybody I've tested these on loves them, and they are so easy to make - you can whip them up in less then half an hour. If you can't find dark mint chocolate (I found it in Aldi), try using after eight mints for an even more interesting texture.

Children's Butter Biscuits

This is the perfect recipe for making butter biscuits (or sugar cookies). They are so simple yet deliciously buttery and vanillary and are just as good for kids as for adults! You don't even need to chill the dough before you cut out your shapes and bake them (although if you have the time go ahead! It will make the edges a little more defined). You can use any shaped biscuit cutter you like - get creative. Why not try making biscuit sandwiches?

How to Make Perfect Chewy Cookies

How to make cookies. I think we all know that the best kind of cookies are the "crunchy on the outside soft on the inside" kind of cookies. Warm, soft, chewy, gooey, deliciously morish cookies with a little bit of a crunchy buttery bite on the outside. Here are my top tips on how to bake perfect chewy cookies including what ingredients and equipment to use, how to mix them, how to bake them, and how to store them. I've also got lots of easy cookie recipes for you to try.

Ingredients

Why do my ingredients need to be at room temperature?
Butter and eggs must be at room temperature before creaming, this allows them to combine easier and makes for even cooking. The softer the butter, the softer the cookies will be and the flatter they will spread out.

What's the best sugar to use for cookies?
Use a light muscavado sugar, soft light brown sugar or golden caster sugar. This will give your cookies a richer fudgier flavour, a caramel colour, and a more gooey texture.

Equipment

What kind of baking trays should I use?
Ideally you want three good quality, flat, heavy, non-stick baking sheets. If they are good quality you shouldn't have to grease them. Alternatively use re-usable silicone baking paper.

Should I bake cookies in one batch?
It is best to bake your cookies in the centre of the oven. If you have a small oven and can't bake your cookies in one go, cool the trays down in between batches under cold water.

How do I keep my cookies soft?
To keep your cookies soft, make sure to store them in an airtight container. Cookies are nicest eaten when they are still a little warm. You can rewarm cookies in the oven for 5 minutes at 170°C. Or, make your cookie dough in advance and bake when you are ready to eat them.

How hot should my oven be?
Temperature is crucial to a desirable outcome. Pre-heat the oven to the temperature indicated in the recipe. If you're oven is unreliable or if you are not getting the desired cookie texture, invest in an oven thermometre.

Making

How much do I need to mix cookie dough?
Don't overmix. Beating too much air into cookies will make them rise too much resulting in a more "cakey" texture. It's important to cream your butter, sugar & eggs well for an even texture but once you add the dry ingredients, beat as little as possible. If you do it by hand as opposed to using a mixer you shouldn't have any problems.

What is the best texture for cookie dough?
Cookie dough should be sticky and firm so it doesn't spread too thin when baked. If you refrigerate the cookie dough for a little before baking it will hold it's shape more, deflate less, resulting in a thicker and chewier cookie. The warmer the dough, the more it will spread out during baking, which will make them thinner. Thin is sometimes desirable, but be careful as they will cook faster and go crunchy quicker.

Baking

How much cookie dough do I need for each cookie?
You want to use a heaped tablespoon amount of dough, so roughly the size and volume of an egg. The best way is to use a small trigger-style icecream scoop to make sure that you get equal sized amounts of cookie dough for each cookie. You can then flatten the dough into nice round disc shapes using the back of a fork or your hands.

How far should I space my cookies apart?
You should leave at least a 10cm gap between each cookie to prevent them from running into each other and to allow enough heat to reach each cookie. Most cookies will double in diameter during baking.

How do I know when my cookies are done?
The only answer here is, when it looks right. The best indicator is the edges. The edges should be light golden brown, yet the centre should still look slightly undercooked and puffy. This is a vital step to making gooey cookies. I like to give cookies the shine test; when the shininess from the butter has just disappeared from the centre of the cookie, I know they are done.

How long should I bake my cookies for?
Always set your timer to the lowest suggested time in the recipe. You can always add a few minutes if the cookies look too raw, but there is nothing you can do to save an overbaked cookie!

What do I do when I think they are done?
When you think they are ready, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool on the baking sheets for at least 5 minutes. The residual heat from the sheet will continue to cook them. You'll know when to transfer them onto a wire cooling rack when the centres of the cookies have fallen and they have a golden brown rim around them.

They're still not gooey. What can I do?
You can try using melted butter, or try using a little less flour.

Rosie Bakes It Easy Cookie Recipes

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Imagine the taste of an Aftereight mint in a ooey-gooey-crunchy cookie. The texture of these cookies is just perfect; the fresh minty taste is something that many people will not have had in a cookie before. Everybody I've tested these on loves them, and they are so easy to make - you can whip them up in less then half an hour...

Peanut Butter Cookies

Oooooo these are good. Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside cookies with crunchy peanut butter, chunks of dark chocolate and wholesome oats. The combination of saltyness and chocolateyness is what I think makes the tastiest, most addictive "I need another one" cookie...

Dark Chocolate Cookies

Described by many (i.e. my best friends) as being "the best cookies I have eaten in my entire life", this really is my ultimate double chocolate cookie recipe. These really do beat supermarket cookies. Trust me, these cookies will impress people...

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Here is a nice and easy chunky chocolate cookie recipe for you to try. When making cookies, I always strive for the perfect texture above anything else - gooey in the middle, crunchy on the outside, with oozy bits in between. The key to this is to ever so slightly underbake them...

Oat and Raisin Cookies

Oats and raisins, a match made in heaven and also slightly nutritious (well I like to think so!).  I love these cookies at any time of day - they are my all time favourite cookie. If you like your cookies gooey, make sure to take them out of the oven as soon as they start to go golden on the edges...

Apricot and Almond Cookies

These look so perfect with flaked almonds on top and taste delicious. They are crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside - how a  cookie should be! What's more they are so easy to make...

Peanut Butter Cookies

Oooooo these are good. Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside cookies with crunchy peanut butter, chunks of dark chocolate and wholesome oats. The combination of saltyness and chocolateyness is what I think makes the tastiest, most addictive "I need another one" cookie. If you want a more wholesome cookie, use raisins instead of chocolate. Go on, give these a go, it'll make your family and friends happy all weekend.

Rosie's Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

Described by many (i.e. my best friends) as being "the best cookies I have eaten in my entire life", this really is my ultimate double chocolate cookie recipe. Supermarket cookies are so cheap to buy and can often be hard to beat. I know I may be biased, but I think these really do beat them. Besides the satisfaction of eating a batch of 12 deliciously gooey chocolate cookies, you have the added satisfaction of knowing that you have baked them yourself, with love, and put no artificial ingredients in them. Trust me, these cookies will impress people.

The knack to getting a perfectly baked gooey cookie is to have a hot preheated oven, use good non stick baking sheets, and to take them out of the oven juuuust before they are actually cooked through. They should still be soft on the inside when they come out, but with a cracked and glossy appearance on top. Don't worry, they will harden as they cool. Also, don't miss out the salt, it may seem like a lot but salt makes chocolate cookies taste more chocolatey. Practice makes perfect.

Milk Making Cookies

For those of you who haven't had children you may find this weird, but for those of you who have had babies and chosen to breastfeed you will understand how hungry breastfeeding makes you! Women have to eat at least 500 extra calories a day to keep up a good supply of milk. Now these cookies are just stuffed full of good stuff which can help with boosting your milk supply, but for anyone who isn't nursing, they are still an awesome cookie and are full of health benefits! They are also ridiculously tasty and fill you up for ages.

The three main whole-food super ingredients in these cookies are oats, brewers yeast, and linseed (also known as flaxseed). All three ingredients are packed full of fibre, which has been known for centuries to boost milk supply. Oats are a great source of iron, which new mothers are frequently in need of. Brewers Yeast is one of the best natural sources of B Vitamins, which are essential to your overall health and also give you an energy boost.  The oil from the Linseed is packed full of Omega-3 which gives you all of your essential fatty acids - a crucial part of a nursing mothers diet. You can find more information on these cookies and their health benefits on Drmomma's website, where I found the original recipe first created by Kathleen Major, a pediatric health specialist from the US. I have slightly adapted the recipe to fit in with standard English metric measurements and common ingredients found in the UK. I hope you enjoy it!

Gooey Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When making cookies, I always strive for the perfect texture above anything else - gooey in the middle, crunchy on the outside, with oozy bits in between. The key to this is to ever so slightly underbake them and to use partially melted butter. Here is a nice and easy chunky chocolate cookie recipe for you to try.

Oat and Raisin Cookies

Oats and raisins, a match made in heaven and also slightly nutritious (well I like to think so!).

I love these cookies at any time of day, they are my all time favourite cookie and they just so happen to be massive. For this reason, they do great at cake sales. You can eat them for breakfast, dunk them in your tea for elevenses, have as an after school snack, or make an icecream cookie sandwich for pudding.

This recipe will make you at least 20 cookies. If you like your cookies gooey, make sure to take them out of the oven as soon as they start to go golden on the edges. It also helps to use really plump fresh raisins, not the neglected ones in the back of your cupboard.

Ooey Gooey Apricot Cookies

Apricot and Almond Cookies, completely delicious. So gooey. I doubled the recipe... twelve is definitely not enough.