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From the kitchens of  blimpwolf many more moarish cookies to crunch. Yum

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Week 26 - Chocolate Chip BACON Cookies

Mwuahahaha! To celebrate the halfway point of the 2012 Cookie Challenge, the kitchens of Full Moon Cuisine have lost their ever-loving minds and pulled out all the stops! And how better to celebrate this milestone then to take something that everyone loves, chocolate and combine it with something that makes everything better: BACON! Yes, this seemingly unusual combination will yield you some of the chewiest, most delicious cookies you have tasted! And your guests will be blown away. Here's what you'll need:

- 6 slices of bacon (maple cured, cooked and crumbled)
- 2 sticks of butter (at room temp)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temp)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Ghirardelli)
- Pinch of salt

Note: This recipe will make a little over 3 dozen cookies.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cook your bacon until it is evenly browned, then set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool. We'll use this later.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt, stirring to combine. In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add in your eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Again, mix until combined (try not to overmix, or else your dough will be tough). In thirds, add in your dry mixture, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you combine them. Once added, time to introduce the chocolate chips and the crumbled up bacon (it should be cooled by now, at least not 'hot' anymore). Using an ice cream scoop, a pair of spoons, or a 1.5" cookie disher, portion out the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in your oven for 10-12 minutes, turning the sheet around after half of the time has elapsed. I am saying '10-12' as each oven is different, and yours may cook them faster or slower. When you remove them, let them rest on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Do not be worried if these feel soft, as they will be soft, chewy cookies.

Bacon. Is there anything it cannot do? When you add it to chocolate, it helps your cookies to take on a gentle, subtle smokey, salty flavor that makes the chocolate even more pronounced. Try to make a batch of these and serve them to your diners, without telling them the 'secret' ingredient. Then watch their faces as you tell them what helped to make them so delicious and chewy! To help celebrate this occasion, the kitchen will be staying open late. Care to place an order?

Want to know what this challenge is all about? Check out my journal and feel free to send in recipes for cookies! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3096204/

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Week 27 - Peanut Butter Banana Honey Cookies

Sometimes a recipe can be inspired from very simple beginnings. For example: go to your pantry, look inside, and find something you use on a regular basis. Say... honey! Now, ask yourself, how can I use this in a cookie?. And with that, inspiration can strike! Let's take some simple, familiar flavors, and present them in a whole new way. The results are some truly tasty treats that will have your diners asking for more! Here's what you'll need:

- 1/2 stick of butter (at room temp)
- 1 large egg (at room temp)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (not chunky!)
- 1 tbsp honey (any variety you like)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup ripe, mashed banana (1-2 bananas)
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt

Note: This recipe will make approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both kinds of sugar (should take a minute or so, giving you a mixture with the consistency of wet sand). Next, add in the egg and vanilla, mixing to combine. Pour in the honey and peanut butter (you could spray the inside of your measuring cup/spoon with cooking spray to make it easier to pour out the honey and peanut butter), mixing until it is smooth. Finally, add in the banana and mix until smooth once again. Combine in the two cups of oats and mix until all ingredients have been combined.

Use a small ice cream scoops or a pair of tablespoons to dish out the dough onto a nongreased baking sheet, spacing each cookie about 2" apart (they will spread a bit). Park in your oven for 12-15 minutes (depending on your oven), and turn around halfway through the cooking. Pull them out when they have turned a golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack and serve.

Or... you could kick the flavor up one more notch! With a simple glaze, you can really add a great touch to these cookies. Here's what you'll need:

- 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp milk (may need more to thin out the glaze)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup powdered/confectioners' sugar

In a bowl, combine the ingredients together, starting with the wet and finishing with the sugar. You should be looking for the glaze to be able to ribbon off of a whisk/spoon. As such, you may need to add more milk (but do it just a little bit at a time). Use a whisk/spoon to drizzle the glaze over your cookies, then park them in your fridge to let it harden.

Peanut butter, bananas, and honey. Seems like a match made in heaven, really! These cookies have the consistency and are reminiscent of banana nut muffins. Serve these at brunch or lunch for a great ending to your early meals. To help make sure we have plenty of goodies to go around, the kitchen will be staying open late. Care to place an order?

Want to know what this challenge is all about? Check out my journal and feel free to send in recipes for cookies! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3096204/

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Allergy warning – recipe contains peanut, dairy & egg products