Chocolate

Stone Soup Cookies

by:
April 26, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves Many
Author Notes

My daughter, Rebecca used to ask me to make what she called my “Stone Soup cookies,” her name for the kind of cookies I make when I don’t really follow a recipe and throw into a basic cookie recipe any ingredients that we have on hand. One day I wanted to make cookies and looked around in my kitchen for ingredients and decided to use whatever I had in my pantry: oatmeal, breakfast cereal, nuts, dried fruit, and peanut butter. . This recipe is a great way to use up small amounts of ingredients that you have on hand and it seems that you just can’t go wrong. If you make these cookies, be sure to taste the batter after all ingredients have been added to see if more of anything is needed. I think you’ll find that the dough is so good you have to make yourself stop eating it and leave some to be dropped by big spoonfuls on the cookie sheets. THe version in this photo was made with almond butter, whole wheat pastry flour, dried cherries, chopped dark chocolate, granola and oatmeal, because that is what I had on hand today! —JoanG

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Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (light or dark or a mixture of both)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
  • 1 cup flour (unbleached AP or whole wheat pastry flour)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup oats (rolled or quick cooking)
  • 1 cup granola or dried breakfast cereal such as rice crispies or corn flakes
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate pieces
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit such as raisins, cherries or cranberries
  • 1/4 cup anything else such as chopped nuts, dried coconut, if desired or you want to use up a small amount of something in your pantry
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 375 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon sheets.
  2. Beat butter, oil and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla and peanut butter.
  3. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to dough and beat until smooth.
  4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drop by big spoonfuls on a cookie sheet
  5. Bake for 10-`15 minutes depending on how chewy you like them (10 minutes) or darker and crispy (15 minutes).Cool on racks and munch with coffee or milk.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I love food! I love to cook, eat, read about food, write about food, and enjoy meals with friends and family. I have been writing a food memoir for the past decade and am just about done! I epsecially love to create recipes using seasonal and local produce. I love to travel and wherever I go I shop at markets, cook, and try to take a cooking class.

6 Reviews

AppleAnnie April 28, 2011
The ultimate cookie--it seems to embody all the classics in one--oatmeal, chocolate chip, and peanut butter. What about using nutella for the nut butter? Or white chocolate chips with the dried cherries? Do you know why the recipe calls for both butter and oil? Thanks so sharing your signature recipe.
JoanG May 1, 2011
Love your suggestions! Thanks AppleAnnie!
Gwenelle April 27, 2011
The name of your recipe really caught my eye! I love this idea ... you end up with something new every time :)
JoanG April 27, 2011
That's right! Totally improvisational!
wssmom April 26, 2011
Stone Soup was one of my favorite stories!
JoanG April 26, 2011
Me too! It's also the name of myh cooking memoir!