So This Guy Walks Into Rosemary, A Coconut...

...and puts it in his oatmeal cookies. Since Salt is away this week, I've decided to make the oatmeal cookies I probably should have made two weeks ago instead of the eh, so-so ones I threw together before vacation. This week I made Guy Fieri's [Not So] Craisy Oatmeal Cookies, without the dried cranberries. The recipe was actually really easy to make. I just love how he threw the coconut in the cookies to make them extra-moist, but the thing that really threw me was the rosemary. Yes, rosemary. I was a little leery at first, but the cookies turned out pretty good.

So, here's the recipe. Please make it and let us know how you like them. Also, get your voting minds ready for Salt's return so you can vote on what we make next week.

Guy Fieri's Craisy Oatmeal Cookies

(Not So Craisy when Sugar Made Them)

Copyright 2010 Guy Fieri, Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added a little extra)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries (Omitted by Sugar)
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, soda, powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer. Mix in honey and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in coconut, dried cranberries, oats and rosemary. Fold dry ingredients into butter mixture. Form into balls, approximately 2 tablespoons. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake until cookies turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Let sit 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Happy Baking!!

XOXO,

Sugar

The way to a man’s heart is undoubtedly through his taste buds.

The Results Are In, But Salt Is Not. :(

Sorry for the lack of graphics on our results post, but Salt is out on her vacation this week and without her mad graphic design skills, I'm kind of lost. But, anywhoo, here are the results of our brownie bake-off.

Salt: 3.6 Yums
Sugar: 4.4 Yums

Sugar gets her first win!! Yay. So, now we have a change in our Throwdown that will interest all 47 of our loyal followers. Salt will be choosing 3 things that she wants to make for the next Throwdown. We will post her choices as a poll next week and our followers will get to vote on what we make next. :) When she returns from getting tan and relaxing, the official ballot will be posted for you.


As for this week, since Salt is out I've decided to go with the Guy Fieri oatmeal cookie recipe and have it judged to make up for my baking sin from last week. We'll see how this one goes over. The recipe will be posted on Monday and results on Wednesday. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Slap the Ankle Bracelet Back On, Martha.

In 2004, Martha Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators with regards to insider trading. She served 5 months in prison. In 2010, Martha Stewart is convicted of lying to Sugar about having awesome “Classic Oatmeal Cookies”. Martha, you were wrong. You should wear the ankle bracelet and be on house arrest until you come up with a better recipe, because this one sucked.

The cookies were, indeed THAT BAD. This must be the recipe she hands out to avoid giving away her super awesome secret recipe. Martha, this cannot possibly be your recipe for real, I mean... you're MARTHA STEWART for God's sake.

Go with your gut…. , go with your first choice… all the advice that teachers from elementary school through college gave about multiple choice questions has been tossed out the window with this recipe. I owe an apology to each of my teachers for this. I had to make my cookies early this week as I’ll be on vacation Monday and I wasn’t putting off a good tan in the name of cookies (and crappy ones at that). I printed one of Guy Fieri’s recipes off FoodNetwork.com for this week and loved the recipe. (Please make it, I’m sure it’s way better than this one).

However, I chose Martha’s recipe for three reasons:

1. One would think Martha Stewart would sooner jump off the highest point of her Hamptons estate roof before publishing a mediocre recipe.
2. I had all the ingredients for her recipe, and not Guy’s.
3. I'm lazy, had to pack suitcases for me and Baby J, and this was quick.
   

The cookies were a little dry (more like chewing on raw oats and flour) and slightly bland. I’m hoping that by sitting in a Tupperware container in Salt's office over the weekend it will only help. I had the idea of experimenting and putting a test cookie in a Tupperware with a ghetto-shotglass of saltwater to see what happened and if the cookie improved. Salt will have to report the results of my saltwater cookie on Monday as I’ll be soaking myself in saltwater by then. A coworker suggested adding a slice of bread to the batch of cookies. I may have to give that a whirl, too, if I can locate a loaf of bread in the office.

Also – if you do for some reason test Martha’s recipe, use regular raisins. Another gut feeling I should have gone with. Golden raisins may have further ruined these cookies and I highly recommend staying away from any food products which use the word "golden." Ick.

So, that being, said. I give myself a 2.25 Yum rating this week. I may as well hand Salt the golden spatula now and begin researching what I want to make for next week. Double Ick.

(Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart OMNIMEDIA)
OMNIMEDIA - That's just rubbing it in your face that she's got some evil plot to take over the world. More on my developing conspiracy theory with Martha Stewart later...

Martha Stewart’s Mediocre Classic Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: About 3 Dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1.5 cups golden raisins

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs; mix on high speed to combine. Mix in vanilla; set aside.
3. Combine oats, flour, wheat germ, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture to to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed to combine, 10 to 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer, and stir in raisins.
   
4. Using a large metal scoop, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden and just set, about 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire rack to cool.
   

(Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living OMNIMEDIA, Inc.)