Here's how you can take a common store-bought cookie mix and turn it into delicious gourmet cookies fit for the most discerning palates - just add some Rich Nuts. This recipe uses the Betty Crocker Gluten Free chocolate chip cookie mix - Rich Nuts Maple Pecans can be used in any cookie mix, like sugar cookies, brownies, and even snicker doodles. All of these ingredients are available at any grocery store in some form or another.
It's simple but highly effective, here's what you need:
- Cookie Mix (pretty much any mix is going to work).
- Butter (if you're vegan, try Miyokos or Earth Balance, maybe 50-50 with coconut oil).
- 1 egg (check your mix, many require 2. If vegan, try Neat Egg or Bob's Red Mill egg substitute).
- Water or, better yet, any nut milk (again, check your mix requirements).
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract (not necessary but adds a little something)
- 1/2 cup Rich Nuts Organic Maple Pecan Sprouted Gourmet Nuts
Of course we have a silver plate for our Rich Nuts. To be honest, we didn't need Grey Poupon for this recipe so the plate was available.
Pre-heat your oven to 350° Farenheit or whatever your particular cookie mix calls for. Our oven runs a little cool so we baked at 355°. Make sure the oven racks are slotted towards the top of the oven, not the bottom.
Now, prep your Rich Nuts for cookie time. We use a Cuisinart food processor to chop nuts, and you can use a home blender if that's all you've got. If you're really off the grid, just grab a small (clean!) paper bag, put the 1/2 cup of Rich Nuts Maple Pecan in the bag, and use a hammer (lightly) or something else that won't break to smash the nuts into small pieces. Here's a before-and-after so you can see the ideal consistency:
For mixing everything, we use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (BTW they have a 25% off sale right now), but you can just use a large whisk or spoon with a big bowl and some elbow grease if you don't have a mixer. Put all the ingredients in the bowl, and remember to add the crushed Rich Nuts Maple Pecans, that's the secret ingredient.
Now that you've got the mix mixed, use a tablespoon measure, or a large teaspoon from your silverware drawer, to dollop the dough on the pan. We swear by Nordic Wear half-sheet baking pans, but they're not non-stick so we add Reynolds Cut-Rite baking sheets, we'll explain later. Non-stick, insulated baking sheets work well too.
If you're like us, by the time you're ready to dollop the cookie dough on the pan there's only half the mix left.
No questions asked! Just keep going.
Place each dollop about two inches apart, or less if you don't mind them reaching each other when baking. The "viscosity" of the cookie dough is largely dependent upon the oil you use - butter may be less "greasy" than coconut oil - it depends on the mix.
For a "fancy" variation, take a few whole Maple Pecans and put them on top of some of the cookies before they go in the oven. Just use more than one whole pecan per cookie, otherwise they look weird when they're cooked (remember the no-questions-asked policy). You can also try a small cupcake pan - those are great but they definitely need to be non-stick or pre-greased.
Bake for about 10 minutes - sometimes they need 12-15 minutes, it just depends on your oven and the mix. And voila - lovely, thin, gourmet cookies with a Maple Pecan subtlety that is sure to please.
We suggest using a thin plastic or silicone spatula to lift the cookies off the pan after they've cooled (this is when the wax paper comes in handy). Please email info@richnuts.com if you have an suggestions for other methods, we're always experimenting :-)
