Applesauce Cookies Version 2.0

Update – the “secret” project has been unveiled. Please have a look.

Friends help each other out, right? Actually, I think that might even be the first rule of friendship. So when I was asked recently to lend a hand for a great cause AND it involved cookies, the answer every single time is going to be “YES!”

I can’t get into the specifics of the project, but it involves cookies, so already you know it’s going to be fun. As for the cookie selection, well, that was easy. Ever since I baked my grandmother’s applesauce cookies, I have been wondering what it would be like to add chocolate chips to the original recipe. I know, applesauce and chocolate chips don’t necessarily sound as if they go hand-in-hand, but the applesauce is really just a way to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe while making the cookies extra soft.  I said it before and I’ll say it again, this cookie is like a muffin top and I don’t know about you, but I love the top of a muffin, especially filled with chocolate chips!

While we wait a few more days (I think) for the special project to be completed by some VERY (hint) talented people. Let’s enjoy Version 2.0 of the Applesauce cookie…Chocolate Chip & Raisin Muffin Top Cookies.

Applesauce Cookies V2.0 – Chocolate Chip & Raisin Muffin Top Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of applesauce (
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cream shortening and sugar, then add applesauce, blending in.
3. Sift flour with baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add sifted ingredients to applesauce mixture and stir until smooth.
5. Add chocolate chips, raisins and nuts and stir until combined.
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 to 3 inches apart.
7. Bake about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Applesauce Cookies (350 word post)

I know the words “Applesauce cookies” don’t ring through the ears like “Devilishly decadent triple chocolate cookies.” With that said, if my grandmother’s recipe book has a recipe for applesauce cookies, there’s likely a very good reason for it and that reason is likely because they are in her words “delightful.”

After posting such things recently as Nutella ricotta cinnamon pizza, Deep-fried pickles and Double chocolate cheesecake, I thought it might be time to lessen the caloric-intake for a moment. I suppose I could have done a post about a salad or an incredible tomato consommé, but I thought an applesauce cookie might just get the job done while still getting some cookie-action.

As a bonus, I found out that a lot of recipes tailored to those with their waist-size in mind use applesauce as an alternative to sugar nowadays. Seeing as this recipe is over 50 years old and knowing my grandmother’s fondness for butter and sugar, I don’t think this was her concern. However, maybe even she thought a little balance was needed at times in the kitchen. Don’t be misled, these cookies sacrifice nothing in terms of taste. It’s soft, moist with the perfect texture from the raisins and the nuts. My first thought as I took a bite was that it tasted like the top of a muffin which is always a good thing!

Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of applesauce
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I went with 1/4 cup of pecans and 1/4 of walnuts)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of ground cloves (I didn’t have it in the pantry, so I forged ahead without it this time)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cream shortening and sugar, then add applesauce, blending in.
3. Sift flour with baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add sifted ingredients to applesauce mixture and stir until smooth.
5. Add raisins and nuts and stir until combined.
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 to 3 inches apart.
7. Bake about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

(FYI – I recently began an online writing class called “New Media Bootcamp“. My goals are simply to learn and to continually improve my writing, Taste Better With Friends and maybe pick up some fancy tricks along the way. This week’s homework was to write a 25, 100 and 350 word post.)

Applesauce Cookies (100 word post)

My first reaction after biting into a straight-from-the-oven applesauce cookie was “I just popped the top”.  If you got the Seinfeld reference, your reward is a glass of Bosco chocolate milk! If not, no milk for you!

For those not quite as in touch with their inner-Seinfeld, “popping the top” is a reference from an episode in which the best (and eventually the only) part of a muffin is the top.

Seinfeld fan or not, I know you’ll enjoy this soft (muffin top-type) cookie with raisins, nuts and cinnamon. Serenity now, serenity now…

(FYI – I recently began an online writing class called “New Media Bootcamp“. My goals are simply to learn and to continually improve my writing, Taste Better With Friends and maybe pick up some fancy tricks along the way. This week’s homework was to write a 25, 100 and 350 word post.)

Applesauce Cookies (25 word post)

Applesauce cookies are perfect like a muffin top with a hint of cinnamon, a crunch of a nut and just like grandma used to make.

(FYI – I recently began an online writing class called “New Media Bootcamp“. My goals are simply to learn and to continually improve my writing, Taste Better With Friends and maybe pick up some fancy tricks along the way. This week’s homework was to write a 25, 100 and 350 word post.)