How to Use Up Leftovers: Purim Candy Cookies
If your house is anything like mine, you are still wading through what feels like a never-ending pile of leftover Purim candy and nosh. This recipe will put some of that candy to good use. It’s even simple enough to enlist the kid’s help! It infinitely customizable, so feel free to go wild! (And of course, comment and tag me in your splendid creations).
| Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine softened (You can microwave it for about 30 seconds, or leave out at room temperature for an hour). ½ cup vegetable oil 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar* 3/4 ciup granulated sugar 2 whole eggs, plus 1 extra egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 ½ cups flour 1 cup cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt
Mix-Ins (Choose 2-3 for a total of 1 ¾ cups of mix ins): ¾ cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate) ¾ cup caramel chips ¾ cup peanut butter chips ½ cup chopped nuts 1 cup chopped candy and/or candy bars 1 cup non-pariels (my choice this time) 1 cup popcorn (caramel or chocolate covered would be amazing)
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Tools:
2-3 baking sheets Parchment paper, or silpat liners Mixing bowls (One should be microwave safe if using to melt margarine) Handheld or stand mixer Measuring cups and spoons Spatula or mixing spoon Cookie or ice cream scoop Wire drying rack Kids! |
- Pre-heat oven to 350°, and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- If not softened, melt margarine or butter in microwave safe bowl.
- In mixer bowl, blend both sugars, oil and margarine (or butter)until creamy.
- Add in eggs one at a time and vanilla extract. Mix until combined
- Add in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Using the spatula or spoon, add in mix-ins of choice. Dough will be stiff and hard to mix.
- Using the scoop, shape into evenly-sized balls and place on prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about one inch apart.
- Cookies will not flatten while cooking, so use the spatula flatten slightly if a flatter cookie is preferred.
- Bake for 15 minutes. They will be soft when you take them out, but they will harden once you cool them. This may need to be done in several batches, depending on the size of your oven, baking sheets and scoop.
- Once cool enough to touch, remove to wire rack.
- After completely cooled, store in an airtight container up to one week. These cookies are freezer friendly, up to about three months.
Depending on age and ability, kids can help out with most of the steps, so get them involved! They usually are eager to help. Working through recipes can help strengthen reading and math skills, as well as hand coordination in younger children. 
*TIP: If your brown sugar has hardened, you can microwave it in increments of 30 seconds to re-soften it. But watch it, since over heating can cause it to seize up further. To keep it soft, make sure you store it in an air-tight container. I also use one of these brown sugar keepers which really do work! The old wive’s tale of leaving a piece of bread in the container has never worked for me.
GLITTER + SPICE 