Root Beer.... it makes my heart sing w/ memories, pulling up in our station wagon at the A&W as a kid, hitting the button to order, and watching the lady roller skate out w/ those thick, frosty mugs of root beer. Maybe its because the delicious flavor is laced w/ memories, but A&W root beer is the best.
When I saw the recipe for Root Beer Cookies my head kind of tweaked to the side and I had to think about it for a second, root beer cookies? I figured it was either going to be very, very good, or very, very wrong - with nothing in between.
Who knew finding root been concentrate was going to be so hard? I hunted it down at Winco Foods (if you are in the Pacific NW, this is the ONLY local market I could find it in... the outlet mall & 6 other stores I checked... believe me, Winco is it!).
My family thought they were incredible! (And they said the root beer I made *recipe on the box of concentrate* was really good too.)
As always, the written recipe is in black and my two-cents worth is in red.
Without further ado - the goodness.
Root Beer Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter (although I totally agree that butter is best, I didn't have any on hand & used marg *gasp*)
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. root beer extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup water (optional–only use if dough is too dry) (I didn't use)
- Root Beer frosting (recipe below)
Cream butter and dark brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the root beer extract. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add a little at a time to the creamed mixture. (at this point the dough will be mega sticky - its suppose to be.)
Chill for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease several baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Roll into small balls (about 1″ diameter). I like to use a mini-ice cream scoop so that the cookies end up evenly sized. (I used the smallest scoop like they said, and I could have made close to 60 out of this recipe... I think if you want to get the 40, use your med scoop).
Place them on the pan, leaving a bit of space between the cookies. Gently press the tops of the dough. (If you leave out the water, sometimes the cookies don’t spread very much.) Bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through. (I baked them for 10-12 min because they were goo at 6 & 8 - take into consideration I am baking on baking stones)
Frosting Recipe:
- 1 cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar (I prob ended up using 4-6 cups as the frosting was oozing at 3 cups, you might have to add some after the 3 cups... add slowly & only what you need to obtain the consistency you desire.)
- 2 tsp. root beer extract
- a few tablespoons hot water (I didn't use)
Beat butter on high with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Add a little powdered sugar and the root beer extract. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with a little hot water until a nice spreading consistency has been reached.
Frost the cooled cookies and let stand for a few minutes to let the frosting set up. (It should dry a bit on the top.) You can leave out the root beer extract and you’ll have a tasty, soft brown sugar cookie.
(This picture is what came w/ the recipe - I didn't add quite that much frosting, but they looked the same. If you want to have enough frosting for the cookies, you might consider making a double batch, seriously.)
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Outside of the Blog
Shirl - I have seen some cute (and horrendous seashell crafts). I am not sure if you are looking to decorate or craft w/ them.
I am thinking you want to display them, and that you do not want something like this - ( I was in shock that this hideousness could be found on Better Homes and Gardens' site! GAG-O-LA!)
Here is what I have done (w/ a rainbow photo I snapped on the road to Hana over in Maui)
My original idea was something like this photo - to put the shells, w/ sand (which I forgot to bag up while I was on vacation) and put them in a vase (or apothecary jar) but the opening I had was too small for my starfish.
I have a deep seated love for glass storage containers, and apothecary jars. It made me sad that I couldn't use what I had, so...
Instead of a jar I bought one of these frames from Ikea (this one is huge, but they have smaller ones) and put the shells and such into the frame. I love the way it looks.
Shirl - I hope one of these ideas 'does it for ya'. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do!
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