TBY’s COOKIES aka MONSTER COOKIES or KITCHEN SINK COOKIES

My cousin who is quite a few years younger and her husband were in town this week with their 4 young children (ALL boys ages 7 months to 10 – God giver her strength) and we had dinner with them, her dad and another cousin I don’t get to see very often so all was good with that night.  My uncle grilled burgers, I made pasta and potato salads and Jenn brought fruit salad and tater tots for the boys.

While we were setting up Suzy was entertaining the boys and started telling them all about the strange words Jenn made up as a kid for foods – like calling hamburgers hinkleburgers LOL.  When Jenn and her sister, Michelle were little they could not say “m”s.  As a result I became better known as Tby for quite a long time, in fact Suzy (we’re the same age) still calls me that.

Jump to today when I made up a new cookie recipe and I asked hubby what I should call them.  He suggested Monster cookies because they are so full of things, but that name has been done so much as has Kitchen Sink so he suggested Tby’s Cookies.

I’ve also incorporated some unusual techniques to infuse the flavors I wanted.  I hope you give them a try and let me know what you think.  When Jenn was little I visited often. I baked a lot of cookies back then.  I liked walnuts in my cookies, but my uncle hated them so I began grinding the peanuts and incorporating the flour into the cookies for flavor.  HE NEVER CAUGHT ON! LOL

TBY’s COOKIES aka MONSTER COOKIES or KITCHEN SINK COOKIES
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons quick oatmeal flour – see note – this is easy
1 tablespoon peanut flour – see note – this is easy
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (high quality)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • Sift the above ingredients together and set aside. 
  • Preheat oven to 350°.

2 cups butter (high quality)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla

  • Cream butter with sugars until smooth and creamy.
  • Add eggs one at a time, blending until incorporated after each one.
  • Add vanilla, blending well.
  • Add flour mixture gradually, blending well after each addition.

Now on to the good stuff!
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup small walnut pieces
1/3 cup caramel baking balls, cut in half (Kraft)
1/2 cup Heath bar pieces
8 ounces dehydrated pineapple, chopped small
1 cup coconut rum soaked golden raisins**

  • Add the above items while the mixer is running.  I like to add a little of each one in a rotating manner so that the ingredients get well dispersed into the dough and there are no big clumps of any one item. ADD THE RAISINS LAST AND SLOW THE MIXER TO THE SLOWEST SPEED TO NOT BREAK THEM TOO BADLY.
  • Drop by small scoop or small spoonfuls to a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat on it.
  • Bake 11-12 minutes.

NOTE: Using a cuisinart junior blend oatmeal or nuts until they become powdery.

**About an hour before I plan to bake I pour about 1/4 cup of Malibu Coconut Rum over the raisins and then stir them periodically.  I start draining them as I begin to cream the butter.  While you want nice plump raisins you do not want to add a tone of liquid moisture so draining these well  is a key step.