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You are here: Home / chocolate / Tongass Forest Cookies

Tongass Forest Cookies

August 15, 2013 By Laura 10 Comments

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Oatmeal Cookies with Cocoa Puffed Rice Cereal, Coconut Flakes and White Chocolate Chunks

One week ago I was mourning the end of summer, dreading my kids going back to school.  Everything felt tight and panicky, like I had not appreciated my kids enough and needed to spend every waking moment with them.

Oh the difference a week can make.

We went back to school shopping earlier this week. Fun was had–shoes were purchased, sales were perused, school supplies gathered, loads of cookbooks acquired. And oh yeah whining and grumbling and wheedling and oh yeah did I mention the whining? It is amazing to me, almost like magic. Every August we hit this moment, usually about a week out from school starting, when it becomes oh so clear that my children must go back to school. Immediately. Without delay. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just get back to school already!

Yep we’re there.

Like I said, fun was had though. Cookbooks. Loads of cookbooks. I don’t usually use image affiliate links, but this is the easiest way to share my haul with you guys (and I love when people share new cookbooks), so…:

Some were new and some were finds at the used store. And, ahem, I may not have shared quite all of them. But you guys already knew I had a problem. And at least it made dealing with my darling little rascals worth it on that particular day (that and my mom’s company–don’t think I forgot you, Mom!). Coming home to these cookies didn’t hurt either!

Oatmeal Cookies with Cocoa Puffed Rice Cereal, Coconut Flakes and White Chocolate Chunks

I found the base recipe for these cookies in Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple by David Muniz and David Lesniak. They named the cookie for the Tongass Forest National Park because they found the recipe while searching for recipes on a state by state baking tour of America. I changed some stuff around, but I believe my version holds true to the spirit of the original. Crispy, chewy, sweet and salty… John and I both found these intensely addictive. Sammy did not care for them, but she really dislikes all things coconut. The salted top was not in the original recipe, but it was definitely necessary to me, to keep the cookies from getting too sweet. You could use plain puffed rice cereal in this recipe in place of the cocoa cereal; if you are curious, the specific brand I used was EnviroKidz Koala Crisp:

Oatmeal Cookies with Cocoa Puffed Rice Cereal, Coconut Flakes and White Chocolate Chunks

5 from 2 votes
Oatmeal Cookies with Cocoa Puffed Rice Cereal, Coconut Flakes and White Chocolate Chunks
Print
Tongass Forest Cookies
Adapted from David Muniz and David Lesniak
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Keyword: cereal
Author: TheSpicedLife
Ingredients
  • 200 g (1 1/3 cups) AP flour
  • 100 g (2/3 cup) white whole wheat flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t kosher salt
  • 1 cup flaked coconut, lightly toasted
  • 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup Valrhona dark chocolate baking pearls
  • 1 1/2 cups cocoa puffed rice cereal
  • 2 3-oz white chocolate bars chopped into chunks
  • 8 oz (1 cup/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed, light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 t ground vanilla beans (sub more extract if you don't have ground vanilla beans)
  • 2 t vanilla extract
  • vanilla salt for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut flakes, oats, baking pearls, rice cereal and white chocolate chunks. Also set aside.
  3. Beat the butter, preferably in a stand mixer, until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy on medium high speed, about 5 minutes total.
  4. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each one. Beat in the ground vanilla beans and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed to completely incorporate for 2 minutes.
  5. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed. When it is mostly mixed in, add the mix-ins (coconut flakes, rice cereal, oats, etc). I was able to completely and evenly incorporate them using the low speed on the mixer, but if you have trouble dampen your hands and use your fingers.
  6. Scrape the cookie dough into a bowl with an airtight seal. Press waxed paper over the dough to create a complete seal, and then also seal the bowl. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 36 hours.
  7. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop 3-tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the sheet-6 cookies to a sheet. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with vanilla salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until browning at the edges and set in the middle. Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.
  8. These cookies are best if eaten within about 36 hours of baking, and are best on the first day.

 

As mentioned, affiliate links were used in this post, but as always only in reference to products I would be mentioning in any case.

Filed Under: chocolate, cookies, oats, whole grains Tagged With: cereal, cocoa, coconut, coconut flakes, cookies, oatmeal, oats, puffed rice, rice cereal, Valrhona pearls, white chocolate

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Comments

  1. Joanne T Ferguson says

    August 16, 2013 at 5:17 am

    G’day! Never heard of these cookies, true!
    Wish I could come through the screen and try one of these right now too!
    Cheers! Joanne; now on FB too!
    Viewed as part of Foodie Friends Friday Party

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    August 16, 2013 at 6:30 am

    That is quite the cookbook haul! I think the.boy would kill me if I ever came home with that many at once…I have to sneak them in one by one. 😛

    I love all the mixins and textures that these have!!

    So how many more days is it until school starts for you guys?? 😛

    Reply
    • Laura says

      August 16, 2013 at 1:04 pm

      It starts Monday. Thank goodness. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Laura@bakinginpyjamas says

    August 16, 2013 at 10:22 am

    I love cookbooks too, I can’t stop collecting them. These look so thick, I love thick cookies.

    Reply
  4. Anna says

    August 16, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    Wow, that’s a lot of cookbooks to buy at one time. And I do like your selection, though I haven’t read any of them. The Mad Hungry one sounds interesting. I think I just like the name.

    Reply
  5. Raymund says

    August 18, 2013 at 3:40 am

    5 stars
    Love the ingredients of this cookie, I bet everyone in our house would enjoy this. Yum!

    Reply
  6. grace says

    August 18, 2013 at 5:19 am

    well, straightaway, i like the name. the components are a little bit wacky, and that makes me like them even more! vanilla salt? hello!

    Reply
  7. Reeni says

    August 19, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    The cookies are irresistible! Love the name and the salty tops! That little touch makes them extra special. I understand the cookbook thing. . . but you have about 4 times as many as me! That is so cool.

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says

    August 22, 2013 at 3:24 am

    What a fun ingredient list–so much variety in the flavors and textures! I’m obsessed with those Valrhona pearls and basically can’t buy them, otherwise I eat them by the handful till they’re gone. 🙂 Pinning these for sure!

    Reply
  9. Rob says

    October 16, 2014 at 8:22 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for the inspiration, these cookies were awesome! I’m doing an A-Z of US states vegetarian cooking challenge over at my blog https://robertmackle.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/a-z-american-states-cuisine-alaska/ Cheers!

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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