This is an old recipe for a cookie meant to be similar to those from Prairie City Bakery, a company that sells all kinds of large, homemade cookies at various quickie marts and drugstores. In honor of Gloria Pitzer, the queen of copycat recipes www.secretrecipes.com, , I named them "Scary City Cookies".
Barley Flour
One ingredient I used early on was barley flour, but these days it's almost impossible to find. Some brands of all-purpose flour, usually less expensive ones, actually have barley flour mixed in, so if you find it you can use use that. Another thing you can do is use all-purpose flour and add a teaspoon or two of barley malt syrup for flavor.
The recipe is dated, but it might be a fun template for you to build your own Scary City cookie with, so I'm leaving it here for now.
Scary City Cookies
1 stick (114 grams) unsalted butter
½ cup (98 grams) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (78 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup (92 grams) all purpose flour
¾ cup (75 grams) barley flour or about ⅔ cup all-purpose
Handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Handful of M&Ms
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large, un-insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Add salt and soda and beat well, scraping sides of bowl and making sure there are no stray lumps of soda. Add both flours and stir by hand until flour is absorbed. Stir in chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Divide dough into 6 equal sections and shape into 3 inch discs. Place 3 discs, spacing as much as possible, on each cookie sheet. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cookies have brown edges.
Makes 6 big cookies
Recipe
Scary City Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar (80 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into the cup (105 grams)
- ¾ cup barley flour or another flour such as ap, whole wheat (92 grams)
- Handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Handful of M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Add salt and soda and beat well, scraping sides of bowl and making sure there are no stray lumps of soda. Add both flours and stir by hand until flour is absorbed. Stir in chocolate chips and M&Ms.
- Divide dough into 6 equal sections and shape into 3 inch discs. Place 3 discs, spacing as much as possible, on each cookie sheet. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cookies have brown edges.
- Makes 6 big cookies
Anna says
Hi There,
Yes, the barley flavor does add a little bit of flavor, but it's very mild and not unpleasant. My daughter actually loved these cookies and she's pretty finicky in respect to cookies made with various flours.
If you want even more barley flavor, King Arthur Flour has a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe with even more barley flour.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=673
Sundancebaker says
Does the barley flour impart any detectable flavor? Or is it mainly a texture? I have used Oat flour and it does change the texture and kind of imparts a nutty flavor.
Cheryl says
What a blast from the past for me. Before Gloria's semi-retirement she was a regular on a local radio show.
I remember receiving her newletter and owned a few of her books.
So pleased to see that her son is introducing her recipes to a new audience. Thanks for the link.
HeartofGlass says
Yum--I have had a hankering for big, kid's-style fantasy cookies--only to make them really 'scary' I think some Reeces Pieces and candy corn might be in order!
bakingblonde says
Wow, those look EXACTLY like the ones at my local gas station!! I always have to stop the urge to buy one because once I get in that habit I would buy one every time I filled up! ha ha.
It the texture chewy?
clumbsycookie says
I'm not even a bit scared but them! Anything with M&Ms is great with me. Interesting they have barley flour, I'm trying to incorporate new flours into my baking.
Katrina says
Yum. Gotta love a nice big chocolatey cookie!
VeggieGirl says
Cute cookie name 🙂
Barley flour, eh? Interesting!