A chocolate cookie topped with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts, and coconut.
Source: Me, myself, and I.
Yield: 4-5 dozen
I’ve been wanting to try this cookie for a while now, but summer is flying by and I’m having trouble finding time to bake. This morning, when I realized I had nothing else specific planned, I figured I had better hurry and go for it before I lose another day!
I have this recipe book of cakes, bars, muffins and such made from cake mixes and brownie mixes. Most of them are chocolate, so you can see why it appeals to me! One of my favorites from that book is a Hello Dolly bar. It uses a cake mix to make a chocolate crust, then is topped with chocolate and butterscotch chips, walnuts and coconut, and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. It’s enough sugar to put you in a diabetic coma, but you would die happy!
I’ve been thinking about a cookie version of this wonderful bar for a couple weeks now. I had to do some experimenting, and I still think the bar version might be better, but in the end my cookie turned out pretty fabulous.
I started with the recipe for Oreo cookies… just your basic box cake mix (I used Devils Food), eggs, and shortening. I doubled it, though, so 2 cake mixes. It turned out a little softer than usual, maybe because I used the generic brand of cake mix. Next time, I think I’ll use the name brand.
I tried making these as thumbprints. I made a small cookie, with a thumb-sized indent, and filled the dent with chips, nuts and coconut. I poured a very small amount of sweetened condensed milk over the top. After baking, they were a mess. But oh, what a delicious mess!! I next tried mixing the chips into the dough, and using a fork to make a cross-hatch pattern in the cookies. I again put a little milk on top, letting it sink into the little fork dents, and then topped with coconut. This worked much better. I learned the hard way, however, that you have to keep the amount of milk very, very small. I actually used a baby spoon to do this job.
The One On The Left Has WAY Too Much Milk - The One On The Right Is A Much Better Example
Same Two Cookies After Baking - The One On The Left Is a Mess.
Just for kicks, I tried a few without the milk as well. I actually liked the kick of sweetened condensed milk on the cookies, but it had a few problems. First, it made the dough too soft, and the cookies had a tendency to fall apart when removed from the pan. Second, and more importantly, it was a pain in the butt to do. Even though they tasted much better, I think I will write the recipe without the milk, because it still had the essence of the Hello Dolly bar that I was going for, without the mess.
As usual, I had to make mine without nuts so my family will eat them. Eating a whole batch of cookies by myself is probably not a good idea for me. I compromised and made most of them without nuts, and added nuts to the dough for the final pan-full. They’re way better with nuts.
I made the cookies kind of big, so there would be room for all the different ingredients in each one. I think my favorite thing about them is the coconut on top. I didn’t want to mix it in, because when it sits on top it gets all toasted during baking, which gives it such a nice texture and flavor. I should also mention that after baking, they need to sit on the pan for 3-4 minutes before you remove them. This is a step I recommend you not skip, especially if you prefer your cookies to be in one piece and round.
This is a great cookie to serve guests! It turns out very pretty, and stores well.
- 2 chocolate cake mixes (any kind)
- 1 cup shortening
- 4 eggs
- 6 oz. chocolate chips
- 6 oz. butterscotch chips
- 12 oz. coconut
- 3-4 oz. chopped walnuts or pecans
- Mix together cake mixes, shortening and eggs.
- Add in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts, and mix until incorporated.
- Roll dough into 1.5-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Use a fork to press the dough down.
- (Optional step:) Top with a very small spoonful of sweetened condensed milk.
- Top with a pinch of coconut.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Store in airtight container.
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