Chewy Sugar Cookies (and they’re giant!)

Chewy sugar cookies, that’s where we’re headed today, and you can all thank my Aunt for it! You see, she showed up to visit the kids a couple weeks ago with a box of cookies from a bakery in the city. Through the little cellophane window on the top I could glimpse what can only be described as the perfect dozen.

There were cookies topped with pieces of Oreos, Kit-Kat bars, and mini Reeses Pieces cups calling to my kids. But at the very back were two cookies, completely covered in sprinkles, calling to me. I snapped one up and basically inhaled it after the first bite. It was the perfect chewy sugar cookie, easily as big as my hand, and just slightly crispy around the edges.

It was the kind of cookie that I just couldn’t stop thinking about. I can’t be the only person who becomes obsessed with delicious things. Anna had already snagged the second sugar cookie from the box when I went back to it later that night. Did I take one of the Kit-Kat cookies instead? Of course I did. Was it also delicious? Yes, obviously. So delicious in fact that I’m currently working on that recipe too.

But the chewy sugar cookie covered in sprinkles just kept taunting me. Begging me to figure out the recipe and make my own version. Mainly because we would go broke if I started buying them from the bakery as often as I now wanted to.

Soft and chewy vs crisp and iced

Chewy sugar cookies are one of my favourites to make because they are SO EASY! You don’t have to roll the dough out and use a cookie cutter. There’s no need to chill them before baking so they hold their shape. The best part might just be that I don’t feel the need to ice them. My patience thanks me, because icing sugar cookies is tedious work.

The difference between those beautiful iced cookies I do at Christmas or for a party, and these ones, doesn’t end with the decorating though. I like my rolled sugar cookies to be pretty firm all the way across, with a crisp bite to them that crumbles just a little. That way, they stand up better with the added icing. It’s the same reason they have a bit less sugar in the cookie dough – the icing adds to the sweetness.

The 3 key things to making the perfect chewy sugar cookies

There are three specific things you need for the perfect soft and chewy sugar cookies.

The first is a mix of white sugar and brown sugar, in a 2 to 1 ratio. When I make my rolled sugar cookies, I only use white sugar. That’s because white sugar has less moisture in it, so the cookies don’t spread as much. Brown sugar is simply some white sugar with molasses added in. The added moisture from the molasses gives these cookies just a little bit of spread, and helps them stay soft for days when stored properly.

The second thing to guarantee soft and chewy sugar cookies, is to use both baking soda and baking powder. Just like the sugar, we’re using these two ingredients in a 2 to 1 ratio. Baking soda is what helps keep cookies softer and thinner. Baking powder makes cookies thicker and more cake-like. The combo of the two in this recipe is what gives them the perfect “chew”.

Finally, you’ve got to pay attention to your flour. When you’re doing rolled sugar cookies, you use a bit more flour because you need them to hold their shape better. For chewy cookies like these, you want just enough flour that it won’t stick to your hands while you’re shaping it, but not so much that it feels crumbly.

That’s it. Baking is made out to be so complicated sometimes when it really isn’t. It’s just a balance, and you can play around with that (at least a little bit), just like you do when you’re cooking dinner and adding a little of this or that.

Check out some of my other soft and chewy cookies

If you like chewy cookies, you are going to LOVE these lemon crinkle cookies! They’re super easy to make too, and I have never brought them somewhere without being asked for the recipe!

If you’re in the festive mood, these soft and chewy ginger cookies are on my baking list every single Christmas.

And because I’m on a lemon kick, these lemon Madeleines are incredible. They’re one of Oliver and my favourites (I’m actually planning on bringing them to my friends house on Friday for our Mom’s night in – booze and board games!).

Here’s my recipe for giant chewy sugar cookies:

I can not WAIT for you all to try my giant chewy sugar cookies! The kids have been bugging me non-stop to make them again ASAP. I think part of that is because they loved bringing them to school as a treat to show them off, lol. Two of my kids even had to bring extras to school the next day for friends that just HAD to have one!

Yield:
12 giant cookies (36 regular sized)

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
10 minutes

Total Time:
30 minutes

Soft and chewy sugar cookies as big as your hand, covered in colourful candy sprinkles! This is my copycat version of ones we’ve had from the La Case Dolce bakery. And yes, you can make them regular size, but there’s nothing more fun than handing someone such a giant cookie and seeing the smile on their face!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Coloured candy sprinkles for rolling (at least 1 cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line your cookie sheets with silicone baking mats, or parchment paper. Pour about 1 cup sprinkles into a bowl big enough to easily roll your cookies in without spilling, and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars over medium-high speed until light and fluffy. I set a timer for 3 minutes, as you don’t want to over mix this too much.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium-low until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pour into your butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed just until all of the flour is incorporated. Be sure not to over mix.
5. Using a large cookie scoop if you have it (see notes for sizing for both giant and regular sized cookies ), scoop out 1/4 cup sized balls of dough. Shape into a ball, then place into your sprinkles. Use your hand to press lots of the sprinkles into the sides of the ball.
6. Evenly space out the sprinkled balls onto your cookie sheets. You can fit 4 – 5 giant cookies, or 12 – 15 regular sized cookies onto each sheet. Use the flat bottom of a glass to gently press the cookies down, until they’re about 1/2 inch thick.
7. To get the really even coating of sprinkles onto the tops of your cookies, gently lift up each flattened cookie (you may need to give it a little twist to loosen from the lined cookie sheet). Put the cookie dough face down into the sprinkle bowl, then gently press down on it to squish even more sprinkles into the dough. Return the cookie to the cookie sheet, extra sprinkle side up.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are just lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving them to cooling racks to finish cooling.
9. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

Cookie Sizing

If you want to make regular sized cookies, you can use a small cookie scoop. My small scoop holds 1.5 tablespoons of dough, about the size of a ping pong or golf ball.

For these giant cookies though, I used my big cookie scoop which I usually use for filling cupcake liners with. It holds 1/4 cup (or 4 tablespoons) of cookie dough, about the size of a plum.

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Singapore Noodles

There is nothing better than a quick meal like these Singapore noodles on a busy night. Asian flavours are always a hit in our house, and Char Sui (Chinese BBQ pork) is an absolute home run. Putting the two together gives you a stir fry bursting with flavour in just 30 minutes!

If you’ve never tried Singapore noodles before, you’re in for a treat! They’re a rice vermicelli noodle, flavoured with curry powder, and whatever veggies and meat you like. Shrimp, chicken, and chinese BBQ pork are all classics, or you can make it vegan or vegetarian by using tofu or scrambling up some eggs instead.

What are Singapore Noodles?

Well, like a lot of the “Chinese Food” we eat here in North America, you aren’t going to find them in Singapore. You will probably see them on just about every take-out menu you have squished in your kitchen junk drawer though.

Singapore noodles are a stir-fried dish of very thin rice vermicelli noodles. It’s flavoured simply with a little mild curry powder, soy sauce, and chinese cooking wine. It’s also a great dish to use up those vegetable odds and ends in your fridge. Onion, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, and bean sprouts are all welcome additions.

This dish is just as versatile with protein as it is with vegetables. It works just as well with tofu as it does char sui, scrambled eggs, shrimp, or thinly sliced chicken breast. The options are endless, which make it so easy to pull together any night of the week. I mean seriously, who doesn’t love a stir-fry that uses up all the stuff you have lying around in your fridge already!

Chinese BBQ Pork aka Char Sui

Char sui is one of my absolute favourite things to eat. I could honestly eat this once a week. When ever I would order take-out chinese food I would always grab all the BBQ pork out of the Cantonese Chow Mein. Then I found out that you could order just a container of BBQ from the appetizers. O.M.G. But take out Chinese food is already expensive in this house. We need fried rice, noodles, chicken balls, sweet and sour pork, fried shrimp, won ton soup, black pepper beef, egg rolls, and a couple orders of friend won-tons to make everyone in the house happy. Adding another ten dollars to the order gets hard to stomach (especially because half of the other items are for me too, hahaha!).

I had to figure out how to make it myself. Especially once I realized how many other things you can add it to. You can make just enough for the Singapore noodles, but I would recommend doing a giant batch ahead of time. You’ll see in the notes section of my recipe, that once it’s cooked and cooled, you can slice it up and keep it in the freezer for up to three months.

Making it ahead like that, means dinners like this can be start to finish in just 30 minutes! It’s also great diced up and added into some fried rice, into some wonton soup inspired broth, a stir fry, or just eaten on it’s own. Grab my recipe for Chinese BBQ Pork here.

Singapore Noodles with Char Sui Recipe

Alright, reading the post shouldn’t take longer to do than making the recipe right! Remember, keep it simple. Use what you have on hand, and the ingredients you know you like. If you haven’t tried a curry flavoured dish before, don’t be scared off by it. You’re going to love the sweet, subtle flavour it brings to the noodles!

Yield:
5 servings

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Total Time:
30 minutes

Singapore is the perfect quick and delicious meal to clear your fridge out of all those veggies and proteins you don’t know what to do with! See the notes for lots of different vegetable and protein suggestions.

Ingredients

• 1 package dried rice vermicelli noodles (roughly 300g)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (or sub with dry cooking sherry)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil), divided
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
• 1 sweet bell pepper, sliced thinly (optional)
• 2 – 3 cups bean sprouts (optional)
• Char Sui (Chinese BBQ Pork – optional)
• Chopped cilantro leaves (to garnish, optional)
• Bean sprouts (to garnish, optional)
• Cashew nuts (to garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Put the noodles in a large, heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring once or twice to seperate, until tender. Drain under cold water.
2. While the noodles are softening, take a small bowl and whisk together the soy sauce, cooking wine, water, sugar, and curry powder until the sugar dissolves.
3. Set a wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add your vegetables to the pan, except for the bean sprouts if using them, and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes until slightly softened. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the curry mixture and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the noodles, and toss to coat well. Return the vegetables to the pan, along with the bean sprouts if using, and the char sui (or other protein of your choice). Stir-fry until everything is heated through, about 3 minutes.
5. Divide into bowls and top with cilantro, raw bean sprouts, and cashew nuts if using.

Notes

Vegetable Suggestions

This is a great recipe to use up those vegetables you have hanging around in your fridge at the end of the week. Here are some suggestions that work well, but use anything you like and have!

• Onions (red or sweet onions are especially great)
• Sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange)
• Green bell peppers
• Bean sprouts
• Shredded cabbage (green or red)
• Mushrooms
• Carrots

Protein Suggestions

I do love my Char Sui, but don’t feel like you have to be tied to that. This recipe works great will all kinds of different proteins! Here are a few of my favourites.

• Chinese BBQ pork (Char Sui)
• Chicken (sliced thinly, then sautéd on it’s own after vegetables) (pre-cooked sliced chicken is a great quick option too!)
• Shrimp (just sauté after the veggies are removed, then remove and add back in with the cooked vegetables)
• Eggs (top with an over-easy fried egg at the end, or make some scrambled eggs and add them back in along with the vegetables and noodles at the end).
• Tofu makes this an awesome quick and easy vegetarian or vegan dish!

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Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings Copycat

Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings have been one of my favourite meals since I could sit at a table and hold a fork. That round, brown plastic tray bouncing through a sea of tables. The the hum of conversation and laughter echoing between the wooden lattice walls, dripping in antiques. Centered on that tray, surrounded by plates of biscuits with jams and jellies, salads, and cinnamon apples sat a single white bowl set atop a matching plate. Those ceramics, so thick and heavy they wouldn’t break even if they tumbled to the floor, carried towards me an abundance of fluffy dumplings piled on top of tender pieces of shredded chicken, all smothered in a smooth, creamy gravy. Every bite smacked against the roof of my mouth with comfort and love.

For a long time this was one of the few meals I didn’t want to mess with and make myself. You see for me, this was never just a meal. It was a mouthful of memories, old and new, every time I sat down to a bowl of it. If I was going to do this, it had to be perfect.

A Hungry Canadian in Covid

I was spoiled twice a year by my Grandparents growing up, driving back and forth from Ontario to Florida. It was a two day drive for us, stopping half way in Georgia on the way down, and Ohio on the way home. The hotel, the time we arrived, the people that came with us, that could all change. What never changed though, was dinner. We always ate at Cracker Barrel.

As a kid, I never ordered anything other than chicken and dumplings. I also had a habit of digging through the bowl, only eating all the dumplings. I’d mash the chicken into the side of the dish and hope no one would notice. It never worked, but I also never stopped trying. Somehow, I even still managed to talk them into a frozen mug filled with a hot fudge sundae. It would be piled high with whipped cream, toasted almond pieces, and topped with a bright red maraschino cherry. Man do I wish they’d bring those sundaes back.

We never stopped that tradition either. My grandparents may have swapped the insanity of Disney and Universal, for the peace of winters spent on a quiet street, a short drive from the beach. But not us. Bo and I, we took it over. Piling our one, then two, then three kids into the back of the car and taking two days to drive to Florida. Now we exit Ontario via New York instead of Michigan. Our halfway points are South Carolina and West Virginia. Our dinner though, well, it’s still always at Cracker Barrel.

That is, until 2019, when we decided to take a year off because the kids wanted to see what a beach vacation was like. We spent a week of fun in the Dominican sun, and they loved it. I found myself a little bored, spending long days lounging by the pool. I missed rushing to the next ride, or eating and drinking my way around the world at Epcot. By the time I was on the plane heading home, I was already thinking about driving back to Florida in 2020. Then March of 2020 came, and those hopes quickly travelled on without me. First, to 2021, and now, to 2022.

That picture was my favourite from our last trip. Bo’s cousins came at the same time with our niece and nephew, and one of Bo’s Aunts. Thank goodness that lady in the back row had the same sense of humour we did! I’m up front with Anna and my nephew Logan. Second row has Uncle Alex with Oliver and Sophie, then Bo’s in the back. Special shout out to Logan and Sophie, hands up in the air, who were both only 4 years old! Aunt Jenny was waiting at the exit with my niece Addison. We’re already counting down to our next trip together a few years down the road!

The Tastes That Bind Us

It’s been funny to me, the somewhat ridiculous things I’ve missed over the last few years of mostly solitude. I think Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings was one of them because it always felt so comforting and familiar. It meant we were on our way to my happy place. Or on our way home after spending an amazing two weeks laughing and screaming with our hands thrown in the air, enjoying each other.

Today, I feel like I’m standing on the center of a tightrope again. The wind is just starting to blow. I’m still, waiting, holding my breath to try and steady my feet. That wind full of whispers keeps swirling around my head about cases climbing, and the kids schools, and all the other what if’s. Getting this recipe exactly right was an escape for me. Piling it into a thick and heavy white ceramic bowl, then curling up on the couch to eat it with the kids while we watched some Tim Tracker. It was exactly what I needed while we countdown to October 2022.

Even still, as an adult, I just can’t completely let go of this meal. I did start switching up my order to some chicken fried steak the last time we sat down at Cracker Barrel in 2018. – (my recipe for this is pictured above) – Really though, I was just swapping out that chicken I used to squish against the side of the bowl, for some crispy slices of beef smothered in the same creamy gravy. To make sure I still felt the comfort, love, and memories wash over me with every bite though, I had dumplings as both of my sides.

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings vs Biscuits?

Now, even as a Canadian, I know that chicken and dumplings can bring along some drama with it. There is a divide of people with this meal. Half of them will look at these photos and recipe and say “Those aren’t dumplings, those are slicks”. The rest will tell me “Dumplings are way bigger and fluffier, like a biscuit, and sit on top. Those are noodles.”. I get it, one thing can actually be many different things, to many different people.

If you like that biscuit style dumpling, I’ve seen tons of people saying to just use store bought buttermilk biscuits. You can just put them on top straight out of the can. If that’s your jam, do it. Or, try making my Southern Style Biscuits from scratch. Just drop them on top, then finish the whole dish off in the oven. – (my recipe for these biscuits is pictured below) –

Sticking with the Southern Slick

If you haven’t tried this style of dumpling (or slick, or noddle) though, I’m so glad you’re here. I hope when you take that first spoonful it’s instant love for you, just like it was for me. If you used to eat this as a kid, but forgot about it, I hope nostalgia washes over you and brings you back to a moment in time you’d forgotten.

And if you’ve stumbled here somehow by accident, or from one of my other posts. If you’ve never had Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, or any style of chicken and dumplings, I hope you’ll try my recipe. More than that though, I hope you’ll end up loving it!

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

I love hearing from you all in the comments. This meal and recipe really mean a lot to me. If you do try it, I would be thrilled to know what you thought of it. Even if you don’t try it, but there’s a meal that resonates with you, tell me what it is. I’m always looking for new recipes to hunt down and try!

Happy eating!

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
55 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings is a fall must. Fluffy dumplings, tender chicken, and that perfect creamy gravy any time you want it at home!

Ingredients

Broth

• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 an onion, kept as one big piece
• 1 peeled carrot, cut in half
• 1 handful of fresh parsley, tied together with twine
• 4 average sized chicken breasts (roughly 1 pound) *see note

Dumplings

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lard (or butter if you don’t have lard on hand)
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Final Additions

• Salt and pepper to taste
• Carrot pieces (optional)
• Additional fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Broth

1. Get a large dutch oven or stock pot set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken broth, onion, carrot, and parsley, and bring to a boil.
2. Add the chicken breasts, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked. While this is simmering, make your biscuits.

Biscuits

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Use your fingers to work in the lard, as best you can, until it’s in small, pea sized pieces.
3. Slowly drizzle the buttermilk over the top of the flour mixture, then use a wooden spoon to mix it into a shaggy dough with small bits of dry flour remaining. (see notes)
4. Turn the dough out onto a well floured countertop, and roll out until roughly 1/4″ thick.
5. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into strips, about 1 1/2″ x 2″. You can use a knife if you don’t have a pizza butter.

Bring It All Together

1. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pieces to a cutting board and tent with foil to let it rest.
2. Remove the onion, carrot, and parsley from the pot. If you’d like, you can save the carrot, dice it into small pieces, and add it back with the chicken later.
3. Make sure the broth is still simmering. Drop the dumplings into the pot a few at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon after every few additions. NOTE: Don’t worry about how many dumplings there are, or how full it looks. The dumplings will puff up at first, but then slowly melt down in size as they thicken the broth into a gravy.
4. Simmer the dumplings in the broth for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Shred your chicken into bite size pieces, then add it back into the pot for 5 minutes to warm up. If you wanted to add the some diced carrot in, do that now as well.
6. Give your mixture a taste, and add as much salt and pepper as you’d like. If you wanted to add in some fresh parsley, do that now as well.

Notes

Chicken Breasts – You can also simply add pre-cooked chicken to the finished broth and dumpling mixture. To save time, I’ll buy a rotisserie chicken sometimes and just shred it. Or, if I’m making a roast chicken, I’ll make two at the same time, and save the meat from one to make this another night.

Dumpling Dough – The mixed dough should be very shaggy, with streaks and pieces of dry flour still remaining. Don’t worry. Rolling it out resolves the shaggy-ness for you, and those little specs of flour help make the gravy.

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