Union Utopia Cookies

Fall is fast approaching and classes are starting up again. Now is the perfect time to reflect on the summer that has past. From enjoying concerts on the square to weekends spent strolling around the farmers market and laughing with friends, it has been on fast, successful few months. I, unfortunately, had to endure this warm Wisconsin summer without the luxury of an air conditioner. But one special treat made it more bearable; BABCOCK ICE CREAM! As Food Science majors, we like to consider ourselves experts on all things Babcock, especially the ice cream. UW-Madison has a dairy plant located inside Babcock Hall, the Food Science building here at UW-Madison. In the dairy plant, students along with professional staff make magical milk, incredible ice cream, and creamy cheese. All of the products that come out of the dairy plant are delicious! (Promise no one is paying us to say that, it’s just the truth!) One classic flavor of Babcock ice cream is Union Utopia, a vanilla ice cream with swirls of peanut butter, chocolate and caramel. I will miss enjoying a dish of Union Utopia at the terrace as the days get shorter, colder and that craving for the cool, sugary snack will be replaced with a similarly intense sugary craving for something warm and mouthwatering. In order to satisfy this new fall craving, we have Union Utopia cookies! A peanut butter cookie base with chocolate chips and caramels baked in. It is the perfect replacement for the ice cream counterpart to share with friends at study groups or potluck dinners (or don’t share and eat them all while binge watching Netflix, TREAT YO SELF). A few batches of these cookies over the next nine months will make summer 2016 get here in no time!

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup caramels cut into squares (similar in size to chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat for another two minutes until combined. Mix in peanut butter and egg.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once your dough has been formed you can refrigerate it for an hour (it’s optional if you are in a rush but it will help rest the gluten which makes the cookies   softer and they don’t spread out as much)
   
5. Form the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. This type of dough does not spread out as much, especially if you refrigerate it, so you can flatten the dough out on the pan
   
6. Cook the cookies in the preheated oven for 15ish minutes until they are brown around the edges.