Archive for the ‘cookies’ Category

If any of you happen to have an extra straitjacket lying around (anybody?), I might need to borrow it.

You see, anyone who is 8 months pregnant and in her right mind… wait… that’s complete gibberish. Let me try again.

Anyone who is 8 months pregnant… at all… should not be taking on lots of ambitious projects in the kitchen. The end.

There’s just one tiny problem, though: It’s fall! It’s holiday season! There are events and occasions left and right! And, despite not being able to get up the energy to heft laundry baskets around or mop the kitchen floor, I find myself spending outrageous amounts of time on my feet, putting together dessert after dessert after dessert… and liking it.

Like I said, straitjacket.

I recently took the plunge into the wide world of cookie decorating (thanks to Bake at 350), and whipped up these pretty things for a bake sale. They were a hit! And… I think my body went into rebellion mode afterward. See, I don’t really remember the rest of that day.

But good grief, these were fun. I felt like a 6-year-old again. Bright colors! Sweet icing! Pretty patterns! There are several helpful hints to know before getting into cookie decorating, but I won’t take the time to do a tutorial here. Why should I, when there are several better ones I can link to?

Stay tuned for my next big project — a wedding cake. Yes, I just said wedding cake.

Like I said, straitjacket.

You know, unless the delivery room gets me first…

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

from Bake at 350

3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar (I use sugar that I’ve stored vanilla beans in)
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

Roll onto a floured surface (or between two sheets of wax paper) and cut into shapes. Place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Then bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. When the cookies are completely cooled, they are ready to decorate.

What’s that you say? These aren’t brownies? Are you sure?

You’re right, they’re cookies. But they’re actually not cookies. Deep down inside, where it really counts, they’re brownies. They’re soft, chewy, rich brownies that, by sheer coincidence, happen to be shaped like their cookie counterparts.

Well shoot. You win. We’ll call them cookies. They’re cookies. I can live with that. Cookies.

Now, down to business: I’m completely and thoroughly a dark chocolate person. I’ll take that 70% cacao any day of the week. If you are a fellow dark chocolate person, these will be right up your alley. If not… well, maybe today is the day to begin on the path to becoming a dark chocolate person. Or, better yet, whip up a batch for that special, dark chocolate someone in your life. They will love you forever, or double your money back.

Confession: I snuck in a bit of mint extract. I couldn’t help myself. I’m also a mint person, did you know? Feel free to leave it out if you don’t mind your life being utterly incomplete.

And speaking of incomplete, I didn’t get as far as putting a topping or icing on these, although I would fully endorse such an act. A light, minty whipped cream would be just the thing to offset the chocolatey richness. If you’re feeling dangerous, go for a rich chocolate ganache. Then go lie down before you hurt yourself.

Dark Chocolate Brownie Gems

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter or shortening (I use butter-flavored Crisco)

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon mint extract

2 squares (2 oz) bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped

3 squares (3 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips or mint chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter or shortening with the sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and mint extracts, and mix together until smooth. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat all of the chocolate together on low, until it’s partially melted. Stir it until it’s completely melted. Add to the sugar/egg mixture and mix until blended. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add that to the large mixing bowl, and mix just until flour is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate or mint chips, if you’re using them.

Drop by tablespoon (a cookie dough dropper works beautifully) onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Flatten each ball with a clean hand or the bottom of a cup. They’ll spread slightly as they bake, but not a whole lot, so make sure you flatten them into the size you want before they go into the oven.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until they just barely begin to appear cracked all the way across the top. Watch them closely so they don’t overbake and become crunchy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let the cookies sit on the sheet for 2-3 minutes more before removing them to a rack to cool to room temperature. You can eat them right away, or you can place them in an airtight container until they are completely softened. Top with whipped cream, icing, or chocolate ganache.

I seem to be on some sort of Norah Jones kick these days. I may or may not be spending way too much time on Pandora lately.

Some artists have food voices. Our friend Nora is one. Her voice is a peach. A fresh, ripe peach. Right off the tree, in the late afternoon in August.

Or, take Billy Joel. His voice is a chewy pretzel. Salty and savory, and dipped in marinara sauce. Mmm, Billy Joel…

Josh Groban. A rich, dark chocolate silk pie. No walnuts, though, and no whipped cream. Josh Groban isn’t whipped cream. Just straight up pie, and lots of it. Maybe the whole thing, all in one sitting.

Ella Fitzgerald. Easy. She’s a thin slice of light, smooth New York cheesecake, on a white ceramic plate. Maybe with a bit of caramel sauce. Add some toffee bits on top - that’s Louis Armstrong. A match made in heaven.

Jack Johnson. A fresh, cool piña colada smoothie, don’t you think?

That’s what I thought, too. Maybe I should have named these cookies after him. And sent him a box.

These cookies provided a badly-needed springtime pick-me-up. There may be snow on the ground outside, but it’s a tropical party in my kitchen.

Piña Colada Cookies

adapted from The Taste of Home Baking Book

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup flaked coconut

For icing (optional):

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoons reserved pineapple juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Set pineapple aside; set juice aside. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add pineapple, and extracts; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the coconut.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until slightly golden. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

If icing is desired, combine confectioners’ sugar with enough of the reserved pineapple juice to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cookies.

(High altitude: Increase the oven temperature 20 degrees, and decrease baking time by a few minutes. Watch them closely.)

The longer you stick around here, and the more you read and get to know me, the more you’ll realize that I have a rather abnormal, year-round love affair with the holiday season. Meaning, I go nutty for all that lies between October 1st and January 1st. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest to see Halloween candy in the grocery store in August, or Christmas decorations up in October. That’s the kid in me, getting stars in my eyes just thinking about pumpkin desserts and sweaters and tinsel and colored lights and Nativity scenes and stockings and pretty paper. And yes, even snow.

Year-round, like I said. Once New Year’s Day is over, the annual post-holiday melancholy sets in, and suddenly - shoot, I have to wait almost a whole year before The Holiday Police will give me permission to get excited about the holidays again. And if I show my excitement too early, I can expect acidic glares, or discourses on the atrocity of anything Christmas-related raising its head even a day before Thanksgiving. I know. I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard the lectures. I’ve received the acidic glares. And I think it’s kind of silly. But okay, I can keep my Bing Crosby off and respect your views.

Heh. So much for keeping Christmas throughout the year.

So. Now that I’ve offended half of you (and assuming the other half is still reading this), you can understand why my fancy was captured by these cookies. These are Christmas cookies in my brain. Look at them! They’re pretty. They’re red and white.

And the best part is, they don’t have to be Christmas cookies, for the Scrooges in the world; they can pretend to be July cookies. They don’t scream Christmas, so everyone else can savor them in ignorance, while I secretly delight in my festivity.

Cherry Almond Chews

from The Taste of Home Baking Book

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups flaked coconut

3/4 cup chopped almonds or pecans (optional)

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Place a cherry half in the center of each. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-13 minutes or until barely browned on the edges. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an air-tight container for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for six weeks.

***High altitude adjustment: Adjust oven temperature about 20 degrees higher, and decrease bake time slightly.

***This is me just being a little nit-picky. You can probably tell the formatting is wonky in this post. That’s because I imported it from Blogger, and the Blogger Fairies did something weird to the fonts that I haven’t been able to fix. Okay, I’m done.***

It’s raining outside today. The sky is grayish-whitish. Sounds are muted, and colors are vibrant. The mountains look all misty and mysterious, like I’m living next to the set for Lord of the Rings. Everything seems to move in slow motion. The air is clean and you can smell the wet concrete. The earth is beautiful and clean again.

***This is me just being a little nit-picky. You can probably tell the formatting is wonky in this post. That’s because I imported it from Blogger, and the Blogger Fairies did something weird to the fonts that I haven’t been able to fix. Okay, I’m done.***

I wish I could preface these fabulous brownies with some clever little personal anecdote or insight, but that seems unfair. You know, to the brownies.

***This is me just being a little nit-picky. You can probably tell the formatting is wonky in this post. That’s because I imported it from Blogger, and the Blogger Fairies did something weird to the fonts that I haven’t been able to fix. Okay, I’m done.***

Let’s talk about Lemon.

I might very well be abnormal, but here’s the thing: I’m a little paranoid when making foods whose flavors can be associated with non-foods.

I’ll explain. Lemon is one of those tricky suckers, because if I don’t do it right, I end up with a big pan of something that smacks of, well, dish detergent. Or Lysol. You think I’m weird? Yes. And then I picture myself taking a big bite out of some sort of Palmolive Meringue Pie, and that’s a little disconcerting. It’s kind of like when you’re eating a mint brownie, and you start to wonder if somebody secretly substituted Colgate for the mint icing. Am I the only one who knows what I’m talking about?

That’s not to say I’m not a huge fan of lemon. There’s just a little paranoia there.

My husband loves lemon bars. I love my husband. So yesterday I made him lemon bars. He didn’t say a word about Palmolive, so I’ll count that as a success.

Lemon Graham Squares

adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

6-8 drops yellow food coloring

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice, and food coloring; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted butter until crumbly.

Press half of the crumb mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking dish. Pour lemon mixture over the crust; sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack and cut into squares.

I think I may be the last person in the solar system to figure out how to make chocolate chip cookies that aren’t all flat and crispy. But I’ve finally done it. Here is a list of things I’ve learned about the mighty chocolate chip cookie, during my crusade against flatness and crispiness.

Rules for chocolate chip cookies:

• Never forget to preheat.
• It’s okay to be OCD about measuring ingredients.
• Don’t over-mix. The poor flour stiffens if you beat it too much.
• Altitude matters. It took me the longest time to get this through my skull, and I live at 4500 feet above sea level (for high altitudes, increase the oven temperature by about 15-20 degrees, and decrease baking time slightly. This keeps the cookies from drying out).
• Take them out of the oven before they look done. This is the hardest one for me. If I see light brown, I know I’m already too late.
• As soon as they come out, whip out that spatula and take those babies off. They want to hang out on a cooling rack together.
• Warm cookies straight out of the oven are awesome, but I love the awesomeness that comes from cookies covered in plastic wrap overnight. They will melt in your mouth in the morning, and you will be tempted to eat them all for breakfast. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add half of the flour, with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until combined. Beat in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven 8 to 9 minutes. They need to come out before they look done). Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack and let them cool. Makes about 60 cookies.