Lemon Glazed Butter Cookies

So, these are the cookies that my friend and RS President, Holly, brought to a recent RS event. They are melt-in-your-mouth good, and perfect for Spring! Enjoy!

Lemon-Glazed Butter Cookies

1 c unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c confectioners' sugar
1 c flour
2/3 c cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter and confectioners sugar with electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Sift together flour and cornstarch. Add to butter and sugar mixture. Blend until dough is soft, about 1 minute. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.

Glaze (make half a recipe)

2 1/2 c confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 c butter, melted
2 T fresh lemon juice

Combine 2 1/2 c confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and lemon juice. While cookies are still warm, mound 1/2 t icing on each. Icing will melt. Cool cookies. Makes 3 dozen 

image credit

Citrus Season: Three Recipes to Cherish It

When I was little and living with my family in Toledo, Ohio, my mother would tell me about her delight in receiving an orange for Christmas when she was a little girl living in Toledo, Ohio. Oranges came from very very far away: Florida or California. They were both rare and expensive.  As a special treat for our holidays, she would carefully cut up an orange or two into what she called "rocky boats" and we would suck them to extract every last bit of juice and flesh. I still find it totally amazing to live in a place where oranges and lemons grow on trees right outside my window. And I cherish them now every bit as much as she did then.


Orange and Black Currant Scones
These scones have lots of flavor and interest without being overly sweet.

2 cups flour
1½ tablespoons sugar plus sugar for sprinkling
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, diced
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 egg
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup dried black currants

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter and orange zest until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You an also do this step in a food processor.
2. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a small measuring pitcher or bowl. Pour over the dry ingredients and sprinkle on the currants. Stir just until the ingredients come together and form a soft ball. Do not over mix. Tip out the dough onto a floured board.
3. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, patting them into rounds with floured hands. Place them 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
5. Sprinkle each scone with about ¼ teaspoon sugar, either regular or coarse.
6. Bake the chilled scones until lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature or warm. They are best eaten the same day they are made.

Makes 8
Adapted from Judy Wicks and Kevin Von Klause’s White Dog Café Cookbook

Lemon Love Notes
There are many different recipes for what is traditionally in the South called Lemon Squares. What I like best about this recipe is its name. Isn’t that just wonderful? In addition, they are just lusciously delicious.

Crust:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a food processor, with a mixer or with your hands.
2. Pat into a well-greased 9x9 or 9x11 pan (for a thinner crust). Bake 15 minutes in 350ºF oven until the crust is a light brown. Cool slightly.

Topping:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Zest from 2 lemons
Juice from 2 lemons
Confectioners’ sugar to dust

1. If you’ve used a food processor to make the crust, don’t bother to wash it before you do this next step. Process or beat eggs until light; beat in sugar, adding slowly. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and pour into the pan.
2. Bake in 350ºF oven for 25 minutes or until the topping is set.
3. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. If your confectioners’ sugar is lumpy, put a small amount in a sieve and sprinkle it over the squares, squashing the lumps through the sieve with your fingers. Cut into squares with a wet knife.

Makes 16-20 squares in a 9x9 pan.
Adapted from Of Pots and Pipkins: Recipes from the Junior League of Roanoke Valley, Virginia

Royal Grapefruit Sorbet

3 large pink grapefruits
3 tablespoons honey (in liquid form)
Black pepper, if desired

1. Remove and discard peels from the grapefruits. See instructions below. Place in a single layer on a microwave-proof dish or a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze for three hours or overnight until solid.
2. Microwave on defrost for 1 minute if you used the microwaveable dish. The sections should be just slightly thawed. If you used a cookie sheet, transfer a single layer of the frozen segments to a plate and defrost for 1 minute; you may need to do 2 batches.
3. If your sections are big, break them up into smaller pieces. Place in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the honey and process until smooth. You may have to do this process in batches depending on the size of your machine. Place sorbet in a container and return to the freezer for a few hours or until serving time.
4. Scoop into bowls or serve on top of fresh fruit salad. For a spicy note, sprinkle with ground black pepper, if desired.
Note: If sorbet becomes too hard to scoop, microwave on defrost for one minute. It will keep in freezer for two weeks.

5-6 servings (about 3 cups)
Adapted from brochure from Harry and David’s Fruit of the Month Club Brochure

Sectioning Citrus

1. Cut off both ends of the grapefruit or other citrus fruit.

2. With a serrated knife, cut a strip around the top of the grapefruit, using a sawing motion. Keep moving down and around the grapefruit until you have reached the bottom. The hope is the remove the skin and the white pith without removing too much of the precious flesh of the fruit. If you have missed any of the pith, cut it off.











 

3. Cut the sections by cutting along one side of the membrane and then on the other side of the membrane. Slide out the section. Best to do this step over a bowl to catch the juice.

4. Continue around the grapefruit until you have removed all the grapefruit sections. Squeeze the bundle (bottom right) of membranes to get more juice which you get to drink as a reward.

Three Desserts to Enliven Winter Evenings

I know, I know, I know, it’s January and we’re all trying to take off the few extra pounds we took on over the holidays. So why in heaven’s name would I want to give you recipes for three absolutely delicious desserts? Well here is my reasoning. People are still having birthdays and need a nice cake. Friends who adore desserts are still coming over for dinner and asking as they walk in the door “What’s for dessert?” You still might have some apples in the fridge from your tree in the backyard or cranberries in your freezer. And Lavender Shortcake, who can resist these little squares of lavender goodness to remind us that better weather lies ahead? If none of these things convinces you to try one of the three, set this blog aside and pull it out again in April, but by then your apples will most likely be gone.

Jamaican Rum Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ dark or light rum
6 tablespoons crushed walnuts, optional
Rum Syrup, see recipe below

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a 9- or 10-inch spring-form pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until they are fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending until smooth.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, rum and nuts, mixing until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake bounces back when pressed gently in the center. A 9-inch pan may take a little longer.
5. Prepare the syrup. See recipe below.
6. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke it with toothpicks. Pour the hot rum syrup over the hot cake.
7. Let the cake cool before removing from pan.
8. You might want to microwave each piece before serving. You can serve it with rum raisin ice cream which is yummy but not necessary.

Rum Syrup

½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup dark or light rum

1. Put the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir to combine as the butter melts.
2. Add the rum and bring to a boil for a few minutes.

10 servings
Adapted from Joan Nathan’s The New American Cooking

Sally Schmitt’s Cranberry and Apple Kuchen with Hot Cream
I have had The French Laundry Cookbook on my shelf since November 2003—a long time. In these seven years, I have made exactly one recipe from it. This one, in October 2004. I swear it is the only recipe in the whole book that I felt competent to tackle. But it quickly joined my list of “keepers” and has become a fall staple. Sally Schmitt was one of the original owners of The French Laundry Restaurant. She and her husband passed the restaurant and this recipe along to Thomas Keller when they were ready to devote themselves to their apple orchards some distance to the north.

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup milk or half and half
3 apples
1 cup fresh cranberries, at room temperature, defrosted if previously frozen
Cinnamon sugar: 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Hot Cream Sauce, see recipe below

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch cake pan or spring-form pan. Put a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Slice them into ¼-inch wedges.
3. Beat together the butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients until the mixture is fluffy and light in texture.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Do not overbeat; mix just until the ingredients are combined.
5. Spoon the batter into the pan. Press the apple slices into the batter, about ¼ inch apart and core side down. Work in a circular pattern like the spokes of a wheel. Put most of the cranberries in the middle of the cake and the remaining around the edges. Poke some into the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake bounces back when softly pushed in the middle. Set on rack to cool briefly or let cool to room temperature.
7. Serve the kuchen in a good-sized puddle of the hot sauce. Pass the remainder in a pitcher.

Hot Cream Sauce

2 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1. Combine the cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 5-8 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.

8 servings
Adapted from Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
12 drops lavender essential oil
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 1/3 cups cake flour or unbleached regular flour
1 large egg white
1½ tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

1. In a food processor, blend the sugar and essential oil for 15 seconds, until well combined. Add the salt and the butter and pulse until the butter is well incorporated. Add the egg and pulse until incorporated. Add the flour and carefully pulse, until the dough forms small pebble-like shapes. Remove the dough from the processor and gently combine by hand until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Note: You may need to let it soften slightly before attempting to roll it out. Rolling it out between two sheets of plastic wrap may be helpful.
3. Line your rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
4. Cut the dough into rectangles and transfer to the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each shortbread. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. If you have bits of leftover dough, mush them together, chill slightly, roll them out to ¼-inch thickness, and add to the baking sheet.
5. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
6. Whisk the egg white in a mixing bowl for about 10 seconds, until it is frothy. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator, brush with the egg white and sprinkle with sugar and lavender flowers, pressing them slightly into the dough.
7. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving. The flavor and texture are much better at room temperature.

Makes about 27 2x2 inch cookies
Adapted from Mandy Aftel and Daniel Patterson’s Aroma

Pumpkin Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebekah reminded me that I haven't posted this recipe here yet. This one is a favorite at my house.  I'm already a big fan of pumpkin cookies, but this recipe makes me sing! Fast, easy, take the ingredients right out of the pantry, and yummy!  But, best of all - a ONE point treat!!

 

Pumpkin Cookies

1 box spice cake mix
1 (15 oz. ) can pumpkin
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Combine together. Drop by spoonful on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies. 1 point each. (woo-hoo!)

*Hints:

I have found that using name-brand ingredients counts here. I made these once using generic brands, and I'm sorry...they just weren't as good! Here's what I use:

♦  Libby's canned pumpkin
♦  Guittard milk chocolate chips
♦  Duncan Hines (or any of the other name-brands) cake mix

Something to Do With Nutella

It does not seem right to eat cookies for breakfast. Even if they are salted Nutella peanut butter cookies. Even if they are thin, chewy, sweet with a hint of salt, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee on a brisk fall morning.

But then again, it's Nutella. And if you don't know what Nutella is by now, get yourself to a supermarket, charge down the peanut butter aisle and scoop up several of those little European pots of chocolate hazelnut spread. You have some studying to do.

I've been looking for something to do with Nutella other than eat it out of the jar with a large spoon. Typically I will make some crepes, spread them with Nutella and roll them up for dessert. A chopped banana is good in there too, but don't try to pretend it's healthy at all. The crepe just becomes a sort of edible vessel to transfer Nutella to your mouth.

But I'm not always in the mood for making crepes, primarily because I eat them far faster than I can make them. So recently after I spotted a recipe for Nutella cupcakes, I started searching for other Nutella desserts. That's when I came across this super easy cookie recipe. Very few ingredients, nicely balanced in texture and flavor. So don't tell me it's wrong to eat cookies for breakfast. What's wrong is not making Nutella a regular part of your breakfast, in some form or another.


Salted Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

¾ cups Nutella

¼ cups smooth peanut butter

¾ cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ teaspoons kosher salt plus extra for sprinkling

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together until just combined.

Roll the dough into ½ inch thick balls (you can vary the size). Place balls one inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly, then sprinkle each cookie with kosher salt.

Bake 8 minutes. Let cool on the parchment for one minute and then transfer to a wire rack.

KBB # 18 MACARONS

Kali ini tantangan tersulit dan gatot tot.....next time pingin aku coba siapa tahu berhasil, ditantangan ini baru sekali mencoba karena awal juli liburan sekolah setelah itu lanjut acara retret kemudian lanjut kemping....setelah kemping malah flu berat dan tak bisa mengulang juga sungguh ini bulan yang panjang rasanya. Tanpa berlama lama simak resep berikut ya :

GRUE DE CACAO MACARONS

Untuk 12 sandwiched macarons

(Resep dari bu hosting "Arfi")

Bahan:

2 putih telur

2 sendok makan caster sugar

100g icing sugar, ayak bersama 60g almond powder (3 times)

1 sendok makan grue de cacao (saya skip untuk yang ini)

Cara membuat :

Kocok putih telur hingga berbusa, lalu tambahkan caster sugar sedikit demi sedikit, sambil terus dikocok sehingga menghasilkan stiff peak. Matikan mesin. Masukkan sekitar 2 sendok makan ayakan icing sugar dan almond powder ke dalam kocokan meringue. Aduk untuk ‘melemaskan’ adonan, lalu masukkan sisanya dalam dua tahap. Aduk, lalu masukkan grue de cacao. Terus aduk sehingga menghasilkan adonan yang makin lemas (ketika diaduk, akan merata dengan sendirinya, meskipun mengaduknya masih di dalam mangkuk). Masukkan adonan ini ke dalam piping bag dengan nozzle plain round. Semprot setiap bulatan ke atas baking tray yang dilapisi baking paper (or silicone paper, whatever convenience for you). Biarkan selama 1 jam. 15 menit sebelum 1 jam, panaskan oven dengan suhu 150C (oven saya pas untuk macarons segini, tapi sesuaikan dengan panas oven masing2 ya). Panggang selama 8-12 menit, atau jika sudah kelihatan ada kaki dan berwarna kekuningan. Keluarkan dari oven, biarkan sekitar 2-3 menit di loyang, lalu kelupas dari baking paper. Jika matang sempurna, maka macarons tidak akan lengket, tapi jika kurang matang atau terlalu lama dibiarkan di atas loyang panas, maka macarons akan lengket. Transfer kepingan macarons ini ke atas rak pendingin. Rekatkan dengan

Coffee cream filling.
Coffee Cream

50g white chocolate

1-1 1/2 sendok makan fresh/whipping/pouring cream

1 sendok teh coffee powder/instantcaramel essence (non alcohol) / butter rum essence

Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam heatproof bowl, jerang di atas panci berisi air panas (simmered). Biarkan hingga chocolate meleleh, lalu aduk. Segera angkat dari panasnya panci. Aduk terus hingga dingin dan filling mengental.

Tambahkan essence jika pakai.Extra, cream Chantilly atau sweetened whipped

Penyelesaian :

Ambil satu keping macaron, lalu sendokkan coffee cream ke atasnya. Sendokkan sweetened whipped cream, taburkan sejumput grue de cacao jika suka, tutup dengan kepingan macarons yang juga sudah diolesi coffee cream.

Menu 15: Chili, Salad, and Oatmeal Cookies for a Chilly Spring Day

The Best Chili
As a child I used to get so confused by homonyms, two words with the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings. Like pair and pear or chili and chilly. For a long time I connected my mom’s Chili con Carne with chilly weather. And perhaps that’s suitable. In my household, it 's a blustery spring favorite.

2 pounds ground chuck or 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork
Note: You can also use ground dark turkey meat.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat if you have some
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground chile molido
½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile, more if you like your chili spicy
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon smoky sweet or regular paprika
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ cups liquid: stock, apple juice, wine or a mix
Note: Don’t use more than 1 cup apple juice or the chili will be too sweet.
1 16-ounce can kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained, optional
Zest from 1 orange
¼ cup fresh orange juice

Garnishes, any or all:
Sour cream
Diced avocado mixed with a little lemon juice
Chopped scallions
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro

1. In a large pot, brown the meat, drain, and tip into a bowl.
2. In the same pot, heat oil and brown the onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, and garlic. Add the seasonings (cumin through the black pepper) and cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the liquid, and the meat. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the beans if you desire and cook for an additional 30 minutes. If you don’t add the beans, continue cooking the meat mixture for an additional 30 minutes.
5. Just before serving, remove the cinnamon sticks and add the orange zest and juice. Cook 10 minutes longer. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot in bowls large enough to include the garnishes.
6. Put the garnishes into bowls and serve at the table.

4-6 servings
Adapted from the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties’ Even More Special and the San Francisco Chronicle Food section’s Chili with Black Beans and Meaty Chili with Cinnamon

Mango and Hearts of Palm Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

You could also serve a Everyday Green Salad (September 8, 2009 blog), Jicama Slaw (June 21, 2009 blog) or Erasto’s Coleslaw (May 23, 2009 blog).




1 large mango, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
3 stalks of hearts of palm from a 14.5-ounce can, drained, halved lengthwise and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 head Boston or other lettuce, washed and dried
Salt and black pepper

Lime vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt or more to taste

1. In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Taste carefully for seasonings and adjust to your taste.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the mango, the red onion, and the hearts of palm along with half the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper as you wish.
3. Arrange the lettuce on four plates. Spoon the mango mixture on top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and a few grinds of fresh pepper.

4 servings
Adapted from The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living’s Great Food Fast

Classic Oatmeal Cookies

















1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups packed light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
2½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
3½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
You can always add some chocolate chips if you want but your cookies won’t be “classic” in the same way.

1. Position rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the cookie sheets or use silpats on the sheets.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
3. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, beat together the butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Easiest if you have an electric mixer of some kind.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the raisins, rolled oats and walnuts if desired. Mix well. You may need to use your hands.
5. Drop 1-inch globs of dough from a tablespoon on the cookie sheets. Allow about 2 inches between the globs. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned all over and almost firm when lightly pressed in the center of the top.

6. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool and store in tins in the freezer (to help me resist temptation).

Makes 60-80 cookies, depending on their size
Adapted from the Irma S. Rombauer et al’s 1997 edition of The All New Joy of Cooking

John's "Man" Cookies

 

Step back chocolate chip! Sugar cookie -- tremble in fear! Brownies? You're going down!  John's "Man" Cookies are in the house! :-)

John loves oatmeal raisin cookies, but doesn't see them very often around our house, 'cause Katie and I aren't big fans. Well, one day he had enough. He took over the kitchen and made some big beefy oatmeal fellas -- not only with raisins, but chocolate chips *and* pecans too! These are rugged, chunky...and delicious!

John's Man Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1  1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except oats, flour, and raisins. Stir in oats, flour and raisins. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Christmas Cookie Overload

It's been a baking-intensive week. I had a few friends over to make some Christmas treats early in the week, which is a nice way to make an entire day of baking more of an activity than a task. We also got to try some new recipes and I have to admit made a much smaller less than I usually do when I bake alone. The only problem with this is that you need to make a lot of cookies when you're splitting everything three ways, and you each have various friends and family to distribute the treats too. And so I ended up making subsequent batches over the rest of the week. Which actually turned out to be not such a bad thing as we had discovered a few things here and there that made the later batches turn out better than the first.

It's hard to pick a favourite here...we used three recipes from Martha Stewarts Cookies and made very few alterations to each. I think that the Chocolate Crackles are definitely worth making as a giveaway as they just look so good. Not to mention the fact that they are just so decadent and yummy. I have a weakness for shortbread-y, crumbly cookies so I've been snacking on the meltaways the most. It's a nice, light cookie and actually quite refreshing from all the citrus flavour. And I just can't resist cranberry pistachio biscotti around Christmastime - it looks so festive and impressive!

*General notes:
- These recipes says to use an electric mixer. We did, due to all the cookies we were making and since my mom actually has one. I was actually amazed at how each it made all the recipes since I have a tiny kitchen and rarely use any electronic devices when cooking or baking. Either way, you don't need a mixer, you can do all this with a wooden spoon and a willing arm!
- All cookies should be stored in airtight containers between layers of parchment, in a cool place. The Crackles keep for up to 3 days, the Meltaways and Biscotti up to 2 weeks

all recipes adapted from Martha Stewarts Cookies

Chocolate Crackles
Makes about 5 dozen cookies

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa owder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee power
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar

1. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirrings. Set aside and let cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

2. Mix instant coffee powder with just enough boiling water to dissolve grains. Let cool and add enough milk to make 1/3 cup.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic,; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours (don't skimp on this - we waited just under 2 hours the first time and the dough was quite sticky. I actually chilled the dough overnight the second time and it was much easier to handle)

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Divide each piece into sixteen (or whatever - my four pieces were all but equal so the number varied) 1 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake about 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. (It says to bake UNTIL the surfaces crack but mine started cracking after probably 5 so this didn't help me much. I just baked for 14 minutes and assumed the cookies were done by then!) Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Lemon Meltaways
(Martha uses lime but you can use any citrus you like)
Makes about 5 dozen, or 3 dozen if you made your logs larger like I did...

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl and mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the lime zest and juice and the vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. (At this point I kneaded the dough a bit with my hands as it was super crumbly and we had some difficulty in the first batch with the slicing step that comes later. The kneading definitely helped it become more "dough-y" and formable)

3. Divide dough in half. Place each log on an 8x12 inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. (Umm...I just read this. Might have helped.) Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment apper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. White still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag.

Cranberry-Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti
makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

2. Put butter in the bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios and mix until combined (I did this last step by hand).

3. Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined iwth parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

4. Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Get these cookies away from me. For reals.  These are so good! I can't think of a better way to get me off my weight watchin' plan.  It's the whole peanut-buttery, milk-chocolatey kissy, slightly crispy sugary thing that gets me. Every time. I'm gonna type out this recipe for you, and then go get my workout clothes on.   See ya!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

makes 37 cookies

.
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1  3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 9 ounce package milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Cream the peanut butter, sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Sift the salt, baking soda and flour together. Combine with the wet mixture. Shape into balls; dip into additional white sugar.

Flatten balls with a fork. Bake 8 minutes, remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Return to oven; bake another 3 minutes.
.

Hints:

♥  We put the additional sugar in a ziploc storage bags and toss 3-4 dough balls around in there at a time.

♥  Flatten the dough balls with a fork, but not too flat! Barely flatten the cookie. Makes for a better peanut butter cookie...

♥  We keep our chocolate chips and chocolate kisses stored in the freezer...(must be a thing leftover from our Texas days) and it works well for this recipe. We unwrap the frozen kisses and plop them on the cookies. They keep their shape and don't melt.

♥  Stick to this recipe. Click here to see what happened when I tried to substitute candy corn kisses for the chocolate ones! LOL

Desserts in Three Flavors

Fudge Brownies
I’ve been using this recipe for years and years. The round pan will give you a dessert that looks more like a cake than a cookie.

















½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted*
½ cup flour, sifted
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup walnuts, optional

1. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs.
2. Blend in melted chocolate. Stir in flour and nuts.
3. Grease an 8x8 square or an 8-inch round pan. If you are using the round one, line it with parchment paper for easier brownie removal. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a 325ºF oven for 30-35 minutes. The round one may take slightly longer.
4. Cool and cut into 16 squares or as for a cake. You can serve with Roasted Strawberries and whipped cream if you like or dust with powdered sugar.

* You can melt the chocolate in a microwave for 4 minutes at 50 percent power.
You dramatically improve the quality of the brownies if you use good chocolate.

Makes 16 squares or 8-10 slices.
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook

Lemon Pudding Cake
The miracle of this dessert is that the batter separates into a cake layer on top and a lemon sauce layer on the bottom. It’s magic.
















1 cup sugar (divided ¾ cup and ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1½ cups milk
3 eggs, separated

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 1½-quart baking dish or an 8-inch baking pan.
2. Mix ¾ cup of the sugar, the salt, and the flour together in a bowl. Add the melted butter, lemon juice, lemon peel, and egg yolks, and stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in the milk.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup sugar until they are stiff but remain moist. Fold the beaten whites into the lemon mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
4. Set the baking dish in a larger pan at least 2 inches deep and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
5. Serve warm or chilled. Blueberries or raspberries, or any other fruit of your choosing, would be great on the side.

6 servings
Adapted from Marian Cunningham’s Lost Recipes

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
A cool and refreshing Italian treat on a summer evening with the wonderful hit of concentrated strawberry flavor from Roasted Strawberries.
















1½ cups half and half or whole milk
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons or 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 cinnamon sticks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
Fresh strawberries or Roasted Strawberries
Fresh mint for garnish

1. Warm the half and half, sugar, zest, and cinnamon sticks in a non-reactive saucepan. Once the mixture begins to steam, remove it from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 to 60 minutes.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it soften for 5 minutes.
3. Rewarm the infused half and half, then pour it through a strainer over the softened gelatin, stirring to dissolve it completely. Press the zest to release as much of the liquid as possible. Add the salt. Let the mixture cool.
4. Stir in the buttermilk. (If the mixture is steaming hot when you add the buttermilk, the mixture can separate. If it does, whisk it vigorously until it is smooth.)
5. Lightly grease 5 or 6 4-ounce ramekins with unflavored oil. (If you use smaller ramekins, you’ll make more desserts.) Divide the panna cotta mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of each ramekin to release the panna cotta. Invert each one on a serving plate. Spoon the strawberries (roasted or fresh) around it. Add a sprig of fresh mint if you like.

5-6 servings in 4-ounce ramekins
Adapted from David Lebovitz’s Ripe for Dessert
He serves his with a blueberry sauce.

Oven-Roasted Strawberries
 Roasting concentrates the luscious strawberry flavor. You won’t believe it.

Strawberries
Sugar

1. Remove the stems and place the strawberries on a sided cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or silicone mat.
2. Sprinkle lightly with sugar (about 1 tablespoon per basket).
3. Roast in a 300°F oven for about 1 to 1½ hours. Turn them over about half way through roasting. You can use Convection Roast if your oven does that. The roasting time will be shorter.
4. The strawberries are done when they have shrunk to about half their original size and are soft without being burned.
5. Store with any collected juices in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Serve with Fudge Brownies, anything chocolate, panna cotta, or shortcakes.

Adapted from Michelle Polzine’s suggestions in San Francisco Magazine, June 2007

Cookie Monster

My boyfriend has a pretty insatiable sweet tooth. Throughout our relationship every birthday, anniversary, Valentine's day and Christmas present has generally included some sweets and desserts, with cookies topping the list. Hershey's kiss cookies, homemade fortune cookies, shortbread, sandwich cookies...the list goes on and on. But as I continue to look for new and improved cookie recipes that are better than the last, Adam's favourite continues to be the boring-but-dependable chocolate chip oatmeal cookie.

This is a really simple, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Gooey and chocolatey, with just a bit of cakeiness so that they stay soft for days (though I don't necessarily remember the last time they lasted so long). I can't make these fast enough. It's a feat if a batch manages to last for two days. I usually make a double batch and freeze half the dough so that we have some homemade dough readily on hand for a cookie emergengy, be it a last minute get-together, birthday or just a cookie craving.

I'll continue to try new recipes for future birthdays and anniversaries. But I doubt that the requests for these cookies will ever stop coming.


Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit

1. Cream sugars and butter together in a large bowl (to "cream" basically just means to beat together until the mixture gets light and fluffy, and the butter looks lighter than it was before. You can beat the butter first for a bit and then add the sugar. I usually use a wooden spoon for this)
2. Add eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla
4. In another bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to liquid mixture and stir to combine.
5. Add in chocolate chips

At this point, you can chill for 15-10 minutes to firm up the dough a bit but if you're in a rush (as I usually am) just skip to the next step. Also you can take some dough and freeze it in a log at this point for future "emergencies"

6. Drop by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and serve.

Note: You can also substitute half or all of the butter with peanut butter for an equally yummy peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.

PR 9 Coconut Coffee Cookies

4 Mei 2009, senin

Senin pagi siap siap bikin Pr nih...kali ini anggotanya bertambah jadi 6 orang nih. Wah makin rame n makin seru nih game cookingnya...soalnya makin banyak orang, makin susah cari kesepakatan buat bkin 1 macem resep...bayangkan aja, kalo misalnya bahannya di jepang ada, tapi ga ada di ausie, ato di new zealand ato di indo, nah ga bisa donk praktekin nih resep...zzz...makin pusing da cari resep yg bahannya ada di 4 negara..hohoho...

Kali ini giliran Elsie yang milih resep, bahannya dicatetin disini
Bahan
100 gram margarin
50 gram gula tepung
50 gram kelapa kering -->gw pake santen bubuk
100 gram tepung terigu protein sedang
2 sendok teh kopi instan
1/4 sendok teh soda kue
1/4 sendok teh garam

cara
1. Kocok margarin dan gula tepung 30 detik. Tambahkan kelapa kering. Aduk rata.
2. Masukkan tepung terigu, kopi instan, soda kue dan garam sambil diayak dan diaduk rata.
3.Bentuk bulatan, letakkan di loyang yang dialasi kertas roti
4. Oven 20 menit dengan suhu 150 derajat celcius.

Di resep aslinya oven 10 menit, tapi kok ga mateng ya?? aneh banget..ya udah gw tambahin 10 mnit lagi, akhirnya malah keliatan agak gosong..wka...apa yg salah, oven gw yg rusak ato kebanyakan kopi ato kelamaan manggang???
Tapi soal rasa si enak, gurih wangi kopi n coconut...mmm..anak2 doyan juga..
N kemarin skalian kasih ke mertua, mreka ternyata juga suka...nyam nyam....

Crunchy Chocolate chip cookies

Myself and my friend Kyung Hye Made Some very nice Chocolate chip cookies.

I made some cookies before check out here

Thank you Kyung Hye for being a great cooking partner.

2 cups of all purpose flour.

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3/4 a cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 a cup of white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups of chocolate chips or 1 cup of chocolate chips 1 cup of nuts.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 170-180 For 15-20 mins

I am still working on trying to make crunchy on the out side soft on the in side . Any ideas?

Sundays Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sundays Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 Cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup firm brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts
Pre heat the oven to 210c
Add flour baking soda and salt together
Add butter sugar and vanilla beat together
Beat egg in
Gradually add flour mixture
Stir in chocolate chips

bake cookies for 9-10 mins