Happy Christmas Eve

Rosé anyone? It's Christmas Eve and rather than reaching for a mug of hot buttered rum, I'm thinking pink. It's 71 degrees in NYC and people's heads are exploding like it's Snomageddon 2.0. There is nothing that peeps like to talk about more than the weather, and I am clearly no exception. I do love a white Christmas but if it's going to be 70 freaking degrees, then I am going to behave accordingly.

If you are still in the mood to turn on the oven to bake and are looking for a slightly more modern shortbread cookie, then look no further than these Cardamom Crescents. The cardamom provides an unexpected flavor profile that's not your standard vanilla holiday cookie. Mine may look more like half moons than crescent moons, so if that concerns you, I would suggest chilling your dough for a bit before baking, the same way I'll be chilling my Christmas rosé.

Cardamom Crescents
Adapted from The New York Times

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon kosher salt
14 ounces unsalted butter (3 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
2 large egg whites
¼ cup sliced almonds, if desired

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, add the flour, cardamom and salt, and whisk to combine.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until just combined. Add the egg whites, beat until just combined, then add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

3. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece out into a log 3/4-inch thick. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut 3-inch pieces off the log. Working with one 3-inch piece at a time, gently roll both ends so they taper slightly, then form into a crescent. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; repeat with remaining dough, placing the crescents 1-inch apart. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Gently press 1 almond slice into each cookie, if using. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Cool, then dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Peanut Butter, Death & Taxes

What a great start to March. It's dark, cold, snowy…why not spend the day doing taxes? Oh sure, I could have gone to brunch, had a mani/pedi, seen one of the Oscar flicks that I missed...but why, when the call of the IRS was so strong? Having a glass of wine seemed sadly, wrong, what with all of the simple arithmetic and attempts to figure out my farm income and alimony received. TMI? 

Baking is a good procrastinatory measure and a little sugar never hurts when math is involved. This peanut butter cookie recipe ran in the NY Times late last year and is a pretty close approximation to the City Bakery peanut butter cookie (in case you are a fan). Normally I stick with my simplified, 5 ingredient version, but this one is pretty…pretty…pretty good. I like that the name references one of my favorite packaged cookies of all time: The Pecan Sandie, or, as Keebler officially calls them, the Keebler Sandies Pecan Shortbread cookies. (With registered trademarks throughout too BTW.) This particular recipe makes a much saltier, denser and softer variety than Keebler (and also peanut obvi) and I highly recommend giving them a try, even if you aren't doing your taxes.  And I'm not anymore…cuz I'm done! JEALOUS??

Peanut Butter Sandies

The New York Times

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups unsweetened peanut butter, creamy or chunky
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
Flaky sea salt and coarse sugar for sprinkling (or use kosher salt and granulated sugar)

1. Heat the oven to 350˚F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and eggs, and mix. Add the flour and salt and mix just until well combined, with no white flour showing.

2. Using a small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons capacity), scoop dough onto the prepared pans. The tops will be rounded but craggy. The cookies will not spread much or change shape when they bake, so they can be placed quite close together, but leave room for air circulation so they can brown.

3. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 tablespoon salt. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar-salt mixture, getting it into the crags and crannies. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are set and golden-brown. Carefully lift or slide off baking sheets and cool on racks. Store in layers separated by parchment paper, in airtight containers.

Hey, Blondie!

My quick go-to recipe for a sweet treat is always brownies. Always. You can't beat a warm brownie right out of the oven. Maybe with a little vanilla ice cream? But for the same amount of ingredients (if you don't count the nuts and chips), you can make blondies, essentially a quicker version of chocolate chip cookies but with a richer butterscotch flavor. Try it. I bake a lot and was recently told that it was the best thing I ever made. I'm not so sure about that, but I'll take it!

Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Adapted from Martha Stewart

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and salt. Mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in 1/2 cup each chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth the top. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and walnuts.

3. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

A Christmas Story

It's Christmas Eve ya'll! Time to get ready for 24 hours of A Christmas Story! TBS gives us all a gift that we don't have to wait until Christmas morning to open, starting at 8:00 pm tonight. And BTW, did you know that you can even visit Ralphie's house?!? You're welcome. Since I won't be in Cleveland to experience it in person, I will be hunkered down in front of my TV laughing at Ralphie dressed as a deranged Easter Bunny, scarfing down the last of my holiday cookies (not soap!).

If you need a last minute cookie recipe, try these oatmeal lace cookies, one of my mom's faves. They're great because you don't need that many ingredients and you can whip them up in, like, 15 minutes (including baking time). You'll end up with an impressive crisp, delicious cookie that may also be quite fragile. FRA-GEE-LAY. Must be Italian.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Stir to combine.

2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). Drop the batter, one scant teaspoon at a time, leaving 3 inches between cookies. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before removing from sheets. Makes 24 cookies.

Christmas Eve Eve

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...well, in the midwest. No snow here in NYC but the decorations around midtown are pretty impressive. And even though it is Christmas Eve Eve, there is still time to bake more cookies! I think I might need to make an extra batch to take to the movies to eat instead of popcorn...

Last week there was a cookie baking fundraiser at work. For every cookie brought in, the Glad company would donate $1 for each to Cookies for Kids' Cancer. (There is a lack of funding for pediatric cancer research and improving therapies. Take a look at the website!) My office mates and I baked 742 cookies and collected cash donations as well. In one afternoon we raised over $1000! (Makes me feel better about all of the cookies that I ate after the count.) I made these two variations of shortbread which I am wishing I had now. Would be good for Christmas Eve breakfast and I have a free afternoon...

Espresso Shortbread

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons espresso powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' or granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Sift together the flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), cream the butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. 

2. Dissolve the espresso powder in 1 teaspoon of hot water and add to the butter along with the vanilla and sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes more. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low, scraping the bowl if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed.

3.  Form the dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Score a line down the middle of each with the back of a knife and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cookies will keep, in an airtight container, at room temperature 3 weeks.

Note: This dough can be prepared and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to three months, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Thaw the frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. The baking time for the shortbread will vary depending on the kind of pan and cutters used.

Pecan Sandies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans, finely ground
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350˚F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

2. Mix the ground pecans with the flour and salt, and add to butter mixture. Beat, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium, until combined, about 1 minute.

3. Lightly flour your palms, if necessary, and roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake until just brown on edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet while still warm; sift confectioners' sugar over tops.

Half Baked

So even though I continue to not cook, I have baked (though not in the Colorado sense) despite being sick the week before and after Thanksgiving. This tasty little cookie is not overly sweet and has a familiar rosemary scented holiday aroma, surprising in a cookie I will admit. I know that I have made shortbread in the past: mocha as well as both chocolate and lemon sables, but these are extra cool because you could serve them with a cheese plate or with other sweets. And you might as well check out these other cookie recipes (coconut macaroons, snowball cookies, and janhagels) for holiday inspiration, because who knows when I'll have another chance to bake!

Rosemary Shortbread
Adapted from Family Circle

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
Sea salt, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, rosemary and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gather the dough into two balls. Wrap both tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Remove one dough ball and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on parchment paper. Punch out cookies using a 3 1/2-inch round (or tree-shaped) cookie cutter. Transfer the cutouts to a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, sprinkle with sea salt if desired, then refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second dough ball. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (Do not allow the cookies to brown). Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Makes about 24 cookies.

Free Food!

NYC Peeps: Get thee to a macaron shop ASAP to enjoy a free macaron in celebration of Macaron Day NYC 2012! Click here for a list of participants! Oo la la...

Better Butter Cookie

I finally got my tree up. I mean, between the never ending holiday parties (my soon to be scheduled liver transplant if I don't stop attending), physical therapy and getting myself to work on time, how can I be expected to decorate my home with shubbery in advance of the X to the Mas? Well, after hoisting my one foot wonder onto a cake stand and tuning in to Cameron Crowe's documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty (for the 18th time - just another holiday classic), I got to decorating. (It took more time to wrestle my stash of holiday decor out of my closet than to actually decorate.) And now I'm thinking about reneging on my previous post about not making cookies. Just this once. Sometimes you have to bring something to holiday parties other than another random bottle of 1996 Chateau Talbot Grand Cru Classé Saint - Julien. Am I right? When it comes to cookies, the more butter the better. Dori Greenspan's Sable (aka French butter cookie or Breton biscuit) recipe is the perfect butter cookie. Trust.

Dori Greenspan's Master Recipe for Sables
(from The New York Times)

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably high-fat, like Plugra), softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted before measuring
1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
2 large egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour For the decoration (optional):
1 egg yolk
Crystal or dazzle sugar

1. Working in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and continue to beat until smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 egg yolks, again beating until well blended.

2. Turn off the mixer, pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer and pulse the mixer about 5 times at low speed for 1 or 2 seconds each time. Take a peek; if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, stir for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. If you still have some flour on the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing and use a rubber spatula to work the rest of it into the dough. (The dough will not come together in a ball -- and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy dough. When pinched, it should feel a little like Play-Doh.)

3. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long (it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log). Wrap the logs well and chill them for at least 2 hours. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

4. When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and keep it at the ready.

5. To decorate the edges of the sables, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Place one log of chilled dough on a piece of waxed paper and brush it with yolk (the glue), and then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with sugar. Trim the ends of the roll if they are ragged and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies.

6. Place the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top. Let the cookies rest 1 or 2 minutes before carefully lifting them onto a cooling rack with a wide metal spatula. Repeat with the remaining log of dough. (Make sure the sheet is cool before baking each batch.)

Variations
Lemon Sables: Before mixing the butter and sugar together, pour the sugar in a bowl with the grated zest of 1 to 1 1/2 lemons. Work the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and aromatic, then cream it with the butter in the mixer.

Parmesan Sables: Replace sugars with 3/4 cup very finely grated Parmesan added to the beaten butter. A few grains of fleur de sel may be gently pressed into the top of each sable before the baking sheet is slipped into the oven.

Coffee Cookies

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I've already been to my company holiday party and strung some Christmas lights (on a friend's tree - I have yet to decorate). Clearly I need to get baking! (And should probably start my holiday shopping...) Instead of making my usual 37 dozen cookies, I'm going to go the minimal route and just bake as needed which is to say...not very much. I just end up eating the cookies I don't bring to the office so why go crazy? These shortbread cookies are fab not only because they are delish but because the recipe makes so few cookies, you won't find yourself eating them for days on end or trying to pawn them off on everyone you encounter, including the not-so-subtle mail carrier who leaves a holiday note in your mailbox. (Really??) The chocolate espresso kick reminds me of my favorite candy, Pocket Coffee, the best candy invention of our time. Incidentally now is the time to stock up as they are a seasonal candy and are only shipped during cold weather months (hint hint). Maybe I should hang a stocking or two just in case.



Mocha Shortbread
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans, preferably espresso
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir in the coffee, and set aside.

2. Beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat well. Add the flour mixture, and beat until combined.

3. Pat the dough into an ungreased 8-inch round cake or springform pan lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the shortbread from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Share and Share Alike

Just like everybody else, last week I did all that I could to avoid dealing with the heat wave, so I took extreme measures by planning a long weekend at a friend's house in the Hamptons. (OK, I actually had planned the weekend well in advance of knowing that there would be extreme weather to avoid, but it dovetailed nicely.) Instead of standing on the subway platform with sweat pouring down my body from my neck to my shins, I read magazines in the pool. Not BY the pool. IN the pool. It was totes relaxing. And even though it was still hot out east, due to some very comfortable A/C, baking was not out of the question.

My little friends, F & A, demand that we bake EVERY time that I see them, and over this long, hot weekend we managed three recipes: peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and cowboy cookies. This was my first time making cowboy cookies, but they were a hit, particularly the name. As modern bakers, we decided to be all inclusive, so called them cowgirl cookies as well.

We left out the coconut and nuts (walnuts or pecans) that the recipe often calls for. I asked my small baker friends about the add-ins and they decided that no, they didn't like those ingredients, so chocolate chips and peanut butter chips took center stage. They were delish. And just so you know, we didn't personally eat all of the cookies that we made. Of course we tried them all, but we know how to share.



Cowboy (and GIRL!) Cookies
(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips, optional
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

2. Using an electric mixer (or stand mixer or wooden spoon), beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, coconut, and nuts, if using. It is recommended to cover the dough and chill 1 hour before baking, but can also be baked immediately. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly before continuing.)

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Form the dough into balls, using about 1/4 cup dough for each. Place on baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten with your hand to form 3 1/2-inch rounds. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around edges and firm in center, about 4 minutes longer. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.) Makes about 24 cookies.

When Life Gives You Lemons

So it appears that my "week of asparagus" is not winning over any big time fans. In fact, it seems as though the whole thing has gone over like a lead brick. Rest assured, people. I am finishing this week up with a...dessert! No, not asparagus gelato. Lemon bars!

When it comes to little square dessert treats, brownies really take the cake, but a good lemon bar is hard to pass up. I mashed up a few recipes to come up with my bakery style version of a lemon bar. There is a substantial crust (adapted from Cook's Illustrated) and a significant amount lemon filling, (no wimpy layers!), from a Family Circle recipe that was meant for a 9 x 13-inch pan. The result is a pretty intense square of lemony goodness.

And I can't forget to mention the most spectacular pan ever that I discovered thanks to The Catskill Kiwi. Brownie and cake sheet pans with...removable bottoms! Dude, it will totes change your life. Forget lining your pans with foil or parchment. This is genius.



Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more to decorate the finished bars
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces
Filling:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. If you don't have a 9 x 9-inch pan with a removable bottom (see photo below), then fold two 16-inch pieces of foil or parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit one sheet in the bottom of the pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan (the overhang will help in the removal of the baked bars). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second pulses. (Alternatively, mix the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, then add the butter, mixing it in with a pastry blender until the butter is well incorporated.) Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers, or the bottom of a sturdy glass or measuring cup, into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it is light golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, flour, eggs and lemon juice until completely smooth. Immediately pour over the warm crust. (The filling must be added to the crust while it is still very warm.)

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until no imprint remains in the filling when lightly touched in the center. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and cool completely. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar. Run a thin knife around the edges, remove from the pan, then cut into 16 bars and serve.

She's Crafty

Just in case you haven't been plied with enough sweets yet (there are still 5 more days until Christmas!) I have another cookie recipe for you. I've been making these little macaroons for a couple of years now, and even though I'm not a coconut über fan, there's something light and elegant about these cookies. The chocolate is optional but...C'mon. I also like that they look like tiny snow covered mountains. If you squint. Really. Hard. And you're super stoked to spend your holiday in Aspen skiing and enjoying aprés-ski merriment so everything you see resembles a ski town...

OK this recipe is really easy. Really. Really. Easy. With only five ingredients all you need is a spoon and a bowl. Actually, you don't even need a spoon. You can mix everything with your hands if you feel like it. And if you think shaping my little pyramid shapes is way too complicated and crafty, then just roll the coconut mixture into little balls. Whatevs. Then bake, crush the sugar cookie competition, and enjoy!



Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons (aka Snowy Peaks)
(From The Ski House Cookbook)

4 large egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Salt
1 (14-ounce) package shredded sweetened coconut (about 5 1/3 cups)
1 (3.5-ounce) bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt and stir to combine. Add the coconut and mix well.

2. Dampen your hands with cold water. Form a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into a haystack shape and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture, spacing the stacks about 1-inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove the cookies from the pan while still warm to cool completely on racks. Repeat with remaining coconut batter.

3. Fill a small saucepan with 1-inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and place a medium heat proof bowl on top so that the bottom is resting just above the simmering water. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted.

4. Turn off the heat and dip the bottom of each macaroon into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper to cool and harden. The macaroons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes about 24 cookies.

Peace in Procrastination

I'm really good at procrastinating. Instead of studying I've cleaned my apartment, gone to the gym a few times, checked email, and spent time talking on the phone about how I should really be studying. I also made a batch of super chocolaty goodness otherwise known as World Peace Cookies. This recipe made the food blog rounds a few years ago and, even though I'm a little late to the party, they still rock. I made them for a work friend's birthday today so hope that they will be put to good use later tonight when the munchies set in. These would also be fantabulous holiday cookies for any of you who may have found yourself coerced into a cookie exchange. You'll be the belle of the cookie ball.



World Peace Cookies
(from Dorie Greenspan)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 - 85% cacao), chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/3 inch)

1. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth but not fluffy. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt. Beat until fluffy, 2 minutes more.

2. Turn off the mixer. Add the flour mixture, cover to protect from flying flour, and beat on low speed just until blended. (The flour will just be incorporated and the mixture may be crumbly.) Add the chopped chocolate and mix just to distribute.

3. Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Form each half into 1 1/2-inch-diameter logs. Wrap each in plastic. Chill until firm, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a thin sharp knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1-inch apart on the prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the cookies rest until they are just warm. Remove from the baking sheet and serve or allow to come to room temperature.

Summer Sandwiches

That's what I'm talking about. If I'm going to eat ice cream for dinner it might as well be portable, without the need of a spoon and bowl. The key is a sturdy yet soft cookie. I realize that it's been a million degrees with a million percent humidity so you might not want to actually bake these cookies now (you could just buy some, or just buy some ice cream sandwiches for that matter), but they are amazing! Chocoholics will DIE. I die. They have that deep chocolate flavor that requires a cold glass of milk to wash it all down, so why not have them with some cold ice cream? I recommend making the ice cream sandwiches as you want them because when I tried freezing a whole sandwich, the cookies got a bit too hard to really enjoy properly. You want a soft cookie and soft ice cream so that the ice cream doesn't all squish out the sides. Maybe an open-faced ice cream sandwich is the way to go...



Double-Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) summering water, melt 5 ounces of the semisweet chocolate, the unsweetened chocolate, and the butter. Stir until smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the chocolate mixture and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, and mix until completely combined. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt, and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate.

3. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into 1 1/2-inch balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (My dough was pretty soft, perhaps due to the extreme heat, so some cookies were not perfectly round dough balls. See elephantine photo below!) Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit soft, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer the parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.


Elephant cookie

Snow(ball) Day!

In honor of the official New York City Public Schools Snow Day (and my office closing early at 2:00 pm!) I had to make snowball cookies. I remember having snow days when I was growing up so was totally jealous of all of the school closings this morning. Sleeping in...watching daytime TV...pelting your brother with snowballs...drinking hot cocoa...Some years were better than others. The superintendent from California? Score! Two inches of snow would yield an immediate school closing. The superintendent from Minnesota? Not so much. What's a snow day? Two FEET of snow were meaningless.

To be honest this "blizzard" has been a bit of a dud. I expected at least a foot of snow by now. (Get a load of it here.) But I've learned to get used to disappointment when it comes to a NYC snowstorm (except for the occasional STORM OF THE CENTURY). What generally happens with a New York City "snow storm" is that transportation gets all effed up and then you're stuck dodging giant puddles surrounded by thick black slush for the next week. It looks pretty at first and then you just want it gone.

With snow on the brain I couldn't get home fast enough to make my snowball cookies (or Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies or whatever you call them) because I never got around to making my 85 batches of Christmas cookies this year. Annoyingly, I was out of powdered sugar. I quickly discovered on my trek back out into the snow that no grocery store in my hood keeps it in stock. The 24 hour corner bodega, however? Stockpiled. (I guess you never know when you might need it at 3:00 am.) What I should have done is made a bunch of actual snowballs to store in my freezer until July. But then again the snow hasn't melted...yet.



Snowball Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 sifted confectioners sugar, plus additional for rolling cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Beat together the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla, flour, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Add the nuts and mix until just combined. Chill, covered, at least 1 - 2 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Let the dough stand at room temperature until just pliable, about 15 minutes. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into (1-inch) balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until set, but not brown, and the bottoms are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Sift an additional 2 - 3 cups confectioners sugar into a large bowl. Immediately transfer the hot cookies to the confectioners sugar. Gently roll the cookies in the sugar to coat well, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Roll the cooled cookies in the confectioners sugar for a second time to coat completely. Makes about 36 cookies.

Mmmm...Cookies.

Here's an oldie but a goodie...as far as my cookie history goes anyway. You know how you grew up eating exactly the same holiday spritz or rugelach or sugar cookie or...whatever, year after year? This was one of my family's standards. I don't know it's origins (Google says it's a Dutch holiday treat, which makes sense since I grew up outside of Holland, MI which really couldn't get any more Dutch on this side of the pond) but it's really tasty, especially with a cuppa tea. And by the way...when you are pressing out the dough and you think it won't cover any more of the pan...try a little harder.

Janhagel

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, divided
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk; beat well. Slowly add the flour and cinnamon and mix well.

2. Divide the dough in half and pat evenly into two 10 x 15-inch (jelly roll) baking pans. The dough will be spread very thin. Brush the remaining egg white on top of the dough and then sprinkle with the nuts. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven but do not allow to cool. Cut into squares immediately and remove from pan while still warm.

Is There a Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie?

It seems like everyone has tried to perfect the tried and true Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. I wrote about the Cook's Illustrated version here and have now attempted the Jacques Torres version reported on by The New York Times here and now also right here. Just as Cook's relied on a technique of stirring in melted butter to develop a deeper flavor, Jacques relies on the refrigerator, chilling his dough for a minimum of 24 hours. You can read his responses to reader questions here.

I decided to have a test to see if I could really detect a difference in the flavor of the doughs. My friend Kate kindly took on the Cook's recipe, which I know that she had made before, and I attempted the Jacques recipe. I have to admit that I ended up feeling slightly jinxed by it because: 1. I had to go to two different stores to find the flours, 2. In the middle of mixing the dough, I realized that I didn't have enough brown sugar so had to go out again for that, THEN 3. I realized that I didn't buy enough chocolate AFTER I had already mixed everything together. Duh. It's not like it was my first time baking and I did read the entire recipe before shopping. I guess that I just didn't comprehend what I was reading (I must have been watching Real Housewives reruns at the same time). Annoying!

Anyway, I forced a good dozen or so people to sample these cookies (not that I had to twist their arms!) and I ended up getting less feedback on the flavor of the cookie than on the texture. (People are very particular about how soft or crunchy or crisp they like their cookies to be!) Honestly I think that both recipes had a very similar flavor (by the way both Kate and I used the same chocolate so that particular ingredient was a constant). Some comments about the Jacques cookie (on the right in the above photo): "firmer and sweeter," "buttery, more flavorful, nice texture," "tastes richer, more like a traditional chocolate chip cookie." And about the Cook's cookie (on the left in the above photo), more people simply responded to the softer texture. Personally, I think they both taste great, but at the end of the day if I am going to bake cookies, I prefer the immediacy of the Cook's recipe vs. the 24-48 hour wait time for the Jacques recipe. And since I've had his actual cookies, I think I just prefer going to his shop to buy the real thing.



The Jacques Torres Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
(by way of The New York Times)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons, (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60 percent cacao content (such as Ghirardelli 60% chips)
Sea salt

1. Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined, about 10 seconds. Drop the chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto the baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with the remaining dough, or reserve the dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Serve warm with a cold glass of milk. Makes: 18 (5-inch) cookies.

Ahoy, Matey!

This ain't no Chips Ahoy, though they have their place...like in the cupboards of the families I used to babysit for when I was a kid. Aside from making a whopping $5 an hour, wasn't the only point of babysitting eating the snacks you never had at home? As much as I enjoyed the OreosMunchos, I still really preferred making the classic cookie at home.

Let's be honest, the Toll House version of chocolate chip cookies is a classic for a reason. But recently both The New York Times and Cook's Illustrated decided to see if they could build a better mousetrap (cookie). The point of the NYT effort was to deepen the intensity of flavor by resting the dough up to 36 hours...but you have to wait 36 hours! Fortunately CI decided to forgo the extra waiting time in their quest for a better cookie by melting the butter, increasing the amount of brown sugar, and whisking the sugar so that it thoroughly dissolves. All I know is, if I am going to bake cookies, it's not going to be a 2 day process!

My original plan was to bake the Toll House recipe along side both the NYT and CI recipes, so that I could see and taste the difference for myself, but having several dozen cookies laying around just sounded like a recipe for disaster. (For my waistline!) Maybe next time. (I and am still curious.) I'll just be sure to get some tasters on standby. Please enjoy these cookies as much as I (and my friends and office mates) did!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from Cook's Illustrated)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 3/4 cups (high quality) semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 375˚F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and and transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl. Stir the remaining 4 tablespoons butter into the hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to the bowl with butter and whisk until incorporated. Add the egg and yolk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let the mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat the process of resting and whisking 2 more times until the mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Divide the dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake the cookies one tray at a time until the cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and the edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack. Cool the cookies completely before serving. Makes 16 large cookies.

Passport to XOXO

Have you ever been to Payard? Me neither. I mean, it's so far away it might as well be in another country. Like Canada. It's the Upper East Side, people! That's FAR. I think you need a passport to get there (in my mind). XOXO!

I've actually walked to the Met from my apartment (several times), but for some reason I've never been inclined to walk to Payard. I imagine getting there all hot and sweaty and then not wanting to sample a delectable delight from the patisserie. What a (potential) waste! ('Cab' isn't really part of my vernacular unless it's after midnight.) That, and I think I have a slightly tainted memory of François Payard from a cooking class I once took. Well, it was more of a demo where he made stuff, and we the audience, watched and then sampled. He kept referring to the women in the room as "homemakers" and I wondered when the demo had turned into an episode of The Wonder Years or Leave It To Beaver (June's probably more homemaker-y than Norma). And then I thought, "Oh, that's cute. He isn't trying to be offensive. He's just French! It's a lost in translation thing." I wasn't really personally offended as I barely had a home to make at the time, so therefore he couldn't possibly be referring to me. It was all of those other women. They must have been mad!

Fortunately my laziness has been rewarded by a simple cookie recipe from Payard that I found some time later. (I have actually made a chocolate tart from that "class" several times that is always delicious.) It's essentially a 5-ingredient recipe, like my peanut butter cookie, but SO incredibly and delightfully different. My only small complaint is that it is a bit too sweet for me, so I would recommend cutting back on the 3 cups of confectioners' sugar the original recipe calls for. I would also appreciate biting into a chunk of chocolate along with the crunchy walnuts and chewy, chocolate cookie center, so I advise adding some dark chocolate pieces as well. I don't think François would mind a homemaker taking liberties like that, but if so, c'est la vie.



Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies
(Adapted from Chocolate Epiphany)

2 3/4 cups walnut halves
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped high-quality dark chocolate
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them.

2. Lower the oven temperature to 320˚F. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt, followed by the chopped walnuts and chocolate pieces. Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen).

3. Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds per sheet, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let the cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 24 cookies.

Mini-Me(s)

Whenever I visit my friends at the beach, I bake something with my two young friends who are 6 & 7/8ths and 3 & 11/12ths. (I think it may be why I'm invited back.) One of the favorite (and simplest) recipes that we make is my five ingredient peanut butter cookies. Fortunately for me, my little friends are very helpful. (They clean spilled sugar off the counter by licking their fingers, scooping up the sugar, and licking their fingers again. Who needs a sponge?) They both help with stirring, and then one will roll the dough into little balls while the other makes criss-cross marks to flatten the cookies into their classic shape. All I have to do is supervise. And try to keep the batter in the bowl and not in their mouths.

This past weekend I brought a bag of mini-chocolate chips to change up our usual routine. The minis are great for these PB cookies because they are so tiny they don't get in the way of flattening the dough with a fork. My 6 & 7/8ths year old friend suggested that we make half of the cookies plain and the other half with the chips. So we did. I would suggest that everything tastes better with chocolate but she apparently thought that we should make something for everyone. (I guess.)

By the way, as much as I rant and rave about how impossible it is to cook and bake in the summer, I've discovered that it's not a problem to turn on the oven if you live in a comfortable house with central air. (Yeah, I'm a little late to that party.) Roast a turkey, then braise some short ribs. What's the big deal? Or, if you live in the hot box that I do, make the cookies in your toaster oven. It totally works.



Perfectly Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed (or with a wooden spoon), mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg, flour, and baking soda in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the the chocolate chips, if using.

2. Roll rounded teaspoons of the dough into balls and place onto baking sheets, about one inch apart. With the tines of a fork, flatten the balls, making a criss-cross pattern.

3. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, about 8 – 10 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. Makes 24 cookies.