Madeleines

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Flo Braker

When I made Dorie's Honey-Spiced Madeleines a few years ago I was certain that I would make madeleines often after that because I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to make, but for some reason I never got around to making them again until they appeared on this week's Tuesday with Dorie/Baking with Julia schedule. This recipe was so different from Dorie's because you use a ladyfinger génoise batter which gives them a sponge cake taste and texture.

When I made the French Strawberry Cake with the group last year it was the first time I had made génoise and I didn't have a lot of success with it, so this time I decided to use a hand mixer to whip my eggs and egg yolks so I could feel when it was at the right consistency and I can say that it made so much difference. I am going to make that cake again now that I have had success with these madeleines. The only thing I did differently from the madeleine recipe was I let the batter rest for about ten minutes before giving it a gentle stir and spooning it into the madeleine molds. Mine baked in 10 minutes.

My family gobbled these up, but I have to say I was less enamored with them because I prefer more of a buttery, tender crumb texture in a madeleine. Of the two recipes that I have made so far, I prefer Dorie's recipe over this one. I am glad that I made these, however, and now I won't be so intimidated when a recipe calls for génoise batter. 

Katie and Amy of Counter Dog are the hosts this week. You can see their pretty madeleines and the recipe over on their blog.

Pierre Hermé’s Olive Sablés

French Friday Monday with Dorie

I had a jar of olives languishing in the fridge that I had bought for Dorie's olive tapenade recipe that are packed in not only oil, but also thyme and I wasn't sure how the thyme would taste in a cookie whether it be sweet or savory or a little bit of both - like these cookies. I needn't have worried; however, because the thyme not only makes these cookies smell so fragrant, but also gives them quite a punch of flavor.

You would think the surprising ingredient in this recipe would be the olives, but for me, it was the hard boiled egg yolk. I pretty much followed the recipe as written with only a few slight changes. Since I only made half of the recipe, I only needed half an egg yolk, so instead of grating the hard boiled egg yolk as Dorie directed, I just crumbled it with my fingers. I didn't have potato starch on hand, so I subbed corn starch. I used a hand mixer and after mixing my dough it never came together in the bowl even after adding just a little more of the fruity olive oil, so I dumped the crumbly mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and kneaded it with the plastic wrap until the dough came together and then I rolled it into a log and let it chill for 2 hours before baking.

When I unwrapped the log the fragrance of the thyme smelled so wonderful. My cookies baked for exactly 18 minutes in a 325 degree oven and were just starting to get a little color along the edges when I took them out.

These cookies are surprisingly delicious and I say surprisingly mostly because of the thyme in them. They gave the cookies an interesting and unexpected flavor. The taste of the olives are hardly detectable (well to me, but John said he could taste them) and you wouldn't even know what the black specks are if you didn't know there are olives in the recipe. The crumb of these cookies is so tender - just what you expect in a sablé. I really like the savory sweet combination as I did with the seaweed sablés we made last year and am sure I will make these again - especially since they are so easy and quick to make. My only regret is that I didn't make the full recipe so I could have a log of dough to freeze so I can slice and bake some more for another day.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group thought about these delightful cookies. You can find the recipe here.

Mocha Chocolate Chips

Tuesday Wednesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Rick Katz

This has been one of those crazy, busy months for me and I just haven't been able to get into my baking and cooking groove, but I didn't want to miss making these cookies. Mocha Chocolate Chips?! Ooohhh, yeah! What's great about these is that they are so easy to make. I used up some of the leftover chocolate I had on hand - Valrhona white chocolate, Ghiradelli semi-sweet and Trader Joe's 72 percent Belgian dark chocolate pounder bar. I skipped the apricots (they were optional anyway). I had some on hand, but discovered that I had some left in a bag that was waaaay past its 'use by' date and instead of being a lovely apricot color they were a deep, dark brown. After mixing the dough in a stand mixer, I stirred in the chunks of chocolate and put the dough in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

There was definitely a more chocolate to dough ratio going on with these cookies. The dark brown sugar and the instant espresso powder gives the dough a lovely mocha color and flavor.

Halfway through baking, our cat was sniffing the air. It smelled like coffee was brewing. The cookies baked up nicely and had a great texture - moist on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. I loved the mocha and chocolate combination and they more than satisfied my chocolate craving, but John thought they were just 'okay'.

Peggy of Galettisa is hosting this week, so go check out her lovely cookies and  the recipe on her blog. Please visit Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group thought about them.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Haystacks

Di's 3rd Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange

It's so hard to believe that it is that time of year again when we are busy doing holiday shopping and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Normally, I would be a little bit more organized and have a plan of what cookies that I plan on baking for Christmas, but this year it seems I'm farther behind than ever and Di's virtual cookie exchange kind of snuck up on me. What immediately came to mind when I first received her e-mail were the no bake cookies my mom used to make for her Christmas drop-ins. They saved her a lot of time and freed the oven for other cookies and desserts. And they were always a family favorite. Mom used to make chocolate haystacks and butterscotch haystacks, but because I love chocolate and peanut butter so much, I decided that this year I would use both in mom's haystack recipe.

They couldn't be simpler to make. You melt 1/2 cup of chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips in a double boiler (You can also do this in a microwave). Mix in 2 cups of chow mein noodles. Drop the mixture by tablespoons onto waxed paper. Sprinkle them with chopped roasted peanuts and let them set. That's it!

The result is a chocolate peanut butter crunchy cookie that is good enough for Santa himself. Thank you to Di for organizing her annual cookie exchange so that we can share some of our favorite cookie recipes. We may not be able to exchange them in person and come home with a plate of assorted cookies and recipes, but this is the next best thing. Visit Di at Di's Kitchen Notebook for the links to the other cookies in the exchange.

Pecan Crunch Cookies

I have amassed a large number of cookie recipes over the years and some of the best ones have come from cookie exchanges. So when Di from Di's Kitchen Notebook sent invitations out to her second annual Virtual Cookie Exchange, I got so excited because this is my favorite time of the year to bake. I am late posting my cookie recipe, but Di said not to worry if we were running late because she will be posting the cookie exchange round-up on December 11th. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's cookies and adding even more cookie recipes to my collection.

The recipe I selected for Di's Christmas Cookie Exchange is one that I got from a co-worker at a holiday party at work quite a few years ago, but I have never made them even though I got the recipe after tasting them at the party. I've had them on my "Christmas Cookies to Make" list every year, but this year I decided was the year I was finally going to make them. It took me two attempts to get them the way that I remembered them, but even though the first batch spread a little too much and got a little too brown on the bottom they tasted just as good as my second batch.

What makes these Pecan Crunch Cookies so crunchy are crushed potato chips. Yes, potato chips! These cookies are buttery, crunchy, flaky bites that are so delicious. 

They are a great cookie to package and even send in the mail because they stay fresh longer than most cookies since they have no milk or cream in them. 

Now that I finally got around to making them, I will be making another batch for our family gathering on Christmas Eve and since they have become a hit with my family I have a feeling I will be making them often throughout the year.

Thank you to Di for hosting another wonderful seasonal virtual exchange! I am already looking forward to the next one. Don't forget to visit Di's Kitchen Notebook to see links to some fabulous cookies.

Pecan Crunch Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups sifted flour

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Add crushed potato chips and pecans. Stir in flour. The dough will be crumbly, but don't worry. Form dough into small balls. Place each ball on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press balls flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees 16-18 minutes. (I had to turn my oven down to 325 degrees) or until lightly brown. Makes 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

Feel Like a Smooch?

Since I just recently discovered the joy of Nutella, I wanted to make something in honor of World Nutella Day. Yes, there is such a thing! And the first person who came to mind when I thought of Nutella recipes was Giada De Laurentis. I think she sneaks nutella into most of her sweet and savory dishes.

But, really. Who can blame her? This Chocolate-Nutella Smooches recipe is perfect to serve when you are looking for that little extra special treat. The silky smoothness of the nutella gives just the right of chocolatey creaminess to this cookie batter. And the little kiss on top - oh, yeah!

This Valentine's Day, why not give your Valentine a kiss? or a Smooch? or why not, both?

Visit the World Nutella Day site and hosts Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso to see what everyone is making to celebrate the day!

Chocolate-Nutella Smooches
adapted from a Giada De Laurentis recipe

1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup, (1 stick) of room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Demerara Sugar or any large granule sugar
Hershey's Kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together the nutella, butter, and sugars using a hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and blend well. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until they are just incorporated.

Put some of the demerara sugar on a plate. Shape the cookie dough into small balls and roll them in the demerara sugar, carefully pressing them so that the sugar will stick. Place them about 4 inches apart (they will spread a bit) on a parchment-lined heavy cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly place a Hershey's kiss in the middle of each cookie. Put the cookie sheet back into the oven and let bake for another 3 minutes. When the cookies are done, cool them on a wire rack.

Makes about 25 to 35 cookies.

hoot. hoot.

Have you ever had a recipe that just haunts you every time you go into your recipe file? Well, this one is it for me. I was looking through my cookie file the other day to begin selecting the cookie recipes that I want to bake for Christmas, and this owl cookie recipe flew out at me which it does every time I go into the file because I keep thinking, "oh, I want to make these!" But it's been five years since I tore the page out of the October issue of Sunset magazine and even though I think they are so very cute I never got around to making them. That is until this week.

Just a warning though. If you make these (and I hope you will) you will be tempted to eat a few while you are decorating them because you can smell the fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon that's in them. It was hard not to pop a couple in my mouth. They don't look as perfect as Sunset's, but boy, they sure taste good. You can download the recipe and owl template from Sunset magazine.

Whew! Now I can move onto Christmas cookies!

Bird Cookies

How cute are these sugar cookies made by Eleni's in New York? They are just too pretty to eat!

Love, Jelly, and Friendship

Last summer, my dear friend, Kenn, canned raspberries from his garden and sent a jar all the way from Michigan to me. His package arrived when I was going through the saddest time in my life and I didn't feel much like smiling. 

But, when I saw the jar of raspberry jelly with his own special label, I couldn't help but feel his love and it touched me and made me smile. I put the jar of jelly on the kitchen counter so that every time I looked at it I would smile. And over the months my husband would periodically ask if I was going to open the jelly and I would say, "No, not yet." 

Well, much to my husband's delight I decided that this weekend it was time to open the jar. I was worried that perhaps I had waited too long to open it and that the jelly had gone bad, but I scooped some up with a spoon and there was a wonderful burst of raspberry flavor that took me back to warm, sunny summer days. So delicious!

I decided that the perfect recipe to showcase Kenn's raspberry jelly would be the Lemon-Raspberry Sandwiches that I saw John Barricelli make with Martha. The recipe calls for almond flour, but I looked at all the grocery stores, including Whole Foods and no almond flour was to be found. I did finally find almond meal at Trader Joe's and used that instead and it gave the cookies a nice texture that they probably wouldn't have with the almond flour.

The raspberry and lemon are a perfect flavor combination and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar (Yes, I overdid it a little bit on the sugar!) I think make these sandwiches the perfect sandwich cookie. 

And what does my husband say? "Mmmm...Mmmmm." He's just tickled that the jar is finally open and he can eat Kenn's jelly with his peanut butter sandwiches. Finally.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

Hi, friends. Yesterday, I spent part of the day going through my kitchen cupboards and pantry checking expiration dates and rotating items to make sure I had the products with the closest expiration date on top of each neatly stacked row or up front in the cupboard. I wasn't surprised to find items that needed to be used. Here are two of the items I found that had passed their expiration date:

I had bought this can of apricot filling almost a year ago when we made our first trip to Morro Bay. When we go to a new town and stop at a grocery store I always end up in the baking aisle to see what they have that we might not have in our stores here. Well, I had never seen this apricot filling before and just had to buy it at the time and yet there it was sitting on the shelf still waiting to be used. 

When I pulled it off the shelf, I had no idea what I would make with it, so I decided to see if the label had recipes on the back and sure enough - it did. The Apricot Oatmeal Bars sounded good to me and the best choice since oatmeal was one of the listed ingredients in the recipe and also one of the items in my newly created 'expired section' of the cupboard. 

I happened to have all the ingredients for the recipe in my pantry. How I love it when that happens! What's great about this recipe is that it is a one-bowl recipe. You cut the butter in with the flour mixture and add the rest of the ingredients, except for the filling, and mix together.

Next, you spread and press half of the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan and then spoon the apricot filling over the top and spread it around as best as you can. Then you sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top.

The result was a crumbly, soft granola bar that my husband went crazy over. He said this was my best cookie yet. In fact, he liked it so much that he didn't want any of the crumbs to go to waste and used them to sprinkle over his cereal.

All those hours I spend looking through recipes in books, online, and in my recipe files and he says the best cookie I have made yet is from a label on a can. Go figure.

Thank you, SOLO!

SOLO Apricot Oatmeal Bars (slightly adapted)

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1-1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts*

1 can SOLO Apricot, Red Raspberry, or Strawberry Filling

*I used pecans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan and set aside. Combine flour, brown sugar, and baking powder in medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats, coconut, and nuts, and mix until crumbly. Press half of mixture into prepared pan. Spoon apricot filling over crumb mixture in pan. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over apricot layer. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes approximately 36 bars.

In a Fog

I feel a bit ungrateful whining about the fact that we have only seen minutes, I mean minutes, of sun in DAYS when so many in other parts are dealing with freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. But the grey days just get me down and instead of driving up the mountains in search of the sun this weekend, I decided that it was more important to finish packing all the Christmas decorations away.

So-o-o-o-o after another GREY Monday, I came home and headed straight to the kitchen to make some Toffee-Espresso cookies. 

These Toffee-Espresso Shortbread cookies are fast becoming a family favorite. The recipe is from the December issue of Southern Living magazine and you can find the recipe here. Another variation of this shortbread recipe is the Cranberry-Orange Shortbread cookies. They are also delicious and were the first cookies to disappear off the plate of cookies I took over to the family Christmas Eve celebration.

Mmmmm...Nothing can beat the winter doldrums faster than some shortbread cookies and a cup of tea. The forecast tomorrow? Rain. Never thought I would be so happy to know that it will be raining.

Peanut Butter Cookies and a Glass of Milk

What could be more perfect after a long day of work? I made a second batch of cookies from the Martha Stewart's Cookies book for The Martha Stewart Book Club. The recipe was different from the one that I have always used. It calls for a cup of smooth peanut butter and 1/2 cup of whole peanuts. I usually use crunchy peanut butter, but I really liked the extra crunch of the whole peanuts.


TIP: I tried the recipe's directions for flouring the bottom of a glass to flatten the peanut butter balls after you put them on the cookie sheet, but the dough was a little too soft and it stuck to the bottom of the glass even with the flour on it. I found that flouring the tines of the fork and tapping off the excess flour before doing the cross-hatching worked best for me.

Why don't you whip up a batch yourself? Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles

I made my first batch of cookies yesterday from the new book, Martha Stewart's Cookies. I've always loved snickerdoodles, but have never made them myself. I was not disappointed in this recipe! They came out soft and chewy just like I like them. I can't give you the link to the recipe because it is different than the one that is on marthastewart.com, and I can't post it here because of copyright laws; however, the book is not that expensive, so if you want the recipe (and believe me you do!) you'll just have to run out and get a copy of the book. I am looking forward to baking many more cookies from this book and so is my family!