Brown Butter Blondies with Pecans

For the longest time, I didn't think I like blondies.  For one, there was no chocolate in them.  What was the point?  Secondly, they always seemed a little bland and tasteless or else so sickly sweet I couldn't stand to eat them.

As is so often the case, I've learned a killer recipe can turn that all around.  This one converted me.  The browned butter adds a nutty flavor in addition to the pecans. These are crazy sweet and crazy rich from all the butter, but make a decadent, occasional treat.

These make a 9x13" pan and keep wonderfully well on the counter.

Brown Butter Blondies with Pecans
from Bon Appetit

1/2 c unsalted butter
1 large egg
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t kosher salt
1/3 c flour

1 1/2 c pecans, coarsely chopped
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 c butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract

Cook 1/2 c butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns.  If you listen closely, you can the moment when the butter is browning (the fast sizzling stops and the butter quiets down a bit).  Transfer butter to a medium bowl and let cool for a few minutes.  Add 1 egg, 3/4 c brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until mixture is light and falls back on itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon (in short, beat until the mixture "makes a ribbon").  This will take about 3 minutes depending on your mixer.  Fold in flour.  Set aside

Toast pecans in a preheated 350 degree for 8 - 10 minutes, until fragrant (above, you could tell when the butter was done by the sound, here you want to smell when the pecans are done.  After 8 minutes, open the oven door and sniff.  If the pecans are done a nice pecan smell will greet you.  If you wait until you can smell the pecans without opening the door, you will have burnt pecans).  Let cool.

Whisk together baking powder, salt and 2 1/4 c flour in a medium bowl.  In a large, beat together 1 c butter and 1 3/4 c brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes depending on your mixer.  Add eggs and beat until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Mix in vanilla.  Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture.  Fold in half of pecans.

Scrape 2/3 thirds of the batter (not the browned butter mixture) into a buttered and floured (alternately, you can line the pan with parchment paper) 9 x 13" pan.  Smooth top and push batter to the edges.  Alternating, dollop browned butter mixture and remaining batter on top.  Smooth and sprinkle the remaining pecans over all of it.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven.  The blondie should be golden brown and firm, a tester WILL NOT come out clean (if it does, you have seriously overbaked your blondies).  Let cool before slicing.

For the ultimate experience, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Snickerdoodles

There are a few recipes I've been making forever and just have never blogged.  This is one of those.  Every time I want snickerdoodles, I scour this website.  Finally I remember, no, the recipe isn't here.  Then off to visit Deb (in her Smitten Kitchen) I go!

In the idea of saving some time, I am finally posting the snickerdoodle recipe here.  This would be a favorite cookie of two of my family members, one of which who has been known to convince her friends to give her their snickerdoodles.  On those occasions, I call her my Stinkerdoodle (well, and other occasions too).  It is a term of endearment in our house.

I make the whole batch at once and then freeze them.  When I pack lunches, I simply open up the freezer and viola!  A cookie for everyone!  By lunch time they are just the right temperature and taste much fresher than if they had been on the counter for a week.

Quick, before the school year is over, go make snickerdoodles and put one (or two) in your very own stinkerdoodle's lunch!

This makes 3 - 4 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.  I tend to make them on the smaller size. (You can eat more that way!)

Stinkerdoodle's Snickerdoodles
adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen who found this recipe from Martha

2 3/4 c flour
2 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
16 T (1 cup or 8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs

1/4 c sugar
2 T ground cinnamon

Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), combine butter and 1 1/2 c sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes depending on how powerful your electric mixer is.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs.  Beat to combine.  Pour in the dry ingredients and beat just until everything is incorporated.  Chill the dough for an hour or more, to make them easier to roll--otherwise they stick to your hands a lot.

In a small bowl or plate, combine 1/4 c sugar and ground cinnamon.  Form dough into balls (either using 3/4 oz (size 40) ice cream scoop or teaspoons (the eating kind).  Roll in the cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 10 minutes.  Cookies should be set in the center and begin to crack (they won't brown--don't even try to brown them because they will be overdone!).

Chocolate Dipped Espresso Shortbread

Back in the day, I used to have a favorite restaurant I frequented quite a bit.  This particular restaurant also had a fabulous in house bakery and espresso bar.  I don't want to admit how often I stopped in after dropping a child or two off at preschool, chatted with the barrista (who knew me!!), and would get a pastry.  Usually, I would get their cinnamon buns or bear claws (almond rolls…warm almond paste).  I knew how to time it just right, so the bear claws would be fresh out of the oven and still warm.

I would also stop in the mid morning or mid afternoon for some gelato or a cookie.  One of my favorite cookies was the chocolate dipped espresso shortbread.  This restaurant still sells this cookie, but it is not open in the mornings for coffee any more, they've discontinued my favorite pastries and taken some of my favorite meal/sandwich items off the menu.  Needless to say, I don't go there much at all any more.  It's now reserved as the stop after a kid gets a shot at the doctor (for the gelato….).

However, that doesn't stop my love of the chocolate dipped espresso shortbread.  A few years ago, I found a similar recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Baking:  From my Home to Yours.  I tried it, wrote copious notes in the margins, and put it my list of favorite cookies.  Since that first time, the recipe has only gotten better as I have changed a few things and I finally have a recipe that rivals the Chocolate Dipped Espresso Shortbread.

Chocolate Dipped Espresso Shortbread
inspired by Mandola's Restaurant and adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe

1 T instant espresso powder
1 T boiling water
1 c (16 T or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 c confectioners sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 c flour
4 oz bittersweet (60% cocao) chocolate, finely chopped

4 - 6 oz chocolate chips for coating (this is just a guess…)

Dissolve the espresso powder in the boiling water.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Using a mixer (I prefer a hand mixer over a stand mixer for this.  It helps prevent me from over mixing my dough--which is the bain of shortbread), beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is very smooth.  (Don't go for light and fluffy like most cookies.  You don't want extra air in the batter.)  Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then add the flour, mixing only until the flour is incorporated into the dough (again, don't over mix so you keep the typical sandy texture of shortbread).  Fold in the chopped chocolate by hand.

Divide the soft dough in half and roll into two long longs, about 1 1/2 - 2" in diameter.  Roll in plastic wrap and put in a zip bag.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days.  You can also freeze the doth for a longer period of time before baking).

Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into slices 1/2 - 1/2" thick.  Place on two baking sheets and bake at 325 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes.  For best results, rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time.  Let cool on a rack.

To dip cookies:  Melt chocolate.  I prefer to just do this in a microwave-safe bowl.  Heat chocolate on half power for 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir and heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is melted (at half power as well).  Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate and place on a piece of parchment paper.  Refrigerate until the chocolate sets.  Bring to room temperature to eat.

Not-so-secret Top Secret Amish Sugar Cookies

When the name of a cookie is so long, you know there's a story behind it.

First graders at my children's school had a heritage project before Christmas this year.  They needed to research a country their family was from, a holiday that country celebrated, and then create a poster, and present their research in a living museum. On their poster, a recipe needed to be included.

On my dad's side of the family, we have Amish roots (yes, I know this isn't a country, but it's interesting, especially in Texas!).  J choose to research the Amish and we scrambled to find a recipe. I goggled Amish cookies (because, we all know, My name is Melani, I have a baking problem and when given an option, I bake).  I found sugar cookies pop up several times.

These aren't your normal cookie cutter sugar cookies.  They aren't crispy like sand tarts, nor flat like cookie cutter cookies.  This are cake like and domed.  By themselves, they are relatively unimpressive, but top them with some white icing and sprinkles (or a raisin in the center like I remember my aunt making them.  I opted not to included the raisins because it reminds of breasts), they are something else.

For the winter party, we were asked to share Ethnic foods and this was ours.  A bit of stretch, I know, but the whole project was a bit of a stretch for us.  The cookies were a hit with kids--a mom who was there told me all the kids loved them and J also told me how everyone loved them.  He told them though that no one could have the recipe because it was a Top Secret Recipe.

I laughed, this was the first time I've ever made the recipe and it was published in a cookbook.  So, without further ado, here is your Christmas gift--a not-so-secret Top Secret Recipe.

This will yield 6 dozen cookies (or more) depending on how big you make the cookies.

Amish Sugar Cookies

from my mom

Cookies

1 1/2 c white sugar

1 2/3 c brown sugar

1 1/8 c (18 T) butter, at room temperature

4 eggs

6 1/2 c flour

3 t baking powder

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1 /2 t salt

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1 1/2 t vanilla

Icing

6 T butter, at room temperature

3 - 4 c confectioners sugar

1 t vanilla

water

For the cookies:  Cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla (start and end with the dry ingredients).  Drop by teaspoonful (the kind you eat with, not the kind you measure with) onto a cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 12 - 14 minutes (depending on size).  You can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of one--the edges may be starting to brown just a hair.  Cool on a rack.

For the icing:  Cream together 2 c confectioners sugar and butter in a bowl (I use a handheld mixer). Add the vanilla.  Add the remaining confectioners sugar a bit of a time, adding water to help achieve desired consistency.  Taste periodically to find the desired sweetness (and how much confectioners sugar you need).  

Ice the cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles, a raisin, or leave only iced.  Let icing harden, then store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment or waxed paper.

Dark Chocolate Pecan Sea Salted Toffee aka I Do Like Toffee! Toffee

"I can make the toffee," I told my neighbor when we discussed what we were going to make for our book club meeting we were co-hosting.  I make tortes, soufflés, and Italian bread from scratch so what was toffee?  Little did I know.

The month we hosted book club, we read Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  When she described making toffee I thought it would be so easy.  What is there to it?  It's just like caramel sauce but hardened.

Wrong and wrong again.  After my first total toffee fail, I remembered Jen Hatmaker blogging about repeated toffee fails and how she could never figure out what in the world she was doing wrong.  Just expect to fail your first time, ok?  Low expectations folks, low expectations.

What I learned:

Shauna Niequist's recipe made it look way too easy and I needed to look elsewhere, say the Pioneer Woman with her step by step instructions with pictures!!

Start with melted butter, don't melt the butter with sugar, I'm convinced that's where my problem lay (because it was a problem from the get go).

Stir constantly.  Usually when recipes say stir constantly, I ignore them.  Don't ignore this instruction.  Stir constantly.

If this recipe doesn't work, goggle toffee mistakes and expect everyone to give you conflicting advice.  Then find a food blog that you generally have good success with and try their instructions.  It's just sugar and water and butter folks, it's not like you're throwing out chocolate or a tasty fruit or vegetable.

It's ok to mess up and try again.

Here's the version I came up with--a lot of the Pioneer Woman's and a little bit of Shauna Niequist's.

Toffee
from The Pioneer Woman and Shauna Niequist

1 c (16 T or 2 sticks or 8 oz) butter, melted
2 c  (or 8 oz) sugar
1/2 t salt
3 T water
1/2 t vanilla (optional)

1 c good quality dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 c or so chopped pecans (you can use more or less depending on your whim)
1 t good quality coarse sea salt--fleur de sal or a fancy salt

In a saucepan (I use my stainless one--not my cast iron one because it heats up faster), combine melted butter, water, salt, and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook over medium-high heat (a 6 or  7 on my stove), stirring gently the whole time.  Using a candy thermometer, bring the sugar mixture to 298 degrees faranheit or until it is a deep amber color.  (I like candy thermometers.  If your mixture doesn't seem to be reaching 298, turn up the heat a bit).  Be very careful not to let any of the melted sugar get on your skin.  I have a scar to show what it can do to you on my wrist.

Remove from the heat and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet (cookie sheet) lined either with parchment paper or a silpat.  Let cool until solid to the touch.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.  Pour it over the toffee and top immediately top with pecans and sea salt.  Let cool until solid and rather hard.  Break into irregular pieces and serve.

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe is a source of contention in my house.  I think this is the perfect recipe.  Curtis does not.

See, the problem is, I don't love gingerbread.  The molasses is too strong, as is the ginger.  I like a milder gingerbread then, so I can ignore the strong flavors.  Curtis loves all things ginger…ginger snaps, ginger bread…ginger ale…He also loves molasses.  Thus, he doesn't like this recipe, for the exact reasons I love it.  So every Christmas, we have gingerbread cookie wars.  There's often a lot of gingerbread cookies in our house, because we both want to make *our* recipe.  I refuse to make Curtis's recipe, because I won't eat them, and vice versa.

Makes 5 - 6 dozen depending on the thickness and shape of your cookies

Mel's Favorite Gingerbread Cookies
from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

4 c flour
1/4 c finely ground almonds or hazelnuts (I like almonds)
1 T ground ginger
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 t ground cardamom
1 c butter, at room temperature
1 c dark brown sugar
2/3 c molasses
1 large egg
2 t vanilla
3/4 t freshly grated orange zest
1 t finely grated fresh ginger (ginger root)

Combine flour, ground nuts, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and cardamom in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, using an electric mixture.  Add the molasses, egg, vanilla, orange zest, and fresh ginger.  Mix well, until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.  Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Divide the dough in four discs.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour to 3 days (or you can freeze if you want to save it for longer).

Place on disc on a lightly floured surface and roll out a scant 1/4" thick.  Cut out the desired shapes using cookie cutters, dipping the cutters in flour as needed to prevent sticking.  Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or a silpat or just well greased).  Repeat with remaining discs, rerolling scraps as needed.  Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm and the edges are golden.  Decorate as much or little as desired.

Favorite Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

By the time this posts, it will be October.  October is fall at it's fullest, I think.  It's the month of Halloween, the first frosts in Northern vicinities, anticipating cool fronts in all vicinities and winter squash.  The name of this recipe is a bit inaccurate--in fact, there is no pumpkin in these whoopie pies.  How exciting does butternut squash or kabocha squash whoopie pies sound though?  There is no warm, cozy feeling emitted with either of those titles.  So although, no pumpkins were harmed in the cooking of this recipe, I am leaving the title as is.

Last year when I made my old pumpkin whoopie pie recipe, I was a bit disappointed.  It could be better, I felt, much better.  This year, after I had cooked down four smallish butternut squash I searched for a new recipe.

I love this recipe.  It has twice as much squash as my old recipe and fewer spices.  That's a good thing.  The flavor is better because of it.

This will make 2 dozen or so appropriately sized whoopie pies.  I know, that's not enough.  Just go ahead and double this recipe when you make it.  They freeze fabulously--just thaw a bit before eating.

Favorite Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
adapted from browneyedbaker.com and Martha Stewart (maybe)

Cakes
3 c flour
2 T cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t ground ginger
a dash of freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 t ground nutmeg)
1 c sugar
1 c dark brown sugar
1 c canola oil
3 c chilled butternut squash, kabocha squash, or pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Icing
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
3 c powdered sugar
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 t vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.  In a separate large bowl, beat with an electric mixer the sugars and the oil, until well combined.  Add the pumpkin and continue to beat until to combine thoroughly.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat some more.  Gradually add the flour mixture and beat gently until combined.  Using a small ice cream scoop, drop rounded heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets.  Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 12 or so minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centers come out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool completely on the racks.

Meanwhile, make the icing.  Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until the icing is lump free.  Stir in the nutmeg and vanilla to combine.

To assemble the whoopie pies, pair the cooled cakes together, looking for cakes that are similar in size. Top on flat side of the cake with icing.  Top with the other cookie, flat side down against the icing.

Salted Choco Peanut Butter Cookies

Do I really need to comment on this recipe?  Doesn't this title say it all?

I think so.

One ingredient note.  If you can buy salt in bulk, buy just a tad of fancy salt, like maldon or fleur del sal.  It's not expensive and it's divine.  You can use the leftovers to make salted chile brownies.

Enough said.  Here's the recipe.

This makes 3 - 4 dozen depending on how big you make them.

Salted Choco Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from FoodBlogga on food52.com

1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
3/4 c peanut butter (not natural, friends)
1 c chocolate chip
coarse sea salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well.  Add the peanut butter and beat until just combined.  Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

At this point, I usually refrigerate the cookies, mostly because I've run out of time.  You can cook them right away  (one of these times I am going to try that).  I can't attest to the consistency differences between refrigerated or not, there are probably minimal.

Drop the cookies by teaspoonful* (like you use to eat, not measure) onto a greased baking sheet.  If you refrigerated them, flatten them slightly with your hands.  Sprinkle the top of each with a few coarse sea salt crystals.  Bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 12 -14 minutes until the edges are firm.  They'll firm up even more as they cool.  Enjoy.

*If you desire bigger cookies use a heaping tablespoonful instead.

Cowboy Cookie Bars

When my new Food and Wine magazine came, I was immediately drawn to the Chocolate Chip-Pecan Cookie Bars. It took exactly when day between when the magazine darkened my door to when the bars came out of the oven. I transformed them though, into my favorite kind of chocolate chip cookies--Cowboy Cookies.

These have the taste of cookies, but the ease of bar cookies---just one pan to bake and then cut. Simple. Do I need to tell you that everyone loved these and M was thrilled to get these in her lunch?

Cowboy Cookie Bars

adapted from Food and Wine

1 c pecans

4 T butter, at room temperautre

2 T oil

1/4 c plus 2 T sugar

1/4 c plus 2 T brown sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

3/4 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c oatmeal

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 c chocolate chips (I like bittersweet, but you can use whatever is your favorite)

Spread the pecans on a sheet pan and toast in a 350 degrees oven for 8 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Cool and then chop.

Beat the sugar and oil until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and combine at low speed, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and mix by hand until the mixture is blended.

Press dough into an even layer in a 9 x 13" pan that has been lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I used foil). Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and nearly set in the center. Let cool, then remove from pan and cut into squares.

Rugelach

New flash: There is still time to make these!! Do it now, find some very dear friends to share them with, and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee/tea/cocoa sitting around the fireplace Christmas eve (or in my case, frantically finishing wrapping my presents Christmas Eve after the church service). Either way, make these. Soon.

Granted, these won't be the most beautiful, elegant cookie you serve. In fact, they look rather sloppy and at times, ugly. That doesn't matter. Sometimes, beauty is more than skin deep and appearances don't matter.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the name sounds like arugula, with the "ah" sound at the beginning. Thus, if tell someone that you are going to eat only rugelach for supper tonight, they'll be impressed with your desire to eat a salad for supper. You will want to eat just these for supper. Curtis has named these his favorite dessert that I make (his apple pie is his favorite dessert ever). For the record though, he has deemed several desserts as his favorite dessert.

This will make 32 cookies. If I know I am sharing these with anyone outside my family, I make a double batch, otherwise, Curtis starts to whine. When you make these, allow yourself time to let the dough refrigerate for 2 hours (or freeze it until you are ready to make it if it is going to be days or weeks).

Rugelach
adapted slightly from Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

4 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 c flour
1/4 t salt

2/3 c raspberry jam (you want this to be a rather thick kind)
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c pecans, chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (2/3 c mini-chocolate chips)

1 large egg
1 t cold water
2 T sugar (preferably turninado or coarse decorating sugar

To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes so they are still cool, but a little softened. Put flour and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to blend. Scatter the cream cheese and butter over top. Pulse the machine 6 - 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the dough forms large curds (you don't want it to become a ball on the blade). Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can also put the disks in the freezer and save it to finish much later).

To finish rugelach: Mix together 2 T sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon. Set aside. Remove one disk of dough from the fridge/freezer (if it's been the freezer, let it warm up on the counter for a little while). Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place between two sheets of parchment paper (this makes for much easier rolling--you can also just lightly flour a work surface, but I've had better results with parchment---unlike what is pictured). Do the following as quickly as possible so the dough doesn't get to warm. Roll the dough into a 11 - 12" circle. Put dough circle back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make it easier to handle. Remove dough from fridge and brush or spoon a thin gloss of jam over the dough. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over top. Scatter half of the pecans and half of the chocolate over jam/cinnamon sugar.

Using a pizza cutter (that's right, friends! Multi-tasking kitchen tools!!), divide the circle into 16 wedges (in half and in half again and so on). Starting at at the fat end of each wedge, carefully roll up the dough (like a cinnamon roll, kind of). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silcone mats. Once the baking sheet is full, refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

To bake: Remove rugelach from the fridge. Combine egg and water in a small bowl. Brush each rugelach with egg and water. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven from 20 - 25 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer to rack and let cool to just warm or room temperature (so jam/chocolate doesn't burn your mouth).

My Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookies

For years, Cowboy Cookies (choc chip cookies with oatmeal) were my go-to cookies. That changed in December. These cookies replaced the cookie of my childhood (sorry, Dad). The recipe is pretty similar, it just adds peanut butter, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. I love these cookies and can't begin to count the number of times I've made this cookie since January. Finally, I decided to share. Just the recipe. Not the actual cookies. For the chocolate chips, I've been enjoying using Ghiradelli's bittersweet chocolate chips. These are more chocolatey and slightly larger than your normal semi-sweet chips. They are worth it. This recipe may possibly make 60 cookies if you don't make enormous cookies or eat too much raw cookie dough.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 c oats (not quick)
1 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t salt
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
1 c peanut butter (don't use natural)
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c chocolate chips (about 9 oz)

Stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minutes after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend on low speed until just mixed (don't overmix). Mix in the chocolate chips. If you have time, chill for at least two hours (cookies will hold their shape better).

Drop rounded T of dough 2 on baking sheets, allowing room for cookies to spread. If the dough is chilled, slightly flatten dough with the heel of your hand (cookies should be 1/2" thick). Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 13 - 15 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges (or baked to personal preference. Curtis likes his cookies crunchy, I'll take mine soft and gooey, please).

Nanaimo Bars

Before this recipe was featured on thekitchen.com, I had never heard of Nanaimo Bars. It turns out that most people in the US haven't heard of Nanaimo Bars unless they've been to Vancouver and happened to have them there. Nanaimo Bars is a regional specialty of Vancouver. Curtis, being a Canadian citizen whose mother lived in Vancouver for years, had heard of these and was excited when he heard I was making them in honor of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

My one warning about this recipe is this: Be prepared to share these bars. It makes a lot of bars. By a lot, I mean a cookie sheet worth....an entirely covered cookie sheet. Cut up, it makes between 72 - 100 bars, depending on how small you cut these (and I would recommend pretty small because they are rich).

Curtis and the kids loved these. I had mixed feelings toward them. I think I would like them much better if I had left out the coconut entirely. I don't love them, but I am working very hard to put a dent in our remaining 40 bars that are hanging out in my refrigerator. Next time I make this, I will definitely cut the recipe in half.

Nanaimo Bars
from thekitchn.com

Bottom Layer
3 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
2 c shredded coconuts
1 c almonds, pecans, or walnuts, chopped fine
1 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c plus 2 T cocoa
2 large eggs, beaten
Middle Layer
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
4 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c vanilla instant pudding powder
Top Layer
12 oz (about 2 c) finely chopped semisweet chocolate
1/4 c heavy cream
2 T butter

For the bottom layer: stir together graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt butter, sugar, and cocoa. Once the butter is melted, add the eggs. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees (this is to reduce the risk of salmonella poisoning because the bars aren't baked). Immediately pour over the graham cracker mixture and blend thoroughly. Press firmly into an even layer in a 12 x 18" cookie sheet (a half-sheet pan with sides).


For the middle layer: Beat together the butter and confectioner's sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and instant pudding powder. Add to the butter mixture and beat 1 - 2 minutes. Spread in an even layer over graham cracker mixture and refrigerate. This is easiest to do using your fingers as the layer is rather thick in consistency. Once spread out, the layer will be thin.

For the top layer: In a top of double boiler over simmering water, combine chocolate, cream, and butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool until just barely warm, but still liquid and pour over vanilla middle layer. Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until chocolate topping is firm, then cut.

The Best Rice Krispie Treats Ever

Need I say more? These are incredible and what I will do whenever I happen to have rice krispies sitting around my house. I love them.

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats
from SmittenKitchn

1/2 c unsalted butter
10 oz of marshmallows
heaping 1/4 t coarse sea salt
6 c Rice Krispies cereal

Butter a 9" square pan. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring frequently until butter has browned (it will foam, turn clear golden, and then start to brown---it will look like little pieces of brown things are floating in it). As soon as butter has browned and has taken on a nutty color and smell, turn off the heat and stir in the marshmallows. You shouldn't need to turn the heat back on, the pot and heat from the butter should melt the marshmallows. Stir vigorously until it is smooth. (if needed, turn the heat on low to help melt the marshmallows). Remove from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal. Spread into buttered pan. Press firmly into pan and evenly into the edges and corners with a silicon spatula. Let cool and cut into squares.

Sand Tarts

Like I said on Friday, my first true sand tart success was this past week. I had almost decided it was time to ditch the sand tart recipe and just stick to my sugar cookie recipe. This batch of cookies saved sand tarts for me.

In case you aren't familiar with sand tarts, or at least my definition of sand tarts, let me fill you in. Sand tarts are very thin sugar cookies. A little sandy, crispy, they are thinly rolled and baked only long enough to crisp, but not brown. When I was looking for other sand tart recipes online, I discovered there are other versions of sand tarts--many have walnuts or pecans or almonds on them. Some are circular and decorated with almonds to look like sand dollars. The sand tarts I am familiar with though tend to have no nuts---just cut out with cookie cutters and topped with a little colored sugar.

A good baking pan is very helpful for this. Just a plain, heavy duty baking sheet is all you need---nothing fancy. If you don't have good baking sheets, I would recommend going to a restaurant supply store. I found them there for $7.50 a piece and I am in love with mine---the best baking sheets I've found. Other than that, try to get the cookies all the same thickness or at least group cookies of similar thickness on one pan. That will allow the cookies to get crispy without browning. The cookies need to refrigerate over night or freeze for an hour before baking.

Sand Tarts
from Good Housekeeping's Cookies!

1 c butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
3 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Beat butter and sugar in a mixer until light and creamy. Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs and vanilla until mixed. Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined, occasionally scraping bowl with a rubber scraper. Shape dough into 4 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough until 1/8" thick. To prevent dough from sticking, pick up and rotate/flip dough frequently, reflouring as necessary. Cut dough into as many cookies as possible with cookie cutters, reserving trimmings. Place cookies on large ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles if desired. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 8 - 12 minutes (depending on thickness), until cookies are crispy, but not browned. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings until all the dough is used. If desired, frost with icing when finished (if you didn't top with sprinkles, etc).

How I Spent My Friday Afternoon

It was a truly wonderful afternoon. The only thing it needed was the foot of snow that my Virginia family is forecast to get tonight/tomorrow. All of the cookies I had stashed in the refrigerator and freezer I brought out to bake. What I ended up with (from front to back):

Molasses Cookies
Pinwheel Cookies (I especially like the pinwheel cookie wreck in the middle of the picture)
Sand Tarts
World Peace Cookies
Linzer Cookies
and already made, not pictured Buckeyes.

I like this method of baking. I will definitely need to remember it for next year. I used Stonewall Kitchen's Raspberry Jam for the filling of the Linzer cookies. It wasn't what I used last year, but it was thick enough to do.

This was the first year I was happy with my sand tarts. The secret? Two things. 1) No one helped me. 2) New baking pans from a restaurant supply store. Heavy duty, half sheet pans. They were awesome and the cookies cooked until they were crispy without browning. It was easier to roll them out evenly since no one was helping me (as in, no children assisting). Cookie making with kids is fun, but cookie making by myself is fun too.

Buckeyes

This is another one of my Grandma's recipes. Buckeyes, I've learned recently, aren't just a Lancaster County, PA Christmas speciality. In my not very extensive research, I've learned that buckeyes are commonly eaten at Ohio State "Buckeyes" football games. Those buckeyes, are slightly different than mine. The football buckeye candy is not completely coated with chocolate, but instead made to look like eyes. That approach looks really cool, but I'll take total chocolate coating any day over appearances.

My Grandma and her two sisters would make candy every year for many, many years. Buckeyes were the simplest candy they made and also my favorite. I was relieved to learn exactly how easy they are to make when I tried to make them. To make buckeyes the easiest, they will need to chill twice before being coated with chocolate. When coating them with chocolate, be careful not to let them sit in the chocolate. The chocolate will melt. I use an electric skillet, set to between 200 - 250 degrees. If you are fortunate enough to have a double boiler, use that. (I am not one of the fortunate ones...) If the finished buckeyes don't look perfect, don't fret. Everyone will ignore that once they eat one (and then another and another).

Do I need to say my kids love these?

Buckeyes

1/2 c butter, at room temperature
2 c crunchy peanut butter (not the organic/natural type--stick to Jiff or Peter Pan or the like)
1 3/4 c confectioners' sugar
3 c Rice Krispies

approximately 8 oz of chocolate chips or chocolate pieces
approximately 2 - 4 oz of a Hershey Bar (or similar chocolate bar)
approximately 1/4 slab of paraffin (Gulf Wax is a very common brand--pictured below)

Mix together butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and Rice Krispies well, using your hands if necessary. Form into small balls and chill.

Melt chocolate slowly in a double boiler or in an electric skillet (set between 200 - 250 degrees). If the chocolate is too hot, it will get crumbly. It will not recover from this (the heat being an "irreversible change," as M likes to remind me). Water and moisture will cause the chocolate to harden, so don't cover the pan while melting. Stir frequently. Stir in a little melted paraffin to thin chocolate. If chocolate is thin enough to coat, you won't need the paraffin. (Play around with this---taste or cut buckeyes in half to see if the thickness is right. It took me a several attempts before I figured out how thin it needs to be.)



Dip balls into chocolate. The easiest way I found to do this was dropping the buckeye in the chocolate, rolling it around, lifing it out with a fork, and scraping the bottom of the fork clean with a thin knife. Drop coated buckeye onto parchment paper to cool. Chill to harden and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Cookies Galore!

It's Christmastime and for those who know me, you know that I love to make cookies around Christmas. I give plates of cookies as gifts of thanks to teachers, neighbors, friends, pretty much anyone I can for as long as the cookies last. I enjoy coming up with a cookie menu with something for everyone--peanut butter, chocolate, sugar and butter, nuts, and spicy.

This year, that has gotten more challenging. The addition of another child and continued health issues for Curtis has made finding the time required a little more difficult. I have found the answers though. 1) Don't make as many kinds of cookies (the list of this years cookies to follow) and 2) Break cookie making into parts and divide over days.

We are fortunate to live in modern times of good freezers. This makes my problem so much less of a problem. Currently in my freezer, I have two different kinds of cookies, waiting until the week I want to give them to be baked. Most cookies freeze easily before baking or at least will last in the refrigerator a week or so. Rolled cookies and ice box cookies actually require refrigeration (or freezing) before baking. Thus, I have started making my cookies 3 weeks before I intend on giving them.

My cookie list for this Christmas:

Buckeyes
Linzer Cookies
Molasses Sugar Cookies
World Peace Cookies
Sugar cookies or sand tarts
Pecan Sandies

The buckeyes are waiting to be coated with chocolate in my refrigerator and the Linzer Cookies and World Peace Cookies are chilling in the freezer. I plan on having the molasses sugar cookies join them there tomorrow and making sand tarts with the kids next week. Pecan sandies will be made only right before I bake them. The plan is to post recipes for the buckeyes and sand tarts this year. The World Peace Cookies can be found here, at smitten kitchn.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies-Not My Favorite-Keep Scrolling

I finally got around to making the whoopie pies I've been talking about for a while. I decided on pumpkin instead of zucchini because is October and we were in a midst of a nice rainy day. I was also trying to decide on the appropriate recipe for our church's pumpkin dessert competition in a couple of Sundays and wanted to test this one out.

Whoopie Pies, for those of you not from Amish country or the Northeast, are basically two little cakes held together by icing in the middle. Typically, these are no larger in diameter than a baseball. I grew up eating chocolate whoopie pies, with uncooked egg white icing in the middle. I didn't like the feel of the egg white frosting in my mouth, so I switched to boiled white icing for my chocolate whoopie pies. However, for the pumpkin whoopie pies, I thought cream cheese frosting (with a hint of nutmeg) would work best.

Making these are a little time consuming because of multiple steps. They are totally worth it though. These tend to be wrapped individually in Saran Wrap. I generally freeze my chocolate whoopie pies and pull them out of the freezer to eat when I want some. They last a little longer this way and I don't need to worry about the moist cake spoiling quickly. I used some of my frozen winter squash for these. If you opt for canned pumpkin instead of frozen winter squash, you will need to shorten the baking time considerably. I baked mine for 20 minutes a pan. The original recipe (using canned pumpkin) thought you would only need to bake them for 10 minutes.

Do I need to tell you that everyone in my family loves these? J isn't sure whether to call them a cookie or a cupcake. Technically, they are considered a cookie. They didn't last long and I think I may need to make another batch before too long. I think this recipe makes between 2 and 3 dozen (we ate them too fast to be able to count them) finished whoopie pies.

Pumpkin Whoopies with Cream Cheese Icing
adapted from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes and Martha Stewart

Cakes
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c sugar
2 c brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
4 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
a dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 c pureed pumpkin

Icing
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
3 c powdered sugar
a dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 t vanilla

For the cakes: Beat together the well the oil and sugars. Add egg yolks and vanilla, beating until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients, except pumpkin. Add dry ingredients alternately with the pumpkin to the egg mixture, ending with the dry. Drop by teaspoonfuls (to tablespoonfuls---from the cutlery drawer, not measuring spoons) onto greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 10 - 20 minutes (or until cakes are baked through--test with a toothpick or by eating). Remove from pan to rack. Let cool.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the nutmeg and vanilla and stir to combine.

To Assemble the Whoopie Pies: Once the cakes are cooled, pair them together, looking for two cakes that are similar in size. Top one flat side of the cake with icing. Top with other cookie, flat side down, against the icing.

Black and White Mandelbrot

This is the plate of cookies teachers, etc got this Christmas. Going around the plate (starting at about 10:00) is Black and White Mandelbrot, Chow Mein Cookies, Sand Tarts, Linzer cookies (the star shaped ones), Chocolate Crinkles, Molasses Sugar cookies, Buckeyes and Pecan Sandies. Below are the recipes for the mandelbrot and chow mein cookies.

Again, another cookie that goes great with coffee. These are the Jewish equivalent of biscotti. I don't tend to make them as hard as biscotti tends to be. I have never quite figured out what my "logs" are supposed to look like so they tend to vary from time to time. This time I misread the directions and only made two logs so they turned out looking more like long biscotti.

Black and White Mandelbrot
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted, still warm
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 T brewed coffee
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 c white chocolate, in coarse chunks
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate, in coarse chunks

4 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled

In a large bowl, stir the butter with the cocoa Blend in the sugars, then the eggs, vanilla, and coffee. In a separate bowl, blend together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir the solids into the wet batter, then fold in the white and semi-sweet chocolates. Divide the batter into 4 equal parts. Form 2 logs on each baking sheet that is coated with parchment paper, approximately 8 inches long by 3 or 4 inches wide. Bake sheets in a preheated 350 degrees oven, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Bake until the top seems set, about 25 - 30 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.

Transfer the logs to a cutting board and cut them on the diagonal, into 1/2 - 3/4"-thick wedges. Reduce the oven heat to 325. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets and return them to the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes to dry out, turning them once midway to brown both sides evenly. Since the cookies are dark, it is difficult to see when they are done. They should seem almost dry to the touch when ready. If you want, drizzle melted white chocolate over the top of the cookies or spread over the top.



There are no easier cookies than these. I am not quite sure if this falls in the category of cookies or candy. My grandma made them every year at Christmas and they were one of my favorites. M tried one today and thought they were very good. These are also sometimes called Haystacks.

Chow Mein Cookies

1 (12 oz) pkg butterscotch chips
2 c chow mein noodles
2 c miniature marshmallows
1 c chunky peanut butter

Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Add noodles and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper and cool to set.

Pecan Sandies

These are one of the best cookies to go with coffee that I know. The dough is somewhat strange to work with---you need to convince it to hold together. However, they are pretty easy to make. They do harden very quickly, but that is easily remedied by putting a slice of bread in the container the cookies are stored in (or just dipping/eating them with coffee). These cookies are also sometimes called Russian Tea Cookies.

Pecan Sandies

2 c flour
1/4 c pecans, finely chopped
1/8 salt
3/4 c sugar
9 T butter, at room temperature
2 t vanilla

1/4 c powdered sugar

Combine flour, pecans, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter with a mixer until they are fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in vanilla. Beating at low speed, gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined (dough will look very crumbly) Shape dough into 1" balls. Place balls on cookie sheets (they won't rise so they don't need to be very far apart). Bake in preheated 350 oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. While cookies are still hot, roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.