Cookie Speak

Want to know why cookies are so great? Because you can respond to almost any situation with a cookie. Need to impress a large group of people? Simple but delicious snickerdoodles. Big fight with your sweetie-poo? Something loaded with peanut butter and  chocolate chips. Need to suck up to your boss? Something involved macadamia nuts and white chocolate will do the trick.

I have this friend. This friend that you may remember from long ago college posts. I am trying to convince her to move to Boston. But sometimes this friend doesn’t answer my text messages. Or my facebook messages. Or my mind vibes. Or my smoke signals.

So I sent her these cookies and got a call within 10 minutes of delivery. Bam.

Yes, they are buttery shortbread. Yes, they have toffee bits in them. Yes, she had to unscramble them.

If this doesn’t quite literally spell out the benefits of being my housemate in Boston…. well then I give up. The cookies speak for themselves.

 

Toffee Crunch Shortbread Cookies

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup toffee bits
milk chocolate for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter, sugar, and flour together, then stir in toffee bits. Roll into balls and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for approx. 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Let cool slightly, and remove carefully to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Decorate with melted milk chocolate if desired.

 

Happy Easter!

There is nothing like Easter to give you an unlimited license to be cute.

We are talking pastel colored, bunnies and baby chicks, little kids in flowery dresses cute.

I love Easter, but I HATE jelly bean.

Just thought you should know.

This guy tried to catch my little chocolate birdies more than once. He’s pretty cute too.

Happy Easter!

Harvard Man Cookies

Am I allowed to brag a little?

Okay thanks guys! I am officially dating a HARVARD MAN.

Yep, my man is headed to Harvard for graduate school next year! My first reaction? Yes! A chance to make themed cookies!!! I mean, congratulations, honey!!!!

But of course, I couldn’t resist. I just had to whip up a batch of crimson Red Velvet roll out cookies complete with cream cheese frosting Harvard H’s. I also made some Harvard cocktails and hit up The Coop for a Harvard tee.

While this was slightly beside the point for this occasion… these actually weren’t my favorite cookies. I found them to be a bit chalky. If I make them again, I think they need more butter or liquid and a little less cocoa powder so they are a little less thick and a little more red.  But they were fun to make – I had never heard of red velvet cookies before, only cake or cupcakes! And I’m always up for a kitchen adventure.

So all I have to say is….. GO CRIMSON!! And really, congratulations to my Christopher

Red Velvet Roll Out Cookies
adapted from ireallylikefood.com

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 vanilla bean pods, seeds scraped out
• 1 tbsp red food colouring
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup buttermilk powder
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cream together butter and confectioners sugar. Add the egg, vanilla seeds, red food colouring, and 2 tbs milk and mix well.  Sift together the cocoa, buttermilk powder, flour, baking powder and salt and add to the wet ingredients. The dough should be soft but not sticky. After mixing, let it rest for five to ten minutes, then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness dusting very lightly with cocoa powder if needed. Cut into desired shapes and bake at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes. Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting!

Hey stranger….

Okay. It’s been a while. But let’s not make this awkward. We are old friends right? Time means nothing?

Yeah, yeah, get on with the chocolate, right?

I have to say, I had all but given up on this little blog of mine. It’s not that I didn’t miss it, and it’s not that I haven’t been baking. I just thought perhaps it had run its course.

But then I got a call from a friend, who, much like this blog, I hadn’t talked to in way too long. Let’s just say she was in need of some chocolate therapy. And I realized…. so was I. So I got out my mixing bowls and my trusty camera. I don’t think I fully appreciate how much I missed full on baking until I was elbow deep in graham crackers and chocolate chips.

OH…and there’s a new addition to my baking team…. MEET ARTHUR! I’m sure he will be making some appearances…

Betsy, darling, this is for you. Sorry I couldn’t mail it.

A graham cracker crust with chunks of chocolate.

A gooey caramelly-chocolate center, studded with pecans and chocolate chips.

Topped with a sticky sweet swirl of caramel on top.

Yes. Please.

Chocolate Turtle Pie
recipe from Mrs. Field’s I Love Chocolate Cookbook

Crust:
1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs
3 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
4 tbs unsalted butter; melted

Filling
5 egg yolks
2 tbs sugar
3 tbs water
3/4 c sugar
6 oz semisweet chocolate; finely chopped
2 c heavy cream; scalded
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c chopped pecans
Caramel topping (like the kind you put on ice cream)

Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, blend the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Stir in the milk chocolate. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a heavy medium saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then let boil without stirring until the syrup turns a light amber. While the syrup is boiling, brush down the sides of the pan from time to time with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the hot cream (be careful, it will bubble rapidly). Continue stirring, over heat if necessary, until all of the caramel is dissolved into the cream. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Whisk about 1/2 c. of the hot caramel cream into the eggs to warm them. Transfer the warmed eggs to the caramel cream in the saucepan. Stir in the chopped semisweet chocolate and the vanilla, stirring until melted and smooth. Pour the filling mixture into the pie crust. Sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips on top.

Bake for about 35 min., or until the center is just set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate until firm, about 4 hrs. Drizzle caramel on top when cool.

Kaiser Rolls: Adventures in Bread

I have bloggers writing block.

I made these really cool rolls, but I can’t think of anything witty to say about them.

So I hope you don’t mind looking at the pictures.

If you want, you can make up your own blog post in your head!

Here are the essentials:

These tasted good.

They were fun to make.

I can’t give you the recipe, but I can give you the link to Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Happy Birthday, U.S. of A.!

Happy 4^th of July!

It was a bit of a battle to post this before midnight… but here you are!

Yes, I used a mix. From Sprinkles cupcake shop. Yep, that one.

Thoughts on life and bagels. (Adventures in Bread)

When you are sitting up late at night writing a paper or studying for a test, do you ever dream about being a bread baker? I do. I would happily go to sleep at 8pm and wake up before the sun to head into my friendly little bakery to start preparing fresh delicious breads for my amazing local customers. Spending dark quiet mornings surrounded by rising dough and the smell of yeast… What? You don’t have that fantasy? Hmm… well, you obviously have never made bagels. I’m telling you, the magical experience of actually creating your own homemade bagels is enough to make you want to put down your pen and put on an apron.

Rewind a few months. As graduation inched (flew, really) towards me, I began to feel more and more burned out on all the time spent on my computer, analyzing and fact checking and researching. I didn’t bake for weeks. I just needed to get my hands covered in flour and heat up my oven. There is something so grounding about the process of bread-making, and let me tell you, I needed some solid ground! And while I didn’t have control over the type of security that might come with, say, a job prospect for the future (and still don’t..eeek!), I do have control over my hands and the ingredients in my kitchen. And really, if all it takes is a little kneading, shaping, boiling, and baking to make me feel like I’ve got a handle on things, I’m a pretty lucky girl.

These bagels… well, they were just bagels. But I made them with my own two hands, and I’ll take pride in that, thank you very much!  I hope that, in the midst of whatever is stressing you out these days, you can find a Saturday morning to give these a try.

Take your time.

Get messy.

Knead until your arms hurt.

Be patient.

Savor the taste.

Don’t worry about life, just make bagels.

 

(Where are the directions you ask? The recipe I used was from my trusty Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. This book is too beautiful to smash all over the internet, so I suggest you hit the library or bookstore and get a copy!)

Happy Father’s Day Pops!!

Beets.

Chocolate cake.

Juicy, earthy vegetables.

Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting.

Try to hide them under your napkin during dinner.

Beg your father for just onnnnnne more slice.

Pop, thanks for making me eat my vegetables.

But more importantly, thanks for teaching me to love the sweet stuff.

Pop, believe it or not, your daughter, the same one who used to cry at the dinner table over a plate of sundried tomato meatloaf, has baked a chocolate beet cake. The same girl who needed a kiddie plate to separate her peas from her potatoes until the age of 17 has combined vegetables and dessert into one single pan.

Guess what? It was delicious.

The sailboat is for you, pops. The cake… well…. it was for you, but you weren’t around, so I ate it myself. In your honor of course. With a tall glass of skim.

All the love in the world to the best papa a girl could ever have!

Chocolate Beet Cake
Adapted from Veggie Belly

1/2 cup milk/semi-sweet/dark chocolate chips (your preference)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cooked and pureed beets
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, sugar, and oil. Slowly, add the beets, chocolate, and vanilla and beat until just combined.

Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to overwork.

Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let most cool in pan, then carefully remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup butter (if using unsalted, toss in a dash of salt)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup cocoa
milk as needed

In an electric mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add sugar and cocoa powder and whip until combined. Add milk as needed and whip on high to achieve desired consistency. Try to frost the cake before you eat the whole bowl!

Happy Father’s Day Tom!

Tom, I made you some scones.

Sorry, I ate them all myself.

But I thought of you while I was eating them, because you taught me to love scones. You taught me to bake delicious scones. You taught me how to use a pastry cutter. You taught me that scones are merely a tasty vehicle for butter.

What more could a girl ask for in a step-dad!

And don’t worry, I didn’t really eat them all myself, I shared a few

Love you Tom! Happy Father’s Day to the best step-father a girl could ask for

Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
Adapted from Pinch My Salt

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk, or milk with half a tablespoon of vinegar (let sit for a few minutes)
1 large egg
1/3 cup cranberries, chopped up
a bit heavy cream or melted butter (optional, for brushing tops of scones)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Add butter chunks and toss lightly with flour; place bowl in fridge.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk; place bowl in fridge.
4. Measure out and chop the cranberries; set aside. Prep a baking sheet with parchement paper or light greasing. Lightly dust a counter top with flour. Pour a little bit of heavy cream or melted butter in a bowl and have a pastry brush handy.
5. Remove bowls of flour and buttermilk from fridge. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or rub together with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries and stir to combine.
6. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir until the mixture clumps together. Dump mixture out onto floured counter top and, with floured hands, gather into a ball and knead once or twice to combine everything. Pat into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 slices, like a pie, or cut with biscuit or cookie cutters into whatever shape you prefer. Put scones on lined baking sheet and brush lightly with heavy cream or butter if desired
7. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 13-15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to cooling rack.
8. Eat them in honor of your step-dad!

Awkward face :-0

Insert awkward face here.

You know that thing that you put off for a few days when you were really really busy with finishing college? And then a few days became a few weeks? And then a few months? And the longer you put this thing off the harder it became to sit down and get this thing done?

Oops. I’m back. I sure did miss you. I wish I could say I have tons of delicious treats to lavish upon your hungry eyes saved up from these past few months of silence, but the truth is, I had to put the lid on the cookie jar altogether for quite a while.  There was one bake sale incident that involved a lot of box mixes (Thank you, Betty), but my oven has been pretty cold lately.

Here’s the good news. I graduated. Got the whole school thing over with. So now I can fully devote myself to the pursuit of creating and capturing delicious food.