52 cookies :: week 49 :: cookie sticks

Cookie Sticks
via My Baking Addiction

1/2 c canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c peanut butter chips
1 c semisweet chocolate chips (I forwent the peanut butter chips and did 1 c chocolate chips total)

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix until well combined. Fold in the peanut butter chips and divide dough in half.

On the prepared baking sheet, shape each portion into a 15" x 3" rectangle about 3" apart. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; pressing them lightly into the dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-7 minutes. (Bake for 8-9 minutes for crispier cookies.) Cool for about 10 minutes. Cut with a serrated knife into 1-in. strips; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*I rolled them out to more like 15" x 5". didn't sprinkle them with extra chips, and after baking for 7 minutes removed them from the oven - sliced them - then returned them to the oven for another 5 minutes





* * * * *
K: Love the length of these cookies! They are so awesome. The taste of the peanut butter & chocolate makes it awesome. They are amazing. It is probably on my top 10. And they are awesome with milk!!!!!!

E: Peanut butter chocolate chocolate sticks of delight. With a glass of milk they are the perfect snack for after school while working on your homework. They are the power boost you need to do homework. Yummy!

D: this cookie has been a good friend. this morning i took one (three) to work with me. munched them, chewy and comforting with a cup of coffee. everyone else was grumpy, while i was showing off, all crumbly on my face, my beard. I get home today, and my friend "cookie stick" is waiting for me with a bourbon. It balances perfectly across a glass so I can negotiate the hazards of home. ya know that 95% of all accidents happen in the home. Cookie stick doesn't get in the way and is yummy. hits the spot. Tonight, i see my old friend acting like a biscotti, nestled up on a large glass of cabernet. You cannot hide from me! Good-bye cookie stick.

52 cookies :: week 45 :: lemon thumbprint cookies

a different recipe than the last thumbprints - i was going for a lemon-bar-like experience with these and used an old recipe from my files (source unknown I'm afraid). and a slight cheat with the use of the scrumptious lemon curd produced annually by my friend john from his "farm"-fresh eggs and lemons.





Lemon Curd Thumbprint Butter Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c lemon curd

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix at low speed until incorporated. Using your hands, roll the dough into golf-ball-sized balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet, flattening them out as you go. Indent with thumb to create a shallow well. Using a small spoon, fill the wells with lemon curd. Bake until very lightly browned around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on the pan. Store in an airtight container.



* * * * *
K: These cookies I thought would be not to my liking but I really enjoyed them. The lemon was just a teensy bit too much for me but I loved the cookie and the powdered sugar. I still liked the lemon. It was just a little too much.

E: Ok. These cookies are good. The lemon part is very delicious as well as the actual cookie. They fit perfectly together. I don't think it would be good just eating the cookie or just eating the lemon curd. These are delcious sights to see.

D: Oh yes. I cannot contain myself. I am a sucker for the lemon. These cookies are the perfect combination of things that I love, short bread and lemon curd and stuffing my gob. They work so well together. I want one right now.

Home stretch...

52 cookies :: week 40 :: chocolate sugar cookies

Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies
via sweetapolita

6 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1-1/4 c dark cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c granulated sugar
1 c light brown sugar
3 eggs, cold
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs until just combined.

Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and blend.

Remove 1/2 of dough from bowl, make a ball, and place on a large piece of plastic wrap on counter. Wrap the sides of wrap over the ball, then press down with the palm of your hand and make a disc about 2" thick. Finish wrapping the disc with the plastic wrap. Repeat with 2nd half of dough. Chill both discs of dough for about 45 minutes.

Remove one disc and remove plastic wrap. Place on top of a large piece of parchment paper with silicone rolling mat underneath to ensure it doesn't slip while rolling.

*good trick* Place two 1/4" wooden dowels on either side of your dough, then another sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough so it's flush with dowels to ensure dough is even thickness.

Preheat your oven to 325° F. Slide parchment paper and dough onto a board, then place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Remove from fridge, and cut shapes. Place them on a baker's half sheet lined with silpat, with 2" clearance around each one and the edge of sheet. Place sheet with cookies into freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Bake until cookie edges are just crisp, about 16 minutes.

Cool sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes, then gently remove cookies and place on wire racks to finish cooling.

Makes 3 dozen cookies. (We made leaves and stars - the leaves are in an airtight container in the freezer waiting for Thursday! The stars are in the cookie jar - and disappearing quickly.)




* * * * *



K: Awesome with milk!!! All you can taste is yummy choklte. I <3 thse cookies.

E: Mmmm... Crispy, crunchy wonderful-ness. These cookies R GR8 with milk!

D: What can I say that the kids haven't said? Except that they are a perfect match for bringing in the holidays. Happy American Thanksgiving Uncle Don! See you soon.

52 cookies :: week 39 :: candy cookies

The girls made a deal with us this year: Halloween was Wednesday. They had Thursday through Sunday to eat as much of their candy as they wished. (With the caveat that they were not allowed to take any candy to school on Friday.) And Monday morning I would throw whatever was left out.

E - who normally would ration her candy out so that she'd still be taking a piece a day in February wasn't thrilled - but agreed. K's eyes went wide. A dream come true for this kid. And I was happy with the thought of not having to say "No". It worked out really well. They did not eat as much as I thought they would - though K came pretty close - and come Monday they still had quite full treat bags remaining. E's school was collecting leftover candy (sans chocolate) to send to troops overseas. We sorted and that was that. I was left with a bag of chocolate bits and bobs, and instead of throwing all of it into the trash, I decided to incorporate some of it into this week's cookie using a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe from a forgotten source...



I couldn't decide what to call these...

Leftover Cookies or Garbage Cookies or

Candy Cookies
makes about a dozen large cookies

1 stick butter at room temperature
1/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c flour
1 c chopped up Halloween candy

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix together butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to butter mixture until just combined. Fold in candy.

Scoop dough onto silpat prepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes - or until golden.

(They turned out larger than I wanted, so I ended up cutting them in half to get them out of the cookie jar!)

* * * * *

K: These cookies are so good!!!!!!!!! The cookies are made out Halloween candy like Twix and Milky way and M&Ms!!! I think this might be #1 on my top 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

E: Mmmmmmm... Sooooo good! Never thought giving away Halloween candy would come back so sweet.

D: If these are garbage cookies then I must be Oscar the Grouch, " cuz I love (this) trash!" Great way to send Halloween away for another year, and hopefully return the children to us. I don't even know who the two sugar freaks are restlessly sleeping in the next room.

Anyways... I'm wondering now about cookies and garbage and all those other bits that didn't make the contents list. What would it taste like with bits of Twizzler, probably gross. What about Abazaba? Probably awesome! Mounds,!., Almond Joy?!?,! Hey why don't you bring back that bountiful bag of sweets. I'm not quite done....gotta take me a ride on that big rock candy mountain! Woohoo!!!

52 cookies :: week 38 :: butterscotch blondies

today was the first cool day after another heat wave. i held off baking in anticipation of today.



Butterscotch Blondies
via Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

8 tbsp butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 c all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting. (of course you'll see above we couldn't wait...)

We went with a "Magic" variation and added: 1/2 c toasted walnuts and 1/2 c chocolate chips.

*****

K: These cookies are so good. The blondies are so chocolaty. I like them sooooo much ... the walnuts tast so good with the chocolate... MMMMMmmmmm, MMMMMmmmmm,mm mmmmmm

E: Mmmmmmmm! These cookies are awesome! They have such a unique flavor. I ::heart:: them!

D: Great change up, these blondes are yummy, crumbly, sweet, buttery, and just right for this changing temperature moment that just might usher in autumn. The fall. Hmmm, it is just a cookie, but a cookie might become our leader.

I'm gonna come out and say it, "Binders full of cookies!!!"



perfect day for blondies, tall glasses of milk, and just hanging out.

i'm back to germany this week. lots to do before i leave.

52 cookies :: week 37 :: itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookies

this is getting more difficult... my peeps are getting tired of cookies! let's see if i can banish this slump.

these sound good - and meet the dark-chocolate and oats-only-if-they're-cooked criteria:



Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies

via 101 cookbooks

5 oz good-quality semi-sweet chocolate bar (I used Denman Island Simply Dark, which we had a stash of)
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c walnuts, very, very finely chopped (by hand)
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
scant 1 c natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
scant 1 tbsp organic unsulphured molasses (blackstrap)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c large-grain sugar

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, racks in top and bottom third. Line baking sheets with silpat.

Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8-inch pieces, more like shavings really. Try to avoid big lumps and chunks, which make flattening out the cookie dough later more difficult.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, walnuts, and shaved chocolate. Set aside.

Using a mixer (or by hand) beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugar and mix until it is also light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the molasses, then the egg, mixing until both are well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mix and stir by hand until the ingredients barely come together into a uniform dough.



Per the directions, I made these cookies tiny; taking a level teaspoons but not halfing it. They came out small enough for our tastes... Roll dough into a ball shape. Place two inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball into a thin, round patty with two fingers and then sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of large-grain sugar. Bake for 7 minutes or until cookies are golden and fragrant. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Makes about many dozen tiny, bite-sized cookies. ;)



*****

K: It's so tiny!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cookie has so much good flavor it its tiny self!! This is 1 good cookie!!!

E: These cookies are delicious! I think the size and flavor are perfect. Is there some salt in there? Tastes good!

D: They're chocolaty and chewy. The smallish size is a nice change, let's you eat them by the handful. I liked the secret flavor of _________, and you nailed it with the rolled oats.

52 cookies :: week 36 :: no-bake nutella peanut butter cookies

yes... we lost a few weeks to travel and the packing and unpacking that goes along with it.

but we are back.

the girls associate nutella with europe. where, on our trip last summer, they had it for breakfast every morning. i brought back little nutella snack packs for them from the airport in berlin. (i have never bought it here.) but these sounded yummy. and easy. which was pretty much my criteria for this week.



No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
via the kitchn

3 tbsp butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c milk
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c peanut or hazelnut butter
3/4 c Nutella hazelnut spread
2 tbsp hazelnut liqueur, like Frangelico (optional)
2 c rolled oats

In a medium to large saucepan, melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat. Add the sugar, milk, and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Stir in the peanut butter, Nutella, and Frangelico until melted, followed by the oats. Continue mixing until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Reduce heat to lowest setting.

Working quickly, use a spring-form ice cream scoop to shape balls of dough and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for thirty minutes until firm. Store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies



********

K: These cookies are so good. All you can taste is the goodness of the chocolate and oats. I love these cookies. I think they might be in my top 10.

E: Too chocolately. (!) After the last chocolate cookies, I have had no interest for this type of cookie. They taste exactly like the last no-bake chocolate cookies, but they are not as crumbly. I can't really taste the nutella. They would be good if they were a little more bittersweet.

D: Deliciously sweet dessert type cookie. The hazelnut makes it perfect with a cup of coffee. I'm kinda over the uncooked oatmeal texture but it does allow this sweet tooth grenade to masquerade as health-thing.

p.s do not eat these things directly out of the oven.

52 cookies :: week 35 :: peanut butter cup cookies

hello 180! i actually ended up really liking last week's cookie. it was a perfect mid-morning treat. oh well. the kids didn't get there. so i asked them what i should make next. they pointed to the dark chocolate peanut butter cups from trader joe's. we'd been here before. but these are a little different.

by the way: i cut the recipe in half as 5 dozen just seemed like an overwhelming number of unhealthy cookies. and i only made half of the half with peanut butter cups. the other half are plain old peanut butter cookies. and finally - i substituted whole wheat flour, which made me feel a little less guilty and gave them a nice nutty flavour.



Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
via coconut and lime

1 c butter
1 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c of flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 package TJ's dark chocolate peanut butter cups

In a large bowl, cream together both sugars, the peanut butter, eggs and butter. Add the flour and baking soda and mix thoroughly. Shape in to one inch balls and drop into an ungreased mini-muffin pan, one to a section. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove pans from oven and immediately press one miniature into each warm cookie. The candy should be fairly level with the top of the cookie. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove to a wire rack.

Yield: approximately 5 dozen cookies.



K: This cookie is good plain or a peanut butter cup. It is tall with a peanut butter cup, and it is flat without. This might be in "my top 5 favourites"!!!!!!!!!!!!

E: Yum! These cookies are amazing! 200% flavor put into a cookie. Mmmmmm,mmmmm,mmmm!

D: Age old classic. It is what it is. Also, cookie sans peanut butter Cup is a nice milk and cookie dunker.

52 cookies :: week 34 :: healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies

this past week just sped by. the long weekend filled itself with chores around the house - and lots of time in the pool. and now its Friday again. not sure how that happened.

i decided to veer off in another unexplored direction. our chewy granola bars have been one of my favourites - and while I have passed them off as "healthy", they really aren't. just a bit healthier, perhaps. the recipe below included healthy in its title - and no dairy, eggs of sugar in its ingredient list. oh, and its vegan (if vegan chocolate chips are employed). this usually sends off multiple red flags for me. i love butter. and sugar. and the magic they create together. but i thought we would give this a go. i am curious to see the results...



Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
via lux hippie

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp vanilla
1 c natural chunky peanut butter
4 tbsp maple syrup
2 c rolled oats
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (note: if you are using salted peanut butter, you may not need any salt, do a taste test with the batter)
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, mix bananas, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup into a creamy consistency with a hand mixer.

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder and salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until they are well combined, the batter should be slightly sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Place heaping tablespoon-sized balls of the batter onto a silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes around 2 dozen cookies

K: those cookies aren't so nice. they taste like blah. those cookies are un-delightful.

E: blech! i dont like these cookies one bit. these cookies do not appeal to me at all. :P

D: So you say, here is a healthy alternative cookie. So I say, tastes more like a cotton ball rolled in wood chips. Now, I gotta say that it really wasn't that bad at all. Just not what one would expect from a cookie. Unless of course there are some über mom hippie folk that have detoxed their palette from the white stuff. Well I'm riding that white pony, and this plop could really use a taste of the crystallized cooking product or something that's sooo bad that it makes it taste good. It's missing its sweet/crunchy chromosome. (Charlatan that I am, I am still mowing them down)

52 cookies :: week 33 :: mexican chocolate icebox cookies

first off thank you for your kind words here and via email. much appreciated. and lots of good ideas too. things are moving forward. slowly. but forward. and that is all we can ask for. your good thoughts, as always, mean so much.

thought i'd kick it up a bit this week. i've been a long time fan of jenny's - first at cookie - and then at her blog. I have spent time poolside this week reading through dinner a love story and these caught my eye. i knew this one wouldn't be a hit with the little sister. the big sister has always had a love of heat in her food, but k likes it mellow.



Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies
from Dinner a Love Story :: Jenny Rosenstrach

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Sift together in a bowl: flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter. Beat in vanilla and egg.

With your mixer, gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture until dough is uniform color and no unmixed flour remains. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each half into a log (about 8" long). Wrap tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap and freeze inside two tall drinking glasses on their sides for a minimum of 2 hrs and up to 6 weeks.

When ready, preheat oven to 375 F. Slice the frozen dough into round (about 1/4" thick) and place on baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes; until the edges feel a bit firm. Careful not to burn.



Store in an airtight container when cooled.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies. (I baked one roll, and saved the second to bake one evening this weekend, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm...)



K: Spicy, delicious cookie. A little too spicy for me. But so delicious. (I have realized that K finds it very difficult to criticize my cooking in a public forum. No trouble at the dinner table though!)

E: Delish! These cookies are awesome with a hint of spiciness. They would rock with ice cream, and are super with milk. Mmmmmmm...

D: Wow, what an interesting cookie. Have you ever had chili with chocolate chips in it? Well these two flavors are great conspirators. Chocolate with every bite and chili in every breath. Added bonus, the chili keeps cookie monsters like me from eating the whole jar.

*Double added bonus...your redo on last weeks bars was s.m.a.r.t. Nobody wants to struggle through a crumbly cookie mess. It made them more delicious, the flavors coalesced better with more compression.


****

*a cookie so nice, I baked it twice ;) i made last week's cookie again earlier this week. this time i pushed them into the pan with more force and the help of a tumbler. i also put them into the fridge overnight before cutting. they held together much better and were still yum. they are a perfect mid-day snack cookie for me - liking that they are wheat and egg free too.

52 cookies :: week 32 :: chewy granola bars

E and K's 3rd grade teacher - and amazing cook - wondered when i would enter into the realm of bars. with a return to school lunches, a bar sounded perfect to fit into the girls' lunchboxes.



Chewy Granola Bars with Pecans, Chocolate, and Cherries
via Orangette (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

2 c quick-cooking oats, divided
1/3 c sugar
1 c raw pecan halves
1/2 c unsweetened coconut chips
1/2 c chocolate chips or chopped chocolate of similar size
1/4 c dried cherries
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional - I left it out)
1/3 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
6 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Cut a rectangle of parchment paper to line the bottom and two sides of the dish, leaving a little overhang. Press the parchment paper into the dish. Lightly butter the parchment paper.

Put 1/3 cup of the oats in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 1 2/3 cup oats, ground oats, sugar, pecans, coconut chips, chocolate chips, dried cherries, & salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, vanilla extract, melted butter, honey, and water. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir well, until the mixture is evenly moistened. Transfer to the prepared pan, pressing the mixture firmly to ensure that it molds to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap did help.)

Bake the bars for about 30 minutes, or until they’re brown around the edges and just beginning to color on top, too.



Transfer the pan to a rack, and allow the bars to cool completely. When cool, run a sharp knife along the edges of the pan; then pull up on the parchment paper to lift the sheet of bars out of the pan. Cut the bars into squares.

If your bars seem crumbly, refrigerate them in the pan for 30 minutes to further set them, and then try cutting them while cold.

Our bars were crumbly. And I've store them in an airtight container in the fridge, between layers of wax paper. It has helped firm them up quite a bit.

Yield: 16 squares




K: Crunchy, and good. These cookies can crumble in your mouth, and in your hand! They'd be better if there was more chocolate than cherries.

E: Crumbly and crunchy. These cookies are AWESOME! They would be better if they stuck together more though.

D: Man this powerbar made me go out and run a mile. Nice idea and good flavor combo. I really liked the cherries and chocolate. They are a bit crumbly but that's ok for something so good for me.

52 cookies :: week 31 :: lemonade cookies

we are settling in very nicely to the new school year. e has declared joyfully that middle school is "like camp. but lasts longer!" she is taking french and thinks it is her favourite class. k has a wonderful teacher - and i know third grade will be a big (and great) year for her.



i am close to getting the carpool pick-up down. close but not quite.



the heat hasn't let up. we've been doing homework, playing in the pool, staying cool. just right for these:

Lemonade Cookies
from a few shortcuts

1 1/3 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
1 tsp lemon zest (I used 2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small bowl combine all the dry ingredients.

In the stand mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until blended. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined, scraping the bowl with a spatula. Stir in the lemon zest.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons (or a small icecream scoop), 2 inches apart on a silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until just brown around the edges.

Icing
3 c powdered sugar (I cut down on the frosting and only used 1 c here)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp light corn syrup (I used 1/2 tbsp)
2-3 tbsp water (I just added water until I was happy with the consistency)

Instead of following the directions I veered off here and left out the food colouring (the organic confectioners' sugar made the icing kind of yellow) and dipped each cookie in half way.



K: This cookie is good for any kind of day. It has really good flavour and texture. These are good to share with friends at school. They are the perfect size. The end.

E: Cool and refreshing these cookies are awesome. They are as refreshing as a glass of lemonade. Not only will they make you feel good on a hot day, they would make you feel good on cold days too. These cookies are great.

D: Good cookie. Kinda like a lemon butter cookie. It's soft but not soggy, and lemon fresh but not too strong. I think it would be best with a cup of tea. Oh yeah, it has the lightest little glaze on it making it special.

52 cookies :: week 30 :: lemon-zucchini cornmeal cookies

its hot here. I think its hot everywhere. but it is especially HOT here right now... (my Canadian family, so you don't have to do the math: 107 F = 42 C)

those who know me know how much i dislike the heat. but we are persevering. thanks to the ac and the pool. and late night cookie baking.

i thought i wanted to do a lemonade cookie of some sort - then in my search i found this one.

you can guess what we have a lot of on hand right now. 'tis the season for...



Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies
from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, September 2009

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp packed finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp coarse salt
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c fine cornmeal
1 medium zucchini, grated on small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly. Add zucchini and stir until a thick dough forms.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown at edges, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 2 dozen cookies



K: sugary, crunchy, nice, good cookie!!!!!! you can not taste the zucchini in it. i cannot believe that the crunchiness is cornmeal. i love the lemon and the taste and the cookie.

E: These cookies are good. They r very lemony and crunchy. They are not good left in hot spots though, because they will lose their crunch.

D: To quote Will Ferrell in Anchorman, "Milk was a bad choice". These cookies in this heat...bad idea. Now I'm sure there are defenders of the cookie that will now say how --- I am. Well, eat my cookies, I'm jumping in the pool with my beer and my wine. ;-)

52 cookies :: week 29 :: animal crackers

yes, a week on the road had us miss last week's cookie day. alas, i just couldn't pull it off.

further, i still haven't done a big shop since our return. our csa subscription started up again today so i haven't meal planned until tonight. the cupboards are pretty bare, but i promised the girls cookies for camp!

they are attending horse camp - riding every day, learning more about showing and dressage, and mucking about the stalls. they are (not surprisingly!) loving it.

so horsey cookies it is. an animal cracker recipe dedicated to their equine (and other farm) friends.

{This recipe also looks very good - but I was out of too many ingredients, so...}



Animal Crackers
via Williams Sonoma

2 1/2 c all purpose flour (I used 2 c all purpose and 1/2 c whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp mace (I didn't have any mace so just doubled the nutmeg)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar (I finished up our 1/2 c granulated and added a 1/2 c light brown)
1 egg (from our new chicken Miss Cavendish!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Beat butter, slowly add sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat. Add half the flour mixture and beat until combined, add remaining flour mixture and beat. Divide dough into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using - I chilled overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line cookie sheets with silpat. Lightly dip each cookie cutter in flour before cutting out cookie. (I decided to forgo the frosting and instead sprinkled them with a tiny bit of orange sanding sugar before baking.) Bake cookies for 14 mins or until light golden brown.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies. (I used our little farm cookie cutters and made over 100. Oops! Good thing they are yummy by the handful.)



K: I love these cookies!!!!!!!!
The only thing about them
Is they are too small!! I would eat 1000 a day if I could! Mmmmmmmmmm
Yum yum!!!

E: Mmmm,mmmmm,mmmmmmmm, they are awesome!!! They are a great size enough to eat ½ a cookie to 10 cookies.  They’re delicious.

D: I'm whack for these animal crackers. They are sooo reminiscent of a cookie that my neighbor's gramma would make by the truckload. We would eat bags of these in the hot valley sun, floating in the pool. They are a simple, flaky, super delicious shortbread, topped with a citrus wash and a slight nutty flavor. But it is the perfect toasty crunch that makes me want to eat them by the truckload. Omg goOd times.

52 cookies :: week 27 :: potato chip cookies

There is a running joke up here around making coffee in the morning. With a philosophy of connection to our daily routine we grind the coffee by hand. D likes his morning cup – but not-so-much the time and energy it takes to get there. We tease him about it – and of course being the good sport he is, he puts up with it all with a smile. (And I’ll add the end result cup of coffee is amazing!)



I hadn’t really thought about this in regards to the cookies being made up here, but the same thing applies. We do not keep a food processor or stand mixer or hand mixer for that matter up here. We do all baking by hand. This turned me towards this recipe that I read in the latest MSL on our drive up here. “Softened butter.” Say no more.



The other foil I hadn’t taken into consideration up here is the humidity. I am used to baking in the hot desert clime of the SFV – not the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. I hold the humidity partly responsible for my disappointment in this week’s cookie. The chips didn’t hold their crunch. I’ll try it again at home.



In any case…

Potato Chip Cookies
From Martha Stewart Living July 2012

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
¾ c packed light-brown sugar
¾ c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 ¼ c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp coarse salt
4 c coarsely crushed salted potato chips, divided
1 c pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat together butter and sugars with a mixer on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. (Without a mixer in the cottage I used a whisk and some muscle.) Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in 2 c potato chips and the nuts

Roll dough in 2 “ balls, and then roll balls in remaining potato ships to cat. Place cookies 2 “ apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, 18 – 20 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 5 days.


K: chips + cookies + YUM = Kennah!

E:


D: What the what?! This week’s cookie takes a turn to the bizarre. It’s a great idea with a bad hair day. One would think that potato chips make a great salty addition but they turned out soggy. I was thinking that they needed cranberries or something to go with the pecans, then it came to me. Cut up bits of hot dogs, and maybe some BBQ sauce. Add that to the mix… guaranteed no more munchies. And you wonder why no one has tried that yet…



You’ve likely noticed that my posts are in bits and spurts from up here. Along with the lack of electric coffee grinder and food processer, we also live without television, telephone and internet. We try to head into “town” every few days (or at least once a week) for a coffee at our favourite bakery and some time “on-line.”

52 cookies :: week 26 :: chocolate cookies

a teacher at the girls' school gifted this to me on the last day. she had found it at a garage sale and thought of me. while the girls have not had this teacher - she knew me well, and hit the mark with this one. (love our community there!) it is divided by regions of b.c. and full of quirky information and recipes. this one i recall from my childhood.



it seemed fitting to be our first cookie made at our b.c. cottage... and a 1/2 way milestone through our cookie adventure...



Chocolate Cookies
from British Columbia Women's Institute "The Centennial Cook Book", 1958

1/2 c butter
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
2 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Boil together 5 minutes, no more. Remove from fire and add: 3 cups oatmeal, 1/2 cup coconut.
Mix well and drop by spoonfuls on greased wax paper.

Makes about 4 dozen

K: I think its really awesome how it drives on its own and makes a cookie. The cookie is so cool. I wish I could have one every single morning!

E: The cookies are delicious. I love the crumbly coca powder falling off. I like the crunchiness and sweetness of these COOKIEs!

D: The perfect cure for a sweet tooth. A little softer than I would want them but within the texture a fudgy quality exists. You could easily file these in the “chocolate coconut oatmeal fudge” category. Kind of a mash-up. And crunchy chewy Su-weeeet!


my dear friend c has nominated me for a Liebster Award (thanks c!) i have known c for more years then i can count on fingers and toes. she is my rock. her blog inspires me to think carefully about the way we live, and more often than not teaches me something new. you can visit her here at retrench: poor cate's guide to frugal living

i need to think a bit about nominations... more soon.

52 cookies :: week 25 :: camp cookies

we are off on our annual neighborhood campout this week. I brought these along for the ride...



Stephanie's Camp Cookies
via 3191

3/4 c softened unsalted butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 c unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c rolled oats
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 c crisp rice cereal
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and sugars with mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg. Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats, coconut, rice cereal and chocolate. Stir together wet and dry ingredients until well combined. It will be a crumbly dough—make sure everything is incorporated well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until slightly browned, but still wet at center. Cool on baking sheets and then transfer to a rack.

of course we brought along enough to share!



and solicited a few extra reviews ;)


K: I love the cookies so much. They are a delight to me. Thank you so much Mom. They are nice and crunchy!

E: They r good. I <3 the crunchiness. The flavor works for camping!

D: Classic. This week's cookie, an oatmeal chocolate chip is done to perfection. It's sweet, salty and chewy. I'm eating a whole bunch before the girls get home from camping. Man, this thing is sitting on top of the food pyramid, cookie department. Mmm!

from some campers...

I love the cookies. They were so super good. Good job Tracy!... It is crunchy and chewy. The coconut is delicious. The chocolate added a nice texture. I wish I could have 10 more!... I do not like them - I love them! I wish I had 100 more!... The cookies have chocolate chips in them. I like that.... 9 1/2 out of 9...

52 cookies :: week 24 :: lime meltaways

we made these with regular limes on hand - though the recipe suggested key limes.

my love affair with refrigerator dough continues.

Lime Meltaways via smitten kitchen
adapted from Martha Stewart



makes 5 dozen

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 c plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt



In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 c sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.

Between two 8 x 12" pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour - or in my case overnight.

Heat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with silpat. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4" thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1" apart.

Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.



K: I like the powder-ness. It is so good. I can taste a little lime in it. I really recommend these cookies.

E: Mmmmm. These are good for hot days and also after swimming and even while swimming. They are like the pecan sandies, but without pecans. Just lime. The powdered sugar really goes with them. It adds a cool touch. I love these cookies.

D: Finally a cookie that is legal with a Corona. This lime shortbread is the exact perfect thing on a hot afternoon. It's like a Mexican wedding cookie but lighter and sweeter and cooler!

52 cookies :: week 23 :: graham crackers

Graham Crackers
via Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks

Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 c mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tbsp milk, full-fat is best
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Topping
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade Pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1" thick. Wrap, then chill it until firm, overnight.

Prepare the topping, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8" thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2" to make 4 crackers.

Place the crackers on silpat-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 mins in the fridge or 15 to 20 mins in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.



K: Ok dokey. My review is ... I prefer these cookies as s'mores. Thank you. They are too little just as a plain old graham cracker. So have it as s'mores!

E: Mmm,mmmm,mmmmm. These cookies are awesome! What they really need is chocolate and a fluffy marshmallow (not a hard or dry marshmallow - a fluffy one!) to make s'mores. that would be perfect.

D: How appropriate, Gram Cracker's in town!
Well these cookies are f-u-n. A touch of cinnamon and a light crystallized sugar crust. Is that molasses I smell? Great shape for dunking, begging for a scoop of ice cream. And fantastic with a glass of red.

Gram Cracker aka my mom: From the warm sweet fragrance to the first bite... nutty flavour and crispy crunch. A graham cracker with true pizazz.