Nut Crescents

Melt in your mouth Nutty. Perfect Tea Cookies.  Mine came out more like horseshoes than crescents but they were still delicious. I used Challenge butter and Nielsen vanilla. I made both the walnut/all purpose flour version and the hazelnut/spelt flour one.

I froze the first batch for 12 minutes and baked for 21 min. The second batch was refrigerated for 38 min and baked for 19 Min. The walnut recipe made 26. Both Spelt batches baked for 18 min and made 29 cookies. 

 The favorite was the walnut version but I think it's due more to the flour than the nuts. The Spelt is healthier (kind of like wheat germ) and hard to find (Down to Earth Health Foods).  Next time I would make the all purpose with hazelnuts. 

Side Note: I've noticed that my least favorite set of words in baking are "light and fluffy".  Every time I read them in reference to beating butter and sugar I feel a sense of dread "Here we go again". I know Martha quantifies it with 2 minutes but I have consistently been unable to achieve " light and fluffy" in the specified time.  It always looks "creamy". I am afraid of over beating after going over the time by a minute or 2 and accept  the status quo.

 ( I know there is a picture of "pale and fluffy" on page 19.  It has taunted me more than helped)

183 to go!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

PERFECT! 

Melt in your mouth/ Nutty flavor.

The kids loved them (They had fun rolling them in sugar). They were also perfect for the them to give their dad who just returned from a surf trip to Mexico. 

I used O butter and Nielsen Vanilla. The dough is easy to handle and form into 3/4 inch balls (I used a tsp to measure). 

The recipe made 86 (For once I am ahead by 14). All batches (20/25/25/16) baked in middle rack (Rotating at 5 min) for 10-11 minutes. 

ALMOST good enough to get married for.

185 to go!

Baking withdrawals

I knew I would not have time to bake today (Gymboree AM/Wizard of Oz PM) and began experiencing Baking Withdrawals Symptoms: Staring longingly at Oven, fighting urge to take butter out of fridge, glancing and sighing  at Handbook. 

I did get my sweet fix at French Pastry before the theater with oldest daughter. We must have looked like the fat kid in Willi Wonka unrestrainingly gorging our faces. 

Great desserts/Great mother-daughter bonding time/Great Show.

Tomorrow, back to baking! 

Gingersnaps

Crispy with chewy center and strong Ginger flavor. Personally,  I love Ginger for it's medicinal properties: alleviates nausea (Life saver while pregnant) motion sickness , aids in digestion and boosts immune system. BUT not so much in my desserts.  Otherwise they are great.  

I used Costco butter (ALL done) and O eggs. I left the dough in the fridge for 7 hours (Borders and Party City).  It's actually a lot of fun rolling the dough balls in the sugar. 

I think I was having so much fun that I made them too big and was short 22 cookies in the end (Made 38 versus 60). Next time will use less than 1Tbsp for size. 

Side note: I have such a resistance towards rotating cookies halfway through. It reminds me of  having to wake up my newborn to feed during the night when she was fast asleep. I know I should BUT she looks so peaceful and skipping one feeding won't hurt her right? RIGHT???

 That's when "MOMMY GUILT" (and BAKER's GUILT)  kicks in. 

Babies and cookies are doing just fine.

186 to Go!

(Looking for Spelt flour to make Nut Crescents)

Lemon Sugar Snaps

Buttery and Crispy with hint of lemon. Very sticky dough to work with. Refrigerated for 6 hours (went to Library for reading time with little one and then Walmart for Hanna Montana back to school supplies if you must know).

Used O Eggs and Costco Butter (mom bought it, can't let it go to waste). 

Questions for Martha: How big are the lemons? Can you give me an estimated time frame for: "Beat until combined" and "Beat until JUST combined"?

Recipe made 3 batches of 16/9/9 (If you make 16  cookies at a time, they will become Conjoined twins and not a pretty sight when trying to separate them). Baking time in middle rack one at a time was between 10 and 11 minutes. 

187 to Go!

Pignoli Cookies

Making these cookies reminded me of a first date you think went well and then he never calls. Why? What did I do wrong? You go over every detail in your mind. Did I mix the paste and sugar too long? Or too short? Should I have sifted the confectioner's sugar even though it didn't say to? Is it the weather, the star alignments? WHAT? I Just can't figure it out. Baffled at the outcome (bottom picture is what they SHOULD look like, top is what happened). Such high hopes, wasted time and money( Almond paste $11!).

The dough was runny, bumpy and lumpy (Not smooth, soft and tacky). I had to dump all the pine nuts inside, mix and spoon Tbsp unto parchment. Baked two batches (9 each) at a time (1st and 3rd rack, might as well try it, nothing to loose at this point). Total baking time 16 minutes. Overall, chewy and sticky.

188 to Go!

PS: Did not make Graham Crackers because I could not find graham flour anywhere. I will make them when doing key lime tart on page 261 which gives me some time to find it. (If anyone can help me I'd really appreciate it)

Savory Caraway-Cheese Crisps

These are great gourmet crackers to have with salad or a spread. They are flaky and buttery. Much better without the caraway seeds but that's just my personal preference (BF said they looked like ants). I used Challenge butter and O eggs. Be careful not too lather on too much egg wash or the dough will get soggy and sticky (I had to put it back in the fridge). Next time I would try cutting the pieces first, transferring to parchment cookie sheet and then brushing with egg wash. I baked them 2 batches at a time and rotated at 8 minutes (Total baking time 18min).

Question for Martha: Do I transfer them to a "wire rack to cool" on baking sheet or just on parchment?

Side Note: Why do they write recipes in paragraph form as if it was a novel you were going to

curl up in bed with. This is a HANDBOOK. I want numbered instructions.

1. Open the fridge

2. Take out the butter and eggs

3. Crack eggs

Is that too much to ask for?

189 to go!

Seville Olive-Oil Wafers

Coming soon.

Breton Biscuits

Amazing! Buttery, flaky, crispy. I used O Butter and Eggs.  I am getting into a rhythm of getting up before the kids (6AM), making the cookie dough, refrigerating it and later baking them for snack time.  

My only question for Martha would be regarding the "Disk" size of the dough. Since I have not participated in a decathlon lately, How big? The closest to a disk I've come to is a Frisbee.  

I made the diamond pattern with a pizza wheel. 

All 3 batches (12/12/6) baked for 17 minutes. I rotated them at 9 minutes ( Feel like crew pit at Nascar when rotating baking sheets in oven. Best time: 5 seconds flat!). 

191 to go! 

Rugelach

Thanks to stores like Safeway and Costco, People have really become desensitized to the LABOR that goes into baked goods. I made 3 batches of the Rugelach. The first with mini Nestle chocolate chips, the next with raisins and the last with currants.  Some people liked one more than the other. Whenever they would voice their choice it was as painful to hear as if they had said "I like your 2 year old better than your 7 year old". The oven might as well be my Womb (Sorry, not very appetizing).  These are my babies,  smile and tell me how they all taste equally delicious, PLEASE! 

Anyway, I used O Butter, Lucerne full fat cream cheese,  M&B vanilla and Bonne Maman Apricot Preserve. This is one of those times I wish Martha was "On Call". 

 Questions for Martha: Can I use Preserves interchangeably with Jelly? Do I "transfer to wire rack" on baking sheet or only parchment? 

Tips I found out for myself: Use  floured Parchment paper to roll out disks, Flour fingers when rolling individual Rugelachs, Raisins are hard to cut so spread after dividing wheel into 16ths. 

Total baking time 25-26 minutes on middle rack.

192 to go!

(PS.  I liked the currants ones best)

Where are the Gingerbread Girls?

That is what my 7 year old said when I showed her the Gingerbread Men

Cookies.  So she decided to make all of her cookies Gingerbread girls.  I'm so proud!  Besides the gender bias of these cookies, they were amazing. Gourmet. I used challenge butter and organic eggs.  The fresh ginger was hard to grate. I only used a Tbsp and it was enough. It is an easy dough to handle. I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and baked them in the morning. The first batch made 5 Gingerbread men and one bear. They cooked for 13 minutes. Second batch made 8 bears and cooked for 11  minutes. Third batch made 15 mini leaves, fourth batch 5 large leaves and 5th batch made 7 medium leaves ( I woke up at 6 and finished at 8AM).  They were deliciously crispy.  Then we decorated some with Royal Icing (Which can sometimes be a Royal Pain in the ---).  

These cookies automatically put you in the Holiday Spirit which was perfect for  a Rainy day in Paradise. 

193 to go!

Cookie Monster

     I Love Cookie Monster

Baking Powder Biscuits

I know these are not cookies but when the best BF in the world tells you he is craving biscuits with gravy (He lived in Kentucky for a while), you make an exception (also good therapy for the OCD in me). I chilled the bowl and pastry blender due to the heat. All of the ingredients came together easily (no mixer needed). The pictures and directions on page 28/29 really helped guide the whole process. I used a ruler to figure out how high one inch is ( turns out to be the same as the first line on the top of my forefinger turned upside down) for the thickness of the patted down dough. I used a biscuit cutter for the rounds and placed them in the oven. It made a dozen, flaky delicious biscuits in about 24 minutes. They were also yummy with O Strawberry Jam.

194 to go!

Watching over cookies like newborns in a nursery!

Side Note to Self: Oven mitt from Price Busters Not So good.

Black and White Cookies with Black and White Icing

 These cookies are stated to be a "NY Specialty" and I being a New Yorker at heart had to make these right. They are also my dad's favorite cookies. So I took my time (No kids around), used Challenge butter, butter flavor Crisco shortening , O (organic) eggs, Kirkland vanilla (Promise to buy better when it runs out but it's a huge bottle from Costco before I made "freshest ingredients for loved ones" decision) and Cooks heavy whipping cream. Everything was going well until I hit the phrase "DO NOT OVERMIX".  I figured it was a stern warning from Martha that could lead to fatal results. So, ever so gently as if handling a newborn, mixed the dough and began to spoon unto the baking sheet.  It made 9 cookies on the first batch. I baked for 14 minutes (2 more than stated) but they still seemed undercooked without the golden edges. I began to panic at the thought of disappointment in my father's eyes as he tasted a dry overcooked cookie and took them out. They were small and cakey looking.  They could have used 2 more minutes. They were baked in the middle rack (Still afraid of the thirds of the oven). As I begin to scoop the second batch,  I painfully realize that at the bottom of the bowl was unmixed batter. NOT GOOD. I mix it in with the rest of the batter but know it is too late. I UNDERMIXED. The second batch spread and made huge cookies that seemed ready in 15 minutes (Not golden but at this point who cares).  

The icing took about 2 more Tbsp of water to make liquid enough to spread. 

End product were very sweet cakey cookies, happy kids, loosing the love and admiration (possibly my inheritance) of my father and inability to return to my homeland (NY). 

195 to go!

BEST BOYFRIEND!

If you don't like your blog with a side order of mush, look away NOW. I came over to my BF's and sitting on his very manly counter is a white Kitchen Aide! He bought it so I could bake my 200+ recipes at his house and not fall behind schedule while I stay. I know you're thinking he has ulterior motives of EATING the bakes goods. Maybe. Anyways, I could not ask for a more , Loving & Supportive BF. I must have been a real saint in my last life (definitely not Karma from this one).

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

"This is the best oatmeal cookie I have ever had" were his (CM-cookie monster) exact words as we were sitting in the movie theater watching "When's the Last Time You Saw Your Father" ( A very moving look at a father/son relationship with a dollop of death). Yes, I know you are not supposed to bring outside food into the theater, ARREST ME. Who's going to eat the crap they sell in there when you have homemade cookies fresh out of the oven. Anyway, back to the cookies, I used challenge butter, organic raisins, Safeway brand shredded coconut ( I'm not made of money!), organic eggs, Type A Hardwick maple syrup (Not to be confused with Type A Personality which is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks), and Quaker oats. I spent the majority of the time trying to figure out what the heck (PG version) it means to put the "racks in the upper and lower thirds". Even my engineer BF had to scratch his head at this one. I decided to play it safe and not jeopardize the ingredients and bake in the good old middle rack (which meant doing two batches). As I mentioned I made these at BF's house and while baking he decided it was the perfect time to show me a detailed account of his retirement funds, page after page. I tried to pay attention to these serious matters while in the corner of my eye seeing the butter pass from room temperature to mush. THEN, he decides to distract me by doing push ups. By this point, I had low expectations for these cookies. The first batch of 9 cookies baked for 16 minutes and came out chewy (could use another minute). The second batch of 7 came out golden crispy in the same amount of time. ? Surprisingly YUMMY.

197 to go!

White Chocolate-Butterscotch Cookies

 I love these cookies! I especially love that I did not get up at 5 Am to make them. I chose to sleep in AND be present with my baby at Gymboree instead of being a mommy-zombie . This meant baking the cookies in the middle of the day in the middle of summer. Basically a "cookie sweat shop".  

I used M&B Vanilla, organic eggs, Challenge Butter and Guiradelli white chocolate chips. The recipe made 18 large 2tbsp cookies ( Somehow got gipt of 6 cookies, recipe should make 2 dozen).  The dough is easy to work with and form.  They baked for 12 minutes. 

Note:  Another conundrum is wether to buy organic eggs, butter, etc. and best ingredients as Julia says,  when this is all for practice. I already feel I've gotten the hang of these drop cookies.  I am feeling more comfortable and less intimidated in the kitchen with "Martha".  I know it will influence the end result. They are also being eaten by the people I love the most in this world.

 OK. 

Organic it is! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

198 to go

Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I know this is not visually appetizing no matter how hard I try with the background but what matters is how it tastes. The official word from the Official Cookie Monster was "FANTASTIC".  It was a successful "Cookie Drive by" Sesame Street.  It was worth waking up at 5:30 AM.  I do think that bakers who wake up that early don't have to later run around toddlers at the Discovery Center.  Today was definitely a two shot soy latte! 

The 1st batch was with the 2Tbsp Large cookies (9) which baked for 10 minutes. The next were the small scooper (no pun intended) size of 18 for 8 minutes (could have used one more minute) and a last batch of 6.  They were soft & chewy (I also added the walnuts). 

199 to go!

Chocolate chunk Cookies/Julia Child

I was going through a process crisis trying to decide the next recipe. I am not the best at making random choices. I need order and structure;thus the need for this project, to give me boundaries, otherwise I end up in a paralyzed daze staring at my many beautiful  books and binders filled with magazine recipes I want to make. I finished reading "My Life in France" by Julia Child.  I have been truly inspired by her Passionate Spirit. I was mainly impressed by her persistence in perfecting a recipe, trying it over and over again. I am afraid that at the end of this year after going through the Handbook I will be mediocre at 203 recipes. I wondered if I should pick a few desserts to focus on and perfect them. But which ones? I made a list of 11.  Then I panicked at the thought of doing them over over again and opted for the cookie chapter in order. I am not a big fan of the cookie except for the macaroon. I am dating the Official cookie monster and feel an  obligation to begin here. My kids won't mind either. So the plan will be to move on to the cakes next. I view this project as an independent study of baking 101 (like Psychology 101 I am currently teaching).  At the end of the year I will have a broad idea of all the possible directions to further explore. 

The cookies on page75 came out really well. The dough was sticky and tricky to form a ball. It made 9 2tbsp cookies which baked in 15 minutes. These came out crispy and delicious. The next batch I used a small ice cream scooper and made 16 smaller ones. They cooked for 10 minutes but could have used one or two more to be crispier.  There was enough batter for 6 more small ones.  Tomorrow I'll make a special delivery to Sesame Street (Boyfriend). 

Favorite Quotes from Julia: 

• " One of the secrets, and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed"
• "Remember, no one's more important than people. In other words, friendship is the most important thing-not career or housework, or one's fatigue-and it needs to be tended and nurtured".
• " I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. Such admissions only draw attention to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived short comings) and make the person think, 'yes, you're right, this really is an awful meal!'. Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed-eh bien, tant pis!
• "Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile-and learn from her mistakes"
• "No one is Born a great cook, one learns by Doing. This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook-try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless,  and above all, have fun!
• "Nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should"
• "Good results require that one take Time and Care"
• "If one doesn't use the freshest ingredients or read the whole recipe before starting,  and if one rushes through cooking,  the result will be an inferior taste and texture. But a careful approach will result in a magnificent burst of flavor, a thoroughly satisfying meal, perhaps even a life-changing experience"
• "The pleasures of the table and of Life are Infinite-Toujours bon appetit!

Thank you!

I would like to thank Helen McSweeney of http://tartlette.blogspot.com for being my Macaroon Angel sent from heaven to save me from Macaroon Hell. She is personally advising me on what I'm doing so very wrong and also directed me to the most delicious magazine I've seen :www.dessertsmag.com.  I love to think of all of us bakers and sweets aficionados have a sense of comradeship. 

Mahalo!

4th of July Red Velvet Cupcakes

Happy 4th of July! 

I had a request to make these cupcakes for a Boat Party. I know they are not in THE HANDBOOK but at least it is her red velvet cake recipe.  I baked them for 19 minutes instead of the cake time stated.  I topped them with the creamcheese/ butter cream. They came out moist and delicious if I say so myself. I woke up early (6AM is early for me. I know that's pathetic for a wannabe baker). I realized I did not have a sifter (boyfriend's) and had to make an executive decision: Risk the frosting by adding the powder sugar without sifting hoping friends will drink too much to notice or blame their nausea to sea sickness or have creative integrity and go to Safeway at 7Am. I am proud to say I sifted and it was worth it (even thought friends might have been too drunk to appreciate!).  Now Back to THE Handbook (201 to go!)

macaroons

Not Good. I woke up with the romantic notion of having the kitchen all to myself (Kids at dad's) , take my time and make a beautiful fourth of July macaroon tower (Inspired by Laduree).  Apparently I might only be able to bake well with small children tugging at my leg and screaming for Tata (bottle). The calm and quiet was USELESS. Look at them! Putting them on a tree would be worse than a Crucifixion. OK,  that might be a bit dramatic but WHY?WHY?WHY? I did the macaroons on page 137.  Changes to  Martha's (I know those are blasphemous words),  included sifting the almond flour (saw that on french chef on your tube), added 7 drops of Blue food coloring to foamy egg mixture, let them stand out after piping on cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes,  patted down peaks with finger dipped in water and baked them for 13 minutes (Not 20-25 stated). I had to take them out early because they were cracking and browning on the bottom. Then they deflate like new mom's breasts and just as sad! I then filled them with raspberry jam (they were not worthy of the butter cream on pg 386) If anybody out there can help with this conundrum  I would greatly appreciate it.  

My first day! I had planned on starting at the beginning (Anal) but I recently got these amazing cookie cutters from my wonderful boyfriend Scott ( He went al by himself to fancy flours on his way to a boys canoe trip in Montana. I am a very lucky girl!). I wanted to make them for him and the kids before they went to their dad's. So I guess it will be randomly selected based on need/desire. I live in Hawaii (not by choice) where it is very hot and humid right now. Baby decided not to nap today (Believe me, I tried)   so I had to make them while allowing her to open up and place all the bandages all over her body (Small price to pay). The dough was stickier than the one I usually made (Or probably the weather). I had to constantly put it back in the freezer to harden. The royal Icing took 5 TBS of egg white powder (Wilton)  where my usual takes 3. It also did not ask to sift the powder sugar? It had to be mixed on level 2 for 11 minuted (not the 7/8 stated) but it turned out really smooth. 

So far so good!