Cookies for breakfast?  Sure, why not?  These particular cookies are packed with healthy stuff – dried fruit, almonds, cereal… and…. bacon. OK, not healthy bacon, but yummy breakfast-time bacon. Plus they aren’t too sweet, just right.  Great to eat if you have no time in the morning. Pop them in the freezer and just grab one or two on your way out the door and you have breakfast!

Cereal, Fruit, Nut, and Bacon Breakfast Cookies

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 cups Special K cereal
5 slices maple bacon; cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in egg until just combined. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture. 

With a rubber spatula, fold in the cereal, bacon, cranberries, and almonds.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, switching the pans after the first 8 minutes.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen

One of my favorite treats of all time, in the history of treats, in the entire world… Rice Krispies Treats! During pregnancy (always a good excuse!) I would eat and clean up the evidence of an entire 8×8-inch pan full before anyone even knew they had been made. This occurred while I was carrying Connor and while Marissa was at preschool. Pitiful, I know, but what the hormones want, the hormones deserve to get!

This upscale version hits a high note with the vanilla bean and the browning of the butter – pure genius! And no, I did not eat the whole pan this time… hey, if I did, I wouldn’t be able to post the recipe here – now would I?

Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Rice Krispies Treats

Inspired by Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe via ZoeBakes.com

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering baking dish
1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1o  to 10.5-ounce bag marshmallows
5  1/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish, set aside.

In a small saucepan cook the butter over low heat, until the butter is a deep caramel colored and smells toasty.

Strain the butter into a larger saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and with the back of the paring knife, scrap out the seeds and add to the saucepan. Add the salt and marshmallows and cook over very low heat until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Stir in the cereal until it is completely coated with the vanilla marshmallow mixture.

Butter your hands and a rubber spatula and press the mixture firmly into the buttered dish.

Let it cool if you are able to keep away from them, and then cut and share.

Makes 9 large or 12 medium squares

Go AZ CARDS!

Inspiration for this recipe came to me after enjoying a white chocolate and limoncello cupcake while visiting my daughter in San Francisco. Limoncello and white chocolate are a match made in heaven. You may use store-bought limoncello or make your own with THIS RECIPE.

I brought these sweeties to a neighborhood luncheon last week to test them out, and since they were a hit, I will be making them tomorrow, along with this puff pastry appetizer, on Channel 3-  Your Life A to Z.          I hope you can tune in at 10:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Oh, and please note, there are only six ingredients – seriously, these are “easy-breezy”!

White Chocolate and Limoncello Cookies

1 cup heavy whipping cream
14-ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 sheets (1 package) puff pastry
1  1/2 tablespoons cold limoncello liqueur
1 teaspoon additional lemon zest

In a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the cream to the point just before it boils, between 2 and 3 minutes, depending on your microwave.  Add the white chocolate to the hot cream and let stand for 4 or 5 minutes before whisking the mixture to blend completely.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before using.

Combine the zest of 1 lemon with 3/4 cup of sugar.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.

Sprinkle a work surface with 3 tablespoons of the lemon sugar and place one sheet of puff pastry on top.  Sprinkle the top of the puff pastry with another 3 tablespoons lemon sugar and roll out just enough to even out the seams in the dough and to press in the sugar mixture into both sides of the puff pastry dough.  Use a 2  1/2-inch round cookie cutter and cut out rounds.

Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets.  Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet and remaining lemon sugar mixture. You should end up with about 30 rounds. Prick the rounds all over with a fork and place in the oven to bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top.

Set aside to cool.

Remove the white chocolate cream from the refrigerator and transfer to the bowl of standing mixer.  Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture until it becomes stiff.  Mix in the 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest and the limoncello, combine well.

Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a swirl onto the top of each cookie round.

Top the cookies with white chocolate shavings.  Chill until you are ready to serve.

Makes about 30 cookies

To make chocolate shavings you will need a block of white chocolate.  Heat a block of chocolate in the microwave on low for just a few seconds.  Run a vegetable peeler along the softened chocolate to create shavings.

Yesterday, May 30th -Memorial Day 2011, was the first day of our 2011 Summer Classes. It marks the beginning of Les Petites Gourmettes’ 17th year. Seventeen years, that’s a long time! But it’s only about half as long as Girl Scout Samoa cookies have been around.

Today in class, the kids made homemade Samoa cookies, well kind of.  More like the top layer of Samoa cookies, the caramel-coconut-chocolate part, minus the crispy bottom cookie part. I’m including the full recipe (bottom and top portions) here.  The only reason we skipped a part was because of time restraints. We are going to use the cookies for our Samoa cupcakes that we are making today.  That recipe will be posted tomorrow.  If you want to make the cupcakes and if you don’t still have a box of Girl Scout Samoa cookies in the cupboard, and don’t want to make your own, you can purchase Keebler Coconut Dreams Cookies instead.

Please don’t be fooled by all the cookie and cupcake talk, we make healthy stuff too, in fact the onions, potatoes, and tomatoes you see here will be used up when the week is over… the garlic on the far right… it’ll probably last till the end of the summer.

Homemade Samoa Cookies

Cookie Bottom
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Topping
8 cups shredded or flaked coconut
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Cookie Bottom: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer until light and fluffy.  Mix in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and milk; blend until smooth.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a counter and scrape the dough onto the parchment, flatten with your hands. Place another sheet of parchment on top and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch rectangle.  Remove top sheet of parchment and using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on prepared baking sheets.

Now, using a clean drinking straw, make a small hole in the center of each cookie. Discard or eat, the little pieces of dough. (Smile!)

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. (Maintain oven temperature.)  Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to cooling racks.

Topping: Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. (Watch carefully, coconut burns easily!)

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup.  Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly pour in the sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking over low heat until a candy thermometer reaches 225 degrees.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat until thick creamy with a hand mixer.  Immediately stir in toasted coconut and mix well.

Spoon by tablespoonfuls onto the cooled cookie bottoms, leaving the hole in the center open. Flatten slightly very gently to adhere to cookie. Cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle thinly in stripes over cookies. Let chocolate harden at room temperature. Store in a airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen

When my kids were younger, I loved to trick them with food on April Fool’s Day. The year Marissa was in forth grade and Connor was in first grade was a stellar year!  I began the day with a non-food trick on my husband, Dave.  The day before, I took a new bar of soap and coated it on all sides with clear nail polish.  After it was dry, I replaced the soap in our shower with this new bar. I stood outside the bathroom and listened to him cursing as he continually dropped the bar of soap, trying to get a lather going.  He was so frustrated, I actually began to feel sorry for him, and went in to replace the bar for him.

After I got the kids off to school, I got busy working on the tricks for them.  First, I made up a batch of strawberry Jell-O.  I poured it into their dinner glasses, inserted straws and let it set up in the fridge.  Next, I made these “sham”burgers I’d found that year in Family Fun Magazine. Then, I went to work on the Litter Box Cake that I was to take in to Marissa’s classroom for their April Fool’s Party, since I was the room mom, I wanted it to be extra special. It took a bit of coaxing to get the first kid to try that cake!

Once the kids were home and outside playing, I went to work on their “dessert”, a meatloaf cake, iced with mashed potatoes. As you can see from these photos, it was a very good year for April Fool’s tricks!

“Sham”burgers

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, divided (one is for the glaze)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1  1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Green food coloring
1 can purchased vanilla icing, divided in half
Red food coloring
Yellow food coloring
6 large purchased soft chocolate cookies

To make the cookie “hamburger buns,” heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add 1 egg and beat well. Stir in the vanilla extract. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl. Then, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and blend well.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Next, use the bottom of a floured glass to lightly press the dough into a circle. Then beat the remaining egg and use a pastry brush to “paint” it on top of each cookie. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

While the cookies are cooling on a rack, make the “lettuce.” Place the shredded coconut into a plastic bag. Add a few drops of green food coloring, close the bag, and shake until the coconut has turned a light green.

Color half of the icing with red food coloring and the other half with yellow food coloring.

To assemble the burgers, choose two cookie buns that are about the same size and shape. Spread red icing ketchup or yellow mustard icing on the bottom bun, add a chocolate cookie, and sprinkle with coconut lettuce. Add a squirt of icing ketchup or mustard to hold the top bun in place. Arrange the hamburgers on dinner plates or on a platter.

Makes 6 shamburgers
Adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Kitty Litter Cake

2 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies
3 drops green food coloring
1 (12 ounce) package tootsie rolls
1 newly purchased and cleaned plastic kitty litter box
1 newly purchased and cleaned kitty litter scooper

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions.

Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble.

Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.

When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 of the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You may not need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.  Put cake mixture into litter box.

Put the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. Shape the ends so that they are no longer blunt, and curve the tootsie rolls slightly. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.

Place the scooper in the box, and for an added touch, scoop up a tootsie roll or two and then dare your kids to help themselves.

Serves a crowd

Meatloaf Cake

Make your favorite meatloaf recipe or use a double recipe of THIS ONE. Form and bake the meatloaf in two 8-inch round cake pans.  Whip up a batch of your favorite mashed potato recipe, or use a double recipe of THIS ONE, just leave out the Parmesan and the green onions.  When the meatloaf is done cooking, allow to cool slightly.  Same with the mashed potatoes. The place one meatloaf round on a microwave safe plate or platter. Frost with mashed potatoes.  Place the second meatloaf round on top and frost the entire “cake”.  This is best made at room temperature and then reheated in the microwave, otherwise your potatoes will just melt and slide off the cake.  In that case, the joke is on you!

When we visited Connor in Flagstaff last weekend, of course, we made a couple of the required trips to Target to load him up with the “necessities.” On the first trip through the doors, I stopped at the $1 bins and spotted a little Pillsbury cookbook called Halloween Fun. The recipes for today and tomorrow’s posts are directly from the booklet, they are just too cute and easy not to share!

The decorations needed for the eyes of the owls are the Brache’s candy stars that I always used to see hanging on the pegs at every grocery store around. I visited Fry’s and they no longer carry Brache’s, only their store brand of “Brache’s” candies and there were no stars. I went to Safeway and although they still carry Brache’s, no stars there either. Finally, I went to Walgreens, feeling 100% confident they would have the disappearing stars… no!!! What’s up with that? I was forced to whip up my own chocolate frosting (or you could purchase a ready-made can) and pipe on the eyes using a pastry bag and a star tip.

I always find the lengthy directions of how to assemble these sorts of things confusing, so although I’ve used the exact words from the book, once you’ve read them through, it’s really easiest to look at the pictures of the steps and the finished product to recreate these rather than to try to figure out those instructions!

Tomorrow – Little Smokie Mummies!

Ominous Flaky Owls

From Pillsbury Halloween Fun

1 can (8-ounce) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 tiny fish-shaped pretzel crackers (Goldfish brand)
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 milk chocolate stars or chocolate frosting piped on with a star tip

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from can, do NOT unroll. With a serrated knife, cut the roll into 16 equal slices.

Use 2 dough slices for each owl. Unroll a 2-inch strip from each of the 16 slices. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet with sides touching and with the 2-inch strips at the top center. For the owl’s horns, fold strips in half and bend toward the outer edges; pinch strips at fold, forming points. For the owl’s beak, press 1 fish-shaped cracker, tail end pointing up, into the center bottom of the dough.

Repeat with remaining 14 dough slices and crackers to make 8 owls, placing owls 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Brush the owls with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Immediately press 2 chocolate stars on each owl for eyes. Carefully move to a cooking rack. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 8

If this post (hard to call it a recipe) doesn’t fall into the Easy-Breezy category, I don’t know what does! Here’s the back-story; a few weeks before Connor left for his sophomore year at NAU, he bravely went with me to Costco and requested the purchase of cookie dough. I faltered and bought it for him. Upon our arrival home, we unpacked and I placed the 5-pound tub in the freezer. There it sat until yesterday, when once again I was unpacking from a Costco trip and couldn’t fit another thing in the freezer due to that enormous tub. Both Marissa and Connor actually like to eat the dough more than the baked cookies, but the tub had to go! Instead of just baking up 5 dozen regular chocolate chip cookies, I added various mix-ins.  Don’t fret Connor, I will be bringing several dozen up to you in a couple weeks.

All cookies were baked at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, switching the cookies sheets on the racks after the first 6 minutes.

For the Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookies, the marshmallows were pushed into the soft half-baked cookies halfway through the baking time. The same goes for the Chocoalte Chip Kisses Cookies, the Hershey®’s Kisses are placed on top of the cookies when the pans switch shelves. I used 3/4-pound (12-ounces) dough per batch with 1/3 cup of the selected mix-in.

Keep in mind that the “meltier” your mix-in, the more the cookies will spread, as seen in the side-by-side comparison of the “melty” S’mores cookies to the more compact Chocolate Chip Toasted Pecan- Coconut Cookies That is your recipe for the day, with corresponding pictures below. OK, now I just feel bad, that is no recipe, so…

Another fantastic option, which I did not exercise because I didn’t have any potato or tortilla chips or pretzels on hand, are “Compost Cookies”. You may follow the recipe below or use pre-made raw dough as the base. If you’re a salty/sweet lover like me, these cookies will delight! They are modeled after, actually blatantly copied from, The Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC.

Momofuka Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies

(Adapted from Live! with Regis & Kelly: Christina Tosi’s Compost Cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups your favorite baking ingredients (chocolate chips,  Reeses pieces, Heath Bar pieces, M&M’s, etc.)
1 1/2 cups your favorite salty snack foods (crushed potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, nut mix etc.)

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment; cream butter, sugars, and corn syrup on medium high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

On low speed, add eggs and vanilla to incorporate. Increase speed to medium-high and mix for a full 10 minutes. During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and your creamed mixture will double in size.

When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 45-60 sec just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Do not walk away from your mixer during this time or you will risk over mixing the dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

On low speed, add in the compost of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30-45 sec until evenly distributed through the dough. Add in your favorite snack foods, mixing on low speed until  just incorporated.

Using a 6-ounce ice cream scoop, portion cookie dough onto a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet a minimum of 4-inches apart in all directions. Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 1 week.

Do Not Bake your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 9-11 minutes. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle and spread.

Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a plate or an airtight container or tin for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep about 5 days. In the freezer, cookies will keep about 1 month.

Makes 15 big cookies

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies

Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookies

Chocolate Chip Toasted Pecan-Coconut Cookies

Chocolate Chip Kisses Cookies

The aftermath of the baking extravaganza. Yes, Marissa, I saved you a little bit of dough! xoxo

We left early this morning for the drive down to Tucson to pack up Marissa and move her back to Scottsdale. Of course, I love having her home, so that is the really sweet part. But I also know how eager she is to “begin” her independent life, her career, and to have a place of to call her own. I remember that feeling of longing and yearning and wish all those wonderful things for her. But with today’s economy and job market, she is just one of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of young adults and college graduates in the same situation. Daily she is sending out resumes, searching on-line, reaching out to every possible connection; lucky to ever get a call, acknowledgement, or interview. So, we’ll store her furniture and other belongings that one doesn’t need when living with your family (meaning parents) in mini-storage and continue to give her all the love and support we can while she waits for her new beginning. And of course, if you are reading this and know of any positions or possible openings for a brilliant, beautiful, and bold graduate with a bonafide Journalism degree, (such as writing, editing, public relations, journalist, newspaper, magazine, etc.) who will move anywhere for an opportunity; please email or call right this very minute!

Happily, Marissa has some very generous, kind, and loving male friends in Tucson who will help us load up the U-Haul in the 100+ degree heat today. So, Alberto and Will and anyone else who is there today – these bittersweet treats are for you, as a small token of my thanks and appreciation. xoxo

No-Bake Haystack Cookies

2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1 3/4 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces dry chow mien noodles
1 cup peanuts

1/4 cup melted white chocolate chips, if desired

Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with wax paper.

Melt 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips and all the butterscotch chips in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute, stir and return to microwave 45 seconds at a time, until chips are completely melted. Stir in vanilla extract and then carefully mix in noodles and nuts until completely coated. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper. Put in refrigerator to set. If desired, drizzle with melted white chocolate to “fancy them up”.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, using the same wax paper to place in-between the layers of cookies.

Makes about 3 dozen haystacks

One of my favorite movies is the 2002 sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I’ve seen it so many times, but I still laugh out loud in all the same places. Especially at Toula’s (the bride-to-be) father, Gus and his love for Windex, the popular window cleaner. Toula Portokalos explains while narrating, “ My dad believed in two things: That Greeks should educate non Greeks about being Greek and every ailment from psoriasis to poison ivy can be cured with Windex.” Throughout the film you see Gus with his beloved Windex, spraying it here and there as the remedy for just about everything. Then on the morning of the big (fat and Greek) wedding this conversation takes place between Toula and her non-Greek groom, Ian.

Toula Portokalos: I woke up with this huge zit this morning.

Ian Miller: Where?

Toula Portokalos: [points to spot on face] There.

Ian Miller: I had a huge zit this morning too!

Toula Portokalos: Really? Where?

Ian Miller: [points to his face] Well, it was there, but it’s gone now.

Toula Portokalos: Why?

Ian Miller: I put some Windex on it.

Too Darn Funny! If you’ve never seen the movie, make some of these traditional Greek sugared almond cookies (pronounced koo-rah-bee-YEH-thess), go out and rent the DVD, and have a fun and sweet night in.

Kourabiethes

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
2  1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice or brandy (brandy is more traditional)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds
6 cups flour
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until white. Dissolve the baking powder in the orange juice or brandy and slowly add to mixture, along with egg yolks, vanilla, and almonds. Add flour gradually, 1 cup at a time. Remove from mixer and knead the dough by hand until malleable.

Shape the cookies by hand into dome-shaped circles or crescents about 2 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick, and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cookies barely start to brown.

While cookies are baking, sift powdered sugar onto a large tray or cookie sheet. As soon as the cookies are done, roll in the sugar. When all the cookies have been coated once, repeat and cool.

When cooled, place in layers on a serving platter that has been dusted with sugar, sift a liberal amount of sugar on each layer.

Makes about 60 cookies

A quick note: Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Anne Lyons! Annie, I’ll see you this afternoon to celebrate your special day – so your “real” birthday post will be tomorrow, with pictures and all! Until then, I love you and HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!! xoxo

The theme of one of our kid’s cooking classes this week was “Mexican”. For dessert we made these chunky quadruple chocolate cookies. What made them “Mexican” was the inclusion of Ibarra chocolate, which can be readily found in Arizona grocery stores.  If you live elsewhere and your store doesn’t have an expansive hispanic section, Ibarra can be purchased online. What makes this chocolate special is the distinct cinnamon flavor. It is imported from Guadalajara, Mexico and the ingredients are sugar, cocoa nibs, lecithin and cinnamon. It is primarily used to make hot cocoa or in baking. Ibarra is not often eaten like a candy bar because it’s undissolved granulated sugar makes a rough and gritty texture. Each package contains six 3.1-ounce chocolate tablets. Another fun aspect of these treats is the dipping of each cookie into three different chocolate glazes, making them extra festive and decadent. Muy bien!

Mexican Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1  1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
2  1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans
1 round tablet (3.1-ounce) Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), chopped into chunks
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Triple Dipping Glaze
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, divided
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the brown sugar and the butter together until light and creamy.  Add the egg and mix well.

In another large bowl whisk together the flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Mix into the butter mixture.  Stir in the chopped nuts, chopped Mexican chocolate, milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool slightly.

Triple Dipping Glaze: Place 1 teaspoon of the shortening with semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 60 seconds. Remove and stir, if not completely melted, return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir until completely melted and smooth.

Dip each cookie into chocolate along one edge. Repeat with remaining shortening and chocolates. Rotate dipped edge of cookie for each type of chocolate.

Makes about 24 large cookies

For the past year, I’ve been providing 2 dozen cookies a month to the winner of an auction item I donated to a local charity.  This is my last delivery of the year and these cookies are real winners.  I have a thing for malted milk balls, Whoppers, as it were.  They have long been one of my all-time favorite candies.  I’m sure my mistreated baby sister, Sloane, could tell some awful stories about my mean-younger self, involving Whoppers… I’ll just leave it at that.  I dearly love you, Sloane and I am truly sorry for that very mean big sister whom you had to put up with, when we shared a bedroom, all those years ago… please forgive me! xoxo

Malted Milk Ball Cookies

1 1/2 cups malted milk balls
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Place the malted milk balls in a zip-lock bag, seal and use the bottom of a small pot or a smooth-sided meat pounder to coarsely crush the balls, set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in milk and vanilla, then gradually add in the flour mixture. Do not overmix; you should still be able to see some of the flour.

Use a spatula to stir in the crushed malted milk balls.

Drop 1/2-inch balls of the batter on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes, or until browned.

Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep well in an airtight container for several days

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Time to gear up for the green! Tomorrow it is finally St. Patrick’s Day, and coincidentally I need to make a couple dozen cookies for a friends, so green it is! These soft cake-like cookies would be perfect for a Tea or Brunch. The “High Tea” theme is popular for wedding and baby showers, and so are these cookies. For a wedding shower you could tint one half of the icing the color of the bridesmaid dresses and leave the other half white. For a baby shower, pink and blue are the obvious choices. No matter what color theme you choose, these cookies will disappear as fast as you put them out!

I tested baking the cookies on both a Silpat lined baking sheet and one that was sprayed with Pam. Although I generally use the Silpat when baking, the cookies turned out a crisper on the unlined pan and in this case, crisper is better. You can see the results for yourself in the pictures below. And thanks to my “cookie tester and model”- Connor, who is home for spring break!

Lemon Tea Cookies

Cookies
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
1/3 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Food coloring of your choice

Cookies: Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl, set aside. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg and vanilla, beating until combined well.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing just until smooth.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter 2-inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking; until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a racks to cool.

Icing: Stir together powdered sugar, zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth, adding drops of water, if needed for a smooth spreadable consistency.

Transfer half of the icing to another bowl and add drops of food coloring as desired. With offset spatula, spread colored icing over half of flat side of each cookie. Starting with cookies you iced first, spread plain white icing over other half of each cookie.

Wait until the icing is dry before stacking cookies, with sheets of parchment or wax paper, between layers. May be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 or 5 days.

Makes about 2  1/2 dozen cookies

back to front: pink grapefruit, navel orange, Mexican lime, Lisbon lemon, Meyer lemon, and blood orange

In April, it will be two years since we remodeled our backyard and this winter has, literally, shown the fruits of our labor. We added a blood orange, Meyer lemon, and Mexican lime tree to our existing navel orange, Lisbon lemon, and pink grapefruit – for a true citrus grove!  Last year did not produce any of the new fruits, but this year, the proof is in the colorful picture above and I am one happy girl! The Meyer lemon has been the most prolific of the three new trees. These cookies are delicious with regular lemon zest too, so don’t discount them if you can’t find Meyer lemons.

The almond meal can be found at most grocery stores under the Bob’s Red Mill brand and at Trader Joe’s, or you can make your own almond meal. For about 1 1/3 cups almond meal, place 2 cups whole, unbalanced almonds in a food processor, pulse several times until a medium-fine textured meal forms. Do Not over-process or you will end up with almond butter! Put the ground almond meal in a clean flour sifter, sift and place any large almond particles back into processor and pulse again, sift. That’s all it takes!

Almond-Meyer Lemon Cookies

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon almond meal, divided
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest (about 3 large lemons), divided
2 egg yolks

Whisk 1 1/4 cups of the almond meal, flour, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer beat the butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy on high speed, 2 or 3 minutes. Mix in egg yolks.  Add  the almond meal- flour mixture, then beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are mixed in. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of each;  almond meal, sugar, and Meyer lemon zest.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.

Use a 1-inch cookie scoop (which you can find HERE online, or make 1-inch-diameter balls by hand), place balls on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use your thumb to indent cookies, dipping thumb into almond-sugar-zest mixture in between the pressing of each cookie. Sprinkle each thumbprint lightly with additional almond-sugar-zest mix.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, reversing the position of the baking sheets after the first 6 minutes. Cookies are done when the centers are set and the edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies to a rack, and when completely cool, store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies