Tag Archives: cookies

Be someone’s Valentine

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

In the opening of the movie, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, the main character gives the opinion that Valentines Day is a “holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.”

For a long time, I agreed with this sentiment and refused to celebrate.  ”I don’t need a declared day to show my love”, I protested.  ”I won’t give in to another commercially fabricated holiday”, I cried.

Through the years I softened my view on this a bit.  Valentines Day isn’t just a day for romantic love.  It’s a time when people wonder about the hearts of others and themselves.  If you’ve ever been to a children’s class Valentine party, you’ve no doubt observed how each card exchanged is carefully read and cherished.  People are nicer to each other in general.

A little sweetness is never a bad thing, people, so get on out there and FEEL THE LOVE.

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lemon coconut macaroons

1-14 ounce package flaked coconut, preferable unsweetened

4 large egg whites

1/2 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup unrefined sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine everything except the egg whites.  Add the egg whites to this mixture, combining well.

Form balls from approximately 2 tsp of dough and drop onto prepared cookie sheet.  You can use a cookie scoop, but I use my hands to shape the balls (this can get a little sticky).  You don’t have to space them much on the cookie sheet, as they will not spread.

Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cookies are set and starting to brown a little on the tops.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

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Side note:  At Christmas time, I make a variation of these cookies called inside-out Almond Joy cookies.  Simply omit the almonds from the mix.  unwrap a bag of Hershey almond kisses and mold the coconut dough around each kiss, forming a ball. Make sure the dough is firmly snug around the kiss.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

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stained glass cookies (or, how to impress your friends with your mad baking skills without actually baking)

Posted on December 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is the part wherein I preface by saying that I don’t ever eat any artificial anything.

That is, for the most part, true; however, I have been known to steal the occasional Tootsie Roll from my kid’s Halloween bucket and I really like to order dessert when I go out for dinner (and sometimes I may not know precisely what is in it!). Like a few other recipes I’ve posted about, my mother made these every year at Christmas without fail.

But no…I don’t eat them.  These cookies belong to a small, select group of recipes that I make simply for tradition’s sake.  It’s not necessarily that I don’t like them.  They are seriously rich and delicious!  It’s that I had them so much growing up, I’ve lost the desire for them.  I can make them from memory and without much thought or labor, and they are consistently delicious.

The hardest thing about making these is finding the marshmallows.  It seems to get harder and harder each year.  I stress that they must be the Kraft brand.  Any other brand of multi-colored marshmallows will either have a different taste, consistency-or both.  My dear friend, Monica, who was on a speciality food item hunt of her, kept a lookout wherever she went until the quest was over.  A new Wegman’s opened up the street and Lo!  There they were (I had already begun telling people not to expect them this year).  She also contacted Kraft food on Facebook, who suggested using their product locator to find them.

cookie rollstained glass cookies

One bag of Kraft multi-colored marshmallows

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (either squares or chips)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick)

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a double boiler (if you have one, if not a medium saucepan will work-just keep a close eye) over low heat, melt the butter.

Add chocolate, stirring constantly until completely melted and is a velvety consistency.  As soon as the chocolate melts, remove from heat to cool for a few minutes.

Toss marshmallows and walnuts together in a large bowl.  Add melted chocolate mixture and fold gently until incorporated.

Lay out aluminum foil pieces on counter and form logs.

Makes 2 very large logs or 3 smaller ones.

Wrap tightly with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.  Store in refrigerator.  These freeze well if you want to make them far in advance.

stained glass cookies

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mom’s chocolate chip cookies

Posted on May 18, 2012 | 4 Comments

Happy belated Mother’s Day.

My mother has passed away, but Mother’s Day remains a day when I reminisce about all those little things that made my mom, well…my mom.  When she died, my siblings and I sorted her things,  like children do.  It’s the small things of hers that I kept and still cherish.  Things that I can take out, turn over in my hand, then tuck back away in a safe place until next time; objects which invoke a specific memory such as a Christmas ornament, photos, and handwritten recipe cards.

To the people who knew her, my mom was famous for two desserts:  her brownies and her chocolate chip cookies, which she called drop sugar cookies (the reason known only to her).

Not your garden variety chewy chocolate chip cookie, hers were smaller and more cake-like, moist with gooey bits of chocolate throughout.

I adapted her recipe a bit, using all butter instead of shortening.  Another change is the substitution of organic sucanate instead of granulated white sugar, and white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour.

drop sugar cookies (chocolate chip cookies)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1/2 cup organic sucanate

1 cup light brown sugar

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten and room temperature

4 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold water

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, brown sugar, sucanate an vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix until combined.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Mix dry ingredients together.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture in small increments, alternating with water until well combined.  Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Chill dough in refrigerator for one hour.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.  They will not spread much, so they can be placed fairly close together.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until set.  Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 5-10 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.

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triple ginger cookies

Posted on December 19, 2011 | 2 Comments

These cookies are not for the faint of heart…they are heady, complex, and spicy with three different kinds of ginger-fresh, ground, and candied-so if you don’t like ginger, it’s probably not for you.  However, if you love ginger like I do, then these cookies won’t disappoint.

They are labor intensive, and if they weren’t my favorite winter cookie, I probably wouldn’t bother.  At a time of year when gingerbread and ginger cookie recipes abound, these are a different sort.  The bite of the cookie is complemented by the lemony frosting.

triple ginger cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softenend

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup candied ginger, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

turbinado, or raw, sugar

icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp powdered egg whites

1 Tbsp milk

zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whisk flour spices, soda, salt, and pepper together in a bowl, set aside.  Cream butter and both sugars with a mixer until smooth.  Add egg, beat until incorporated into butter and sugars.  Add molasses, candied ginger, and fresh ginger.  Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.  Chill dough until slightly firm, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop or roll dough into large balls, approximately 2 1/2 inches. Coat with turbinado sugar and place on cookie sheet, spacing  about 3 inches apart.

Flatten the balls with the bottom of a measuring cup.  Keep some water in a slightly larger measuring cup or a shallow dish.  Dip the cup you are using to flatten the balls in the water  every 3-4 cookies or you will want to kill me the cup will stick to the dough.

Bake 15-18 minutes, or until set.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Whisk all ingredients for the icing together until smooth, then spread approximately a Tbsp of icing on each cookie.

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