Happy Birthday Cookies

Kelly's little boy will turn 9 years old next week; where did the time go?  He's getting so big, but I remember this photo, taken of Kelly and him for a article Kelly wrote for the Mount Holyoke literary magazine when he was just over a year old.

The spitting image of his mama and he definitely has her good heart and concern for others, nurtured by his dad, new mother and little brother.

He also has a wonderful sense of humor and voracious love of reading...like his mom.

He's visiting in Vermont and his dad shared with us a climb they did.  Getting so tall and very grown-up!

We won't get a chance to see him until August, but I wanted to bake him up something sweet just to let him know we're thinking of him.  Happy Birthday Cookies are everything a kid will love; simple but oh so tasty.

Happy Birthday Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 T "Birthday Cake" flavoring
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup mini white chocolate chips
3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together thoroughly.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if needed, with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and Birthday Cake flavoring.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium/low just until combined.  Use a #20 Scoop to portion out the cookies.

Use your hand to slightly flatten the dough.  Bake in the preheat oven for 12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Happy Birthday Cookies are just fun and I know our grandson will love them; his mama would!  Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Soft Oatmeal~Raisin~Pecan Cookies

I love crunchy chocolate chip cookies, but my oatmeal cookies need to be soft and chewy. Yes, I'm quirky, but if you have the same taste characteristic, then these cookies are for you.  In honor of Earth Day and the amazing Science March yesterday in Washington, D.C., I thought a "Cookie Chemistry" lesson was in order.

There are a few things to know if you want to make a cookie soft: substitute half of the unsalted butter with shortening, increase brown sugar to granulated sugar, almost 2:1, add some light Karo syrup,  and if you're making a cookie with dried fruit (i.e., raisins), soak them for at least 30 minutes in hot water.  

First, the butter v. shortening lesson--shortening is 100% fat, but butter and margarine are composed of about 80-85% fat and 20-15% water.  Butter definitely has a superior flavor than shortening, but when you use all butter, it gives off steam and will cause a bit more gluten formation, so you'd get a crisper cookie with all butter.  Also, butter melts at a lower temperature than shortening and therefore, it melts faster.  Shortening will hold its shape, but with a little leavening, as in this case I used baking soda, then this cookie will rise and expand some. 

Secondly, the ratio of brown sugar to white, granulated sugar is another factor.  I used double the amount of brown sugar to white sugar in this recipe because it has a higher moisture content and since it also contains molasses, yields a softer cookie.  Brown sugar isn't as sweet so I also added light Karo Syrup to give a chewy, almost gooey factor to these cookies.  Corn syrup is an invert sugar, which means that it prevents sugar crystals from forming.  This is very important when making candy or caramel, but since I wanted that texture, I added some. Please note, it's not like Corn syrup is the same thing as the much maligned high fructose corn syrups.  While both are made from corn starch, corn syrup is 100% glucose while high fructose corn syrup has been processed to convert some of that glucose into fructose and consuming large amounts of fructose has a negative effect.

Finally, soaking dried fruit is very important to create a soft cookie.  I typically cover dried fruit with boiling water and wait at least 30 minutes and even up to an hour before using them in any recipe.  Moistened dried fruit has two effects: first, dried fruit will normally draw out moisture from the dough and make a crisper cookie, but if there isn't enough moisture to begin with, you'll also get crispy fruit pieces...ugh!  Of course, plump fruit adds back some moisture to the dough and creates a soft cookie!

Old Fashioned Soft Oatmeal~Raisin~Pecan Cookies

1 cup Raisins, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room tempeature

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 T Light Karo Syrup

1 large egg

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Almond extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon*

2T milk

3 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped Pecans (or walnuts)--optional

*I found a new spice mixture at Penzey's Spice called Cake Spice:  it contains Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, star anise, and ginger and I used that instead of just cinnamon!

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a stand mixture, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening and sugars together thoroughly.  Add the Karo syrup, egg and extracts and cream once more, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the milk and beat once more, then the dry ingredients. Beat just until the ingredients are combined.  Stir in drained raisins and the pecans, if using.

I used a #20 scoop to portion out the cookies, making sure I left space for the cookies to expand.

Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes.  Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Perfect treat after a day in the garden.  I've been planting a new flower bed I'm calling, Kelly's Garden, in honor of our daughter who passed away seven years ago from breast cancer.  Since she carried hydrangeas in her wedding, I've planted mostly varieties of them, but added in some other plants I knew she loved.  It's a loving work in progress and makes me happy.  I hope you have a wonderful day as well.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies & March's Give-Away Apron

You know what they say about the Girl Scout #1 cookies, Thin Mints--"when they're gone, they're gone for another year!"  Well, that's not necessarily true if you really love these cookies like we do.  I've come up with an easy recipe that comes pretty darn close so we can enjoy these cookies whenever the urge comes on.

Did you know the first cookie sales for the Girl Scouts was in 1917 by a troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  However, during World War II, the Girl Scouts sold calendars in addition to cookies because of the shortages of flour, sugar and butter.  In 2007, sales were estimates at about 1200 million boxes per year and as of 2015, the GSA began to offer the ability to purchase their cookies with credit/debit cards via an online site or "Digital Cookie" App!  Thin Mints, along with Samoas (which were renamed this year to Caramel DeLites) are among the top two most popular.  They're a rich chocolate with a hint of mint and my recipe delivers in taste and richness!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
12T ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract (I used peppermint oil and reduced this to 1/8 tsp.)
1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt

Chocolate Glaze:
14 oz. bittersweet chocolate (397g)
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (I used 1/4 tsp. peppermint oil)

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter thoroughly.  Add the sugar, while the mixer is running on low and continue to beat until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the egg and extracts and beat once more.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough is fully incorporated.

I divided the dough in half and I use pie dough rounds to roll out to the desired thickness of 1/4-inch.

Adversely, you could roll between parchment paper.  Rolling the dough "between" either is better because you're not adding extra flour to prevent sticking and making the cookies tough.
Chill the dough rounds about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  I used a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, but you can choose the size you want.  I was able to get 2 1/2 dozen using this size.

Bake for 8 minutes!  Allow to cool on the sheet pan for about five minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate, oil, and peppermint flavoring (or oil) in a bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water in it over low heat.

Once the chocolate is ALMOST completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted.  This method helps to temper  the chocolate and give the finished cookie a shine!

I used a fork and placed a cookie on it to dip into the melted chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.   Have a sheet of parchment paper close by to place the dipped cookies on.

Recess putting the cookies in the refrigerator...allow them to set at room temperature.  Presto...if the Girl Scouts cookies are no longer available until next year, you've got a back-up.  Enjoy!

March's Give-Away Apron is brightly colored for the Spring season!  If you would like to win this apron, add a comment to any of the posts this month and you could be wearing this apron to bake in your kitchen.  Good luck!

Chocolate Decadence Cookies

Grab a glass of cold milk because that's exactly what you'll want with these Chocolate Decadence Cookies.  If you're a brownie lover, like me, these are a perfect substitute for the cookie jar and on a cold afternoon curling up to watch a movie.

As my mother would say..."can you really have too much chocolate?" So these are in memory for her and made a delightful treat while I am die cutting for a trade show that I will be attending this coming weekend.  What do you have plan?

Chocolate Decadence Cookies
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 T unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
6 oz. chopped bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate
2 cups walnuts (or pecans) broken into pieces

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On the stove, heat a frying pan with about 1/2-inch of water to a simmer.  Place a heat-proof bowl in the frying pan and melt the first two ingredients. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

In separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with the bowl in the same frying pan of water.  Heat this mixture to lukewarm.

Fold the warmed eggs into the chocolate mixture and completely combine.  Add the flour, baking powder and salt and fold to incorporate.  Finally, add the 2 cups of broken walnuts and 6 oz. of chopped chocolate.

Scoop the batter onto the parchment lined sheets.  Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes.  The tops should look shiny; be careful because it's hard to tell when chocolate cookies are done and you can easily over bake them to a dryness state.

Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Now grab that glass of milk.  Enjoy!

Brown Butter "Crispy" Chocolate Chip Cookies & December's Give-Away Apron

Some people like their chocolate chip cookies soft and gooey, but I'm weird and love thin and crispy! I don't think it matters what side you're on, but I will say, these are darn good and worth a try.  Maybe it will be a mind changer!

I actually baked these with the intention of getting them up on the blog for the feast of St. Nicholas--December 6th; a day we like to honor in our home.  However, in spite of good intentions, it never happened.  I have a collection of Father Christmases (aka St. Nicholas) and have always celebrated this particular day with high regard.  His reputation as a bringer of gifts is known world-wide. In Europe, especially Germany and Poland, boys dress as bishops begging alms for the poor.  In the Ukraine, children wait for St. Nicholas to come and put a present under their pillows...provided they have been good.  In the Netherlands, Dutch children put out a clog filled with hay and a carrot for Sinterklaas' horse.  In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their shoes in the foyer in hopes that he will place some coins on the soles...typical of our Capitalism values:-)!

Brown Butter Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
14 T (1 stick + 6T) unsalted butter, browned
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 extra large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup room temperature water
1 cup + 2T King Arthur all-purpose flour (plain flour)
3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until he foams and browns...about 7 - 9 minutes.

Pour butter into a heat-proof dish and allow to cool slightly.  Place in the refrigerator to firm up again.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients and chips.  Stir until well incorporated.

Transfer the dough to parchment paper and wrap.  Chill for 30 minutes in the freezer.

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop up about 1 1/2T dough and place on the parchment line baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart.  Squish them either by pressing your palm, flat bottom of a glass, or dough tamper as I did. Flatten to about 1/4-inch thick.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are kinda dark golden brown.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

This month's apron is brightly colored and full of the holiday spirit.  If you would like to win this apron, comment on any posts this month and you could be wearing this lovely apron!

Almond Pastry Pillows

I love working with cream cheese dough; I make Rugelach, Pecan Tassies, and now these little Pillows!  The dough comes out flaky and the surprise inside is a nice treat with a cup of tea (or coffee) on these cold days.  We've gone from 76F-degrees to only in the 50s today--I know that's not freezing compared to the snow that Minnesota or Michigan got yesterday, but it is chilly here:-)

I'm in the early stages of planning my cookie boxes for Christmas.  I loved baking cookies with my Mom, who made dozens of cookies to set out for her Christmas Eve buffet, but also to give to friends.  You can freeze a lot of doughs and even some cookies and get a head start--I do.

Almond Pastry Pillows
Dough:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 8-oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together thoroughly until well combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, with a rubber spatula.  Add the flour and salt and mix on low just until combined.  Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Filling:
1 7-oz pkg. Almond Paste
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white

Break up the Almond Paste into a bowl and add the sugar.  Beat with a hand mixer until combined, then add the egg white and beat until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees (360F-degrees Convection) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take out one of the doughs.  Lightly flour your surface with flour and roll the dough to a 8" x 14" rectangle.

Use a 2-inch square cookie cutter to cut the dough.  Place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush with 1 large egg + 1T water.  Add about 1/2 tsp. of filling in the center and place another square on top.  Lightly press the edges with the tines of a fork.

Brush the tops, lightly with more of the egg wash and sprinkle a few sliced almonds and Sparkling Sugar on top.  Bake in the preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before packaging them. Makes about 30 cookies. Enjoy!