Potato Chip~Pecan Cookies

I know this sounds like a funny combination and honestly, it's not my original recipe, but one of my favorites from a December 2004 Fine Cooking magazine.  And, I realize this doesn't seem very "Chinese New Yearish," but it coincides with it for us and that's why I baked them today.

Three years ago, Kelly gave Erin and I a Christmas present of a book called Stealing Buddha's Dinner: A Memoir by Bich Minh Nguyen and had set up our first blog together that she called "The Baker's Dozen."  Her idea was for us to choose 13 books to read that had an underlying theme of food, and blog about this association in the story.  We read two books before Kelly informed us we weren't blogging correctly!  Erin did a book report and I got off the track with my own recipes! LOL!!

However, this is a wonderful autobiography of a young Vietnamese girl, growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a rapacious hunger for an American identity.  This hunger is transmuted into a passion for American Food--Pringles, Kit Kats, Toll House Cookies, etc.--in other words, what we would consider today as junk food, instead of her Buddhist Grandmother's delicacies that she made for special occasions, like the new year.  That's when I found this recipe in my Fine Cooking magazine and added it to the blog as my contribution to understanding the book.

Potato Chip~Pecan Cookies
8 oz. (1 cup/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. (a scant 2 cups) King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla.  Mix once again.  
For accuracy, it's better to weigh the flour because, did you know, that a cup of flour can weigh as much as 4 1/2 ounces depending how you scoop it up.

 However, if you do not have a scale, here is a sure way to get a more accurate measurement.
 #1 - Stir the flour
#2 - Spoon the flour into the 1-cup measurement
#3 - Sweep the cup level with a straight edge (like a knife)
Add the flour, the crushed potato chips and pecans and mix just until the dough comes together.

The recipe actually calls for forming the dough into 1-inch balls, but I use a scoop that is closer to 1-tablespoon for this step.

Scoop up the dough and transfer it to your opposite hand to form into a ball.  Place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat, spacing about 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.  Use the bottom of a glass or a tart tamper, dipped in additional granulated sugar to press down the balls.

For this larger size, I baked them for 12 minutes--until I have a golden brown coloring around the edges.

I also rotated my baking pan half way through the time to produce even browning.  My version, with the larger size made 28 cookies; the original recipe says it will make 30, so I'm not too far off.

What came out of this first attempt at blogging was my present day blog that Kelly set up and decided I was better suited for--telling my stories through food.  Kelly also went off and started a blog with her best friend, Kandyce (Notions & Threads); a much better match for her vision of sharing her everyday projects with the others.  Every time I make these cookies, I think of Kelly and Erin and Bich Minh Nguyen's book that brought me where I am today.  I've never tried making these cookies with Pringles, even though that's a guilty favorite of mine too!  Enjoy!

Snow Days, Snickerdoodles & a Special Gift

A few days ago, I received a box, from a dear friend, that contained the most wonderful gift--the Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. 

Published in 1950 (my birth year), this is the cookbook I grew up with and was saddened when I learned my father had given away a chest that contained this book, among other things, after my mother passed away.  Opening the box and seeing this book again brought tears to my eyes and wondering how Louise could have known this would be a treasured gift?

Our lives were brought together by our daughters, Kelly and Karen.  Kelly met Karen when she worked at a bookstore called Rizzoli's in Santa Monica after she graduated from college.  Karen once told me that she couldn't believe how nice Kelly was and that she would want to be friends with her. Kelly said, "I couldn't believe this witty, intelligent, "cool" girl would be friends with me!"  Their love and friendship lasted over 16 years through distances and life changes.  Sadly, Louise and I lost our sweet daughters just ten months apart from breast cancer, but have found that same love and support for one another that our daughters shared from the time they met.

It's another snowy day here in the Pacific Northwest, so while turning the pages and reading the handwritten notes by it's owner--Sadie Siegfried, I found myself on the page with the recipe for Snickerdoodles. 

It's the recipe I made so many times with my mother and my daughters and wanted a memory to brighten this wintery day.  Baking and friendship brings warmth to the heart...thank you Louise.

Snickerdoodles
1 cup shortening (I used Crisco's "butter-flavored")
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract (I added this ingredient)
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (the original calls for Gold Medal flour, of course)
2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture
2 T granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar thoroughly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture, stirring to combine.  Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven 400F-degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat.
Roll dough into balls the size of a small walnut.  Roll in the Cinnamon/Sugar mixture and place about 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.  Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies.

 I wish with all my heart our girls were still with us, but thank you, Louise for this treasured gift and your loving friendship. 

This morning, while skyping with our grandson, Ari, I told him it was snowing again and that I was sick of it.  He said, "Mimi, you can have fun making snowballs and throwing them at PopPop!"  Leave it up to kids to find the fun side of a snowy day and put a smile on your face.  Enjoy!

Paczki and Breakfast Pizza for a Wintery Morning

Our luck ran out and we've had a couple of snowy days that have blanketed our beautiful landscape, so what better way to make the most of it than with baking!  I decided to make up some quick yeast doughs--pizza and paczki (pronounced poochki) to make our breakfast a little special after my hubby shoveled the driveway and the deck.

Today, happens to be the anniversary of the doughnut, as we know it in America.  In 1847, Captain Hanson Crocket Gregory of Rockport, Maine, is credited with putting the "hole" in the middle of fried cakes, creating what we know today as doughnuts.  The story goes, that while at sea, during a storm, he lost his balance and slammed the fried cake down on a spoke of the ship's wheel--what had once been a soggy middle was gone!  Paczkis are Polish doughnuts and I was introduced to them through one of my dearest friends who sent me some from a bakery in her area.  They may not have a hole, but the addition of homemade jam made them the perfect treat with my cocoa this morning and with proper frying, no soggy middle--LOL!

For my hubby, I made up a pizza dough and topped it with veggie sausage, scrambled egg, and Fontina cheese for all his hard work in shoveling.

Sweet for me and savory for my husband on this cold, wintery day.  Can't wait for Spring, but as long as I have pantry supplies, we won't starve!

Paczki
2 T granulated sugar
2 T butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk, warmed to 110F-degrees
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 to 2 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

Peanut oil for frying
your favorite jam or jelly
confectioners' sugar

In a medium bowl, stir the butter and sugar together, then add the warm milk and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and stir.  Let it set for 5-7 minutes to proof.  

 Add the vanilla and eggs and stir again.  Start adding the flour, one-half cup at a time until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth.  

 Brush the bowl with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.  Place the dough, upside down, then, turn it over.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour or until doubled.

  When doubled, punch down the dough and lightly flour the bread board surface.  Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness and with a 3-inch round cutter, cut out 12 rounds.  Place on a lightly floured pan and cover with a cloth to rise again.

Heat a heavy Dutch oven with 2 inches of peanut oil to 350F-degrees.  Use a thermometer attached to the side to insure accuracy.

I cooked 4 at a time, being careful not to over crowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil.  Cook 2 minutes, then, flip the paczkis and cook another 2 minutes.

The tops should be a golden brown.  Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before filling with jam.

I used a #230 tip to pierce and fill the paczkis.  If you don't have that tip, make a slit in the side with a sharp knife and fill with a large round tip.
Finally, dust the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

The tender doughnut with scrumptious Cherry~Cranberry jam was just the thing to shake the winter blahs.  Yum!

Breakfast Pizza
Dough:
3 cups 00 Flour or Perfect Pizza Blend flour 
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp.  + 1 T granulated sugar
2 T olive oil (more for brushing on top)
1 T yeast

Pizza stone
toppings:
Veggie sausage
undercooked scrambled eggs (2 large per pizza)
Fontina cheese




Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (105F-degrees) with the 1 tsp. sugar.  Whisk to combine and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes until foamy.
In a food processor or a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine flour salt, and the remaining sugar.  Pulse several times to combine, if using the processor, or mix on medium speed to blend.


Add the proofed yeast and olive oil and mix.  Add enough additional warm water for the dough to come together.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.  Spray a gallon-sized food bag with a baking spray and place dough inside.  Seal the bag and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450F-degrees
Take about one-third of the dough and roll out to a 5" x 12" rectangle.

Transfer to a pizza peel, sprinkled with cornmeal, and lightly brush the surface with olive oil.

Bake the dough in the oven for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

Top with about a cup of cheese, then, distribute the egg and sausage over top.  Add additionally cheese, if desired and bake another 5 to 7 minutes until golden browned and melted.

I love baking when it's cold outside because it gives a warmth to the house with aroma as well as temperature.  As we're expecting a few more days of this "white" stuff, I suppose the oven will get a workout.  Enjoy!
 

The Year of the Dragon~ January's Give-Away and Chocolate Almond Cookies

In eight days, on January 23rd, the Chinese New Year begins--the 4709th Chinese Year.  This year's celebration centers on the Year of the Dragon, so I have appropriately sewn an apron with whimsical dragons to honor it, as well as, created a Chocolate Almond Cookie for the sweetness of life.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year has become part of our family since the addition of our own little "Sweetness," Madison.  She brightens our life everyday with her precocious personality, sweet smile, and loving demeanor.

The Year of the Dragon is a legendary creature from the sky, which in China, means from heaven and a symbol of power.  The dragon is an auspicious animal and the 5-clawed one appears on the yellow imperial robe and nine dragons are engraved on the wall of the Forbidden City in Bejing, the imperial palace of the Ching Dynasty. 

Sweets are a part of the New Year and I remember when we were in Taipei in 2010, bringing Maddie home, the bakery cases were lined with all sorts of scrumptious desserts.  Pineapple cakes or turnovers caught my eye and I learned that pineapple means, "prosperity to come."  Today, I made a simple almond cookie, but added chocolate to the dough.  Easily you can omit the chocolate to make them more traditional, but like Maddie, these cookies are creative and different...in a good way!

Chocolate Almond Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond flour (Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur)
1/4 cup dark Dutch cocoa
1 large egg, separated--use on the yolk in the dough and save the white for attaching the almond
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

granulated sugar
almonds, blanched or with skins

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment and set aside.
In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the both the extracts and the almond flour.  Beat on medium for 1 minute.  Add the egg yolk and beat to incorporate, scraping the sides.

Add the dry ingredients--flour, cocoa, and salt and with the mixer on medium, beat to combine.

Use a tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough.  Roll it into a ball and set on the parchment paper.
When you have the pan filled, use a tamper or the bottom of a glass, dipped in granulated sugar to press down on the cookies and flatten slightly.

Beat the egg white to break it up, then, dip the almond into it and press into the center of the cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. 

Remove to a rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough--you should be able to get 2 1/2 dozen cookies from this recipe.

I packaged the cookies in a Chinese take-out box to send to Maddie with a Dragon tag, wishing her a Happy New Year. 

This week, I'll be coming up with more sweet treats for the New Year to share. Enjoy!

Winter Citrus Pound Cake

It's been a tough season for the flu--I know from first hand having just had a bout during the holidays.  Today, with this in mind, I decided to do a pound cake loaded with Vitamin C to give us all a boost :-)!

Citrus fruits are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and the best known are lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes.  I chose to do all four of these fruits, zest and juice, in this moist pound cake, loaded with flavor.

My mother thought lemon was the most useful and not only made us a hot toddy with a squeeze of the juice, but added it to honey and rye for a cough syrup.  Oh, and later she made a lemon chicken soup that was guaranteed to cure the common cold...at least that's what she told us.

Since we still have the rest of January and the dreaded February to get through with the weather, citrus might be our best bet in warding off illness--at the very least, enjoy a piece of cake with a cup of tea by a roaring fire and wait for Spring.

Winter Citrus Pound Cake
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cup granulated sugar
6 large eggs, separated
Zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 orange, and 1 grapefruit
1/2 cup of juice from all the fruits (save the rest of the juice for the soaking sauce)
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour


Preheat oven 325F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray.
In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.  While the mixer is on medium, add the sugar, one cup at a time.  Once all the sugar is added, increase speed to med/high and beat the butter/sugar mixture for 8 minutes.  Scrape down the sides.

Turn the mixture back to medium and add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  Add the zest (you should have about 5 Tablespoons) and mix again.  Add the flour alternately with the juice, starting and ending with the flour.  The batter will be thick.

Beat the 6 egg whites until stiff.  Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter and mix to lighten it.  Then add the rest of the egg whites and fold gently.  Spoon mixture into the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a tester comes out crumb-free.  About 10 minutes before the mixture is due to come out of the oven, make the citrus soaking sauce.
1/2 cup citrus juice
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Place the juice and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil; turn down to low and simmer until the cake is ready to come out of the oven.
Use a skewer and poke holes in the cake, then, pour the citrus sauce over it (while it's still in the pan).  Let the cake set in the pan about 20 minutes while it's soaking up all the sauce.
Turn the cake out onto a serving plate.


Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2 T hot water


Mix everything and drizzle over the top of the cake.

The golden cake, with it's desirable dark crumb is moist and so refreshing.  It's the perfect dessert on a cold nights--just need the water to boil for tea and I'm set to curl up on the sofa to watch The Gifted Man.  Enjoy!
 

Blueberry Oaties

It is a new year and like everyone else, I'm thinking healthy, especially in my baking.  I started with the idea of an oatmeal cookie and from there I pumped up the fiber with ground flax seed and added dried blueberries instead of raisins or chocolate chips for their anti oxidant properties. 

Oats have been around since 1000 B.C. in Central Europe and was brought to North America in 1600s.  They were planted on Elizabeth Island, off the Massachusetts coast as well as, up and down the eastern seaboard, and used mostly to feed livestock and make a porridge or gruel.  In 1901, the Quaker Oats Company put a recipe for oatmeal cookies on their box and the rest is history...so to speak.  Oatmeal cookies were part of my childhood and remains one of family's favorite.  It's one of those cookies that provides a base for your creativity to add other ingredients to change the taste.

Flax seed has been an attention getter for it's healthful properties--delivering high soluble fiber and can even lower bad cholesterol.  Adding it to your baked goods doesn't alter the flavor, but can certainly make a better snack choice.

Blueberry Oaties
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Butternut flavoring (optional) 
1/3 cup ground Flax seed
1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups Old-fashioned Oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dried Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light--about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the flavorings and beat again.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low to combine, then, add the blueberries and mix on medium until thoroughly combined. 

Use a 2-tablespoon size scoop to portion out the dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.  Press the tops slightly to flatten.

Bake in preheated oven 12 minutes or until brown and completely cooked in the center.

Let cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, before transferring to a rack to cool completely.  Makes about 2 dozen--3-inch cookies.

As I was baking them, I turned around to see a little hand take a cookie.  Ari said, "I try them??"  Of course, they're good for him and he doesn't even know it.  Enjoy!

December's Winner...

Like the rabbit...I'm late! giving away the December's apron.

This morning, Ari drew a name out of the bag and the winner is CHRISTINA SCHAEFER.  Please email me your address so I can send it right out.  Thank you for your comments on my few posts for December.

I promise to have January's up soon with lots of new recipes and ideas.  Enjoy~

Ooey Gooey Coconut Bars

I'm sorry for being gone so long; I wish I could say it was because I was having loads of fun and adventures with Ari, but sadly, the guys brought the flu from Spain and I've been ill since before Christmas.  I'm starting to feel a little more like myself and even ventured into the kitchen this morning to bake some bagels for everyone and replenish the cookie jar.

The concept of these cookies has their origins from the Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milk creation called 6 (or 7)-layer bars.  Touted as one of the easiest cookies to make, I know I've been enjoying them since I was a little girl in school.  I kept these pretty simple and only added coconut and chocolate chips, but feel free to sprinkle with pecans or butterscotch chips like the original.  And, by the way, you'll notice I used a mixture of graham crackers and Biscotti cookies to make the crust...because I didn't have 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs.

Ooey Gooey Coconut Bars
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (or a combination of crumbs)
3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt

 
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Brush some additional melted butter on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan and line with parchment.  Set aside.
Pour melted butter over crumbs and mix thoroughly.  Distribute on the bottom of the pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup press down in the pan.

Filling:
2 cups coconut
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups - 2 T (Sweetened Condensed Milk)

Layer the chocolate and coconut (and any other ingredients you desire).  Finally, pour the Sweetened Condensed Milk over the whole mixture.

Put pan in the oven and bake 26 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then, take a knife or spatula to go around the edges and loosen the bars.  (I used my spring form pan.)


Ari was my official taster and said, "Mimi, these are good!"

...but then, any super hero would!