Category Archives: cookies

Heartfelt Thanks | Pecan Sandies

January 10, 2011 –

I can’t honestly say I’ve given much thought to making New Year’s resolutions this year. New Year’s Day came and went so fast it was nearly a blur. In fact, I find most days are a blur around here. We are in a baby time warp of sorts. It’s hard to tell the difference between day and night. It’s hard to remember to eat, to write, or even bathe. It’s quite an adjustment, but it’s also absolutely wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing.

However, if I were to really get on board with the whole New Year’s thing, I might resolve to be better at keeping in touch with dear friends. It’s true I make this same resolution nearly every year, but this year it’s more important than ever. Or, I suppose, this year with the birth of dear Maeve, I realize I have wonderful people all around me. I’d like to keep it that way too. Friends like all of you are pretty darn fantastic.

So, to begin the year in this positive manner, let me first express my deepest heartfelt thanks. Your kind words, calls, emails, texts, gifts of food and fun, were greatly appreciated by our fledgling family. In fact, it brings a tear to my eye to write about it. We were pretty overwhelmed by the generosity and the thoughtfulness. It makes me beam just to think about the wonderful community of people Maeve will always have around her. So, thank you. Thank you!

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to whip up anything really elaborate in order to express my gratitude, but I did manage to find a moment of calm in the kitchen while K took care of Maeve. I made you cookies. They may be simple Pecan Sandies, but they are truly buttery and delicious. I am sure you will like them whether they are warm from the oven just dipped in powdered sugar or perfectly crumbly the following afternoon with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. Pecan Sandies are truly one of my all-time favorite cookies. So, of course, it seems right to share them with all of you today. You, after all, are some of my absolute favorite people. And, you deserve a cookie. You do.

Perhaps you can make baking delicious cookies one of your New Year’s resolutions? I think it is abundantly appropriate. It’s so boring to resolve to lose weight or exercise more. Food is far more fun, I think.

Enjoy and, again, thank you all for being so lovely. And patient. My oven is making a triumphant return, albeit slowly.

Pecan Sandies

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

3 tsp. water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup chopped roasted pecans

3 tablesppons confectioners’ sugar

Combine butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a bowl. Cream these ingredients until smooth and pale yellow.

Stir in the water and vanilla. Add the flour, nuts, and mix until the dough is thick and creamy.

Wrap the dough in wax or parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm slightly until the dough is malleable, about 5 minutes.

Shape the dough into balls the size of a rounded teaspoon and drop the balls onto a greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly with the prongs of a fork. Bake until the cookies are pale golden brown, about 20-22 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Coat cookies in confectioner’s sugar by rolling them in a mound of sugar. Set on rack to cool further.

Enjoy. Makes about 36 cookies.

Permalink | Comments (38)

baby cookies dessert easy quickies sugar Uncategorized

Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares | Eleventh Hour of Pregnancy

December 20, 2010 –

It is fair to say Christmas is right around the corner. In fact, it’s this week. It’s hard to believe it. And, truth be told, I haven’t thought a whole lot about it apart from my internal debate about whether to add a third stocking to the mantel. The optimistic side of me wants to do this, but my overwhelmingly practical side urges me to wait. Babies tend to come on their own time. At least, this is the daily sentiment echoed by all the sane people around me.

We are staying in Seattle this year, of course. It’s hard to plan a holiday with our out-of-state families when a Christmas baby is on the menu. I’m certainly not sad about it. We’ve traveled a lot this year and this buckling down time is pure bliss. I think I really tapped into my nesting instinct at about week 38 and now it’s now kicked into full gear for both of us. We putter about the house. K builds things. I do little chores and even managed to finish my first baby quilt.

Today is my due date, however, and I admit I am finding it a bit difficult to take my eye off the prize. This is where I’m utterly thankful for all of you and this blog. What salvation. What a wonderful distraction. Thank you for this.

This week, I baked some extra sweet Christmas cookies for all of us. I can barely fit half a cookie into my large belly, but this doesn’t stop me from trying. Besides K insisted the time was ripe for baking Christmas cookies. And I agreed. Wholeheartedly.

However, when I went to my stash of baking books and began to flip through the pages, he scoffed. There was only one type of Christmas cookie on his mind and that was his mother’s Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares.

I was rather surprised by this revelation. K’s mother is neither a cook nor baker and will fully admit she detests her time in the kitchen. Never during our entire relationship has K suggested I whip up one of her recipes. This was certainly news to me. And, upon reflection, I suppose that is why the suggestion on this occasion was so very convincing.

So I acquiesced. These cookies must be revelatory.

And they are wonderful. Norwegian Butter Squares are fantastically simple. There are so few ingredients yet the cookies are buttery, rich, and delicious. Plus, they bake in no time at all. You can whip them up to go with your afternoon tea or take them to your next holiday party. Leave them out for Santa. He won’t be disappointed. Or, even better, use them as a blissful distraction during the 11th hour of pregnancy. It works. Believe me.

Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Turbinado/ Raw Sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chill a baking sheet in the freezer. Do not grease the baking sheet.

Using a hand mixer, blend the butter, egg, sugar, and salt together until it is creamy. Add the flour and vanilla and mix using your hands until the mixture holds together in large clumps.

Using your hands, press the dough out onto the chilled and ungreased baking sheet until it is even and 1/4 inch thick. Dust the top of the cookies evenly with raw sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees until the edges turn a golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool for about five minutes before cutting the cooked dough into squares. Remove the squares from the warm pan using a spatula.

Enjoy.

If I don’t see you for a bit, don’t be alarmed. It means good things and, possibly, babies are brewing over in these parts.

Tags Christmas cookies, cookies, pregnancy, sugar cookies, sugar squares, week 40 | Permalink | Comments (57)

cookies dessert easy holiday home Uncategorized

Homemade Chocolate Truffles | Edible Gifts for the Holidays

December 2, 2010 –

I hate cigarette smoke. I really do. Every now and then, however, I catch the faintest whiff of the stuff and it sends me into sort of a romantic tailspin. This scent, possibly stale or even weeks old, has the power to send me reeling back in time to old boyfriends, my months of study abroad in France, and my father dressed in his stately, plaid, button-down shirts (in the days before he developed emphysema).

Scent is a powerful thing. It’s truly remarkable and probably the one sense, apart from taste, without which my passion for life would really suffer.

I do not classify cigarette smoke as a good scent necessarily. If I did, I am certain my inbox would overflow with email messages to the contrary. In general, I believe there are two basic categories of good scents. There are the scents that are objectively amazing like freshly cut grass and sun-drenched tomato vines. And, on the other hand, there are those scents that have special meaning to you whether or not the majority of the population would agree. Stale cigarette smoke is a good example. Or, perhaps you love the smell of expired sunscreen because it reminds you of summer? I could not possibly disagree.

For me, there is one scent that rises far above the pack. You might assume it’s the smell of bread baking or shallots frying in olive oil. Both are excellent guesses. However, while I agree those scents are glorious and invigorating, they do not compare to the rich smell of chocolate. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the smell of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven or the smell of a chocolate orange cracked into pieces on Christmas Eve. It’s all wonderful. In fact, I cannot recall a time when I felt otherwise. The chocolate scented scratch n sniff stickers were always my favorite. I scratched them with such vigor they were barely recognizable. I have the sticker books as proof of this phenomenon.

Nowadays, hardly a few hours pass during which a craving for chocolate doesn’t take hold of me.

Despite these cravings, I rarely cook chocolate sweets. Their power over me is too strong. I can’t control my impulses and, thus, I routinely deprive myself of one of the most fabulous treats on earth. However, I realize it’s December. This is clearly not the time for deprivation or personal tests of will power. The holidays are barely around the corner and I have no interest in depriving all of you of the fruits of my chocolate labors.

Besides, I am a firm believer in edible gift-giving. A bottle of wine disappears into your host’s hands the moment you hand it over, but a box of homemade chocolate truffles is a marvel. A box of fresh chocolate never fails to result in much fawning, savoring, and genuine thankfulness. Chocolate melts even the coldest hearts. It’s a much loved thing.

I am quite certain you are at least vaguely familiar with the power of chocolate. If you are not aware, however, you will learn soon. This is the year you will plan ahead. This is the season you will leave the bottle of wine behind and arrive at the holiday party amidst a fragrant cloud of fresh chocolate. You will be popular beyond your wildest dreams because you will bring your host a box of homemade chocolate truffles.

I promise.

Are you with me? I hope so. Making truffles at home is not a trial. It’s a joy. It’s easy. It’s fun and it’s a wonderful task to do with friends on a rainy (or snowy) winter afternoon. Split the work and enjoy the proceeds. No one will be disappointed.

I used the recipe from Tartine this week, which I like a great deal. I suggest you start out in this manner as well, but feel free to experiment a bit. Chocolate is somewhat forgiving. I use the term “somewhat” because I don’t want you to believe you can fiddle too much with the measurements. You can’t. However, you can add a flavor here or there. A drop of vanilla is heavenly. A bit of peppermint, perhaps. Or, roll the chocolate in mint, coconut, or anything you think compliments it best.

Eat and enjoy the power of chocolate.

Chocolate Truffles

1 lb. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 tblsp. light corn syrup

5 tbslp. unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup cocoa powder (substitute with topping of your choice e.g. crushed nuts, grated coconut)

Place the chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup and heat to just under a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute or two. Stir with a rubber spatula in a circular motion until the chocolate melts. Add the butter and stir until it is incorporated. Let the mixture firm up in a cool place until it can be piped from a pastry bag. The amount of time for the mixture to become firm depends on how cool the room is. Or, place in the refrigerator to speed the process.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Transfer the contents of the bowl to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (no. 6 or 7) plain tip. Pipe out long logs, about 1 inch wide. Place in the refrigerator and chill well, about 1 hour. If you don’t have a pastry bag and tip, you can leave the mixture in the bowl and refrigerate in the same manner.

Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and cut the logs crosswise into about 1 inch long pieces. Or, if using a bowl of mixture, remove a spoonful at a time. Roll each piece between your palms into an irregularly shaped truffle and then roll between your palms. Once the truffles are shaped, place the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl or small pile and roll each truffle in the cocoa coating evenly.

The truffles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Source: Tartine Cookbook

Tags chocolate, christmas, desserts, edible gifts, holiday | Permalink | Comments (34)

baby cookies dessert easy holiday home pregnancy Uncategorized

Homemade Gingerbread | Baby Bump Peek

October 28, 2010 –

Baby showers are strange and wonderful parties. There is, to be certain, lots to celebrate, but it felt a bit strange that my little bun sat snugly in my belly all Sunday afternoon as we prematurely celebrated her homecoming.

I am quite certain she enjoyed it, however. The food and treats were spectacular. Our friends and loved ones were adoring and brilliant. There was lots of love in the air and the new babies present were full of vim and vigor– little windows into our sunny future.

While I was told to sit back and relax on the day of the shower, that was just a ridiculous request. And, besides, I like to bake and cook. It relaxes me and I firmly believe my little one reaps the benefits of a relaxed mother who regularly bathes in the glorious aromas of an active kitchen. Speaking of which, I decided the smell of homemade gingerbread baking in the oven comes darn close to the heavenly scent of a freshly baked loaf of bread. My house smelled reminiscent of holidays and childhood. Gingery. Earthy and Sweet. It was beyond lovely.

And, while I’ve previously baked gingerbread, I will admit to past failures. Sometimes, the gingerbread was too hard. Sometimes, it was too sweet. And, on several occasions, the balance of ginger, cinnamon, and sugar was just not right. This recipe, however, was ideal. I knew it would be for two reasons. First, it is the recipe from Tartine, which is a wonderful bakery in the Mission District of my hometown of San Francisco. Second, I managed to taste test it first when dear A brought me several fresh pieces of gingerbread during a high-powered baby store consignment trip we took recently. Many thanks to A for the introduction and for allowing me to borrow the Tartine cookbook. It’s a must-buy! If I could go back in time, I might even add it to my baby registry. I do believe I read somewhere that growing babies deserve many such wonderful treats.

If you are doubting the veracity of the above statement, here is the proof. My little bun is doing her best to get a hold of that freshly baked and glazed gingerbread. Indeed, she edges closer to the counter everyday. She is bound to like sweets as much as her mother.

Tartine Gingerbread

Dough

3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Granulated sugar 1 large egg
1/2 cup blackstrap or other dark molasses
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons water

To make the dough, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth and soft. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and mix well.

Add the molasses and corn syrup and beat until incorporated. Stop the mixer again and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until a dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl and all the ingredients are well incorporated. Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten it on a large piece of plastic wrap into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, cover the dough with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

Unwrap the dough and place on a floured work surface. If using a plaque with a design, roll out the dough 1/3 inch thick, lightly dust the top with flour, press your cookie molds over the dough, and then cut out the shapes with a small knife and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Alternatively, using the mold as a guide, cut around it with a small knife, flip the mold over so the design is facing you, and place the dough over it, pressing it into the design. Unmold the shapes onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.

If using a patterned rolling pin, lightly dust the lined baking sheet with flour and transfer the dough to the pan. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick with a plain pin. Then, using the patterned pin, roll over the dough with enough pressure to ensure a clear impression of the design. Trim the sides with a small knife. It is not necessary to cut into smaller sizes before baking.

Bake the cookies until lightly golden along the sides but still soft to the touch in the centers, 7 to 15 minutes. The timing will depending on the size of the individual cookies, or if you have made a single large patterned piece that will be cut after baking.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth.

When the cookies are ready, remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then, while the cookies are still warm, using even strokes, brush a light coat of glaze on the top of each cookie, evenly covering it. Let the cookies cool completely. When the glaze dries, it should leave a shiny, opaque finish. If you have used a patterned pin to make a single large plaque, cut into the desired sizes with a small, very sharp knife. The cookies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for about 2 weeks.

Tags baby bump, gingerbread, holiday gifts, pregnancy | Permalink | Comments (50)

« Previous Page — Next Page »