almond thumbprint cookies with jam

I’m in upstate New York for the month of July with extended family, and one of the joys of that (aside from cooler weather, doggie cuddles, and lake swimming!) is staying just 45 minutes from my grandmother, Cynthia, who is now 102! She’s currently in assisted living, but with both of us vaccinated, I’ve been able to visit. Last week I couldn’t see her because of a virtual class during daylight hours, so I’m going to see her today, and I tried a new recipe for jam thumbprint cookies to brighten up a rainy week.

 

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Jam (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

 

INGREDEINTS

 

4 ounces almonds (any kind), ground, OR almond meal
2/3 cup sugar, plus extra 1/3 cup, for rolling dough
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 generous teaspoon vanilla extract
Jam, any kind (I made basic strawberry jam over Memorial Day, so I used that)

 

DIRECTIONS

 

If using whole or chopped almonds, grind them into a fine powder (I do this either in a food processor or a coffee grinder). Add almond meal/ground almonds, sugar, flour, and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in butter, egg, and vanilla extract until incorporated. Scoop and mold dough into a large ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Move ball of dough back to countertop and uncover. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough into your hand, squeeze to help the dough adhere, and roll between your palms into a smooth ball. Drop each ball of dough into small bowl filled with the remaining sugar. Rotate/roll until dough is coated on all sides, and place on one of the baking sheets. Because you’ll be chilling the dough one more time before baking, you don’t need to worry about spacing at this point. Discard remaining sugar.

 

 

Make an indentation in center of each ball using your thumb, index finger, or the rounded end of a wooden spoon. If dough cracks, let it warm a little more, or nudge it back into place. Return the cookies to the refrigerator (20-25 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) to chill.

 

 

Move racks to the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Take cookies out of the fridge or freezer and fill with jam up to the edges of the indentation. If jam is too dense or stiff, put 2-3 tablespoons in a small bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds. Warm jam should be easier to work with! Space filled cookies 2 inches apart, moving some to the second baking sheet.

 

Bake 11-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets. Makes 24-36 cookies, depending on size.

 

After never making them before in my life, I’ve made jam thumbprint cookies twice this summer. The first time I made them, I used a recipe that called for all flour and additional corn starch. While they looked fabulous and disappeared quickly at the party I took them to, I didn’t love the taste of so much starch. Naturally, I went looking for an alternative. Deb of Smitten Kitchen posts reliably good recipes, so I adapted hers a bit for my own needs. The result may be more rustic and less perfect, but they taste MUCH better than my first effort, and they melt in your mouth. If you don’t mind cracks here and there in your cookies, these will be a hit! They’re still visually stunning, and they taste delicious!

 

This recipe post is part of Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg of The Intrepid Reader. Learn more about Weekend Cooking here.

cookiesaurus rex

As an occasional baker and a fan of children's books, I knew I had to check out this picture book. It is only September (and not even chilly out yet!), but I'm already thinking about the winter holidays, frosting cookies, and warm mugs of chocolate and cider. If you bake and will have any small children at hand this winter, Amy Fellner Dominy and Nate Evans’ picture book Cookiesaurus Rex, illustrated by A.G. Ford is a fun read-aloud pick. 

As soon as Cookiesaurus Rex comes out of the oven, he declares that he is King of All Cookies. He should be frosted before all of the standard-shaped cookies, in a nice bright green. But the other cookies are getting sprinkles, or shiny stars, or even gumdrops . . . WAIT ONE STINKIN’ STOMPIN’ MINUTE! Cookiesaurus wants a do-over. Problem is, he might not end up with the kind of “do” he wants. Readers will love the funny back-and-forth between this cheeky cookie and the hand that frosts him. See who gets his licks in at the end!

Cookiesaurus Rex is looking forward to be decorated, but that excitement quickly turns to frustration when he sees his fellow cookies decorated with stars and sprinkles while he only has simple green icing and a black top hat. So Cookiesaurus decides to go rogue – except he doesn't get quite the revenge he wanted. He's decorated as a dinosaur ballerina, a duck, a baby (complete with chocolate chip poo!) instead. In between those episodes he decorates himself as a ninja and a superhero, only for it all to be wiped away. In the end he goes hog wild with decorations and declares himself the King of All Cookies - but there's a catch!

Cookiesaurus Rex is engaging and silly fun, with a cookie main character full of attitude. The dialogue will make kids laugh and adults smile, and the content (and ideas for decoration) would make it the perfect complement or preview to a cookie decorating session. In fact, I was inspired to buy a T. Rex cookie cutter myself and try my hand at recreating some of Cookiesaurus' looks. Unfortunately, I didn't use icing tools so it ended up a little sloppy!

Of course, you don't have to wait for winter to have a cookie-baking and -decorating session, and there's no hint of holiday affiliation in the book itself, so this title works for everyone and year-round fun. Cookiesaurus' antics are sure to amuse and inspire all who read the book.

In all, Cookiesaurus Rex is a fun, sassy picture book suitable for all ages, and especially for bakers and their minions.

Recommended for: fans of baking, cookies, dinosaurs and dialogue-heavy picture books (the ones you do voices with!).

Cookiesaurus Rex will be released by Disney-Hyperion on September 26^th, 2017.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

Fine print: I received an advance copy of this title for review consideration. I did not receive any compensation for this post.

gingerbread for liberty!

Gingerbread for Liberty! has the word gingerbread in the title. I'll admit, that's all it took for me to click over to my local library webpage and place a hold. I love food (like a lot of you do, I imagine). I love books only slightly less than food (and some days it's pretty even in the running). A book that combines food AND art AND history is just extra icing on the gingerbread. Lucky me (and you), this one met my (admittedly high) expectations.

Christopher Ludwick was a German-born American patriot with a big heart and a talent for baking. When cries of “Revolution!” began, Christopher was determined to help General George Washington and his hungry troops. Not with muskets or cannons, but with gingerbread!  Cheerfully told by Mara Rockliff and brought to life by Vincent Kirsch’s inventive cut-paper illustrations, Gingerbread for Liberty! is the story of an unsung hero of the Revolutionary War who changed the course of history one loaf at a time.

Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution is a picture book that delves into the history of German-American baker Christopher Ludwick, who lived in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War period. This little-known character was famous for baking gingerbread for the city, volunteering to help feed Washington's army, and he rounded it out by going on special night missions to convince German troops to switch sides and fight for an independent American nation.

While Rockliff does a good job with the story and history, the best part by far is Vincent X. Kirsch’s art and overall book design. The interior art is made up of layered paper cut outs in primary colors, with white edging that mimics traditional gingerbread decoration. The font matches the unique style, though at times its placement is not always intuitive for the reader. The effect, once you take in a page spread or two, is charming and the tiniest bit old-fashioned, like the wooden lace scrollwork on an old Victorian house. It doesn't ever edge into cutesy, though, and the various cityscapes, ships, soldiers and exploits described throughout the book will appeal even to those who have no interest in gingerbread.

That's said, if you are interested in food + books like I am, this book is perfect. The endpapers contain a gingerbread recipe (presumably like the one Ludwick would have used), and I was sorely tempted to bake and decorate in shapes to match the book's many illustrations. I can see this book spawning family or classroom culinary adventures, especially around the Presidents' and Independence Day holidays.

In all, Gingerbread for Liberty! is a multi-interest picture book that expounds on a little-known figure in American history, with fantastic art and a baking hook.

Recommended for: parents and teachers looking for children's books that focus on history (with a lesson but without tedium), anyone who enjoys baking, and fans of paper crafts/art.

Interested in other food-related posts? Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.

strawberry hamantaschen (filled cookies)

I’ve had Deb Perelman’s The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook out from the library for… oh, about 6 weeks now?  And due to new job-related busyness, (yes, I got a new job and I LURVVVVE it!) I hadn’t really sat down to read it until today. I promptly fell in love with Deb’s voice and recipes and OCD/obsessive-ness.  I wanted to try one of her recipes (I’ve made Smitten Kitchen recipes before, but pulled those from her blog) today, so I walked to the grocery store full of fervor to buy rhubarb for Rhubarb Hamantaschen cookies.  My grocery store didn’t have rhubarb!  I mean, I know it’s been cold this year, but rhubarb is one of the first things to appear in springtime.  So I bought strawberries instead, because they were on sale. 

Strawberry Hamantaschen (cookie recipe modified from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

INGREDIENTS

Filling

3 cups strawberries, about 1 1/4 lbs

2/3 cup sugar

Cookie

1/2 cup almond meal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

1 egg + 1 egg white

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS

To make filling

Remove strawberry stems, then chop into quarters.  You want about 1/2-inch segments.  Place in a medium saucepan with sugar, stir to combine, turn heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  You will not need to keep stirring at this stage, but KEEP AN EYE on the saucepan – the strawberry sugar may want to bubble over (this happened to me…).  Increase heat to medium, uncover, and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Poor compote out onto a large plate to cool.

To make cookie dough

Mix almond meal, flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or two forks, work butter into flour until it resembles cornmeal (I just want to confess that at this stage I ALWAYS give up and end up working the mixture with my fingers. I am an impatient mess).  Add egg, egg white and extract, and combine the dough with a wooden spoon (or your hands).  Knead dough until mixture is uniform (either in the bowl or out on your countertop).  Divide dough into quarters.

Form the cookies

Place one quarter of the dough on a well-floured surface, and flour the top generously as well.  Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, and cut out circles with a round cookie cutter or wine glass.  Place 1 teaspoon of strawberry filling in the center of each dough circle.  Fold edges up in three places to form a triangular cookie and gently pinch seams together to form corners.  Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place entire tray in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake cookies for 15-17 minutes, until golden at edges.  Remove from oven and transfer to racks to cool.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Note: Be rigorous in creating those corners (almost fold over the edges) so that your cookies don’t ‘unstick’ themselves and lay out flat while baking.  Also, having tried both freezer & fridge due to storage issues, I command you to put your trays in the freezer, as per the recipe.

These cookies are great – very almond-y and fruity at the same time, with crisp shells and gooey filling.  I like them!  And now I’m curious about the rhubarb version…

Recommended for: a special occasion cookie with colorful flair, and a tasty treat for the baker who is looking to branch out from that old standard chocolate.

oatmeal raisin molasses cookies

I never knew my great-grandmother Susu, but she made an indelible imprint on fabric of my maternal family.  My mother is her namesake, and one of her favorite stories about Susu involves cookies.  Apparently my great-grandmother and grandfather baked batches of this recipe and won baking competitions together.  I can imagine that strong-willed woman and her son in the kitchen, making cookies that look modest, but taste robust, rich and surprisingly light for something that seems so dense when it goes into the oven.

To continue the story to the present day, this recipe continues to be a favorite with my family.  My mother has been known to whip up a quadruple batch for a gathering at the house.  Then of course the cookies disappear within days.  Too much temptation!

Oatmeal Raisin Molasses Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

1 cup salted butter

2 eggs

3 tablespoons molasses, generous

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons milk, generous

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups flour

1 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.), chopped

1 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Allow butter, eggs and milk reach room temperature.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Prepare several cookie sheets by covering in aluminum foil or parchment paper, set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl.  Add eggs, molasses and vanilla and mix until blended.  Dissolve baking soda in milk and add to mixture.  Add spices, oats and flour.  Mix until completely blended – batter should be heavy and a little sticky.  Fold in nuts and raisins.  Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, switching racks halfway through baking.  Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.  Yields 3 dozen cookies (or a few more, depending on how generous you are with cookie size!).

Note: This batter turns out best when the kitchen is a little cool.  If you make these cookies in summer, I suggest refrigerating the dough for an hour before baking.

A word of warning, these are not mild oatmeal cookies that masquerade as a ‘sensible dessert.’  They’re packed with flavor and texture and will please fans of carrot cake and the occasional hearty morning muffin. In other words: don’t expect that store-bought oatmeal ‘taste.’  Also: they smell DIVINE while baking.

Recommended for: fans of spice and texture in their baked goods, and the perfect hearty cookie to finish off a workman’s lunch.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

centennial molasses spice drops

My mother doesn’t own a KitchenAid (or any brand) stand mixer, so in those formative learn-to-bake years I never knew what I was missing.  Heavy cookie batter, mashed potatoes, whipped cream?  Just use a little extra ‘elbow grease,’ or an electric beater in a pinch.  Then I lived with a roommate who had her own KitchenAid, and my baking life suddenly became an interesting science!  It made everything easier.  When that roommate married and moved out, I mourned the KitchenAid (laugh if you must!), all the while dreaming of buying my own.  I could never quite justify the expense, though. 

My 30^th birthday rolled around three weeks ago, and I asked some girlfriends to meet me at my favorite restaurant for dinner.  What I didn’t know was that my best friend had organized for all of them to pitch in for a KitchenAid.  They’d been planning it as a surprise for months.  I was not expecting it AT ALL, and I was so shocked and happy that I started crying – see the photos below for evidence.  After carefully perusing the instruction manual, I found a new recipe to try to break in the best birthday gift ever.  I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m still in awe.

Centennial Molasses Spice Drops (modified from recipe in Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book)

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup molasses

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and spray with baking spray.

Blend butter, sugar, eggs and molasses in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add half of dry ingredient mixture to batter, then add vinegar, and finally add the rest of the dry mixture, mixing well after each addition.  If batter seems too moist, place in refrigerator for an hour to set the dough (I did it both ways and there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the end result).

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets, leaving two inches between each cookie.  Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes (no imprint should remain when tapped lightly).  Remove from oven and then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.  Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

Note: I used the whisk attachment for the dough, and I'm pretty sure it helped the cookies turn out light and cake-y.  If I wanted something dense next time (approximating a gingersnap) I'd use the paddle or mix by hand.  Also, the original recipe called for shortening and I substituted butter.  That probably also had an effect.

Recommended for: those who like spice cookies and anyone who wants to experiment with an unusual cookie ingredient (apparently this recipe was created for the 1876 Centennial!).

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

alfajores

I studied abroad in Chile in 2004 (good lord, it’s been almost 10 years!).  While I was in Chile I fell in love with the people, the country and, of course, the food.  I had a wonderful host family and an ideal experience, and I went on to make Chile the focus of my Master’s thesis (never finished that, but hey, life!).  One of my language professors from that summer gave us packets of recipes to take home, in case we ever wanted to recreate Chilean delicacies.  I recently rediscovered my copy, and made alfajores (pronounced all-fa-HOR-ace), a sandwich cookie with dulce de leche, or manjar as it’s called in Chile, as filling.

Alfajores

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups flour

6 egg yolks

1 tablespoon of brandy or pisco (I substituted bourbon, as I had neither on hand)

1 cup of dulce de leche

splash of milk if needed

powdered sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks until frothy. Add the liqueur and continue beating. Sift in the flour, mix until combined, and then knead the dough until smooth.  If dough won’t come together, add a splash of milk (or two) until it’s moist enough to work with.

Roll the dough out very thin on a floured surface. Cut circles with the mouth of a glass. Puncture each one in the middle with a fork, and place on the buttered baking sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes.  Make sure to remove the cookies from the oven before they brown.  Let cool completely.  When cookies are room temperature, gently add a tablespoon of dulce de leche to one half.  Cover with another cookie to form a sandwich.  Sift powdered sugar over each cookie to taste.  Makes about 14 cookies.

This was my first attempt… and although the alfajores look a little ragged, they taste almost exactly like the ones I tried in Chile.  Success!  The cookie part is light and flaky, but the star of this delicious confection is the caramel-y dulce de leche.  Add in powdered sugar that masks imperfections, and you have a pretty, simple and delightful cookie for special occasions.  Note: these are best on the day they're made.

Recommended for: a tasty addition to any tea cookie repertoire, the perfect dessert to end a winter meal, and as a rich, multi-textured treat to go with a fancy coffee drink.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking! 

golden raisin and walnut cookies

I think there are two types of cookie-lovers in the world: those who like raisins, and those who don’t.  My sister does NOT like raisins, so I spent most of my childhood learning to bake things without raisins (my grandfather’s famous Oatmeal Molasses Cookie recipe excepted!) to accommodate her.  Once something becomes a habit, it’s hard to break.  But back to raisins!  I bought a box of the golden variety a while ago for barmbrack, and I’ve been wondering what to do with the rest.  When I found this recipe, I knew it had a good chance of success… and indeed, the cookies are delicious, buttery wonders.

Golden Raisin and Walnut Cookies (from a Bon Appétit recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups golden raisins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two baking sheets with baking spray. Soak raisins in enough hot water to cover until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain; set aside. Roast the walnuts in a cake pan for 5-8 minutes in the oven, then cool in separate dish (if desired).

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until light and fluffy (to do this without a stand mixer, make sure butter is room temperature – malleable – and beat with hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix just until blended. Fold in nuts and raisins.

Using palms of hands, roll dough into 3/4-inch balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing evenly. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely.

Note: The recipe says to roll the dough into balls, but I found that this only worked after I'd chilled the dough in the fridge overnight.  When I first made it, the cookie batter was a little too sticky, and the cookies were more of the 'drop from spoon onto pan' variety.  They turn out the same regardless.  Expect thin cookies with crispy edges.  Oh!  And I found I got a more uniform result when I switched racks halfway through.

Recommended for: fans of raisins and nuts, and anyone who likes a buttery cookie to go with their morning (or afternoon, or evening!) coffee.

Interested in other food-related post?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

nutmeg buttermilk cookies

I don’t usually keep buttermilk in the fridge, because when I do, it invariably goes bad before I can use the entire container.  And buttermilk that has gone off smells DISGUSTING.  Beyond belief gross.  If you’ve experienced it, you know.  If you haven’t, don’t ever let it happen.  Also, if you have any tried and true ways of using up buttermilk, please list them in the comments!  Anyway, back to the story, cookies, #lalala.  I had a little less than a cup of buttermilk in the fridge after making a loaf of soda bread, and (naturally) I went searching on the interwebs for cookie recipes made with buttermilk.  Then four and a half dozen cookies happened on a weeknight.  I never claimed sanity.

Nutmeg Buttermilk Cookies (cookies modified slightly from Jen’s Favorite Cookies’ recipe, glaze from King Arthur Flour)

INGREDIENTS

Cookies

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

11/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups flour

Glaze

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk, plus 1 teaspoon milk

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar. In my case (without a stand mixer), this meant mixing by hand until most of the sugar was incorporated, and then beating with an electric hand mixer.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.

Add buttermilk and mix well, and don’t worry if the mixture curdles – adding the dry ingredients will sort it out. Sift in the dry ingredients and nutmeg and stir gently with a spatula until the batter comes together completely.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet (I lined sheets in foil and then sprayed them with baking spray) about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, switching racks halfway through baking to ensure even heating.  Take cookies out when edges turn very light golden brown.  Cool cookies on wire racks before icing.

For glaze, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Spread small spoonfuls of glaze over cookies, and let sit at least 20 minutes for icing to harden.  If you have any questions about the glaze consistency, check out the tips and video on the King Arthur page.

Store cookies in an airtight container.  Makes 4-5 dozen.

You may have already gleaned this from the recipe, but it’s the tiniest bit fussy.  The ingredients are simple enough, but what with the glazing and sifting and shifting trays in the oven, they really take your whole attention for the duration of baking.  Be prepared, is all I’m saying.  As for the cookies themselves, they are very cake-y, with just a hint of spice.  The batter tasted like mild eggnog, but when it baked up that went right away.  My roommates and book club friends liked the finished cookies, and though I’m not a cakey cookie sort of person, I think they’re just fine (and I loved the glaze).

Recommended for: those who prefer a mild, unexceptionable cookie with a cake-like texture, and for the perfect thing to go with afternoon tea.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

lemon craisin cookies

I originally posted this recipe in October 2009.  I called these lemony crowd-pleasers Sunshine Lemon Craisin Cookies.  I’ve altered the recipe a bit this go-round – I halved the ingredients (except for the lemon zest and juice, which I doubled!), and I didn’t roll the dough in sugar before baking.  They’re still wonderful.

It was a gorgeous, sunny weekend in DC last week, and I’d had a great lunch with friends and had played a hockey game.  And yet.  Sadness reached into that otherwise perfect day and squeezed my heart until I wanted to cry.  Does this happen to you too?  I don’t know why it does to me, but I know how I fixed it – I baked Lemon Craisin Cookies.  Not for myself (no, I’m on Weight Watchers and being good!), but for the crowd at work on Monday morning.  And something about mixing ingredients, taking a tiny taste of lemony sweet/tart dough, and inhaling the aroma of baking cookies turned my mood inside out.

Lemon Craisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspon vanilla

3/4 cup Craisins (sweetened, dried cranberries with a sweet/tart flavor)

zest of a lemon, plus juice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.

Blend butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, except Craisins and lemon zest/juice and mix thoroughly.  Fold in the final ingredients.

Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of batter onto the cookie sheets about 2-3 inches apart.  Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes (I switch racks midway to promote even baking, but you don’t have to).  Remove from oven when cookies are just very lightly brown at the edges.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy!  Or you know, store in an airtight container.  Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Note: I did the math so you don’t have to – these cookies are 2 Weight Watchers points each. 

Intellectually, I know that this recipe is just a variation on the basic sugar cookie.  You add a little citrus and a handful of dried fruit, and it doesn’t turn the result into something magical.  Except… it kind of does.  These cookies are like edible sunshine for me, or a draught of felix felicis. 

Recommended for: a quick, simple cookie that will brighten your day no matter what the season.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

ginger spice cookies

I originally posted this recipe in August 2009.  That recipe was called Ginger Cookies. The only change I’ve made this time around (aside from prettier photos) is to elaborate on the instructions.

My best friend’s parents (who i count as extended family – they’ve been so very wonderful to me for so many years) moved into a bigger house in the DC area this year, and I was invited to their housewarming party tonight.  They’ve got a great set-up and had the entire place full of friends, neighbors and family.  I brought a platter of cookies to help feed the guests.  I went with my faithful standby chocolate chip cookies and also some ginger spice cookies, which are a larger, chewier version of those tasty gingersnaps from childhood.

Ginger Spice Cookies (from an old church cookbook recipe)

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar; plus half cup for rolling dough in

¼ cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in medium-large bowl.   In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.   Add molasses mix to flour in two parts, and blend until incorporated.  

Shape dough into walnut-sized balls; roll in the half cup of extra sugar until coated. Place lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a serving/storage container.  Makes two and a half dozen cookies.

Recommended for: that time when you want a flavorful and non-chocolate dessert, a great holiday cookie, and a simple recipe that will remind you of a childhood favorite.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking.

fudge crackle cookies

I originally posted this recipe in August 2009.  This time around I’ve substituted unsweetened cocoa powder (times two!) for chocolate squares, and managed some nicer photos.

When I was quite little I remember my mother making sugar cookies by the dozen, and sharing them with friends and family.  After a while, she had too many energetic children underfoot to do a big holiday baking spree, and that tradition lapsed.  When I got old enough to start helping with the fudge and Christmas breakfasts, we reinstated some holiday-esque cookie baking, and this recipe has always been a huge hit.  It’s chocolate to the max, and a bit like a brownie in cookie form.  I end up making it almost every year for cookie exchanges or a holiday dessert contribution.

Fudge Crackle Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup chopped nuts (I typically use walnuts, but pecans or almonds would work well, too)

DIRECTIONS

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

In saucepan, stir butter, oil and chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth. When cool, stir in 1 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla and nuts; mix until blended. Add chocolate mixture to flour mixture, stir until blended. Cover and chill 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until firm (or flash cool in freezer for 30 minutes). 

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Roll into 1-inch balls; then roll in extra sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are crackled and slightly firm to touch. Serve immediately, store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze.  Yields approximately 24 cookies.

Recommended for: a rich, chocolate-y addition to any holiday cookie exchange, the perfect baked good for the cocoa addict in your life, and for anyone who claims they love brownies above all else (it might just change their minds!).

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

almond flour and white chocolate chunk cookies

I ran out of flour last week.  I mentioned this to my roommate.  She said, “How do you run out of flour?!”  I responded, “Emily, I BAKE A LOT.”  And then we laughed, because this is true.  I try to bake at least once a week, if only for the benefit of my friends and to have something to post for the Weekend Cooking meme.  Yes, that second part is a real reason.  The opportunity to share recipes is an inspiration!  Anyway, back to the dearth of flour.  To be clear, I ran out of wheat flour.  I still had some almond meal/flour, and I used that to make these delicious cookies.  Good call.

Almond Flour and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (modified from this The Wannabe Chef recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups almond flour or almond meal

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup white chocolate chunks (one 4 oz. Ghiradelli bar)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except for the white chocolate chunks, and mix until combined.  Fold in the white chocolate.

Drop dough in tablespoon-sized portions onto prepared baking sheets, keeping two inches between each cookie.  Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Cookies are done when very lightly brown on bottom and at edges.  Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 12-18 cookies.

This recipe may be my new favorite gluten-free dessert.  The cookies were light and slightly chewy, and though the dough itself wasn’t sweet, the white chocolate was just the right touch.  I brought all of the cookies to a party, and they were gone within 5 minutes.  No exaggeration.  Definite success!

Recommended for: when you need a gluten-free dessert with delicious flavor and texture, a unique take on the chocolate chip cookie, and a crowd-pleaser with unexpected ingredients.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.