Yotam Ottolenghi's Tahini Cookies

Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds that is used in both sweet and savory dishes.  Tahini smells very similar to peanut butter so when I saw this recipe for tahini cookies in Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Jerusalem, I knew I'd have to try them.

 I would describe these cookies as a cross between a shortbread cookie and a peanut butter cookie.  They certainly have the texture of a shortbread cookie, but the mild flavor of a peanut butter cookie.  I enjoyed these cookies because they weren't too sweet and had a pleasant mild flavor.  I would have preferred just a touch more tahini because the flavor was quite subtle, but otherwise I really enjoyed these.  Definitely a fun cookie to make if you have extra tahini on hand!

    

Tahini Cookies

Adapted from Jerusalem

by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

Makes 30-35 cookies

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter, at room temperature

a very full 1/2 cup tahini paste

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons heavy cream

2 cups plus 1-1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
 ground cinnamon, optional*

extra sugar, optional*

Note: These cookies do benefit from a sprinkling of sugar or cinnamon/sugar prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until just combined but no aerated much. With the machine running, add the tahini, vanilla, and cream, then add the flour and beat for about 1 minute, until the dough comes together.  Transfer to a work surface and knead until smooth.

Pinch off 2/3 oz/20g of the dough and roll into a ball between your palms.  Use the back of a fork to push down lightly on top of the ball so that it flattens just slightly and takes on the marks from the tines.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Continue with the rest of the dough, spacing the cookies 1-1/4 inches apart.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon and/or sugar, or both, on each cookie and then bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden (you have to watch them closely as the bottoms will brown very quickly).  Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.  They will keep in a sealed container for up to 10 days.

Theme: Nuts and Seeds

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed between two chocolate chip cookies makes for one heavenly and decadent sandwich cookie.  These cookie sandwiches are going down as legendary in my house. Everyone went absolutely crazy for them and for good reason.  These are pretty much perfect in every way! The best part: you don't have to worry about any raw egg in the cookie dough.  The cookie dough filling is egg-free!  Do yourself a favor and make them the next time you're in the mood for a little treat.  Just make sure you have someone to share them with or things might get ugly.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook

by Lindsay Landis

Makes 20-24 sandwich cookies

For Cookies:

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

For Cookie Dough:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the cookies:  In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until no lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes.  Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Once cookie dough has rested (1 hour or overnight):  Roll chilled dough into smooth, tablespoon-sized balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  Flatten balls slightly into 3/4-inch thick disks.  Arrange about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the cookie dough filling:   Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Mix in flour, powdered sugar, and salt on low speed until incorporated.  Slowly add heavy cream and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips.

To assemble cookie sandwiches:  Sandwich 1 heaping tablespoon of filling between two cookies.  Press cookies lightly until filling spreads to edges.  Repeat with remaining cookies.  Sandwiches can be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.  Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Every Sunday at Ms. enPlace

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

I'm all about a bar cookie.  I'm also all about Ina Garten's recipes.  Her recipes are pretty much foolproof.  Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks her recipes are foolproof because she actually named her newest cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof.  Say what you will about Ms. Garten, but the lady can write a fantastic recipe.  

My daughter is participating in a bake sale this weekend and I wanted something that was reliable, delicious, and easy to package.  Ina's Chocolate Chunk Blondies are all of that and more.  With over a pound of chocolate in the recipe, this is definitely a cookie for all the chocolate lovers out there.  Please keep these blondies in mind for the upcoming holidays because they are fantastic! I really do believe this is one of those desserts that would be enjoyed by all.

 

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof

recipe found online at Food Network

Makes 12 bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, at room temp

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1-1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks 

Note:  I substituted regular chocolate baking chips because my store was out of chocolate chunks.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8-1/2 x 12 x 2-inch baking pan (I used a 9 x 13 size pan lined with greased parchment paper for easy removal). 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speeds for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Don't overbake!  The toothpick may have melted chocolate on it but it shouldn't have wet batter.  Cool completely in the pan and cut into 12 bars.

Mexican Shortbread Cookies (Polvorones Mexicanos)

This weekend the weather was a little on the chilly side so it was the perfect time to stay indoors and do some Halloween decorating.  Once all the decorations were up we decided to make a batch of these Mexican Shortbread Cookies (otherwise known as Polvorones).  Of course, since we were in Halloween mode, we had to decorate them with Halloween colored sprinkles.

These cookies were a big hit with the kids.  I think it's a well-known fact that all kids LOVE sprinkles, right?  Let's just say they had a fantastic time decorating and eating these cookies. These cookies can be decorated with all kinds of toppings (finely chopped Mexican chocolate or mini chocolate chips, finely chopped nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped dried fruit, oatmeal, and of course the ever famous sprinkles).  While the kids loved them best with sprinkles I think I'd like to try them with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top.

The way this recipe is written you make the dough, chill it for 30 minutes, then roll it out and cut out shapes from the dough.  I must confess that one of my least favorite things to do is roll out dough and cut out shapes.  It's just way too messy and time-consuming in my opinion.  Instead of doing all that, I chose to place the dough onto plastic wrap, shape it into a log, and chill it for 30 minutes.  When I unwrapped the dough I simply cut the dough into circles/discs.  It worked out great.  I'd definitely take that short cut again.

Polvorones Mexicanos

(Mexican Shortbread Cookies)

Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

Makes 24 three inch cookies

(recipe can be cut in half successfully)

1 cup butter, softened

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt 

Toppings: Decorative sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, cinnamon/sugar, dried fruit, or chopped nuts

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Using a potato masher, combine the butter into the flour mixture until no big pieces of butter are visible.  Continue to work the dough with your hands until the dough forms a ball.  Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Roll out the dough, between two sheets of plastic wrap, to 1/4-inch thickness.Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap and cut out cookies with a 3-inch cookie cutter.

Decorate the cookies with any toppings you like (sprinkles, chocolate chips, cinnamon and sugar, etc.)  Gently press down on the sprinkles (or other topping) so that they stick to the cookie.  Carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 to 2-inches apart.  Bake at 350F for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet once, after 10 minutes.  Let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Theme: What's in your lunchbox?

Cookbook Review: The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook {and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream}

The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook

Hardcover 

160 pages

*Spiral bound for easy flipping

Seven Chapters:  Introduction; Candy; Cookies and Brownies; Cakes, Custards, and Pies; Frozen Treats; Indulgent Breakfasts; and Fun Snacks and Party Fare

Lindsay Landis, of the popular Love and Olive Oil blog, has created one helluva cookbook in The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook. This book is a complete dream for any cookie dough lover, kids and adults alike. Not only that, but the book includes an extensive set of recipes, from Cookie Dough Wontons with Chocolate Dipping Sauce to Cookie Dough-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls.  There are so many fun new ways to enjoy cookie dough in this book.  Wanna know the best part?  All the cookie dough is egg-free.  So there's no worries about eating raw egg.

I had a hard time deciding on what to make from the book, so I let my daughter decide.  It was no surprise when she chose the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  It is her favorite after all.  We all loved this ice cream.  My husband, who is my toughest critic, declared this ice cream the best I've ever made.  I have to agree.  We loved the brown sugar flavored ice cream base, but what we loved even more was the fact that this was the creamiest ice cream ever.  The texture was perfect!  Sometimes homemade ice cream can be icy and best served on day one.  This ice cream isn't that way at all.  This ice cream is creamy and it stays creamy, even on day five in the freezer.  But, of course, the best part of this ice cream is all the plentiful little chunks of cookie dough...and let me tell you, this ice cream is not skimpy in the cookie dough department.  It's fully loaded!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Adapted from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook

Makes 1-1/2 quarts

For Ice Cream:

2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

pinch salt

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or cream

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Recipes Tagged To Make:  Crispy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cups; White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough Blondies; Cookie Dough Mosaic Cheesecake; Mexican Chocolate Cookie Dough Tartlets; Invisible Cookie Dough Ice Pops; Cookie Dough Oatmeal Pancakes; Baked Cookie Dough Doughnuts; Cookie Dough-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls; Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Granola Bars; and Cookie Dough S'mores.

*Quirk Books sent me a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook for review, but all opinions shared are my own.

Cookbook Review: Weeknights with Giada

Weeknights with Giada:

Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner

Hardcover

240 pages

Eight Chapters:  Soups & Salads; Bruschettas, Sandwiches, & Pizzas; Pasta & Grains; Meat, Poultry & Fish; Change of Pace; Breakfast for Dinner; Veggies & Sides; and Desserts

When I heard that Giada was coming out with a new cookbook I preordered it.  I knew I would love it and I was right.  Weeknights with Giada is full of family-friendly, super easy, inventive and fun recipes for the weeknights.  There are lots of days where I love to spend all day in the kitchen, but then there are also days where I need quick and easy and this book delivers.  On top of all that, the book is absolutely gorgeous, full of both family photos and gorgeous food.  You will find lots of Italian-inspired recipes in this book, but you'll also find that Giada branches out with recipes like Sweet and Spicy Greek Meatballs, Chicken Adobo, Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups, and Chicken with Peruvian Chile Sauce.  But most importantly, everything I tried was delicious!

**The recipes for each of the dishes below can be found by clicking on the recipe name.  The link will take you to the recipe on the Food Network.

Just for fun let's start where it counts.....DESSERT!!  Giada's Peanut Butter Cookies with Blackberry Jam.  These are no everyday peanut butter cookie.  These cookies have cocoa powder added to them, which is perfect for those of us who are addicted to the combo of peanut butter and chocolate.  I made some of the cookies with the blackberry jam and some without any jam at all.  Both were a huge success!  The recipe makes 10 huge cookies and believe me, they were gone in no time at all!

 From the Veggies & Sides chapter is probably my favorite recipe of the bunch, Giada's Scallion and Mozzarella Cornbread.  Holy cow is this stuff good!  The buttermilk in this recipe makes for an extremely tender and incredibly moist cornbread.  You can actually see the mozzarella in the cornbread....it is so cheesy.  And, we just loved the studs of olives and scallions running throughout.   I'm gonna go out on a limb here and tell you that this is probably the best cornbread I've ever had.  In fact, I'm making another version of it today.

If you're a potato lover, then you will fall in love for these Baked Potatoes with Sausage and Arugula.  A fluffy baked potato is topped with Italian sausage and a very cheesy creamy tomato sauce.  Since there is quite a bit of arugula mixed into the sauce I've deemed these healthy.  My family absolutely loved these and asked for more so I went ahead and made them again (twice in the same week).  This is a recipe that I can see myself making again and again, which is the mark of a very successful recipe.  Food bloggers rarely make the same thing twice, right?

All in all, this is a fabulous book and one that I am very happy to have in my collection.  In fact, I'll be sharing more recipes soon!

Recipes tagged to make: Literally everything...Shrimp and Sausage Cioppino; Burgers a la Pizzaiola; Ricotta, Lentil & Rice Rolls; Herbed Lamb Chops with Homemade BBQ Sauce; California-Style Chopped Salad with Shrimp; Sweet Corn & Basil Lasagna; Chicken with Tarragon & White Wine; Black Forbidden Rice with Shrimp, Peaches & Snap Peas; and Grilled Creamed Corn with Spinach and Parmesan....just to name a few!

Cherry Jam Shortbread Cookies

 Every time I clean out my pantry and/or my fridge it's somewhat of an adventure.  Apparently I've started to stockpile food items.  In fact, I think I would qualify as a hoarder.  I believe it began last year when I found 29 boxes of pasta in my pantry.  Then I opened my freezer and found 6 bags of peas and 5 bags of shrimp.  This time around I found 8 different jars of mustard, 10 bags of dried beans, several bags of dried chiles, about a dozen different breakfast cereals for the kids, and approximately 7 jars of jellies, jams, and preserves.  I think I may need to join a program or something.  

In the meantime I think I'll console myself with these cute, buttery, heart-shaped shortbread cookies.  If you're like me at all, then you already have all the ingredients on hand to make these.  One jar of jelly down...six more to go!

Cherry Jam Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

Makes about 12 to 15 bars, depending on size

7 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 few drops of vanilla extract

about 2/3 cup of your favorite jam

Preheat the oven to 325F.  Have a 8 x 8 baking pan ready - you can line it if you like, to help you lift out the shortbread when it's cooked, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Put the butter and sugar in a good-sized bowl and work them together by hand or wooden spoon until combined.  Add flour and baking powder and work them in.  Add the egg and vanilla and knead them in until it is all compact and smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour until the dough is firm enough to roll out.

Divide the dough in half.  Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface so that it will fit into your pan.  It should be about 1/8 inch thick.  Fit it into your baking pan, making sure that it is fairly even thickness all over.  Spread the jam over the top, and fit as exactly as possible over the bottom one.  If it is difficult to lift, roll it loosely over your rolling pin and carry it that way.  It isn't essential that all your edges are exact; you can break off a bit from here and patchwork it in there.  It will taste the same.

Bake for about 20-25, checking regularly, or until the shortbread is golden in places.  The edges will start to turn golden brown first, followed by the top.  Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the pan.  Lift out of the pan, using the paper.

Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, or just into squares or diamonds.  Or you can leave it in one piece and keep cutting chunks out of it as you go.  It will keep in a sealed container for 5 to 6 days.

Theme: February Potluck

Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

These chocolate and cranberry cookies were one of those recipes that caught my eye right away.  The combination of dark chocolate and chewy, tart, dried cranberries is just so promising.  Not to mention, this cookie seems perfectly fitting for this time of year. 

Since I enjoy my cookies on the chewy side, I usually tend to make them a bit larger than the recipe calls for.  For example, in her recipe, Tessa calls for one good teaspoon of dough per cookie.  I went with about 1/4 cup per cookie.  Instead of 30 bite-sized cookies I ended up with 10 big cookies. 

We really enjoyed these cookies.  The tart cranberries really help bring out the deep rich flavor of the dark chocolate.  This is a deeply satisfying cookie with rich complex flavors.  It would be perfect served with coffee.

Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

Makes about 10 large cookies or 30 teaspoon sized cookies

Tessa says, "These I learned from my American fried Sue.  When I first made them my children said they were the best ever and I must definitely put the recipe in this book - so here it is.  I also love them with dried strawberries instead of cranberries, and sometimes my girls prefer them without the cranberries, just chocolate.  I like these small so I make them no bigger than a good teaspoon of dough, but you might like to make them larger.  I also like to take them as a gift, packed in a lovely box and tied with a ribbon.  Unless you have a huge oven, you will need to bake these in batches so have the two cookie sheets ready."

5-1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup firmly packed soft brown sugar

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 egg

a few drops of vanilla extract

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

salt

3/4 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup dried cranberries (dried cherries would also be nice)

Preheat the oven to 375F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Mash up the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until well mixed, then whisk with an electric beater until smooth.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Sift in the flour and baking powder, and add a small pinch of salt.  Beat with the wooden spoon to make a soft sandy mixture.  Stir in chocolate and cranberries.

Lightly moisten your hands and roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls.  Arrange them on the sheets, leaving a fair space between for flattening and spreading.  Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and darkening around the edges.  Remove from the oven, but leave them on the sheet to cool and firm up.  These will keep in a cookie jar for a couple of days.

Theme: Potluck

Killer Cookie Dough Brownies

When my friend Kathleen, of Gonna Want Seconds, posted these brownies last week I knew I would have to make them.  It was just a matter of time, and the right occasion, of course.  My daughter was invited to a Last Day of School party at the neighbor's house and it seemed like the perfect occasion to make these brownies, eat one, and pass them on.  Lord knows I have to be careful when it comes to sweets, or else I end up strapping on my pig nose, and eating them all (more on that later). 

These brownies are so fantastic I can't even begin to tell you!  Both the adults and the kids went absolutely crazy for them.  How can you go wrong with chocolate chip cookie dough sandwiched between a smooth and creamy chocolate layer and a chewy brownie layer?  Oh my gosh, it was just perfection!

 Cookie Dough Brownies

Adapted from Kathleen at Gonna Want Seconds (who got the recipe from Farm Girl)

Brownies:

4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
(I added 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee to deepen the chocolaty-ness and it was great)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, optional

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cups walnuts, optional

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and sugar. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, coffee and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in walnuts if desired.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brownies toothpick test done. Cool completely.

For filling, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Spread over brownies (works best to just press out with clean hands.); chill until firm.

For glaze, in a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until smooth. Spread over filling. Immediately sprinkle with nuts, pressing down slightly. Yields 3 dozen.

Notes/Results: Awesome, awesome, awesome. We absolutely love this recipe and look forward to the day when we make them again.  Thanks to Kathleen for such a tasty treat!

These brownies will definitely make you want to strap on your pig nose!

Kicked-Up Snickerdoodles

Okay, so I let Emeril into my kitchen again and do you know what he told me to do?  He told me to add cayenne pepper to my snickerdoodles!  Leave it to Emeril to take something like a snickerdoodle and kick it up a notch.  The idea of spicy snickerdoodles really piqued my curiosity and I had to give these a try.  

 Kicked-Up Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Emeril's 20-40-60 Fresh Food Fast

Makes about 30 cookies

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, at room temp

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temp

1-1/2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.  

In a separate medium mixing bowl, using a handheld or standing electric mixer, combine the shortening and butter and beat until smooth.  Add 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the sifted flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and cayenne in a small bowl.

Divide the dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon portions and roll them between your hands to form 1-1/2 inch balls.  Rolls the balls in the spiced sugar.  Then divide them evenly among two unlined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.  Flatten the balls into 1/2 inch thick disks.

Bake, rotating the sheets back to front midway, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets on wire racks.

Notes/Results:  Emeril's recipe produced a rather thin and somewhat crispy snickerdoodle.  While I prefer a thick and chewy cookie I really did enjoy the flavor of the cinnamon, sugar, and cayenne pepper in this recipe.  You could really feel the heat from the cayenne on the back of your tongue. I can't say that I enjoyed this cayenne version better than the original cinnamon and sugar version, but I'm really glad I finally gave these a try.  I think they're definitely worth a try if you like the combination of spicy and sweet.

I also wanted to thank all of you for your supportive comments regarding my last post! 

Cookbook Review: Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella

Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella

300 Scrumptious Recipes for Every Occasion & Craving

Softcover

290 pages

Are you crazy about cookies?  I know I am.  I was thrilled to receive Krystina Castella's newest cookbook, Crazy About Cookies.  Upon opening the book I could tell right away this cookbook was extremely comprehensive in it's coverage on cookies. 

Crazy About Cookies is broken down into six chapters, with a bonus chapter on the basics, as well as several cookie templates.

Chapter 1: Cookies in the Know is all about baking equipment, decorating tools, baking and storing cookies, transporting cookies, mailing cookies, cookie ingredients, decorating ingredients, cookie-types and techniques, and finally decorating cookies.  I'm normally not a fan of these introductory type chapters, but this chapter is very informative and helpful. *There is even a great inside tip about how to make your very own baking powder.

Chapter 2: Everyday Cookies includes recipes for Breakfast & Brunch Cookies, Snack Cookies, as well as Vegan and Sugar-Free Cookies.  There are a few recipes that I would consider your everday run-of-the-mill cookies, but most of the recipes are inventive and fun like Cinnamon Swirl Cookies, Waffle Cookies, Rice Cereal Marshmallow Sandwiches (recipe show below), Cereal Killer Cookies, and even Chocolate Chunk Yogurt Cookies.  Hmmm...cookies made with yogurt definitely piques my curiosity.

Chapter 3: Party Cookies highlights cookie recipes for dinner parties, tea parties, summer parties, and even cocktail parties.  One of my personal favorites from this chapter is a recipe for Rum, Mint, and Bourbon Ball Kabobs. In the book the cookies are pictured as cute little cookie balls skewered onto a stick and served with cocktails.  How fun!

Chapter 4: Occasions Cookies brings you cookie recipes for every occasion under the sun: birthdays, weddings, TV game and sport parties, as well as cookies for toddlers, kids, and teens.  I had so many personal favorites from this chapter, namely the Family Tree cookie, Beer and Mixed-Nut Cookies, and also the Butter Rum Popcorn Cookies.  This chapter, in particular, is filled with some wonderfully inventive recipes.

Chapter 5: Holiday Cookies celebrates cultural holiday cookies, as well as cookies spanning from New Years Eve all the way up to the Christmas season.  Some of my personal favorites were the 4th of July cookies, but I chose to go with the Orange Bunny Cookies for Easter (cookies shown below).

Chapter 6: Christmas Cookies is filled with over twenty Christmas cookies and includes some pretty extensive gingerbread houses with templates in the back.

Now for the fun part, bring on the cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made two cookies from the book, letting each of my children pick their own recipe.

My four year old has severe food allergies, so he was limited in his choices, but he does favor a good ol' rice crispy treat so he picked the Rice Cereal Marshmallow Sandwiches in the Everyday Cookies Chapter.  These cookies were such a treat we made them twice!  It is essentially a much softer and more marshmallowy rice crispy treat stuffed with a fluffy marshmallow filling and ate as a sandwich.  Fun and delicious!

 Rice Cereal Marshamallow Sandwiches

Adapted from Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella

Type of Cookie: Bar Sandwich

Makes 24 cookies

Cookie Base:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

3 cups mini marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups puffed rice cereal

Marshmallow Filling:

3/4 cup marshamallows

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Make the cookie base: Melt the butter in a double boiler over low heat.

Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Add the cereal and stir until well coated.  Press into the prepared pan and let cool. 

Make the marshmallow filling: Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a double boiler over low heat.  Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar.  Remove the cookie base from the pan by flipping on to a cutting surface using a spatula to loose if necessary.  Cut into 3-inch squares.  Spread the filling on half of the squares and sandwich with remaining squares.

The second cookie we made were the Orange Bunny Cookies, which were essentially a sugar cookie flavored with both orange zest and orange juice.  These cookies were topped off with colored royal icing, sprinkles and dragees, just in time for Easter.

All in all, Crazy About Cookies is a very comprehensive and extensive guide to cookies.  One of the many things I love about this book is that it contains recipes for every level of baker out there, from the most basic to most intricate.  There is something for everyone!

HAPPY EASTER!

Cookies and Cream Cookies

 

 A couple weeks ago I met a new blogging friend, Raina at  The Garden of Yum, who posted these delicious Cookies and Cream Cookies.  My soon to be ten-year old daughter is absolutely in love with anything cookies and cream these days and I knew instantly she would love these intensely chocolately, chewy & chunky, brownie-like cookies.  Who wouldn't?

First, you need a package of these new Cookies and Creme drops from Hershey's.  (They're fairly easy to find.  I found a package at my local Walgreens on sale for $2.49).  Speaking of which, I am a complete fan of shopping at Walgreens.  If you pay attention to their ads you can get some super good deals.  I really love that they let you combine their Walgreen's coupons with the regular coupons from the paper.  For example, I buy Rice Krispies cereal a lot.  A couple of weeks ago they had Rice Krispies on sale 2/$3.  There was a Walgreen's coupon for $1 off and then I had another coupon for $1 off 2 boxes.  I was able to get two boxes of Rice Krispies for $1.  Now that's a good deal!  (I'm really not trying to sell you on Walgreen's.  I just wanted to share my excitement over the good deals I've been getting).

Cookies and Cream Cookies  

 recipe courtesy of Raina at The Garden of Yum(link above) who originally got it from Cookies and Cups

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder (special dark or regular)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used regular chocolate chips)
12 oz. Hershey's Cookies and Creme drops (if you can't find these because they are a new item use coarsely chopped Cookies and Cream Kisses OR Hershey's Cookies and Creme Bars)

Preheat to 350
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
On low, slowly beat in cocoa powder until well incorporated.

On low mix in your remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).
Fold in your Cookies and Creme drops and chocolate chips until evenly incorporated.

Drop by large tablespoonful on a parchment lined baking sheet.

I recommend under baking these. So bake for approx 12 minutes or until edges are set.

When done baking let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling.

 Thanks to Raina at The Garden of Yum for such a great recipe.  These delicious cookies would satisfy any chocolate craving.  The whole family loved them!

French Fridays with Dorie Roundup

Lifelong procrastinator that I am, you will usually find me in the kitchen on the last day of the month trying to cram every FFwD recipe in at the last minute.  This, my friends, is how I roll.  I've had about 35 years to perfect my procrastination skills and I think I've finally got it down to a science. 

 

In the month of March there were four recipes: Savory Cheese and Chive Bread, Beggar's Linguine, Salted Butter Break-Ups, and Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce.  Early on, I decided not to make the Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce.  Good scallops are hard to find here in Kentucky and I'm pretty much the only one in the house who enjoys them.  

Surprisingly, my favorite recipe of the month was the Beggar's Linguine. Dorie's Beggar's Linguine is a combination of linguine (or in my case spaghetti) tossed with pistachios, almonds, dried figs, moist raisins, Parmesan cheese, brown butter and orange zest.  I love pasta and I love fruit and nuts, but I didn't really think I would like them together.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  This dish was amazing and I'm definitely making it again.  The brown butter together with the crunchy toasted nuts and the little sweet bursts of fruit was a real revelation.  I've been craving it's unique taste ever since I had it for lunch the other day.

The second runner up was Dorie's Savory Cheese and Chive Bread.  A delicious quick bread loaded with not only shredded cheese, but also cubed cheese with lots and lots of chive flavor.  This bread was so delicious toasted and smeared with butter.  I made two loaves.

Cubes of cheese created little cheesy pockets  - yum!

 

Lastly, here is my sad, very sad, version of Dorie's Salted Butter Break-Ups.  The butter break-up is supposed to be a big beautiful golden brown cookie with a gorgeous crosshatch pattern that is broken up and served at the table.  Mine was big alright, but it never achieved a golden brown color, the crosshatch marks didn't show up, and there were lots of little holes in the cookie.  Baking is one area where I need a lot of work.  Clearly.  Appearances aside, the cookie itself wasn't a favorite at all.  It was buttery and salty, but not very sweet (almost like a cracker).  We tried smearing it with Nutella, but at the end of the day, it was only okay. Definitely our least favorite of the three recipes and also something I wouldn't make again.

There are five delicious recipes for the month of April and I want to make them all.  Hopefully I won't wait until the last day of April to make all five.  That would not be pretty!

Playing Catch Up....Hits and Misses

In the past month I've done a lot of cooking, more so than usual.  It's almost inevitable that you're going to have some hits and misses along the way. In the interest of playing catch up this post is going to be a mix of recipes, some that we enjoyed, others not so much.

See that Tres Leches Cake above?  I was curious about Tres Leches for a long time. The concept of a cake soaked in three milks and iced in whipped cream?  Hello!  Sign me up for that!  I used the recipe from Pioneer Woman's site and made this cake for our Mexican-Inspired Thanksgiving.  PW's recipe worked great and the cake went together just fine.  The end result was a big surprise to me.

The overall recipe was fine, but it was just a miss for us.  We ate it, but didn't love it.  We found the cake to be light, which was nice, but a little too on the mild side.  I'm sure this recipe would be great for some, just not us.  Tres Leches Cake has been a recipe on my to-do list for a long time now and I'm happy to say that I've made one.  It really doesn't hurt my feelings, or my thighs for that matter, that I didn't love it.  More room for other desserts, right?   

 

Another miss were these Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins from Everyday Food.  If you've read my blog for the past few months then you know that I love my Everyday Food magazine.  All of their recipes have been big hits in my house, but surprisingly these Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins just fell flat.  The muffins were lacking in pumpkin flavor and were surprisingly dry, even though they contained buttermilk, which almost always ensures a moist baked good.  I very rarely make things and toss them, but I tossed these.  They just weren't worth the calories.  I still love you Everyday Food!

It's about time for a hit, right?  Well, I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Ina Garten's How Easy Is That? for my birthday a few months ago.  The first recipe I chose to make was Jeffrey's Roast Chicken.  I chose this recipe because I knew it would be delicious.  I also chose it in good fun.  Ina Garten happens to be one of the only chefs on the Food Network that my husband will watch with me.  He loves to joke about how much she spoils Jeffrey, and he's right.  Ina sure does love her husband. Saying that, Ina can also make a mean roast chicken.  This chicken was delicious and made a wonderfully flavorful sauce, which went very well with this..................

Potato risotto!  Genius, right?  If you haven't been watching Chuck Hughes on the Cooking Channel, then you need to get started.  He has a winning personality, big passion for food, and he's extremely easy on the eyes!  I love, love, love his show.  This potato risotto was the first thing I ever saw him make on his show and I thought it was brilliant.  Cubes of potato are cooked down in a skillet, just like real risotto, then mixed with cheese, mushrooms, or anything else you want to add.  Chuck serves his with sausage on top (sounds fantastic), but I served mine with Ina's chicken. You can find the recipe here, on the Cooking Channel site. 

Yum - Jeffrey's Roast Chicken with that beautiful sauce and cheesy potato risotto!  Hit! Hit! Hit!

Now back to reality with Trisha Yearwood's Peanut Butter Bars.  I'm afraid they're another miss.  Yep, you heard me right. Yes, peanut butter and chocolate are two of my biggest loves.  Yes, I love my copy of Trisha's newest book.  Can I file this one under the word "strange".  It does sound strange to say that I didn't like these, right?  I can't put my finger on why.  What I can tell you is that I've never, ever disliked anything with peanut butter and chocolate until I had these.  Dare I say they were too peanut buttery?  I'm not sure if there is such a thing or not, but these just weren't good.

And now....I'm going to leave you with something crazy.  Taste of Home called them Gourmet Scrambled Eggs.  Wanna know the secret ingredient?  Mayonnaise.  It sounds crazy, right?  Well, I heard of mixing all kinds of things into eggs, but never mayo.  I had to try it.  The eggs were good, although not the best I've had.  No one could taste the mayo and it was a fun recipe to try.  The ratio is basically 8 eggs to 1/4 cup mayo.  If you're interested you can find the recipe here.  This one was really neither a hit or miss, just kinda crazy.

Some hits and some misses.   It may sound strange, but I do enjoy an occasional miss here and there.  It's never really a bad thing when you learn what you like, as well as what you don't like. 

Happy Cooking!