Oops we missed November.

November flew by without a post so here is a quick summary to catch up on the past month from the West Coast:

I wrapped up the bread portion of my program finishing off the 8 weeks with bagels, pretzels + flat breads. I've been covered in butter since starting + completing the 3 week Viennoisorie portion learning croissants, brioche, danish, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, panettone, pan d'oro, and stollen...just to name a few.

I had family + friends visiting from New York City, Chicago, Miami, London + Portugal via Austin Texas. I went back to Chicago for Thanksgiving but the 20 degree weather reminded me how lucky I am to live in beautiful San Francisco.

It's now Decemeber + time for some holiday baking. Although this recipe is one I made a while ago they are perfect for this time of year. Roll in sugar + enjoy.

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped or mini chips

additional sugar for rolling

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

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and all spices, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by molasses, vanilla and balsamic vinegar. Gradually stir in the sifted dry ingredients mixing until flour is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chunks. Scoop dough into balls and roll in sugar. Press lightly to flatten and bake for 10-12 minutes.

*You can also mix in crystallized ginger for added ginger flavor.

Marbled Peanut Butter + Chocolate Cookies

There is a cookie company out of Highland Park, IL called Carol's Cookies. If you haven't had the pleasure of enjoying one of their massive 1/2 lb cookies yet don't waste any time running to your nearest whole foods. I had a really delicious peanut butter chocolate combo cookie the other day, it was rich with peanut butter taste and had chocolate swirls throughout. I wanted to try and recreate this cookie so I decided to use my go-to peanut butter cookie with the additio of oatmeal. I then planned to marble in a chocolate cookie dough. It definitely was not like Carol's (I can't figure out her secret) but they were good. Next time I think I will try to marble in some sweet ground chocolate instead of a chocolate cookie dough... I will report back.

Here is the recipe I used for the chocolate cookie part. Click here for my peanut butter cookie recipe. To marble the cookies, throw in pieces of the chocolate dough into the peanut butter. Lightly combine the doughs using a mixer. Do not over combine.

Cocoa Cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bown. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beat well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars + Baker's Block

I have been experiencing a serious case of baker's block in the past couple of weeks. My pictures are uninspired + my baked goods have been boringggg. You would think with the great weather + sunshine we've been having that I would be happily fluttering around the kitchen... wrong. I've been tired + crabby (if you haven't noticed already). Luckily my "feeling sorry for myself" period has recently passed + I received some beyond exciting news yesterday (which I will share very soon). Here is a recipe for Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars that I made a while ago. They were good, tasted just like a soft sugar cookie + they take almost no time at all.

I know they are ugly. I know the purple color of the frosting is not appetizing. Let's just say these bars represent my recent period of wallowing + baker's block. Lastly, thanks to my new photo light box for not working at all. I'm super glad I spent time + money ordering you from ebay. (wonk, wonk debbie downer strikes again)

I promise there will be better posts coming soon.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Adapted from The Repressed Pastry Chef

Makes 24 bars

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 inch sheet pan and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixture, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium high. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 addition, mixing until just combined.

Press the cookie dough into the sheet pan, using a greased spatula or parchment paper to spread it evenly. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.

Click here for a buttercream recipe.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

It was brought to my attention that I should try to master and perfect 5 "classic" cookies; what's considered classic may vary but I think chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter and oatmeal raisin are definitely four traditional cookies found in almost every bakery. Accepting the challenge I spent two days this weekend testing out a recipe for old fashioned peanut butter cookies.

The first batch was good, the recipe I used had the perfect peanut butter flavor I was looking for and the right consistency, being crunchy but soft. The only problem was that I had made the cookies a little too small. I brought this batch to work and they were well received by everyone, one of my co-workers even proposed marriage as a result.

I made a second batch of these on Saturday. I doubled the size of the cookies this time using two scoops of dough and pressing them together. They came out absolutely perfect.

One cookie down, four more to go.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Bon Appetit

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup chunky peanut butter (using chunky PB is the trick to adding the perfect crunch)

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment beat together butter, peanut butter and vanilla until well blended. Beat in both sugars, add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Gradually mix the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.

Using a dough scoop place dough 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Using the back of a fork flatten the dough and form a crosshatch design on top of each cookie. Bake until cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy.

Nikki Did It - Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Typically, when the phrase "Nikki did it" is uttered, it's because someone has done something wrong, and I'm getting blamed for it. The practice of blaming me for everything started on a trip to Minnesota one summer and has been holding strong ever since. I, in fact, get blamed for things that go wrong even when I'm in another state.

But tonight, I'm going to say Nikki did it because I made some pretty fantastic red velvet whoopie pies. These babies were pictured in the trash in Krissy's last post, "Love Stinks." Me and my friend Ashley decided to make these today because love does stink, and we thought that these would make it a little more palatable. I couldn't have made these work without her; she did an awesome job piping these into the heart-shaped pattern. One tip: the batter doesn't spread, so pipe to the very edge of your stencil. We started out leaving some room for expansion, but the cookies that were bigger were much tastier. Also, once you pipe the batter, take a knife and try to evenly spread the batter, otherwise they will look like they've been piped and resemble an organ that will remain unnamed. Of course, my pictures are never as good as Krissy's and pretty blurry, but that's all I've got.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 ounce red food coloring

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

5 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat the over to 375 degrees. Create a heart template, and trace evenly spaced hearts onto pieces of parchment paper about one inch apart. Make enough for two cookie sheets. Place the parchment on the cookies sheets so that the side you have drawn is facing down, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in about third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of the dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Blend in the food coloring.

Transfer the batter to the pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper using the heart tracings as a guide. Bake 8-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with any remaining batter. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and beat until smooth.

Spread frosting over the bottom of one cookie, then sandwich another cookie on top (we overfilled ours because you can never have too much cream cheese frosting). To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.

Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies

This recipe has always interested me. Being renamed "world peace cookies" for their delicious taste and assumed ability to create world peace through their daily enjoyment. I've read about them on almost all of my favorite food blogs so it was definitely time to see if they live up to their legend. And no big surprise, they were amazzzzing. I now understand the name and plan to make these next time I get myself in trouble with someone...

These cookies are chocolate sables, the french version of shortbread. But, what makes these so good is the amount of chocolate and sea salt that leaves you wanting more.

World Peace Cookies

Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Makes about 36 cookies.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

SERVING: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Cookie Nine and Ten: Peanut Butter Kisses and Peanut Butter Thumbprints

I came up with our idea to do the "12 cookies of christmas" and I will be the first to admit that it did not go as planned. I have been completely overwhelmed in the past couple of weeks with work, holiday parties, a wedding and entertaining some visiting friends. Tonight, I needed to make two more cookies before Christmas so I decided on a quick but tasty holiday cookie - the peanut butter kiss. This cookie is nothing fancy but its a no-fail recipe, straight off the Hershey Kiss bag. I ended up running out of chocolate kisses and decided to fill the rest of the cookies with jam to make a sort of pb&j cookie. It turned out to be quite the time saver, one dough for two deeelicious cookies. Holiday cookies in a flash...


Peanut Butter Kiss/ Jam Thumbprints
From Hershey's.com

1/2 cup butter, softened (the original recipe uses shortening)
3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter (I used jif)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tap vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat together butter and peanut butter. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Add sugars to peanut butter mixture and beat until fluffy. Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla, beat well. Stir in the flour mixture. Scoop dough into 1-inch balls and roll into granulated sugar. Bake for 8 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven press a Hershey kiss into the center, let cool.

For the thumbprints:
Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Using your thumb gently press into the center of each cookie to make a small indentation. Bake for 8 minutes. Once the cookies have cooled pipe or spoon jam into the center.

Cookie Eight: Fried Crullers

Watching Grandma Wanda in the kitchen is like watching an artist. Even though she thinks she's lost her touch, she's mistaken. She moves through the kitchen like she's been doing this every day of her life. The technique for her is second nature, and I was truly grateful to learn this old family recipe from her. After some debate, my dad and I decided that the recipe was a family secret, but we also wanted to share it with others. Our compromise was that I would only post what was written on the recipe card. I'm convinced that you couldn't follow the recipe and come out with the same finished product because most of the technique is absent. For instance, Grandma Wanda uses a 70-year-old cast iron skillet that I'm positive produces the most delicious Crullers on the planet. Any other pan just won't do. If you can produce an equally amazing Cruller by just following the recipe, please let me know. I'll have to send you a prize.

Fried Crullers
From the kitchen of Wanda Girard

1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of mace
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp cream
2 cups sifted flour
Powdered sugar for topping

Add salt to eggs & beat lightly. Stir in sugar, mace and butter. Add cream and flour, then mix until smooth. Knead dough on floured surface until dough no longer sticks to your hands. Chill thoroughly. Separate dough in half. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut in 7x1 inch strips, cutting ends diagonally. Make a lengthwise slit in center of each strip and pull one end through slit.


Fry in lard at 370 degrees F until delicately brown.


Drain on absorbent paper.


Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar after cooled and serve. Makes about 45 Crullers.

Cookie Seven: Spritz Cookies

Even though Spritz cookies aren't my absolute favorite, they are a holiday must. They're very easy to make and a lot of fun to decorate. If you have more time than I did, you could get very creative with your decorations. We have a Wilton Spritz Cookie Press, but you can use any cookie press you can find at a baking supply store. I'm sorry I don't have more commentary tonight, but I'm busy packing for Christmas in Chicago. Cross your fingers for snow!

Spritz Cookies

From Wilton

1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill. Roll dough into a long, skinny piece to easily slide the dough into Spritz cookie press. Press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Decorate with colored sprinkles or add food coloring to dough before it is baked. Makes about 6-7 dozen.

Cookie Six: Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

I'm a very big fan of shortbread cookies, these however are much different then other shortbread I've made. As I was perusing allrecipes.com looking for some holiday baking inspiration I came across these "melt in your mouth shortbread cookies", a highly rated recipe. My mom looooved them, I thought they were a little dry by themselves so I made them more festive by dipping them in chocolate and sprinkling them with either crushed peppermint or toffee bits, everything is better with chocolate. Enjoy.

Shortbread Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks. Once cooled, dip into melted chocolate and sprinkle with toffee bits or crushed peppermint (I liked the toffee ones better).

*Baker's note: my cookies only baked for about 10 minutes, the edges browned very quickly- so keep an eye on them.

Cookie Four: Decorated Sugar Cookies

Decorated sugar cookies are must at Christmas time. I recently had a lovely opportunity to help decorate Christmas cookies at a nursing home. It turned out to be quite the adventure with one resident who forgot to wear her hearing aids forcing everyone to talk wayyyy louder than neccesary, another resident who was decorating the cookies faster than a 20 person assembly line and demanding more cookies and frosting. Lastly, there was a little nugget of a lady who I immediately loved. She was super fast zipping around on her walker, she was really happy to be there and she later used chocolate chips to create male private parts on her gingerbread man stating "and one for the penis". She was my favorite.
Anyway, we had a great time and the residents at the nursing home were able to enjoy some fabulously decorated cookies.

Here is a good sugar cookie recipe I have used to make cut-out cookies. Colorful buttercream works great for decorations!


Sugar Cookies:
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes and cool completely. Use colored buttercream frosting for decorations.

Cookie Three: Kringles

One thing that I love most about my family is our ability to take everyday things, normal things, and put our family spin on them. I discovered just how good we really were at this while I was researching my next cookie assignment.

Kringles are my absolute favorite Christmas cookies, and my Aunt Judy serves them each year to her anxious guests busily brushing up on their talent for Santa. My Uncle Ernie has an in with Santa, so he pays us a special visit on Christmas Eve with a sack full of presents. In order to receive your presents though, Santa requires a kind of toll; you must perform for the rest of the family. If you are humorous/good/young enough, there's a possibility you may not get heckled. Only the lucky few (and by lucky, I mean worst) get last year's leftover ribbons and bows thrown at them. Clearly, we are a loving family.

So loving, in fact, that we have given our own name to Kringles. Indeed, as I was rummaging through a cookbook last week, I came across a recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I was highly confused because these cookies looked like Kringles, but they just couldn't be. We've been calling these cookies Kringles for thirty-plus years; they couldn't possibly have another name! But the recipe was just too similar and yielded too many Google hits for it not to be true. So, I offer up my family's version of this classic recipe. You may know it by a different name, but I guarantee ours tastes better.

Kringles

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 squares Baker's chocolate, unsweetened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt 4 squares Baker's chocolate according to the directions on the box. In a large bowl, mix vegetable oil, melted chocolate and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and mix well. (I found the dough difficult to stir at this point, but just give it a little elbow grease). Wrap dough in parchment paper, and refrigerate overnight.

After ample refrigeration, roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball, and then roll in the powdered sugar until the entire ball of dough is covered. Place on cookie sheet about two inches apart, and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until cookies have expanded and look like the powdered sugar has crinkled. Yields approximately four dozen cookies, depending on how big you roll the dough balls and how much batter you eat while you're rolling the dough in powdered sugar.

Homemade Oreos

Well... they are not exactly Oreos, more a chocolate sandwich cookie that slightly resembles America's favorite cookie. They are absolutely delicious, chocolatey with a vanilla cream filling and are perfect for dunking in a glass of milk! These were a party favorite when I made them for a family birthday party... enjoy!

Homemade Oreos

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (the darker the better)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

Vanilla Cream Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

Heavy cream to taste/texture preference

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in the flour mixture until dough forms. Scoop dough onto a silpat and flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Beat the butter and salt until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and sifted confectioner's sugar. Once the cookies have cooled completely pipe a generous amount of cream in the center and lightly press cookie on top.

Snickerdoodles and Stuff

What a long tiring week this has been. I went from working a couple days a week to working 3 jobs and over 45 hours this week, I'm a little exhausted. I finally had a day off and lucky for me it was 70 degrees and sunny here in Chicago, but unfortunately I was catching up on sleep (running on 3 hours from the night before) and woke up at 12pm and found the rest of the day had passed me by before I had any energy to be productive. Once I got up and moving I did some laundry, cleaned up a bit and decided to make some snickerdoodles.

I decided to try out the convection oven this time and boyyy was it great. The circulating heat baked the cookies perfectly even and in a quick 7 minutes. They came out of the oven crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside, the way a great cookie should be. I did a little research before baking the cookies and found that when using a convection oven the temperature should be lowered by 20-25 degrees. I can't wait for my next convection baked item!

Another baking device that I have grown to love is the ice cream/dough scoop. Cookie making has been completely revolutionized for me. Its no longer a hassle to spoon out balls of dough, now its a quick one, two, done. I bought a wilton plastic scoop from Michael's, it only cost me about $2.00, whatta deal...but it broke on my first batch of cookies (I should've guessed). So I have upgraded to a delightful stainless steel spring-loaded scoop from Sur La Table (a gift from mom) and let me tell ya - it is wonderful, please see the perfect scoops below!

Does anyone have any baking tools they can't live without? You can never have to much kitchen "stuff".

click here for the Snickerdoodle recipe I used. I'm still too tired (or maybe its lazy) to re-type the recipe.

Baking News and Oatmeal Scotchies

It's been a busy week for me, I got a new job at a bakery! Thanks to my Aunt Donna they hired me without having any real baking experience. I am pretty much the official counter girl for the up-coming holiday season but I am baking as well, which is super exciting. Tuesday was my first day, along with learning the products and register functions I made snickerdoodle cookies with the owner. All the girls at the bakery are amazingly wonderful and sooo helpful. I am really lucky to have found such a great place to work and I'm already learning a lot from watching these talented bakers!

Here is a recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies that I made for my momma, she said they are her favorite but I'm pretty sure I've never seen her eat one of these before. Anyway, this recipe is straight off the toll house bag... enjoy.

Toll House Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Baker's Note: I made some with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, delicious.

Original Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

What can I say? I always enjoy a classic. Especially one that I feel I'm close to mastering. Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies are my fallback, and as my coworkers can tell you, I bring them in to share on a pretty regular basis. This is one recipe that I don't ever put any new flair into because I think it is quite perfect just the way it is.

That being said, I've always wondered if it would taste just as delicious without the chocolate chips. Almost sugar cookie-ish, only better. I'm not a huge fan of the sugar cookie, and I absolutely love this batter. In fact, sometimes I don't even want to eat the finished product, just enjoying the leftover batter off of the beaters and bowl is enough for me. It is by far the best part.

Cheers to a glass of milk!

Original Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop a rounded tablespoon of batter onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Classic Madeleines- Oo La La!

In my mind, the French can do no wrong. French fashion, French food, French culture- I love it all. On a recent trip to Once Upon a Tart, the wonderful little bakery in SoHo, I was reminded of how much I also love French desserts. Upon entering the bakery, my eye was immediately drawn to the tray of Madeleines behind the counter. I ordered one of the delicious little cake-cookies along with my morning coffee, and was blown away by the mini treat! Light, lemony and fresh, this little Madeleine had it all.

Based on the simplicity of the cookie, Madeleines seemed the ideal dessert to bake for my first post. While the cookie was easy to make, I must let you know that there is a little extra work involved in making these treats. First of all, you must own, buy or borrow a Madeleine baking tray, as the cookie would be nothing without its iconic shape. And second of all, you need to be patient enough to wait at least 24 hours to eat one, as the dough needs to set in the fridge overnight. Although this may seem like a lot to ask for a batch of cookies, it is well worth the wait. Bon apetit!

Classic Madeleines

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

grated zest of one lemon

2 large eggs at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

powdered sugar (for dusting)

1. Begin by whisking together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

2. In a separate mixer bowl, rub sugar and lemon zest together with fingers.

3. Add eggs with whisk attachment, beating at medium/high speed until the mixture is pale, thick and light. This should take 2-3 minutes.

4. Beat vanilla extract into the sugar/egg/lemon mixture.

5. Gently fold in dry ingredients and melted butter with spatula. Continue to mix until the dough is moist and thick (see picture below). Refrigerate dough for up to two days.

6. After your dough has been in the fridge for a day or two, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

7. If you do not have a non-stick Madeleine tray, be sure to thoroughly grease the molds. Butter is the best way to do this. *As you can see from my first photo, I did not butter my molds well enough, as the shape of the cookies is imperfect.

8. Fill each Madeleine mold about 2/3 of the way with dough. Do not worry about making sure they are all filled evenly; the baking process takes care of this naturally.

9. Set the Madeleine tray on a baking sheet and place into the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes for mini Madeleines and 11-13 minutes for large Madeleines.

10. Remove from oven, let cookies set until cooled, and gently tap the tray onto the counter until the cookies slide out of the molds.

11. Lightly dust with powdered sugar, and voila! Your Madeleines are ready to serve.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Aahhh, espresso... my drug of a choice. The rich aroma and dense flavor has the magic ability to brighten any day. In Europe I enjoyed some of the best espresso/coffee drinks EVER...

from Cappucino in Cinque Terre...

to Frappe in Mykonos...

Now that I'm back in Chicago I am on a mission to find a place that can live up to my high coffee expectations; pulling a fresh and artfully perfect shot of espresso. There's something about the super automatic espresso machines (STARBUCKS, yuck) that takes away from the experience of watching a talented barista grind the coffee by hand....

Tonight, in an attempt to satisfy my craving for both chocolate and coffee I made some Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. These are easy to make, full of flavor with the perfect mix of crunchy softness (they smell great too).
Happy baking!
Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours

Makes 32 cookies
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder *
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips **
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

* I used freshly made Caffe Kimbo espresso because I did not have any instant powder. The cookies still had great flavor.
**I used semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.


3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.


4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.


5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.


6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.


7. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving