Archive for the 'Cookies' Category

Merry Christmas!

Published on December 23, 2011 in Chocolate, Cookies, Family and Holiday. 1 Comment


It’s been awhile. I guess I’m not the supreme multi-tasker that I thought I was. I have a newfound respect for those full-time working mother bloggers who keep it up on a daily basis. It’s really hard to do that.

Nevertheless, I will carry on with my sporadic posting as that’s about all I can handle right now. Hopefully, I haven’t lost you, my faithful (and for the most part, completely silent) readers. All seven of you. :)

And now, it’s Christmastime in the city (sing it with me!) and man, do I love it. The city is lit up and bustling, the holiday cheer is spreading and most importantly, I’m on vacation! OK, only two days, but I’ll take ‘em. I get to read, watch this, pick up some last-minute gifts and most importantly, hang with my little man and do some cooking!

We had a little holiday open house last weekend, which was super-fun, but I was a total slacker in the cooking department — thankfully, my mom (and others) came to the rescue with three different kinds of Christmas cookies, including these and a few others which I suppose I now need to post about…especially her pecan balls, which went so fast that I never even got to try one. Humph. I did manage to make an amazing peppermint bark*, which I promptly forgot to serve. Oops. Our last few stragglers were the lucky recipients of little packets of that delicious treat.

We got our beautiful tree a few weeks back and had a great time decorating it with the G-man hanging everything at the same height and my mom directing the placement of the lights with the precision of MacArthur and the cinematic eye of Cecil B. de Mille. It smells great and nothing makes me happier than to come home and see it all lit up, waiting expectantly for all the presents to be nestled underneath (and for me to wrap said mountain of presents currently lurking in the closet).

What are you doing for the holidays…visiting family? Staying home? Snuggling up by a roaring fire? Or (like my amigos down in BsAs) going for a swim? Whatever you do or however you celebrate the season, hold your loved ones tight and be happy. Merry Merry everyone.

* Coming in the next post, which I promise won’t be a month from now…

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies

Published on November 19, 2011 in Chocolate, Cookies and Desserts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

This is a cookie that I’ve been meaning to make forever and a day. Before we moved to Buenos Aires, we lived in the East Village and before it got all cool and fancy, Momofuku Ssäm Bar was our go-to take spot for Korean burritos. You see, it actually was a Ssäm Bar, as in a place where you could just wander in and order a Korean version of a burrito, but like, a ridiculous one with marinated tofu or Berkshire pork, edamame, kimchi…insanely good. And then, poof! It became the hottest restaurant in town and buh-bye burritos.

But I tried not to hold a grudge because next door to Ssäm Bar was Milk Bar, where take-out of the dessert variety was (and is) still in full swing. Crazy soft-serve ice cream with flavors like cereal milk and olive oil, crack pie (use your imagination) and the infamous star of this post.

The compost cookie is, as the name suggests, a cookie with all kinds of crazy stuff in it (in fact, the original has coffee grounds). What’s great is that it’s up to you to decide what goes in. But let me give you a tip: you need something salty. It can be potato chips, it can be pretzels (both are divine), but you need that saltiness to counterbalance the sweetness of the cookie itself and the other required stuff, like namely, chocolate. It is kind of a revelation as cookies go. It’s chewy, it’s crunchy, it’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s all things that are good and right in this world.

And it’s always nice to have a helper bring along his tools for smashing stuff up.


But I still have yet to make my dream version. I really must do one with the dark chocolate-covered pretzels from Trader Joe’s. Maybe throw in some corn flakes and, of course, bitter chocolate chunks. Am I nutty for thinking about dark chocolate-covered espresso beans? Oh, I’m onto something. This is fun. What would you add?

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies

recipe by Christina Tosi

1 cup/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 1/2 cups savory/salty snacks, crushed (chips, pretzels, chocolate-covered pretzels, corn flakes)

Cream butter, sugars and corn syrup on medium high for two to three minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Mix in eggs and vanilla. This part is important. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 10 minutes. Yeah, it’s a long time. But it helps the sugar to dissolve and it makes the mixture super-light and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated.

Stir in chocolate chips, then add the snacks. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop portions onto a Silpat- or parchment-lined cookie sheet, Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a week (as if). Preheat the oven to 400ºF/204ºC shortly before the hour is up. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. They’re done when the edges are brown and the top is just starting to brown.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Published on February 14, 2011 in Chocolate, Cookies and Holiday. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

So, I ended up making macaroons for Valentine’s Day. And not those fancy colored cookie things with the almond filling (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but your basic coconut macaroon. But it wasn’t so basic because we did a little dipping. In chocolate. As one is wont to do, especially on Valentine’s Day.

There are lots of macaroon recipes — a lot involving separating eggs and whipping them, and I just didn’t feel like it. I was in a bit of a rush (and who isn’t?). And when I say rush, I was actually in a rush, plus I figured why do something the hard way when the easy way is just as good?

And sweet Jesus, this was easy. I almost had nothing to photograph. It’s literally mixing five ingredients together and plopping them on a sheet pan. And then melting some chocolate. And dipping those macaroons into said chocolate. And then trying to wait for the chocolate to harden before eating. And failing.

That’s all folks. Genius. Seriously, I’m afraid of how easy they are. This may become an addiction.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (preferably organic cane)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-2/3 – 3 cups unsweetened coconut

Topping:
4 ounces dark chocolate (I recommend 70% cacao)
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening or canola oil
PLEASE NOTE: I’m almost embarrassed to write these instructions.

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Mix the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in sugar, salt, vanilla. Add coconut (start with 2-2/3 cups; if it’s still really wet, add the rest). Scoop about a tablespoon onto a Silpat- or parchment-lined sheet pan (I used my hands to form little mounds — ooh, is that where they got the name? Discuss.), leaving about an inch between cookies.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until tops and bottoms just start to brown. Cool on a rack.

While the macaroons are cooling, melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler or a glass bowl over simmering water.

Dip the tops of the macaroons in the melted chocolate. Or if you want to be fancy you can take a spoon and drizzle some lines across the tops (although personally, that’s not enough chocolate for me and too much ends up underneath the rack and then I’m forced to scrape it off and eat it and that’s not a good use of one’s time especially for people in a rush like me). [Please note these macaroons were going to my son's school for Valentine's Day, so I did drizzle if only to slightly lessen the sugar/caffeine content for the little monsters.]

Feed seductively to your valentine (or just shovel them in your own mouth before he gets home from work).

Cravings

Published on February 2, 2011 in Beans + Legumes, Breakfast, Cakes, Cookbooks + Cooks, Cookies, Inspiration, Mexican, pasta and Soups + Stews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Hello, it’s me. Sick again. Yippee. It sucks really. I don’t know how mouth breathers do it. Breathing through your mouth is very unpleasant.

Anyway, I spent some time clicking away on some of my favorite food sites last night and wanted to share some things I’m craving…even though I can’t taste anything. But you go have fun. Really. It’s okay.

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Soup. More soup. We like soup. This soup. Smitten Kitchen delivers (as usual).

Post Punk Kitchen is cooking up some quinoa goodness here

I’m a sucker for poppy seeds. Tim at Lottie + Doof is too.

Matt (of Matt Bites fame) is an incredible photographer and going to his site always makes me hungry. Like, this. Hello.

Winter makes me want to eat potatoes. I’m particularly obsessed with sweet potatoes right now. Give me a sweet potato roasted in its skin, slathered with butter, and topped with a healthy grind of black pepper and a sprinkle of fleur de sel and I’m in my happy place. Gluten Free Girl has taken it up a notch, and I’m feeling happy in a whole new way.

Never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn’t like. And this one from Orangette is, um, healthy. Sort of. Not really.

More soup. Again with the soup? Yes. Again with the soup. It’s for sick people. Heidi says so. Thank you 101 Cookbooks (my online food bible).

Last and perhaps least, if you’re feeling virtuous and/or enormous, pop on over to Bon Appétit and get yourself on a cleanse for food lovers. Doesn’t sound so bad actually. There is no lemon cayenne water involved. And chocolate is still on the menu.

Gingerbread Men, Trees & Bears (Oh My!)

Published on December 21, 2010 in Cookies and Holiday. 5 Comments Tags: , , .

Some old-time New Yorkers may recall a fantastic little bakery in the West Village called Taylor’s. The original shop was a cozy little spot with piles of giant cookies stacked up high in the windows, nice sandwiches and other lovely treats. Of course, like so many good things, it’s no longer around, but I will never forget their gingerbread cookies. They were spicy and crisp on the edges, chewy in the middle and sprinkled with just the right amount of crunchy sugar. I think about these cookies a lot. But have not, until now, made anything even remotely resembling them.

Foamy baking soda action

But that changed the other day. I decided I needed to make gingerbread men for G’s teachers. You know, kinda last minute. Of course, I couldn’t find my gingerbread man cookie cutter anywhere (and I was shut down at both Whole Foods and Bed Bath & Beyond). So I did what any desperate cookie-making mother would do: broke into my son’s Playdoh mold set and unearthed a bear and man mold (don’t worry, it’s a Christmas present so they are not yet Playdoh-tainted).

Butter makes it all nice and shiny

They worked pretty well, but the decorating part would’ve been much easier with a larger cookie cutter. I don’t think I’ve piped icing since my Baskin Robbins job in high school. And I don’t really have any photos of the actual rolling/cookie-cutting process, as I was racing to get the cookies done before picking up the kid from his last day of school (did I mention this was a last-minute kind of thing? Yeah, I meant that literally).

I used an unsulphured molasses, so they came out REALLY dark, which I kind of liked. I also jacked up the spices to make them nice and spicy. Hey, they’re not called gingerbread for nothing.

And what I discovered made me very happy. They tasted eerily similar to those Taylor’s ginger cookies.  So I’m thinking next time, I’m going to just roll the dough into balls and make cookies. And when I bite into that cookie, I will be transported back to the West Village in the late 90s, where I’ll be wearing a cropped fuzzy sweater, chunky boots and too much makeup. Ahhh, memories.

Gingerbread Men/Trees/Bears/Cookies…

Adapted from Gourmet

2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 – 2 tablespoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3  cups all-purpose flour + more for kneading
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring molasses, brown sugar, and all the spices to a boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and stir in the baking soda. Don’t panic when wacky things start happening — it kind of gets all foamy and fluffy. Baking = Science!  Then stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time. Let this mixture cool for a minute or two and then mix in the egg, followed by 3-3/4 cups of both flours and the salt.

Place your oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven and preheat to 325°F/170ºC.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and easy to handle. Divide the dough in half and wrap one half in plastic wrap. You can refrigerate this to use later. If you do, make sure to let it come to room temperature before trying to roll it out.

Roll out the other half to a thickness of 1/8″ and go crazy with your cookie cutters. Transfer the cookies to a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet. If you like, you can sprinkle the cookies with sanding sugar (the kind that doesn’t melt in the oven). Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges start to darken, switching the pans halfway through (keep an eye on the cookies; they can burn easily).

Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Then decorate with icing or whatever (this part is fun for the kiddos). Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps. I was able to reroll two more times; the dough held up really well.