Rolling in Dough

E-Z Peanut Butter Cookies

from Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher

Have you read Bakewise? This is my new favorite cookbook! Shirley Corriher's new bible of baking science explains all of the ins and outs of baking ingredients and how to use them to your advantage to vastly improve your own results. Gorgeous pictures and recipes that benefit from her years of experience fill the pages and best of all, it's written in Shirley's soft, Southern down home voice - I can hear the words coming out of her mouth when I'm reading the pages.

So I've been baking and reading like crazy and learning all kinds of things that I never knew - like that you can make amazing peanut butter cookies without adding any flour. Who knew? I have a dozen peanut butter cookies recipes and I don't love any of them. Some of them spread out too much in the oven, some get hard too quickly and the rest are just uninspiring. Well, that's all changed now. Shirley has brightened my cookie jar with my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. 

The weather has been chilly and just right for an afternoon of cookie making. Thumbing through the pages, I came across Shirley's recipe for E-Z Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies. While the oven preheated, I dutifully read through the paragraphs on flourless cookies so I could understand this brave new world, and got to mixing. The recipe only has 3 ingredients in it! Peanut butter, brown sugar and an egg. Unbelievable!  I was done with the whole project in less than an hour and could get down to the really important part - knocking back three or four cookies with a warm cup of tea. Ahhhhh.... perfect afternoon.     

E-Z Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup (258 grams) extra crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup (162 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Stir together the peanut butter, brown sugar and egg.

Use a teaspoon to scoop dough into heaping mounds on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Grease the bottom of a for with baking spray and press down on cookies to make a criss cross pattern.

Bake one sheet at a time until the edges start to color, 9 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool 2 minutes on the pan and remove to a cooling rack.

Note: Shirley's recipe called for 1/2 cup of English toffee baking chips to be stirred in after the egg, but I didn't have any, so I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.

Creamy and Colorful Christmas Butter Cookies

I am a Butter Cookie Connoisseur. I love them in all of their incarnations, Spritz, Sables, Butter Pretzels and Shortbread. Plain, perfect, simple, crisp and crunchy - the perfect thing to enjoy with a cup of tea or a cold glass of milk. So browsing through the cookbooks at the library, (Does anyone else do this? I've got more than 100 cookbooks at home, surely I could find something to bake) I was excited to find a fun little book called Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse by Kay Hansen and Liv Hansen. It's a fabulous cookbook filled with amazing cookie recipes, including Creamy Christmas Butter Cookies. They are, like all Butter Cookies, a simple recipe of butter, flour and vanilla, but include the inspired addition of cream of tartar. I love cream of tartar in Snickerdoodles, elevating simple Sugar Cookies to something more interesting, slightly mouth-puckering and tangy. These Butter Cookies were also pressed with a fork, giving the colored sanding sugar sprinkled on top some little cookie ruts to nestle in. In the book, all of the sanding sugar was red and green - very Christmasy. I set to baking, already imagining the Christmas colored creations that would emerge from my oven.

As I mixed and sifted and rolled small balls of dough, I called to Lovie to bring a fork and the colored sugar. This is a perfect job for a 6 year old - what could be better that smashing cookie dough and sprinkling sugar? She loves to bake cookies, especially when there are sprinkles involoved. When I looked up again, the Butter Cookies were beautiful - their tiny cookie ruts resplendent in their orange and yellow and teal and purple and blue and pink sugar. Two or three of them did actually have red and green sugar on them, mixed in with the rainbow of colors. Oh well, I guess Christmas doesn't have to be all red and green. I sighed and put them in the oven to bake.

But Lovie must have known what she was doing. When I opened the oven, I was met with a gorgeous array of small, round, sparkling cookies that looked for all the world like Christmas ornaments. And they were delicious - crisp, simple and slightly sweet. Everything a proper Butter Cookie should be. Enjoy!

                             

Creamy Christmas Butter Cookies
from Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, mix just until blended:
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add and mix well:
1 large egg

In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teapoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add to the butter mixture and mix at low speed until well combined.

Shape the dough into 3/4 inch balls. Arrange the balls 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork. (To prevent the dough from sticking to the fork, dip it occasionally in confectioners' sugar) Sprinkle the tops with many colors of sanding sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly colored around the edges. Let the cookies cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

This is my entry into the Holiday Cookie Baking Event hosted by Sharmi at Neivedyam. Check back after the December 28th to feast your eyes on all of the delicious cookie creations.

       

Spritz Cookies

When I heard about Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies from Around the World food blog event, I knew I had to bring Spritz to the party. They are everything Christmas cookies should be - delicious, traditional and they've got a story. If you are in the mood to bake some cookies of your own, head over to the party at Food Blogga's and discover some new cookies to try this Christmas!

                            

Well, it is the Christmas season, which has always meant that is time to bake Spritz. They are truly my favorite cookie - light, crisp, buttery, simply perfect. My family is Swedish, which meant that for Christmas we baked Spritz Cookies. Isn't it interesting how people pick and choose their traditions?  We always have Spritz, but we never make Ginger Snaps, or Lutfisk for that matter. But I guess if you are going to keep only one tradition, keeping the Spritz instead of the Lutfisk was probably at good decision. My Grandmother used to bake them by the tons and mail them to us from Iowa, packed in a Rice Crispie Box. Hers were always squiggly "wreaths" sprinkled with green and red sugar. As I've grown older, Spritz making has become my job, but not really my favorite one. I love the finished product, but the process leaves a little to be desired. In fact, these wonderful bits of buttery heaven are often referred to as (Pardon my lack of Christmas spirit here) as Goddamn Spritz. The problem arises from the Cookie Press, as Spritz are cookies that need to be pressed or piped onto the cookie sheet. Has anyone made a cookie press that is strong enough to pipe anything thicker than whipped cream? It always starts out innocently enough, with the press working fine, making cute little wreaths and trees, and then the end pops off and the dough oozes out. Then the battle is on, me trying to pipe cookies, the press fighting me every inch of the way. This eventually ends with me shouting "ALL I WANT IS TO FINISH THIS PAN OF COOKIES, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" I own more cookie presses than I can count, and have thrown away a dozen more, all in the endless pursuit of a press than can make Spritz. (Please enjoy the picture of a few of my presses)

                                                

My Grandmother used to pipe her Spritz with this "Primitive" icing thing. Hers had a blister inducing gap in the round part that your thumb is supposed to go into. She was clearly a better woman than I am. I have tried this method and the cookies aren't worth the pain.

                                             

But this is all over now, as I have found a Spritz recipe that makes a dough that is not hard as rock and since I have learned that a pastry bag is the perfect cookie piping instrument. No more cursing and gnashing of teeth. Hooray! Christmas Spirit is restored! Simply beautiful crisp little cookies to be enjoyed with a glass of milk. I might even make another batch. Enjoy them!

                              

Spritz

from Visions of Sugarplums by Mimi Sheraton

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 egg

2 1/4 cups of sifted flour, approximately

Let butter soften slightly at room temperature, then cream with sugar and salt until mixture is light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and blend thoroughly. Stir in enough flour to make a soft, workable dough. Fill a pastry bag with the dough and pipe onto baking sheets into any shape you like. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 7 minutes until the edges of your cookies are light golden brown. Makes about 5 dozen.   

Gingerbread Peppermint Cookies

                                          

Is there a better sign that the holidays have arrived than a winter afternoon spent baking gingerbread cookies while Christmas music plays in the background? Sweet, rich and spicy, gingerbread is the perfect December treat. Yesterday, my kitchen was filled with the delighted squeals of little girls decorating cookies. As I baked gingerbread trees, stars and snowflakes, the girls frosted, applied sprinkles, colored sugar, chocolate chips and debated whose cookie was prettiest.

                                    

Not to be outdone by the kiddos, I frosted a few snowflakes of my own, finishing them with crushed candy canes. The peppermint candy is a wonderful accompaniment to the spicy gingerbread. Rather than simply being sweet, the peppermint flavor dresses up the cookies, giving them a sophisticated taste and a little sparkle. I used a lemon icing for the frosting. The tanginess of the lemon disappears on the gingerbread, leaving a flavor that complements the spiciness of the cookies beautifully. An elegant and pretty way to dress up your holiday cookies - enjoy them with a steaming cup of tea while you decorate your tree.   

Gingerbread Peppermint Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup water

1 t. vanilla

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add molasses, water and vanilla and mix until well combined. Sift flour and spices together and add to the butter mixture. Beat for several minutes until the flour is incorporated.  Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours until well chilled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a well floured surface, working with one packet of dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick (thinner if you like crispy cookies) and cut into shapes. Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes. Let then cookies sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes after removing them from the oven, then let cool completely on wire racks.

Lemon Icing

3 cups powdered sugar

3 - 4 tbsp. lemon juice or water

Combine in a bowl, adding the lemon juice or water slowly until the desired consistency is achieved.

Put down some waxed paper, put out some candy sprinkles and colored sugar. Frost and decorate your cookies, squealing often and sneaking bits of candy. Don't forget to debate whose cookies are the prettiest! Cheers!   

Maple Ginger Bear Cookies

It's always amazing to me where inspiration comes from, usually when you least expect it. As I have mentioned, I have been so busy with a project lately, I have spent virtually no time in the kitchen. Without my even realizing it, food had become something I began thinking of about 5:30 in the evening, wondering what I could pull together to put on a plate, hoping it resembled dinner. But I realized this weekend, in addition to not cooking, I haven't even been thinking about food. Prior to the "Project", I spent time prowling the gourmet shops, reveling in the sensory overload of being around so many wonderful smelling and colorful things. It was not unusual for me to make extra sales calls, simply to be in the neighborhood of the Savory Spice Shop. And on Thursday afternoons you could usually find me at Whole Foods, bellied up to the bar, indulging in their complimentary wine and cheese tasting. I read food magazines and surfed the food blogs, always planning my next food adventure. But I haven't been doing any of this. How could I have stopped being a foodie in such a short time? And how did I not even notice?

I've got a new friend, Claudia. She works in one of my salons and she has a daughter a little younger than mine. Did you ever meet someone and then find out all kinds of unusual things that you had in common? Spooky things that you would never expect? Claudia is that person for me. She has been telling me all summer that I needed to see the movie Ratatouille, but I had been putting it off. I should have listened to her. On Sunday, Lovie decided that we should go. We had waited long enough that Ratatouille was playing at the dollar theater (Why is it $1 to see the movie, but the popcorn costs $8?). So we called Claudia and  invited her go with us to see Ratatouille.

I LOVED IT! I loved everything about it - the french back story, the kitchen, the way Paris looked, the "Grim Eater" food critic, everything. But the most interesting thing is, Ratatouille - a animated movie, stirred the foodie within me back to life. Sitting in the theatre, I began to be hungry for a dinner of good bread, creamy cheese and a bottle of red. I began to miss cooking and everything that went with it - the smells, the colors, the flavors and the magic that occurs when simple ingredients are combined in an inspired way. Unbelievable. When the movie was over, Claudia suggested we hit the Whole Foods around the corner, she needed to pick up a few things. Umm, OK, twist my arm. So we capped off the afternoon with a trip through foodie heaven, where everything is beautifully displayed, they have samples of cheeses I've never tried, and the hand dipped chocolates and fresh pastries make me swoon. I came home ready to cook. I made a spinach, artichoke goat cheese tart for dinner and felt quite French eating it with crusty bread and a glass of red. And yesterday, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen stirring a pot of lentil soup, reading the newest Saveur, drinking tea and making Maple Ginger Bear cookies. 

Here is the recipe for Maple Ginger Bears. They are soft and wonderful, and the flavor reminds me of falling leaves - a great Autumn cookie. They are not as strong as typical gingerbread cookies. I used maple syrup in place of the usual molasses, giving them a lighter, gently spicy flavor. Lovie and Mike loved them. Enjoy them with a glass of milk or as I did, alongside a cup of tea, while pondering my inner foodie. I don't know where she went, but I'm so glad that Ratatouille inspired her to come home again. Thank you Claudia!

Golden Maple Ginger Bears -

3 cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2/3 cup butter, cut into chunks

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons of maple syrup

2 eggs

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, like you are making pastry, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, maple syrup and eggs and mix to make a firm dough. Knead the dough lightly to bring it together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough and cut into shapes. Bake about 13 minutes until your cookies are just starting to brown around the edges, but are still soft. Let cool on the baking sheets for 3-4 minutes and finish cooling on wire racks.

Make a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar and a few drops of water. Drizzle over your cookies. Eat several at a time.         

Peanut Butter Brownie Dreams

Is there a better pairing than chocolate and peanut butter? Each one is pretty wonderful on its own, but together they make a taste sensation worth singing about. I have enjoyed this combination of lovely flavors in many forms, chocolate ice cream with peanut butter sauce, peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches and of course, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I have even been known to scrape some peanut butter out of the jar, stick a few chocolate chips to the knife and lick it like a lollipop.

I was looking for something interesting to take to the preschool in honor of Lovie's 5th birthday. I'm so happy she doesn't attend one of those schools where they are scared of sweets and only allow you bring carrot sticks or pencils for your child's birthday. When I was a kid, the moms always brought cupcakes, and it was such a treat. Carrot sticks just don't seem as festive. I was looking for something that the 4 year olds would approve of, as they are a judgemental bunch. A cake seemed like too much, cupcakes are always good, but I don't like frosting them, and pencils are just too dull. I began the cookbook search, looking at the pictures, waiting for an inspiration. In Dorie Greenspan's Baking book, I came across her recipes for Brownies. Fudgy, chewy, the perfect size for small hands and everybody likes them. Plus, they are easy to make. All I need is a mix, 2 eggs and some water. My Mom studied Home Economics in college, where she learned that Brownies are a good thing to make with a mix. You can't make homemade ones as easily or inexpensively (hence the Economics part of the program), and they taste good. I know this advice could apply to lots of things I cook and bake, and usually I ignore it and go the authentic, homemade route. But when I'm making Brownies, I generally use the mix. Also, this makes sense. I can make Brownies out of the cookbook and spend 2 hours melting chocolate and gently mixing, or I can spend a dollar on a mix and be done in 30 minutes. I'm certain the 4 year olds won't mind the shortcut, they will have inhaled them in about 8 seconds anyway.

But they needed to be special, too. Finally, an inspiration! I made one huge Brownie and frosted it with fluffy Peanut Butter frosting (that I really did make from scratch). I cut it into slices and served it like a pizza. Delicious! Way better than a plain Brownie, the peanut butter was not too sweet and was a great contrast to the rich chocolate. If only we had milk. Maybe next year.

Peanut Butter Brownie Pizza

Brownie mix, prepared according to directions, or homemade, if you are an overacheiver, baked and cooled

1 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Butter, softened

2 cups Powdered Sugar

Splash of Milk

Mix the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar together. Add milk as needed to make a fluffy, speadable frosting. Spread over Brownies. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

When I am too busy with work, I always find that time alone in my kitchen is what I crave. Baking in particular relaxes me and makes me feel centered. The simple act of kneading bread or rolling dough is always what I long to do when I've got too much on my plate. So after a long week of both days and nights filled with work obligations, I finally had the chance to spend some quality time with my oven yesterday. Last weekend, Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, Baking, arrived via the post as I had forgotten to send back the cookbook club postcard. I was unfamiliar with Dorie, but had recently read Brilynn's rave reviews of her on Jumbo Empanadas. It is a beautiful book, filled with delicious looking pictures and recipes written in a homey, down to earth tone. Paging through it, I ran across her Peanut Butter Crisscrosses and have been thinking about them all week.

To me, the only kind of peanut butter cookies worth eating are slightly chewy, but a little crisp, they have to be rolled in sugar, and they must have fork crisscrosses on them. The perfect cookie for a afternoon snack or to enjoy before bedtime with a glass of milk, peanut butter cookies have long been one of my favorites. Alas, I lacked a recipe that I loved. I have a bunch of cookbooks (a nasty and growing habit), but I wasn't happy with any of the recipes to be found within them. Some lacked enough flour and the cookies were too flat, others just seemed to be missing something. None of them wowed me. When I came across Dorie's recipe, they looked so crisp, peanutbuttery and delicious, with small sugar grains sparkling around the edges, I knew these could be the peanut butter cookies I had been searching for. This is kind of an unusual recipe, it's quite soft and has the unexpected, but inspired addition of nutmeg, which gives the cookies a distinctive smell and taste. The finished cookies are wonderful, everything a peanut butter cookie should be.

When I said that I was going to make these, Lovie said that she wished we were making peanut butter and jelly cookies instead. To a four year old, cookies made of peanut butter and jelly seemd like the best thing she could imagine. So in about 20 balls of uncooked cookie dough, we made thumb prints. After we baked them, we filled the hole with blueberry jam. She says they taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the bread. She had 5 of them yesterday.

Nutella Baci Cookies

In honor of the solemn and delicious day that Sara at Ms.Adventures in Italy and Shelley of At Home in Rome have declared World Nutella Day, I would like to add my own contribution to the festivities, Nutella Baci cookies. My favorite restaurant is Parisi's here in Northwest Denver. In addition to a savory array of Italian favorites, they boast a small market full of European chocolates, olive oil, fine cheeses, artisanal pastas and a gelato bar. Lovie and I discovered the revelation that is gelato last summer and now stop there several times a week for a fix. During one of these visits, I saw a plate of little Baci cookies that looked like small hamburgers, and simply had to take a few home. They were terrific, a soft espresso flavored cookie on each side, filled with a bit of espresso icing. Just right to accompany a cup of coffee, or to gobble up in the car on the long ride home (it's at least eight blocks). I began to dream of the Baci, and wondered how I could make them my own. When I saw that World Nutella Day was right around the corner, I knew that I had my answer. My beloved Baci cookies could only be made more delicious by adding the hazelnutty goodness that is Nutella. I went right to work, bringing out the Nutella jar and thoughtfully licking spoonfuls of it while I pondered my attack. The Baci could be frosted with Nutella, but the cookie would need a bit of flavor to pump it up. Frangelico to the rescue - the hazelnut flavor would play off of the chocolately Nutella beautifully, coming together to create cookie perfection!      

Breakfast Part 3 - Biscotti and Espresso

  I found a book at the library on how to eat and live like a true Italian. Being a fan of European lifestyles in general, I decided this would be an excellent addition to my breakfast research project. The author states that all self respecting Italian homes have a stove top espresso maker called a Moka to make their own espresso each morning. Breakfast consists of 3-4 tiny cups of espresso and several Biscotti, the light breakfast leaving room for the more substantial lunch meal to come. I'm game, having just lived through the great Muesli disaster, so I immediately went in search of a Moka. I found one at a gourmet shop, and the shop owner wanted me to see how to grind the beans. She sent me next door to Peaberry Coffee to buy some espresso beans and have the experts demonstrate the perfect texture. Well, the guys working at Peaberry couldn't have known less about coffee. They had never seen a Moka, didn't know what kind of coffee to put in it and had no idea how much to grind it. After much discussion, they settled on a medium grind. Thanks for all of your help. 

Back at the house, I'm a espresso making fanatic. I found my Grammie's espresso set and proceeded to drink coffee like a "true Italian". Each morning when I bring out the espresso cups and saucers, Lovie asks if we are having a tea party. All I needed was some Biscotti to dunk into my espresso. My favorite Biscotti recipe comes from Afternoon Delights, by James McNair and Andrew Moore. A great little cookbook of coffee house snacks, their recipes are decadent and delicious. Whether or not they are Italian, I'm not sure, but I sure feel more continental!

Swedish Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are an essential part of Christmas baking. I rarely make them at other times during the year, and I'm not even sure anyone else likes them, but they simply must be a part of my Christmas repertoire. I do, however, have a few items on my Gingerbread wishlist.

Because I like small cookies, I end up with about 80 small gingerbread cookies and because they simply must be decorated, I spend 2 hours putting clothes on tiny ginger bears every holiday season. I also think they get hard really quickly, and most years, I end up throwing a whole bunch of them away. This year, however, I think I have solved most of these problems, with a new recipe and a glaze as suggested by Elisabeth Prueitt in her fabulous Tartine cookbook.

Gingerbread has a long and checkered past, unknown to most unsuspecting holiday bakers. Those little men and women that we so loving dress in frosting clothes started as a way for people to put a black spell on their enemies. In ancient times you could venture into the woods, pay a witch some money to make a cookie version of your despised, burn it to a crisp in the fire and then gobble it up, sort of like a old German version of a voodoo doll. I'm not sure what ills were suppose to befall your intended victim, but not a very nice thought. Something to think about next time you bite the head off of a gingerbread boy.

Again, perusing Mimi Sheraton's Christmas cooking book, I came across a recipe for Lucia Ginger Snaps. Drawn in by her recommendation that "these beautiful blond wafers have a mellow spicy flavor that is unusual", I had to try them. Mimi didn't steer me wrong. She uses less of the traditional gingerbread spices, but adds lemon zest, which give the cookies an amazing complexity. Instead of frosting each tiny cookie, I decided to try the glaze in the Tartine cookbook, which goes on quickly and catches in every nook and cranny for some interesting effects. These cookies are baked at only 275 degrees, leaving them moist and delicious. A great new way to do gingerbread this year!