[Cookie 091] Sesame Seed Cookies

Hello folks, I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Marjorie. She is my hero/tailor.

I am forcing her to be my friend.

And obviously, my first step towards achieving this goal was to make her cookies. Specifically, these Sesame Seed Cookies.

Okay, I think I should do some 'splaining. First off, I am taking a Projects in Photography class this semester, and it focuses primarily on portrait photography. Which is pretty rad, in my opinion, since I never get around to actually shooting posed portraits and I have really wanted to give it a try. For our most recent assignment we had to pick a Ghanaian that we were relatively chummy with (or not--just depends on how confident you are with potentially awkward situations) and photograph this subject over an 8-12 hour block of time. So, I chose Marjorie, who is the go-to seamstress for most of the students in my program. She always came off like somewhat of an enigma to me, in part because of her no bullshit attitude and somewhat stony countenance. Plus, she can sew a pretty 1960s cocktail dress in about 6 minutes, from raw fabric to ironed lapels.

So I set up a date to come in and shoot some pictures of her, and in preparation I make a batch of these Sesame Seed Cookies (mainly to get on her good side before I would proceed to bug the hell out of her with my camera). Another example of how baking cookies has helped me where my social skills are lacking! I hand her the tupperware containing the cookies, and she takes a bite, and says "You did good" and then continues her cutting and measuring. I felt like I was in a detective movie and had just returned to my boss with a particularly juicy bit of info, and the P.I. gruffly patted me on the shoulder and told me "Ya did good, kid." Yay!

Anyway, I shot a million pictures, only got a few that I like, and none that I love. Oh well, c'est la vie. At least the cookies were a hit, and that's what I should be talking about anyway! So I'll hop to it.

These cookies are really good. You must excuse their appearance, because once again my crazy oven situation messed them up pretty badly. But the dough is delicious and the flavor of the actual baked cookie is pretty awesome. The sesames get all toasty and pack a bunch of flavor as well as crunch. I would most definitely make these again, because not only are they easy to make, but they are unusual, so you can impress your friends (and friend-crushes) without breaking a sweat.

Sesame Seed Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hulled sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line four baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and beat until combined. Add toasted sesame seeds, and beat until incorporated.

Using a spoon, drop cookie batter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, onto prepared baking sheets, allowing at least 2 inches between cookies for spreading.

Bake until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 3/5
Is it worth it?: Yes! Especially those of you who are fans of sesame flavor...you know who you are.

{Pairings}

Drink: No drink. Nothing.

Song: Side with the Seeds -- Wilco
Activity: These would be good served at a nice little tea party or to give as a gift. See above anecdote.

[Cookie 053] Coconut Macaroons

I have a very vague, small, hidden away memory that is of relatively little importance in my life as a whole, but makes for a good starter topic for today's cookie: Coconut Macaroons. I was in the kitchen of my Nana and Poppy's house circa 1995, and my Aunt was sitting at the glass kitchen table, right beside the faux-colonial painted plates mounted on the wall and across from Sam (Nana's Parakeet with a nasty habit for screeching and a sweet tooth for human flesh) who was pacing inside her rattly cage. On the table were a lot of things, most of which I don't remember (I'm sure there must have been at least 3 pairs of knitting needles though), but I do remember my Aunt offering me a Macaroon from a small box. I was hesitant to taste them--partly because I was a picky eater as a kid, and also because I was worried it might taste like Gefilte fish--but I reached into the box anyways and pulled out a wad of golden, flaky strangeness. A Macaroon. I think I tried it. And I'm pretty sure I hated it.

I don't remember much of what it tasted like because I only ate about 0.0001 grams of it, but it didn't go over that smoothly on the ol' palate. It had a funny chewy texture unlike anything else I had eaten--unlike any real food at all--and it tasted like coconut (a long time foe during my childhood, and only recently a friend as of about 3 months ago). Not my cup of tea, to say the least, and I most likely spit it out in favor of a couple of slices of Kraft American cheese or a bag of M&Ms that had been sitting in the pantry since 1983. What can I say--I was 5 and notion of cheese coming in such perfect, prepackaged slices was beyond awesome to me. But, what I'm trying to get at is that Macaroons actually are derived from real ingredients, with real flavors, that are actually pretty delicious and edible.

A Macaroon is quite a simple treat--and I say 'treat' not 'cookie,' because it really doesn't have any of the qualities of the latter. It's basically a glob (sorry--horrible word choice) of coconut, egg whites, and sugar, plus a few add-ins here and there. For this recipe I made the Macaroon entirely chocolate, and though I might not have baked them long enough, they tasted pretty good.

Now, I'm not raving about this recipe. The recipe itself is fine, but I still haven't been won over by the Macaroon committee. I love coconut. I love love love chocolate. But they were a little on the "eh" side for me. Maybe I'll try again and bake them a little longer to get them more toasted on the outside. Or maybe I'll just make a different recipe. Either way, if you like Macaroons, give it a go! It's dead easy, and they look like dog poop! Hahaha sorry, but they do. Proof:

Don't worry--it's wheatgrass. Stayin' healthy!

So by now you are reaching for your cookbooks to find a completely different recipe to make, but don't let me discourage you! Okay...this is beginning to sound like I'm pleading, so I'll stop writing and let you make the decision. Go coconut!

Coconut Macaroons (Chocolate)

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow it to simmer. Place chocolate in a small bowl, and set over saucepan. Stir until chocolate is melted, and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine cooled chocolate, cocoa, sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Use your hands to mix well, completely combining ingredients.
4. Dampen hands with cold water. Form 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture into a loose haystack shape, and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture, placing macaroons 1 inch apart.
5. Bake until just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven to a wire rack, and let cool on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1.5/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 3.5/5
Attractiveness: 1/5 (Even when they are made perfectly, they aren't much to look at)
Is it worth it?: If you like Macaroons, this recipe is easy and tasty! But you don't have to stop what you're doing and make these ASAP, by any means.

{Pairings}
Drink: French-press coffee. No sugar. Take Macaroon. Drop into coffee. Drink/Eat. Done.

Song: Give Me Just a Little More Time -- Chairmen of the Board
Activity: Washing your hands--this shits messy! (Get it?! Get the pun?? Okay, I apologize...enough's enough.)

[Cookie 045] Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello, are you new to the kitchen? First time baking? First time cooking altogether? No, probably not...but in case you've grown a bit rusty on your gastronomical tools, check out this little bit of video art:

Yeah, now you know. Ladles are used to fling hot soup at your enemies. Duh. And knives are used to stab. Double duh. These are the basics, people. Another basic: the best cookie dough to eat raw is that of the Chocolate Chip variety. Really.

Now I know there are many, many, many delicious kinds of cookie dough to eat raw (dare I say that most cookie dough is delicious), but let me ask you this: why does only one type of cookie dough get its own flavor of ice cream? Because it's the best. You don't hear of Snickerdoodle Dough Ice Cream (though that sounds absolutely delicious, come to think of it). It's just common knowledge that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is the king of cookie doughs. And thus, I bring you Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies--a kick ass dough that makes a classic cookie.

So we've unanimously come to the conclusion that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is the best cookie dough out there, and though the dough in most Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes tastes the same prior to baking, the resultant baked cookie can vary wildly. You've got your thin and crispies, your fat and chunkies, your round and doughies, and of course, your Soft and Chewies like these here. Generally, when I ask my friends what texture of cookie they like most, they tend to veer toward the Soft and Chewies anyway, so I had a feeling that this recipe would be a winner.

And it is. It's just right. Perfect, especially when eaten minutes after they've come out of the oven, alongside a nice glass of cold milk. There's a reason that this cookie is such a go-to cookie, and this recipe pretty much explains why. So, what I'm trying to get at is that you should bust open that bag of chocolate chips sitting in your freezer and make these right now. You won't regret it...and if you do, just mail me the leftovers.

But let's talk shelf-life, shall we? Yes, the cookie is fantastic straight out of the oven, hot and gooey and fresh, but unless you freeze the dough in order to bake it spur-of-the-moment, the cookies don't always stay this way. But don't worry, it's easily remedied with the microwave. Just pop a cookie in, put the timer on for a little bit, and pour yourself a glass of milk. Voila--almost as good as new, or at least as close as you'll get.

And one more thing--the recipe is dead easy (obviously) but if you have a cookie scoop, be careful careful careful. The chocolate chips screwed mine up a little bit because they got jammed behind the scooping arc thingy, and now it's kinda out of service. I'm sad. But at least my cookies came out round and nice, right? Whatever, enough chitchat. Get into the kitchen, stat!

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4.5/5 (As basic as you can get)
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 3.5/5
Is it worth it?: Yes. Why wait, bake today!

{Pairings}
Drink: Milk, duh! You stupid or sumthin'?!

Song: Daily Routine -- Animal Collective
Activity: So, you take the cookie and dip it in your milk, but hold it in there too long and then OH NO it breaks off and falls down into the bottom of your cup and then WHAT EVER DO YOU DO? You drink all the milk and then, hurray! Soggy delicious cookie waiting for you at the bottom. That's an activity, right?

[Cookie 042] Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Hey remember all that talk about autumn and cool weather and pre-storm winds and candy corn and leaves changing colors and October and all that stuff? Well, I don't know what's going on in Weatherland, but it's so gross and hot here in New York! 80º? Humidity? Possible thunderstorms? No. I don't like it, and I feel sweaty all the time.

Fortunately, my roommates and I have found a way to remedy this terrible situation--which, by the way, is only worsened when I bake cookies and heat up the whole apartment. We set the air-conditioner on to environmentally dangerous low temperatures. Problem solved.

Okay, I just realized that I have no idea how to relate that little useless anecdote to this post's cookie, the Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie, so I apologize. Let me talk about the cookie now. It's fair, nothing special. Exactly like the title suggests. I didn't have any sanding sugar (again) so I used granulated, but it probably would have been better with a chunkier grain to give the outside some texture. But good news!! I got measuring cups and a cookie sheet so baking is easy again!

Anyway, I realize that this is a marvelously pathetic entry (yes, I once again forgot to photograph the final results of the baked cookies!), but I don't really feel like putting my all into it--and anyways, I have a much tastier cookie to blog about next. So get excited, it's going to be very decadent.

But before I part, I'd like to ask you, readers, a question. I bet you can already guess what it's going to be. Here it is: What cookie/type of cookie should I bake next/more of??? Love to hear your responses, lovelies! Until later...

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Makes about 20 (3 1/2 inch) cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
• 2 large eggs
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
3. Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
4. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5 (Very simple, as you might guess)
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 3/5 (The lemon zest is a nice touch, but otherwise these are just your traditional sugar cookie)
Attractiveness: 3/5
Is it worth it?: If you want sugar cookies, I guess they are. I'm feeling rather apathetic right now, sorry!

{Pairings}
Drink: Maybe apple juice, to bring back memories of kindergarten snack time?? Yeah!

Song: Raw Sugar -- Metric
Activity: Arts n' Crafts! Beads! Friendship bracelet making session! Nap time!

[Cookie 041] Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Yo, I know. I'm slackin' big time. But it's all going to change starting right now. A blog post! Yes, it's really here. Because I'm sure you just can't live with out it, right--right?! Yeah!

Well, on the topic of living without things, I come to today's cookie adventure. I definitely had to do some serious baking wizardry to produce these cookies because it just so turns out that all of the cooking gadgets I had last year didn't actually belong to me. I own nothing. But I was just so excited to devirginize (sorry, is that crass?) the new oven in my dorm that I jumped into the recipe for Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies so fast I didn't even realize that I was missing: measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a cookie sheet. Whoa--mentally lapse, anyone? Honestly where was my mind?? But, I really really wanted to make the recipe (and my roommates really really wanted to eat the results) so I pushed onward into the unknown.

In fact, it wasn't all bad that I didn't have some key tools. I met some other students living on my floor by asking them if I could borrow their measuring cups! So wouldn't ya know, a problem solved with an added bonus! As for the cookie sheet, well the pictures should give you an idea.

First, I used my two Pyrex baking dishes, but that didn't work so easily because they could only fit 5 and 2-3 cookies on each, respectively. And because I didn't feel like baking for 9 hours straight, I decided to take a little risk and put the cookies on my Silpats sans cookie sheet. Technically it worked, but getting the Silpat out of the oven without dropping the cookies was quite a little feat. But I prevailed, and with the help of my friends/roommates/sous-chefs, we had a bunch of deliciously soft, sweet, and ever-so-autumny cookies.

Onto the specifics of the cookie. These guys are simple to make and are a real comfort-cookie; one that you want to eat straight out of the oven on an overcast October late-afternoon, while the wind just begins to pick up like it does right before a huge storm (sorry I'm getting carried away--I know I'm a total romantic, nostalgic grandmother). We ate a couple without icing, and at first thought that we didn't even need to make the icing because they were sweet enough, but the icing is actually a really nice touch. It's really maple-y and nice, and definitely not overpowering. It works great with the apple flavor of the cookie.

So, what I'm trying to tell you is, it worked! Yes, my oven is off by a good 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but it bakes cookies. And these ones were good. And you should make them in celebration of the changing of the seasons. Soft, sweet, chewy, aromatic--and pretty cute too. Having said that, you should now turn off your computer and make them, and I'll go make that apple cake I've been meaning to make....and eat some more candy corn. Ta!

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup chunky-style applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Make cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce, mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.
3. Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, syrup, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 4.5/5
Attractiveness: 4/5
Is it worth it?: Yes, indeed.

{Pairings}
Drink: Hot apple cider! Aw yeah!

Song: Apple Orchard -- Beach House
Activity: Huddling over a hot cup of apple cider and one of these cookies right after coming inside on a chipper autumn day...siiiigh

[Cookie 029] Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Okay, so as of late I've been making more "unusual" types of cookies: ones that resemble onion rings, ones that (vaguely) resemble Griffendor scarves, ones that use fresh garden herbs...fancy stuff. And after all this, I had begun to crave for a more traditional cookie--a drop cookie, with your standard cookie ingredients, and yet one that would still stand out. One that you can curl up with on a cold, windy night; one that will be there for you in your darkest hour, when everyone else in your life has deserted you--okay, maybe that's a bit much, but you get my drift.

Generally I save the easiest recipes with the most fundamental ingredients for when I'm off at school (considering my budget is significantly tighter, and my overall cooking arrangement much less...enhanced. Meaning I lack: a Viking stove, KitchenAid, any spice other than cinnamon, you know). But when your stomach wants an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, you simply cannot deny it this simple right.

So one morning I woke up knowing that that day would be the day. The Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Day that my heart so pined for. But with a twist: I chose to add the remainder of dried cherries from the Striped Icebox Cookies into the batter, along with the raisins. I must say, I deserve a pat on the back for this ingenious idea (okay, it was Martha's idea, whatevvvver) because the sourness of the cherries is exactly what this usually sweet cookie needs. And because I only added about 1/3 of a cup of cherries, you only got a bite of cherry every now and then, so it was like a nice little surprise.

The recipe as a whole, once again, proves Martha's ability to provide a perfect recipe for a classic cookie. But instead of producing a boring, chewy cookie without much kick, the inclusion of toasted wheat germ lends the cookie a nice crunchy bite and great texture. Although the cookies are listed in the "soft and chewy" category, you are supposed to press down the balls of dough a bit on the cookie sheet, and so they spread out thin and get a little crispy--which I really loved.

My parents loved the cookies, as did I, and we all agreed that the dried cherries really really helped, so if you have some on hand I definitely encourage you to throw them in. But if you don't, the cookie is still fantastic, and I see no reason in using any other Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe. Okay, I'll leave you with the recipe now...

Oatmeal Raisin (and cherry!) Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups raisins (if you add cherries as well, make sure that the total amount of dried fruits is still 1 1/2 cups!)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture; mix until just combined. Mix in raisins.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.
3. Bake until golden and just set, about 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 3.5/5
Tastiness: 4.5/5 (Perfect! Crispy and chewy...very nice)
Attractiveness: 2.5/5
Is it worth it?: If you want an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, look no further. This is it.

{Pairings}
Drink: Orange Juice (I dunno why I think this sounds like a good idea...maybe I'm nuts)
Song: Old School (feat. Talib Kweli) -- Danger Doom
Activity: Watching cartoons on a Saturday morning

[Cookie 018] Classic Shortbread

Hey there. Tomorrow's June, and generally around the last or first day of a month, I tend to exclaim "Oh man I can't believe it's _____ already! Where did (insert previous month) go? This crazy! Nuts! Time flies!" General hysteria, you know the drill.

But not so many exclamatory remarks for June 2009. Yeah, in actuality, I can't believe it isn't June yet. I can't believe it's been only two weeks since I came back to California--it seems like a month! Generally, this would be fantastic news for a student on summer vacation, but I do miss New York. Not hot-sweaty-summery-humid-icky New York necessarily, but I miss my friends there and the city itself.

On a brighter note, however, L.A. is my place. I really love it here, I just don't know what I'm going to do for three months without a job. I maybe might have some employment opportunities, but I don't want to say anything just yet. Crossing my fingers though. In the meantime, I'll just bake and cook and photograph and sew and be domestic. You know, the usual.

So last week, I remembered that I had promised a very very dear friend of mine some sort of baked good for her birthday, and I totally failed on delivering the goods, literally. She's in Chicago, so I knew whatever I made would have to be shipable, as well as have a good long shelf-life, and of course confine to her personal palate (which, to be honest, is very very very discriminate--I think the term is "pickyness"). So, shortbread! Perfect! Martha says it even gets better with age, which I believe!

As usual, the recipe was pretty simple, and being a basic shortbread, called for only the most rudimentary of ingredients. We're talking butter, sugar, flour, salt, eggs. Done and done.

Plus, you get to use a pretty fluted tart pan, and who doesn't love that, honestly? And after you cut the shortbread into wedges, you get adorable petticoat-shaped cookies. The only mildly annoying part of the recipe is that they take 1 hour to bake, in addition to cooling the dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator, and I'm a girl who wants her cookies toute de suite.

Anyways, I made the whole recipe (saving a little piece for myself to photograph and later consume...for research and data purposes, to be sure) and shipped them off in a cute box to my friend. She got them, and loved them so much! You really can't go wrong with shortbread, especially with a good cup of tea and maybe some fruit compote and fresh whipped cream? Yes. Or dipped in chocolate. Whatever sounds good--they are amazing plain too!

So, maybe summer won't be too long and drawn out if I bake enough, because then I'll be able to balance my time between baking and trying to exercise away the abundance of calories on my bicycle. I'm actually thinking of starting a bike gang, but more info on that once we get organized. Keep your eyes peeled, though, if you're in the L.A. area; we're mean.

Classic Shortbread
Makes 8 wedges

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy - 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour to mixture all at once; mix until just combined.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in upper third of oven.
3. Using plastic wrap, press dough into a buttered 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. With plastic on dough, refrigerate 20 minutes. Remove plastic wrap. Cut out a round from center using a 2 1/4-inch cookie cutter; discard (or eat...honestly, Martha, sometimes I wonder). Put cutter back in center. Cut dough into eight wedges with a paring knife. Using a wooden skewer (a fork messes up the dough and makes it crumble), prick all over at 1/4-inch intervals.
4. Bake until golden brown and firm in center, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Recut shortbread into wedges; let cool completely in pan. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5 (A baby could do this...maybe?)
Ingredient Accessibility: 4.5/5 (The fluted tart-pan being the one possible difficulty)
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 3.5/5
Is it worth it?: Yeah! If you know someone who likes shortbread, these are great. Classic, truly.

[Cookie 011] Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, Martha, you redeemed yourself from last week's debacle. I knew you could, especially when it comes to such a traditional cookie like the Chocolate Chip. You're alright in my book, Martha, but I'm still not going to forget last week (even though one of my friends called those her favorite cookies [she crazy]). But seriously, these Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies were really yummy, and just as their title suggests, super cakey too!

I guess it's pretty hard to go wrong with a good old chocolate chip cookie, but I really love how you have 3 or 4 recipes for them in your book, but each is made with a specific consistency. These were definitely cakey, so I can't wait to try out the thin and crispy ones, and the chewier ones as well. Because these were so cakey, I added some toasted walnuts (also because I have an over abundance of them due to a Trader Joe's mishap), and I think they really added to the texture of the cookie. Giving them a little crunch was a nice constrast!

Obviously, these were not difficult to make in the slightest. The recipe is pretty much the same as most other chocolate chip cookies, but there is less butter and brown sugar, which is what makes them fluffier and cakier. The recipe makes a bunch of really huge, hearty cookies that would probably hold up just swell if shipped to someone in need (ie. anyone/everyone). Or, you could just save the dough and eat it, because honestly, chocolate chip cookie dough is the king of all cookie doughs, and I think everyone knows it.

I also thought I share with you a little bit about my very own Kitchen Stadium. One the highlights of my world-class cooking/baking setup, is my cooling rack for all the cookies I make. Check it out!

I AM USING MY DISH DRAIN TO DRY COOKIES.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have shared that with the whole world, considering that several of the people who eat/rate my cookies read my blog as well, but I don't care. The point is, if I am baking 1-2 batches of cookies per week, I should probably invest in a decent cooling rack, as well as maybe a Silpat (ooh yes yes! I want!). I did, however, just come across a brand new, quite nice cookie sheet at the Salvation Army for a mere $3, which is pretty awesome.

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4.5/5
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 3/5 (They look like they all do!)
Is it worth it?: Yes! Everyone likes these, and if you are particularly partial to cakey cookies, these are perfect

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P.S. I have been having a lot of trouble commenting on any Blogger blogs, let alone my own, which is really annoying because I want to respond to your comments but I can't!! I'll work on it, but until then, sorry! It has been taken care of (at least for now)! I can respond to comments again!