[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 052] Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is a place in New York City that makes the single best chocolate chip cookie that I have ever tasted in my entire life of tasting cookies. True, I have not tasted every chocolate chip cookie available--nor have I by any means tested out hundreds of chocolate chip cookie recipes. But let me just say, there exists a cookie of this variety that is so spectacular, so supreme, so sexy, that it has become my ultimate aspiration--my holy grail, if you will--in my quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Now, The Book has several chocolate chip cookie recipes, and all do a great job of highlighting a certain texture of the cookie: you've got the Soft and Chewy, the Cakey, and now, the Thin and Crispy; and out of all the recipes, I think that these come the closest to this golden cookie that I so strive to replicate.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you more about this uber-cookie. It comes from The City Bakery--an incredible bakery/lunch spot up by Union Square in Manhattan. Go there for lunch and you'll be totally bowled over just by their completely amazing buffet (and I'm definitely not a buffet person, on the whole, but I just can't say no to Israeli couscous or maple-roasted Butternut Squash or caramelized Bosc pears). But their chocolate chip cookie. I can't even describe how good it is, but I'll try: it has a crispy exterior, but the moment you bite into it, you realize that the inside is barely even set. It's so soft and undercooked (in the BEST way) and each chocolate chip melts sublimely with every bite. And the dough has this complex caramely flavor that takes the normally boring dough in this classic cookie to an entirely new level. Don't believe me? The New York Times even wrote about it in their quest for the best chocolate chip cookie.

Okay, so, what I want in my chocolate chip cookie is this perfect balance between crispiness and underbaked-ness. And it needs to have a great flavor not only in the chocolate used, but also in the dough. Martha's recipe fulfills the former part of my demands, but only when the cookie is first brought out of the oven. And because cookies don't really last more than an hour after their baking time in my dorm room, it satisfied me for the time being.

Now, the recipe is supposed to make thin and crispy cookies, but mine turned out thick and only crispy after they hung around for a day or so. I'm sure if I made each cookie with less dough I would have produced a cookie just like what the recipe intends, but I wanted mine to be more like City Bakery's, so I used more dough in each mound. In fact, after I had baked 2 batches I just dumped the remaining dough onto the cookie sheet and made an mega cookie--and it was SO RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS.

You can't tell how big it is in this picture, but trust me...it was quite large

Because I used way too much dough in this last cookie, it didn't get cooked all the way through in the amount of time the recipe required (obviously!). But this is just what I wanted--and for the second half of the baking time, I actually turned up the heat quite a bit so that the exterior would get crispy without cooking the inside. Success! I'm not so sure how this cookie would taste if given the chance to set overnight, but my roommates and I agreed that straight out of the oven it tasted like pure gold.

In the end, the recipe is by no means intended to make the cookie that City Bakery makes, but if you alter the baking time (less time/higher heat), you'll get close. One day I'll really buckle down and experiment with all these variations and come up with a recipe that gets closest to my idol cookie, but until then, this will have to do.

Now, if you live in/near Manhattan, you should be planning your next trip to City Bakery (it's on 18th St., btw). If you don't live nearby, you should be preheating your oven. So, everyone's busy now, right? Good. Hop to it!

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 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, 1/4 cup water, 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 brown 12 to 15 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: 5/5
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 2.5/5 (As far as chocolate chip cookies go, they weren't that glamorous)
Is it worth it?: If you like them thin and crisp, duh, make it! But, as I said, there's a chocolate chip cookie recipe for everyone.

{Pairings}
Drink: Why mess with the classic? Milk would be the drink of choice.

Song: Heroes -- David Bowie
Activity: Watching The O.C.--which I've been doing a lot lately. Don't judge! I still have a poster of the show from season 1 hanging in my room. Seth Cohen and I are getting married. Okay, I've spoke too much...

[Cookie 051] White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

Phew!

Okay, this past week was so beyond insane I can't actually believe that I survived. I'm now working 2 jobs, one at school and one at this truly fabulous hat store! Selling hats! Yes! But, it's a hat store for night owls, and is open until 12 am half the week, and 1:30 am for the other half of the week. I'm working the late shift, so I've been pretty tired/busy/ahhhomgFINALS! Just wanted to let you guys know, though, that I'm still here and am still going to be here. Once I write this lame-o paper on Jackson Pollock I'll be golden and I'll be baking/updating a lot more often. The end of the semester is right around the corner, and it smells like gingerbread and chocolate meringues.

In other news, some other web journalist/blogger (sorry for the over-abundance of slashes) spent a good amount of time and effort writing a quite succinct little review of my blog here, and let's just say, it was oddly .... critical? I don't know, I was quite bemused by it because it seems that this journalist already tried baking all the Martha cookies from this book, and now I guess feels that I'm either a) ripping her off or b) some how doing an inadequate job of "cooking the book." I dunno, it was all very strange, considering that I'm not trying to prove anything with this blog, and though I love all of my readers dearly (and I tell no lie when I say that!), first and foremost, this is a project that I'm doing for myself! I like to bake. I like cookies. I like making little projects for myself on the side. And I really don't think I have to justify anything whatsoever regarding this site. Ah, sigh, I guess this all comes with the price of fame, no?

Sorry, just had to get that done with.

But, really now, who wants to read about my complaining, right? Cookies are why you're here--and why I'm here. So without further ado, let's get down to it. Although I baked these cookies ages and ages ago--or at least that's how it seems--I still remember them quite well, because I really really liked them!

As you can see, these White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies are another bar-type cookie and are formed in a similar manner as the Iced Hermits were, utilizing a rimmed cookie sheet to bake one, solid mega-cookie which then gets sliced and diced. It's all quite simple to do, and the flavors are really nice. I love the ginger-molasses spiciness paired with the super sweetness of the white chocolate chips. I never would have guessed those two would go together, but they really work in this cookie.

Again, it is a little annoying spreading the dough across your parchment paper or Silpat on your baking sheet, but you don't really have to get it all the way to the borders because the dough expands a good amount while baking. I was pretty surprised that when I pulled the sheet out of the oven that the dough had filled up the whole sheet really nicely and puffed up quite a bit too.

Ah yes, and lest I forget, these cookies pair nicely with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio, if that's your thing. And when I say "pair nicely," I actually mean that my roommate's dad gave her a nice bottle of white wine and we just happened to drink it while eating these cookies. I know nothing about wine pairings. But regardless, cookies + wine = high brow evening, if I do say so.

Now, bake away! Kiss kiss!

White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 4/5
Attractiveness: 3/5 (Kind of boring looking, but the white chips are nice, right?)
Is it worth it?: Totes. I mean totally. I'm sorry for that horrid abbrev. Ah!

{Pairings}
Drink: Pinot Grigio, amirite??

Song: Busy Little Bee -- Oneida
Activity: Studying for finals! Or, if you're not a student, maybe you could just write my Pollock essay for me--I'll bake you cookies!

Public Service Announcement: I am not dead

I want to post I want to post I want to post. But I am so insanely busy right now.

Apologies! Cookies for compensation...you just wait!

Favorite Cookie [041-50]

Happy Black Friday! In celebration of this day of consumer revulsion (yeah yeah "unbelievable" sales, I know...it still freaks me out), I say we take a moment to reflect. Or, let's just say, I'll take a moment to reflect, since I definitely can't go shopping, let alone drive anywhere in this chaotic holiday-season traffic (p.s. I'm sooooo in Los Angeles right now, could you tell?)

Okay, first off, before we dole out awards to winning and losing cookies, let me just apologize a bit for never posting. I don't know why I procrastinate on this so much--because god knows I'm not doing anything more productive (read: homework). Anyway, as an early New Year's Resolution, I will update more frequently. Which means, I will bake more cookies. Which means everyone is happy. Great, let's get started.

1st place (Blue Ribbon!): Iced Hermits

Well, duh, you saw the picture up top. These ones won in a landslide, according to the judging panel. And they deserve it, because even though some might not really consider these "cookies" in the traditional sense, they have a really fantastic flavor, they look cool, and are pretty easy to make. Plus, they ship well, make your house smell totally rad (?), and get better over time. And look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Done, and done.

2nd place (Honorable Mention!): White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Okay, this was a close one, I've gotta admit. These are also seriously delicious. Maybe, if you don't like the whole ginger/spice thing, these would be your number 1! They have just about every add-in ingredient available, and taste so. So. SO. Delicious. Really, I highly recommend these, even if you don't like/acknowledge white chocolate--these just might convince you otherwise.

3rd place: Surprise Cookies

You can't deny these. Seriously, first you've got the name, which makes you intrigued/excited/surprised just upon hearing it. Then you see what the cookie is all about, and you realize, OMG marshmallowz! Then chocolate. Then ganache. Okay, by now you're making them already, right? Right. So I'm done explaining here.

4th place: Cashew-Caramel Cookies

These are intense, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sure, they take a little more effort than some of the other cookies in The Book, but if you are a cashew or caramel (or both) fan, it's definitely worth it. In my opinion (and I think the judging panel agrees with me on this one), the caramel topping puts these maybe just a step over the edge, but it's still so good. Really, really.

5th place: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

I had high hopes for these, and they were definitely really good, but I was rooting for them to at least get Honorable Mention. The soft, pumpkiny cookie is very tasty, but the brown butter icing was a bit of a let down, because I thought it would have more of a browned flavor (which could be my fault, granted). They are totally yummy, though! I still whole-heartedly recommend! Seal of approval!

6th place: Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are really good. I know that 6th place doesn't sound like much, but they're really yummy, especially straight out of the oven. If you are of the soft-and-chewy inclination, make these ASAP, because there is no way that you'll be disappointed with the results (unless you use Splenda--don't even get me started). But seriously folks, these are perfect chocolate chip cookies, and the dough is good enough to eat raw by the spoonful.

7th place: Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Hellooooo first cookie I made in my new kitchen! Remember the fun we had trying to make do without a cookie sheet? And no measuring cups? Ha, good/awful times. Glad things are better now. But despite the hardships I faced when making these, they were also quite good. I know, I know, we're down to 7th place--but I guess this round of cookies were all really tasty! These were no exception: great flavor and texture, and the icing on top really is just that (did that make sense? It's the "icing on top" of the cookie...nevermind)

8th place: Chewy Molasses Crinkles

The cookie dough for these cookies is so so so tasty, but the resultant cookie is just fair. It tastes like what you'd expect from a traditional Molasses cookie, but they definitely didn't stay chewy once they fully cooled. This could be my own fault in some way, but I'm not sure. Anyway, they're pretty good, and I bet would be even better if you sandwiched two together with some ice cream in the middle. I find myself suggesting this alternative more and more frequently...hmmm. Regardless, these are yummy and yield a huge batch--so go for it!

9th place: Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

I think the Sugar Cookies from The Book are getting a bad wrap (rap?). I just don't think that sugar cookies are ever that note-worthy. Maybe I need a truly great recipe to change my mind, and though these are actually pretty good for plain sugar cookies, they left me a little underwhelmed (side note: just watched Ten Things I Hate About You (movie magic!!!) the other night, so "underwhelmed" is returning to my vocabulary). Granted, the lemon zest in these is a nice touch, so if you want sugar cookies, give these a go.

10th place (Brown Ribbon!): Peanut-Butter Swirl Brownies

Hey, Martha...uh...did you know that these were terrible? Because if you did, and still included them in the book just because they look pretty, well, I'll be quite disappointed. These deceived me, Martha. Me, a chocolate-peanut butter fanatic, thought they would soothe my Reeses-related cravings, but no. They were dense, dry, and the peanut-swirls ended up looking all bubbly and funky. Not cool. The leftover peanut butter filling was good when spread on pretzels, though, so I'll give you "brownie points" (har har) for that one. Otherwise, refine this recipe, Martha, and then we'll talk.

****

So that concludes Round 5! Hell yeah! Bring on Round 6! Actually, I've started Round 6--like 2 weeks ago--but I'm just terrible at updating in a timely manner. I will change that. Keep your eyes peeled, lovelies. Until then, get you butt back in the kitchen and make me a post-Thanksgiving sandwich. Thanks.