yippee...whoopie!

if you've been in a whole foods recently, you'll know that they've added whoopie pies to the temptations surrounding the check-out line. and in a weak moment, we caved and bought one.

but the cake was so dry! and the filling...mush! it wasn't even sweet! what an absolute waste of calories...s i g h...oh well. at least the ones at whole foods were no longer a temptation...=P

but i couldn't get them out of my head! a fluffy little chocolate cake filled with a soft sweet filling...

SALVATION!
(and i must say...the mint buttercream was just pure genius.)

whoopie pies

(from the nytimes)

note: i used natural cocoa since the recipe called for baking soda. and i used a small ice cream scoop (maybe 2 tablespoons of batter) and came out with 24 cakey cookies that were at least 2.5" in diameter and at least 1" tall. more than big enough imho...

mint buttercream
(you can get away with making half this recipe as this makes more buttercream than you'll need to fill the whoopie pies)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teapoon peppermint extract
1/4 cup whole milk

4-5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1. cream butter until smooth.
2. add peppermint extract, milk and 3 cups of sugar. beat to combine.
3. slowly add more confectioner's sugar to taste and piping consistency.

a little bit of sunshine...

the weather in nyc has been ridiculously beautiful the past few days. alas my days of being a lady of leisure are over...(hand to forehead here)

but i did manage to catch a little bit of sunshine with these lemon coolers.

in the interest of full disclosure...i've never had a lemon cooler before because i don't normally reach for the cookies that are covered in powdered sugar. but the hubby requested them and so i went hunting for a recipe...

these were silly easy...and surprisingly quite tasty! sunshine lemon coolers
(adapted from here)

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoon water
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened lemonade mix

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
2. cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. add the egg, vanilla and water and mix until smooth.
3. add in the salt, cake flour and baking powder. mix until the dough comes together.
4. drop by the teaspoon onto the baking sheets and flatten the cookies a bit with wet fingers.
5. bake for 15 - 18 minutes.
6. while the cookies are baking, mix the powdered sugar and lemonade mix in a plastic bag.
7. remove the cookies from the oven and while still hot, toss a few cookies in the powdered sugar mix until well coated. repeat until finished.

NOTE: i did think about refrigerating the dough for a bit as the dough seemed quite soft but the hubby's tummy did not want to wait and they came out perfectly fine.

the holiday decorations are already up...

can you believe it?!

i happened to catch the martha stewart show one day while she was making these cookies and i was hooked. i had to make them.

i know nothing about martha's stock scandal nor do i have an opinion on it...but dayam, that woman knows cookies. i think i made these on at least *3* separate occassions last holiday season...and it takes a lot to remake a recipe when your stack of to-make recipes keeps spilling over onto the floor!

especially when these require quite a bit of work to make...the dough is incredibly sticky, uses an ingredient i use NO WHERE else and requires two hours to chill. i hate having to wait longer for goodness in my belly!!

but gawd, these are worth it!! (i also double the recipe to minize the pain...)

chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies

from martha stewart

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate*
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsulfered molasses

1 teapoon baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks and set aside. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa.
2. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened (about 4 minutes). add brown sugar and beat until combined. add molasses and beat until combined.
3. in a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons of boiling water. beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. beat in baking soda mixture and then add the remaining flour mixture. mix in chocolate. turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. pat dough out to about 1 inch thick and seal with plastic wrap. refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. roll dough into 2-inch balls. place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. refrigerate for 20 minutes. roll dough balls into granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. transfer to oven and bake for about 18 minutes until surfaces crack slightly. let cool 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: if you have to get these into your belly quickly, you can use chocolate chips instead. they don't have the same texture and you won't get the small pieces that will just melt into the batter but they're still pretty darn good. =)

the only time i watch scary movies...

without a doubt when the leaves change color and the weather turns cooler, this is the hubby's favorite time of year. it also means that his favorite holiday is approaching...and he gets to pick one scary movie to watch and we make spooky halloween cookies.


sadly, i was out of town for the week leading up to halloween so we made them a day late but enjoyed them none the less! cutout sugar cookies are a challenge...too much butter or soft dough and the cookie ends up looking like a blob with no semblance of the cutter. but not enough butter or sugar and the cookie tastes like bland dough.


i came across this recipe last year and LOVE it. it's a bit of a pain to roll quickly and keep the dough chilled at the same time but the end result is worth it!

sugar cookies
by alton brown

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)

powdered sugar for rolling out dough

1. sift together flour, baking soda and salt. set aside.
   
2. place butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat until light in color.
   
3. add egg, milk and vanilla extract and beat to combine. put mixer on low speed and gradually add the flour, beating until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper (or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. sprinkle powdered sugar on the surface where you will roll out the dough. remove 1 pack of dough and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. if dough has warmed during rolling, place a cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.
7. cut into desired shape and place 1-inch apart on lined baking sheet.
8. bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. (rotate cookie sheets halfway through baking time.)
9. let sit for 2 minutes after removing from oven and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

fake royal icing
(note: fake because the recipe does not contain egg whites.)

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. combine all the ingredients until smooth.
2. divide and color!
   

a second chance

i looooooove peanut butter...i mean love.
back in the good ol' days when it was just me and the pups, we'd regularly sit on the futon in front of the tv licking peanut butter off the spoon straight out of the jar. and the crunchier the better!

the first time i made these i was terrified of overbaking them...especially since the instructions specifically said "do not overbake." so of course...i totally underbaked them. they ended up in the trash can.
s i g h...but they smelled SO good that i had to try again. and the second time was lovely washed down with a cold glass of milk. yum!

peanut butter cookies
a couple of changes from the magnolia bakery cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chunky-style peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (they used peanut butter chips.)
sanding sugar

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
3. in a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until smooth. add the egg and mix well. add the milk and vanilla extract. add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. stir in the chocolate chips. chill the dough for 30 minutes.
   
4. drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets. (you can make the crisscross patterns with a fork if you like - but mine did not turn out as pretty.) lightly sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5. bake for 14 minutes (they said 10-12 minutes.). cool the cookies for 1 minute on the sheets and then tranfer to a rack to cool completely.

a what?

"a snickerdoodle"

"what's that?"

"basically a sugar cookie covered in cinnamon sugar"

i haven't the slightest idea where these came from or how they ended up with that name. but an old co-worker first suggested them years ago and i just got around to making them. (yes, my to-do list is insanely long and growing!)

don't be like me.

they're the perfect cookie with your afternoon tea...or your morning cup of coffee...or before the morning cup of coffee, after the morning cup of coffee, before lunch, after lunch, afternoon snack, before dinner...i basically ate them all day long!

snickerdoodles
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, room temperature

1. sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. set aside. cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar using electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. add the dry ingredients and beat to combine. chill the dough for an hour.
2. after the hour is up, preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack set in the middle. line baking sheets with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
3. combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. form balls of dough using 1.5 teaspoons of dough. roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
4. bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are set in the center and begin to crack. (they will not brown.) transfer cookies to wire rack after 5 minutes to finish cooling.

the quest for perfection...

over the years, i have made countless versions of chocolate chip cookies. one added pudding mix to the dough (and this one was my favorite for years) while others played around with the ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. and yet none satisfied what i was looking for...warm, gooey centers studded with pockets of melted chocolate that ended in crisp edges.

and then it was like the ny times heard my plea and asked the god of chocolate for the answer in the quest for perfection. the article outlined a couple of really interesting suggestions for improving the homemade chocolate chip cookie and even ended with a recipe by jacques torres!! does it get any better than this??

sadly...i didn't love the recipe. a year later, i couldn't even tell you why i didn't like it (guess i'll have to make them again). but it wasn't love at first bite...so i pressed on in my search until i came across...the doubletree hotel chocolate chip cookies.

i made a few changes based on the ny times article and for now? the quest is over...

there are no prep pictures of this dough because i cheated...i almost always have a batch of chocolate chip cookies pre-made sitting in the freezer ready to be slipped into the oven. because yes, i love chocolate chip cookies that much and yes, chocolate chip cookies were meant to be eaten warm straight off the cookie sheet right out of the oven. try them...i trust you'll forgive me.

doubletree hotel chocolate chip cookies
makes 20

1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grind oats in a food processor until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Toast the walnuts and set aside.
   
2. Cream together the butter, both sugars, vanilla and lemon using an electic mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
3. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts to the dough and mix by hand until well blended.
4. Refrigerate the dough for 3 days.
   
5. Before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
6. Scoop out 1/4 cup portions and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes until edges are lightly brown and the center is still soft (rotating the sheets halfway through baking time).