it's a big cookie, dude

Whoopie Pies

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Sun, 15 May 2011 01:02:00 +0000

I haven't baked much over the past few months....new puppy in the household. 'Nuf said.

The weather has finally warmed up, backyard cook-outs and picnics are in full swing. Desserts for outdoor events can be challenging for me...I prefer "finger food" which doesn't require spoons or forks; and sometimes, even *I* crave something besides cookies or brownies. Whoopie pies are the perfect alternative...moist, chocolaty "cake-like" cookies with a scrumptious fluffy filling. They transport well, don't require utensils, and everyone LOVES them. Think about it...nothing screams P-A-R-T-Y like a whoopie pie!

I took the traditional whoopie pie to the next level by making red velvet with cream cheese fluff filling and traditional chocolate pies with a strawberry (or raspberry) fluff filling. There is an ongoing debate among whoopie pie purists regarding whether to use commercially purchased marshmallow fluff in the filling. From my research, the New England version uses commercial marshmallow fluff; but the Pennsylvania Amish version involves making your own marshmallow-esque fluff. (Not a surprise.) I subscribe to the New England version regarding the fluff....fluff in a jar tastes perfectly awesome to me.

One area in which I deviated from the traditional whoopie pie recipe was in the size. Those things are MASSIVE...the size of a jumbo hamburger bun! Seriously...how much whoopie can one person handle? Whoopie pies are meant to be shared. When I first made them, there was only one person (er, besides myself) who could eat one entire whoopie pie. I scaled them back to a more manageable portion by using my smaller (3 Tbsp) scoop.

Whoopie pies are easy to make, and are a fun dessert which everyone will love. Just what you need to add some whoopie to your summer parties!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Fluff

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C milk
4-6 Tbsp red food coloring

Filling:
3/4 C shortening (at room temperature)
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
1 1/3 C marshmallow fluff
3 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating until combined, then beat in the oil and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Stir half of the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture, blending well. Add 3/4 C milk, beating on low speed until well combined. Add remaining flour mixture, mixing well. Add remaining milk, beating until well blended. Blend in red food coloring until desired color is achieved.
With a large spoon, scoop batter (approximately 3 Tbsp) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 3-4" between circles for cakes to spread.

Bake 8-10 min. Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare filling: Combine all ingredients except milk in mixing bowl. Beat well, adding milk as needed to achieve a creamy consistency.

Spread filling on half of the cakes, then top with remaining cakes.

Yield: 18-20 whoopie pies

Traditional Whoopie Pies with Strawberry or Raspberry Fluff Filling:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C milk

Filling:
3/4 C shortening
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
1 1/3 C marshmallow fluff
3 Tbsp strawberry or seedless raspberry jam (NOT preserves)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating until combined, then beat in the oil and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Stir half of the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture, blending well. Add 3/4 C milk, beating on low speed until well combined. Add remaining flour mixture, mixing well. Add remaining milk, beating until well blended.

With a large spoon, scoop batter (approximately 3 Tbsp) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 3-4" between circles for cakes to spread.

Bake 8-10 min. Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare filling: Combine all ingredients except milk in mixing bowl. Beat well, adding milk as needed to achieve a creamy consistency.

Spread filling onto half of the cakes, then top with remaining cakes

Yield: 18-20 whoopie pies

My Tube Cake Trilogy

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Several months ago, I decided my pantry was in desperate need of reorganization. As I made my way through the clutter, I stumbled upon the tube cake pan which I had inherited from my grandmother teetering precariously on the highest shelf atop several decorative gelatin molds, (which I also inherited.) I had never baked anything in that pan, as evidenced by the disgusting amount of dust which had accumulated over the years. To be honest, any scratch-baked cake involving a large pan with a removable inner cone eluded me. In a moment of insanity and caffeine super-saturation, I decided it was time to sanitize the dusty pan and overcome my fear of the intimidating tube cake recipes. In my 25+ years of baking, I'd never baked a cake from scratch. I was suddenly compelled to delve into my "roots" of tube cake baking.

My grandma was the pound cake queen. She made at least one weekly and they were always perfect. I recall grandpa proclaiming, "Dessie, you've outdone yourself this time. This is your best cake ever!" They all looked and tasted the same to me, but since Vernon was the connoisseur of pound cake, no one disputed his declaration. I'd been informed that pound cakes were easy to bake...just dump in the ingredients, mix, and bake. I tried that overly simplistic process several times with abysmal results. I had my work cut out for me. Several pound cake recipes I tried (even Dessie's "best pound cake ever" recipe) turned out "sad" for me...a term Grandma and Mom would use when a cake was heavy, soggy, dense, dry, or just plain nasty. Tweakage was required. I found that (although most directions do not call for this) my pound cakes turn out better if I separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. That solved my "sad cake" issue. I also played around with the flour...more on that later.

Coconut Chiffon Cake with Maraschino Cherry Frosting

While my grandma was the pound cake queen, my mom was the chiffon cake queen. Many people are not familiar with chiffon cakes, which are classified as foam cakes, like angel food. They contain liquid shortening (oil) for moistness, and baking powder or baking soda for leavening in addition to beaten egg whites. They have a bit coarser and spongier texture than an angel food cake, but are not as heavy and dense as a pound cake. Of all the cakes Mom baked, she fretted and fussed over chiffon cakes more than anything else. I never understood why...until I read the meticulous steps to the recipe which I found scribbled on a tattered sheet of batter-splattered paper in her recipe box. Few of her recipes were as precise and exacting as her chiffon cake recipes. There were "hints and tips"-- in ALL CAPS--jotted in margins. An imposing warning to "measure all ingredients EXACTLY" and "follow all steps IN ORDER" loomed ominously at the top of the page. I'll admit...I was intimidated.

I never recall Grandma or Mom making angel food cakes from scratch. I had to search my recipe books and the internet to find suitable recipes. Surprisingly, it was the easiest cake of the bunch! I found Alton Brown's recipe (of Food Network fame) was definitely the best and easiest of all I tried. Although I followed his ingredient list exactly, his method for beating egg whites seemed a bit labor intensive, so I beat the whites as I always do...with my stand mixer. Why work hard when you can work smart? In reading the reviews of this recipe, eyebrows were raised by several, self-proclaimed "experienced bakers" because AB's recipe adds water to the egg whites prior to beating. Ignorance is bliss...since I don't consider myself an experienced baker, I added the water to the egg whites, and they whipped up just fine. In fact, my egg whites were very voluminous, and almost spilled over the edge of the mixing bowl. AB's recipe also calls for "superfine sugar". I was going to skip that step, then I decided "super fiiiine shug-ah" sounded too awesome to neglect.(It indeed incorporates into the egg whites better.) The cake is amazing...very tall, light, moist, flavorful....and *woohooo* fat-free!! I'll never purchase an angel food cake from the grocer again!

Although these cakes differ greatly in their texture and flavor characteristics, I found that the preparation bears several similarities. Here are some of the tricks I discovered in my perilous journey.
Recipes follow.

Tips and Hints:

1) Pour a glass of wine. Sip. Breathe. Repeat. (This step is omitted in most recipes, but I believe it makes baking so much more enjoyable.)
Carry on.

2) Make sure your eggs (and butter for pound cakes) are room temperature.This is imperative for these cakes. Ingredients incorporate better, egg whites create greater volume, and baking times are more accurate. Just do it.

3) Prepare your tube pan. This is not a mandatory step, but you will appreciate how much easier it is to remove the cake from the pan and the appearance of the cake. Using wax paper, trace the bottom cone piece, then cut out the circle. Place the circle on the bottom piece and trace the inner circle. Place cone and wax paper in the tube pan. NEVER grease or flour the cake pan when making an angel food or chiffon cake. Butter and flour the pan (don't forget the inner cone!) when baking a pound cake.

4) In my humble opinion, flour is the crucial element in creating the perfect light, tender texture in all of these cakes. I tried recipes using all-purpose flour, and none of them turned out as well as the ones using cake flour. Cake flour has less protein content than regular flour, therefore less gluten. It has been milled to a finer, more velvety texture, thus making a smoother, more tender cake. If you don't have cake flour on hand, you can make your own by substituting 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch (equals 1 C sifted cake flour) or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup all-purpose flour. Do not pack the flour when measuring. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then sift with the other dry ingredients.

5) Measure accurately. No heaping cups or spoonfuls in these recipes.

6) I use my ol' faithful Kitchen-Aid mixer with the stainless steel bowl to beat egg whites. To insure greater volume, I always rinse the bowl with lemon juice and a little water to insure no oily residue is on the bowl. Beat the egg whites until they are glossy, and soft peaks form. Do not under-beat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter...not the batter into the egg whites. This will prevent your egg whites from deflating.

7) You must invert angel food cakes and chiffon cakes to cool. Some tube pans have tabs on the edges for that purpose. I invert mine onto a bottle with a wide base. Remember the wine that you poured earlier? Wine bottles work perfectly.

8) COOL COMPLETELY before trying to remove the pan. Run a thin, serrated knife (I use a steak knife) around the edge of the pan and inner cone to release the cake easily. Remove the outer pan, then gently lift the cone out. Peel the wax paper from the cake.

TaDaaah!

Angel Food Cake:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (superfine)sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice (I used pure vanilla)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare tube pan by lining the bottom cone piece with wax paper.
In a food processor (I used my blender) spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. (I use my stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed until the egg whites are foamy.) Slowly sift in the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed.(I increase the speed to medium high) Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an un-greased tube pan.
Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
Cool upside down on cooling rack (or wide based bottle) for at least an hour before removing from pan.
To remove cake from pan, run a thin, serrated knife along the edge and center cone of pan. Place a large plate over the cake and turn the cake over onto the plate.Gently pull the pan straight up and off of the cake. Carefully lift bottom cone off the cake. Remove wax paper from top.

Serves: 10-12

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake:

Ingredients:
6 extra large eggs, separated
1 cup sour cream
4 sticks butter, plus 1 tablespoon, for pan
3 cups cake flour, plus 2 tablespoons, for pan
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Let the eggs, milk and butter come to room temperature. (60-90 minutes on the counter.)
Prepare tube pan by lining the bottom cone piece with wax paper. Butter the pan with 1 tablespoon of butter, then add 2 tablespoons of flour and shake and tap to coat the interior of the pan; set aside.(No need to butter and flour the waxed paper.)
In a large bowl or stand mixer add the butter and 2 cups of sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, and blend to completely incorporate before adding the next.
Add the sour cream and the extracts, and mix to combine.
Stir in 3 cups of flour along with the baking powder and stir until incorporated.
In a separate clean dry bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until shiny and soft peaks form when removing the whisk from the whites. Gently fold this into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely.(No need to invert to cool)
To remove cake from pan, run a thin, serrated knife along the edge and center cone of pan. Place a large plate over the cake and turn the cake over onto the plate.Gently pull the pan straight up and off of the cake.
Carefully lift bottom cone off the cake. Remove wax paper from top.

Serves: 10-12

Coconut Chiffon Cake: (copied exactly as written from my mother's recipe)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare tube pan with wax paper on bottom cone piece. DO NOT GREASE OR FLOUR PAN.
(LEVEL MEASUREMENTS THROUGHOUT) Measure and sift together into large mixing bowl:

2 1/4 C cake flour (spoon lightly into cup. DO NOT PACK)
1 1/2 C sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Make a well in the flour mixture and add IN ORDER:

1/2 C cooking oil
7 unbeaten egg yolks
3/4 C cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3/4 C shredded coconut

Beat with spoon until smooth.

Step 2: Measure into large mixing bowl.

7 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Whip on medium high speed until whites form stiff peaks (DO NOT UNDER-BEAT)

Step 3: GENTLY fold egg whites into batter with a rubber spatula until just blended. (no longer see egg whites) DO NOT STIR.

Step 4: Pour into un-greased tube pan.
Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. (Test for doneness by inserting wooden skewer halfway between inner and outer wall of pan. When clean and dry, cake is done)
Immediately invert cake onto rack or wide based bottle to cool.
COOL COMPLETELY before removing pan.
To remove cake from pan, run a thin, serrated knife along the edge and center cone of pan. Place a large plate over the cake and turn the cake over onto the plate.Gently pull the pan straight up and off of the cake. Carefully lift bottom cone off the cake. Remove wax paper from top.
Serves: 10-12

Mom's Date Nut Cake

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:53:00 +0000

I seriously HATE fruit cake....I wouldn't inflict fruit cake on my worst enemies. But Date Nut Cake is a totally different story. Christmas=Date Nut Cake. It was my all-time favorite Christmas indulgence....one that Mom made every year to satisfy me. She made several so that she would have plenty to share with friends...and enough for me to consume an entire cake over the holiday season. It tastes like candy....very dense, moist, sticky candy. Fair warning....you can skip the upper body workout the day you prepare this. There is a LOT of chopping involved, mixing the ingredients is somewhat labor intensive, and you seriously need to wrestle the "batter" when compacting it into the pan.... apply a very heavy hand when pressing it into the corners. My method is explained in the instructions.

Date Nut Cake:

Ingredients:

1 lb dried dates
5 C pecans, chopped
1 C granulated sugar
1 C flour
4 oz candied cherries
4 0z candied pineapple
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs, well beaten

Directions:

Chop dates, cherries, and pineapple.
In a LARGE bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the fruit and pecans. Stir to coat all pieces well.
Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

Grease the bottom of an 8X8 pan. Line the bottom only with wax paper. Press ingredients into pan, working into corners and compacting the mixture VERY well. (Take a deep breath and flex those muscles. I place a piece of wax paper over the mixture and REALLY press hard to insure that the corners are filled and there are no air pockets at all.)
These two inset photos are "before and after" pressing the cake into the pan, and illustrate how compacted the cake should be prior to baking.

Bake at 225 degrees for 2 hours.

Allow cake to cool completely in pan. To remove, run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a cutting board. Remove wax paper from the bottom. Cut into 4 "logs". Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator. Cut into thin slices to serve.

This cake freezes well.

Date Nut Cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:03:00 +0000

The weatherman forecasted impending doom as our first "major snow event" of the season approached. Yesterday, while everyone else at the grocery store stocked up on bread and milk, I filled my basket with butter and brown sugar. I have my priorities in order! We were pounded with a debilitating three inches of snow today...ya gotta love VA blizzards! Since I dare not venture out during such a treacherous storm, I hunkered down to bake cookies.

Every year for Christmas, my mom baked two "traditional" favorites...coconut cake and date nut cake. To this day, it's just not Christmas without them. (Date nut cake and date nut cookies are both in the above photo.)

Date nut "cake" is a misnomer. There is very little cake holding the cornucopia of pecans, dates, and fruit together. It's more like candy, if you ask me...like a jacked up pecan roll. Those who have never enjoyed a slice of date nut cake mistakenly assume it tastes like fruit cake because it contains those suspicious, radioactive orbs known as candied fruit. (Note the glowing red isotopes in the photo.) Comparing date nut cake to fruit cake were fighting words in our house....there is absolutely NO comparison. Candied fruit is also a misnomer. Nothing about artificially colored florescent spheres tastes like, or in any way resembles real fruit. There is no such thing as a neon green cherry in nature. But, in this cake, they are sticky-sweet, candied goodness. I've made date nut cake several times over the years. To be honest, it's not fun. There is an excruciating amount of chopping, hand mixing of a very stiff "batter", and an exorbitant amount of upper body strength required to compress the mixture into an 8X8 inch pan. As with most things which I don't enjoy baking, I transform them into an easy-to-prepare cookie. Obviously, I'm not a fan of candied fruit; therefore I altered the recipe by using dried fruit. I don't think Mom would mind. The cookies are crammed full of pecans, dates, and real fruit flavors...without the gummy mess of candied fruit.

I feel comforted knowing that I have an ample supply of cookies to sustain my family in case we're confined to the house for days after this major winter storm. Perhaps I should have used the glow-in-the-dark candied fruit in case the electricity goes out and we need illumination!

Date Nut Cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) French vanilla flavored instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 C dried dates, coarsely chopped
3/4 C toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 C dried pineapple, coarsely chopped
3/4 C dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs then vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in dried fruits and pecans, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 22-24, 2 oz cookies. 36-40 tablespoon size cookies.

Holiday Candy: Glorified Turtles

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:53:00 +0000

One of my favorite and most requested Christmas candies. These are easy to make, and are great to have on hand for holiday parties and last minute gifts.

This recipe is from Southern Living magazine years ago. The recipe was originally called "Texas Millionaires". Regrettably, I don't have the name of the person for whom to credit this phenomenal confection. I clipped the recipe, but didn't include the year or edition.

Glorified Turtles:

1 lb pecans, coarsely chopped
1 (14 oz) bag caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbsp butter
2Tbsp water
1 (12 oz) bag good semi-sweet chocolate morsels
8 (2 oz) squares vanilla candy coating
1 Tbsp canola oil, or vegetable oil*

Place caramels, butter and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute, until caramels are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.

Drop by spoonfuls** onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper (spray with cooking spray.) Chill 1 hour, until firm.

Combine the semi-sweet morsels and candy coating squares in a large glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (Turn the heat down after the water comes to a boil or else you'll end up "cooking" your chocolate. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water.) Stir until melted and smooth. Using a fork, dip the pecan clusters into the chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip, then transfer to wax paper (spray with cooking spray.) Sorry....there is no easy/non-messy way to dip chocolate. I've tried them all....this works best. You need to work fairly quickly. Refrigerate candy until firm and chocolate is set.

Yield: 60 candies

*If the chocolate seems too thick, I add 1 Tbsp canola oil to thin it. NEVER add water to chocolate!

**When shaping the spoonfuls of candy, I have a small bowl of water near-by, keeping my fingers wet to prevent the caramel sticking. This makes it much easier to shape the clusters.

It's a Big Cinnamon Roll, Dude

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I decided it would be a good time to fill our home with the aroma of cinnamon and spice, and add 15 pounds to my hips and thighs by baking cinnamon rolls. Many of you will have overnight guests during the holidays for whom you want to prepare scrumptious breakfasts. Some of you may travel over the river and through the woods, and will bring home-baked goods to those with whom you're visiting. Some of you may prefer to give baked items as gifts in lieu of noxious cologne or sketchy hat and glove ensembles. Cinnamon rolls are the quintessential holiday breakfast or brunch, and I are always very well received as gifts. I've already been fore-warned that my Christmas budget is going to be much tighter this year, so I'll be baking much more than buying. I hope my family and friends like cinnamon rolls!

I always avoided making cinnamon rolls from scratch. I believed they were too time consuming and complicated to mess with. My dear husband compared my baking endeavors to Ellie Mae Clampett whenever I attempted yeast breads, rolls, or biscuits. The ease, convenience, and reliability of frozen biscuits and refrigerated rolls suited me just fine; therefore I relied on that cute little Pop-N-Fresh dough boy to prepare bread, biscuits, and danishes for me. The dough boy let me down on cinnamon rolls, however. As with most of the items I bake, I want BIG cinnamon rolls with an insane amount of cinnamon and sugar swirled throughout. Refrigerated cinnamon rolls which are available in stores tasted flavorless and bland. The itty-bitty container of glaze never satisfied my shameful desire for more and more ooey-gooey sugary goodness. Thus, I began my quest for sinfully decadent, fool-proof, yet not overly complicated cinnamon rolls. I tried several recipes which were okay; then ran across a CopyKat recipe which I can only describe as pure cinnamon roll nirvana. As with everything I bake, I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my taste, and of course, I couldn't resist the urge to try variations. I've never been a huge fan of raisins in cinnamon rolls, but I found blueberries, as well as apples and cranberries were a nice alternative. I prefer cream cheese icing on cinnamon rolls, and added a hint of different flavorings to the variations which provided a delicious option. I also experimented with freezing the un-baked rolls, which turned out amazingly well. You can prepare these ahead of time, freeze, thaw in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. Can't get much more convenient than that!

With Christmas right around the corner (eeegad!) give these cinnamon rolls a try. They are surprisingly easy to make, and are definitely naughty to eat. Let the Pop-N-Fresh dough boy handle the biscuits...you can make much better cinnamon rolls!

Cinnamon Rolls:
(with variations)

Dough:
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 C warm water (105-115 degrees)
2/3 C, plus 1 tsp granulated sugar, divided
1 C warm milk (I heat mine in the microwave on high for 1 min)
2/3 C butter
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7-8 C all purpose flour

Filling:
1 C melted butter, divided
2 1/4 C granulated sugar, divided
1/4 C ground cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 C walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 C raisins (optional)

Cream Cheese glaze:
8 oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 C confectioners sugar
1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp. half-and-half cream (to reach spreading consistency)

Variations:

Blueberry-pecan:
1 1/2 C pecans, chopped
1 1/2 C dried blueberries
1 Tbsp orange zest
Combine and sprinkle over filling
Cream cheese glaze: substitute 1 tsp orange extract for vanilla extract

Apple-walnut:
1 1/2 C English walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 C dried apples (not chips), chopped
Sprinkle over filling
Cream cheese glaze: substitute 1 tsp maple flavoring for vanilla extract

Cranberry-almond:
1 1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 C dried cranberries (dried cherries are also very good)
Sprinkle over filling
Cream cheese glaze: substitute 1 tsp almond extract for vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, 1 tsp sugar and set aside. In a large bowl (I use my mixing bowl and mixer), mix milk, 2/3 C sugar, melted butter, salt, cinnamon and eggs. Stir well (or blend on low speed with mixer), then add the yeast mixture. Add half of flour, mixing well after each addition. (At this point, I switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook.) Continue to add flour, stirring until flour is incorporated* (or kneading on low speed with mixer.)

Turn out onto a well-floured surface, knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass bowl, turning to butter all sides of the dough. Cover and allow to rise in warm place, free of drafts, until doubled in bulk, (1-1/2 hours.)**

Prepare filling: Mix together 2 C sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Prepare pans: Coat the bottom of a 13X9 inch baking pan and 8X8 inch pan with 1/2 C melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 C sugar (more if needed to cover both pans completely)

When doubled, punch dough down and allow to rest for 5 min. Roll out on floured surface into a 15X20 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/2 C melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar evenly over dough. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and dried fruit (optional) Roll up jellyroll fashion, pinching edges together to seal. Cut into15-18 slices, 1 1/2-2 inches wide. Place rolls in prepared pans, leaving enough room between rolls for them to rise.***

Allow rolls to rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk. (45 min-1 hour)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown on top. Cool slightly.

To prepare glaze: In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese until light and smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. Slowly add the confectioners sugar, adding half and half as needed, until all sugar is incorporated and the glaze is of a spreadable consistency. Spread slightly cooled rolls with cream cheese glaze.

Yield: 15-18 cinnamon rolls

*I use 7 C flour, mixing with the dough hook. I knead with the mixer for 5 minutes, stopping to clean dough off the hook as necessary. When the flour is incorporated and the dough no longer sticks to the bowl and forms a ball, I remove the dough and place on a heavily floured surface to continue kneading 5 more minutes.

**If you don't have a warm place to let the dough rise, I often place the dough in my oven on the lowest setting (150 degrees), covered with buttered parchment paper. Make sure the dough has ample butter on top to prevent drying out if you use this method.

***If you want to refrigerate or freeze rolls for later use, cover with plastic wrap (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray), then aluminum foil, sealing well. Refrigerate immediately for up to 2 days, or freeze immediately for up to 1 month.
When ready to bake, remove pans from refrigerator, following instructions to let rise in warm place for 1 hr.
If frozen, remove rolls from freezer to refrigerator to thaw at least one day prior to baking. If rolls are not thawing quickly enough, thaw at room temperature 4-6 hours, then return to refrigerator, or bake as directed.

Punkin' Cookies!

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Yay! You can tell Autumn is officially here when you can once again find Pumpkin Spice instant pudding on the store shelves. Stock up...this flavor is only available during the holidays.

It has been a long time since I baked cookies...life has been crazy for the past few months. I was eager to haul out the ol' faithful Kitchen-Aid mixer to prepare a batch of cookies. There's nothing like the aroma of cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger baking...for me, it epitomize the cool, crisp, cozy days of autumn. I had several ideas for variations which I was anxious to try using the pumpkin spice pudding. I baked some with white chocolate chips, some with milk chocolate chips, and some with just walnuts. As always, play around with the recipe and use what you like best. As you might expect, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to dollop some whipped cream on some of the cookies...you can't have pumpkin pie without whipped cream, so why not on pumpkin cookies?

This is the time of year when I seriously enjoy baking. It's great to get my fingers in cookie dough again....just for the fun of it.

Pumpkin Walnut cookies:
(with variations)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice -OR-
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello® Pumpkin Spice flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C toasted English walnuts (or pecans), coarsely chopped
1 C white baking chips -OR- milk chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs then vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips (optional), blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 28-32 tablespoon size cookies.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sauces

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 15:59:00 +0000

This is a deviation from the cookie recipes, but I wanted to post the recipes for some amazing sauces which I made over the summer.
These are the result of "tweak-age" and experimentation with several different chocolate sauce recipes to create the perfect consistency. I wanted to create a chocolate sauce which did not turn into a block of fudge in the refrigerator. Eureka! These sauces maintain a smooth, spoon-able consistency, even when completely cold. I played around with different flavors with great results...get creative with your own flavor preferences!

These are great with ice cream, pound cake, or straight from the jar.

I also found a fantastic salted caramel sauce recipe (online Washington Post) which is so easy and tastes amazing. It is rich and dark...nothing like the sweet, sticky goo available in squeeze bottles in the grocery store. I like to drizzle some over chocolate chip cookies. Epic.

Chocolate Sauce: (with variations)

Ingredients:

3/4 C water
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
3/4 C cocoa (I use Hershey's Cocoa, Special Dark)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Whisk in cocoa, vanilla extract, salt and corn syrup until all ingredients have dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer at a gentle boil until slightly thickened (7-10 minutes.) Remove from heat and add butter and sweetened condensed milk, stirring until well blended.
When cooled, pour into 8 oz jars or airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5 cups

Variations:
I separate the sauce into jars, leaving enough room to add and stir the flavorings.
Measurements are for one cup of sauce:
*Add 1-2 Tbsp any flavored extract you like...orange, amaretto, caramel, mint, etc.
*Add 2-3 Tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp boiling water for mocha sauce.
*Add 2-3 Tbsp peanut butter for peanut butter-fudge sauce.
*Add 2 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam for raspberry-fudge sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce:
Ingredients:

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (I use caramel flavoring*)

Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium size, heavy saucepan. Add sugar, stirring until
blended. Whisk in the heavy cream and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5-6 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla or caramel extract.
Allow to cool, and pour into a jar or airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3/4 C

What I Did During My Summer Break

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Hey again! I hope y'all are having a fantastic summer...I certainly am. After taking a few months respite from the blogosphere, I have returned with a bright and shiny new look to the blog, and a renewed enthusiasm for baking. I hope you find the less-cluttered template, happier colors, and new approach appealing.

The highlight of my summer was my first ever trip to NY to visit our son, Tyler. He was a splendid tour guide and treated his dad and I to an amazingly fun weekend. We had a great time seeing the sights of New York,

enjoyed spectacular meals (like the fantastic Green Chile Cioppino at Mesa Grill),

and loved spending time with our (suddenly all grown up!!) son.

I didn't intend to take a cookie break this summer. Really. For several months, I systematically and numbly cranked out cookie variations on a regular basis, bored my readers with the step-by-step process of my convoluted cookie experimentation, and tried to convince myself that others were actually interested. After several months of that, I stepped away from the mixer and realized, "Eeegad, I'm bored!!" I experienced cookie burn-out. Too much of a good thing? Perhaps. Preoccupied with other activities? Definitely. One contributing factor was that the particular cookie recipe I've baked for years no longer presented a challenge...and the challenge is what I enjoy. If what you're doing isn't fun, why bother?

What to do? I couldn't sit on my arse and watch Oprah all summer. I needed to occupy myself with something...but what? I decided to tackle my baking bucket list. You know what I mean. Those recipes tucked in the back of your cookbook which you always wanted to learn how to bake, and bake well, but always alluded you. I had several items on that list. I wanted to learn how to bake my mom's chiffon cake, but was intimidated by the imposing instructions. I wanted to bake a cheesecake which didn't form a canyon sized crevice down the center. I wanted to bake mouth-watering cinnamon rolls, and a perfectly flaky pie crust. So that's what I did. And lo', it was good...thus sayeth the baker's husband.

I also spent time this summer re-evaluating this whole blogging idea. In my humble opinion, just as there is an art to baking, there is an art to food blogging. I have read hundreds of food blogs over the past months, and to be honest, feel that many have not mastered the art of blogging. I'm not criticizing...I put myself in that category as well. Many bloggers write humorous, informative, interesting anecdotes and descriptions of the food they prepare. Other blogs (like mine) seem insipid and contrived. For what others lack in articulation, they compensate for in beautiful, tantalizing photographs of their food. Again, I FAIL at food photography. Seriously...I have tried, without much success, to photograph chocolate cookies which look appetizing, not like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your shoe. Most people may not realize this, but bloggers THRIVE on attracting followers and comments from their faithful followers. My blog generated very few followers and even fewer comments. Consequently, I must conclude that the time spent writing, posting recipes, and photographing every conceivable angle of a cookie is of little interest to others. Go figure. That being said, my blogging will be very limited in the future. There will be a few recipes which I'll share, but it will be on a MUCH smaller scale than in the past. I plan to spend more time in the kitchen and less time at the keyboard.

But what about the cookies? I continued to bake a few cookies throughout the summer, and developed some new varieties. Some are amazing. I experimented more with cookie-brownies, cookie-cupcakes, and cookie-cheesecakes...they are also amazing. I still have ideas for other cookie variations; yet, it's time to broaden my horizons. I will continue to shroud my kitchen-turned-laboratory in a dense cloud of flour and sugar as I conduct experiments with various and sundry baked goods, in addition to cookies. Should be interesting!

Finally, what about purchasing? Absolutely! I will continue to make items available for special order purchase. I whittled down the selection of cookies to those which have been most popular in the past. I'll probably expand the list and offer
more varieties for holidays.
I'm most excited to offer additional items besides cookies for purchase. Details will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I'll entice you with a few photos of some new items you may find on the "menu".....................................

My ol' faithful Kitchen Aid mixer will get cranked up in the very near future. Until then...stay cool, and enjoy the remaining dog days of summer!

Cookie Break

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Yeah...time for a break. Time to tend to everything which I have neglected over the past several months while I've been playing with cookie dough.

Have a great summer!

*cheers*

Tiramisu Cookie Tart

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

In my convoluted cookie world, I often come up with an idea to transform a dessert into a cookie, yet have no clue how to execute the idea. I search recipes to see what others have done, but refrain from copying the recipes, or original creations, of others...I strive to be unique. That means I throw away a lot of cookies. I try not to bore you with the trials and errors which are an everyday occurrence in my kitchen-turned-laboratory; however, this is one of those cookies which was such a challenge for me to get it right, I wanted you, my tolerant readers, to have a glimpse in to my twisted cookie process. I hope the end result is worth your patience.

I was determined to create an exceptional tiramisu cookie. Many of the recipes I found online made a sandwich cookie, which looked delicious, but just didn't seem spectacular enough for such an awesome dessert. Alas, I wanted something different. Tiramisu isn't a difficult dessert to make. Although it's a bit time consuming to dunk all those lady fingers in espresso and carefully place them in your baking dish before they fall apart, overall, it's an easy dessert to prepare....and ohhh sooooo good! Very light, never cloying, complex, yet uncomplicated. It is indeed the perfect "pick me up." I thought of several ways to experiment with the tiramisu cookie. Several attempts were (what I considered) failures. One issue I faced was the inability to find mascarpone. I suppose I live in an area where there is not much demand for mascarpone, so I had to improvise. I experimented with ricotta and cream cheese. I decided that I liked the consistency of the cream cheese better. In my quest for a unique twist, I used chocolate covered espresso beans (one of my favorite candies) in my first experimental cookie...almost all of my trusted taste-testers HATED them. Espresso powder is another impossible ingredient to find in our area, so I opted for instant coffee (Starbuck's VIA® if possible...if not, any bold instant coffee will do.)

The tiramisu cookie evolution followed this course:

Experiment #1--my basic cookie. This is a great cookie if you like coffee...in fact, it reminds me of coffee ice cream or a frappucino. For a tried-and-true cookie, this is very tasty; yet it didn't satisfy my preconceived notion of the tiramisu cookie. It has a nice coffee flavor, so I used it as the common denominator for all of the other experiments.

Experiment #2--the ol' stand-by thumbprint style cookie.
Again, it's an okay cookie, but nothing like I envisioned for my tiramisu cookie. It lacked the proper balance of cookie to light-as-air, creamy filling which is the essence of tiramisu. Back to the drawing board.

Experiment #3--What the heck was I thinking? I concocted
a coffee-rum infused cream cheese-ricotta mixture, lined muffin pans with the coffee cookie, and baked, (essentially nothing more than) mini-cheesecakes. Tiramisu is not baked...oops. The cheesecake cookie, in and of itself, was a success...IF I wanted a cheesecake cookie. It did not replicate tiramisu at all. I'll file this idea away to try with another cookie variety in the future.

Experiment #4--Taa daaah! The tiramisu cookie tart was created.
A coffee flavored cookie shell filled with a light, creamy, fluffy cream cheese cloud, enhanced by a hint of espresso and rum. The flavors are distinct. The desired effect achieved. After being subjected to three trial and error tastings, my dear husband, (my most discriminating taste-tester) declared this as one of the best cookies I've created in a long while, proclaiming they are
"melt-in-your-mouth good." Ahhhh...the sweet aroma of cookie success!

Because the filling contains cream cheese and sour cream, it should be kept refrigerated. I recommend waiting until ready to serve before spooning the filling in the cookie shell, (unless you have unlimited refrigerator space.) The cookies can be prepared ahead, as well as the filling, then assembled when ready to serve.

This is a fun alternative to traditional tiramisu-- great for a light brunch dessert, pot-luck dinner, or late night snack.

Tiramisu Cookie Tart:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello cheesecake flavor instant pudding
2 (large) eggs
1 tsp rum extract
2 1/2 tsp instant coffee (dark roast if available)
1 C milk chocolate chips or vanilla chips (optional)
2-3 Tbsp cocoa powder (to sprinkle on top)

Tiramisu Filling Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbsp sour cream
3-4 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp rum extract or amaretto flavoring
1/2 tsp instant coffee
Garnish: bittersweet chocolate shavings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs and rum extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in chocolate or vanilla chips, if desired.

For cookie only: Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz), or rounded tablespoons, drop dough onto an un-greased parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle cookies with cocoa.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-size cookies, bake 10-12 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

For tiramisu tart: Scoop 2 oz. portion of dough and press inside un-greased muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and sour cream in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth. Add confectioners sugar, extract, and instant coffee, blending well. Set aside, or refrigerate, until ready to fill cookie tart shells.

Remove cookies from oven. Press down the center of the cookies with the back of a spoon to form a shell. Cool in the muffin pans 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cookies and gently lift out of the muffin pans. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Before serving, pipe or spoon 1-2 Tbsp filling into each cookie tart shell. To garnish, grate a small amount of chocolate on top.

Store in an air-tight container in refrigerator.

Yield: 16-18, 2 oz cookies or tarts, 28-30 rounded tablespoon-size cookies.

Raspberry Truffle cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Ending the week with a short post and a spectacular cookie.
Have a phenomenal weekend!

Raspberry Truffle Cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ chocolate flavor instant pudding
1 pkg. (3.0 oz) Jello™ raspberry flavored gelatin
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C dried raspberries (optional)
1 C bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding and gelatin, mixing well. Add eggs then the extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the chocolate chips, then raspberries (if desired), blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined baking sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minute. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 30-32 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

Happy Hour Cookies

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Well, not really cookies...more like wafers.
I'm deviating from my typical sugary-sweet cookie to a savory "cookie" today.

Last December, my husband and I vacationed at one of those all-inclusive Caribbean resorts. Although the buffet style meals were less than stellar, the resort provided an assortment of cheeses, fruit, and preserves with each meal which was spectacular. I gorged on blue cheese and fig or guava preserves the entire vacation. When we returned home, I couldn't get that combination out of my mind; so I experimented with adding dried figs to my favorite blue cheese wafer recipe (Southern Living, 2006) which has been my "impromptu" appetizer for years. The blue cheese, figs, and walnuts harmonize beautifully, and provide a balanced savory-sweet blend. They are the perfect, light, mellow accompaniment for fruit and cheese boards.

During the Spring/Summer months, we tend to eat dinner much later, and spend much more time sitting outside relaxing after a long day, enjoying our favorite adult beverage. These little cheesy bites pair perfectly with a tall glass of iced tea, your favorite chilled white wine, or frosty brew. They are extremely quick and easy to prepare. I keep one slice-n-bake roll in the refrigerator at all times, and one in the freezer for unexpected guests who drop by for a cold one on sultry summer evenings. Blue cheese-fig wafers are the perfect happy hour nibbles.
*Cheers*

Happy Hour Cookies:

Ingredients:

4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 C dried figs, cut into small pieces (kitchen shears work better than a knife)
1/2 C toasted walnuts, finely chopped

Directions:

Cream butter in mixer bowl until fluffy. Add blue cheese, flour, and seasonings, mixing until well blended. Stir in figs and walnuts, blending well. Chill dough for 5 minutes.

Divide dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a 6 inch log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Store in airtight container.

This dough freezes well. Thaw in refrigerator, then slice and bake according to directions.

Yield: 48 wafers

Fig-Nut Cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Ever since my son returned from college a week ago, my time has been spent catching up on laundry, packing away all of the stuff (I hate to use the word, "junk", but...) that he accumulated over the year, and trekking to the grocery store daily because there never seems to be enough food in the house. Not to say I haven't been working feverishly in the kitchen-turned-laboratory...I've just been cooking other types of food lately, and cookies have been on the back burner (so to speak.) The posts may be short and sweet for the next couple weeks [[Yay!]] but hopefully, you'll enjoy the recipes.

When you think about a fig cookie (IF you ever think about a fig cookie), what comes to mind? Fig Newtons, right? Have you ever wondered why, after so many decades, there is only one fig cookie available in most stores? I'm not terribly fond of Fig Newtons. I believe my aversion dates back to my childhood. We always had a pack of stale Fig Newtons in the cabinet--because no one liked them and they were the last resort after the Oreo's and Nutter Butter's were eaten. My parents refused to discard anything, even petrified cookies. Consequently, the cookie stash wouldn't get replenished until all the fossilized fig newtons were consumed. There is nothing worse than a shriveled up, dehydrated, gummy Fig Newton. Don't get me wrong...I'm not dissin' the Newton. I'm sure most people sincerely believe they are delightful cookies. But when I'm perusing the cookie aisle at the store, they are not the cookies which jump out and grab my attention, causing me to exclaim, "Oh YUM!! Fig Newtons!! Gotta buy some!" I've often wondered why cookie manufacturers haven't developed a different style of fig cookie over the years. Perhaps some "know-it-all" decided Newtons were sufficient, so there was no demand to offer anything else. That's a shame, because figs are really delicious and very nutritious; yet for non-newton fans, there are no options. So, I made my own. This is everything I want in a fig cookie. It is moist, sweet, chewy, and enhanced by the nutty crunch of toasted walnuts. I have convinced myself that because figs are so good for you, this is a healthy cookie... I should eat as many as I want!

If you love figs, and would occasionally enjoy an alternative to the beloved Newton, give this cookie a try.

Fig-Nut Cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C dried figs, coarsely chopped (I use calimyrna)
1 C toasted English walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs then vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in figs and walnuts, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 22-24, 2 oz cookies. 36-40 tablespoon size cookies.

I WISH I HAD SOMETHING LIKE THIS YEARS AGO!!!

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Sat, 15 May 2010 15:45:00 +0000

I normally don't promote a lot of stuff on my blog, but this is so cool, I wanted to share it. It's for an online cooking class. I wish I had access to a convenient class like this when I was first starting out on my own cooking endeavors...it would have saved me (and my poor husband!) from many kitchen mishaps, and dinner FAILS!! Plus, we would have ALL eaten healthier meals, I'm sure. The ability to learn cooking basics in the familiarity of your own kitchen is a fantastic idea!
I have posted the link to enroll in my sidebar, "VERY COOL Online Cooking Class". You must enroll by May 31st because the class starts June 1st. If you enroll from my site, I receive a very small commission.

If you enroll and take the class, please update me on how you like it, what you've learned, and share some phenomenal cooking tips and techniques with me! Most of all...HAVE FUN!!!

Raspberry-Orange Cookie-Cupcakes

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Yeah, they're trippy.
Psychedelic pink and orange cookie-cupcakes...
just what you need on a Monday morning.

Cupcakes are amazing. Who can resist them? Everyone loves cupcakes...except for one thing: paper liners. It drives me insane to find paper liners strewn about the house, crumpled on end tables, hidden between books on the shelf, or torn into shreds by one of my dogs. Whenever I serve cupcakes, I find paper liners months later in the most unusual places. So, for these neon cupcakes, I abandoned the use of paper liners by substituting cookie liners. No more paper liners found stuffed between couch cushions for me!

I happened to have some Summer Sunset cookie dough stashed in the freezer, so I decided it would be a tasty and festive alternative for pastel paper liners. A smaller sized dough portion is sufficient for this application. I use my 3 Tbsp cookie dough scoop. A raspberry cupcake with orange frosting detonates the fruit bomb, punctuated by one fresh raspberry on top. The simplest cupcake recipe is just fine when making these cupcakes. As you may expect, I added raspberry gelatin for flavor and color. Butter-cream frosting is my favorite, primarily for the rich flavor and creamy texture, and also for ease of preparation.

Preparing cookie cupcakes is a bit more involved than simply tossing the paper liner in the cupcake pan and spooning in some batter. The cookie adds so much extra flavor, and provides an unexpected, fun presentation for your cupcakes. I believe it's well worth the extra time and effort. However, if you want to simplify the process, use one flavor of cookie dough and skip the swirl effect. They will still taste amazing.

As an added bonus--consider this an eco-friendly cupcake. No paper liners to clutter landfills...or your home.

Raspberry-Orange Cookie Cupcakes:

Orange buttercream frosting:
1 pkg. (16 oz) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
2-3 teaspoons orange extract

Directions:
Beat sugar, butter, milk and orange extract at low speed until well blended and smooth. Increase speed to med-high and beat for 5-7 minutes (this makes fluffier frosting) If frosting becomes too thick, beat in additional milk by teaspoonfuls until desired consistency. Set aside.

Summer Sunset cookie:

Ingredients:

Orange dough:
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavored instant pudding
1 pkg (3 oz) Jello™ orange flavored gelatin
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp orange extract

Raspberry dough:
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavored instant pudding
1 pkg (3 oz) Jello™ raspberry flavored gelatin
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp raspberry or orange extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare orange dough and raspberry dough separately. Follow the instructions, substituting the appropriate flavor gelatin for each.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, then gelatin, mixing well. Add eggs and extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Remove dough and set aside.

Prepare second flavor dough.

Place both doughs side by side in a large bowl, pressing them together gently. Do not blend them together too much. Using a small (3 Tbsp) cookie scoop, scoop across the two flavors of dough to create "swirl" effect.

Drop dough into un-greased cupcake tins. Carefully press dough up and around sides to the top edge to form a cup. Set aside while preparing cupcake batter.

Raspberry cupcake:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp Jello™ raspberry flavored gelatin

Garnish: fresh raspberries

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.

Add eggs then gelatin. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes until well mixed.

Spoon batter into cookie dough lined cupcake pans, filling 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of one cupcake comes out clean.

Cool 15-20 minutes in pan. If needed, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cupcakes to loosen from the pan. Carefully remove cupcakes and set aside to cool.

When completely cooled, pipe or spread frosting on each cookie-cupcake. Garnish with fresh raspberry, if desired.

Yield: 36-40 cookie-cupcakes

Classic Mojito and Strawberry Mojito cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:20:00 +0000

After the hot and spicy chili mango cookies yesterday, I decided "chill" cookies are in order today. A mojito two-fer: classic--a lime cookie with fresh mint, and a hint of rum; and strawberry--with fresh strawberries, mint, and a hint of rum.

I tried dried mint, but like the flavor of the fresh mint a lot more in these cookies. It's subtle, yet holds it's own among other stronger flavors in the cookies. I especially like the fresh strawberries and mint combination...an unexpectedly bright, piquant cookie.

Classic Lime Mojito cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavor instant pudding
1 plg (3 oz) Jello™ lime flavored gelatin
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp rum extract
1/2 C fresh mint leaves, minced
Garnish: raw sugar crystals

Strawberry Mojito cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp rum extract
1 C strawberries, diced
1/2 C mint leaves, minced
Garnish: raw sugar crystals

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding (and gelatin for lime cookie), mixing well. Add eggs and extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the mint (and strawberries for strawberry cookie), blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar crystals on each cookie. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 30-32 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

*Strawberry cookies should be eaten in 1-2 days after baking.
**The strawberry cookies do not freeze well AT ALL.

Fun with Chili Mangoes

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:00:00 +0000

It seems here is no gray area with chili mangoes...people either love 'em or hate 'em. I happen to love them...in fact, I could easily become addicted to them. They are the ultimate sweet-heat candy alternative, and I could easily eat an entire package in an evening.
The same goes for these cookies... you will either love 'em or hate 'em.

For a long time, I've wanted to make a spicy chocolate cookie. I love the pepper-chocolate candy bars which have a slight "kick" from spices, and wanted to create the same flavor sensation in a cookie. When I discovered chili mangoes, however, I knew they could be the perfect addition to the spicy, chocolate cookie. I also knew that chili mangoes and a lime cookie could be amazing. Time to experiment.

I happen to love VERY spicy foods, and have a bad habit of adding spices to suit MY taste, and often forget that others do not share the same love for intensely spicy food that I have. If the food doesn't produce perspiration, it needs more spice (in my opinion.) Case in point...I always add more spices to the chili mangoes I purchase, so I started preparing my own. They are easy to prepare, as you will see from my recipe (below), so why not? I always add the maximum amount of the spices listed; but you decide, based upon your preference, how much to add. In my first trial with the chocolate chili mango cookie, I added the maximum amount of spice. After his first bite, my dear husband immediately broke into a profuse sweat and suggested, (between gasps and gulps of beer), that I "tone the spices down a just a wee bit." Even after cutting the spices in half, these cookies are still deceivingly sweet and chocolaty initially, then finish with a nice, subtle "burn." The mango flavor, which had been lost in the chocolate and spices, is also more prevalent.

Lime with chili mangoes is probably a more traditional pairing. The flavors certainly complement each other well. The mango flavor is more distinct in the lime cookie, and the spices add some pizazz to what could have been a fairly mundane cookie. The only thing I don't like about this cookie is the color: it's the color of guacamole...not that there is anything wrong with the color of guacamole, but I'm not sure it's an appetizing cookie hue. I normally do not add food coloring to my cookie recipes, but in this instance, a few drops of green food color may be beneficial.

I fully anticipate strong reactions to these cookies. Some will look at the recipe and exclaim, "Ewwwww, YUCK!"; some will exclaim, "Ooooooh, YUM!" Either way, if you love spicy foods, and you're feeling adventurous, these are two cookies you should try.

Chocolate Chili Mango cookie:

Chili mangoes:
8 oz. package of dried mangoes (thicker pieces are best)
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp paprika
pinch of salt

Place mangoes in a resealable plastic bag. Combine spices and pour into bag. Seal, then shake the bag until spices cover all mango pieces.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ chocolate instant pudding
2 (large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee
1 C chili mangoes, coarsely chopped
1 C bittersweet chocolate chips
optional: cayenne pepper to sprinkle on top of cookies

Lime Chili Mango cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake instant pudding
1 pkg. (3.0 oz) Jello™ lime gelatin
2 (large) eggs
1 tsp lime extract
1 C chili mangoes, coarsely chopped
optional: cayenne pepper to sprinkle on top of cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 5 ingredients (and cinnamon for chocolate cookie) into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding (and gelatin for lime cookie), mixing well. Add eggs, (coffee for chocolate cookies) and extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the chili mangoes, (and bittersweet chocolate for chocolate cookies), blending well.

Using a standard (2 oz) ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough on to an un-greased cookie sheet. (or use rounded tablespoons if you prefer.)

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon cookies, bake for 12-14 minutes. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper, if desired. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20 BIG, 2 oz cookies. 30-36 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

Strawberry Cheesecake cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Day two of strawberry-fest offers another classic....strawberry cheesecake. Since I had
such good results with the fresh strawberries
in the shortcake cookie, I decided to take
advantage of them again while they are in season.
Dried strawberries can be substituted when fresh ones are unavailable. For now, fresh is best.

I'm of the opinion that a bit of chocolate makes everything better, and this cookie is no exception. I didn't want to overwhelm the strawberries, so I chose milk chocolate. Feel free to use semi-sweet or bittersweet if you prefer.

The freshness of juicy, sweet strawberries paired with creamy, chocolate chips are the perfect balance for this subtle cheesecake flavored cookie. One word describes this one...Yum!!!

Strawberry Cheesecake cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp cream cheese* or pure vanilla extract
1 C fresh strawberries, diced
1 C milk chocolate chips
Garnish: 18-20 strawberry halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs then the extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the chocolate chips, then strawberries, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined baking sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and press strawberry half on top of each cookie. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 30-32 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

*Cream cheese flavoring may be purchased through Spice Barn:
http://spicebarn.com/cream_cheese_flavoring.htm
**Cookies should be eaten in 1-2 days after baking.
***These cookies do not freeze well AT ALL.

The Great Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Experiment

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Ahhh...it's that time of year when our hearts and minds turn to all things strawberry. Strawberries are taking center stage in everything from cakes, cupcakes, and pies, to chilled soups, cocktails, salads, and marinades. You simply cannot beat a strawberry for its versatility, beauty, and flavor. No surprise...I've been busily baking several varieties of strawberry cookies.

Get ready for strawberry-fest.

Is it possible to survive summer without indulging in strawberry shortcake several times a week? It seemed only appropriate to start my strawberry-fest with a classic strawberry shortcake cookie. There are numerous recipes floating around for strawberry shortcake cookies; but the ones I found lacked a critical element of the archetypal dessert...whipped cream on top! How can you eat strawberry shortcake without a big dollop of fluffy whipped cream? I wasn't sure if whipped cream would hold up well without collapsing into a puddle on the cookies, so I stabilized the whipping cream with gelatin. I set aside a "trial" cookie at room temperature for over 24 hours with no catastrophic whipped cream disintegration. Yet, it is a dairy product, therefore I recommend storing the cookies in the refrigerator. If you don't want to make your own whipped cream, feel free to buy your favorite dairy or non-dairy whipped topping to use instead.

For this cookie recipe, I'm going to do something a bit different by posting all of the kitchen-turned-lab experiments. You may find the trial and error interesting...or maybe not. At any rate, three variations will be presented so you can decide which (if any) you believe sounds the best to try for yourself.
**My assessment and recommendations will be submitted at the end of this post.

Experiment #1: Fresh strawberries. Many recipes I found (including the infamous Martha Stewart recipe) used fresh strawberries. I was hesitant, because fresh fruit has not yielded favorable results in this cookie recipe when used in the past. I've tried fresh bananas and fresh raspberries with abysmal results. I feared the cookie would turn out soggy with baked, mushy strawberry blobs...I was pleasantly surprised by the end result.

Experiment #2: Strawberry gelatin: I've used it before, so it's not really experimental...but I wanted to see if I liked the cookie better with our without the strawberry gelatin. I was unsure if the gelatin would overpower or enhance the flavor if the cookie. Also, I take into consideration that some do not like gelatin in any way, shape, or form; so if a cookie tastes good, or even better, without gelatin, I'll gladly omit it. As I've stated before, I'm not a huge fan of strawberry gelatin because, in my humble opinion, it tastes artificial.

Experiment #3: Classic recipe. Pure and simple, using vanilla pudding and dried strawberries...no chips, no embellishment, except the whipped cream topping.

Strawberry Shortcake cookie:

Whipped Cream:

1 C heavy/whipping cream
1 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp plain gelatin, (or strawberry gelatin, if desired)
1 Tbsp water

Stir gelatin into water. Soak for 5 min.
Whip the cream until thickened. Add confectioners sugar, then gelatin mixture to cream.
Whip until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Experiment #1: Fresh strawberries

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C fresh strawberries, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs then vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the strawberries, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz) or rounded tablespoon, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment paper lined baking sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 10-12 minutes.

Using the back of a spoon, press a slight indentation into the center of each cookie. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

When completely cooled, pipe or spoon whipped topping into the center of each cookie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Yield: 22-24, 2 oz cookies. 30-36 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

Experiment #2: Strawberry gelatin, dried strawberries

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ cheesecake flavor instant pudding
1 pkg. (3 oz) Jello™ strawberry flavor gelatin
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C dried strawberries, chopped

Directions:

Same as for Experiment #1, adding strawberry gelatin after the instant pudding.

Yield: 22-24, 2 oz cookies. 30-36 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

Experiment #3: Classic, dried strawberries

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C dried strawberries, chopped

Directions:

Same as Experiment #1, substituting dried strawberries for fresh strawberries.

Yield: 22-24, 2 oz cookies. 30-36 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

**My analysis and recommendations from The Great Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Experiment: Despite my hesitancy to try fresh strawberries, that cookie is the best, by far. Truly phenomenal. It's too early for strawberry pickin' here in VA; therefore, I must confess...I committed a fruit buying abomination by purchasing strawberries from the local grocery store. We all know they lack the intense flavor and juiciness of strawberries picked from the vine. That being said, fresh strawberries provide the most authentic shortcake flavor.... subtle, light, fresh, sweet, slightly juicy, totally delicious. By all means, while fresh strawberries are available, use them in this recipe! If you crave strawberry shortcake in the winter months when strawberries are out of season, the dried strawberry recipe (experiment #3) is a viable alternative. Dried strawberries indeed have a more intense flavor, are available year-round, and offer convenience. Compared to the other two, my least favorite is the strawberry gelatin/dried fruit recipe. As I feared, the gelatin was overpowering. I would recommend using half the gelatin (3 Tbsp) to minimize the pungent strawberry-ness. It isn't a bad tasting cookie at all, and the bold color is....bold. However, this one does not deliver the freshness, or similarity to real strawberry shortcake like I am trying to achieve. The one addition that makes all three cookies unique and amazing is the whipped cream topping. That is a WIN.

There ya have it...the process I follow when developing MANY of my cookie recipes. I normally don't elaborate on the trial and errors; but in this instance, I believe all of the recipes are good enough to share. Now, you can try all three and decide for yourself which is best!

*Cookies should be eaten in 1-2 days after baking.
**These cookies do not freeze well AT ALL.

Derby Day cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:00:00 +0000

What are your plans for Derby Day? Will you attend, or perhaps host a Derby Day party?

I love watching the Kentucky Derby, especially the people in attendance. The media tends to focus on the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" types in their lavish apparel and opulently adorned hats. Those people fascinate me...and make me laugh. In the South, the Kentucky Derby is a fantastic excuse for a great big, bourbon infused party. Some people host elegant affairs, complete with fine crystal, polished silver, and exquisite fare. On the other end of the spectrum, most of us host back yard BBQ's in a more casual setting...leaving the fine crystal and china in the buffet where it continues to collect dust. Bourbon flows freely on Derby Day, and is found in everything from the traditional Mint Julep cocktail to the barbecue sauce for the baby-back ribs.

The quintessential Derby Day dessert is (Kentucky) Derby pie. In case you've never tried this delectable dessert, it's a jacked-up version of a chocolate pecan pie...with bourbon, of course.
Predictably, I had to transform this decadent pie into a cookie. Tipsy bourbon soaked pecans elevate this cookie from just a lowly chocolate chip cookie, to chocolaty-pecan-bourbon amazingness.

Whether you're watching the Derby on television, (like I will be) or partying it up, wearing your most flamboyant hat, make sure you have your frosty, silver vessel filled with a refreshing Mint Julep in one hand, and a Derby Day cookie in the other.

Ready? "And they're off"!

Derby Day cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ French vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp bourbon extract* or pure vanilla extract
1 C toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/8 C good Kentucky Bourbon
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
Garnish: 18-36 whole pecans

Directions:

Place the toasted pecans in a small bowl or ziploc bag. Pour bourbon over pecans, tossing to coat well. Set aside for 1-2 hours. (You may want to soak the pecans overnight to infuse more bourbon flavor.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs and bourbon or vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the pecans and semi-sweet chips, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz), or rounded spoonful, drop dough on to an un-greased, parchment lined baking sheet. Top each cookie with a whole pecan.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 30-36 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

* Bourbon extract may be found here: http://spicebarn.com/bourbon_flavoring.htm

Crème Brulee cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

This cookie has eluded me for months. Talk about epic fails...I have thrown away more cookie disasters over this one stupid cookie than I care to think about.

It should be fairly obvious by now that I enjoy trying to re-create cookies from my favorite dessert recipes. Crème brulee has always been a favorite dessert. I love the simplicity, the contrast between cool , creamy custard, and warm, crackly, caramelized sugar on top. To replicate those elements in a cookie was a heck of a bigger challenge than I anticipated. No matter what I tried, the cookies turned out bland and unappealing. As always, my dear husband, (my most honest taste-tester) was subjected to numerous (nasty) experimental cookie tastings. Although unenthusiastic--'Woohoo...another sugar cookie!"-- he'd try to sound encouraging. Comments such as, "It's a nice sugar cookie...is this gooey stuff on top supposed to be frosting?" or (my personal favorite) "What's up with the gritty, burned sugar on top?", sent me running back to the kitchen-turned-laboratory for another trial.

To be honest, crème brulee is not a highly flavored, robust dessert. Crème Brulee is subdued, comforting, silky, and smooth. There is not a singular ingredient which stands out and screams for attention. Consequently, everything I tried tasted like a bland sugar cookie. Blah. Because crème brulee is custard, I decided this cookie should be a "thumbprint" style with a creamy custard filling. A decent custard-like filling evaded me. Moving on. I knew the cookie should have a crackly sugar topping. Sure...try to caramelize sugar on a cookie. Let me know how that works for you. Yet, I refused to give up. One sleepless night, it hit me...use Cook&Serve custard for the filling! Duh! It was just what I needed. The custard wasn't so thin that it oozed all over the cookie sheet while baking, and it maintained a custard-like consistency after baking and cooling without solidifying. Yahoo!! Eventually, I abandoned the idea of caramelizing sugar on top, and opted to "simulate" the crackly, sugar topping by using raw sugar crystals. Use your imagination. It's a cookie.

Tenacity paid off...after months of failures, I believe I achieved success. After months of fairly disgusting sugar cookies, the crème brulee cookie catapulted to the top of the list as one of my husband's favorites. Woohoo.

Whew...this cookie exhausted me. Give it a try...let me know what you think!

Crème Brulee cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ French vanilla instant pudding
2 (large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
raw sugar (to sprinkle on top)
cinnamon (optional, to sprinkle on top)

"Custard" filling:
1 pkg (2.9 oz) Jello™ Cook&Serve custard
1 C milk (I use 2%)
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Prepare custard filling:
In a small sauce pan, whisk custard mix into milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently to prevent scorching and lumps. Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. *Custard will be thick.*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs, then vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well.

Using a standard (2 oz) ice cream scoop, or rounded tablespoons, drop dough onto an un-greased parchment lined baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, or the round handle of a kitchen utensil, press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Whisk the cooled custard until smooth.

Spoon custard into the indentations.

Sprinkle raw sugar (and cinnamon, if desired) over cookies.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-size cookies, bake 10-12 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool. The custard center will be thin. Allow 15-20 minutes to "set."

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 28-30 rounded tablespoon-size cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:45:00 +0000

Since I still suffer from writer's block, I'm focusing my energy on creating and baking this week. So many ideas, so little time. I'm on the verge of perfecting a cookie which I've been working on for a long time, and I'm very excited about that.

In the meantime, I noticed my recipe list lacks peanut butter cookies. That omission needs resolution. I decided to play around with another two-in-one concoction...two great tastes that go great together.

Chocolate and peanut butter. Epic. Although I have a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips and peanut butter M&M's™ in it, this one accentuates the distinctive flavors of the peanut butter and chocolate. I played around with adding chocolate and peanut butter chips in the doughs. I opted to mix peanut butter chips in the chocolate dough, and chocolate chips in the peanut butter dough for the photos. Either way, the cookies are delicious. Feel free to mix that up if you so desire.

I enjoy the two-fer cookies. They are a little more involved than most of my recipes, but I think the results are worth it. Try some experimentation on your own...if you discover a phenomenal combination, let me know!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl cookie:

Ingredients:

Peanut butter dough:
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ vanilla flavored instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 C peanut butter
1 C peanut butter or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate dough:
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ chocolate flavored instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C peanut butter or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare peanut butter dough and chocolate dough separately.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs and extract, mixing until well blended. For the peanut butter dough, add peanut butter now. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, blending well.

Remove dough and set aside. Prepare second flavor dough following directions as stated above.

Place both doughs side by side in a large bowl, pressing them together gently. Do not blend them together too much.
Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz), or rounded spoonful, scoop across the two flavors of dough, to get equal portions of peanut butter and chocolate in each scoop. Drop dough on to an un-greased cookie sheet. Press dough together as needed when scooping.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 30-32, 2 oz cookies. 42-46 rounded tablespoon size cookies.

All Things Tropical cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Ya know...it really sucks when a food blogger develops writer's block. Seldom am I at a loss for words, but today, I am. It's a shame, because I baked a fantastic cookie this weekend, and cannot think of a humorous anecdote, or interesting story to accompany the recipe. Instead of boring you with contrived monologue, I'm simply going to post the recipe. The cookie is truly fantastic: a lemon cookie loaded with coconut, macadamias, pineapple, mango, and papaya. Mmmm...tasty!
Enjoy!

All Things Tropical cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello lemon flavored instant pudding
2 (large) eggs
1 tsp lemon extract
1 C flaked coconut
1 C dried tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya) chopped
1 C toasted macadamias, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together first 3 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs and lemon extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in coconut, dried fruit, and macadamias until well blended.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz), or rounded tablespoons, drop dough onto an un-greased baking sheet.

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-size cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 18-20 (2 oz) cookies, 36-40 tablespoon-size cookies

Cinnamon Bun cookie

itsabcdude@gmail.com (Shawn) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Remember when Cinnabon first hit the scene in malls and airports across the country? You could walk into a mall, and immediately, the scent of cinnamon would overwhelm you. People looked like rabid Cinna-beagles, following their twitching nostrils through crowded walkways, knocking down the elderly, tripping over baby strollers, drool dripping from their chins, as they elbowed through crowds to stand in line for a hot, fresh, cinnamon bun blanketed in sugary sweet icing.

There is nothing more enticing than the aroma of cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. Realtors suggest baking chocolate chip cookies to fill your home with an alluring fragrance in order to seduce prospective buyers to linger. I submit, if you bake cinnamon bun cookies, you'll be forced to chase clients from your kitchen with a baseball bat! Of all the cookies I prepare, the ones I refer to as "breakfast cookies" possess the most tempting aromas. Not surprisingly, their taste is as delectable as their fragrance. Because I'm a spice fanatic, I add quite a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipes. I believe the French vanilla pudding provides additional "richness". Although I'm not crazy for raisins in cinnamon buns, I enjoy their flavor and texture in the cookie; as well as the crunchiness of toasted pecans. The luscious cream cheese glaze is the pièce de résistance. I drizzle the glaze on the cookies, but if you're in a particularly indulgent mood, feel free to ice the cookies with the glaze.

I'm too impatient to endure the exhaustive process and time involved making "real" cinnamon rolls. In less than 30 minutes, with minimal effort, these cookies are as close as you will get to the real thing. However...it is torturous to wait 16 minutes while they bake.

Cinnamon Bun cookie:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lb butter, at room temperature
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello™ French vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 ( large) eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C raisins
1 C toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Glaze:
3 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
3-4 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp milk (enough to make moderately thin glaze)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Glaze: Beat together the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, to make glaze which is thin enough to drizzle over cookies. Set aside.

Sift together first 5 ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add instant pudding, mixing well. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly add flour, mixing well. Stir in the pecans and raisins, blending well.

Using a standard ice cream scoop (2 oz), or rounded spoonful, drop dough on to an un-greased cookie sheet

For 2 oz cookie, bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. For rounded tablespoon-sized cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. After one minute, transfer from pan to wire rack to cool.

Drizzle cream cheese glaze over cookies when cooled.

Yield: 18-20, 2 oz cookies. 36-40 rounded tablespoon size cookies.