Coconut Macaroons

I’m visiting Andrew’s family for Easter.  We’ve been in Plainfield (what an appropriate name) since EARLY Friday morning (we were on the train by 7 am, which put us in the front door of his family home by 8:30, and at his Aunt’s to dye eggs by 9!! I usually get out of bed at noon!!!). I’m not really sure how he survived 18 years in this town. Not only is it as soul crushing as Portland, but if you drive down the wrong street you’re apt to get mugged (and there are a lot of wrong streets).  We’ve been stuck inside for what feels like a thousand years, eating dinner at 5:30 and watching reruns of Murder She Wrote (it’s really Wheel of Fortune and Law and Order, but it definitely feels like Murder She Wrote).

The only relief comes in the form of shopping trips to the local mall (I’m in New Jersey). In my distressed state, I am naturally trying to buy my happiness.  I spent a gajillion dollars on odds and ends, like a new apron, prep bowls, a pastry blender, six bargain books (all fiction, not a single cookbook!), and a Domo board game. But the purchase I am most proud of (and regret the least) is a food processor! A full-size, multi-bladed, 7 cup Cuisinart! I know most people wait until they’re married before they get one of these babies, but I really needed some instant gratification.  I can’t wait until I get home to try it out! In the meantime, here are some delicious nibbles that are perfectly suited for Passover (or just eating by the handful).

Coconut Macaroons

Yield: 24 SMALL cookies

Coconut Macaroons

• 2½ cups unsweetened flaked coconut (available at health stores or in the organic section of your supermarket)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir all ingredients together until well combined.
3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, twelve per sheet, leaving at least an 1½ inches in between each.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Carefully slide the entire parchment sheet, cookies and all, onto wire racks.  Cool completely.  When cookies are cool, carefully peel from parchment.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

I’m ashamed to admit it, but  I’ve been slacking on my blogging for the past few weeks.  I’m sure you’ve noticed.  Posts have been coming in late (if at all), and the accompanying cookies have been a little on the weak side.

The hours at my new job are a little wonky (my shifts run from 4:30 in the afternoon until about midnight, or from 10:30 in the morning to 11 at night) and I haven’t really adjusted to the schedule.  Most people think that this schedule should allow for plenty of time for baking. If you wake up before 1 in the afternoon, I’m sure it does. But I really enjoy my sleep. In fact, I often sleep for 9 or 10 (it’s actually closer to 11) hours a night.  And it’s blissful.  There is nothing better than waking up to the bright warm sun streaming through your window and knowing that you don’t have to wait 4 hours to get tacos.

But this project means more to me than tacos (and those are my hands-down favorite food). Since I’m making up the rules as I go, the past few weeks can be forgiven.  But I won’t tolerate this kind of half-ass output from myself any longer! If I’m going to see this baking project through to the bitter end, I’m going to do it justice.  If that means giving up a few precious hours of sleep a night and waking up around dawn (7AM) to complete my baking before I have to start work, then so be it.

Oh, and this is day 2 of the lemon trend.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Cookies:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon  baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (zest of 1 large or 2 medium lemons)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add in the egg and lemon zest; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Adjust the speed to low.  Slowly add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in the poppy seeds.
4. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.  Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make glaze: whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice, adjusting the amount of lemon juice to achieve desired consistency.    Transfer glaze to a pastry bag.  Pipe glaze onto cooled cookies in a zig-zag pattern.  Let glaze set for about 20 minutes before serving.

Lemon Bars

After rereading the posts from earlier this week, I realized that I was baking only “double” desserts. Part of me wanted to continue the trend that I had inadvertently started, but I just had to use up the piles of  big beautiful lemons in my fruit basket. Even though this is a technically a two layer dessert, I didn’t put any sort of lemon flavoring into the tender crust. Therefore I can’t in good conscious call these “Double Lemon Bars.”  I’m afraid to say that the short lived double trend died on this day, but I’m happy to announce the birth of the lemon trend.  Please welcome the sweet-tart lemon dessert with open-arms.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Yield: 36 bars

Crust:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter

Filling:

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (the zest of 1 medium lemon
• ¾ cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best, but if you don’t want to sacrifice 4-5 lemons  bottled can be used with little difference in flavor)
• ¼ cup heavy cream (or half-half, light cream, or milk)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. Make Crust:  In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, powdered sugar, corn starch, and salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or if you’re like me and haven’t invested in one of these nifty tools, use two butter knives and literally cut the butter into the flour) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Pour the entire mixture into the prepared  pan.  Firmly and evenly press the crumbs into the pan, making sure to get it into all the corners (if desired, use the bottom of a juice glass to press the crumbs into the pan).  
3. Bake crust for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are pale golden.
4. Make Filling:  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon peel, and lemon juice, and heavy cream.  Pour filling over hot crust.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until filling is just set in the center.
5. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Sift with powdered sugar.  Cut into 36 bars (9 x 4).

Double Chocolate Bars

Brownie? Cookie? I’m not really sure what this qualifies as, but it’s delicious.  The bar is chewy and fudgey all at the same time, and the walnuts add a nice crunch.

Double Chocolate Bars

Yield: 16 Bars

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9×9 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add in the corn syrup; beat for another 2 minutes.  Add in the eggs and the cooled melted chocolate; continue to beat until smooth, fluffy, and light brown, about 3 minutes.  Adjust the mixer to low; slowly stir in the flour mixture.  Fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts.
4. “Pour” (this qualifies more as a thick gloopy cookie dough than a batter, but just roll with it) the batter into prepared pan.  Smooth the top with a silicone spatula.  
5. Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into 16 bars.

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

I made baller cookies on a day that I worked a double!!! It’s honestly really unexpected.  

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup shortening (Crisco is the only shortening you should even consider using when baking–off-brands make off cookies)
• ½ cup peanut butter, plus extra for filling
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon milk

1. In the work bowl of a stand mixer, sift flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Add in the sugar.  Using the paddle attachment and with the mixer running on low, cut in the shortening and the peanut butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 2 minutes. 
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add in the corn syrup (spray your measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray to help the syrup slide out easier) and the milk.   Beat on medium speed until dough comes together, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper.  Gather all the crumbs and compress into a  12 x 2 inch log.  Fold the parchment over and around the log and roll the covered log back and forth on the counter-top until the log is a smooth, even, firmly compressed cylinder.  Wrap the dough cylinder up  in the parchment paper like a deli sandwich. Secure with sticky tape (good luck with this–parchment is non-stick for a reason). Place wrapped dough in the fridge for 30 minutes..
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
5. Cut dough into ¼ slices.  Place half of the slices onto prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Put a scant ½ teaspoon of peanut butter in the center of each slice.  Top with remaining slices.  Seal the edges of each cookie with the tines of a fork.
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until just golden around the edges.  Let rest on pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Fresh Mint Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Damn you baker’s block!!! You have been vanquished for all eternity (or at least for the time being).  

These cookies are remarkably fudgy and delicious.  The mint is subtle; it registers as little more than a faint coolness on the back of your tongue.  Yet it’s that same mild tingling that makes these cookies absolutely irresistible.  I honestly can’t stop eating them.

Fresh Mint Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 36 cookies

Baker’s Block!

Oh goodness, it’s finally happened.  I can’t think of a single thing to bake!

I have piles upon piles of cookbooks chock full of inspiration, and I can’t find a single recipe that meets my criteria. Everything is either too complicated for the time allotted today, or it just sounds plain unappetizing.

What has the world come too when a baker can’t find anything that she wants to bake?

Blackberry Cereal Bars

FAILFAILFAILFAILFAIL!!!

These didn’t turn out quite the way I had planned.  They’re too soggy and I have no idea how to fix it.

Blackberry Cereal Bars

Yield: 16 bars

• 1 can (14 fl oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 pints fresh blackberries (about 3 cups)
• 4 cups rice krispies

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil.  Spray lined pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small saucpan, warm sweetened condensed milk  over very low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until thin and easily pourable.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir blackberries and rice krispies together.  Fold in the warmed sweetened condensed milk; stir with a silicone spatula until cereal and berries are thoroughly coated in the sticky milk and the entire mixture starts to turn purple.
4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour, or until dry and crispy looking.  Let cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting.

Apricot-Sage Cookies

I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.  My nose is stuffy, my throat is sore, my head hurts, and I’m tired, achy, and altogether miserable.  I’m taking Aleve cold and sinus, and it doesn’t seem to be helping much. I didn’t even have any warning that I was about to die. This came on all of a sudden!  I was perfectly fine until about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon.  And then bam! I’m knocked on my backside by the mystery cold of death.

If anyone knows how to cure mystery death colds, I would be really grateful. I have to work a double tomorrow, and nobody likes a waitress who can’t stop sneezing long enough to take your order.

Apricot-Sage Cookies

Apricot-Sage Cookies

Yield:  18 sandwich cookies

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh sage
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• Apricot preserves

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar, and yellow cornmeal together.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  I know that this takes forever.  Just be patient and your butter will eventually work its way into the flour (These are the times that I wish I had a food processor–10 seconds and it would be done!).  Stir in the fresh sage.  Add in the milk and the egg; stir until combined.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead dough until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, working in a bit more flour as needed.  This will take about 3 minutes of moderately vigorous kneading.  Divide dough in half.
4. Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll out dough to a scant ¼ thickness.  Cut out cookies with a 2 inch round cookie cutter.  Place cut-outs onto prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.  If desired, dust with sanding sugar.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are just golden.  Let rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
6. When cookies are cool, spread the bottoms of half the cookies with a scant teaspoon of apricot preserves.  Top with remaining cookies, matching up sizes.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Lemon-Thyme Cookies

I’m really sick, and I think it’s just going to get worse. 

Blarg.

Lemon-Thyme Cookies

Lemon-Thyme Cookies

Yield: 36 cookies

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• sanding sugar or granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds, or until fluffy.  Add in the sugar, and continue to cream until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.  Add in the fresh thyme, lemon zest, and lemon juice; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Adjust the mixer to low; slowly stir in the flour until just combined.  
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead dough until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, working in a bit more flour as needed.  This will take about 3 minutes of moderately vigorous kneading.  Divide dough into thirds.
4. Working with one third of the dough at a time, roll out dough into a 6 x 4½ inch rectangle.  Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut out 12 1½ inch squares from the dough rectangle.  Place the squares on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space in between. Lightly dust cookies with sanding sugar (or granulated-whatever you have on hand will work).  
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are just golden.  Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens