Coconut Melt-Aways

These delicate coconut crisps melt in your mouth, hence the not so original name.

Coconut Melt-Aways

Yield: 25-30 cookies

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse 5-6 times to blend.
3. Scatter the butter pieces over the top, and drizzle the extracts over the top of that. Process for 30 to 35 seconds, or until dough comes together.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add in the coconut and pulse 7-8 times to blend.
4. Scoop up dough by rounded teaspoons and roll into 2 inch long worms.  Place dough worms onto prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Flatten into ovals with the palm of your hand.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cookies are light golden and firm.  Cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks.
6. Place powdered sugar in a bowl or plastic bag. Toss cookies one at a time in powdered sugar to coat thoroughly.  Store cookies in layers separated by parchment paper in an airtight container for up to a week.

Thin Crisp Chocochips

These cookies are thin, crisp, and they completely satisfy any chocolate chip craving.  If you use mini-chips instead of regular chips, the cookies will have a delicate, elegant appearance–perfect for serving at a fancy spring-time tea party. 

Thin Crisp Chocochips

Yield: 75 cookies

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips (mini-chips would look sooooo much better in these cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, 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, sugars, and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add in the egg; beat well. Adjust the mixer to low; slowly pour in the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Flatten the dough into ¼ inch disks with the palm of your hand.
5. Bake the cookies until they are firm and light golden with dark golden edges, about 12 minutes.  Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Easy Coconut Drops

I’m going to a birthday party with margaritas and Spanish dancing!! 

Easy Coconut Drops

Yield: 40ish cookies

• 7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Pour the coconut into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Process in one second pulses about 12 times, just until the coconut is chopped up into little bits.  Set aside.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper.  Set aside.
4. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed  just until combined, about 30 seconds.  If needed, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add in the egg and the vanilla extract; beat until smooth.  Adjust the speed to low.  Slowly stir in the flour mixture, followed by the coconut. 
5. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets leaving 2 inches or so in between each cookie.  Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until golden around the edges.  Slide entire sheet of parchment or silicone mat onto wire racks to cool completely.

Mother B’s

Frailty, thy name is woman! 

I may not be jumping out of my dead husband’s bed and into his brother’s, but deep down I’m really just as fickle and unreliable as Hamlet’s mom.  I am completely incapable of keeping promises that I make to myself or to others. I’ve been “starting school in a few months” for years now, I never keep in touch with my family although I swear up and down that I’m going to e-mail/call them at least once a week (sorry dearest relatives, I really do mean well), my house is never as clean as I pretend it is (I make piles. Huge, unwieldy piles of stupid useless junk), and I immediately fall off the bakelogging wagon as soon as I hitch a ride.

I think I need a life coach (or just a stronger resolve).

B-t-dubs, I’ve already baked Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s cookies. I just haven’t posted the recipes yet. Prepare yourself, America, for more boozilicous cookies (don’t worry, Mom, these are classy–they’re made with red wine)! 

Mother B’s

Yield: one 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan, about twenty-four  2-inch squares

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons (!!) freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (cut into small chunks to speed up softening time if you’re not very good at planning ahead)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour milk

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter the inside of a 9 x 13 x 2 baking pan.  Line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang.  Butter the top of the paper (you may ask, “Is this really necessary?”  Nick Malgieri, baking god, insists upon it. Please don’t question his ways; it’s akin to blasphemy).  Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper.  Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add in the egg; beat until smooth.  Reduce mixer speed to low.  Slowly pour in half of the dry ingredients (flour mixture!) and mix until incorporated.  With the mixer running, drizzle in the buttermilk.  At this point, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed.  Turn the mixer back to low and slowly pour in the remaining dry ingredients.  
4. Remove the paddle and scrape off any remaining batter (or lick it off like you did when you were a kid).  Stir the batter vigorously with the spatula 3 or 4 times.  Pour the batter into prepared pan, being sure to distribute it evenly and smoothly.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick (or fancy cake tester!) inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Then, using the paper, lift the cake (I swear at the end of all this it’s a cookie) onto a separate rack to cool completely.
6. To cut into bars, transfer the cookie-cake onto a cutting board.  Remove the paper.  Using a ruler for neatness, cut into 2-inch squares using a large chef’s knife.

Adapted from Cookies Unlimited by Nick Malgieri

Caramel Chocolate Chip Crispy Squares

A recipe such as this is great to have on hand when you’ve frittered away the entire day doing taxes (if you didn’t know by now, I tend to put off doing really big important things by focusing on a motley assortment of meaningless chores–I’ve steam-cleaned the grout in my bathroom instead of writing an essay),checking (and double checking) your credit score, daydreaming about what to do with your “giant” refund, laundry, watching terrible t.v., eating even more terrible sushi (new restaurant has ruined cheap sushi for me) and attempting (and failing) to clean water spots off of the couch (note to self: water doesn’t really work to remove water spots).

These squares kinda taste like a caramel frappucino topped off with a healthy dose of over-processed high fructose corn syrup.  What’s not to love?

Caramel Chocolate Chip Crispy Squares

Yield: 1 pan cut into as many (or as little) squares as you’d like

• non-stick cooking spray for greasing pan and hands
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package Caramel-Vanilla Swirl Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
• 5½ cups puffed rice cereal
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Grease 13×9 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave butter on high for 45 seconds, or until melted.
3. Add in the marshmallows; toss to coat.  Microwave for 1½ minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. 
4. Stir in the puffed-rice cereal. Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour mixture into prepared pan. With greased hands press mixture evenly into pan. 
5. Cool completely before cutting into 24 (or 16, 32, 8, or 2…) squares.

Bird’s Nest Cookies

Happy Easter!!!

Bird’s Nest Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Bird's Nest Cookie

• 1¼ cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• about 60 mini robins eggs (the speckled malted delicious ones you can only find at Easter)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread the coconut in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so, until golden brown (watch this carefully!! Once coconut takes a turn towards the dark side, it’s ruined forevermore).  Let cool on baking sheet (or if you’re like me and only have the two good baking sheets, transfer the coconut to a pie plate or cake pan).  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together onto a sheet of parchment (y0u can reuse the same sheet almost indefinetely if it’s just for the sifting).  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and vanilla extract; beat well.  Adjust the mixer to low; slowly pour in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Roll the dough into 1¼ inch balls.  Roll each ball in the toasted coconut (be sure to coat thoroughly).  Place the coconut coated dough balls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart, twelve balls per sheet.  Press your finger straight down into the middle of the balls for tall high nests, or wiggle it around a little for wide flat nests.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.  Let cool completely on baking sheets.
6. To serve, place 3 candy eggs in the center of the cookie. I like to match the colors (the blue is the most natural looking), but they look just as cute with a mishmash of colored eggs.

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).

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