Monthly Archives: November 2008

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a cookie worth sharing

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world peace…what a hefty promise for a cookie. sometimes i wish things were so simple that extending a home-baked treat to a neighbor would invoke camaraderie, understanding, hope, peace. so, let’s close our eyes and pretend that it could be…because, after all what better time of the year than now, when the promise of magic hangs in the air like the promise of snowy winter mornings.

i hope that everyone (that celebrates) has a very happy thanksgiving. hopes of much feasting (and drinking, if your into that sort of thing…like we are), joy, happiness and family to you. i will be traveling to southern utah tuesday to visit my grandparents and gather with the fam. i won’t be cooking (anything! gasp…) but i will be eating and hopefully, remembering to take pictures.

world peace cookies
adapted from baking: from my home to yours.

the original recipe does not call for hazelnuts…that was all me. make these and share the joy.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tablespoons butter, room temp (1 stick plus 3 tbsp)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped good quality chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together. set aside.

in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter on medium until soft and creamy, making sure not to beat in any air. add both sugars, salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes.

turn off mixer and pour in dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over mixer and pulse at low about 5 times. mix for 30 seconds more, just until flour disapears into the dough. the dough will look crumbly. mix in chocolate and hazelnuts with a spoon or spatula. turn out dough, gather and divide in two. shape each piece into a log (1 1/2 inches in diameter) and wrap with plastic. refrigerate for at least 3 hours. can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. if baking from a frozen state add 1 minute to bake time.

preheat oven to 325 F. line two baking sheets with parchement.

slice logs into 1/2 inch rounds. if they crakc, squeeze back together. leave 1 inch around each cookie on sheet.

bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes–they will not be firm or look done. cool on sheet on a cooling rack until just warm to the touch.

can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for up ro 2 months.

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donuts! muffins?

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donut muffins. i know pretty much everyone out there has made or seen these…i myself have made them twice. once with the powdered sugar and once with chocolate glaze. let me just say, these are yummy. i keep referring to them as donuts because, well, they taste pretty similar to these. but better. in addition to the glaze, i topped them with some sprinklings of almonds, pecans, and walnuts. i brought them to work and everyone kept telling me, “hey, these taste like those donuts…” even though i told them all that is what they were supposed to taste like…i guess they didn’t believe me.


i think these are great. they really take me back to when i would stop at the corner store with my bestfriend and pick a package of little donettes up on the way to work…which was pretty much last week. but, now that i have found these i can cut off my dependence on the cellophane wrapped treats.


donut muffins
adapted from bread and honey
i used buttermilk and added a bit more since i find my baked goods to be drier here. also, i don’t have a recipe for the chocolate glaze since i just threw some chocolate chips in with some half and half and a touch of corn syrup. sorry. they are delicious with powdered sugar too, so if you go that route melt some butter, brush it over the tops of the muffins and roll in powdered sugar. yum!

3 cups ap flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs

preheat oven to 350 F.

line muffin tin with cups or grease. i used mini tins and regular tins.

combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, whisk to blend and set aside.

place butter in the bowl of stand mixer and beat until creamy. add sugar and turn speed to med-high and beat until light and fluffy. scrape down sides as needed. add eggs one at a time until just incorporated, making sure to scrape down bowl.

with a rubber spatula add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture in three additions–beginning and ending with dry ingredients. do not over mix!

bake at 350 for 25-30 mins or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. cool completely for chocolate glaze and to the touch for sugar.

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for the sake of my jaw…

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i think i have mentioned before that i volunteered to make two baby shower cakes for a couple of my co-workers. it was fun, but i have made a decision…no more. not that i won’t gift a friend a cake, that i will definitely do, but i don’t think i will be covering any more cakes in fondant. i’m not saying, never ever again…i’m just too indecisive for that…but as far as i can see, no more.

i am a jaw clencher. when i am stressed out or concentrating i will tighten my jaw and hold my breath. sometimes it is during the day, a lot of the time my jaw clenching happens in the night and i awake with a sore jaw and teeth. not good. so, to cut out one source of clenching i my life, i’ve decided to cut out fondant cakes. i am sure with practice and determination i could create beautifully covered cakes–smooth and adorable–but for the sake of my jaw i won’t be any longer. besides, i don’t think fondant looks that appetizing anyway.

pretty? yes.
tasty? no.

and, i just peel it off and eat what is beaneath (does everyone else do that? i am under the impression that they do…) now, i am not saying that i am going to turn away any gorgeous fondant covered confections that come my way…come on now…i am just saying that i won’t be making them.

(this cake was vanilla buttermilk spice cake w/ caramel filling and cream cheese frosting. sorry there is no recipe…i am feeling a bit lazy today.)

this was the last cake i made. i have to say the peas are adorbale (if not a tired theme…), though my piping skills leave something to be desired. cute and fun, but not for me. not to say that i’m not cute and fun…ha.

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friendship can be bought…with baked goods

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sometimes i think back to high school and cringe. well, i mostly cringe. when i think back to those times i see myself as a grumpy, chubby (still fit into that category, haha), emotional train wreck. i was wrapped up in my friends and extracurriculars…which included cheerleading (double cringe!), yearbook club, and the school newspaper. sometimes i think i was a rare breed of nerd that you could only find in a rural nevada high school.


there were a few fond memories…and the one that stands out (of course it involves treats) are of a girl that was in my class for a few months freshman year. she was new to town and lived with her grandparents and was in desperate need of friendship. she thought my friends and i were nice enough, so she made us mollasses cookies. i had never had a cookie that beat chocolate chip for me ever. these cookies were soft and chewy and spicy and tasted just like comfort. oh, we would definitely be friends. and yes, my friendship can be bought with baked goods.

i never got the recipe from her and she moved away before the end of the school year, never to be heard from again. but, i don’t doubt that she made even more friends wherever she went with those cookies in her reportoire. i did however come across this recipe from joy the baker and they really did fit into that cookie-comfort catagory. if you love gingery-mollassasy cookies, make these…they will not disapoint.


sugar crusted ginger cookies
adapted from joy the baker.

i didn’t have any ground ginger, so i used fresh. i also subbed the cloves for fresh nutmeg. they turned out pretty yummy and i will be adding them to my holiday cookie baskets. mine did become crunchy the next day, like gingersnaps, which is fine by me. i blame that on altitude and a dry climate however. i also only had a a few tablespoons of turbinado sugar, so i mixed it with some granulated and that was okay too.

2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 cup softened, unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup turbinado sugar for rolling (granulated is fine, and a mixture of the two is okay too!)

preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment.

combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, whisk to combine. in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attatchement beat butter on medium with vrown sugar and spices untile smooth, about 2 minutes. scrape down sides of bowl as needed before adding eggs. add eggs and molasses and mix until well blended and uniform in color, about 1 minute. mix in flour on low unitl just incorporated…you can fold it in by hand if you are worried about overmixing…as i often am.

place turbinado sugar in a shallow bowl and roll about 1 tablespoon of dough (for small cookies, 2tbsps for larger) in the sugar. place dough balls on cookie sheets spaced about 2 inches apart.

bake one sheet at a time until cookies are firm around the edges, soft in the center, and crackly all around. about 10-12 mins for small cookies and 12-14 mins for larger ones. allow to cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. can be stored for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

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happy birthday pal

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this birthday cake was made for my dear friend josh. i’ve known him for about 10 years, but we only became friends when we were college and lived in the same dorms. he taught me how to crochet…something i do poorly, but he does extraordinarily well. i have seen josh change and morph into this really awesome, open person over the years and he truly is one of my greatest friends. snarky, sarcastic, and smart–he is just as loud and opinionated as i am, actually probably more so now…which makes for an interesting, but understanding relationship.


we had a very small party for him and since he just moved in to a new place, some rescue organizing was in order (our friend brooke’s idea). i have to say, he packs like a teenaged boy…sorry josh. everything thrown haphazardly into random boxes…tisk, tisk. how the hell do you know what you have if you can’t find it? that probably explains the many rolls of tape that were unearthed (a shoe box full!) and three large jugs of laundry detergent. his birthday gifts consisted of movers, organizers, cake (duh), and i like to think…obama for president. yay!

since i was already making a chocolate cake for halloween (which i don’t really have decent pictures of…boo), i decided to forgo the third layer and use the extra batter for the b-day boy cake. i used two 6-inch round cake pans. i soaked the layers of chocolate cake in amaretto syrup (he has a deep love for disaronno…a love we share) and added some almond extract to the buttercream and then, i topped the cake with chopped, salted almonds. mmm, chocolate and almond…just heaven. here’s to you josh, i hope your birthday was grand.

sour cream-chocolate cake
adapted from sky high. if you don’t have this book yet, get it. seriously.

i didn’t adjust this recipe for the small cake…sorry you will have to have extra cake. wrap it, freeze it, and viola! more cake for another occasion.

the recipe calls for dutch process cocoa powder, but i used natural because its what i have. it worked fine. from what i understand there is a difference in acid level and color, but i am not sure what other differences there are.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral oil, vegetable or equivilant
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

preheat oven to 350 F. butter the bottoms of two 6-inch round cake pans and line with parchement that has been buttered (do the same for the other pans you use–i used two 8-inch round pans).

sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. whisk to combine. add oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. gradually beat in water. blend in vinegar and vanilla. whisk in eggs until well blended. scrape down sides to make sure batter is well mixed. divide among pans.

bake for 30-35 mins (for 8 inch pans)…i set the timer for 25 mins and began checking the 6-inch rounds at that time. not really much science there, sorry. cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. let cool in the pans for 20 mins and then invert onto wire racks, carefully peeling off parchment. allow to cool completely.

almond buttercream*
also adapted from sh.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

in a small saucepan combin sugar and water. bring to a boil over med heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. continue to boil without stirring, occasionally washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until the syrup reaches soft-ball stage (238 F on a candy thermometer). immediately remove from heat.

in a large mixer bowl, briefly beat eggs on med. slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, pouring it down the sides of the bowl, careful not to hit beaters so as not to splatter the hot syrup. when all of the syrup has been added raise speed to med-high and beat until mixture is very fluffy and cooled to body temp. be patient, this can take 15-20 mins.

reduce mixer speed to med-low and gradulally add softened butter 2-3 tablespoons at a time, beating well in between additions. as your adding the last few tablespoons of butter, the frosting will appear to break, then suddenly come together like whipped butter. beat in almond extract, and then it’s ready!

amaretto syrup
i used disaronno. i heart it…amaretto sours anyone?

1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1/4 cup sugar

melt sugar and amaretto in a small saucepan just until sugar dissolves. cool and brush onto cooled cake layers with a pastry brush.

*okay, so it was brought to my attention that this recipe didn’t work for a reader. dang! i hate that. i added a few more instructions…the eggs are meant to be whole. i thought it was weird too, in fact, i think i like the italian meringue method better. thanks to allison for bringing that to my attention.

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a hopeful day

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i hope that if you can vote and you haven’t already, you go out there and do it. i hope that you have informed yourself (either way) and exercise your right.

i know that i am going to be a ball of nerves and anxiety today…so, if any of you are feeling the same, try to breath, be calm and hope for the best.

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funky little lattice topped tart

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i have to say that the holiday season really kicks off for me with halloween. i just love it. the festive mood, the mix of the sweet and the scary, and all of the nostalgia. halloween really is one of my favorite holidays and the perfect one to begin the holiday season. for me, this is really the holiday to spend with friends (since i don’t have kids…but someday). we usually dress up jezebel, but i didn’t find a fitting costume for luxe this year. jezebel hung out with the dog friend lena…they were a pumpkin and bumble bee, respectively. it is too bad sean didn’t snap any photos of that. i don’t really dress up anymore…i did when i was a kid, but now i just feel silly and impractical. don’t get me wrong, this does not hinder my love for the holiday. i begin decorating well in advance, but my costumes never really come together. this year i did a very loose interpretation of the bride of frankenstein…meaning clothes and jewelry i already have, lots of make-up, and big hair with the tell-tale gray streaking. usually i just wear some sort of animal ears and my normal clothing and call it good.

many, many bags of candy were purchased and pooled in anticipation of the trick-or-treaters, but no little door knockers showed up. last year it was similiar, with only a few kids stopping by…but, let me tell you those kids got lucky because due to kid-to-candy ratio, they made off with a quarter of our supplies each. i was worried that after eating carnitas for dinner, apple tart, and this pb cake (not to mention many beverages for the 21 and over crowd) no one would be in the mood for treats for weeks to come…but sean came to the rescue and promptly ate half of the candy the next day. so dependable.

i have to admit, i bought the dough for the crust of the tart. it was not as good as i would have liked and i anticipated that, but i had a lot on my plate for the day and decided to use a short-cut. i did have a cake, carnitas, and jell-o shots (in four flavors!) to make…so, i hope you will understand. however, if i was to do it right, i would have used the trusty all-butter recipe that i have used in the past. the crust was really thin since my tarte pan is 10-inches and the crusts were 9…that and my laziness explain the funkiness of the lattice top. but, i do kind of think that it added to the holiday charm…a little fugly, but still sweet.

for the apple tart
i liked this tart becuase of the ratio of filling to crust, i think i like it even more than a traditional deep-dish style pie. i guess maybe i’m a rebel?

basically i rolled out the store bought pie crust to fit into my pan and filled it with apple-y goodness and topped that with a lattice, an egg wash and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar. easy…even if you do take the extra time to make the crust. for the apple filling i used about:

4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
a few grates of fresh nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsps of amaretto liquer
1/4 cup brown sugar

then, i mixed it all together in a bowl and dumped it all into the crust. topped it and baked it at 350 F until it was golden and brown and gorgeous.