PB&J Cookies

Everything we like about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a cookie. Genius.  I remember PB&J sandwiches were my favorites in grade school.  I loved how by the time lunch time rolled around, the jelly had soaked into the bread, turning it a nice rosey color. Also, how the sweetness of the jelly was such a nice counterpart to the salty peanut butter.  I doubt I had that kind of culinary insight at eight years old but I do know I loved them.

As an adult it is rare that I have a PB&J sandwich.  A piece of toast in the morning with a smear of peanut butter is an occasional breakfast to get me out the door.  The Husband on the other hand, eats them all the time for dinner.  Am I a bad wife that I allow such a thing and don't see that we have dinner on the table every night after work?  No I am not.  He loves the PB&J.  So these cookies are for The Husband.  Because he never expects that I'll cook for him but is always appreciative when I do! 

P.S.  The Tazo Zen Green Tea is another one of my favorite teas for sipping on leisurely Sunday afternoons.

PB&J Cookies

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Jelly or jam flavor of your liking

Cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Add the egg and beat just until combined. In a separate bowl, add the flour, soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Place heaping tablespoonfuls, 2-3 inches apart on baking sheets and lightly press with your thumb. Fill hole with jelly. Bake at 375º for 8-10 minutes. The jelly should set as it cools.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.

Soft Sugar Cookies

I am so very late posting this recipe for soft sugar cookies as you can clearly see by the theme of the cookies I made.  But here is the thing.  This recipe will be just perfect for St. Patrick's Day shamrocks or Easter Egg cookies, right?? 

What a perfect cookie recipe this turned out to be.  The cookie dough is a cinch to put together and extremely easy to work with when rolling and cutting.  And the frosting is just a very simple buttercream that can be dyed in any color you want.  It makes a whole lot of cookies, 5 or 6 dozen depending on the size of the cookies.  I haven't tried it, but I imagine this recipe could be cut in half or you could probably freeze half the dough if you didn't want to bake them all at once. 

Their taste is superb and when I took them to work for Valentine's Day, they were gone in a matter of an hour. Seriously.  Keep this in your recipe repertoire if you need a good, basic sugar cookie for all occasions.

Soft Sugar Cookies

For the Cookies:

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups sour cream
For the Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Food coloring, optional
Sprinkles, optional
Directions:
1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

3. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a little sticky and that is ok. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1½ inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats; set aside.

5. Lightly flour the countertop and the top of the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, until cookies are slightly golden around the edges. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Cook cookies completely before frosting.

6. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla extract. Slowly beat in powdered sugar and the pinch of salt. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at medium-high speed for a minute or two until light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired, and beat until combined.

7. Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles, if desired. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container.

Messing With A Good Thing

There are some things in life and in the kitchen that shouldn't be messed with.  One of them I have discovered, is the original Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  One of the first things I remember cooking on my own was this classic cookie.  It wasn't entirely a success though.  Somehow in my inexperience I only added 2 Tbsp. of flour to the dough instead of the 2 cups called for.  The cookies turned into paper thin, burned pancake like things and it was a very disappointing experience.  Nevertheless, I got back on that horse and have continued cooking and culinary experimentation ever since. 

Recently I tried a new chocolate chip recipe I saw demonstrated on the PBS show America's Test Kitchen.  I am a big fan of both this show and their well thought out recipes.  Rarely am I disappointed with the results.  This time I have to say I wasn't so pleased with the end product. 

The difference in this chocolate chip cookie recipe from the classic is the technique of using browned melted butter instead of the traditional creamed butter with the sugar.  The taste of the cookies were pretty good but the texture is what I didn't like.  They rose quite high and when cooled, they were very hard.  I prefer a soft, chewy cookie. 

The extra time and effort it took to brown the butter just didn't seem worth the cookie in the end. I have to suggest that it is sometimes better not to mess with a good thing.  I am going to post my adaptation of the recipe for those of you who feel like experimenting.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 stp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

Heat oven to 375 deg.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk flour and baking soda together and set aside.

Heat 10 Tbsp. of butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat until melted, about 2 minutes.  Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, approximately 1-3 minutes.  Remove skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining 4 Tbsp butter until completely melted. 

Add both sugars, salt and vanilla in a bowl with the butter and beat until fully incorporated.  Add egg and yolk and mix until mixture is smoooth with no sugar lumps remaining.  Let mixture stand 3 minutes then whisk for 30 seconds.  Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixutre is thick, smooth and shiny.  Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, giving dough a final stir to ensure there are no flour pockets remaining.

Put dough on parchment paper lined baking trays in 1 Tbsp. portions.  Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, approximately 10 minues.  Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack.  Cool cookies completely before serving.

A Snappy Cookie

I found this ginger snap cookie recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks called English Traditional Recipes - A Heritage of Food and Cooking and wanted to give them a try because they use one of my favorite ingredients called treacle. Treacle is a syrup that is similar to our corn syrup but it has a far greater depth of molasses flavor and it is wonderful in place of honey on toast or English muffins. I have used it in a number of recipes in the past in place of corn syrup and it adds a whole new dimension of flavor. I have never had any trouble finding treacle on my grocery store shelves, usually somewhere around the syrups. I'm sure it can also be ordered on line at multiple sites who sell English food products. It's a wonderful addition to my pantry. Ginger Snaps

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup treacle (corn syrup may substitute)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Gently heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool slightly.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and ginger and stir in the the butter mixture to make a very soft dough. With a teaspoon, make balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet, well spaced apart. Flatten each ball slightly with a spatula. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes until just golden brown. Leave to cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and crisp up. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Shrewsbury Biscuits

While thumbing through one of my English cookbooks I found an interesting sounding cookie recipe called Shrewsbury Biscuits. They originate from the area of Shrewsbury in England and like so many recipes from that wonderful country, they have a long history and there are many renditions for these cookies. As I investigated on the Internet further, I found some recipes had currants and various spices included. I liked the fact that in this recipe the ingredients were simple enough, flour, sugar, butter, lemon rind and egg yolks. The picture of them looked so delightful I just had to try my hand at making them.

They were very simple but the dough was less than malleable when first put together so I added about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice so that it would hold together while rolling out and it worked just fine. I think these will be wonderful with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea. They have a light texture with just a hint of lemon flavor.

The Husband thinks they are too plain and that they need an inch of frosting on top of them. I say that the next time he bakes some cookies, he can frost them any old way he would like!Shrewsbury Biscuits

3/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature
2 egg yolks
2 cups flour
lemon rind from 1 lemon

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add flour and lemon rind and beat until batter holds together in a stiff dough. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3 inch floured cookie cutter and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 11 minutes until just golden in color. Place on wire racks to cool completely. Makes 24 biscuits.

Thumbprint Cookies

We are getting down to the end of our cookie baking for the Christmas baskets. Two more to go after these little gems called Thumbprint Cookies. Here's the deal though. I didn't use the suggested thumb to make them. I used the end of my lemon reamer, dipped in sugar. It worked superbly to make the dent required to be filled with the jam of your choice. My choice was raspberry preserves and I think they turned out very well.
Thumbprint Cookies

2/3 cup butter at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts of choice (I used pecans)

1/3 cup jam of choice (I used raspberry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt. Gradually stir in flour.

Form dough into 1 inch diameter balls. Dip in lightly beaten egg whites, then roll in nuts. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Press down center of each cookie with thumb and fill with 1/2 tsp of jam. Bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

My Favorite Christmas Cookie

We all had our favorite on the Christmas cookie plate and mine, besides my own special angel cutout cookie, were these Orange Slice Cookies. I just loved the slight spice of cinnamon and the brown sugar flavor with the surprise of small pieces of orange slice candy mingled in every bite. I recently asked my mom for the recipe as I have never attempted to bake them before.

They turned out to be a very simple cookie to make, the only exception was the cutting of the orange slice candies. The batter can be made easily without using a mixer and the frosting too can be mixed by hand but I used my portable mixer to ensure the butter was fully incorporated. The orange slice candy does take a few minutes to cut up and it is important to make sure your knife or scissors are dipped in powdered sugar frequently so the candy doesn't stick to them.

Tasting these cookies again let me take a step back into my happy childhood!

Orange Slice Bars

4 eggs well beaten

2 cups brown sugar

1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup diced orange slice candies (cut into a sifter of powdered sugar - once all cut, shake off sugar)

1/2 cups nuts (optional)

Orange Frosting

3 Tbsp softened butter

3 Tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tsp grated orange rind

1 1/3 cups sifted powdered sugar

Mix all these ingredients together to make a smooth frosting.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Blend together eggs, brown sugar and orange juice. Add flour, salt and cinnamon and mix just until blended. Fold in orange slice candies and nuts.Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Frost cookies and cut into squares.

Snowballs

Snowball cookies, AKA Mexican Wedding Cakes, AKA Russian Teacakes, AKA Dad's Favorites. They have a variety of names and are obviously popular in a number of countries around the world.

A Christmas didn't go by at our house growing up when these delicate little morsels weren't included on the cookie plate. They were my dad's favorites and when I made them I thought of him and felt some melancholy knowing that we would spend Christmas without him. He is always in our hearts.

Snowball Cookies

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped or ground nuts (almonds, pecans or walnuts work well)

1/4 tsp salt

Additional powdered sugar for rolling cookies after they are baked

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, nuts and salt; mix until dough forms into a ball. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly. Roll in powdered sugar. Let set until completely cool and then reroll in powdered sugar. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Christmas Spritz Cookies

Here is another Christmas cookie favorite from my baking bonanza. My mom always made these and she patiently pressed them out of their magic cookie press in a variety of shapes, including trees, wreaths and stars and they were always embellished with food coloring in the dough and colored sugars and cinnamon candies.

Sometime over the years I bought a Spritz cookie press and haven't used it for a very long time until today. I dug it out of the basement, washed if off, made the incredibly easy dough and shoved it into the press. Well, this is where it got difficult. Oh my, how did my mother make those dozens of cookies? My experience was that the dough either wouldn't come out at all or it came out in huge globs of unidentifiable shapes. I patiently put it back in and started over and finally got two dozen of semi-identifiable tree shapes which I did the obligatory sprinkle of sugar and topped with a cinnamon dot. Once baked they looked fine and I think no one will have any trouble recognizing old Tannenbaum.

Post Script: I just read Martha Stewart's daughter Alexis's blog and she threw her spritz cookie press in the dumpster after her attempt at making these cookies. Let me add that as demonstrated by her amazing blog pictures she is a phenomonel baker so I don't feel so bad about my difficulties.

Spritz Cookies

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add flour. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 2-3 minutes. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes, 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool on racks.

M&Mmmmmm Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is a nice variation on your basic peanut butter cookie. Make them chock full of M&Ms and salted peanuts. How bad can that be? (I know dear, you hate that question.) These cookies go together very quickly and would certainly make delicious lunch box cookies for the kids for a special treat.

M&M Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup M&Ms

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and peanut butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour and baking soda and mix well. Stir in M&Ms and peanuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon on ungreased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes then remove from baking sheets onto wire racks.

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

It's a good thing we had an extra hour due to our annual Fall time change because I needed it the day I made these very time-consuming cookies. I think in the end though, the effort was worth it as they turned out delightfully! The recipe is called Chocolate Mint Delights but I want to call them Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies. When they were finished they reminded me of those little Andes chocolate after dinner mints wrapped in green foil.

Here's where I made my mistake. The recipe called for a two inch cookie cutter and I decided it would be nice to have little bite sized cookies so I used a one inch cutter. This decision caused me to have to have to roll out and cut and fill so many more cookies. In total, using a one inch cutter, I got 50 sandwich cookies in all. On the bright side, there will be plenty to go around in my gift baskets.

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

Cookie Dough

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Mint Cream Filling

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

2 drops green food color

In medium bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, cocoa and salt until well blended. In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then vanilla until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture until just combined. Divide the dough into four portions, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, until firm.

Make cream filling by beating shortening, corn syrup and extracts with mixer until blended. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in food color until blended.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with nonstick spray or cover with parchment paper or silpac sheet. On a floured board with a floured rolling pin, roll out 1 portion of dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. If desired use a toothpick to poke a decorative design in each cookie. (I skipped this part.) Bake 9-12 minutes or until firm when touched. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
When cookies are cool, spread 1 teaspoon of filling on half the cookies. Top the remaining cookies, pressing gently to sandwich together.

Spicy and Sweet Molasses Men

Men of the world take note. You should all strive to be more like these little fellows - spicy and sweet and easy to manipulate!

These cookies are a variation on the traditional gingerbread dough as they are much sweeter with the addition of some good molasses. They do still have that nice spice flavor using cinnamon, ground ginger and cloves. The dough was very malleable and easy to roll out and cut and the house was filled with the wonderful aroma of spices as they baked.

I did cheat for the frosting and purchased some pre-made royal icing which I found at my local cooking store. It made the decorating process a snap. As you see I didn't make things very complicated. You just can't have Christmas cookies without a few gingerbread men to grace your tray or basket.

Spicy and Sweet Molasses Men
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg and blend well. Add all the remaining cookie ingredients; mix well. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 1-3 hours for easier handling.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a well floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out with floured cookie cutters, brush off excess flour and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cool completely. Decorate as desired and let icing set completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies.