Before I tell you about these very most favorite of cookies and before I tell you about the post I just deleted, I am happy to tell you that my January, February, and March classes have been announced!  In January’s class, we will be taking some of the most basic foods – pizza, salad, chocolate chip cookies – and making them the very best that we can.  In February, we will be celebrating the winter bounty (yes, I said bounty) that our Pacific Northwest soil brings to us with dishes like shepherd’s pie and beets in a lovely horseradish sauce.  And in March, we will be learning more about Indian food.  Space is very limited, so please let me know soon if you would like a spot.  More information can be found here.

So yes, I deleted a post on purpose.  I was composing a list of the Things You Can Do To Greatly Improve the Flavor of Your Food and I realized, when it was almost done, that I sounded awfully bossy.  At this time of year, when you are likely feeling a little pressure, a little stressed, that you probably didn’t need bossy me telling you what you should and should not be buying and eating.  So we will save that list for another time.

But.  I do have to very gently suggest that you think about your spice rack for a moment.  How old is your cinnamon?  Your ginger?  Your cloves?  If the answer is more than a year or two old, or certainly if you can’t remember when you bought them, I would very gently suggest that you throw away those spices and start over.  Here is the advice I give to students in my classes:  Keep the jars, dump out the contents, and replace with fresh (bulk) spices bought from a reputable place.  In Seattle, you can get terrific spices from World Spice Merchants (also available online), Market Spice and Penzey’s (also available online).  The cost is so low and the payoff is so big.  I can’t tell you what a difference new and fresh spices make in your cooking and baking, especially in a cookie as special as this one.

Every so often I post something here and marvel that I have never told you about it before.  How can this be my fourth Christmas season writing this blog and only the first time mentioning the best gingerbread cookie I have ever tasted?  Who knows.  Sometimes I just can’t make it all work.  Last year, when my baking list was a mile long and I had to be as efficient as possible, I left this cookie off the list.  For some reason, I got it in my head that they were too much work for a super busy season and off they went.  For shame.  They really aren’t any more work than anything else and they are the spiciest most perfectly textured gingerbread ever.  And they are pretty.

This is a recipe from Tartine.  To make the cookies look pretty, you will need a Springerle rolling pin or plaque.  The first year I made this cookie, I trekked down to the Pike Place Market to the original Sur la Table (did you know it started in Seattle?) with the intention to buy a pretty rolling pin.  I am totally one of those people who can’t seem to find time to fold the laundry but can somehow create time to go and purchase an item in an out of the way spot.  Amazon was not an option at that point or not one I knew about.  Anyway.  When I saw that the rolling pins were pricey, and really single use, I decided to go for more of a tile.  Now a quick search on Amazon (I don’t have an affiliate program with them – they just have the best online selection) will turn up all sorts of options.

Of course you can just roll out the dough and use your favorite cookie cutters and dispense with pretty.  We made a couple of gingerbread men with the scraps of the dough and I assure you that they taste no worse than the pretty diamonds you see above.

A few words of advice.  I’ve never made these with a textured rolling pin but if you own or buy a plaque like I have, I can tell you how best to work with this dough.  I roll out the refrigerated dough, press the mold very firmly into the dough, and then use a paring knife to cut around the mold.  Repeat until the dough is used up, re-roll scraps once.  I bake those large diamonds on a baking sheet and as soon as they are out of the oven, I use a larger knife to cut each big diamond into smaller ones.  You do this while the dough is still soft and it gives you a sharper edge then if you cut them separately before baking.  I would imagine that any mold you use will work well using this technique.  Some of my diamonds really held the imprint of the mold and others, not so much.  Don’t worry – they all taste the same.  I have made both the easy and the slightly less easy versions of the icing and I would stick with easy (powdered sugar and water and no candy thermometer).  Just be sure to sift your powdered sugar so you don’t get any lumps.

One Year Ago:  Cranberry Walnut Braid
Two Years Ago:  Smoked Tofu, Le Puy Lentil, and Spinach Salad
Three Years Ago:  Glazed Butter Cookies

Soft Glazed Gingerbread
Tartine
Makes 12 to 20 cookies depending on size of cutters

I’m keeping it simple by just copying the recipe as written in the book.  Feel free to use my tips above or not.  Also, I’m not including the more complicated icing because it’s truly not worth the effort.

Dough
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
4 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup blackstrap or other dark molasses
2 tbsp. light corn syrup

Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. water

To make the dough, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy.  Slowly add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth and soft.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the egg and mix well.

Add the molasses and corn syrup and beat until incorporated.  Stop the mixer again and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until a dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl and all the ingredients are well incorporated.  Remove the dough from the bowl,  flatten it on a large piece of plastic wrap into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, cover the dough with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

Unwrap the dough and place on a floured work surface.  If using a plaque with a design, roll our the dough 1/2-inch thick, lightly dust the op with flour, press your cookie molds over the dough, and then cut out the shapes with a small knife and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.  Alternatively, using the mold as a guide, cut around it with a small knife, flip the mold over so the design is facing you, and place the dough over it, pressing it into the design.  Unmold the shapes onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.

If using a patterned rolling pin, lightly dust the lined baking sheet with flour and transfer the dough to the pan.  Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick with a plain pin.  Then, using the patterned pin, roll over the dough with enough pressure to ensure a clear impression of the design.  Trim the sides with a small knife.  It is not necessary to cut into smaller sizes before baking.

Bake the cookies until lightly golden along the sides but still soft to the touch in the centers, 7 to 15 minutes.  the timing will depend on the size of the individual cookies, or if you have made a single large patterned piece that will be cut after baking.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze.  In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and water utnil smooth.

When the cookies are ready, remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.  Then, while the cookies are still warm, using even strokes, brush a light coat  of glaze on the top of each cookie, evenly coating it.  Let the cookies cool completely.  When the glaze dries, it should leave a shiny opaque finish.  If you have a used a patterned rolling pin to make a single large plaque, cut into the desired shapes with a small very sharp knife.  The cookies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for about 2 weeks.

Some food bloggers have props.  And by props I don’t mean theatre props, like plastic guns and fake mustaches.  I mean table linens and fabric napkins and special forks and pretty plates.  They use these props in photographs that look like mini works of art.  I admire those people who have props and envy those of them who have prop cupboards.  I don’t have props.  I have a few plates that I bought when I first started this blog (the white ones), I have random things I’ve picked up over the years, and I have my everyday plates.  Occasionally, I use my grandmother’s china, like in this post.  You’ve seen all my plates and such ad nauseum.  I do love tableware and in my next life, I will have a collection of lots of different patterns and my photos will be a lot more interesting.

In this state of prop envy, you can probably imagine my delight when my mom brought over this little treat of a platter on Thanksgiving.  It was sitting in her armoire (where there are probably countless other treasures) and it is Limoges.  Old Limoges, mostly likely from my grandmother.  Why it was just sitting in there and why I have never seen it are questions I can’t answer.  No matter.  It’s mine now and I love it.  I find cookies a little hard to photograph – it’s kind of Here they are!  Three or four to a plate!  Round!  Bumpy!  Very similar looking to the ones I made last week!  But I think this little plate might help make them look more appetizing.

So, I have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I link to it all the time.  This is not that recipe.  This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe from Kim Boyce’s book Good to the Grain.  It is a well-loved recipe.  Some people, who I respect immensely, have sung this cookie’s praises.  It was only a matter of time until I made it.  And I am here to tell you that I like this cookie very much.  The dough behaves well and you can use it right after mixing it – no 24-72 hour waiting period like the one you will see with the New York Times recipe.  There is a nice nuttiness that the whole wheat flour brings to this cookie but without those pesky nuts.  Plus, with 100% whole wheat flour and heart healthy bittersweet chocolate, why, this cookie is practically health food.

I would tell you about this cookie anyway – it’s a nice one.  But the real reason I am offering you yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe and the reason I am writing about a recipe that has been written about by better writers and bakers than myself, is because Randy asked me to make these again.  Randy.  My husband who says he does not like chocolate.  This was not a someday request, as in “someday after you’ve made 25 other cookie recipes, make this one again”.  This was a “the cookie jar is almost empty and I’m getting nervous and I want the very same cookies we are about to run out of” request.  November 26th marked the 11th anniversary of our first date and I knew that day that I would marry him.  I did not know that life would be full of surprises like moving to London, having two boys, and requests for unlikely (for him) cookies.

One Year Ago:  Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Two Years Ago:  Spicy Tomato Jam
Three Years Ago:  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies
With very slight changes from Good to the Grain
Makes about 32 cookies

The recipe was written to make huge cookies, I prefer to have plain old large ones instead.  I have three baking sheets, so I baked these on convection all at the same time.  If you only have two, either make the cookies larger, or make them in two batches.

Dry Mix
3 cups whole wheat flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1½ kosher salt

Wet Mix
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼-inch and ½-inch pieces

Place three racks in the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.  (DT: I was out of parchment paper and my cookies released from the sheets just fine.)

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

Add the butter and the sugars to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is combined.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low speed until the flour in barely combined, about 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Remove the bowl from the standing mixer.

Add the chocolate all at once to the batter.  Using your rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate by hand.  Make sure it is evenly incorporated and there are no floury bits on the bottom of the bowl.  Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of dough and place them, three to a row, on the prepared baking sheets.  These cookies spread significantly so be sure to leave enough room.

Bake the cookies for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.  (Rotating is not necessary if you are using convection.)  You want the cookies to be evenly dark brown.  Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a rack.  Boyce says the cookies will keep for 3 days in an airtight container, but they kept for over a week in my cookie jar.

It’s a new school year and we have a new rule in our house.  This rule has to do with treats in lunch boxes.  Although my children have been in some kind of school since they were three years old, I am relatively new to the whole packing-a-lunch thing.  The preschool that Spencer goes to, which is the same one that Graham attended, serves the kids a hot lunch every day.  So in preschool days, I only pack a lunch when there is a field trip.  Packing a lunch – having a lunchbox, getting to drink juice at lunch, my food instead of the school’s – is special for Spencer just as it was for Graham.  I started a tradition in Graham’s first year of  preschool – including a special treat in his lunchbox.  That treat, when packed lunch was something that happened without regularity, was a chocolate kiss.

Once Graham started kindergarten last fall, I wanted to keep up the treat tradition.  As a child, I remember looking forward to lunch even in first grade, and I know my little foodie first grader is the same.  For the first few months of kindergarten, I stuck with the chocolate kiss.  Then, after Halloween, it was a piece of his Halloween candy.  And then Valentine’s Day candy.  And then Easter candy.  And then whatever candy we had lying around the house.  Now, I am fine with my kids eating candy.  I ate candy as a kid and I turned out all right.  But when I would offer him a homemade cookie as a treat and he chose some disgusting artificially flavored and colored thing instead, my feelings got hurt.

Hence the new rule.  It is hereby declared that all treats in lunch boxes must be homemade.  I will relent for a few weeks after Halloween because it is a BIG DEAL for my kids (most kids) but then it’s back to homemade.  I know, for us adults being force to bring a homemade cookie is hardly a hardship but for a 6¾ year-old, it might take some getting used to.

When Randy started his new job in January, I decided to send him in with treats every week.  I was good for the first couple months and then as my classes started getting busier I just couldn’t fit it in.  So it is now my hope that I can combine the lunchbox treat for Graham and the office treat for Randy and still have a few left over for Mommy.

I have a lot of baking books.  And yet, I can sometimes find making cookies uninspiring.  I look at recipes and my thinking is, “yep, seen this all before”, so I resort to tried and true favorites.  There is nothing wrong with those favorites but when I am feeling stuck, I often turn to Martha Stewart’s Cookies.

These cookies could easily fall into the “look pretty but taste boring” category.  But they don’t.  Cashews play a role in one of my all-time favorite cookies and they are wonderful here as well.  There are chunks throughout but you also purée some down with a bit of oil to make your own cashew butter.  The chunks and the butter, combined with the caramel drizzle on top, make for an addictive cookie.  These guys are sticky though.  I made them small so that I would get a large yield and they kind of wanted to just all stick together in one massive cookie.  I’m a little tired these days and finding a plastic container where I could lay them between layers of waxed paper seemed like a little too much effort.  Hence, they went to work with Randy in a foil-wrapped cookie ball and they are sitting in my cookie jar en masse.  You’ve been warned.

One Year Ago:  Cranberry Bean Soup with Farro and Fresh Tomatoes
Two Years Ago:  Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Holly B’s Cappucino Bars
Three Years Ago:  White Beans with Tomatoes and Sage

Cashew Caramel Cookies
Martha Stewart’s Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. coarse salt
2½ cups roasted salted cashews
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. canola oil
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
24 soft caramel candy cubes (7 ounces)
¼ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Sift together flour and salt.  Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside.  Process remaining 1½ cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped.  Pour in oil; process until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture and reserved chopped cashews.

Using a 1½-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten cookies  Bake until bottoms are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Melt caramels with cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring.  Let cool a bit.  Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set.  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature in single layers up to 3 days.

If you come here on a semi-regular basis, there are probably a few things you know about me.  Most likely you know that I am a vegetarian, I love chocolate, I have two young boys, and I live in Seattle.  You may even know that I teach regular cooking classes that are open to the public.  But unless you have attended one of those classes, you probably don’t know this.  Each participant walks out with a Dana Treat.

I know there are lots of cooking classes available these days, both on a grand and small scale.  If you want to learn to cook or learn some new tips or how to work with certain ingredients, there is no shortage of places you can turn to – in Seattle at least.  I like to think that what I offer is a little different.  For example, at the end of each class, after the demonstration is finished, the group moves into our dining room to eat the main course dishes we have prepared.  The line between cooking class and dinner party blurs a bit.  More bottles of wine are opened and people stay past the 9:30 end time – I like that.

I like to begin my classes with a homemade nibble.  Start time is 6:30, almost always on a Thursday, and I know people are coming from work or from hectic home life and they are hungry.  Depending on the class, the first recipe we make and eat could be an hour from start time.  I know people need a snack.  Homemade crackers are a popular choice as are these nuts.  So yes, we start with a nibble and then end with a treat.  A Dana Treat.

When I am hosting a dinner party, I look forward to serving my food to friends.  I anticipate each course, kind of like sharing presents with our guests.  As we are all enjoying dinner and I feel the momentum of the evening settling, no longer diving headlong into the meal but starting to slow, I always get a feeling of sadness that the evening will come to a close.  That is when I am really happy that I have made a dessert.  I have one more thing to share, one more trick up my sleeve.  I love that.  I knew I would have that same sense with my classes.  I love teaching.  I look forward to each class and I put a lot of time into prep and the actual teaching.  At the end of my portion and as class participants are moving into the dining room, I feel a bit of that same sadness.  But wait!  There is still the Dana Treat.

The Treat is what I hand to them as they are putting on their coats, gathering their belongings.  It is a final thank you from me.  Maybe they enjoy it when they get home from class, maybe they save it until the next night, maybe it is breakfast, or maybe they eat it in the car on the way home.  That makes me smile.

This week I taught two Vegetarian Thai classes.  One of them got my most favorite granola as their Treat and the other class got these cookies.  I had the idea that I wanted to do something citrus-y – that that flavor would go well with the Thai food.  I found this recipe in the most recent issue of Bon Appétit.  Lemon, lime, and basil flavor these super simple to make cookies – a perfect sweet after homemade summer rolls, yellow curry, and coconut milk noodles.  I used a bit more basil than called for which is why they are a bit green.

One Year Ago: Asparagus and Caramelized Leek Bread Pudding
Two Years Ago: Fennel and Almond Soup with Saffron and Ricotta Dumplings
Three Years Ago: Mushroom Pearl Pasta with Sweet Peas and Goat Cheese
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Lemon-Lime Basil Shortbread Cookies
Bon Appétit
Makes about 16

Yes!  I am aware this entire recipe is in italics.  Sorry about that.  I cannot seem to fix it.

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar, plus more more pressing cookies
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks
2 tbsp. sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. finely grated lime zest
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, butter, basil, both zests, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor.  Pulse until large moist clumps form.  Measure level tablespoonfuls of dough; roll between your palms to form balls.  Place on a large baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.  Lightly dust the bottom of a flat measuring cup with powdered sugar and press cookies into 2-inch rounds., dusting cup bottom with powdered sugr as needed to prevent sticking.  Sprinkle tops of cookies with sanding sugar, if using.

Bake until edges are brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.

In my house growing up, we had two cookie jars.  One was traditional looking (photo in this post) and sat out on the counter.  It held all the things my brothers and I took in ZipLoc bags in our lunch boxes and also were occasionally allowed to have as an after school treat.  Most of the time, they were homemade treats but as my mom got busier (she went back to school to get a nursing degree when my youngest brother was just a baby), often times that cookie jar held store-bought cookies.  We didn’t care – sweet was sweet.

The other cookie jar was just a large glass jar with a white screw-top lid and it sat in a cabinet beneath the stove.  There was only ever one thing in that jar and it was Mandlebrot.  We pronounced it “mandel bread” and it was one thing my mom made consistently throughout my childhood.  Like all good bakers, she was always trying out new cookies, cakes, and brownies, but she made Mandlebrot several times a month.  It was my dad’s favorite after-dinner treat and I have very clear memories of him going down to that cabinet, taking out the jar, unscrewing the lid, taking two pieces onto a small plate, and sitting at the table with the paper or The New Yorker. If my dad likes something, especially if it is sweet, he tends to suck on it rather than chew it.  He could make those two slim cookies last for the better part of an hour.

My relationship with my father’s favorite cookie was a little more complicated.  There were a few problems.  First, there is no chocolate to be found here which is problematic for a chocolate lover.  Second, there are lots of nuts to be found here and (let’s say it all together, shall we?), I don’t like nuts in my sweets.  Third, these aren’t very sweet.  To my adult palate, that is actually welcome but when you are nine years old, cookies are supposed to be sweet.  The thing that kept me coming back to sit at that table with him and take my own Mandelbrot out of the special jar was the texture.

The ends are crisp, almost a little smoky tasting.  I am the person who likes the slightly burnt kernels in the popcorn bowl and who, back in the days when I ate marshmallows around  a campfire, used to burn them black, eat off the outer black part, and burn them again, so I like those edges.  But the middle is what really brought me back each night until that jar was empty.  Soft, a bit chewy even with the nuts giving you a pleasant crunch.

After not having Mandelbrot for close to 20 years, I recently asked my mom for the recipe.  She wrote it out in her lefty-looking handwriting and I’ll tell you, it’s a good thing I know a thing or two about baking.  Copied off a 3×5 card from her ancient recipe box, it offers next to no instructions besides ingredients, baking temperature, and baking time.  Having made my fair share of biscotti, I was able to figure it out.  Having waited 20 years to make them, I am now officially kicking myself for not making them 19 years sooner.

This is a sophisticated cookie.  Not hit-you-over-the-head-with-flavor cookie.  Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or served alongside a cheese plate.  I make so few of the recipes from my childhood since our dinners were mostly focused around meat.  I’m thrilled to be able to share this with all of you.

One Year Ago: Asparagus and Grilled Shiitake with Soy Vinaigrette, Crisp Sage Tempura
Two Years Ago: Oven-Fried Rice Balls, Mexican Pizza with Corn and Tomatillos
Three Years Ago: Paparadelle with Herbs and a Poached Egg

Mandelbrot
Makes about 3 dozen

Traditionally, this recipe is made with either almonds or a mix of almonds and walnuts.  I used pistachios and walnuts in this batch because I was out of almonds.  Use what you have.  I also over-baked this batch a bit, so be sure to watch yours carefully.

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1½ cups almonds or a mix of almonds and walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375ºF with the racks in the middle and bottom position.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix together the eggs and sugar until combined well.  Add the extracts and mix to blend again.  Pour in the oil and carefully mix so that you don’t splatter oil.  Sprinkle on the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined.  Stir in the nuts by hand with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.  The dough will be sticky, almost the consistency of Play-Doh.

Scoop out roughly a quarter of the dough and form it into a log about 2-3 inches wide and an inch or so high.  Use a rubber spatula to help you guide it into shape.  Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing two logs on each sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until barely golden brown.

Remove the sheets from the oven and allow to sit for a minute.  One a time and using a serrated knife, cut each log into ½-inch thick slices.  Lay the slices back on the baking sheets and put them back in the oven.  Bake for 7 minutes, remove and flip all the cookies over, and bake for another 7 minutes.  You want the cookies to be barely golden brown around the edges but still pale in the center.  Remove the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely.

The other day I was talking with my friend Julie about pedestrian tastes.  Like, no matter how much you love food and no matter how great your palate is, there are some pedestrian things that you just love.  Pedestrian as in low-brow, even a little trashy perhaps.  I remember reading that Jeffrey Steingarten – food columnist for Vogue, judge on Iron Chef, and food snob extraordinaire – always travels with a stash of Milky Way bars because they are his favorite and he wouldn’t want to be stranded somewhere without one.  Now, I am not a food columnist or a judge for a TV show but I can be kind of a food snob.  But boy, do I love Chex Mix.  And Kettle Korn.  And while I have not stepped foot in a McDonalds in probably 15 years, I still remember their fries as being some of the best I have ever tasted.  And speaking of fries  – Red Robin.  Love them.

So here we are.  This is a no-bake slightly white-trash morsel disguised as something fancier.  Rice Krispies made round with peanut butter (Jif brand if you are me) and sugar, rolled in melted white chocolate and dusted with sprinkles.  I made a double batch of them so I would have enough for last weekend’s yoga retreat and for various treat-needing functions.  My boys eyed them in a “I don’t know what that is but it has sprinkles on it, so I will try it” kind of way and then gave me their highest praise.  “You’re a good cooker Mommy!”

By the way, check back Tuesday and Thursday this week for more giveaways.  And you have one more day to enter to win the Guy Fieri cookbook.

One Year Ago: Chickpeas with Lemon and Pecorino Romano and Potato Salad with Snap Peas
Two Years Ago: Moroccan Carrot and Hummus Sandwiches and Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Chickpeas, and Cumin

White Bark Balls
The Essential New York Times Cookbook
Makes about 3 dozen balls

1½ cups Rice Krispies
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¾ pound white chocolate
Colored sugar for sprinkling (optional)

1.  Combine the Rice Krispies, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and butter in a medium bowl, and mix until very well combined.  Firmly compress into balls 1½ inches in diameter.  Place on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours, or overnight.

2.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper.  Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring until completely smooth.  Pour the chocolate into a wide shallow bowl.  Working quickly, in small batches, roll the chilled balls in the chocolate, turning gently with a fork.  Transfer to wax paper.  If desired, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with colored sugar.

3.  Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator long enough for the chocolate to become firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour, then transfer the ball to an airtight container.  (The balls can be stored in a cool place for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.)

One of the great joys of having children is reading childrens’ books.  When we found out I was pregnant with Graham, we each bought our favorite from our childhood to start our baby’s collection.  Randy bought Where the Wild Things Are and I bought Madeline.  Having two boys, we have read the former much more often than the latter.

In addition to all the ones I know and love from my childhood, we have been introduced to so many new classics.  There is Knuffle Bunny (by the same author as Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! – another favorite), How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, Too Many Toys, and so many others.  Some of them are pure sweetness, others make me laugh.  One in particular, Bad Kitty, is hilarious.  A cat-owning family runs out of cat food and using the alphabet, describes all the healthy food that they bought for the kitty (asparagus, beets, cauliflower, dill).  Then, again using the alphabet, it goes through all the terrible things the cat does in anger (ate my homework, bit Grandma, clawed the curtains, devoured my new book).  Lo and behold, the family buys the right kind of food (an assortment of anchovies, buffalo burrito, chicken cheesecake, a donkey named Dave), and Bad Kitty does all kind of nice things (apologized to Grandma, bought me new toys, cleaned her cat box, drove me to school).  It is well illustrated and really funny.

We also have Poor Puppy by the same author.  All Poor Puppy wants to do is play with Bad Kitty who won’t have anything to do with him, so he dreams of around the world adventures and games he will someday play with his feline pal (quoits in Qatar for example).  Throughout the book the phrase “poor puppy” is repeated many time.  Poor poor poor puppy.

Why on Earth am I talking about this book and showing your photos of Snickerdoodles and the cookie jar from my childhood?  Randy has been in a “poor Randy” phase for the past couple of days.  This happens sometimes when I am really busy with cooking.  Just this past weekend, I catered two parties and taught two brunch classes.  In 48 hours.  Poor Randy says things like, “You cook for all these other people, why not for me?” or – my favorite – “Why are there no cookies in the cookie jar?  You used to always have cookies in the cookie jar.”  Poor Randy.  Poor poor poor Randy.

So in between the loading and unloading of my car, the set-up and take down of two parties, and the clean-up and destruction of my kitchen, I made these cookies.  Snickerdoodles were always a favorite in my house growing up.  I’m not sure how something that looks so unassuming can taste so good but they do.  My sister-in-law gave us some last weekend and they were perfect.  Soft, cakey, not too sweet, and lots of cinnamon.  She found this gem on All Recipes and this is now my go-to for Snickerdoodles.  I tinkered with the method a bit and with the baking time and temp, but otherwise, I give all credit to Mrs. Sigg – whoever she may be.

One Year Ago: Swiss Chard Tart with Goat Cheese, Currants, and Pine Nuts
Two Years Ago: Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime

Mrs. Sigg’s Snickerdoodles
Adapted from All Recipes
Makes about 48

I didn’t feel like forming 48 cookies, so I made mine much larger and got about 24.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2¾ cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Beat the eggs in one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Add the vanilla and beat one minute.  Add the flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt and mix until combined well.

Mix the two tablespoons of sugar with the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.  Using a tablespoon (or a soup spoon) scrape out bits of dough and roll into balls.  Roll the balls in the sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard.  Remove immediately from baking sheets and cool on a rack.

I have a wonderful friend and neighbor whose name is Julie.  Her house is almost exactly the same as mine, just everything is flip flopped.  (They were built by the same person.)  She is a foodie extraordinaire.  She is totally up on all the new restaurants in our city and beyond.  She does incredible amounts of research when she travels and is the type of person who will go way out of her way to find the perfect baguette in Paris.  (I am the same way.)  Julie is an enthusiastic and tremendous cook.  Our kitchens complement each other well.  It seems that whatever I don’t have, she does and vice versa.  Our texts to each other are not, “Can I borrow a cup of sugar?” but “Do you have an extra mini muffin pan?” or “What size pastry tips do you have?”

On top of all that fun stuff, Julie is a very kind and generous person.  She is incredibly quick to offer her help whether it is with cooking classes, catering, or just getting Graham off the bus now and then.  I deeply deeply appreciate her.  A few months ago, she borrowed my Baked cookbook and found a lot of inspiration there.  As a thank you to her for help with a recent party, I bought her the new one, Baked Explorations.  Very soon after, she made these malted cookies.  She brought a few over for us to try one morning.  I left them on the counter, went about my day, and came home only to find that my husband had eaten them.  All of them.  And then he had the nerve to rave about them.  They have been on my mind ever since.

I have a good relationship with the flavor of malt.  When I was a kid my mom would sometimes make us a chocolate malted in the blender.  I loved them.  To this day, the smell that comes from my blender, even if I am puréeing soup, reminds me of those malteds.  (Side note: What is that smell and why does the same smell come from every blender?)  One of my very favorite candies, the one I cannot resist, is the candy coated chocolate malt balls that the Easter bunny brings.

So, you would think I would have made these Malted Milk Sandwich Cookies the very next day.  But theses are roll-out-and-cut cookies which are not my favorite.  Just the added fuss of pulling out the rolling pin, flouring the board, refrigerating the dough can feel like too much in my already busy kitchen.  I am happy to tell you that this dough is very well behaved and the cookies are super easy to make.  The dough is quite sticky, even after a good rest in the refrigerator, but with enough flour I was able to shape these easily.  Much more so than Christmas cookies.

One Year Ago:  Pizza Bianca
Two Years Ago:  Tropical Gazpacho

Malted Milk Sandwich Cookies
Baked Explorations
Makes about 30 sandwich cookies

For the cookies
4 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup malt powder
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the vanilla filling
5 ounces vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, at room temperature
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. light rum

Make the cookies
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, malt, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at at time, beating until each is incorporated.  Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.  Add half of the dry ingredients all at once and beat for 15 seconds.  Again scrape down the bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.  The mixture should come together almost in a ball.

Loosely shape the dough into two balls, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide each dough ball in half, to make four portions.  Place on portion on a lightly flour-dusted work surface and return the other three to the refrigerator.

Roll out the dough so that it is ¼-inch thick.  The dough will be sticky, so you may have to flip and lightly flour it a few times while you work.  Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to create the sandwich tops and bottoms, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space around each cookie.  Extra dough scraps can be refrigerated and rerolled once more, if desired.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just slightly browned.  Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.  use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.  While the cookies cool, prepare the filling.

Make the vanilla filling
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and butter until lump free and smooth.  Add the sugar in three parts, mixing each part until just combined.  Add the salt, vanilla, and rum and beat again for 10 seconds.  The filling should be thick but spreadable (like the inside of an Oreo).  If it is too thick, add a drop or two of water as needed.  Keep adding water to reach desired consistency, but do not add too much or the filling will be too thin.

Alternatively, if the mixture is too thin, add a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar.

Assemble the Malted Milk Sandwich Cookies
Use a pastry bag or a small spoon to apply about 2 tablespoons of filling to the flat side of a cookie.  Place another cookie, flat side down, on top.  Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie.  Repeat until all the sandwich cookies are made.  Let them set up for about 15 minutes before serving.  Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I’ve spent a lot of my adult life in the kitchen.  I’ve taught myself to cook and bake by reading good books and through practice.  Over time, I have learned to trust myself.  If something sounds wrong in a recipe, I trust my gut and I am usually right.  I have learned tricks and short cuts and generally accepted practices.  Once in a while, I get humbled.

Nancy Bagget’s The All American Cookie Book is a book I turn to over and over for cookie inspiration.  Her recipes are incredibly well-researched and written with that perfect mixture of clarity but not condescension.  I have never made anything less than delicious from that book.  In looking for a new treat, I decided on Chocolate Espresso White Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  As I was making them, I started composing this post in my head.  (If you have a food blog, tell me you do this as well.)  I was planning on titling it “Pulling a Fast One” and talking about how something Randy hates (coffee) and something Randy loves (white chocolate) are in one cookie and that the white chocolate managed to disguise the coffee.  But then I ignored Bagget’s advice to allow three inches between each cookie on the sheet and I also ignored her advice to lay parchment paper on the baking sheets.  Which meant that many of the cookies stuck and many of them oozed into one another.

Did it matter?  Only in the looks department.  I know white chocolate is something that makes some chocolate lovers turn up their noses.  According to that kind, it’s not real chocolate.  I myself am not nearly so snobby.  Sure, I prefer the brown version, but I do think that white chocolate can play a nice role in a cookie – especially one that is so intense with the flavor of bittersweet chocolate held together with the just the smallest amount of flour.  The white stuff distracts you for a moment, takes away from the richness but in a good way.  Much the way that nuts would do, if I let nuts near my cookies.

Randy’s response?
“I know I say I don’t like chocolate, but this is a really good cookie.”
“There is coffee in there.”
“Hmmm.  Doesn’t matter, I don’t taste it.”

Fast one pulled.

One Year Ago: Cucumber Raita and Grilled Haloumi Cheese and Lemon
Two Years Ago: Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey

Chocolate Espresso White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The All-American Cookie Book
Makes about 20 cookies

I actually doubled this recipe and got 36 large cookies.  It is essential here to use great chocolate.

5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, broken or coarsely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. instant espresso powder or granules, dissolved in 1 tbsp. hot water
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
8 ounces top-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate and butter on 100-percent power for 1 minutes. Stir well.  Continue microwaving on 50-percent power, stirring at 30-second intervals.  Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job.  (Alternatively, in small, heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over lowest heat, stirring frequently; be very careful not to burn.  Immediately remove from the heat.)  Let cool to warm.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour and cocoa powder; set aside.  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium then high speed, beat together the sugar, salt, eggs, espresso mixture, and vanilla for 2 to 3 minutes, or until well blended, slightly thick, and lightened.  Beat in the melted chocolate mixture, then the flour mixture, until well blended.  Stir in the white chocolate until evenly incorporated.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 1½ hours, or until firm enough to shape.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into quarters.  Divide each quarter into 5 or 6 equal pieces.  Shape then into balls with lightly greased hands.  Place on baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart.  Pat down the balls just slightly.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 9 to 12 minutes, or until barely firm when pressed in the centers.  Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway thought baking to ensure even browning.  Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.  Slide the cookies, still attached to the parchment paper, onto a wire rack.  Let stand until completely cooled.  Carefully peel the cookies from the parchment.

These cookies are best when fresh but may be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen up to 1 month.

Remember those Danish butter cookies?  The kind that come in the blue tin?  I LOVED those cookies as a kid.  We used to get them every year around the holidays and we would slowly make our way through them.  I liked the round ones with the grooves but the rectangular shaped ones with the sugar were my favorite.

The only time I ever see those cookies these days is when we go to cut down our Christmas tree.  We have gone to several different farms over the years and all of them seem to have bad coffee, overly sweet hot cider, and tins of those cookies.  My kids go nuts over them and even though my palate is much more sophisticated than it once was, I still like those buttery cookies.

Making these Simple Sweet Diamants was an exercise in K.I.S.S.  I trust you are familiar with this term.  Keep It Simple Stupid.  Or Keep It Simple Silly since, in our house, stupid is a bad word.  Anyway.  I feel like I’ve been making a lot of aggressively flavored treats recently.  Most of the time, I would pick a cookie laden with stuff over a simple one.  I had the Compost Cookie at Momofuku’s Milk Bar a couple of years ago and OMG was it good.  This simple butter cookie is about the opposite of that one.  But as we all know, sometimes simple is best.

One Year Ago: Chickpea, Chard, and Couscous Soup
Two Years Ago: Orange Pound Cake

Simply Sweet Diamants
Baking for All Occasions
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

My only quibble with this recipe was the yield.  I was supposed to get 5 dozen but looking at the quantity of ingredients, I didn’t see how that was possible.  I doubled the recipe and got 5 dozen.

6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, soft
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1¾ cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup pearl or sanding sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla on the lowest speed until creamy and well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.  Maintaining the same speed, add the flour and salt and mix just until combined.

Divide the dough into thirds.  On a clean work surface, roll each piece into a log 1¼ inches in diameter.  (DT: This dough is extremely crumbly so I found it impossible to roll it out that much.  Furthermore, I had to shape it more into a cube rather than a roll to keep it from cracking.)  Wrap the logs separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours or up to 2 weeks.  For longer storage, overwrap with aluminum foil, label the contents and date, and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, so you can get a second pan ready while the first one is baking.

Remove the logs from the refrigerator.  Spread the pearl sugar in a large rectangular pan.  One at a time, brush each log with the egg white, and then roll in the pearl sugar to coat evenly.  Press lightly so the sugar sticks to the dough.  Using a sharp knife, cut 1 dough log into slices 1½-inch thick.  Place the slices on a prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.

Bake the cookies just until they are ivory colored on top and lightly golden on the bottom, about 12 minutes.  Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining logs.

Stack the cooled cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 10 days.