Category Archives: Baking

Wacky Wedding Cookies

Posted on July 24, 2008 | Leave a comment

Although everything was beautiful, the highlight of a recent wedding I attended was the endless amount of cookies. I can count at least 12 varieties in this picture alone, but there had to be more than 20 kinds continuously replenished at the dessert table all night.

It was truly a legendary feat by the mother and aunt of the bride, who must have been baking cookies for nearly a month. The only problem: sickness induced by washing down too many of these treats with open-bar alcohol. Ughhhhhhh.

A couple of my favorites were:

The Mouse

  • Hershey’s Kiss face
  • Almond ears
  • Oreo base
  • Chocolate-covered cherry body and tail

The Hamburger

  • Shortbread bun with real sesame seeds
  • Frosting condiments
  • Mint chocolate cookie burger patty

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Baking, Curiosities, Dessert, Events, Travel

Tagged , ,

Chocolate Chip Perfection

Posted on February 6, 2008 | 2 Comments

Back in the day, my Aunt Dolly made THE BEST Toll House cookies. They were somehow both chewy and crumbly at the same time and just sweet enough to be completely addictive.

Until now, I’ve had little luck in replicating her success, even as the same recipe she used calls out tauntingly from every package of Toll House morsels I buy. And I buy quite a few.

Although I can’t be sure which of the following factors was responsible for my recent breakthrough, it probably had a lot to do with a certain extra presence in the kitchen:

  • My wife baked with me. Even though she likes to steal batter at every step in the process, I have to admit: she’s got the gift of mix. It probably helps that she doesn’t over-measure the ingredients, a mistake that I, as a member of the “more is awesome” school of baking, tend to make.
  • I defrosted the (unsalted) butter in the microwave. Not only do I now realize that butter is infinitely better than margarine in baking, I’m convinced that the consistency of the butter (i.e. softened, not melted) is the key.
  • We used small spoonfuls. Again, it was my wife who urged caution when I began dropping ice-cream-scoop sized portions onto the cookie sheet.

The result: some damn fine cookies. Maybe not as good at my aunt’s, but as close as I’m ever going to get.

Ahem… close as we’re ever going to get.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Baking

Tagged ,

The Great Cookie Klatch

Posted on December 18, 2007 | 1 Comment

img_1377.jpg

No, I’ve never heard of a klatch before either.

But when I looked it up last week after receiving an invitation to the above office event, I immediately dug the idea. After all, who doesn’t love an informal gathering, as for conversation?

For my cookie contribution, I used a recipe from a Mrs. Field’s cookbook that I’ve had forever (I think I stole it from my mom). Although I’ve tried a couple of the book’s other concoctions – with varying degrees of success – I’d never attempted the classic Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Unlike the delectable, store-baked Mrs. Fields, these didn’t turn out so great. They had a good, chewy consistency (I finally got the butter part right!), but the taste was a bit off. I think there was too much brown sugar.

Other klatch batches included:

  • Holiday shaped sugar cookies
  • Other chocolate chip cookies
  • Peanut butter-chocolate fudge
  • Linzer tort cookies
  • Butter cookies topped with cream cheese icing and red sugar
  • Pizzels
  • Key lime cheesecake squares

Needless to say, the afternoon sugar rush had me working at not-quite-full mental capacity. And I’ll tell you what: the employee handbook doesn’t quite cover this dilemma.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Baking, Recipes

Tagged , , , , , ,

I’m bad at brownies

Posted on November 10, 2007 | 1 Comment

brownie.jpg

When someone doesn’t cook very well (or just doesn’t like to), they will still admit to being an expert at one or all of the following three things:

  1. cereal
  2. peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
  3. brownies

The implication, obviously, is that these three things are so easy to make, even people whose stove has never been turned on (“Where’s the defrost button?”) can put them together. So, I find it quite hilarious that I cannot for the life of me make a good batch of brownies.

I start off with the best of intentions and the exact ingredients called for on the box. I put the pan in the oven at the right temperature, for the right amount of time, and then… mush: it doesn’t cook through. If you watched the first season of Survivor, I’m like that professional chef that couldn’t make rice. Except, I’m not a professional chef, and I doubt I’ll ever need to survive by making brownies.

The whole problem may have something to do with my addition of massive quantities of chocolate chips to the batter, even when chips are already present. It’s part of the “there’s never enough chocolate” school of baking, taught to me by my mom.

So, while it may not always produce the best brownies, at least there’s more chocolate. And couldn’t we all use more chocolate in our lives?

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Baking, Problems

Tagged , ,