Salted Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

This year, I am actually looking forward to Christmas....the first time in many years. I've decorated my house; I even have a little tree! I've bought many gifts. I'm excited to spend the holiday with Nick and his daughters. It's nice to be part of a family again. 

We are planning a few get-togethers this week...crafting on Tuesday, cookie baking on Wednesday, and (hopefully) dinner at my place on Christmas day. I'm thinking I'll make homemade pasta with bolognese sauce and creme brûlée. 

I am baking classic spritz cookies (like my Grandma Green used to make), red velvet crinkle cookies,  and cranberry-pistachio biscotti. I may also make another batch of these delicious, decadent, sophisticated shortbreads that I made in my demo class on Saturday. 

Salted Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Buttered Popcorn Cookies

So, the semester is more than halfway over. It's been a good school year. I like my classes, for the most part anyway. My stress level is fairly low, except for the new teacher evaluation procedures. This year, 25% of my evaluation is based on student progress. I have to assess my students three times from September to November on the writing standards I've chosen to focus on. I have to chart their scores, determining how much I think they can improve in the two months' time. After the post-assessment, if at least 80% of my students meet their learning target, I get an "excellent" for that part of my evaluation.

Such. Bullshit.

This isn't making me a better teacher. In fact, it's making me less effective since I'm spending so much time focusing on the assessments instead of the rest of my curriculum, and I'm falling behind in my other grading.

It's all frustrating me, but my students are aware of why they are taking these assessments and I've been honest with them about the outcomes so far. Thankfully, they are understanding and cooperative.

Because it's time-consuming for them, too, I made a little treat for one of my classes this week. I didn't have any chocolate chips or whatnot for traditional cookies, but I did have some popcorn....so popcorn cookies it was!

These are quite buttery, but salty and sweet and really good.

Buttered Popcorn Cookies

from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Sesame White Chocolate Cookies

I've been promising my classes treats for weeks, months even. This semester has been a rough one so far due to multiple snow days in January and February, then the sudden death of a student, and now practice PARCC testing which disrupts our schedule further.

Still, my classes have been pretty good. I've been very impressed.

They deserve treats.

Speaking of school, I was once again nominated by our top seniors for the area Teacher of the Year award (which I won two years ago). This is my third nomination in the six years I've been at this high school. I'm proud, dammit! Yesterday, I got the recommendation letters they wrote for me. Reading them made me teary-eyed. ;-)

My senior classes usually get treats from me, so these cookies were for one of my sophomore classes which was randomly chosen to practice taking the new assessment tests online. They have to complete three reading and writing tests this week. It's time consuming and can be mentally exhausting.

I hope these treats will motivate them a little bit. 

Sesame White Chocolate Cookies

adapted from Dessert for Two

Add caption

Classic Spritz Cookies

In an effort to ward of my usual holiday funk, I'd planned on doing one festive thing each day in December. I even made a list of 55 activities (from eating candy canes to going ice skating) to choose from. It sounds like a great idea, right?

Wrong.

My December started off busy and stressful, and I simply didn't feel like being all holly-jolly every damn day. I did put out some decorations around the house (though, no tree this year) while listening to carols, watch Elf, make some gifts, do some online shopping, plan a menu for Christmas Eve dinner, continue knitting that scarf I started two years ago, and participate in my school's Secret Santa gift exchange. So, I haven't been completely scroogey.

Next week, once the semester winds down and I'm not drowning in things-to-be-graded, I'll hang some more lights around the house and do some holiday baking...gingerbread, pie, fudge, and cookies. Lots of cookies. Because my favorite part of Christmas is the cookies after all.

My Grandma Green always made spritz cookies for the holidays; green Christmas trees with sprinkles were my favorite. I bought a cookie press several years ago and always use the recipe that came with it...a recipe that calls for 3 sticks of butter! THREE STICKS OF BUTTER...what could be wrong? 

Classic Spritz Cookies

recipe from Pampered Chef

makes 6-7 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

colored sugar or sprinkles (optional)

• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer about 3 minutes or until creamy, scraping down sides as necessary. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour; mix on low speed just until blended, scraping down sides as necessary. (Dough will be soft; do not refrigerate.)
• Fit a cookie press with the desired disk; fill with dough. Press dough 1 inch apart onto a silicone-mat lined cookie sheet. Decorate cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool cookies 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Lemon Ginger Drops & Other Christmas Cookies

This week was holiday spirit week at school. I got called a scrooge twice in the past week couple of weeks...despite my having worn reindeer antlers all day on Wednesday. 

So, in an effort to reduce my apparent grinchiness, I actually bought an ugly Christmas sweater to wear to school yesterday. I hit the jackpot of tacky Xmas attire at Macy's...70% off! But, I couldn't decide which hideousness to buy...the black cardigan with a beaded tree & Santa, the black tee with sequined snowflakes & fuzzy reindeer, or the red shirt with a black & gold ornament pattern and black beading? I decided to go with the cardigan, as it was the best bargain...normally $56, on sale for $13. Who in their RIGHT MIND is paying $56 for this thing? 

Instead of recognizing the gaudiness of my outfit, which was a far cry from my usual black or tan pants and various neutral-colored turtlenecks, some students actually complimented me on my new sweater. No one seemed to realize the irony of my bedazzledom. They must have seriously thought that I was finally in the Christmas spirit. Not likely, kids.

Ginger Oatmeal Rum Raisin Cookies

We had our HuLuBu (Humanities Lunch Bunch) holiday party today. Everyone brought food and an ornament for our gift exchange. I tried to find the gaudiest, tackiest ornament I could. Of course, I had quite a selection to choose from at Target. At first, I was going to get this huge lime green ball with hot pink glitter. I finally chose an owl made from nuts. (Ironically, someone else chose that same one to give away!) But, since there were so many tacky ornaments to choose from, I ended up buying one for each person...specifically chosen to match their personality.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cafe Volcano Cookies

MacDuff of Lonely Sidecar chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe: Cafe Volcano Cookies.

Basically, these are espresso nut meringues. They are super easy to make...heat sugar, egg whites, espresso powder, & toasted nuts in a saucepan. Scoop by the teaspoon onto a silicone-lined cookie sheet. Bake. Done.

Dorie's recipe calls for almonds & walnuts, but I just used all walnut chips.

Here's what they look like:

Dorie calls them "higgely piggely shaped."

Tuesdays with Dorie: Sablés

Hey, lookie here! I finally made another Tuesdays with Dorie recipe (I had to take a break, because there were simply way too many sweets around here all the time)! This week's recipe was chosen by Barbara of Bungalow Barbara.

Sablés are delicate French shortbread cookies made with butter, sugar, egg yolks & flour. The dough, which is very crumbly, is shaped into logs & chilled before being cut & baked.

Dorie suggests brushing the logs with egg yolk & rolling them in decorating sugar before cutting, to create a colorful edge on each cookie. Instead, I cut the logs first (no egg wash) then gently pressed coarse sugar into the top of each cookie. I decorated some with peppermint-flavored red & white sprinkles and others with black & opal sugars.


Since I am still getting used to my new oven, which is actually registering hotter than it should, I slightly burned the first batch of cookies. The rest, luckily, turned out great!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Coconut Butter Thins

Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch chose Coconut Butter Thins (check out Jayne's post; it's adorable!) as this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.


First, I have to say that I don't know how all the other TWD'ers bake these recipes week after week. I simply don't have the time or the energy to bake every single week. Though, I WANT to and I have good intentions to...often, I buy all the ingredients but end up missing the Tuesday deadline for baking & posting.

Like Jayne, I had a helper this week too. Since Jerad was home all day, he so graciously made the cookie dough for me. He measured and creamed and zested and chopped. God love him.

Nevertheless, at 7:45 pm, I'd yet to bake the cookies. You see, Jerad didn't really read the recipe that carefully, so he just put all the dough into a large baggie and stuck it in the fridge. He didn't see the part about shaping the dough in a log before chilling. So, I had to let the dough soften, shape into logs, and re-chill for a couple hours before baking. At 7:45, I was still in the re-chill stage.

No worries, though. (And, I still REALLY appreciate that Jerad helped me out!)

My finished cookies didn't keep their rectangular shape as they baked. Still, they are very good--delicate and buttery, flavored with macadamia nuts and lime zest.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Buttery (& Gingery) Jam Cookies

Heather of Randomosity and the Girl chose Buttery Jam Cookies for last week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.
I decided to make those cookies at Andy's annual cookie-baking & booze-drinking party...and they were a big hit!

The holidays are all about friends and champagne.

Erin is very excited about cookie baking.

The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of jam, so I used ginger spread for a little holiday flair. I scooped the cookie dough with a small disher, and they turned out as perfectly round, little cakey domes. I think these would be good with bits of candied ginger mixed in, too!


And, they were really tasty with a glass of bubbly (aka Holiday Happiness)!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Sugar Cookies

I have a confession to make.

I am a sugar cookie virgin.

Or, at least I was before Saturday.

You seen, I'd never made sugar cookies before. Not from scratch. Not by myself.

So, I was looking forward to this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe for sugar cookies, which was chosen by Ulrike of Küchenlatein (By the way, I just learned that blog name translates to "kitchen latin" in English).

Just for the occasion, I bought two cookie cutters, a snowflake & a snowman, and black & white (opal, really) sprinkles at work on Friday. I made the dough Saturday afternoon, rolled/cut/baked the cookies that evening & decorated them late that night.

And, it was fun! Therapeutic even.

I experimented by sprinkling some with the decorating sugar before baking and icing/sprinkling the others after they baked. I like the iced cookies the best.

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie (and Pie Dough Cookies)

Vibi from La Casserole Carrée chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, and it was the perfect thing for Thanksgiving: the Twofer Pie (aka Pumpcan Pie)...it's part pumpkin pie and part pecan pie. So, I got to kill two birds with one stone, since I'd never made a pumpkin or a pecan pie!


This is a super simple pie to make. The fillings are easily mixed; you just pour all the ingredients for each into bowls and whisk. They are then poured into a pie crust with a layer of whole pecans separating them.


The recipe calls for a partially baked crust, but after reading the posts on the TWD website I chose not to pre-bake the crust. And, it turned out just fine!


Since the pie recipe called for a single crust and my dough recipe makes a double crust, I used the leftover dough to make pie dough cookies.


I added about a tablespoon of cold water to the leftover dough to strengthen it a bit; the dough recipe I used yields a very delicate, flaky crust & I wanted something a bit sturdier for the cookies. Then, I rolled out the dough into a large circle, brushed it with melted butter, sprinkled on cinnamon & sugar, rolled up the dough into a log, & cut it into 1/2 thick slices.


I baked the slices at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cookies should puff a little, and the bottoms should be lightly browned.

Bacon Cookies with Maple Icing & Candied Bacon

The bacon class I am teaching on Sunday is a go (it's not too late to sign up)! So, this week I've been doing final recipe testing, which included a dessert.

A couple friends came over to sample the cookies that night, and I took the rest to school where a few students and teachers tried the cookies. Everyone seemed to like them.

So, what do they taste like? The cookies themselves are similar to shortbread, not very sweet and kind of crumbly; I think the icing is essential. The bacon isn't very prominent either. They are, instead, reminiscent of a pancake and bacon breakfast...really good with morning coffee!

Bacon Cookies
adapted from The Bacon Cookbook

4 slices thick cut, lean bacon, finely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), cut into pieces & softened
1 large egg
3 tablespoons heavy cream

• Fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp and drain on paper towels.
  
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, butter, egg, and cream & mix until well-blended.
• Add the bacon and knead until the dough is soft and the bacon is evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
• Roll the dough into one or two logs about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick slices & arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet (use a bit of the bacon grease or use a silicone mat).

• Bake until the cookies are firm and very lightly browned (they won't get golden brown), about 12-15 minutes.
• Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Then, spread with maple icing and top with a small piece of candied bacon (recipes below).

Maple Icing

You don't really need a precise recipe for these. For the icing, I mixed some powdered sugar (let's say about a 1/2 cup) with some Grade A real maple syrup (let's say 3 tablespoons). But really, I didn't measure. I eyeballed it...adding a bit more sugar, then a bit more syrup until I got the right consistency. You want it to be thick enough to spread...unless you want it think enough to pour. It's really up to you. But, you MUST use the good syrup here, NOT the maple-flavored stuff. Ice the cookies when they are cool.

Candied Bacon, aka Pig Candy (optional)

The candied bacon is just as easy. Lay several slices of maple bacon on a cookie sheet. Be sure to line the sheet with a silicone mat or use a sheet with a baking rack on top. Coat each bacon slice with light brown sugar. Bake in the oven until the bacon is crisp, about 25 minutes. I cooked the bacon with the cookies and just kept checking it. The bacon will turn a deep mahogany color; don't be alarmed. When it's done, let it cool on the rack with the cookies. Then, cut it into small piece to put on top of the cookies.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

The Tuesdays with Dorie group is on a cookie kick lately...and this week's recipe was chosen by Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart.

I had been promising my college English classes that I would bring them a treat, so I made these cookies for them.

"Did you make these yourself," one girl asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"Wow. I've never had a teacher actually make something for a class."

I've been trying to keep them on their toes. Heehee.

Actually, though, I've only revealed little bits about myself since school started a few weeks ago. I wore long pants the first day and a skirt the second day, revealing the white daisy tattoo on my ankle. I got a lot of "you have a tattoo?" that day. When we were doing descriptive exercises, I said something about seeing Rob Zombie perform live.

"You've been to a Rob Zombie concert?" one kid asked.

"I've been to two." I said. They looked confused. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," I explained. "I'm hardcore."

Later that period, I was talking about food descriptions and I told them to avoid words like delicious and tasty, because they are too subjective. What's delicious to me might not be delicious to them.

"For example, I think caviar and raw oysters are really delicious." I said.

"Ewww!"

"Wait," one boy interrupted, "You eat caviar and raw oysters?"

"Sure. In fact, I had caviar and champagne for dinner just last night."

His response: "Who are you?"

"We've already been over this," I replied. "Hard. core."

Anyway...

These cookies are hardcore chocolatey, but since I used regular malted milk powder (not chocolate-flavored), they weren't too chocolatey. And the Whopper bits sort of melt and caramelize into the chewy cookie. Really yum.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Granola Grabbers

Thanks to Michelle of Bad Girl Baking, who chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe (you can see the full recipe on Michelle's blog). The "Granola Grabbers" made a great breakfast treat for the first week of school!

I started a new job this week. After 8 years of teaching college composition and literature courses, I'm now teaching high school English. I just couldn't make ends meet on an adjunct's pay, especially now that I am divorced. I was teaching 3-4 classes two days a week for a university, teaching 1-2 nights a week for a community college, AND working 3-4 days (including weekends) at the cooking school. It was exhausting! I simply couldn't pass up the salary, insurance, and retirement benefits of a high school job!

It all happened very suddenly. About three weeks ago, I got a call from the superintendent of a district near where I live (the school is about 10 minutes from my house) about interviewing. They needed someone with a Masters Degree in English to teach their college-credit courses. I hadn't applied to the district, but they somehow got my name from someone in my hometown. I interviewed two days later (on a Thursday), was offered the job two days after that (on a Saturday), then officially hired by the school board the next week (the following Tuesday). I signed my contract that Wednesday, organized my room all last week, and started teacher workshops this week. The students start tomorrow.

I'll be teaching four classes: a sophomore literature class, two college English classes, and a two-hour European studies course that will be team taught with a history teacher.

Even though I taught middle school many years ago, I had forgotten all of the extra things that teachers have to do...like standards-alignment, assessment, and such. I have been feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I just want to start teaching. When I plan my classes, I get excited about the possibilities. I hope my students will get excited about something, too, this semester.

Anyway, I made the batter for these granola cookies on Sunday, baked a batch, and was amazed at how good--and healthy--they are! I altered the recipe slightly by using ingredients I had on hand...mixed dried berries (blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, & cherries) instead of raisins, macadamia nuts instead of almonds & peanuts, and wheat bran instead of wheat germ.

I put the rest of the batter in the fridge and will bake them tonight, so that I can take them to school tomorrow...a treat for the teachers' lounge on the first day of school.

Using Mesquite Flour

Charles Perry, of the Los Angeles Times, writes: It had a beautiful aroma. There was something roasted, like coffee or chocolate, then a stronger smell suggesting some fruit (perhaps dried cherries -- or was that coconut?) together with a note of spice: cinnamon, maybe nutmeg.

He is talking about mesquite flour.

I saw a small bag of mesquite flour in the back office at work last Monday, and I asked what it was for. Kirstin, the manager, said that a sales rep left it for someone to try. I mentioned that I had seen a cookie recipe using mesquite flour, and she said I could take the sample home to play with...then let her know if I thought the store should start selling it.

An assignment!

I had only ever heard of mesquite flour from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Cooking.. Like most people, when I hear mesquite I think of smoky barbeques. So, I thought Heidi's mesquite chocolate chip cookies would have a smoky background, which didn't sound too bad to me. However, I was wrong about mesquite flour.

Through research, I learned that the mesquite we burn in our grills comes from the bark of the mesquite tree. Flour is made from grinding the pods of the tree, which grows in desert regions throughout the world.

photo from the National Park Service


photo from SpiceLines

According to Liz DeCleene, "mesquite is highly effective in balancing blood sugar. The natural sweetness in the pods comes from fructose. Fructose does not require insulin to be metabolized, making it safe for diabetics. The high rate of dietary fiber (pods are 25% fiber) causes the nutrients in mesquite to be absorbed slowly, preventing the spikes and valleys in blood sugar. With a glycemic index of 25, mesquire requires a longer time to digest then many grains. The digestive time for mesquite is 4 to 6 hours, unlike wheat which digests in 1 to 2 hours. These factors result in a food that maintains a constant blood sugar for a sustained time and as a result prevents hunger. [...] Further, this food delivers a big hit of nutritional value. It is high in dietary fiber and protein including lysine. The ground pods are between 11% and 17% protein. Mesquite is also a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc." It is gluten-free and low in carbohydrates & fat, too!

Mesquite flour is kind of sweet, kind of chocolately, kind of nutty, kind of cinnamony, kind of nutmegy, kind of...well...hard to explain. It's used not as a flour exactly, but more of a seasoning; though, it can be substituted for part of the flour in a recipe. A little bit of the stuff goes a long way.

Apparently, mesquite flour is difficult to find but highly sought after. David Lebovitz couldn't find it in Paris, and when he eventually bought some in Texas, the cashier exclaimed, "Oh! I bet you're going to make those chocolate chip cookies!"

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Heidi Swanson's recipe

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup mesquite flour, sifted if clumpy
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375.
  
• Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar until thick.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides in between.
  
• Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

• Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets covered with parchment or silicone mat. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown on top and bottom. Heidi warns, "Don't overbake these; if anything, underbake them."
• Cool in wire racks.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Here's how else you can use mesquite flour:

• Add 1 teaspoon to 1 stick of softened butter to spread on toast, muffins, scones, or baked sweet potatoes.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon to banana, strawberry, raspberry, or peach smoothies (will help prevent mid-morning hunger!)
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon on oatmeal.
• Add to pancake, muffin, cake, and cornbread batter.
• Add to rub seasoning mixes and breading.
• Use to season chicken, pork, beef, seafood, stir-fries, & soups.
• Make mesquite ice cream.
• Add to salad dressing.
  

Other mesquite flour recipes:
Basic yellow mesquite cake
Skillet cornbread
Citrus mesquite spareribs
Mesquite almond shrimp
Mesquite flour tortillas
Mesquite brownies & other cookie recipes
Mesquite sugar cookies
Snack bars
Mesquite apple nut muffins & oatmeal raisin cookies
Pancakes, zucchini bread, banana bread, flan, and more!
More recipes

Chocolate & Banana Chip Cookies

For the past seven years, I've been teaching the summer writing camp at the university where I work. It's a 2-week creative writing workshop for kids in grades 3-12. I usually teach the middle school and high school groups. It's a fairly easy gig overall (I sit in a computer lab all day while the groups are busy writing), and the kids--most of whom come to camp summer after summer--are usually pretty creative and fun.

Yesterday, I helped out in recreation while someone else supervised my groups during writing. I had to entertain all of the writing campers while groups of 5 or 6 climbed on the rock wall. I was not prepared to play physical games all day and had to come up with things to do off the top of my head. In the morning, we did some yoga. It was pretty cool that they actually followed along. At the end of the routine, I had them all laying flat on their backs, concentrating on their breathing, in deep relaxation. It was great.

The afternoon, however, was stressful. We played duck-duck-goose, tag, tug-of-war, and dodgeball...aka the game that brings out the worst in people. Even though we were playing with cushy Nerf balls, kids were crying when they got hit. And, they were crying when they didn't get their way. And crying when they supposedly got hurt. I had to get a couple ice packs for stubbed toes and stepped-on-feet.

It was exhausting. So much, in fact, that I actually took a nap when I got home. And today my muscles are sore. My arms and legs ache. I now completely appreciate what the rec teachers do every day. And, I never want to do it again.

Anyway...

Rachel, a friend and colleague of mine, has been not-so-subtly hinting around that she wanted me to bring cookies to camp. So, these treats were for her.

Chocolate & Banana Chip Cookies
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup banana chips, roughly chopped
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat the butter until lightly and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times along the way. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in two increments, mixing a bit between each addition. Stir in the banana chips, chocolate chips & walnuts, mixing just until everything is evenly distributed.
• Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8 minutes, until barely golden on top and bottom. Resist over baking, as they will come out dry and not as tasty. Transfer to a cooling rack.
  

Make 3 dozen cookies.

A few notes: I originally tweaked Heidi's recipe just a bit, using whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour and wheat germ. The batter was pretty dry, and the cookies didn't spread at all. So, after baking a dozen, I added more butter and another egg to the batter. The cookies then spread a little more and were moister. That's the recipe I've posted above.

Christmas Cookies

I had this grand plan to make 12 different cookie recipes this year. But that didn't work as I had hoped. I simply didn't have time to make that many cookies, and thank god...I still have cookies left from the 4 batches I did bake!

I started with Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cookies, because I had two cans of pumpkin puree in my pantry and I had no idea why. Did I plan to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, then completely forgot about it? I haven't a clue.

Is 34 too young to be going senile?

Nevertheless, December 13th was a cold day (32 degrees!) and in an attempt to avoid grading papers, I began my Christmas baking.

I adapted Martha's recipe slightly, increasing the pumpkin pie spice to one tablespoon and adding a couple teaspoons of gingerbread syrup. The batter tasted just like pumpkin pie filling.



Instead of drizzling the finished cookies with chocolate, like the recipe calls for (I was too lazy to deal with melted chocolate), I sprinkled them with cinnamon & sugar before baking.

They turned out soft & cakey, but not my favorite. Though, I did use them for the cake layer in my Spiced Pear & Caramel Trifle.

Next, I made my Grandma Martin's Chocolate Nut Drops. I've made these in the past, but they never turn out like hers. They were too cakey and dry. After looking through my recipe box, I found Grandma's own typed recipe card. I was using butter instead of shortening and cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. So, I tried these cookies again.

There was one problem, however. Her recipe is a little vague. It calls for "2 squares of melted chocolate" but doesn't say how much those two squares are or what kind of chocolate. I guessed and chose German chocolate, which wasn't right. As soon as I opened the package, I knew those squares were too small. (I've since learned that I should have used baker's unsweetened chocolate, which comes in individually wrapped 1 ounce squares).

The cookies were better this time, a texture and taste more like Grandma's cookies.



A few days later, I made press cookies at my friends' second annual cookie baking party. My Grandma Green always made these kind of cookies; green christmas trees with sprinkles were my favorite. I bought a cookie press several year ago and always use the recipe for Classic Spritz Cookies that came with it...a recipe that calls for 3 sticks of butter!

We had fun all taking turns shooting the cookie gun. We made the green trees with sprinkles, white snowflakes with red & white peppermint spinkles, wreaths, leaves, and hearts.


Slop having a go with the gun.


I'm dangerous with a trigger.


Decorative & Delicious!


Lindy's first ever batch of cookies: Peanut Butter Oatmeal.


Erin's sexy Snickerdoodles.

Finally, I baked some Lavender Faerie Cookies, a recipe my friend Sue gave me a few years ago. Sue actually introduced me to the joy that is eating lavender. She adds it to her "better butter" (equal parts olive oil & butter) that she uses every day.

If you've never eaten lavender-laced food, you must try it. I like lavender mixed with melted butter and used as a dip for steamed artichokes. It's also very good on roasted asparagus.

Anyway, these cookies were very delicate and fragrant. My friend Margaret called them "startling". They go excellently with hot chocolate & even with red wine.