lacy almond cookies

easy, yummy, candy.

beginning to melt and bubble, almost at full melty potential


an experiment in shaping


1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c light corn syrup
1/3 c flour
1/2 c sliced chopped almonds

stir first three ingredients together over heat until smooth. stir in flour an almonds. drop scant teaspoons onto silpat or parchment paper, 2 inches apart. cook until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. let cool a few minutes on sheet, then transfer to rack (or mold around cup or bowl, then move to rack)!

chewy chocolate gingerbread

these are a martha stewart recipe- she has better photo stylists than i do! i was hoping to use crystallized ginger rather than fresh but couldn't find any at my market. next time i'll either increase the ginger even more, or make sure i can get my hands on crystallized!

dough, rolled into balls, dipped in sugar


the finished chewy, crackly goodness.


1.5 c flour
1 1/4 t ground ginger
1 t cinnamon
1 T cocoa powder
1 stick butter
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c molasses
1 t baking soda

whisk together dry ingredients. beat butter until whitened, about 4 minutes. add brown sugar and mix until combined. add molasses and mix until combined. dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 t boiling water. mix half of dry ingredients into batter. beat in bakning soda mixture, then rest of the dry ingredients. mix in ginger and 7 oz chocolate chips. refrigerate dough in discs till firm. make balls, roll in sugar. bake 10-12 minute at 325.

bubbie's coffee cake

whoopie pies

you heard it here first. i strongly maintain that whoopie pies are the new donut are the new cupcake. watch out, world! this is like when i predicted that max would be a leap baby.

the cake of these is deliciously spongy. it reminds me of something, but i can't put my finger on it exactly... taste testers? where are you? i need your help. anyhow, yummy, and a nice filling, too.

"pies"/"cakes"/"cookies" about to go in the oven.


finished product. didn't want to fill all the sandwiches prematurely...

biscuits

biscuits in the oven, gonna watch 'em rise! actually, they didn't rise nearly as high as i'd hoped. these are martha stewart's buttermilk biscuits.

dough, pre-cut


ready for cream wash and sugar sprinkle


golden brown, flaky, yummy


3 c flour
1 c cake flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 1/4 t salt
2T + 1 t sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c buttermilk

cut cold butter and shortening into SIFTED dry ingredients, till your fat is pebbly and pea sized at largest. pour buttermilk into a well, gently work in and knead with your hands till incorporated. turn out onto floured tabletop, and pat into a rectangle about 1/2 inch high. cut into desired shapes.

fig cake

many people have said, "that looks like a pizza." it's not. it's a delicious fig cake from, of course, dorie greenspan. very good for autumn (which is when i made this...) and makes the house/tiny apartment smell DELICIOUS.

cardamom butter cookies

3 c flour
1 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
2 t cardamom
1/4 t cinnamom
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

addendum-- i just remembered that i made these the day that the doorknob to my bedroom fell off, while closed. i offered these to the older gentleman locksmith who came to rescue me.

madeleines

colleen and i made these probably almost a year ago. i think we spent a solid 6 hours in the kitchen, making three different kinds of madeleines.

chocolate bread pudding

this is one of those things that i can never make again. it is FAR too dangerous. recipe from dorie greenspan...



1 loaf good challah, stale or dried out
3 c whole milk
1 c heavy cream
3 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
6 oz chocolate, finely chopped

cut bread into cubes. bring milk and cream just to boil; remove from heat. meanwhile, whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar together in a bowl. still whisking, slowly drizzle in about 1/4 of the hot milk mixture. still whisking, slowly pour in the rest of the hot milk. add the chocolate, and whisk gently till it is melted. pour the custard over the bread and press to help cover it with the liquid.bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until uniformly puffed and top is dull and dry.

from dorie greenspan.

cupcakes galore

jenny and emily get most of the credit for these...!

chocolate with vanilla buttercream


vanilla with strawberry meringue buttercream


walnut with maple walnut frosting

presents

thanks, michael!

birthday

okay, fine. i made my own birthday cake.

back at it

i've got a lot of catching up to do! thanksgiving, pecan pie:


pumpkin cake roll