Chocolate Chip Crisps

I always think that the worst part about the holidays being over, other than my credit card statement, is that the treats just end.  And there’s no weaning period, either.  You leave work in December slightly overwhelmed by the chocolate and candy on every desk and come back in January and there is nary a goody to be found.  Not even a Lifesaver or a broken candy cane.  After being on a sugar high since Halloween, it’s kind of harsh to give up the sweets so suddenly.  And it adds to the winter blahs, too, no?

I’d planned to whip up another Hawaiian treat for you so you’d forget that the forecast is cold, followed by frigid and rounded out with a little dear-lord-I-think-the-inside-of-my-nose-has-frozen for the next 7 weeks, but I was craving something comforting and chocolate laden and not too terribly bad for me (as hard as it is to imagine, that combination does exist!) to ease me into the new year.  Luckily, one of Santa’s elves delivered these crisps in my stocking and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to eat the whole bag in one sitting.  Twenty minutes later I said to myself, “Self, it is Christmas and you have suffered in overheated stores and ruined new boots in the snow in order to spread holiday cheer to others, so if eating an entire large Ziploc bag of crisps would warm your soul, go for it.” And so I did.  With a glass of milk that may or may not have had a shot of Kahlua in it.  Why do I admit these things to you?! 

Anyhoo, they are as easy as they are delicious and the hint of curry is a nice addition to the standard cookie happiness.  I think I would up the curry a bit more next time, but I like a little spice.  The original recipe called for pistachios, which I obviously avoided, but I think just about any nut would work here.  Get creative! What’s the worst thing that could happen? You have to eat a tray of test crisps all by yourself?  If that’s the low point of winter, I’d say we’re off to a good start…

Chocolate Chip Crisps (adapted from Paul Grimes’ Pistachio Dark-Chocolate Crisps in Gourmet, December 2007)

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 large egg white
• 2 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Nestle semi-sweet chips)
• [1/2 cup of chopped nuts of your choice]

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Blend butter, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, salt, curry powder, and egg white in a food processor until smooth.

Glue parchment down with a dab of batter in each corner, then spread remaining batter evenly into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8-inch-thick) on parchment with spatula. Scatter chocolate and nuts evenly over batter, then bake until firm and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer, still on parchment, to a rack to cool completely. Remove from paper, breaking into pieces.

Christmas Treats

I have a friend who is a terrible regifter.  There is nothing wrong with regifting; I’ve done it myself on occasion (never to you or one of your presents though! NEVER! How could you even think that?!?).  The key to regifting is to remember who gave you what and never make the regift seem as though that’s exactly what it is.  I mean, if you have a known dislike of scented candles, don’t go and give someone a set of pine scented tapers that you received. It’s going to be obvious that you didn’t purchase that.  But, if you get something that you already have one of, or that doesn’t fit and you really can’t return, I say regift away in good faith!  This friend, though, has not only regifted me something that I have given her (can you seriously imagine??), but has regifted me something that is so hideous that you know someone regifted it to her at some point.  There was likely a chain of this particular gift dating back to the late 20th century that I had to break.  I couldn’t, with a clear conscience, give it to anyone else (even a work grab bag), yet I couldn’t throw it away because it was a gift, as horrid as it was… So it sits in my closet taking up valuable shoe space.  I wish I could tell you what it is, but I need to protect the regifter here.  Don’t be that person this year.

Anyhoo, I bought many ingredients over the last couple of days to make all manner of Christmas goodies, but truth be told, the transition from sunny Hawai’i to bitter cold Chicago has taken its toll.  Tears have been shed as I watched the weather report while eating from a bag of chocolate chips intended for chocolate covered pretzels.  But this is where the regift is totally acceptable.  I’ve listed below some of my fave recipes from Christmases past so that you can make a list, hit the stores and be ready for Santa or other guests that may drop in unexpectedly.  You can thank me by promising to have a happy, joyful, restful, food-and alchoholful Christmas.  Merry Merry to you!

Chocolate Covered Oreos are my favorite go-to easy dessert year round.  Adding crushed candy canes kicks them up a holiday notch.

Sugar and Gingerbread Cookies are two of Santa’s favorites, so if you haven’t been all that good this year I’d commit these recipes to memory ASAP.  The vanilla cream is addictive, so be careful.

Would it really be Christmas without a fruitcake?  In a perfect world, you would have started soaking yours in rum around Easter, but give your guests a shot of Appleton’s on the side and they’ll be happy.

Speaking of rum, a little goes a long way in this egg nog.  Unless you’ve had a really stressful shopping experience; then you may as well do it up a bit.  I won’t tell.

If you’re feeling like really ramping up the decorating, try making red velvet cupcakes and adding a little green food coloring to the icing.  I don’t know, for some reason it looks really cute in my head.  It could be that I’ve had a bit too much of the spiked egg nog mentioned above…

Growing up, Christmas breakfast was almost as important as Christmas dinner in our house.  These cinnamon rolls are hella labor intensive, but also hella delish and impressive, so get started on making Santa’s good list for next year and have these ready.  Otherwise, doughnut holes or blueberry muffins will definitely hit the spot after all the presents have been unwrapped.

You deserve a break today, and it’s not at McDonald’s.  After all the shopping and wrapping and making chit chat with cousins you (a) see once a year and (b) don’t actually like, relax with a Come Heather Look, brought to you by the letters G-I-N and the friendly folks at St. Germain.  Don’t say I never gave you anything…

Ice Cream Sandwiches

So I have a confession: I’m not a huge fan of ice cream.  I know, catch your breath.  Ready to move on?  I mean, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a bowl of mint chip if offered, but it’s not my favorite thing in the world.  A pint can safely sit in my freezer from one season to the next without fear of being attacked with a serving spoon and subjected to chick flicks.  I think it’s partly because I am always always cold, and the idea of eating something frozen just makes me shiver and sets my teeth on edge.

Cookies on the other hand are likely to be my downfall.  As I think I’ve mentioned a time or 1000, I love oreos more than I like most people (have you tried the new mint ones? HEAVEN!).  Big chewy chocolate chip cookies are comfort on a plate.  I really don’t think you can ever go wrong with oatmeal raisin and a glass of milk.  Even a sugar cookie will do in a pinch. 

So every year, my neighborhood has a book fair with book sellers and readings and all types of nerdy events and I always have an ice cream social.  I chose ice cream because I think a cookie/cupcake social sounds strange.  I started doing it the first summer I lived in the neighborhood because I wanted to be of the fair without actually being at the fair (basically, I wanted be a part of it without having to be in the crowds).  Now it’s become an annual party where my friends come over and I make ice cream sandwiches and have all of the fixings for sundaes (sprinkles, maraschino cherries, m&ms, whipped cream) and root beer floats.  All of this is accompanied by cupcakes and brownies and pink lemonade.  Basically it’s a sugar fest, with a few books thrown in for good measure.

The ice cream sandwiches are always the belle of the ice cream ball, because they are two delicious things put together and really, how can you go wrong?  The trick is to bake the cookies and freeze them as soon as they cool a bit.  This will keep them from bending and breaking when you’re spreading the ice cream. Wrap the sandwiches in wax paper and let them refreeze so that they won’t start melting right away as your guests (or you) devour them.  You can get really fancy and add sprinkles or mini chocolate chips around the edges.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  Which is what I’m hoping this summer will be: endless and full of possibilities…

Ice Cream Sandwiches

• Chocolate chip cookies
• your favorite flavor(s) of ice cream

This is pretty self-explanatory, no?  Take a cookie, spread some ice cream, top with another cookie, wrap in wax paper, let freeze a bit (if you can stand the wait), enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin[et] Cookies

In honor of Earth Day, I want to point you in the direction of a super Earth friendly project/blog.  My good friend Heidi (of Creamless Cream of Mushroom fame) and a couple of other green-minded people have started rooftop gardens and chronicle their successes and challenges at Green Roof Growers.  What I love about the idea–and the blog–is that they make me feel like even though I don’t have any plants more taxing than an aloe (or a rooftop for that matter. Details!), I could one day have an entire garden if I followed their instructions.  Heidi & Company make planters out of soda bottles! And tell you how and when to plant what kind of seeds! And give you tasty recipes using the food from their gardens! They basically lead you by hand on how to create a lovely oasis in the middle of a busy city, which is something we all need, don’t you think? While I can’t imagine building my own irrigation system anytime soon, I do know where to turn when I’m ready.  So, hop on over and green up your life a bit. 

The link between rooftop gardens and oatmeal raisin cookies is, of course, Heidi.  Many years ago (January 3, 2002, to be exact–I found the original email), she sent me a recipe for some yummy cookies she’d made me once before. I have to admit, I tried them once and haven’t done them again until last night when I was trying to figure out if I had any of the 4687932389 ingredients in the Joy of Cooking, epicurious, or food network recipes I was reading (y’all know I didn’t even bother to check Mark Bittman).  Heidi’s recipe is all yumminess without all of the extra ingredients and steps, which is exactly what you’d expect from someone growing their own veggies on a roof in the middle of Chicago.  It’s one of those recipes that will move to the top of my in-need-of-comfort-food list. 

The original recipe was a lot healthier than what I created, mainly because I cut out a cup of oatmeal and substituted Raisinets for plain raisins. The first I kind of regret, because there’s not as much oatmeal texture as I’d like, but I got a little nervous that all of the oats wouldn’t get incorporated in the batter, so I cut back.  I’d add an extra 1/2 cup back in.  I stand by my Raisinet decision, though, because who doesn’t want a little chocolate in a cookie?  But I suppose if you’re going for the totally good for you category, plain raisins will work.

So after you go do something good for the planet, reward yourself with these little bits of deliciousness with a cold glass of milk… Happy Earth Day!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies courtesy of Heidi

• 3 cups rolled oats, regular or quick (I’d use 2-1/2 cups)
• 2 cups (9 ounces) flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (omitted, because I didn’t know if the cinnamon/Raisinet combo would work)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I used 1 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup raisin (or Raisinets)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degree.  Spread oats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast, stirring often, until they turn a shade darker and become mildly fragrant, about 5-8 minutes.  Let the oats cool.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (I used my KitchenAid on 4) to beat the granulated and brown sugars, oil, vanilla and eggs until fluffy.  With mixer at low speed, blend in the dry flour mixture.  Then mix in the oats and raisins until well blended (I did this by hand).

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake until light browned, 10-12 minutes (at about minute 6, I took a spoon and pressed them down a bit–they really started to rise!). Transfer to rack to cool.

Note: if you make small cookies, they’ll be done in about 8 minutes, so watch carefully!

Thin Mint Cookies

Back in the day when I was a Girl Scout (Troop 348! Holla! Or was it 346?), we were expected to go from door-to-door peddling our thin mints and Samoas.  I would don my green skirt, green and white striped shirt and green sash with all of my badges and head to my mom’s office after school, where I would politely knock on people’s office doors and recite my speech about supporting our troop through the purchase of what amounted to a box full of sugar.  I would make chitchat while people filled in the sheet with their order and address and thank them with a toothless smile (I was 8 years old) as they dug in their wallets or pulled out their checkbooks (no CODs for this Scout!).  I would then hand deliver their cookies when they arrived.

I loved being a Girl Scout, because I’m an only child and spending an afternoon with a bunch of other girls making crafts and eating snack and learning all manner of useful things like how to start a fire with two sticks and every single verse to every song that was sure to annoy my family (remember this one The Other Day I Saw a Bear… a great big bear… oh way out there…?) was nothing short of magical for me.  I also loved that we had books on how to be a model scout and how to earn badges (be nice to the elderly! do all of your homework! learn to churn butter!) and had to wear a uniform.  That part has less to do with the only child thing and more to do with my need for order and to follow instructions.  I actually liked doing my Girl Scout homework (bet you didn’t know there was homework!)…

At any rate. Times have changed, kids.  Now, I get emails from parents asking me to purchase their daughter’s cookies or facebook updates asking for orders and even worse, it appears I can now buy my cookies online.  I realize that there are all kinds of creepy characters in the world nowadays, so going door-to-door isn’t the safest option, but I think part of the idea behind selling cookies–besides funding our weekend at Girl Scout camp–was to teach us to be independent and confident and, at the very least, how to convince people to buy stuff they didn’t actually need (a useful skill, I think).  I’m not quite sure what the lesson is when the parents are doing all the selling, money collecting and delivery.  Actually I do know, but I’d rather not think about it.

/End rant/

Where was I? Cookies! That’s how all of this started!! So Thin Mints were my–and just about everyone else’s–faves. Anything that combines mint and chocolate is going to make my top 10 list, but I also loved that there was a little bit of saltiness to the cookie, which made it different from other chocolate/mint combos.  I am under no illusion that anyone can replicate the Girl Scout Thin Mint, but someone put out a box of them at work the other day and I had this thought that until some Scout comes and asks me to purchase cookies in person, I am totally boycotting the cookie sale season and will make my own until these girls start knocking at my office door or at least write the parent sent emails themselves.  And yes, I do realize that I am depriving young girls of much needed cookie income, as well as the fact that I have also deprived myself of some happiness in a green box.  But revolutions are all about sacrifice.

I actually found a good recipe that satisfies the mint/chocolate/salt craving and is as close to a thin mint as I’m likely to get without breaking into the vault where the official recipe is likely hidden.  But, really, who am I kidding?  They are truly no substitute for the real thing.  And even though they are easy to make, they are not nearly as easy as opening a box and sitting down with a glass of milk and a good book (although I always found the wait time between cookie purchase and delivery way too long, so these will do during that lag time).  So, go buy your Thin Mints and support your local troop and send a bunch of girls off to camp for adventures and good times and memories that will last them well into their 30s.  Just maybe sneak in a little etiquette/life lesson about the merit of doing things on your own with your payment, ok?  I’m sure some girl could earn an extra badge for that…

Thin Mint Cookies via allrecipes.com

Chocolate Covered Oreos

I had a really good story to go along with this little recipe, and I swear I cannot remember what it was.  No, seriously. I’ve been sitting here for five minutes trying to remember the story that came to mind while I was making these on Saturday and, thank god my life does not depend on it, because I’d have an easier time telling you the square root of 72 than I would remembering the story right now (and if you know me at all, you know that it would be impossible for me to tell you the square root of 72.  I don’t even know if 72 has a square root).  Yikes.  Mama needs to lay off the eggnog…

At any rate, suffice it to say that I love Oreos and adding a bit of milk chocolate and sprinkles (or crushed candy canes) takes them from happy to euphoric in about an hour (the time it takes to melt the chocolate, dip the cookies and let them set).  

These aren’t just for holidays, but come in handy when you need a quick dessert to take along to a party or have a sick friend or really just need some comfort food because you realize that you can’t remember as far back as two days ago. 

I’m going to let the pictures do the talking for me while I go looking for my sanity…

Chocolate Covered Oreos

• 1 bag Hershey’s milk chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
• Oreos

In a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, combine chocolate chips and shortening (you don’t necessarily need the shortening, but I find it helps the chocolate to spread more easily).   Stir until melted; remove from heat.

Using two spoons, dip Oreos (a couple at a time, depending on the size of your bowl) in the melted chocolate and coat both sides.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.  Decorate top of cookie with sprinkles or crushed candy canes. 

Let set in refrigerate for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, Vanilla Cream Filling. Oh my!

A few years ago I got it into my head that I really wanted to bake cookies and other treats for all of my friends rather than just buy a piece of jewelry and be another shopper falling for the commercialism of Christmas.  I went to the Container Store and bought all manner of well, containers, and ribbons and anything else that screamed homemade! And love! And the spirit of the season! I decided on caramel covered pretzels and chocolate covered Oreos and some other type of cookie madness.  It was seriously one of the worst ideas ever.  Not only did it cost a small fortune (likely the price of a nice piece of jewelry) to get all of the containers and then mail them, but all of the baking and wrapping and standing in line at the post office was just shy of torture.  I’m not exactly sure where things went wrong—somewhere between melting the caramel and filling the sugar cookies with lemon curd that wouldn’t set no matter how much I begged—but in the end, I was miserable and I’m sure the recipients took one look at their not-even-close-to-Martha Stewart-Christmas basket and wished I’d made a donation (of cash) to a local food bank in their name and saved them having to lie to me about how much they loved it.

I haven’t made holiday cookies since (except for the chocolate covered Oreos—recipe to follow!), but I guess that I’ve recovered from the trauma of Christmas’ past, because I’ve had visions of gingerbread stars and sugary snowmen dancing in my head for weeks.  Luckily, I have a few friends who wanted to learn to bake and I figured that I could test out some recipes on them and if things went awry, the fact that we’d be drinking mimosas while we baked would make up for it. 

And, it must of have been an early Christmas miracle, because everything turned out much better than expected (and infinitely better than the crazy that came out of my kitchen a few years ago).  We rolled the dough for the sugar cookies out a little thicker than recommended so the cookies were more cake like and decorated them with this very happy premade icing. 

For the gingerbread, we filled them with a super easy and ridiculously delicious vanilla cream that tastes like Oreo filling and really could be eaten with a spoon on any given Wednesday. 

I can’t say that someone would prefer to get these cookies rather than a nice bracelet from Cartier, but you’ll definitely earn some points with Santa if these are left out…

Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies and Vanilla Cream Filling…

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a favor to ask: let’s forget that it’s been almost 3 months since this little food blog was updated.  Let’s start clean and fresh and full of hope and promise, ok?

So, several months ago, I met a charming man we’ll call X.  Our first conversation, over dinner with a group of people, centered around food and the things I like to make, wish I could make and know that I’m good at making.  Bread, cakes, pies and cookies fall into all of those categories.  X promptly invited himself to my house to sample my bread, but I was raised to be a lady and taught never to bake for just anyone.  Now, I’m going to pause here to say that I have a hard time not cooking or baking for people I like.  Once I like you, as a friend or otherwise, I want to feed you.  But, I’ve learned to be a little discriminating.  I try not to give up the goodies too soon, just to make sure you actually like me and not my ability to follow a recipe.

X became fixated on me making him chocolate chip cookies.  Many a late night texting session was spent discussing my reasons why I wasn’t going to bake for him immediately, but how it would be worth the wait.  One Saturday evening with nothing to do, I decided I was ready to invite him over to watch me bake and eat cookies straight from the oven.  I texted my invitation.  The response? “Sorry, hanging out with the guys tonight.”  This was likely sign #17 that things weren’t working, but I am not easily discouraged.

Weeks later, after much back and forth between us for myriad reasons, I decided that either I was going to bake for this man now or I never would.  I mean, at some point you have to take the leap of faith and say that while the situation is not perfect, you’ve invested enough time and energy that you need to push the envelope a bit to see if things can go to the next level.  So on the first 85 degree day of the summer, I went to 5 different stores to find brown sugar.  I bought Ghirardelli chocolate chips and sifted flour.  I cranked my oven up to 350 degrees.  I baked 3 batches of cookies so I could pick a baker’s dozen of the most perfect ones.   I put them in a container and carted them off to X, hiding them in the bottom of my bag so the burning sun wouldn’t melt them. 

You know where this story is going, right?

Oh, don’t get me wrong, he said he loved them.  Said they were amazing and awesome and I inferred from his words that my cookies may rate up there with some of the best he’s had.  But not a week went by before he looked me dead in the eye and said, “I never promised you anything” and turned his attention to another girl in the bar (and to be completely fair to X, I am sure that he would tell you a different version of what transpired prior to him saying this, but this is (1/2) my blog, so whatever).

The recipe is easy and the cookies are impressive, no matter the outcome of your efforts.  Just, you know, hold out for the right person like your mama taught you…

Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Food & Wine, Feb. 2009)

Total Hibernation Mode

I wish I could tell you that I’ve been doing all manner of exciting things over the last few weeks and that’s why I haven’t cooked, baked or done more than microwave dinner–let alone write a word about food–since it was technically winter.   I’ve been wanting to talk about the Moroccan cooking class I took a few weeks ago and the roof-top garden a friend has started and my search for dry butter so I can finally make croissants like they do in France, but in all honesty, it’s kind of hard to find the words to describe all those things when it’s so unrelentingly cold that you think your eyeballs might freeze and instead of using your oven for baking treats, it’s on solely to warm up the house.

I am hopeful that with the arrival of spring my need to cook and feed people will return, that my brain will thaw and that I’ll be inspired by fresh ingredients.  In the meantime, here are some pictures of things I’ve been meaning to tell you about, just to whet your appetite…

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Soup

Perfect Croissant Baguette