Madeleines

*Please do not attempt this recipe UNLESS you have a madeleine molded tray/pan.

Nothing tooooooooo fancy about these cookies. They're ok. Easy to make and decorate.

RECIPE: (yield 12 cookies)
4oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
3oz sugar
1tsp lemon zest
1/4tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp baking powder
3oz cake flour

Directions: Brown the butter (place butter in pan and cook slowly until it turns brown - do not burn). Set aside to cool. Whisk eggs and sugar over double boiler until warm. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Sift baking powder and flour together and stir into egg mixture. Stir in melted butter. Cover bowl and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Butter and flour madeleine pan, spoon or pipe in batter to pan. Fill 3/4 the way.
Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, until light brown. After baking, invert pan over wire rack, cool completely.

Spritz Cookies w/Raspberry Preserves

So these cookies are sold everywhere. I know that I pick them up all the time. Peperidge Farm (sp?) sells them in raspberry, blueberry, etc. The trick in making them is just using a star tip during the piping process.

RECIPE: (yield 12 cookies)
4oz butter, softened
2oz sugar
1/4tsp salt
1tsp vanilla
1 egg
5oz cake flour
4oz raspberry preserves
powdered sugar, as needed

Directions: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla and egg. Combine well. Slowly add flour, until just combined - dough should not be sticky or stiff. Pipe dough unto ungreased sheet using large star tip.
Wet your index finger and create a "well" in the middle of the cookied. Place 1tsp of preserves in the middle of each cookie.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (until edges are lightly browned). Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired

Ganache filled Ladyfingers

Even though I wasn't a really big fan of the ganache we made, I still think it turned out pretty good. The ladyfingers could have been piped better, there was way too many different shapes (meaning some were longer, fatter than others) but HAY! ... they all tasted the same when I dumped them into my mouth.

RECIPE: Ladyfingers
3oz cornstarch
4oz bread flour
6 egg yolks
6oz sugar
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice

RECIPE: Ganache
1 lb bittersweet chocolate
1 pt heavy cream
1 fl oz almond/coffee liquer

(bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate stir with rubber spatula to blend; stir in liquer. All to cool before using)

Sift flour and cornstarch together.
Whip egg yolks with 2oz of sugar until thick and creamy.
Whip egg whites until foamy. Slowly add 2 oz of sugar and lemon juice.
Whip until soft peaks form, then add remaining sugar until soft peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of whites into whipped yolks, then fold in remaining whites. Fold in
the flour mixture.
Place mixture in pastry bag, and pipe as desired.
Bake at 425 until lightly browned.
Flip cookies on back side. Pipe ganache in center and sandwich between two cookies.
Sprinkle with powder sugar.

Chocolate Butter Cookies

*Warning - Over consumption of these cookies could lead to a major "crash" from a sugar high. Recommendation - EAT. MORE. COOKIES. (then just go to sleep - you won't feel a thing).

RECIPE:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c confectioner's sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add egg. Add vanilla. Mix in cake mix.
Refrigerate 2 hours. Form small balls in palm of your hand and roll in sugar.

Place 1 1/2" apart. Bake for 10 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Cool for 3 minutes, sprinkle tops with more sugar.


Oh. Em. Gee.

Blackberry Creme Tuiles - Yum!

I'm back in business.
For those of you that did not know, I've been a Daring Baker for some time. I wasn't able to complete a few challenges towards the end of 2008, but I requested my re-admittance from the almighty Lis, and my wish was granted!

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen aka Baking Soda at Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angelique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. Both of the above sites will have the FULL RECIPE fore viewing and copying.

I was very excited when I saw some of the early posts from fellow DBers. The pictures reminded me of this cookie that "a lady" use to make for me for the holidays. The cookies reminded me of a 'watery sugar cookier' because it was so
thin and sugary. Sadly, this was not the cookie I had hoped... but don't fret... I was very happy with the outcome indeed.


I decided to fill my tuiles with whipped cream topped with fresh (previously frozen) blackberries. I loved them... and so did my husband. (we figured the kids wouldn't like them... so we didn't share!)

When it RAINS, that's when I make a FLOOD

Well I guess our luck has run out (for now). While all the rest of the U.S. have been experiencing horrible weather, we've been enjoying temperatures in the 80s, all across SoCal.

I know your all secretly hating me.
[ducking all of the cyber daggers thrown my way]

We yesterday we had a slight drizzle, but today it rained for most of the day. Since rain normally makes for a lazy day (hence the reason for the DIY dinner) I attempted to gain a little ground on what I plan on doing for Valentine's Day. I practiced flooding some sugar cookies with simple designs to see if I liked the outcome.

So far, I'm doing ok.
RECIPE: Vanilla Sugar Cookies (from Confetti Cakes)
2 1/3 c + 2 tbsp A/P flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 c butter
1/2 c + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg, large
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Add flour mixture in 2 batches. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap - refrigerate for 30 minutes.







Place ball between two pieces of parchment paper - roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Keeping on parchment paper, transfer to baking sheet - refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from REFRIGERATOR, cut out shapes. Freeze cut-outs for 15 minutes prior to baking in 350 degree oven for 10 min.



Allow cookies to cool completely. Using pastry #1 or #2, and royal icing, pipe border around cookie. Using same royal icing (add water to make loose) "flood" cookie, now using a #3 or #4 tip. Use a toothpick to spread icing all the way to the border. Use a 'lighter' color royal icing when doing the "drop-in flooding" - darker color will bleed.

(so the ones that I sprinkled colored sugar on top of ... were still drying, that's why they look like CRAP!)

1 Great Chrismtas Gift

Ok... so in a rush to try and figure out what to give out this year as Christmas gifts, I pondered the thought of homemade gifts. Did I hear someone say "CHEAP?"

Whatever.

All I know is that funds are "tight" this year, and in the spirit of giving, I've decided that COOKIES are a great gift to give.... especially 'chocolate chip cookies.' The way I see it why fuss and fight over a crazy recipe that pisses you off to make, and people may not even like (because they're so fancy, they've never tasted those "fancy" ingredients).

Of course the fancy-smancy cookies on the cover of Martha Stewarts magazine looke wonderful and sitr up the desire to get all "Betty Crocker"... but if you're not going to do it right (and perfect) you might as well do it easy and enjoy yourself.











THE GREAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE:
2 1/4 c A/P flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
3/4 g. sugar
3/4 b. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Enjoy!