NYC Bake Sale for Japan

As I know many of you have been doing recently, I've been praying for Japan. Not only for protection and physical recovery, but for emotional and spiritual restoration as well. And I pray for what I don't understand because frankly, there sure is a lot of that.


























One other thing I'm doing is baking for Japan. If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know that's what I do. I bake, and I bake for others. When I don't know what to say or what to do when people are hurting, I want to meet their basic need of eating. Okay, so maybe eating comfort foods like cookies and cake isn't quite a basic need, but when eaten in moderation, I know it helps.

I'll be busy baking a few of my favorite cookies tonight (can you guess what they are?), and tomorrow we'll be selling a LOT of baked goods at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, come rain or shine. All proceeds will go to the charity Peace Winds Japan.

If you're in the NYC area tomorrow, please visit the Bake Sale for Japan at the Brooklyn Flea, and look for our setup in front of the fence outside on the sidewalk. Special thanks to Lillian of Sweets by Sillianah for organizing the NYC sale and to the many volunteers involved around the nation who are graciously donating their time and efforts for a great cause.

NYC Bake Sale for Japan at Brooklyn Flea
April 2, 10AM-5PM
176 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

Jury Duty 4/12/10 - 4/22/10. Yes, that's exactly what the frame around the picture says. The past two weeks of my life were spent serving as alternate juror #1, and it was an experience that certainly was interesting. Sure, it took much too long, and sure, I didn't even get to contribute to jury deliberation, but it gave me a first-hand look into our judicial system.

What surprised me most was how much our jury bonded. And as much as we bonded, I still don't know all their names. We didn't bother with formal introductions because we were all hoping each day was our last day. We didn't know each others' names, but we knew all about each other. We shared about our professions, hobbies, background, and faith. To keep each other awake during the trial, we brought candy and gum and shared with one another. Juror #1 noticed when alternate juror #2 was unusually quiet one morning, and asked if everything was okay with her. I found a great lunch buddy for the week, and after the trial ended, we're still playing a game of Words With Friends.

We sensed our last day would be the 22nd since closing statements finished the 21st. The very talkative teacher insisted on taking a group picture, and we found it too funny to pass on. She gathered our email addresses and said she'd email us the picture. Instead of emailing, she printed out copies with that silly frame for each of us. She distributed them to us on our last morning together, while I brought cookies and my lunch buddy brought brownies for the group. It was like a grade school party for the last day of class.

Who knew jury duty would feel like going away to a weird adult camp? Maybe instead of a boring summons, the state should send out flashy mandatory invites to "Jury Camp." Surely then, people wouldn't try so hard to get out of it. Maybe?


Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
3. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
4. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Tina's Bridal Shower

Last month, I had the privilege of helping out with a former roommate's bridal shower. When the maid of honor (Tina's sister) asked me if I'd like to make some dessert for the shower, I was honored to be asked and immediately said yes!

I've had many roommates in the past, and Tina is one of my favorites. Is she even better than my current one? Hmmm.. that's a tough call. She cooked for me, sometimes cleaned up after me, was a great workout buddy, gave me tennis lessons, got me into baseball, and taught me a great deal about home style Taiwanese food. To bake for her bridal shower was my way of showing appreciation for her friendship and presence in my life.





































































Can you tell the bridal shower had a theme? Well it did, and the theme was Tina's favorite things: the color yellow, the color white, and polka-dots. Cheryl did all the decorations and crafted together paper pom-poms, yarn pom-poms, paper banners, balloon banners, and strew paper circle cut-outs all around the apartment. She really transformed David's apartment into a ray of sunlight. Update: Not that it wasn't already wonderfully decorated by the groom..





















































How awesome is it that guests brought presents wrapped in the same style as the decorations? We made no kind of announcement or demands for this; Tina's friends simply know what she likes.

























Kelly, the maid of honor, took care of the food, and she prepared as many yellow foods as she could think of. We had tamago sushi, assorted cheese and crackers, corn salsa on tortilla chips, deviled eggs, a yellow vegetable platter, chicken salad sandwiches, and sweet potato fries. We had quite the assortment of food, and it looked great altogether.




































In addition to this honey chocolate polka-dot cake, I made a few other desserts in the same theme, and I even brought back lemon and vanilla macarons from Ladurée in Paris. I'll be sure to write more about the desserts in future posts, so check back next week!




































Even more polka-dots! This is the only present picture I'm going to post. But let me say we certainly saw more white, yellow, and polka-dots among the presents.
























The bridesmaids sent us home with these adorable pots of honey as shower favors. They skillfully tied various Burt's Bees items to each honey pot with cute yellow yarn. I heard it was a great feat, so job well done, ladies.




































And here the bride is with her lovely bouquet for the wedding rehearsal. Cheryl came prepared with her glue gun and craft supplies and made this fabulous gift wrap bouquet that could be fit for the actual wedding.

I can't believe Tina will be marrying her fiancé David in just one week! The bridal shower was so bright and cheery, and I hope their wedding will be filled with even more sunshine. Congratulations, you two!

Peppermint Dark Chocolate Milan Cookies

I've definitely eaten my share of store-bought cookies as a kid. I ate them all day, in school lunches to afternoon snacks, and even for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. My mom was the type to give me birthday cake and Rice Krispies Treats for breakfast, because, you know, they're just pastries. I've changed my habits since then, but I still don't see the difference between having birthday cake for breakfast versus having multiple jelly-filled chocolate-glazed doughnuts for breakfast.

Back then, my favorite breakfast cookie was the Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookie. I was psyched to see that this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge was to recreate this classic cookie! The recipe called for a lighter orange flavored chocolate filling, but I mixed things up with a peppermint dark chocolate filling. The recipe was so easy, resulting in a cookie so decadent. Try having them for breakfast next time. It's okay, because Mom says so.
The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.
Peppermint Milan Cookies
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

For the cookie filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:
1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add peppermint extract and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Monogrammed Sugar Cookies

If you can’t tell, those cookies say ‘W’ and ‘L’. WL doesn’t have any significant meaning, and it certainly does not stand for wavelength, wetland, or some programming language. W and L are simply the initials of two ladies in attendance at my sister-in-law’s wonderful bridal shower last weekend. The shower will be the subject of another post, so for now, let’s stick to the cookies. They were part of the favors given away at the shower, iced with the first initial of all the ladies’ names.

I used Stephanie’s (Joy of Baking) sugar cookie and royal icing recipe, and I was happy to find making the cookies from start to finish took me just over a couple hours, including the time to freeze the dough. This recipe was straightforward and resulted in firm cookies that were not too stiff. The icing was great for flooding, but not the best for writing. My icing was a bit on the runny side, so writing any more than one letter turned into a big pink blob.

For easier icing, I used a squeeze bottle (available at most craft and cake stores) and grew to love it. I didn’t get icing all over my hand, I could take a quick rest whenever I needed, it was great. I’m going to stock up on those for my future icing needs.

That was just a quick peek into the bridal shower, stay tuned to see how it all panned out.


Sugar Cookies (makes about 36)
adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.
3. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.
6. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes (depending on size) or until they are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.) Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.


Royal Icing
adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
drops of water, as needed
few drops food coloring gel (optional)

Directions:
1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth.
2. Drop in water little at a time to create desired consistency. Add in food coloring gel and mix well to achieve color.
3. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Tuile and Lychee Panna Cotta with Raspberry Puree

Happy New Year! Either I'm very late in saying that or I'm still celebrating the Lunar New Year, you can decide which it is. January certainly flew by for me, and I'm still surprised that my Daring Bakers post is already due. After returning from our marvelous trip out east, I've come back with much more flavor inspiration for my baking this year. Be on the lookout for more exotic desserts in 2009.

A little about tuiles: traditionally, tuiles are thin, crisp almond cookies that are gently molded over a rolling pin or arched form while they are still warm. Once set, their shape resembles the curved French roofing tiles for which they're named. The Dutch angle is that this batter was used to bake flat round cookies on December 31st, representing the year unfold. On New Years day, the same batter was used, but this day they were presented to well-wishers shaped as cigars and filled with whipped cream, symbolizing the New Year that's about to roll on.

In this Daring Bakers' challenge, we were to pair the tuiles up with something light, and I thought of panna cotta after one dinner last week. I decided to add some fruit to it, flavoring the panna cotta with lychee puree and adding raspberry puree as a garnish. The flavors went wonderfully together, and the tuiles were the perfect finish to the dessert.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Tuiles
from Angélique Schmeinck's The Chocolate Book

Ingredients:
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon sugar
dash of vanilla extract
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked)
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar, and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not over mix.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).
4. Line a baking sheet with Silpat mat and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. If foregoing the stencil, use a rubber spatula or piping bag and spread/pipe batter in desired shapes, making sure to leave room in between shapes.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm.


Lychee Panna Cotta
adapted from Gourmet, August 1997

Ingredients:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups lychee puree (from 2 cans canned lychee)

Directions:
1. In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.
2. In a large saucepan bring cream, milk, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and lychee puree. Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2-cup ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Dip ramekins, one at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.
4. Garnish the panna cotta with raspberry puree and tuile.


Raspberry Puree

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 teaspoon sugar
drop of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Using a food processor or blender, blend raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice until it becomes a puree.
2. Strain puree through a cheesecloth, discarding the seeds.

Black and White Cookies

This article combines two things I love: Black and White Cookies and Seinfeld. It was published the day before the series finale (I remember being so disappointed), and the article recalls the episode where Jerry reflects on the cookie's message about racial harmony and says "Look to the cookie."

I liked Black and Whites before I even knew it was a New York cookie. It seemed fitting to want to make these cookies to mark my first year living in New York, but I'm a little late for that. About four months too late. Instead, I made these in celebration of a friend ending her four-year stint here. She's moving back out to the Midwest to be closer to her husband, and even though I've only known her a year (and she may not even like sweets like these), I'm dedicating these to my friend Daisy, whose gracious presence will certainly be missed around here.

Black and White Cookies
adapted from NYTimes, originally from Zabar's

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Mix by machine or hand until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and lemon extracts, and mix until smooth.
3. In medium bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until mixed. Add dry mixture to the wet in batches, stirring well after each addition. Using a soup spoon, place heaping spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
4. Place confectioners' sugar in large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture.
5. Put half the frosting in the top half of a double-boiler. Add the chocolate and corn syrup, and set over simmering water. Warm the mixture, stirring, until chocolate is melted and frosting is smooth. Turn off the heat, but leave chocolate frosting over hot water to keep it spreadable. Ice half of the top of each cookie with chocolate frosting, and the other half with white frosting. Let dry, and store in an airtight container. Makes 4 dozen small cookies.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

What makes a great cookie? Depends on who you're asking. My answer would be a plain, chewy chocolate chip cookie. My friend Pam likes crunchy cookies like my Thai tea cookies. And our receptionist at work, whom I made these for, loves white chocolate cookies, hold the nuts. She'd been requesting these cookies from me for well over 5 months (it started as a request for her birthday), and I've come with dozens or so excuses every time she asked me about it. This week was the week I decided not to delay anymore, and I presented her with a lovely tub of these babies. In this office, she has every right not to share her cookies. We have vultures, but at least we don't have thieves like these. Entertaining, yet sad at the same time.

Back to cookies, megnut's Mean Chocolate Chip has been around the blog block a time or two, but it's still a great one to note. Based on my answer on what makes a great cookie, I think I'd like it. Now, what about ya'll? What makes a great cookie to you?

White Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Cooks' Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325 F degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.
3. Spoon dough into tablespoon dough balls. Place formed dough onto Silpat-lined cookie sheets. Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.
4. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Thai Tea Cookies

On the same note as my last post, and in addition to taking another stab at the Thai tea cupcakes, I wanted to improve the Thai tea cookie I made last year. I love spritz cookies (why else would I want to make 1600 of them), and I felt my Thai tea version last year needed a stronger tea flavor. To remedy this, I added more Thai tea syrup while reducing the amount of sugar and slightly increasing the amount of flour. Both the flavor and color turned out nicer this time, and I was proud to present them to my dear Thai friend, Ms. Samathananathivananathaichai. That very well could be a Thai last name, but it's just my take on her long last name. Imagine filling that out on a Scantron!

Thai Tea Cookies
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup Thai tea syrup
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. In small bowl, beat yolk and Thai tea syrup with fork until combined; set aside.
2. In standing mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. With mixer running at medium speed, add yolk/syrup mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
4. With mixer running at low speed, gradually beat in flour until combined. Scrape down bowl and give final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
5. Using a cookie press, press cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time.
6. Cool cookies on baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; using metal spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Matcha Icebox Cookies

I've made the matcha spritz cookies dozens of times, but for some reason, I never thought to work from a different butter cookie base recipe until now. I started with a basic icebox recipe from Martha Stewart's archives, and added my standard tablespoon of matcha, and voilà: it's a completely different cookie.

Coincidentally, Tim and I recently had a conversation about the important role refrigerators play in our life. I remember going to a student's apartment in China where the kitchen didn't have a fridge. They didn't cook much because it's extremely hard to with that kind of limitation, but also because cheap (and great!) food was plentiful on every corner of every street. Well, I am grateful for my fridge and that it's advanced far from the old icebox. Technically, these cookies should be called Refrigerator Cookies, but I guess it's just one of those things that are still named after obsolete technology. Like a stock ticker. Wow, that's the best I could come up with, but I know there are other things we still call by their obsolete origins. Help?

Matcha Icebox Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tablespoon matcha
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, matcha and salt in a large bowl.
2. Use food processor or hands to mix butter into flour mixture until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; add to . Process just until a dough forms
4. Divide dough in half; form into two 2-inch square logs, each approximately 5 1/2 inches long. Wrap logs in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. You may also freeze dough up to 2 months.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough crosswise, 3/16 inch thick; carefully transfer slices to baking sheets.
6. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack.

Matcha (White) Chocolate Chip Cookies

My parents were in town this past weekend, and the second they stepped into our apartment, my mom said quickly, "more green cookies??" Because of our matcha cookie overload in March, she thought I would be sick of matcha cookies, but really, how could I be? Plus, this was a completely different recipe. To start out Matcha Month, I chose to put a matcha spin on Martha Stewart's soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. And though I personally prefer the combination of matcha with regular (or even dark) chocolate, I know some prefer matching it with white chocolate, so I took care of both preferences.

Matcha (White) Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon matcha
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet or white chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
3. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Bacon Cookies

When my friend asked me to bring some finger foods to her housewarming, I wanted to bring something completely different. If anything, that's all I accomplished with these bacon cookies. I was so disappointed with this recipe! They honestly looked, tasted, and felt like dog treats for humans. So much that I called them human treats all night long. I'd like to hone my skills to the point that I'll know exactly what a recipe will turn out like, in terms of taste and texture. Well I started this blog to learn and grow as a baker, so every recipe, triumph or failure, will get me one step closer to that point.

I do have to mention that my old college roommate Mel was also at the housewarming and brought these wonderfully different roasted garlic cupcakes inspired by an Iron Chef episode featuring a garlic crème brûlée. She called it her "mystery cupcake" and made people guess what the main ingredient was. With a few.. okay a lot of hints, I guessed right. I knew it was something that had a kick to it, so the guess that got me closest was ginger. She's got a lot of talent, so check out her blog to see what else she makes.

Bacon Cookies aka Human Treats
adapted from The Bacon Cookbook

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat until crisp; drain on paper towels, reserving the fat.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, butter, the whole egg, cream, and pepper; beat with an electric mixer until the dough is well blended. 3. Transfer to a floured surface, add the bacon and cheese, and knead until dough is soft and bacon evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
4. Roll out dough into one or two logs about 1 1/2 inches thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with a little of the bacon fat, and set aside.
6. On a work surface, cut the log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet, brush with the beaten egg yolk, and bake until the cookies are browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

Wedding Favors: Matcha Cookies

Well, it happened already. Tim and I tied the knot in Houston, TX on March 8, and we've since begun our new life together in LIC (Long Island City). And the wedding? It honestly could not have gone any better. I'd really love to go into the details, but I'm going to hold off for now. Check back later for that post.

As for this post, first I'm dedicating it to my mom, who graciously put up with my crazy idea to give homemade matcha cookies as wedding favors. We initially tried to find a bakery that would bake my recipe for us, and after a trial run with them, we decided ours tasted much better. Plus, I made my own bridal shower favors, so why not do the wedding favors as well? Oh boy..

Everything was prepared the week before the wedding, and we even did a sample batch Tuesday night. That first batch was rough - under my bossy reign, we only made about 200 that night. But after a good night's rest and after my mom got me to lose the bossiness, we started again early the next morning. For about 7 hours straight, the kitchen became a matcha cookie factory, and Tim and my dad were even helping with the packaging.

In the end, I'm happy we made them ourselves. A lot of love went into those 1600 cookies, and I was amused to hear that our guests were arguing with each other whether we bought or made the cookies. For those who were still wondering... yes, my wonderful mom and I made them. And here's the recipe.

Matcha Cookies
original post

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tb matcha
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, tea flavoring of choice, and salt and continue beating until well mixed. Using a spoon, stir in the flour until blended.
4. Pack the cookie dough into a cookie press according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fit with the desired-shaped cookie plate and press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheets or sheets lined with Silpat nonstick liners, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool. Makes 40 to 60 cookies.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thanks to my friends, I had an awesome bridal shower this past Saturday. My maid of honor flew up from Houston, and my bridesmaids did a great job decorating my apartment. Also, with me being me, I couldn't not help out with the food. We had a tea-themed shower, and my girls helped make a variety of delicious tea sandwiches. For the favors, we gave away these jars filled with these grown-up oatmeal chocolate cookies. Grown-up how? Well, the addition of spices and orange zest made for a great flavor that got everyone trying to figure it out. I'm really glad my bridesmaids let me have my way with the food and favors.. sure it was a lot of work, but knowing my friends' taste buds were satisfied made it all worth it.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Sparks in the Kitchen, by Katy Sparks with Andrea Strong

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large cookie sheet with silicone baking mat.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in eggs, one at a time.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl.
5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. 6. Stir in the oats, orange zest, and chocolate chips.
7. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
8. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate and Marshmallow Mud Cookies

Back to baking. I made these to give as an early birthday present for a coworker. Previously, I've made similar chocolate marshmallow cookies, but I say these definitely beat those out. I've also made some marshmallow blondies, and last week I made a sad rendition of those. Sad how so? I didn't have butterscotch on hand, and instead of being creative, I simply omitted it. They did not taste half as good, so from now on, I'm stocking up on butterscotch.

Chocolate and Marshmallow Mud Cookies
adapted from well fed network, originally adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks
1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt the semisweet chocolate morsels by microwaving for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds.
3. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add eggs, 4 at a time, and beat well.
5. Blend in the vanilla and melted chocolate.
6. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and pass it through a sieve.
7. Add this slowly to chocolate mixture, continuously stirring until well blended.
8. Stir in the 1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks.
9. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the dough onto cookie sheets.
10. Press 3 marshmallows into the center of each cookie dough.
11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Remove and allow to cool on the wire rack.

Mini Marble Loaf and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy New Year! It's been exactly one year since I started Talida Bakes, and I'd say my 2007 resolution to bake more has been accomplished. Granted, I had my summer hiatus, but I think I've come a long way and have learned many things about baking last year. I've got a similar goal for this year - to push myself and tackle more difficult recipes to learn new and challenging techniques. Oh, this and have a memorable wedding to start a great marriage.

To ring in the new year, Tim and I hosted a little dessert and cocktail party at my apartment. Well, what we thought was little turned into a college-reminiscent party that fit 40 people in my 670 sqft place. I meant to write this post earlier today, but lucky me had a full day of cleaning after last night's party. I do love my friends, but this is never happening again. Not at my place.

So what did I make? I got my ideas from the latest Martha Stewart Weddings magazine in the feature called Sugar Babies. Once I saw the petit fours inspired desserts, I knew what I had to do. Copy it. Really, I took the marble loaf recipe right out of the magazine. But I also used my own chocolate chip cookie recipe as well as my previously posted matcha cupcakes. I wanted to try another stab at the thai tea cupcakes, but I ran out of time. Soon though.. that post will surely come soon.

Mini Marble Loaf
from Martha Stewart Weddings, Winter 2008

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 6 mini loaf pans.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low.
4. Beat in flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Reserve one-quarter of the batter.
5. Whisk together cocoa and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the boiling water, and stir until smooth. Add to reserved cake batter, and stir until combined.
6. Spoon batters into pans in two layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. Run a skewer through batter in a swirling motion to create a marbled effect.
7. Bake cakes, rotating pans from front to back after 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 25 to 40 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans to loosen, and turn out cakes onto racks to cool completely. Just before serving, cut cakes into 1/2-inch slices.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
from allrecipes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
3. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Blend in the flour mixture.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. To make mini cookies, use 1/2 teaspoonfuls.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread

I saw this recipe featured by Deb at Smitten Kitchen a few days ago and knew I had to make these as part of my holiday collection. I'm spending Christmas in the D.C. area this year, so I wanted to bake sturdy goods that won't end up in a crumbled mess in my luggage. I'm bringing these, and I look forward to testing how well they travel.

The shortbread was easy to make, and I agree with Deb - the rolling-in-a-bag is the best part! I didn't have gallon-sized bags on me, so I used 4 quart-sized bags. It worked out wonderfully since I had even less cookies to cut. No, I'm not lazy... I just love shortcuts. And this shortbread.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (plain, or a toffee variety), finely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:
1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.
3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.
4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.
7. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Makes 32 cookies.

Chocolate Spritz Cookies

Matcha cookies on the left, chocolate spritz cookies on the right. I made these to bring to work - I'd been telling everyone how much I love baking ever since my interview, but had yet to bring anything in. I didn't want to be such a tease, so I whipped these up the other night. I love my cookie press, but at the same time they always take longer than I expect. If only I had 10 more arms.. and 5 more cookie presses..

Chocolate Spritz Cookies
slightly adapted from Wilton

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars at medium high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
6. Add flour mixture gradually and beat well.
7. Pack the cookie dough into a cookie press according to the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Fit with the desired-shaped cookie plate and press cookie onto cool ungreased cookie sheets, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart.
9. Bake about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

After making the marshmallow blondies, I was in search for a way to use up the rest of the marshmallows. Browsing through some of my cookbooks, I found the following in a Mrs. Fields cookie cookbook. It turned out alright, but I think next time I'd like to add another flavor to the cookie... maybe peppermint.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
aka Jessica's Marshmallow Clouds
from Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz. mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Until you are to ready to assemble the cookies just prior to baking, keep the marshmallows in the freezer - otherwise they will thaw too rapidly.
2. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Combine sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend in butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. 4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and blend at low speed until combined. Batter will be very stiff.
5. Gather 4-5 marshmallows in the palm of your hand and cover them with a heaping tablespoonful of dough. Wrap the dough around the marshmallows, completely encasing them and forming a 2-inch-diameter dough ball.
6. Place balls on ungreased baking sheets, 2-inches apart. Bake 15 minutes. Cool on pan 2 minutes, then transfer to a cool, flat surface.

Taro, Matcha, and Thai Tea Cookies

Three flavors I love to use (and have used in previous posts) are taro, matcha, and thai tea. I've been on a little quest to come up with as many recipes using those flavors, especially since I bought the tea ingredients in bulk and don't want them to go to waste. Here they reappear in a cookie form. I got a cookie press a couple years ago, and since it's only been used once or twice, I wanted to put it to use this weekend. Both the taro and matcha cookies turned out with a nice strong flavor, but I couldn't taste the thai tea in the thai tea cookie. Next time I'll definitely play around with the recipe to get a more pronounced thai tea flavor.

Taro/Matcha/Thai Tea Cookies
adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tb taro bubble tea powder, 1 Tb matcha, or 3 Tb thai tea syrup (if using thai tea syrup, add about 1/2 cup flour extra)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, tea flavoring of choice, and salt and continue beating until well mixed. Using a spoon, stir in the flour until blended.
4. Pack the cookie dough into a cookie press according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fit with the desired-shaped cookie plate and press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheets or sheets lined with Silpat nonstick liners, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool. Makes 40 to 60 cookies.