cookie topic

[TurtleMeng]

I don't know if anyone will be interested in this, just a try.

I have been highly unambitious and baking cookies. The thing is, there's really nothing wrong with making them instead of making fancier things. Besides, my son loves them. I am trying various recipes from Carole Walter's Great Cookies , and having some fun. If anyone wants to put pictures and recipes here....

These are "pistachio lime thins"

There are pecan tassies

I had trouble finding lime oil for the lime thins, but they still tasted great without it.

If anyone is interested, I can put up the recipes. Hmmm, is that legal? I committed the crime of scanning photos, so I want to be sure that's ok.

[pandorphus]

How about some Easter cookies?

The cookies are from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion... "Decorators Dream Cookie". Really tasty. Surprisingly so, even. I use a royal icing recipe that I got from a magazine last Christmas... it's really similar to Wilton's, but tastes really good.

[Wendy DeBord]

TurtleMeng if the photos were your's (taken by you), you own the copyright and can scan away as much as you want. You can't post someone elses photos, they own the copy rights to their photos, it's their work. You can dirrect us to a photo using a link so we can see it. BUT you can't copy a photo and paste it here.

I just recently went thru our policys on posting recipes. Again, you can write the recipe as published. The author can not copyright the ingredients list, nor can they copyright the amounts of those ingredients. The place to be cautious is when you post the dirrections on HOW to assemble those measured ingredients. The author/creator does own copyright to the dirrections so you MUST re-write that and put it into your own words........something that only takes moments to do.

Back to the topic at hand, those cookies all look great!

[Rehovot]

If anyone is interested, I can put up the recipes.  Hmmm, is that legal?

Oh, I'm completely interested. Especially in those pistachio lime thins!! And those are probably the nicest Easter cookies I've ever seen, too.....

I like these; they're kind of simple:

Lemon-Currant Cookies

Makes 2 and a half dozen. (I think I halved the original recipe.)

1/2 stick butter, softened, plus more for baking sheets

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup sour cream

1 large egg

3/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 c. dried currants

1/2 tbsp. to 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

Oven to 350F. Butter two cookie sheets. Mix butter and sugar together in a bowl; beat until creamy. Whisk in the sour cream and the egg.

Mix dry ingredients together. Beat them into the butter-sugar mixture until well mixed. Fold in currant and lemon zest.

Scoop dough with a teaspoon / tablespoon about 1 and a half inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are golden - approx. 20 minutes. Cool five minutes on cookie sheets and then move to a wire rack.

Mmmmm, coooooooookie.

Edited because Wendy DeBord's recipe-posting instructions are more logical than mine were.

Edited March 20, 2005 by Rehovot (log)

[Trishiad]

I love those Easter bouquets. I do birthday bouquets sometimes and people sure love them. They seem to think it's difficult to shove a stick into a cookie and I'm not going to try to convince them otherwise.

Could you share the royal icing and cookie recipes? My royal icing is pretty blah.

[TurtleMeng]

Oh, I'm completely interested. Especially in those pistachio lime thins!! 

Of course those photos were taken by ME....don't they look that way?

OK, the recipe goes

2 c AP flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 salt

1/4 baking soda

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 T lime zest

1/2 t lime oil (this is what I could not find and did not use, I put in a little lemon extract to substitute)

1 1/4 c sugar

4 yolks

1 T lime juice

1 t vanilla extract

1 c chopped pistachio nuts

1 egg white beaten with 2 t water, as egg wash (I didn't even need this much)

Sift the dry ingredients

Cream butter first on low speed with the lime zest and oil, then slowly add sugar, cream for about 2 minutes then gradually add the yolks, vanilla, and lime juice

On low speed add the sifted dry ingredients in 2 additions.

(I found this dough pretty sticky) Divide the dough into 4 portions and shape into 6-inch logs (about 1 1/2 inch in diameter). I put them in fridge for a while before brushing on the egg wash and rolling them in the chopped pistachio because they were hard to handle. Once rolled and covered in chopped nuts wrap them in Saran and put the logs in fridge for at least 1 hr to firm up (I left them overnight)

Slice the logs diagonally (so the cookies are kind of oval) into 1/4 inch thick slices, these 4 logs supposedly make 3 dozen cookies, I got about 10 each log.

Place the slices on cookie sheet. It says "moderately buttered" but I just used parchment. They do expend so keep them apart (guess who did not just trying to save space)

Bake @ 350 for about 9-10 minutes, until edges brown.

[BROWNSUGA]

Great cookies! I have Carole Walter's book and have yet to use it. I am going to have to pull it out and use it!! Have you tried any other recipes that you like?

[TurtleMeng]

Great cookies! I have Carole Walter's book and have yet to use it.  I am going to have to pull it out and use it!!  Have you tried any other recipes that you like?

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I did her chocolate chip cookies, where she used the little trick of adding finely grounded quick-cooking oats to keep cookies from spreading too much. It worked well. I also made the White Chocoate Whalers with rice crispies, my son had to be told to stop eating them (they are big cookies also), but I forgot to take a pic.

Next I think I might do the "madras" cookies with curry powder, the flavor combo sounds attractive.

[TurtleMeng]

Just made some Sesame Coins. I was curious how these would taste compared to what I grew up with, the stuff you buy @ Chinese stores. I am pretty sure the stores one are not made with butter and thought home-made ones would taste better.

Here they are

They taste good, but the sesame is so overpowering that they still taste kind of similar to the bought sesame cookies. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with store cookies, just I was thinking I can beat them by 2 miles.

[BROWNSUGA]

Those look so good! I am going to have to pull out my book and use it!

[TurtleMeng]

Made the madras cookies. These are really kind of exotic with the hint of curry and a small kick. I think a cup of Earl Grey would stand up to their pronounced flavor.

I can actually recall the recipe from my head, definitely won't violate copyright this way. I halved the recipe.

1 1/4 c AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or is it 1 tsp? will double check when I get home)

1/2 cup toasted unblanched almonds

1 tsp mild curry powder, toasted on low heat in pan for ~ 30 seconds

Put all the above in food processor and pulse about 10 times, then grind ~ 1 minute until finely grounded

1 stick butter

1/2 tsp orange zest

cream the above, the slowly add 1/3 c granulated sugar, then 1/3 c brown sugar, cream for about 1 minute, then add in 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and mix just until moistened.

Fold in 1/2 cup of sweetened coconut flakes.

Chill the dough until a little firmer, roll it into 1 inch balls (should make about 25-30 cookies), press a whole almond into each one, flatten into 1-1/2 inch disks, bake @ 375 ~ 10 minutes.

[BROWNSUGA]

No more cookies?

[JSkilling]

No more cookies? 

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My camera, which I um, dropped, is due back tomorrow so I can post some new pictures of my current crop then.

[Maison Rustique]

OK, a friend of mine is looking for a Black & White Cookie recipe. She says that she's found some online, but they are too hard and dry. She wants a soft, moist cake-like cookie.

I'm not a NYer so can't help with this--I'd never even heard of a black & white!

[TurtleMeng]

Oh, I have a black and white recipe, but I don't have time to bake...friends are coming to town, husband left town, son is having open house....argh.

Please, others, share some more cookies....

BTW, brownsugar, I quickly read your other thread and question, perhaps weighing can help? I weigh most of my ingredients (actually with Carole Walter's book she didn't list weights, which is an ARRRRRRRGH)

[SuzySushi]

OK, a friend of mine is looking for a Black & White Cookie recipe. She says that she's found some online, but they are too hard and dry. She wants a soft, moist cake-like cookie.

I'm not a NYer so can't help with this--I'd never even heard of a black & white!

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Darn! I just came across one online the other day. Le me see if I can resurrect where I saw it. Black & whites are large (saucer-sized) cake-like cookies frosted with white confectioners' sugar icing on one side and chocolate glaze on the other.

My grandmother always used to buy those at the bakery when I was a kid -- I never liked them; what I really wanted was the fancy leaf cookies that were dyed pink or green!

Here ya go:

Black & White Cookies

[Edited to add link]

Edited March 24, 2005 by SuzySushi (log)

[BROWNSUGA]

Oh, I have a black and white recipe, but I don't have time to bake...friends are coming to town, husband left town, son is having open house....argh.

Please, others, share some more cookies....

BTW, brownsugar, I quickly read your other thread and question, perhaps weighing can help?  I weigh most of my ingredients (actually with Carole Walter's book she didn't list weights, which is an ARRRRRRRGH)

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That may help. I try to convert all my recipes into weights when they arent already in weights. I love using the scale as opposed to scooping!!

[Maison Rustique]

Thanks, Suzy!