Third post containing chocolate in a row, my goodness! Actually I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner…
Have you made those peanut butter cookies that are just peanut butter, egg, and sugar? These almond butter cookies are like that, but better. Chewy, crisp, and buttery (but made without butter or flour), they also have maple syrup, chocolate chips and chunks of toasted almonds. Yum. They were so good and so easy! (more…)
When I was growing up, my Mum and I baked a lot of cookies together, and one of my favorites was the Chocolate Thinsees from a cookbook called Golde’s Homemade Cookies. These were a dark chocolate cookie made of a soft batter and topped with chopped nuts, and during baking they spread out thin and became satisfyingly chewy, yet soft, with a texture almost more like cake than cookie. Sounds odd, but I loved them and as soon as I was old enough to use the oven by myself, I made them all the time – they were totally addictive.
A few weeks ago I had some mandarin oranges languishing in my fruit bowl, and I decided that orange-flavoured cookies would be the best way to use them up. I pulled out my copy of Golde’s cookbook, and came across the Chocolate Thinsees recipe. Chocolate and orange is a tried and true combination, but I didn’t have any of the semi-sweet chocolate that the recipe called for. I did, however, have some white chocolate, so I decided to make White Chocolate Orange Thinsees and top them with Brazil nuts. It was a good call.
These thin, crisp cookies are sort of like French tuiles, but with a chewier texture. They weren’t quite as cake-like as I remember, but they were just as addictive – they barely lasted a whole day, and by the time the last batch came out of the oven, I had already eaten so many that I have no idea how many I actually made. Golde suggests that these make a great tea cookie. I suggest that you make them immediately and just try to stop yourself from eating them by the handful!
Adapted from Golde’s Homemade Cookies by Golde Hoffman Soloway
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt:
2 oz white chocolate, roughly chopped
Set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, cream together:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
When light and fluffy, stir in the melted white chocolate, then add:
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix until well blended, then stir in:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
dash salt
Mix well. The batter will be quite soft.
Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. The cookies will spread a lot in the oven, so leave a few inches of room between them – I found six per sheet to be plenty. Sprinkle the cookies with chopped nuts (about 3/4 cup total) – I used Brazil nuts.
Bake in the 300˚F oven for 15-18 minutes, until light brown at the edges and set in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack with a thin spatula. If they have all run into each other to form one giant cookie, cut them apart with a sharp knife before removing them from the baking sheet.
I dare you not to eat them all in one day!
PS – It was brought to my attention that I’ve been nominated for the “Kreativ Blogger Award” by Sibella of Baking with Sibella. Thank you Sibella, I’m very flattered! However rather than listing seven things about myself and nominating seven other blogs, I would encourage you to visit Sibella’s lovely blog and check out her gorgeous baking – I’m especially taken with her Non Plus Ultra cookies.
Merry Christmas! Here’s another way to enjoy some festive eggnog 
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As I have previously mentioned, my first encounter with macarons was in Paris with my aunt when I was 18. I immediately fell in love, but I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably have to come back to Paris to ever taste them again, which would either be a) never, or b) a very very long time off. It never even occurred to me that I could make macarons at home – they seemed like some kind of impossibly complicated, intricate pastry that only the French could create – until I started noticing them popping up on food blogs a few years ago. However, it was also noted that the homemade macaron was a highly temperamental creation, and that the very techniques and methods that some people swore by were the same techniques and methods that others blamed for their macaron disasters.
Armed with the knowledge that macarons were possible in my own kitchen, I set out to scour the internet and learn as much as I could about making them. This may have been a mistake. Sometimes it’s better to go into things a bit blind, because you aren’t aware of every little thing that can go wrong and therfore totally paranoid about them. The whole process became overwhelming and a bit intimidating, so I put off making macarons for fear of failure.
Until now. I decided to tackle macarons as part of my Christmas baking marathon this year, and as it turns out, they are deceptively simple to make. And, if the reactions they got are anything to judge by, they are probably among the most delicious things I have ever made. Upon biting into one, my mum said, “This may be the most wonderful thing I have ever tasted!” My friend Sam asked if he could have them for his birthday. So you could say they went over well .
To make macarons, you fold together a batter of whipped egg whites, ground almonds, and confectioner’s sugar, and pipe it into rounds on a baking sheet. You let them dry for about half an hour, then bake in a slow oven and watch as (hopefully!) the frilly, lacy “feet” emerge from underneath the meringue shell. You then sandwich two meringue shells together with a delicious filling between them. It’s a fairly straightforward process that just requires a bit of confidence, attention to detail, and a good recipe.
For my first foray into macaron-making, I turned to the woman I think of as the Macaron Queen: Helene of the blog Tartelette. She is also the person that the Daring Bakers turned to when they made macarons a few years ago (before I joined the group), and she knows her stuff. Her method is very simple, and her main pointers for success are as follows:
Helene’s recipe also uses weight measurements rather than volume measurements. This eliminates any errors due to inconsistencies in ingredient amounts and is generally easier all around – for macarons and other things! I finally bought myself a proper digital kitchen scale and it was worth every penny.
Two common pitfalls of macarons are lack of feet and/or cracked tops, both of which I avoided by following Helene’s instructions to the letter. I used aged egg whites and counted the number of folding strokes I made to stir the batter, taking care not to under- or over-mix. I was anxious as I waited for the macarons to come out of the oven, so when I peeked through the oven window and saw the frilly little feet and smooth, round tops, I actually started dancing and waving my hands around, shouting, “The macarons! They’re working!” (to which Nate replied, “What the heck is a macaron?!”)
Paired with an eggnog-inspired buttercream flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg, these macarons are deadly. I know I will be making many many variations of these, and I suggest making them anytime you want to impress someone, because damn, they will be impressed. Just don’t over-mix .
Recipe and method from Tartelette. Makes 18 macarons (36 shells total). For more great information on making macarons, check out Helene’s Demystifying Macarons article.
90 grams egg whites (from about 3 eggs, preferably aged 2-3 days in the fridge)
25 grams granulated sugar
In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until you get a thick, glossy meringue – if you were to hold the bowl upside down, the egg whites would stay put. Don’t over-beat or the meringue will be too dry.
200 grams confectioner’s sugar
110 grams ground almonds
In a food processor bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar and ground almonds and pulse to combine.
Add the nuts to the meringue and fold briskly with a rubber spatula a few times to break up the meringue slightly. Continue folding more gently until you get a batter that smooths out on the surface on the count of 10. This shouldn’t take more than 50 strokes. To test the batter, spoon a small mound onto a plate. The top should smooth out on its own. If a small beak remains, fold the batter a few more times.
Just after adding the ground almonds to the meringue
I forgot to take a crucial photo, so pretend this is a picture of the batter after being folded together… it should be nice and smooth looking.
Load the batter into a piping bag with a round 1/2″ – 3/4″ tip (I just used the plain coupler) and pipe into small 1 1/2 inch rounds on a parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. My rounds were a little on the large side – next time I will aim for twoonie-sized! Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to dry the outside of the shells slightly. 
While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 280˚F, then bake the macarons for 14-20 minutes, depending on their size – mine were perfect at exactly 14 minutes and were ever-so-slightly browned. Let cool for 10-15 minutes on the parchment paper, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. If you are not filling them immediately, store them in an airtight container, unrefrigerated or in the freezer.
In the heatproof bowl of a mixer, combine:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
Place over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is quite warm to the touch (it should be white and foamy). Place the mixer bowl back on the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high to high speed until glossy, stiff peaks form. Continue to stir on medium-low until the meringue is completely cool to the touch.
While the meringue is mixing, cube 3/4 cups unsalted butter and leave it at room temperature to soften.
Switch to the paddle attachment on the mixer and with the speed on medium-low, add the softened butter to the meringue, one cube at a time. The meringue will deflate and look curdled – don’t worry, this is OK. When all the butter has been added, turn the speed up to medium or medium-high and continue beating until it comes together in a thick, smooth buttercream.
Stir in:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
Place the buttercream in a piping bag with a round 1/2″ to 3/4″ inch tip (again, I used the plain coupler) and pipe thickly onto the bottom of one macaron shell. 
Sandwich it gently with another macaron shell. 
If you are not devouring them immediately, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, or longer in the freezer.
These are the perfect marriage between a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. Both are classics in their own right, and this recipe somehow manages to combine the tastes and textures that makes each one great. Good peanut flavour, slightly chewy like a good chocolate chip cookie, and full of chocolate chips. Seriously, these are the best peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tried.
A friend made these a few weeks ago, and after inhaling one I immediately requested the recipe. Because they were so good to begin with, for once I didn’t monkey around with the recipe. Actually, that’s not entirely true: I reduced the amount of white sugar by 1/4 cup (no big deal, really) and used natural chunky peanut butter, instead of the “national” brand (shelf stable with hydrogenated oil). I have a tendency to over-bake cookies slightly so I baked these for the minimum amount of time (11 minutes) and took them out of the oven when they were barely golden brown and set around the edges only.
See the slightly golden edges? Perfection.
They were perfect – delicious straight out of the oven, but even better a few days later, after the peanut flavour had a chance to come out a bit more!
And I got to use a new kitchen gadget! I finally bought one of these spring-loaded dough scooper things, which was awesome for scooping out uniformly-sized cookies… 
However the joy was short-lived because the stupid thing is already broken 
. Oh well, I have cookies to make me feel better and an excuse to visit the kitchenware store again 
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Recipe adapted ever-so-slightly from Baking Bites. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
Mix in:
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used natural chunky PB, but whatever you have/prefer is fine)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Stir until well-combined and creamy.
Add the flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together.
Add:
2 cups chocolate chips
Mix to combine.
Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons (or form into 1-inch balls) onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper with about 2 inches between each cookie. Press each cookie with the back of a fork to give it the classic peanut butter cookie look. 
Bake at 350˚F for 11-12 minutes (slightly longer for a crispier cookie), or until the sides of the cookie are set and the edges are just starting to turn brown. Let cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.
… these chocolate-mocha-nut cookies will satisfy it. And if you’re like me, you crave chocolate on a near-daily basis. (This is why I exercise every day!) I was reminded of the awesomeness that are these cookies the last time I was on Salt Spring and Lynette’s mum, Elaine (of banana bread fame), made them… and I knew I had to make them myself, and soon! Luckily I already had the recipe, it just took me nearly two weeks to get my act together and actually make them! But the wait was worth it. They are SO GOOD.
These cookies are super chocolatey, with a chewy, fudgy texture, a good hit of mocha, and a nice crunch from the nuts. One batch gave me 18 large cookies, and they barely lasted past the first day. Seriously, if they last longer in your house, I take my hat off to you and your iron-clad will power!
The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I’ve had these cookies with almonds, and I made mine with pecans, so use whatever you prefer. The only changes I made to Elaine’s recipe were to toast the nuts and reduce the sugar by a little bit. I used chopped chocolate because I had a massive bar of dark chocolate in my baking cupboard, but chocolate chips are fine too. Now go make these! (more…)
I was looking through my baking cupboard yesterday and realized I had all of the necessary ingredients for these bars on hand: leftovers from a massive bag of marshmallows from a class camping trip, shredded coconut from making granola, pecans, and cereal. This morning when I actually pulled everything out and started to measure, however, I discovered that I didn’t have quite enough of anything. *Sigh*. By that point I was committed to making them, so half an hour and one trip to the store later, I *actually* had all of the necessary ingredients on hand and in the right amounts!
This recipe is courtesy of my trusted friend Martha, with a few tweaks by yours truly. They are essentially Rice Krispie Squares (cereal mixed with melted marshmallows and butter), however they are “churched-up” by the addition of toasted coconut and pecans. Originally the recipe called for cornflakes, but the first time I made them I used Kellog’s Just Right cereal, which has corn flakes, puffed rice, and toasted oats. They turned out really well and I have never made them with anything else. I also added vanilla, because everything is better with vanilla, right? Especially marshmallows!
I have been on a quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie for as long as I have been baking cookies – which is to say, years and years and years. My go-to recipe has previously been the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in the cookbook Golde’s Homemade Cookies, but I think I may have found a fierce contender for best chocolate chip cookie, and it’s made with whole wheat flour to boot!
This recipe comes from the book, “Good to the Grain – Baking with Whole-Grain Flours” by Kim Boyce. The recipes in the book all contain whole grain flour (obviously!) but nothing about them is sacrificed simply to make them healthier by using whole grains. Boyce talks about the different characteristics of a myriad of different flours – whole wheat, amaranth, oat, buckwheat, teff, rye, kamut, quinoa, the list goes one – and creates recipes that showcase their unique flavours and baking properties, rather than just substituting whole grain flour in a recipe developed using regular white flour, which is I think what turns people off when they hear “whole wheat cookies”. (more…)
These are inspired by a blog post I came across on the lululemon website with several recipes for “energy balls”, but somehow that just doesn’t sound appetizing… so I’m calling my version “power truffles”. These are very tasty, packed with peanut butter, nuts, and seeds, and will be a great post-workout snack, which is what I made them for… but they would be equally good as just an afternoon snack
To boost the energy content a little more, the rolled oats could be replaced with quinoa or amaranth flakes, both of which are high in protein. The cocoa powder makes these a little bit chocolatey, and due to the peanut butter and honey in them, they taste slightly like peanut butter and honey on toast, which I quite enjoy. To change things up, they would also be good with almond or cashew butter and perhaps agave syrup, which I haven’t experimented with yet. Oooh, I can imagine a version with almond butter, cocoa powder, and dried cranberries instead of raisins… or dried cherries maybe? Yum!
I made these in about 15 minutes total – no baking required. The most time-consuming part was rolling them, and even that was pretty darn easy.
Hazelnut Shortbread - triangular cookie on the left
As promised is Part I, here is the recipe for Hazelnut Shortbread. As I said previously, this cookie has a beautiful crumbly texture, great hazelnut flavour, and is not overly sweet at all. It may have been my favorite cookie this year.
Again, when baking shortbread, using real unsalted butter is a must. Because there are so few ingredients, butter really plays a starring role, and the flavour will be worth it.
The original recipe directs you to press the dough into two 8-inch cake pans and then score into wedges. I wanted to yield more, smaller cookies, so I shaped the dough into a triangular log, stuck it in the fridge until firm, cut it into slices, and sprinkled each one with raw sugar. The baking time was shorter as well, but I can’t remember exactly how long I baked them for. I would start checking for doneness after about 10 minutes.
(adapted from Hazelnut Shortbread Wedges, Canadian Living Special Cookbook Issue, Fall 2010, pg 52)
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
raw sugar (or granulated sugar), for sprinkling
On a baking sheet, toast hazelnuts in a 350˚ F oven until browned and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub in a clean tea towel to remove most of the skins, and set aside nuts to cool. Once cool grind the nuts in a food processor with the brown sugar.
Beat together butter and hazelnuts/sugar mixture until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour and salt. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a log (triangular if you’re feeling fancy). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
When you are ready to bake, cut the chilled dough into slices about 1/2 cm thick. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 300˚ F until golden and firm, checking for doneness after 10 minutes. Remove to rack to cool.
Makes quite a few!
I made some fantastic “Healthy Cookies” from 101 Cookbooks, a food blog that features whole, healthy foods, delicious recipes, and an emphasis on alternative sweeteners rather than refined sugar. This cookie recipe calls for coconut oil, which might send up red flags for some people because it is a saturated fat, but it is from a plant-source rather than an animal-source, and therefore acts differently in the body (ie, not as harmful). My take on it is this: in tropical cultures that eat a traditional diet high in saturated fats from plants, such as coconut oil, there is a very low incidence of “Western diseases” (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc). Mother Nature knows her stuff, and coconut oil is a naturally-occurring saturated fat – that is, not tampered with to make a liquid fat stay solid at room temperature (like margarine) – and therefore I’m inclined to think that it’s not going to do me any harm in moderation, kind of the same stance I have on butter. But if you’re worried, you can substitute olive oil for the coconut oil – just make sure it is mild or neutral-flavoured.
I also used sugar-free chocolate chips (sweetened with maltitol, which interestingly has almost the same chemical properties as refined sugar, but doesn’t mess with blood sugar levels as much AND as a bonus doesn’t promote tooth decay!) and added some ground flax seeds to the dough. The bananas can easily be substituted for applesauce or any other fruit puree (you don’t actually taste the banana, it just lends sweetness), and the chocolate chips for dried fruit (if, for example, you wanted to make breakfast cookies, Lynette!). These are super delicious and not too sweet, with kind of a macaroon-like texture. I think I ate about four in a row when they first came out of the oven, which kind of negates the “healthy” part, but oh well!
(adapted slightly from the original recipe at 101 Cookbooks)
3 large, ripe bananas (the ones you would use for banana bread), well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm – so it isn’t solid (or alternately, neutral-flavoured olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (aka ground almonds)
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Mix together bananas, vanilla, and oil, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls (you may need to squish the dough together a bit, as it is fairly loose) onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes (as long as possible without burning the bottoms). These are quite crumbly when warm! Let cool and store in an airtight container.
