121910 Cream Cheese-Walnut Cookies

This recipe is very rich - 1lb butter plus 6oz cream cheese....ooh, there goes the waistline. Personally, I think the cookies could stand to be a bit sweeter - the 1.25c sugar pales to the 4c flour. The recipe is relatively easy to make - easy to roll in walnuts and slice without falling apart. The cookies are buttery and simple - nothing complex about it. But, like I said, a little more sweeter...

121210Chewy Molasses Crinkles

After an hour in the refrigerator, the dough was still pretty soft and difficult to work with. May need to chill overnight. Contrary to the recipe prediction, I made almost 4 dozen cookies and I don't believe the cookie size was too small. The cookies have a strong molasses flavor, very reminiscent of gingersnap cookies. I'm not a big fan of molasses, but some of the guys at worked loved them! In fact, one replied that this was his favorite Martha Stewart recipe that I've brought into work so far!!! Others said the recipe was a "keeper"...guess I'll be making them again....

120310 Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Again, another easy recipe to assemble. I used walnuts instead of pistachios - they turned out great! As the recipe indicates, these biscottis are a bit on the dense/ thicker side, which is fine because they also tend to be a little softer in the middle (not hard as a rock like some biscottis). Next time, I would make 2 little logs about 2"wide because I think the 4" is way too big to go with my morning coffee. Very yummy and bursting with chocolate!

112810 Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

These cookies were very easy to make and the recipe yielded the predicted 3.5 dozens. The cookies are like a thin brownie with a little crunch - simple, chocolate flavor. Great with milk! The sanding sugar adds that extra sweet crunch...but the overall cookie falls in the soft & chewy category. It's non-complex and not overly sweet.

112101Chocolate Crackles

Of all the chocolate cookies I've baked so far, these are definitely the best!! They look as good as they taste (the picture in the cookie book was much better than my iPhone pic). They are relatively easy to make and well worth the effort. Keep to the recommended 14minutes in the oven, otherwise they may burn. The white sugar crackles is stunning and stay on the cookies! These cookies are great to give as gifts due to appearance but more so yumminess!! Excellent keeper recipe....

111410 Amaretti Crisps

This is a delayed post. These crispy cookies were quick to assemble but they brown quickly - much sooner than the recommended 25 minutes. I used a gallon ziploc bag to make the circles, instead of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip. At first bite, I found these cookies to be a bit too crispy but after a day, the almond flavor of these crispy cookies really came out!! In the end, I found myself enjoying these airy, nutty crisps.

110710 Pine Nut Cookies

This recipe was a great "find"!! It was worth the extra trip to Trader Joes for the pine nuts. Not only was it easy to assemble (throw everything into the food processor), the soft, chewy dough along with the unique hint of pine nuts made it a special treat this cool fall afternoon. After a bite, I made a cup of coffee and treated myself to a little bit of heaven....hmmmm, definitely will need to make these again for my sisters!! The only downside was that the recipe yielded only 2 dozen (but then, I made the cookies a little bigger than the suggested 3/4" round).

110510Turtle Brownies

I'm a firm believer that all brownie recipes should be in a 9x13" pan - unfortunately, this recipe was the "small" square 8x8 :(. Oh wells... this recipe was easy to assemble..at least the brownie part. The turtle/caramel topping was a bit runny and did not set adequately in the refrigerator. Together, though, the brownie and turtle topping were a tasty combination (as one would expect - can't go wrong with pecans and chocolate). My hubby thought it was to gooey and not chocolate enough (??). It's a good recipe but needs work on the topping.

103010 Raspberry Cream Sandwiches

These cookies were pretty easy to make...once the seeds were removed from the raspberries. The dough was quick and simple, especially with a cookie scooper. The raspberry filling took a while to sieve into a small bowl...I ended up leaving it in the sieve while I went out running errands. The cream is definitely worth the wait...so light and just the right amount of sweetness! At first, the cream seemed a bit "runny" but it held up ok...didn't set like a frosting but it didn't run off the cookie either. Amazingly, the cookies stay soft even though I stored them in the refrigerator after assembly. Very yummy and worth making again!!

102310 Cashew Caramel Cookies

Making the cashew cream in the food processor bought about such a nice, nutty aroma....so fragrant! This recipe was easy to make with the only tricky part being the caramel drizzle. I thought the cookies were a bit sweet with the caramel....need a cup of coffee or milk to even out the sweetness. Actually, the cookies were fine without the caramel - like a peanut butter cookie. The recipe yielded a dozen more than expected!! A good recipe, overall....

101610 Pecan Bars

OMG!!!These pecan bars are so out of this world and a cinch to make!! The buttery and pecan aroma lingering in the kitchen brought my son out of his room looking for samples. They're not too sweet and they're bursting with pecans (2cups worth)!! I was in a tight schedule so I skipped chilling the crust for 20 min - i.e. the crust went straight into the oven after I punched holes with a fork. The bars inverted out of the pan effortlessly and cutting them into bar/bite size cookies was easy with minimal losses. This recipe is a keeper and I know I will be making them again!!

101010 Gingersnap Palmiers

This is a delayed post. When I first read the recipe I crinkled my nose at the thought of unsulfured molasses and grated ginger.....not to mention the salt, pepper and allspice at the end. Surprisingly, these palmiers were quite delicious and I wouldn't change the recipe a bit! They were easy to assemble but I would allow a little thaw time before slicing them out of the freezer, otherwise, they start to break. The cookies took some work in flipping them - sticky build-up on the spatula. Once you brush on the syrup and place them back in the oven, you need to keep a close eye on them because they burn quickly. And, actually, what I thought was burnt was really the dark browning of the syrup - very tasty!!

092610 Almond Macaroons

Just returning from France, there's only one recipe I must make immediately - Macaroons! The closest recipe to French Macaroons in Martha's cookie book is Almond Macaroons. These were very easy to make;unfortunately the recipe yields only 1 dozen. They're crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle with a rich almond flavor. They're not the airy french macaroons I enjoyed in Paris recently....but they're yummy anyways. The dough is runny so you have to work fast!

090610 Apricot Windows

These cookies are so pretty with the golden, buttery lattice across the bright apricot preserves! I love the crunch the cornmeal adds to the shortbread dough, and the apricot preserves add just the right amount of sweetness! The dough was a bit hard to spread in the pan...may be next time I'll chill the dough for a few minutes before trying to pat it into the cookie pan. I didn't have an 11x17 pan so I borrowed my Mom's 12x18, which worked out fine. One also has to squeeze the pastry bag pretty hard to get the dough going for the lattice stripes. Overall, the dough is difficult to work with but the end result is well worth it!!

082510 Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Being off work today, I decided to chip away at the 100 or so recipes. Using my son's remaining applesauce, this particular recipe looked rather interesting....at least the ingredients sounded like a good round-up. The dough was actually very runny, such that I thought I must have read the recipe incorrectly. But, I didn't and proceeded very quickly with the cookie scooper. I used cranberries instead of raisins (it was in the cupboard) which I think go well with any oatmeal type cookie. One can definitely smell the applesauce as the cookies baked!! I think the icing could be omitted (cookies are sweet by themselves), but I wouldn't. They're actually a perfect treat with a cup of coffee!!

082210 Chocolate Charms

Being the chocoholic that he is, my husband picked this recipe. I used a 1" cookie scooper to make the round cookie balls - worked out to be very easy to make. These chocolate shortbread cookies are wonderful with milk and are great with or without the final dusting of cocoa powder. Definitely a keeper and can be made ahead of time!!

082210 Dried Cranberry Shortbread Hearts

This recipe was easy to assemble and doesn't require your electric mixer. However, I ended up using my hands to combine the ingredients because the wooden spoon just wasn't cutting it. I have no idea how one was suppose to remove the 8x8 cookie from the pan after cooling and be expected to cut out hearts with a cookie cutter!?!? As I thought, the cookie fell apart as I attempted to remove it from the pan. Needless to say, my hearts ended up being "bars". But, it's ok because the shortbread cookies are delicious!! The cranberries add just the right amount of tart-sweetness to the buttery dough! Very good tasting!! I would make this again but as a bar cookie.

080810 Lacy Nut Cookies

This was my very first attempt in making lace cookies. I have to say, I think these cookies are a bit on the oily and sweet side...considering the amount powdered sugar (2.25c), corn syrup and butter, it's no surprise. However, several people thoroughly enjoyed these sweet, delicate, potato-chip like cookies! The nuts added a good, solid crunch to the overall texture (I used pecans but any nuts will do). I like my cookies to have a bit more "meat" to them....but, I did enjoy a few! The recipe makes much more than the predicted 2.5 dozen, and they do spread quite a bit - so, respect the 3.5" spacing. I actually took a picture of this cookie with the outdoor lighting in the background to get the full effect of the lacy, thinness. Big, too, huh!!

080110 Banana-Walnut Chocolate-chunk Cookies

These cookies celebrate the successful marriage of chocolate and bananas! The combination should be more prevalent in cookie recipe books. It was easy and the ingredients are cupboard staples for any cookie baker. I couldn't quite discern the influence of the wheat flour?? It may have made the cookies more "cake" like. Regardless, the recipe's a keeper and one that will be executed as frequently as old-fashion oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies!

072410 Snickerdoodles

Surprisingly, this recipe didn't call for any cream of tartar, which I always thought was the discerning ingredient for snickerdoodles. My family enjoyed the cookies, in fact, these are my daughter's favorite cookies! She just got back from Japan so I thought I would bake her a batch! I used a 1.5" cookie scooper which kept my hands clean. The bake time in the convection oven was actually 5-7minutes longer than the recommended bake time. Very easy & quick to make - did it all under an hour!

071910 Coconut Macaroons

Just returned from a family vacation today and had to whip up something out of the Cookie book to stay on schedule. The coconut macaroons were simple enough and I had all the ingredients. Well actually, I only had sweetened shredded coconut and so I omitted the 3/4c sugar called out in the recipe. I decided to add the chopped semisweet chocolate pieces into some of the coconut mixture - glad I did because those came out so yummy with just the right amount of chocolate!! One really has to love coconut to enjoy these cookies - I do!!

070410 Magic Blondies

I actually put these cookies together on the 4th of July! The recipe's pretty easy but too bad it only yielded 1 dozen. The dough has to be patted down into the muffin tin in order to fill the remaining tin with the dry mixture topping. The end result was like a big cookie topped with chocolate chips, coconut, nuts and cranberries. The presentation looks spectacular but I have to admit, it's not one of my favorite recipes...just a tad on the "plain" side for me. Apologies for the delayed blog entry but we just came back from a week long vacation.

062710 Lemon Madeleines

Excellent cookies - both in taste and appearance! Not to mention how relatively easy they were to make. I never baked made Madeleines before, partially because I never found the ones at Starbucks to be "that" good. But this recipe with the lemon touch, puts Madeleines high on my cookie list. This may very well be my favorite recipe so far on this Martha & Mary Cookie adventure!! Most certainly a keeper and a repeat!!

062010 Pecan Logs

Toasting the pecans bring out a whole new aroma for these cookies - the butter-pecan combination is a perfect marriage!! This recipe was quite easy to make but I fell slightly shy of the 4 dozen expectation. I feared I might run out of pecans to roll the logs in, but all turned out as planned. I had to increase the baking time by about 15minutes, otherwise the cookies would have looked a bit undone. Overall, my niece and I had fun shaping the logs .....and, of course, eating them!!

061310 Cream Cheese - Lemon Bows

These are exceptionally good cookies! Well worth the time to pipe out the bows! The cookies are moist with a pleasant lemon burst and hint of cream cheese - excellent combination! Definetly follow the recommendation of using small amounts of dough at a time, otherwise your hands will get tired from squeezing a relaitively large amount of dough through a 7/16" french tip opening. I had to run to "Cook N Stuff" to pick up an Ateco #865 french tip along with some disposable pastry bags (same as decorating bags). The dough is easy to make and yummy, too! The cookies baked evenly witha nice light golden touch at the edges. The confectioner sugar is a must to complete the cookie bows!!

060619 Lemon Squares

Eureka!! Good Recipes for Lemon Squares are hard to find - I've tried so many in the past with very, very few successes. Up until this recipe, I had only found 1 truly good lemon square recipe to my liking. Most recipes are often too gooey, too wet, too sweet, and/or too difficult to remove from the pan. Martha's Lemon Square recipe is easy, has just the right amount of sweetness and consistency (don't need a fork to eat), and serves beautifully out from the pan/parchment paper. I didn't have a glass cake pan but the metal 9x13 seemed to work fine. I used the mixer with the whisk attachment for the lemon filling. Not sure why they only keep for 2 days in the refrigerator, but I placed some in the fridge to see how they'll be after a little chilling. Very satisfied with this recipe...definitely know where to look now!

052810 Ne Plus Ultra Cookies

This recipe was easy and quick to make.......great when you're pressed for time. Additionally, the ingredients are pretty basic and are "staples" to any devout baker. Unlike drop cookies, one rolls the dough into 2.25" balls which look huge before you press them down into 1" thick. As you make the cookie balls, keep in mind that the recipe yields only 1 dozen...so be generous when you roll the dough into 2+ inches. Believe it or not they bake all the way through. The recipe definitely satisfies the sweet tooth with the chocolate chips, raisins and pecans....good cookies to take hiking since they're firm! Gotta luv um!!!

052310 Buttery Pecan Rounds

These simple cookies were surprisingly yummy! Considering the small amout of ingredients, the butter and pecans delightfully filled the kitchen with such a sweet, buttery aroma. My mother-in-law and I kept an eye on the oven just waiting for those cookies to tan a bit, and soon to be sampled...with coffee, of course! The cookies were well worth the 14 minutes.. I would recommend an extra minute to give the fragile delicacies a little more "strength", otherwise they tend to crumble on the way to your mouth. The recipe claims to yield 3 dozen but I only finished with 2 - and I did use the 1.24" ice cream scooper as called out in the recipe. Overall, the cookies were enjoyable and the perfect afternoon treat!!

051610 Citrus Cornmeal Cookies

Definitely an adult cookie - simple and begging for coffee or tea. Akin to a biscuit, with the cornmeal giving just the right amount of crunch/grit. It took a couple of cookies before my taste buds figured it needing a little bit more sweetness. So, I ended up spreading on just a little bit of lemon icing made from confection sugar and lemon juice. Not too much, not too little, and.... not too bad. I don't think Martha would have mind the embelishment - I did keep some of the original recipe mixed with the iced ones. The recipe was easy to follow and nice to prepare ahead of time, especially if you're having girlfriends over for a spot of tea.....slice it up and pop them in the oven!!

051010 Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Well, this was a sad baking day....I was so looking forward to the peanut butter and jelly bars but they just didn't turn out right. A bit on the dry side which tells me that I should have added a little more jelly. I used apricot preserves as opposed to the recommended strawberry jam, but I don't think that was the problem here. I opted out the peanuts to soften up the cookie nibbles...it probably would have been drier if I had added the 1c of salted peanuts. The picture in the book looks like it's oozing with jelly, whereas mine was hardly noticeable. Lastly, my husband thought the cookies had an "odd" taste....I agree but can't put my finger on the flavor??? The cookies are soft and remain that way even after they've been refrigerated, as recommended. Well, I'll make notes in the recipe book and move on to cookie recipe # 4.

050110 Lemon Tassies

This week I thought I would try the Lemon Tassies found on pg 292. Knowing that I was in need of some mini-muffin tins, my sweet mom picked me up a couple of pans from Joanne's Fabrics using her 40% off coupon - what a deal!.....thanks Mom!
I have to say, the crusts were a bit tedious to make and I ended using an old, wooden meat tenderizer to push/mold the crust into the mini-tins (the meat tenderizer was the perfect diameter...actually, I borrowed it from mom). Also, I had to make another batch of the lemon filling in order to fill all 48 crusts. I don't believe I overfilled the crusts because the tassies came out looking just like the picture in the book (?). Lastly, the tassies have to be cooled in the pan for10-15 minutes. I just didn't feel like keeping the oven idle at 350deg for so long, so I baked half the recipe on Saturday and the remaining tassies were baked on Sunday. Surprisingly, the tassies removed from the tins with no problem/breakage!
They were enjoyed by friends and family, particularly by my sister and niece who were in town this weekend for my Mom's birthday. Which brings up another baking item worth mentioning here - I dared myself to make my Mom's birthday cake and I chose an Italian Cassata cream cake. What a disaster and a bad time to try a new, complicated recipe. But, that's another blog all together.
Overall, the Lemon Tassies were enjoyable and I hope to master the mini-muffin tin crusts before the end of this cookie adventure!!

04/24/2010 Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

After seeing Julie & Julia last year, I was inspired to do a Martha & Mary version of Cookie recipes. Borrowing my mom's "Martha Stewart's Cookies" book published in 2008, I figured I have 125 cookie recipes to conquer over the next 125 weeks, +/- 50 weeks. I work full-time so I need that 50 week flexibility. To kick-off this sweet adventure, I gave my husband the honor to select the first recipe. Being a man of battle hardened tastes, he selected classic, traditional chocolate chip cookies. I've made numerous renditions of this recipe, countless times since I first began to bake - I can make them from start to finish in less than an hour (double ovens help).
Martha's recipe wasn't too different from Nestle's but I personally like to add oatmeal, nuts, the kitchen sink, etc. to the batter which , by the way, is pretty yummy 'til it hurts the tummy. However, I kept true to Martha's recipe and after my husband and I enjoyed 2-3 of them, they were quickly carried away by my son to be devoured by him and his friends....who pretty much gobble up anything I bake!!
In the future, I'll try to post the recipe ahead of time so that my sweet-toothed friends can swing by the house and sample the treats. Beware, though, new recipes are hit & miss and often challenging - especially for this far-sighted baker who doesn't always wear her glasses (is that a big "T" or little "t"). Just kidding - I will be true to Martha and carry on step-by-step, pinch-by-pinch, and bite-by-bite.