Sass & Veracity

Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling

Dear Nick Malgieri,

I saw your Ginger Sandwich Cookies filled with lemon cream in a recent issue of Food & Wine magazine and decided I'd give them a try.  Although gingersnaps have never been and will never be a cookie I find myself craving, the lemon filling did catch my attention and I thought that with the ginger, the flavor could be exceptional.

Although that did not disappoint, the molasses, on the other hand, gave me pause because the last time I made cookies that had molasses in them, the results were less than appealing until I bent them into submission after much trial and error.

Now I know I'm far from perfect on most days, but I have had a modest amount of experience cooking and baking with great success -- thankfully more times than not.  I also use excellent equipment and so cannot blame poor result on either of those factors.

What I'm left with is a question, and I'm asking it of you since this is your recipe and the photograph chosen to illustrate the intended results looks far different than mine -- especially my first batch. 

• When baking cookies with molasses, is there something I just don't understand?  What causes them to spread so?  I know sugar in general causes that, and when using molasses, a smaller quantity is needed, as in this recipe which calls for only 1/4 cup.  Could it be the brand of molasses?  I use Grandma's which is just about the only kind I've ever used, and the jar I used for this batch was opened recently. 
• Although keeping a very close eye on the Ginger Sandwich cookies during the required bake time, I realized I needed to remove them from the oven only half way through the expected 20-minute baking time, and even then, the cookies were far too done.  Actually, burnt.
• I prefer to use convection settings for everything except for recipes with a high quantity of egg, so am used to reducing the heat and cooking time to compensate for that choice. However, because of the previous results, I chose not to use convection heat for this recipe.  On the second batch, again, with only 7 minutes of the baking time elapsed, I had to remove the cookies.

Mr. Malgieri, I know that often, baking is an adventure, and I accept that most of the time.  Because I'm used to reading recipes, I can usually spot one that I think could be problematic, and with this recipe, the cooking time did get my attention.  Cookies rarely bake that long.  Nevertheless, I proceeded like the trusting home cook I am.

I will say your ginger cookies are lovely tasting with a nice bite -- chewy, with a pleasant tartness from the lemon cream which blends well with the overall sweetness.  Very, very nice.  I just wish I'd done them justice.  So I'm curious and would enjoy trying these again, but detest wasting food so need some direction.

Did Food & Wine misprint the recipe?  Or am I just someone who should step away from the molasses?

With the utmost respect,
Kelly

p.s.  They stack pretty good though! 

Tuiles and Orange Yogurt Sabayon

Thursday:  8:10 am

I swore I'd not be late on this month's Daring Baker's challenge.  I even mentioned to others I'd complete it two weeks into the month, but time has a way of passing so quickly these days and before I knew it, this week was upon me and bearing down hard.

Two days ago, I cut some forms for the tuiles we are to have made.  And even yesterday, I retrieved some egg whites from the freezer to thaw so I could begin work.  But did I?  No.  So here I am today just getting started.

I know what you're thinking.  What a slacker.  And you'd be right, but it's only a bit after 8am, and I've got plenty of time even with the refrigeration time that's required for the recipe.

I'm thinking that zabaglione or pots de creme should go with my tuiles.  But I'll let you know.  So come back later even though you've got hundreds of others to visit.  I'll be posting in stages.  This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day 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.

11:12 am

The good news is that it's still Thursday.  Even better?  I'm done with the tuiles!  They're very easy to make, but do require a 30-minute refrigeration time before baking, and if you're me, then you forgot to turn on the oven and had to wait an addition period of time after the cookies were were already on the chilled baking sheets.  It never fails...

Very few ingredients are needed to make tuiles:  only 1/4 c. softened butter, 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour, 2 large egg whites, and a splash of vanilla.

 

The soft butter and powdered sugar are mixed to a paste, the egg whites added gradually while stirring to bring the mixture together.

The flour is added gradually as well, stirring, but not over-mixing until everything comes together.  A splash of vanilla is incorporated and then the whole mixture goes into the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Line the baking sheets with parchment or silicone and chill them as well.

Use some cardboard to cut out the shape you'd like to use.  I used corregated cardboard and then pinched the inside edges before using an offset spatula to spread batter over the forms.

If you'd like, add some of the cocoa powder to a small amount of the batter and mix well before spooning it into a decorators bag with a plain tip.  Make whatever decorations you'd like and then put the sheets into a 350 degrees F oven for about 7 minutes or until the edges of the tuiles are barely brown.

Remove them immediately from the pan with a thin edged spatula and use wooden spoon handles or rolling pins to shape them.  But you really have to hurry, because if you don't, then yours will be as flat and crisp as mine, poor little cute things.

Have some fun making other shapes, too, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to twist a few!

Okay, off to make the dessert they'll go in.

6:30 pm

Yes, it's late.  A lot later than I thought I'd be, but the goings on of a day tend to make some things take longer than I'd like.  Especially this dessert which, by comparison, is very easy.

Orange Sabayon

1 lg. egg

1 lg. egg yolk

1/3 c. sugar

zest of 1 orange

1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

1 T lemon juice

For the dessert...

1 orange

0% fat Greek yogurt

Prepare an ice bath in a bowl large enough to set the top pan of a double boiler.

In the top of a double boiler pan, whisk the eggs until foamy.  Gradually mix in the sugar whisking until well combined.  Add the juices and the zest, mixing well.  Place the pan over a gently simmering pan of water and stir the citrus mixture constantly until the mixture thickens like a pudding.  Place the pan in the ice bath and continue to stir until it cools.

To create a light dessert, section an additional orange and place the segments in a wide-mouthed glass.  Make sure they're well drained or the juice will pool in the bottom of the glass.  In a small bowl mix 1/2 of the chilled sabayon and 1/4 c. of the yogurt.  To serve, mound the orange yogurt sabayon over the oranges.  Don't forget to include the tuiles!

Notes:

• The tuiles are surprisingly easy to make.  Unfortunately, I baked mine for 7 minutes instead of 5 while I was looking for the browned edges and then didn't move quite fast enough to get them positioned over the rolling pin and wooden spoon handles.  I did have a chance to try it with another batch, so know not to bake them quite so long.
• The sabayon is also easy to put together.  If you wanted to fatten it up a bit, you could mix it with whipped cream and/or a bit of mascarpone.

Chunky Chocolate and Walnut Cookies

I try not to post sweets two days in a row.  I know it's not like there's a rule somewhere that I should be following, so it must have happened without my realizing it.  In much the same way that sweets are savored when they're available around here, I plan when they'll be posted as well, hoping to break the stream of savory recipes I always have ready and waiting. Well, it sounds good, anyway.  In my next life, I'll be Martha.  Okay, so maybe not.

It's not like you can gain weight looking at photos, right?  They show up on the computer screen and look great, but looking isn't synonymous with ingesting or digesting. Jumping up to grab a snack bar, more of this or a little of that after drooling over aforementioned food on your computer screen does not count in this particular situation.

If you're my youngest son, evidently, you don't gain weight actually eating cookies, either, and I must confess; I've been trying to fatten him up. With half a year until his 17th birthday, he's just over six feet and weighs in at a willowy 146. I know it's all about HGH, and I had my opportunity to bask in the glow of eating and not gaining decades ago, but clearly that time has passed.

Evidently, he's inherited both my husband's and my skinny genes.  Goodness knows we're no longer using them.  And that would be genes -- not jeans -- because he's not one for skinny jeans.  Instead, when shopping for pants, we have to decide just how small the hip size can be to maintain some modicum of bagginess he prefers, and a belt takes care of the rest.

What does this have to do with food, you ask?  Cookies.  It's about cookies.  And this week, Chunky Chocolate Walnut Cookies, to be specific.  Yes, it's Week Three, and I'm still making cookies for my boy.  I think it's because it's a helluva lot easier than committing to exercise regularly even though I've been sort of trying to maybe think about possibly getting off my rump to do that, too.  I logged about 10 miles walking last week.  Not bad, right? 

Does it count that when I got home from my 4-mile walk yesterday, the first thing I did was reach into the bag of cookies I'd made for my son last week?  I only had one.  Truly.  I did.

They're rich, they're chocolatey, and if you're me, then your tastebuds sing when you bite into a piece of walnut, too. No pecans in these babies.  They're light and soft and have given me pause about milk chocolate since I'm a devout fan of dark chocolate.  Did I mention the chunks are dark?

Mmmm....

Chocolate Chip Peanutbutter Chewies or Vote Pimpin' Cookies

I know.  You've already been to the Well Fed Network.  You've scanned the five contendahs in the Best Food Blog: Humor category and you immediately see me.  And then you think, "Wait.  What in hell is she doing there?" and I'd say, "Exactly."

Because there's a pretty famous person on that list.  Okay, so even he isn't winning.  But still. 

I'm thinking I can bribe you with cookies -- especially because I'm behind on that semi-sort of kinda resolution thing I never really made but have found myself roped in to.  Just because you haven't seen a cookie here in more than a week doesn't mean I've given up. Oh no.  I'm ready and have cookies waiting in the wings.

I can tell you already, though, that making cookies for my kid's lunch isn't saving me any money.  The routine goes somethink like this:  It's Sunday evening (which means last minute, right?) and I think about what ye ol' larder holds, peruse the unruly contents, then flip open the big cookie book and desperately look for a recipe that doesn't need butter.  I'm exaggerating a bit, but it has happened, and yes, there are cookie recipes that don't include butter.  Can you even imagine?  Totally sacriligious if you ask me.

If I choose the recipe first and then go to the store to shop for the ingredients, I come home with enough groceries to feed half the neighborhood.  This is not cheap. There will never be a day when I "run" to the store only for a pound of butter.  I mean, come on -- the grocery store is a far too glittery place. So lunch cookies end up costing a bundle and I might as well get back to purchasing Little Debbies for his lunch.

So I bring you cookies today -- cookies made without a trip to the grocery store.  Cookies that didn't cost me an arm and a leg.  Cookies I'm willing to share to squeeze votes from you, your mailman, your UPS driver, and your distant relatives.

Deal?

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Somehow, it seems I've gotten myself into what appears to be a New Year's resolution.  Since I'm not one to make resolutions, I guess it chose me by default.  In my attempt to use what we had on hand to cook and bake as much as possible this month, I decided to bake my son some treats to pack in his lunch for school.  My pantry is stuffed, so the possibilities are endless.

If you saw his lunch, you'd argue with me about whether it actually resembled what you or I might call a standard lunch, but it helps put calories in his tall lanky frame until he can come home in the early afternoon to eat another meal before dinner.

He's fairly accommodating and knew I was going to be cutting back on my habitual trips to the grocery store, so readily agreed to go along with what looks like may become a Monday ritual.  Since I have absolutely no rituals, this should be interesting.

But I'm thinking about it, and like the idea:  1)  I can try many new recipes; 2) I know what ingredients are going into his treats since they're coming out of my pantry; 3)  it will keep my pantry under control; and 4) I'd like to think it will save some money, but I truly wonder about it.  I'll have to get out my calculator once in a while to figure it out.

With two weeks down and about 37 to go, I'm two for two, so can't call my new practice a success yet, but I'll keep you posted as the year unfolds.

Last week, the Resident Teen enjoyed a batch of Banana Chocolate Chip Bars.  I had some rather sad looking bananas sitting around and instead of putting them in the freezer for another day (and most likely trash day because months would go by before I used them...) I decided they'd go to good use as a lunch treat.  

Flourless Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies

This is my last official 12 Days of Cookies entry, finished a week behind my other cookie-baking buddies:  Andrea of Andrea's Recipes, Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen, Sandy of At the Baker's Bench, Courtney of Coco Cooks, Judy of No Fear Entertaining, and Jerry of Cooking by the Seat of My Pants.  And you'd think I'd be completely done with all cookies after this marathon, but I was roped into graciously agreed to baking a few more for a good friend's party yesterday. 

I think it's fitting that these flourless bites of chocolate and almonds found their way onto her big cookie platter, don't you? 

One of Gourmet's Favorite Cookies from December 1994, Heart-Shaped Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies, or "Basler Brunsli" are a pleasant shift from the norm both in taste, ingredients, and preparation for me.  The "dough" is predominantly nuts and chocolate with egg whites and sugar.  A food processor makes the prep simple.  

GingerDoodz: Gourmet's Favorite Gingerbread Men

Yesterday I was a baking maniac, working to finish working on the remainder of my 12 Days of Cookies, belatedly.  With our bedroom in decent order, and the family room beginning to resemble a place where we can relax again, I was able to put in a full day while the resident hunkster kept one eye on the television and football, and worked through his honey-do list -- laundry included.

I asked my 16-year-old to design some faces for Gingerbread Men, one of Gourmet's Favorite Cookies from December 1959.  Of course you'd never find gingerbread men looking like this in the time of "Leave it to Beaver,"   so I'm thinking Gingerdoodz would be more appropriate. 

Well, except for the one I designed. 

He's a bit on the happy side...or just plain loopey.  After all, no one sane would wear an outfit like that, would they?  Definitely a candidate for "What Not to Wear."

But every group needs a cheerleader, right?

Chocolate Coconut Slices

If I think about it, I'm only a day behind on my production for our 12 Days of Cookies Extravaganza, and that's not too bad.  If I hadn't gotten into the kitchen early this morning, I'd be two days behind because no sooner had I popped my latest creation in the fridge, than I was banished outside to keep the dog company.  The nice thing about it was that although a bit chilly in the shade, a clear blue sky and Santa Ana winds helped keep me on task as I trimmed creeping fig from the back wall, raked up the piles I'd created over the past few days, and then settled down on our bench to relax and look at recipes seriously lacking in sugar and butter.  Perhaps by osmosis I might be able to gain from the healthiness, right?   Right, and pigs fly, lady.

I hadn't originally intended on making Chocolate Coconut Squares, Gourmet's favorite cookie from 1997 because the resident hunkster isn't too fond of coconut.  Sad for me since I love it in all shapes and forms.  So I decided to treat myself since these require only a short baking time on the front end, and a long refrigeration time.  The most interesting aspect of this recipe was making a custard base to stir into the chocolate before refrigeration.

I'm thinking these are perfect if you're in the mood for something a little fudge-like, but more creamy, and with a fantastic coconut crust.  I decided they deserved to be partied up a bit by presenting them in wedges and a lace petticoat.

Nice. 

Spiced Sugar Cookies

  I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.  No time to say "hello," "goodbye," I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...and if I could find my head, I'd scratch it and say that, sure.  I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, sitting here in a house shrouded in plastic.  I left early this morning, knowing that primer would be going up today, and when I returned, the painters were still busy, so I spent time on my patio trimming bushes, cutting trees, and raking leaves until they were done for the day.  Before they left, I was asked if we were sleeping here tonight.  Um, yes?  The guy told me to "swish" the plastic our bed is wrapped and attached to the floor in.  Swish?

Ah...adventure.  Life is certainly never dull.

Last night after they left, I got out the dough I'd made the day before for Gourmet's Favorite cookie from 1946:  Moravian White Christmas Cookies.  I'd nibbled on enough of the dough when I made it to know that it was wonderful so couldn't wait to make the cookies.  I love sugar cookies and have a favorite recipe which will never be replaced, but this is a close second.

I'll confess that I had to do some research to locate Moravia, which is in the Czech Republic, very close to the borders of Slovakia, Austria, and Germany.

If the guys asking, "Can we eat one yet?" is any indication of this recipe's promise, then I'd say they're worth trying.  The scent while they're baking is absolutely wonderful. 

Sugared Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Day Seven of our 12 Days of Cookies Extravaganza brings a bit of sunshine on a day that surprisingly isn't, which makes it a very pleasant day to be baking.  I'd like to say that Bing is crooning holiday songs on the Bose and there's a fire crackling in the family room, but I'll have to wait at least a week for that.

My 16-year-old chose these delicately lemon-flavored "glittering" cookies from the stack I'd bookmarked because he thought they'd be a nice change from the others I've been making. At first, I wasn't thrilled because citrus-flavored baked goods make me think of Spring or Summer, but I'm glad I listened to him, because these are quite the lovely treat. 

One of Gourmet's Favorite Cookies from December of 2008, I'd say this is the best recipe I've tried so far.  They aren't fussy to make even though they appear to be headed for a bridal shower or elegant afternoon tea.  In one or two bites, you're treated to an exterior crunch of sugar, a flaky cookie, and a light butter cream that only hints of lemon.

Absolutely perfect.