Author: Amy

Chocolate Hearts

chocolate-heart-cookieI inherited some vintage cookie cutters from my grandma Zella, among them a scallop-edged heart with a red wooden peg handle. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it seemed appropriate to make chocolate hearts to send to my nephew Roman, who now lives in North Carolina.

Cookie cutters come in nearly every shape and size, for every occasion and holiday. My cookie cutters, of which there are dozens, live in a wonderful set of stackable drawer containers in one of my kitchen cabinets. I have all the basics, plus cutters for nearly every holiday, with some animals, dinosaurs, and other fun shapes like an umbrella and a teapot mixed in. Zella’s vintage heart is among my favorites, though.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating until well-combined.

Slowly add flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl often and beating until a very well-combined, soft dough forms.

Gently knead the dough a few times to make sure it comes together; roll dough into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; line three baking sheets with parchment or foil.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter; if using different sizes of hearts, be sure to bake all of the same size on one cookie sheet. Baking different-sized or differently-shaped cookies on the same sheet can lead to uneven results; some of your cookies might be underdone while others will be overdone.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for 1-2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

Almond Cake for Date Night – Serves Two

almond-cake-for-date-nightMike and I will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary this year. We married one week after graduating college – because, why wait? – and are now those boring married people whose “date night” means a Saturday night catching up on the TV shows we’ve recorded during the week.

For last night’s date night, I whipped up this adorable little almond cake. It’s perfect for two, yielding two slices of cake for each of us. The icing is just an almond glaze, topped with sugar-toasted almonds, which are much easier to make then they may sound. Next time, I may slice the cake in half and add some pastry cream or raspberry filling between the layers.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 tablespoons milk

For the toasted almonds

  • 6 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water

For the almond glaze

  • About 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 6-inch round cake pan with baking spray, line it with a parchment circle, and spray the parchment.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until very well-blended. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until combined.

Add flour and milk alternatively in two batches, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until completely combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While your cake cools, prepare your toasted almonds. Place almonds in a small bowl and add sugar and water, mixing well to coat. Place in a saute pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes until almonds start to turn a light golden brown. Almonds will start out looking wet and will appear dry when they are almost done. Remove from heat and pour onto a plate to cool completely before using.

Once your cake and almonds are cool, make your almond glaze. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and add almond extract and water, stirring until smooth. You want a thick glaze consistency, so you may need to add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it. Pour glaze over cake and top with toasted almonds.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 4 servings.

 

 

Valentine Cookies

valentine-cookiesLooking for fun Valentine’s Day cookies for the kids in your life? Look no further. These slice-and-bake treats are a cross between shortbread and a sugar cookie, and can be tinted whatever color you wish. My goddaughter Maureen loves pink, and these are for her and her family.

If you don’t usually do slice-and-bake cookies, I have some suggestions to help with the process. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap, then slide it onto a baking sheet to chill. This will help the log from breaking or getting misshapen as you transfer it in and out of the fridge. Make sure your dough chills for at least two hours so it’s easy to slice; you can let it chill overnight if you like. As you slice, turn the log after every few slices. This keeps a flat edge from developing on one side. And, if you’re coating the cookies in sprinkles or nuts, remember that small sprinkles and finely-chopped nuts will coat the log better and be easier to slice through.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pink (or red) food coloring
  • About half a 3-ounce bottle Wilton Micro Hearts sprinkles

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until well-combined, scraping the sides of your bowl frequently.

Add flour in three batches, mixing well after each until a soft dough forms.

Add food coloring and tint to your desired shade.

Turn dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead it slightly to make sure all of the food coloring is well-distributed and the dough is smooth. Roll into a 12-inch log.

Place sprinkles on a rimmed baking sheet and carefully transfer the log onto the sprinkles, rolling it back and forth to coat.

Wrap log in plastic wrap, slide it onto a baking sheet, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Remove log from fridge and discard plastic wrap. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until tops are set. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Makes 28

Heart Month Cupcakes

heart-month-cupcakesIt’s American Heart Month! As some of you know, I manage heart and vascular marketing for a medical center in Pittsburgh, and Heart Month is a big deal. We have events all throughout February that encourage people to get heart screenings so they can learn about heart disease risks. My cube is decked out with heart decorations, and I’m featuring daily heart tips on my dry erase board all month long.

Okay, so maybe it’s a little strange that the heart marketing gal is also the office baker. While cupcakes could never be construed as heart-healthy, being baked with butter, sugar, and eggs, they do make people happy. And happiness is an important part of heart health, so…you be the judge. These cupcakes make a large batch of 30, so they’d also be great for a Valentine’s Day party.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 2/3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk

For the frosting

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • Wilton Fill Your Heart sprinkles*

*I found these sprinkles at Joann; craft stores are always a great source of holiday-themed baking supplies. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three cupcake tins with paper liners; if you don’t have three, just let one of your tins cool down after baking one of your batches before you do your last batch.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for one minute. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beating until combined.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about half-full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes using the paddle attachment.

Add 3 cups powdered sugar.  With your mixer on low, beat until all of the sugar is incorporated into the butter. This will take a few minutes, and I find that placing a kitchen towel over the mixer during this stage prevents a powdered sugar blizzard.

Once all of the sugar is incorporated, scrape down your bowl and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.

Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and 1 tablespoon milk and beat on medium for another 2 minutes.

Scrape down your bowl, then add the remaining half-cup of powdered sugar and half-tablespoon milk, beating for another 1-2 minutes until completely combined.

Fit a 14-inch piping bag with a Wilton M1 tip and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupake; you’ll have enough for all 30 cupcakes as long as you don’t go too overboard with your portions.

Sprinkle each cupcake with Wilton Fill Your Heart sprinkles (or other heart-shaped sprinkles). Note: I don’t recommend dipping the cupcakes in the sprinkles, as this will result it sprinkle overload. Because these sprinkles are so large, it’s best to literally sprinkle them onto each cupcake.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Makes 30.

 

Pecan Blondies

pecan-blondieHow do you pronounce the word “pecan?” I say peh-con, with a short e-sound and so the “can” part it rhymes with lawn, while others say pee-can, with a long e-sound and so the “can” part rhymes with man. However you say it, this nut makes a delicious addition to baked goods, especially when toasted.

If you’ve never toasted pecans before, fear not. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place them on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Pecans need to toast for about 8-10 minutes, but other nuts, like slivered almonds, will need less time, say 6-8 minutes or so. Stir them a few times during baking, and keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. You’ll know they’re done when they’re darker in color and very fragrant, and you want to let them cool before you use them.

This treat reminds me a bit of the cinnamon-roasted pecans you can find at Christmas and is adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Baking Book “Make-it-Mine” Blondie recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 10 2/3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, and chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the sides. Spray lightly with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Add flour mixture in a few batches, stirring well to completely combine; the batter will become thick. Stir in pecans.

Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Lightly spray your hands with baking spray and gently press the dough into the pan to create an even layer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then lift out by the foil and allow to cool for another 10 minutes or so; you want to cut the blondies while they’re still warm. The tops will crack as you cut them, but that’s okay.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 36 bars.

Cornbread

cornbreadMike made an enormous pot of chili today and asked that I bake him some homemade cornbread to go along with it. I’ve probably made homemade cornbread a million times before, but have never blogged it until today.

Cornbread is actually very easy to make, requiring just a few bowls, a spoon, and a pan. If you’re a beginning baker, I’d actually recommend trying this cornbread recipe, which comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook but has a bit of a sweet twist. My Aunt Liz always added vanilla extract to cornbread, so that’s what I do as well. Just a few teaspoons adds a nice dimension of sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8 x 8 square pan.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; make a well in the center.

In a large glass measuring cup, combine milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour all at once into the well in the dry mixture and stir until just combined; batter will be a bit lumpy.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in pan, or serve warm.

Coconut Almond Candy Bars

coconut-almond-candy-barsMy colleague Scott and I were talking about coconut this week, and he mentioned how great a hybrid Almond Joy/Mounds bar would be. This hybrid would involve the coconut and almond middle of an Almond Joy, but the dark chocolate coating of a Mounds.

“But it doesn’t exist,” Scott said.

And then, I had an idea. I’d seen homemade Mounds bar recipes before, so why couldn’t I just take one of those and add almonds to it? The answer is: I could. And I did. This recipe is a hybrid of a few homemade Almond Joy/Mounds bar recipes I found online. According to Mike, they taste exactly like a combined Almond Joy/Mounds, but with a gooier (yes, that’s a word) texture. Next time, I might add more powdered sugar to stabilize the coconut center a bit more, probably another quarter-cup or so.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 24 whole unsalted almonds, toasted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons shortening

Preparation

Line a large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

In a large bowl, combine coconut, powdered sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir to form a thick paste.

Using a tablespoon from your flatware, scoop coconut mixture and shape into rectangles, pressing tightly to help the mixture come together as best you can. The mixture will be very sticky and quite difficult to form into rectangles, but if you work with it a bit, you can get general rectangle shapes. You’ll need to rinse your hands after every few rectangles; don’t dry them completely after rinsing, which will help the mixture keep from sticking to your hands.

Place rectangles on your baking sheet, then press two almonds into the top of each one. Freeze for 30 minutes, until fairly firm.

While your bars are chilling, place dark chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval.

Place a fresh sheet of parchment or waxed paper on another baking sheet.

Remove bars from freezer and using two forks, dip in the chocolate, coating completely. Place dipped bars onto your fresh baking sheet and allow chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Makes 12.

Lady Liberty Cookies

lady-liberty-cookiesMy friend Amanda and I have known each other for 25 years. We met freshman year of high school, and our mutual love of hockey bloomed into one of the most important friendships of my life. The hours we spent on the phone in high school probably funded AT&T throughout the 90s, and not a day goes by that I don’t wish we lived on the same side of the country (I’m in Pennsylvania, while she’s in California) so that we could actually see each other in person. Fortunately, Facebook and texting keep us closely connected, but sometimes I just wish I could sit in her living room with her, drinking tea, talking about everything and nothing.

Amanda is a remarkable woman, raising her son and daughter to be strong, independent thinkers just like she is. She’s also a fierce feminist just like me, so these cookies – named “Lady Liberty Cookies” by my equally feminist husband – are for her. I baked them in solidarity with her and with the millions of other women around the world who are fighting for equal rights, adapting them from The Essential Chewy Sugar Cookie from King Arthur Flour in honor of today’s Women’s March in Washington and various sister marches around the world.

I love you, Amanda! I could not be prouder to have such a strong and fantastic woman as my friend.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2.25-ounce bottle pink sugar crystals

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place pink sugar crystals in a small bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute; add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg and beat until well-combined.

Add flour and beat to combine.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough, roll into balls, and dip in sugar to coat completely.

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets; they will spread some when baking. I put 6 cookies per sheet, and that worked well.

Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are barely beginning to brown and centers still look puffy. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or pack them and mail them to one of your best friends ever).

Makes 22.

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprints

lemonraspthumbprintMost lemon raspberry thumbprints rely on raspberry jam – which is certainly delicious – but for these treats, I wanted a more traditional thumbprint icing. While I adapted a recipe from King Arthur Flour for the cookie itself, the icing is one of my own creation, a simple blend of powdered sugar, raspberry jam, and lemon juice. I hope the icing sets up as well as traditional thumbprint icing, but if not, these cookies will still be delicious.

You can create a perfectly round indentation in your thumbprint cookies by using a teaspoon from your measuring set. I did both the teaspoon method and the literal thumbprint method in this batch of cookies, and have to admit that I prefer the way the teaspoon ones look.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 3/4 cups flour

For the raspberry icing*

  • 1/3 cup raspberry jam
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

*These measurements are my best guess – I just kept mixing jam and powdered sugar until I got the flavor that I wanted. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and beat well to combine.

Add flour in three batches, beating well to combine between each.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and use a teaspoon measuring spoon or your thumb to create a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.

Bake for 12-24 minutes, until bottoms are very light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine jam and powdered sugar in a small bowl and mix well to fully combine; add lemon juice about 1/4 teaspoon at a time to thin out slightly. You want a thick drizzle consistency.

Spoon icing into thumbprints and allow to set before serving. Store in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper for up to 3 days.

Makes 27 cookies.

Clara the Kitchen Mascot

claraMeet Clara, my kitchen mascot. I found her at Crate & Barrel’s after-Christmas sale and couldn’t resist her. I mean, she’s a mouse wearing an apron, oven mitts, and a chef’s hat. What’s not to love?

Clara is named for the girl in the Nutcracker, and though she’s actually a Christmas ornament, I decided to keep her on my kitchen windowsill (sitting in a tealight holder so she won’t fall over) so she can cheer me on in my various baking endeavors. Clara, like me, believes that fear has no place in the kitchen, so she’s always supportive when I want to try something new – though she’d probably appreciate it if I baked with cheese more often.