News!

March may be over, but this blog has just gotten started!

In Food Bank news: the current total raised so far is $500! That's double the original goal. While I am so very pleased with the generous donations from my personal network, the Food Bank is still in desperate need right now. They've fallen 3% short of their fundraising goal, even after extending their Spring Challenge until today. Unfortunately, during and since the recent market tumble, people have been donating less but needing the Food Bank more. I urge you to reach deep into your pockets or, failing that, your cupboards and make an effort give something to this very worthy organization. I still have cookies available if you want to give to the Food Bank and get something back!

In other news: I have had a very excellent April so far. I've gotten past a major work deadline, I've been healthy as a horse, I've been getting in fabulous shape by working out every day and seeing my trainer twice a week, I've reconnected with friends I didn't see in March, and in 3 weeks I'm off on a week-long vacation to Puerto Plata with my manfella. I've even baked a little! I've been cutting back immensely on my sugar intake (3:00pm jitters + bikini season = eat less sugar!) so when I had to bring dessert to a board games party in Aurora last weekend, I made No Added Sugar Piña Colada Mini Cheesecakes. Blog post with recipe and photos forthcoming!

In the meantime, I've got so many ideas for my next "project" that I can barely decide! I may launch something in May (despite being absent for a week) and continue to blog whatever I bake in the meantime. It's hard though, because both the manfella and I are trying to lose weight, but I want to keep baking! Guess what friends in real life, random goodies may be forthcoming.

One of the next things I'll be baking is iambaker's awesome sugar cookies for my Big Bunch. I got to meet my new Little last weekend, and she is a terrific kid. I figure I'll bake up a bunch (har!) of cookies, make up icing and pre-bag it, then we can all ice cookies as a group.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there are still many Ms. Adventures in Baking to be had, so keep coming back for more!

March 31: Whoopie Pies

Finally...the last post of March! I've been sitting on this badboy for a while, not having the opportunity to blog it until now. Well here it is! Can I get a 'whoop whoop'?

No? Anybody?

Well how about some WHOOPIE PIES?

I'd never heard of these crazy little cookies, let alone tasted one, but the name pretty much grabbed me the moment I read it. Apparently they're a Pennsylvania Amish treat, but I gotta say...it's hard to imagine the Amish making something so DECADENT. Yurm! (that's "yum" as said with a mouthful of Whoopie Pie.)

Essentially white icing sandwiched between to rich mini chocolate cakes, the Whoopie Pie is reminiscent of an Oreo (specifically, and Oreo "Cakester"), yet nothing in the Oreo history I have found mentions the Whoopie Pie. Perhaps it wasn't the inspiration for the Oreo like I imagined it would be. In any case, if given an opportunity to fight, the Whoopie Pie would beat the Oreo, hands down. You might say the Whoopie Pie would "whoop" Oreo's butt!

*groan* Okay I'm done.

Seriously though, I couldn't believe how tasty these are. The strong coffee used in the recipe deepens the flavour of the chocolate; you won't believe these are made with cocoa instead of real chocolate!

Also, they're surprisingly easy to make. I had these made, baked and sandwiched in an hour!

My only complaint: the use of shortening. The filling is half butter and half shortening, but I would change the ratio to 2:1 in favour of butter next time, because the filling didn't WOW me with its flavour. However, I suspect that it's not supposed to; the filling adds sweetness to a very chocolatey cookie and the whole thing just works. That's why, despite my not being a fan of shortening, these babies get a Final Grade of A+. The manfella also gives them his thumbs up seal of approval.

I almost don't want to give these away (more for me, haha!), but you can purchase your own Whoopie Pies for a good cause by sponsoring me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

You can find the recipe for Whoopie Pies on my Recipes Page.

March 30: Hello Dollys/Magic Bars

Hello Dolly's are most likely the easiest thing I have ever made. There is no mixing whatsoever! All you have to do is layer butter, graham crackers, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips (optional), nuts, and sweetened condensed milk. Then bake! That's it!

Ooey gooey goodness!

Hello Dollys are traditionally made with chopped walnuts, but I'm not a big fan of walnuts so I used sliced almonds instead. It was still really delicious, but I must say that--despite me using unsweetened coconut and omitting the butterscotch chips--these are very sweet. Best served with a glass of skim milk!

Final Grade: B+. Just a bit too sweet for me (personal preference!), although these get an A+ for ease. If you need to make a dessert fast, this is your go to recipe! You can find the recipe for Hello Dollys/Magic Bars on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Hello Dollys for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 29: Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate Crinkles are the original cake truffle! Made with real chocolate, these little balls of brownies-meet-fudge are easy to make, roll and bake. Don't let their small size fool you; they're bursting with chocolatey flavour.

After you make up the dough, you roll each ball in a thick layer of icing sugar then bake.

As the dough bakes it expands, causing the dough to "crinkle". The dark brown chocolate colour shows through the white, causing an interesting looking contrast.

You must not over-bake these cookies! If you do, they will be hard lumps, rather than the chewy fudgy little treasures they're meant to be.

Final Grade: A. You can find the recipe for Chocolate Crinkles on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Chocolate Crinkles for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 28: Linzer Cookies

Linzer cookies originate in Austria, and is the cookie form of the Linzertorte. Linzer cookies can be "white" or "brown", depending on whether or not you toast your almonds. Traditionally the cookies are sandwiched with a layer of black currant jam, but raspberry jam will also suffice if black currant jam can't be found.



All you need are cookie cutters of different sizes, though they don't have to be the same shape. Experiment with different shapes for some really cool-looking cookies!



I had fun with these cookies and made the bottom halves "brown" Linzer, and the top halves "white" Linzer. I figured I'd get the best of both worlds!!



These are very delicious! Sweet and nutty, with a tangy raspberry jam filling. Be sure to find seedless jam if you can, as the raspberry seeds create an unpleasant texture.

Some of the best cookies I've made so far! Final Grade: A+. You can find the recipe for Linzer Cookies on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Linzer Cookies for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 27: Speculaas

Speculaas come to us all the way from Holand. Traditionally made and served before Christmas to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas, this spicy cookie is served in both thin and crispy moulded forms, or soft and chewy rounds.



I made the chewy version because I don't own any cookie moulds, nor could I find any at the kitchen supply stores close to home. The chewy ones are much easier and less time-consuming, so you can mix your dough, roll balls, bake and enjoy all within less than an hour.



I'd used up all my sliced almonds on the Alfajores the night before, so I simply flattened the balls with a measuring cup dipped in granulated sugar. The result is a tasty cookie with a little sparkle.



Final Grade: B+. Speculaas are yummy, but they didn't blow my mind. I've baked and tasted a lot of European spice cookies in the past month, and still have a place in my heart for the Basler Läckerli.

You can find the recipe for Speculaas on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Speculaas for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 26: Alfajores

I discovered the recipe for this cookie while searching for international cookie recipes for March of the Cookies. I didn't need to see the recipe to know that they made the cut; reading "These almond cookies are sandwiched with creamy layers of dulce de leche" cinched it.

Probably the best sandwich cookie I've ever tasted.

Once I made up and baked these cookies, however, I realized that it wasn't just the dulce de leche (literally "milk candy") that made them great. The dough contains lemon rind, vanilla extract and almond extract, as well as ground almonds. My baking instructor once said that you have to think about your flavour pairings and not use competing flavours, then used vanilla and lemon as an example of a bad match. As much respect as I have for Vita, this Alfajores recipe proves her wrong. This is truly one of the most tasty cookies I've ever had.

This cookie is already delicious, then you add the dulce de leche...and BOOM: magic.

You can, of course, buy dulce de leche, but I have found that jarred versions contain things like corn syrup, potassium sorbate (a preservative), and artificial flavours. Why eat that extra garbage when you can make your own? There are two ways to make dulce de leche, I chose to cook a can of sweetened condensed milk in a water bath and the result was excellent. I cooked it until it was a very thick spread, which was perfect for sandwiching the biscuits together.

You can take the awesomeness one step further by coating these in chocolate.

I could say so much more about these delicious cookies, but I will finish my saying, they're probably my favourite cookie I've made this month.

Final Grade: A+. You can find the recipe for Alfajores on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Alfajores for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 25: Rugelach

Rugelach is a cookie that you have to taste to believe. I'd never heard of Rugelach before making it in my baking class, and I knew when assembling the ingredients that it would be delicious. First of all, the dough has cream cheese in it, so you know it's going to be tasty. Second of all...well, that's it actually. Cream cheese.

Little rolls of cream cheesy apricot goodness.

I work near Yonge & Eglinton, which is close to Toronto's Jewish community. As a result, us foodies are blessed with a plethora of Jewish bakeries and delis...all of which serve amazing goodies like Rugelach.


However, Rugelach tends to be a bit on the expensive side because...

• ...it's rather labour-intensive. After making the dough, you divide it into several pieces, and roll each piece into an 8" round. Spread the round with your filling, cut into 8 pie-slices, roll them up, egg wash and sprinkle with almonds. Repeat the process for each piece of dough. Woah!
  
• ...each round you roll only yields 8 cookies. This process would go much faster if if you could make up the whole dough at once, or if each piece yielded more, however you would not be able to get the small rolls called for by the recipe.
  
• it contains an expensive ingredient. Cream cheese is pretty pricey, compared to the rest of the ingredients used.
  

In the bakeries I've been to, Rugelach is sold by the pound. I would guess that this is because seeing the cost of each individual piece would scare people from buying them. However, given how labour intensive they are, I can see why people would pay a premium to enjoy them without the work. That said, when you enjoy baking, these are fun to make!

So yummy, so worth it.

Final Grade: A. I used a simple apricot filling, but next time I make Rugelach I'll use a recipe that has cinnamon in it; cinnamon pairs well with the tang of cream cheese (that's why Cinnabon's frosting is so darned good!).

You can find the recipe for Rugelach on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Rugelach for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 24: Parmesan Rosemary Cookies

Another savoury cookie!

At first I tried this recipe, but it was gross.

Instead, try this recipe. It is better!

See?

I'm already sold out out of these, but please consider sponsoring me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! I have other cookies for sale, so make your donation, then email me your order!

March 23: Rumballs

Rumballs are traditionally a Christmas cookie, but when your treats contain liquor...well, they're suitable for any time in my books!

Rumballs are a no-bake assembled cookie, in that they are made up of pre-baked ingredients and held together with a binding agent like corn syrup or sweetened condensed milk. Oh, and don't forget the rum.

There is no definitive Rumball recipe; there are unlimited combinations of nuts, toppings, cookies and binding agents.

Rolled in icing sugar!

Whenever I make a recipe for the first time, I fall back on Joy of Baking. I wasn't disappointed! I swapped out the pecans for hazelnuts, and the results were like boozy little Ferrero Rochers (I can't help it; anything with hazelnuts will remind me of them!).

Chocolatey nutty rummy balls of goodness!

They were certainly messy to roll, but much like making mud pies as a kid, messy can sometimes be fun.

You can find the recipe for Rumballs on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Rumballs for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 21: Pumpkin Currant Cookies

Me and pumpkin? We're friends. I love it, and it loves me. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin loaf, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin pie ice cream, all permutations of pumpkin are impeccably palatable!

As such, when I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Currant cookies, I knew right away that I HAD to try it.

They were really tasty, and even my manfella--who isn't a fan of pumpkin (this may be the reason we break up)--really liked them.

Orange pumpkin-y goodness!

These cookies are really moist, and the currants provide tasty little bursts of sweetness.

My only complaint is that these cookies are almost too soft; the combination of pumpkin--which already retains its moisture in baked goods--and the use of cake flour made these cookies more like little muffin tops. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but nothing about these screams "cookie". I think next time I make these I would use all-purpose flour instead of the called-for cake flour to give them more structure.

You can SEE how moist these are. The moisture makes these cookies delicate, but delicious.

Flavour Grade: A+. These cookies are really yummy! The combination of pumpkin and spices with currants is an absolute winner.

Texture Grade: C. Somehow...they're not cookies. This recipe as is would be best used with a muffin top pan, or substitute all-purpose flour to achieve something closer to a cookie.

FINAL GRADE: B.
You can find the recipe for Pumpkin Currant cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Pumpkin Currant cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 20: Snickerdoodles

The only thing better than saying the word "Snickerdoodle" is eating one! These crispy cookies are coated in only cinnamon and sugar, and you would be amazed at how yummy these simple little cookies are. They're one of those recipes that have been around for ages, but don't mistake them for any old sugar cookie - traditionally Snickerdoodles are leavened by baking soda and cream of tartar, rather than baking powder.

Bake until golden around the edges for a crunchy cookie.

The acidity of cream of tartar helps soften the protein strands of the eggs and flour, which results in a chewier product when slightly underbaked, although a crispier product can be achieved by slightly overbaking.

I chose to overbake my Snickerdoodles when I made them, because for some reason these struck me as a cookie that would be better crispy. When I bit into one I was instantly reminded of Cinnamon Toast Crunch--one of my favourites as a kid--and my FAC (friend and coworker) Sarah said the exact same thing. Spooky!

The characteristic crinkled look of the Snickerdoodle.

Final Grade: A. These cookies are easy to make out of basic ingredients and will not disappoint.

You can find the recipe for Snickerdoodles on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Snickerdoodles, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 19: Vanilla Bean Spritzgebäck (Spritz) cookies

AAAAAAAAAAAnd we're back!

You cannot believe how much it's bothered me how far behind I've gotten on my baking and this blog, but I was so sick that at one point I was convinced that I was going to the hospital. I still have a bit of a cough but for the most part I'm well, and have upped the baking tempo to prestissimo.

Let me start the catch up with Vanilla Bean Spritz Cookies. Spritzgebäck (from spritzen, the German word for "squirt") is a cookie traditionally served around Christmastime. The dough is too soft to handle, so it must be squirted through a cookie press or a piping bag fitted with a tip. I don't own a cookie press (the last one I had was a cheap plastic one from Wal-mart that literally cracked under the pressure) so I used my piping bag and a large open star tip. The problem with this method, at least for me, is it's more difficult to get a consistent look to your cookies (although the photo from the Wikipedia article would have you believe inconsistency is just fine). However, if you don't spend your days typing like me, and you have strong tendons in your wrist (unlike me), you might be able to achieve consistent-looking cookies by not shaking when you pipe.

Some of these are lop-sided, the result of shaky wrists and uneven piping pressure. This is a skill that I may never be able to master due to my day-time profession, so I should buy a cookie press STAT!

I changed up the Joy of Baking recipe by adding a vanilla bean to the mix, giving these cookies the telltale vanilla bean speckle and richer, more genuine vanilla flavour. Also, just prior to baking, I added slivers of candied cherries to the tops to a) fancy them up, and b) give the cookies a little extra burst of flavour.

Seeing the vanilla bean speckles make these cookies instantly more delicious; after all, you eat with your eyes first!

These buttery biscuits almost melt on your tongue, largely because of how soft the dough is to begin with. Since they do not need to be handled, they require less flour which gives the cookies a lighter, airier texture and allows more of the butter flavour to shine through.

You can find the recipe for Spritz Cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Spritz Cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 18: Brownies

Mmm...brownies. Although these goodies seem to stand in a class by themselves, (as my friend and coworker Sarah said, "But, but... those aren't cookies, they're brownies!") they are actually a sheet cookie just like Nanaimo Bars. Brownies tend to be categorized as either "cakey" or "fudgey", and since neither of those descriptions scream "cookie", therein lies the confusion. However an excerpt from Wayne Gisslen's Professional Baking will explain:

Sheet cookies are one of the easiest and least labor intensive of any category. A batter, which can be thin or stiff, is made up and evenly spread into a pan with sides. Some recipes include a cookie or crumb base that is pressed onto the bottom of a pan before a batter is poured over it. After baking, the cookies are cut into squares or even triangles or diamonds. There are endless varieties (e.g., Fudge Brownies).

• A "cakey" brownie is achieved by using less chocolate and butter, creaming the butter with the sugar rather than melting it with the chocolate, and aerating the batter.
• A "fudgey" brownie is achieved by using more chocolate and butter, melting them together and using more egg yolks.
• A "chewy" brownie is achieved by using more flour and more whole eggs.
  

See this wonderful article on the nuances of brownie creation for more info.

Anyway, I once again relied on my go-to website, Joy of Baking, for the recipe, because it featured my favourite kind of brownie: chewy. A chewy brownie is half fudgey and half cakey, so you get the best of both in one.

"Gggggaaaaaaarrrrr! Arrrrhhhn."
(Chewie likes his brownies...uh, chewy.)

Le Creuset love!

Cutting the brownies into 2-bites. I love the crinkle texture on top.

These brownies were perfect, in my humble opinion, and I was especially pleased to once again get to use the Le Creuset square baker in kiwi that I won from Carol Ann's giveaway. That reminds me, your THANK YOU brownies will shortly be on their way, CAM!

You can find the recipe for Brownies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Brownies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 17: Pfeffernüsse

Yvonne: Pfeffernüsse! Pfeffernüsse! Pfeffernüsse!
Pfeffernüsse: It's showtime!

80's kids in tha house!

Ahem.

ANYway...in the quest for international cookies, I came across this recipe from Holland called Pfeffernüsse (literally pepper nuts). "Pepper nuts" tickled me in just such a way that I simply had to make this recipe.

Although similar to Basler Läckerli, Pfeffernüsse differs from its Swiss counterpart in shape, lack of icing, and the addition of two special ingredients: pepper, obviously, and cardamom. Now I've made savoury cookies before, but this recipe called for pepper in a sweet dough, so needless to say that I was now both tickled and intrigued.

Make it, roll it, bake it.

These cookies were a quick make, which served me well after an evening appointment and an episode of Ally McBeal (What? My friends all watched it in high school and I never got into it, but I finally got around to seeing what the fuss was about. Don't judge me.) found me finally getting around to baking at almost 9pm.

When they cooled, I popped one into my mouth and savoured it for a moment. The only word that would come to mind was...weird.

Was it weird good, or weird bad?

I had no idea! I mean, I liked the crunch of the almonds and the chewiness of the candied fruit, but did I like the flavour?

I leaned on the side of no, not because of the pepper, but because of the cardamom. See, much like an ex you don't want to run into, if I know large amounts of cardamom are going to be at the party, I probably won't go. However, this recipe only called for 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, which I likened to passing that ex on the street, where you see them, but they don't see you. That's why this recipe didn't intimidate me. Dig?

Sliced open: nuts and candied fruit

Turns out that 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom is like literally running into your ex at a party; the flavour was rather strong, and by my standards unpleasant. If you like cardamom (especially cardamom cookies), however, well these cookies are for you.

What I did enjoy, however, was the pepper. I used white pepper, which left an aftertaste that my manfella--whom I predicted would not like this cookie--described as "pleasant".

Final Grade (and remember, my personal tastes are the ones doling out the grades): C. They're not a fail, I just wouldn't make them again.

You can find the recipe for Pfeffernüsse on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Pfeffernüsse, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 16: Oatmeal Raisin cookies

More than one person asked me excitedly what I made for St. Patrick's Day. Well I'm sorry to disappoint, but I didn't give it any thought at all. I'm sure I could have made some chocolate stout cookie, or cut and ice shamrock shapes, or something, but St. Patrick's Day has always been a non-event for me. I think I've gone out to celebrate it once, and have never had a green beer in my life. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I just don't understand going out to get wasted during the middle of the week, and regaling coworkers the next day about how hungover you are, and how you upchucked "green".

Well aren't I a little party pooper?

Well for those of you who really want some sort of Irish baked good, the best I can do is Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I mean, oats are a staple in the Irish household, right? Anybody?

Yeah. Suuuuure.

Anyway, I have to admit, Oatmeal Raisin cookies are not normally something I reach for, though if they're around I'll eat them because--let's face it--I love cookies desserts food. They do, however, seem to have a pretty hardcore following..that is, those who like Oatmeal Raisin cookies really LOVE them.

And they should! It wasn't until making them myself (for the first time ever, I might add) that I appreciated how great they are. Firstly, they're easy to make; the recipe employs your standard creaming makeup, and the drop baking method, so they're as easy as mix, drop, bake. Secondly, they're crazy delicious, full of fibre, and nice to chew on. Thirdly, this particular recipe is versatile. Once the flour is added, you mix in the oats (or puffed rice, or cornflakes, or...) and raisins (or dried cranberries, or chocolate chips, or trail mix, or...whatever!). Just like biscotti, you can make virtually anything out of this recipe.

Now I'm my harshest critic, but I have to say these are simply THE (as in "thee") best Oatmeal Raisin cookies I've ever tasted. I think it's the combination of cinnamon and cloves that really knocks these cookies out of the park. I also soaked the raisins for about 30 minutes (and then made sure they were super dry!) before adding them to the batter so that they'd be nice and moist. It occurred to me only afterward that I could have soaked them in rum...how delicious would THAT be? Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies? ZOMG.

Anyway, these cookies are an A+ for sure. You can find the recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Oatmeal Raisin cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 15: Fancy Icebox Cookies

Last night an Icebox Cookie saved my life
Last night an Icebox Cookie saved my life, yeah
'Cause I was sittin' there feelin' like death
And in just one breath, it said
"All you gotta do is get up, you got get up, and slice me girl"

Last night I was stricken with my third migraine in the span of a week. I ran to my wonderful chiropractor (shout-out!) who treated me, and while I was sitting there in the dark room bawling my eyes out, all I could think about was cookies. As in, "Am I going to toss mine?"

Ew. TMI.

But seriously, I was worried that I'd be too useless to bake the March 15 batch, when I realized that I'd planned for just such an occasion by making a batch of Icebox Cookies a couple weekends ago.

Now I'm no masochist; I went home and took hours to recover. And when I was finally able to stand, all I had to do was slice these babies and bake 'em. I was on my feet for maybe 15 minutes total.

Slice and bake: on the cooling rack.

What's perfect about an icebox cookie is that you can do a lot with them: you can make plain vanilla or chocolate, or marble the two, or make checkerboards or bullseye cookies or WHATEVER, roll them and wrap them in plastic and refrigerate them for a week or two, or freeze them for months. When you know company's coming, pull them out, thaw them on the counter for 10 minutes, and slice them and bake. That way you'll always have fresh baked cookies around, and you spend almost no time or effort on the day you need them.

Pause for a short brainstorm: You could also make Neopolitain Icebox Cookies by making 2 vanilla doughs and 1 chocolate dough. Flavour 1 vanilla dough with strawberry extract and use red food colouring to make the dough pink. Layer all three and VOILA!

Anyway, I like a good challenge, so I tried making checkerboard cookies for the first time. It was certainly a learning experience; while the chocolate dough I made was a perfect consistency, the white dough was so weak and prone to ripping that it was almost impossible to work with. (The formula in my Professional Baking textbook called for pastry flour, but I think I'd use all-purpose next time to yield a stronger dough.) Lifting it onto the chocolate was a nightmare, so I was surprised I got anything even remotely resembling a checkerboard pattern at all.

Checkerboard...ish.

The recipe also said to roll the dough to 1/4" thickness, but I think this was too thin. I would go a full 1/2" next time to give perfect squares.

While not the perfect checkerboard pattern, these cookies still look pretty cool, and they taste great. Oh, and I got to make marble cookies out of my checkerboard scraps, and you can't mess these up!

Just don't overknead when making marble cookies or you will blend your doughs together and lose the marbling.

You can find the recipe for Fancy Icebox cookies on my Recipes Page (will appear later when I can type up the recipe).

If you'd like to order some of your own Checkerboard cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 14: Tropical Thumbprint Cookies

After so much baking, I found myself with 9 leftover egg yolks. What in goodness sake would I make with that many yolks? The obvious answer seemed to be poundcake, but this is March of the Cookies, darnit, so I was going to find a way to make these yolks into COOKIES.

I found a wonderful recipe for Egg Yolk Cookies, which admittedly doesn't sound delicious, but my coworker says this was one of the best sugar cookies she'd ever had. The heavier citrus tones are what prevent this cookie from tasting too eggy. And while this dough was tasty on its own, I once again wanted to do my own thing with it, so I made "thumbprint" cookies.

After my macaroon making I found myself with some extra coconut, so I rolled the Egg Yolk Cookie dough into balls, rolled it in the coconut, and pressed my thumb into it. Then I filled the indentation with a Mango Coconut Jam that I brought back from Hawaii, and sweet mercy were they ever good!

I also made some with raspberry filling, which wasn't very "tropical" but still super delish nonetheless.

You can find the recipe for Tropical Thumbprint cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Tropical or Raspberry Thumbprint cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!