Wordless Wednesday - Cookie Exchange

(Both paintings were done by Allison of Allifer Designs)

Rolling into the holiday season

Yay!  I'm finally on vacation and getting caught up on some of the things I haven't done for the past few weeks.  Blogging is high on that list.  So are Christmas shopping and baking.  I should actually be baking right now, since tomorrow is the last day of school before break, and there are teacher treats to be made.  However, when I thought that I would have lots of time in the kitchen while the plumber was here this morning, I didn't consider the fact that he'd have to turn off the water for some of the repairs.  (Nothing serious, just little things that we don't want to turn into bigger things, and that J didn't want to tackle.)  I'm too messy to even thing about doing anything in the kitchen without being able to wash stuff (including my hands).

So this is the perfect time for me to tell you about a fabulous dessert that I made for a holiday potluck a couple weeks ago.  Right when I was trying to decide what to make for the party, I picked up a magazine full of Chocolate Desserts (one of the newsstand-only issues from Cook's Country).  It had lots of yummy ideas in it, but the one that really caught my eye was the Chocolate Roulade.

A roulade is something rolled up, which in this case is a cake.  You often see them this time of year--pumpkin versions for Thanksgiving, and chocolate versions as Yule Logs.  Crazy as it may sound, I'd never actually made one before!  You bake a large, thin layer of sponge cake, turn it out onto a cocoa-dusted towel while still pretty warm, and roll it up (towel and all).  Once the cake has cooled some, you unroll it, add a layer of filling, then roll it back up (which is easier because it was already rolled up once).  You can finish the cake with a simple dusting of powdered sugar or go all-out with a rich coating of chocolate ganache.  

As with almost everything I've made from the folks at America's Test Kitchen, the roulade turned out great.  The recipe recommends making the ganache (chocolate, cream, butter, and a bit of cognac) first, since it needs time to firm up.  The filling can be mixed up next (mascarpone cheese, cream, instant espresso powder and some powdered sugar) and stashed in the fridge until you need it.  The cake bakes quickly, so it's good to have everything else done first.  I learned a couple things while making this recipe.  One is that you really need to make sure that your towel has a lot of cocoa powder rubbed into it, or the cake will stick.  Thankfully, the ganache will cover any imperfections, and the towel was easier to wash out than I expected. =)  Also, be prepared to dirty almost every bowl and whisk you own.  This was one time when I really wished that I had an extra bowl for my stand mixer.  But it worked out okay in the end.

The verdict?  I think it's safe to say that this one was a hit.  After sampling the scraps from the ends I cut off, Brianna's first question was, "So are you going to save some of it for us?"  When I told her that the whole thing would be going to the party, her response was, "But you can make another one for us, right?"  I think Jamie won't mind at all if I do. =)  Gillian wasn't a huge fan of the espresso flavor in the filling, so I'll have to see what I can come up with for next time.  Everyone at the party really seemed to enjoy it as well.  One warning--the recipe says that it serves 8 to 10, but those would have to be pretty big slices, and this is a very rich dessert.  We fed a lot more than that.  

If you'd like to try this recipe for yourself, you can find it here if you have a web membership for Cook's Illustrated.  If have a copy of Baking Illustrated, it's also in there.  And of course you can find the recipe in the same place where it caught my eye--the recent Cook's Country Chocolate Desserts issue.  (If you're wondering about the stars on top, they're from King Arthur.)

2nd Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange - The Round-up!

Well, it's safe to say that I didn't realize just how crazy life was going to be the past couple weeks.  I figured it might take me a week to get the round-up done for our Virtual Cookie Exchange, but instead it's closer to two.  The good thing about the delay is that it allowed others (whose lives are also crazy, so I feel a little better) to get their posts done, even if it wasn't for the 4th.  So without further ado, here are all the tasty contributions.  I'm excited to be on vacation now until the 27th, so I'll actually have time to try some of these!

I think Phyl's Scottish Shortbread may have been the last cookies I read about, but they're one of the first on my list to try.  I love shortbread--mmm, buttery. =)  I often make shortbread into round cookies, but I think I need to invest in some pretty scalloped cutters. 

Jessica was also a bit delayed--hopefully her technical difficulties have finally been resolved.  She recently renamed her blog to What Happens After Singleton, since she got married a couple months ago.  She's having fun figuring out how to blend holiday traditions to come up with something that works for her new family.  Personally, I think her husband is crazy not to like these English Gingersnaps. =)

Julie is a new member of our merry band of seasonal bakers.  I hope she brings lots of yummy things like these Nutella No-Bake Cookies!  No-bake cookies are a favorite of mine, but I never would have thought to make them with Nutella instead of peanut butter.  Considering how much my girls love chocolate hazelnut spread, I will definitely be making these soon.

Chaya made cookies with one of my favorite things, butterscotch chips.  I ate them by the handful when I was pregnant with Brianna.  I don't eat them quite so often these days, but I always have a bag or two stashed away in my pantry.  So I'll be able to make these yummy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies.  

Nancy got to break out her German cookie molds for these gorgeous Soft Gingerbread Cookies from Tartine.  I don't have the book, but I think it's going on my wishlist.  And these cookies will be a perfect way to use some of the blackstrap molasses that I bought by accident...

Kayte brought us these adorable Orange Creme Roll cookies.  I admit, my first thought was that they look like cannoli. =)  I need to get my hands on some of her clothespins first, though.  I have some, but not the right kind.  I suspect I can improvise something, though.

Once again, I think Marthe is the participant from farthest away.  (She lives in The Netherlands.)  That's one of the things I love about our virtual exchange--we don't have to worry that distance will keep people away.  I definitely wouldn't want to miss out on these Chocolate Munchies that Marthe made!

I'm pretty sure that Mike has the same cookie press that my mom had.  I love his addition of salt on top of his Caramel Spritz Cookies.  I still prefer the butter ones, but I'll have to try substituting some brown sugar in my recipe, or putting butter in Mike's. Either way, I have to try these.

I have a copy of Alice Medrich's recent cookie book, but haven't baked nearly enough from it.  Fortunately, Leslie brought these fantastic Chocolate Espresso Cookies to my attention.  I'm sure B&G will be thrilled when I make them--they think I don't make nearly enough chocolate cookies. 

You can't go wrong with a classic combination like chocolate and peanut butter.  That probably explains why these Peanut Butter Blossoms are always so popular.  I'm really glad that Kayte convinced Katie to join us this year so she could share these.

At first glance, you might think that Jessica brought us more chocolate cookies.  And she did, sort of.  But she went one better, and combined chocolate with ginger for these yummy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies.  Don't ask me why, but even though I don't care for cinnamon with chocolate, ginger with chocolate is just fine.

Dorie is always suggesting that we play around with her recipes, and Spike did just that.  She took the already awesome World Peace Cookies and added candy canes to make them World Peace & Peppermint Cookies.  Maybe if I have some of these in the house, I won't be as tempted by the Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Right? 

Another great pairing with chocolate is caramel.  These Heartland Turtle Bars that Mary brought look like a great way to combine the two.  I have to admit, sometimes I really love making bar cookies so I don't have to mess with baking multiple pans of cookies.

Next up is our over-achiever, Margaret. =)  When I sent out the email about this year's cookie exchange, I was teasing Margaret about making two cookies last year instead of just one.  Well, this year, she made three!  All look wonderful--Angel Wings, Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies, and Eggnog Thumbprints.

If you need a whole bunch of cookies but don't want to make several kinds, then Abby's Peppernuts (from her mother-in-law) might be the cookies for you.  She mentions that the yield from the recipe is about 560 cookies.  No, that's not a typo.  Fortunately, she also mentions that they keep well and you can freeze them. =)

Next up is a good example of why I love these cookie exchanges.  My other friend Margaret shared a very special cookie with us.  She received the recipe for these Candy Cane Cookies from her sister-in-law shortly after she married into the family.  I bet they would be lots of fun to make with my girls.  And she gives a handy tip for crushing the candy canes, too!

Elaine was worried about running late, but I think I've got her beat. =)  Besides, if you show up with cookies, who cares if you're late?  These Pecan Crunch Cookies have an unusual ingredient, but you'll have to head over to Elaine's blog to see what it is.

I was really excited to see Tracey's contribution to the cookie exchange.  Every year I make goodie bags for the girls' teachers.  This year, I really wanted to make biscotti for some of them, but I also wanted something without nuts.  These Candy Cane Biscotti are perfect!  They'll be the first cookie exchange recipe that I make, but I'm sure they won't be the last.

Last but not least, we have my Spritz Cookies.  This is another recipe that makes a lot of cookies--they're small, so you can eat several without feeling too guilty.

I really hope that you've enjoyed this year's Virtual Cookie Exchange.  If this isn't enough cookie recipes for you, you can always go back and look at last year's roundup, too.  If you'd like to join us for future blog events, email me at diskitchennotebook at gmail dot com, and I'll add you to my list.  Look for the Winter event sometime in February!

Wordless Wednesday - Star bright

(cupcake recipe here, glitter here)

Wordless Wednesday - Holiday lights

(candle holder can be found at Crate & Barrel)

Virtual Cookie Exchange - Not my mother's Spritz Cookies

I mentioned in my post earlier today that I had a holiday party last night.  It was for a bunch of people from work, most of whom have eaten lots of the baked goods that I take to work.  One person walked into the house, commented on how pretty our Christmas tree looked, then walked over to the kitchen (we have a pretty open floor plan) and said, "So this is Di's kitchen, where the magic happens!" =)

There's definitely something magical about Christmas cookies.  I have fond memories of helping my mom make cookies during the holiday season.  There were certain types that we always made every year.  I don't have quite the same line-up now, but there are still some varieties that have to make an appearance.  One of my mom's favorites was Spritz Cookies.  They were usually in the shape of trees, and the dough was tinted green.  My mom had an old school cookie press that required you to turn the handle on top to make the dough come out--definitely a workout with a stiff cookie dough.  One of my sisters has the cookie press, but I do have the recipe.  I don't make it much, though, since it uses all shortening, no butter.  I just love the flavor of butter cookies, so I use a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that first appeared in the magazine in 2004.  

The dough for these cookies is easy to mix up.  First you whisk together an egg yolk, a bit of cream and some vanilla in a small bowl and set it aside.  Next up is creaming the butter, sugar and salt.  Once that mixture is light and fluffy, you mix in the liquid mixture.  Finally, you stir in the flour.  The fun part is playing with the cookie press.  I have one much like this.  It holds just enough dough for a pan of cookies, about 2 dozen of the small trees.  I spooned a little bit of colored sugar on top of each cookie before baking.  

I almost always bake cookies on parchment lined baking sheets, but that doesn't work for these--the dough from the cookie press won't stick to the parchment.  So use an unlined, ungreased pan.  For the best flavor, be sure to bake the cookies until they are just starting to brown around the edges--if they're still completely pale, they won't have that great browned butter flavor.  I baked mine for 12 minutes at 375ºF.

The verdict?  I love these.  The butter and vanilla flavors are immediately apparent, and they have a lovely crisp texture.  The only thing that you might not like about these cookies is how easy they are to pop in your mouth, since they're bite-sized.  The good news is that the recipe makes at least 6 dozen, so you'll probably still have enough to share even after you eat a bunch yourself.  Brianna paid me a high compliment indeed, making a point to say how much she liked these cookies. =)  

Spritz Cookies - ingredients

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

225 grams (two sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

140 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon table salt

285 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

You can find the full recipe online at Cook's Illustrated, or in the current Holiday Baking newsstand issue.  

Check back next weekend for a full round-up of delicious holiday cookies from our cookie exchange!

Logo courtesy of Allifer Designs

2nd Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange!

Happy December, everyone!  I'm not sure how it got here already, but I can't change the fact that it's started, so I might as well embrace it!  In contrast to last year, we're actually doing quite well getting into the holiday spirit.  Our Christmas tree is up and decorated, without any drama at all (unlike last year).  We had a holiday party last night, which gave me lots of incentive to get my house cleaned up (at least downstairs; upstairs still needs some work).  I've spent the past two days in one of my favorite places--my kitchen--doing one of my favorite things--making lots of yummy food to share with friends.

Last night's party was definitely a success, and now I'm here for another one.  The nice thing about this one is that no one will get to see that my house is still a mess from the last one. =)  (I even broke my own rule about not going to bed until all the dishes are washed.)  Some of you may remember that last year I hosted a Virtual Cookie Exchange here at Di's Kitchen.  It was lots of fun, and we all came away with some great cookie recipes to try.  I'm excited that we're doing it again this year!  I made it a little earlier--this way I can get the round-up done by next weekend and everyone will still have some baking time before most of the major holidays that are celebrated this time of year.

Many thanks to my friend Nancy's daughter Allison, who was kind enough to paint us a cookie badge again this year.  Check out her website for more custom artwork!  Hopefully you'll see lots of posts with it out there today, but if you miss a few, check back next weekend for the full round-up!