Cookie Challenge 2011...Continues

As promised, I have met the challenges of my baking extravaganza for Christmas 2011 and there was the good, the bad and...is that a even a cookie?!


In my Cookies Around the World post, I talked about the Nanaimo Bar.  A blast from the past, it was definitely easier to eat this cookie than to make this. It was not as challenging as the Christmas Candy-Stripe Cookie.  Before unveiling my lessons learned...let's enjoy the final product.

Final Product

 

But what were the challenges?  

1.  Do not forget the egg when melting the chocolate and the butter. Of course I did so what do you notice?  Your crumb cookie does not set and you get one crumbly HOT mess.  Solution?  If you do forget your egg, toss the crumb mix back into the double boiler and get-ready, set, and STIR your egg into crumb and make sure your egg doesn't cook and coagulate.  

2. The recipe asks only for one egg but I say, add accordingly.  If you don't see enough moisture in the crumb cookie, it will not set and it will make subsequent steps more difficult.  Start with one egg and have another egg ready on deck. 

Add more egg to crumb cookie

3. While the recipe asks for chocolate chips, it was definitely not in my kitchen as most chocolate chips are cultivated in unfair trade methods from my grocery store.  So instead, I used my sipping chocolate from Theo Chocolate.  Sipping chocolate was meant for hot chocolate but looking at the recipe, I was able to substitute it for the chocolate chips. 

 4.  The Peanut Butter section was the most difficult.  Even with room temperature PB, it was not as spreadable as I would love to create an even layer.  Solution?  Use the back of a spoon and start from one end of the pan with a hunk of PB and drag it slowly to the other end of the baking pan.  While it still picks up some of the cookie crumb and create a gaping hole missing cookie crumb, it is definitely easier than using a butter knife to spread it.  Another reason why I need to get a spatula. 

5.  After the frustrating PB layer, I definitely knew the chocolate layer would give me some troubles.  Even before trying to spread this luscious, Fair Trade Chocolate layer....I just pour it over the frozen PB and Cookie Crumb layer and  tilted the pan side to side until the whole baked good is covered.  This ensure an even layer even if everything underneath is not so even.

Chocolate layer.

Dissecting the product.

 The good, the bars are awesome and easy to cut after you freeze it.  The bad, I need to not forget the egg and make an awesome cookie layer so I can create an even PB layer.  Something to try for next time?  Use Almond Butter with slivered almonds (I substitute almonds for toasted walnuts). 

Happy Baking!

Don't Text and Bake

In a new town, a new home and a new stretch of my 20-something, I felt the desire to create a new tradition.  The Christmas Eve Cookie tradition where I try something spectacular and challenging to test my skills of a baker.  In the past few months, I have found baking to be my comfort zone.  I bake better than I cook.  But I still have a lot to learn about baking and Ms. Martha Stewart brought her "A" game to play today!


There were two cookies on deck today, both from Martha and while one will be revealed its fate tomorrow as the dough is still setting, the 2nd challenger was a doozy.  Candy-Stripe Cookie Sticks were challenging and I wish Ms. Martha would give me a few pointers out or any baker for that matter on how to perfect this cookie. 


I was supposed to reproduce this....

Perfect, beautifully piped and rolled to perfection.  Only I got this....

Well, it really looked like this...

They were neither light or crispy, not perfectly rolled and piping...I forgot to pipe a batch while talking on the phone with my Sister and my Brother-In-Law.  Never talk and bake. 

Batch #2

So what happened? 


The batch on the left were my 2nd batch and they came out more like the first picture.  The only thing missing is the red piping that could have definitely be done better shown on the right.  Moreover, because there were two cups of sugar and baked to bubbliness, cleaning the cooking sheet reminded me of my childhood days when I had to scrape the ice off the car windows.  Worse off, they were more difficult to clean as time passed.  Solution?  Run your baking sheets under water and scrap with a butter knife CAREFULLY!  I am lucky my baking sheets survived another day. 

Lesson learned:  Parchment Paper is  a MUST!

My third batch looked more like this:

Batch #3

What I have learned is instead of making them into pirouettes, I should just bake them into wafer cookies.  Notice the uneven coloring? If I decide to make this again AND use baking spray, I would consider baking them until a Crisp Golden Brown color.  I realized that while baking is an exact science, measuring out cookies to its dimensions and thickness are not my forte.  This brings nervousness to my cookie for tomorrow but I am sure, they will turn out better than these little guys! 

Lessons learned:

1.  Use parchment paper.
2.  Piped lines can be closer together.
3.  Use a spatula to even out the batter to a thin, even layer.
4.  While it asks for piping gel, I don't see why I can't just use food coloring.
5.  These are just as good as a wafer cookie than being pirouettes. 

Ms. Martha Stewart, awesome bakers out there?   What can I do to make this a thin, rolled to perfection cookie for next time?!

Christmas we ALL share

The Holidays are a special time.  It is one holiday that starts around December 1st for most people and for Americans, it starts the moment we finish the last bite of our turkey at Thanksgiving.  At Costco, I think celebration can start as soon as September?! 

No matter when and where you celebrate, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah happen around relatively the same time.  At the end of the year, most people become nostalgic to family traditions or to the amazing year that they have survived.  It's one time in the whole year where we are celebrating the gift of giving and time with family close and afar. 

Like most cultures, food is the center of attention during this time.  While most countries concoct different foods to celebrate, there is one on my mind that differ but still the same in each country: COOKIES.  Flour, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt can make MAGIC happen.  The secret is the baker and add-ons....what are these add-on's?


 1.  Sugar Cookie - Buttery and yet versatile, this cookie can be anything:  Santa Claus to Candy Canes....even Spider Man.  This seems to be a staple in the American cookie Jar. 

http://rcakewalk.blogspot.com/2010/09/daring-baker-challenge-september-2010

 2.  Krumkakes - How smart are those Norwegians?!  Who doesn't love an awesome waffle cone with their ice-cream?  Think warm and light piped with luscious cream and dusted with sugar.  Traditionally, they are imprinted on old cast irons with signature stamps over a hot stove.  Today, they are easily made with an electric iron. 

http://tabletalkny.blogspot.com/2011/07/as-promised.html

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Speculaas-Molded-Ginger-Cookies

3.  Speculaas  [spekyˈlaːs], Flemish Dutch biscuit where they are molded to tell a story.  They are used to celebrate St. Nicholas Feast in December 5th (Netherlands), December 6th (Belgium) and Northern France.  While there are various styles, all are spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper, the leavening agent differs between the Germans (baker's ammonia) and Dutch & Belgians (baking soda).  The cookies are molded with wooden frames where each shape is part of the story of St. Nicholas.  Americans know them as Windmill cookies but I honestly love the rustic Dutch version.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishdesserts/r/kolaczki.htm

4.  Polish Tea Cookies is very similar to what we know as Thumbprint Cookies with Jam.  While we often make them round, the cookies can be square or diamond shape.  The dough can also be flaky or yeast risen.  The jams vary from pineapple, raspberry, prunes or sweet cheeses. 





5.  At first I looked at these without a second look but the more research I did, the more these came up.  I HAVE to embrace my Canadian character.  Not only do Canadians have Poutine (more about that later) but they have NANAIMO bars.  I think I walked by them in the bakery as a kid and hoping my Mother will get them for me.  Thankfully, she did not indulge my sweet tooth in that way.  But I did indulge in them when they were at holiday and school parties.  This no-bake cookie bar sandwiched with peanut butter and glazed with chocolate freezes well but let's be honest...there will be NO LEFTOVERS!  I even remember the chocolate glaze to be laced with minty goodness at times.  The picture says it all!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/2007-cookies-from-around-the-world/pictures/page-7.html

Whether you are a baker, an eater or a little of both, I hope that these cookies will stimulate your sweet tooth! Cookies are always better with company and I'm sure Santa will enjoy these tantalizing cookies and more on Sunday night! ;)   

Happy Holidays!