cookies

Lavender Adds a Refreshing Taste to Baked Goods

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If you haven’t tried baking with lavender before, I highly recommend it. Lavender adds such a suttle yet inviting taste to baked goods. Fresh and inviting is how I would describe it.

I purchased a package of dried lavender for baking. I tried a couple of recipes using the lavender. The first was for lavender scones. The scones had lavender in the batter and infused into the glaze. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lavender-scones/ The second lavender goodie I tried was a lavender shortbread cookie. Again the lavender was in the dough and the glaze.

I really liked the lavender glazes and have decided it would be very easy to add the lavender into cakes and frostings as well. To make the glazes, it is a very simple process, just allow the lavender to seep into the warmed liquid (milk or water) for a few minutes, then strain it through a fine sieve before adding it to the dry ingredients.

Springtime, lavender baked goods, and a cup of tea….now doesn’t that sound wonderful!

As always, Happy Baking!

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Thumbprint Cookies Without the Pain

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We love thumbprint cookies for the holidays at our home. However, making the indentions with my thumb into a hot cookie dough is not my idea of a good time. Ouch!

My daughter had a genious idea of how to make the thumbprint without using the thumb. A half teaspoon measuring spoon! What! Yes. It worked like a dream!

By using the back of the spoon, not only did the cookies get indented without pain, it was quicker too. I was worried that the spoons might stick to the dough. No, they worked easily and efficiently.

Thanks daughter-dear for a wonderful hack to making our beloved thumbprint cookies!

As always, Happy Baking!

Peach Drop Cookie – Review / Revision

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I had ripe peaches and I wanted to try making peach cookies. I found a recipe for Peach Drop Cookies at: https://bakeorbreak.com/2013/08/peach-drop-cookies/ . They were peachy keen.

First off, I made the recipe exactly EXCEPT (and there’s always an except with me) I cut the recipe in half and left out the peach preserves. The recipe was cut in half because I only had one peach and two people didn’t need more cookies anyway. I left out the peach preserves because I felt they would add way too many carbohydrates to the recipe and probably were not needed since the peach should give it flavor. I was correct! The cookies were moist and flavorful and the preserves were not needed. The sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top also gave them additional flavor.

I might be heading back to Bake or Break to find some more baking ideas. She has a bunch of yummy treats to choose from.

As always, Happy Baking!

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies

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Raspberries and white chocolate sounded yummy so I decided to make them into cookies.

Ingredients:

1 c. All Purpose Flour

1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 c. shortening + 1 Tbsp water (mixed)

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. frozen raspberries (keep them frozen)

1/4 c. white chocolate chips

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, mix with hand mixer the shortening, sugars, egg, and vanilla. To this add the flours, baking soda and salt; mix until dough is formed. With a spoon, mix in the chips. Very gently, fold in the raspberries.

Scoop out dough into heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheet. (Makes 18 cookies)

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

As always, Happy Baking!

Lemon and Fleur de Sel Butter Cookies Review

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Thanks to fellow blogger Stephen, I was introduced to the blog Chocolate and Zucchini, the site of Clotilde Dusoulier. How funny that I actually own her cookbook, Tasting Paris, but did not know of her blog site. Anyway, I was looking through recipes on her site and came across the recipe for Lemon and Fleur de Sel Butter Cookies. As we have plenty of lemons on the trees and were gifted some Fleur de Sel when my daughter went to France last summer, I thought this would be a nice summer cookie to try.

I thought that the cookies were very simple to make. They were whipped up in a food processor in no time at all. They did, however, need to chill for an hour. So if making this cookie, be sure to give time to chill the dough. These cookies really do need that chill time or they would be very hard to work with, as the dough softens quickly. After rolling out the dough and stamping out the cookies, they baked for the minimum time of 12 minutes. The cookies were then iced as per Clotildes instructions, using a pastry brush. Genious! I have always iced cookies with a knife and what a mess that can be. I really loved the pastry brush method. I will be using this on my other recipes in the future.

The Lemon and Fleur de Sel Butter Cookies had a very mild lemon flavor. Just a hint really. The cookies were soft yet according to my daughter, “looked hard”. They were very light and flakey. A perfect texture really. Yum! They make a perfect cookie to serve with tea or as a light summer desert on a hot evening. As always, Happy Baking!

The recipe can be found at: https://cnz.to/recipes/cookies-small-cakes/lemon-and-fleur-de-sel-butter-cookies-recipe/

Spiced Pumpkin Cut-out Cookies

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As a kid I remember going to the bakery and getting pumpkin cookies around this time of year. A seasonal thing. They were to die for! They were cut-out cookies in the shapes of pumpkins with faces on them. The bakery is closed now and no other bakery can even come close to doing them justice.

I decided, as Halloween is this week, to make pumpkin flavored cut-out cookies. These are not at all a replication of the cookies of my childhood. They are a different version all-together. However, I thought they would be nice for a little Halloween treat. The recipe can be found at: https://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/spiced-pumpkin-cut-out-cookies/

Ready for the oven
Just out of the oven
Frosted and ready to eat

These cookies were easy enough to make. The typical sugar cookie with the addition of pumpkin. I did not get as fancy with my frosting as the recipe did. I just made a simple powdered sugar and water frosting with a touch of food coloring and spread it on with a knife. A few got the glory of having orange sprinkles shaken over them. I made a few shades of orange for the pumpkins, giving them a little character like a real pumpkin patch. The family picked their pumpkins from the “patch” and we enjoyed our fall treat. Happy baking!

Pumpkin Thumbprint Cookies

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Fall is here! Pumpkin Thumbprint Cookies are the perfect fall treat. Gather-up the following ingredients and let’s start baking…

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl: mix flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin.

Add dry ingredients to wet and fold to combine. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2″ apart onto baking sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and push thumb gently into cookie to make indention. Pop back in the oven and continue baking until edges are golden, about 7 minutes.

Let cookies cool slightly. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Fill the thumbprint indention with frosting of choice. I chose to make a vanilla frosting.

Enjoy!

Source: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a29131372/pumpkin-cheesecake-thumbprints-recipe/