Fresh Baked Cookies Anytime

It's so easy to produce fresh baked cookies on a whim if you just take a few minutes to prepare ahead of time.

Make a batch of drop cookies such as chocolate chip, sugar, or gingersnaps as directed in the recipe. Then instead of baking, shape into balls and place on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Store in plastic bags in the freezer. Be sure to label the bags with the name of the cookie and date. Store for up to 3 months in double-wrapped plastic freezer bags.

Baker's Tip: Also label the bag with the baking instructions (15 min. @ 350 degrees). You won't need to search for the recipe when it's time to bake.

Remove the cookies and let thaw for about fifteen minutes while the oven warms. You may need to add 1 or 2 minutes to the baking time to account for the partially frozen cookies.


Ready for the Freezer















I made these pecan sandies which freeze well and are easy to make.

Pecan Sandies

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, medium chopped

Beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Mix until incorporated. With mixer on low, add flour, beating until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and add pecans, gently folding them into the dough.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on two baking sheets. Freeze as directed above or bake immediately. Gently flatten each ball with the bottom of a damp glass (to avoid sticking).

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 - 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Cowgirl Cookie Party

My friend Wendy came to me a few months ago to ask if I would help create a cookie party for her daughter Madeline's 6th birthday. I jumped on board with the plan since I thought it is high time cookies take the spotlight at birthday parties. Who needs the dry old cake with super sweet icing. It's time for a cookie party revolution! And I thought it would be fun, which it definitely was.

Wendy and I met a for lunch a few times to plan the party. First up we need to find space to accommodate our group of 17, six year olds and their parents. In case you weren't aware, it's tough to plan kid parties in New York unless you have oodles of money to rent party space and/or lots of space in your apartment. Creative and resourceful Wendy found a great party place, Cowgirl, a West Village restaurant staple for as long as I can remember. The decor is totally hoe down kitsch with western-themed tchotchkes on the walls. Their party room was perfect for hosting our crowd of 30 and the staff couldn't have been any nicer.



The Plan

Now with a western theme under way, Wendy readied the e-invitations and I got to work on the supplies. First, I hit one of my favorite cooking/baking supply stores in the city, Broadway Panhandler, which oddly is not located on Broadway (it used to be). I picked up three cookie cutters-a boot, a horse, and a cacti. Two days before the party I made about 35 cutouts and used my letters to create cookies to spell out Happy Birthday!

On the day of the party we set up cookie decorating work stations at a long table. Each station contained a placemat, paper plate, and cookies. The center of the table was lined with squeeze bottles filled with brightly colored royal icing so the kids could easily grab the colors they liked. I made sure the icing was on the runny side so that it oozed out of the bottles (just a tad thicker than the consistency of white glue). We also included cupcake wrappers filled with various colored sprinkles and toppings placed along the center of the table within easy reach for short arms.














































The kids had a ball decorating cookies! Some kids carefully dotted the cookies with icing while others just poured it on like they were putting maple syrup on pancakes. Whatever the technique, the creations were unique, colorful, and delicious. We wrote each child's name on the bottom of their paper plate and moved the plates to quiet corner of the room to dry while lunch was served. The icing hardened fairly quickly in time for us to place the cookies in cellophane bags as a take away. Wendy also provided gift bags with toys and nifty items. One of the dads entertained the posse with balloon twisty sculptures. A pinata took a beating before it ruptured, spilling its sweet guts all over the floor.

The whole party was two hours. Just long enough to get in all of the action on a cold winter day in the city.
















Create Your Own Cookie Party

Here's a list of what you'll need:

cookie cutters (medium size)
sugar cookie dough (2 or 3 batches depending on how many cookie decorators you have)
cupcake wrappers (foil wrappers work best)
plastic squeeze tubes - enough for each child to have one to start (available from Michael's Crafts or by Wilton baking products)
paper plates
table covering for easy cleanup
cellophane bags with ties or ribbon to close
stick on tags to label bags

Two or three days in advance, make cookie dough and refrigerate. One day before roll the dough, bake cookies and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla, mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until ingredients come together.
Do not over mix.

Roll out dough until between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick, cut into shapes and transfer to parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Let cookies cool on try for about a minute and remove to wire racks to finish cooling.

Royal Icing
2 large egg whites
1 pound confectioners' sugar
food coloring or gel paste, which is more concentrated.
warm water as needed (add by the teaspoon) to achieve desired consistency

Beat egg whites, sugar, and 2 teaspoons water on low speed for 10 minutes. For thicker icing continue to beat 2 or 3 minutes more. Transfer to smaller bowls and add food coloring as desired. If icing is too thick, add a drop or two of water to thin. Immediately spoon into plastic bottles and securely fasten with lids. Do not expose icing to the air as it will harden. Royal icing will keep in the fridge for a few days so you can make this ahead.


On party day, set up each child's workstation with a few cookies on a plate, and decorating items like sprinkles. If children are older, you may want to provide offset spatulas or butter knifes to assist in decorating.

My advice is to keep it simple and just have fun!

And Happy 6th Birthday Madeline!

Double Chocolate-Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Every year I try a few new cookie recipes. Well, to be honest more than a few. Many are not worth writing about, but every now and then I come across a winner. Double Chocolate-Peppermint Crunch cookies definitely fall into the winner category.

I found the recipe in the December Bon Appetit magazine. I think what grabbed me was the enormous spread devoted to these festive gems. The larger than life cookies jumped off the page. The crushed peppermint candies and the melted chocolate decorating the tops make these the quintessential Christmas cookie. The cookie is soft, chocolaty, and is gently flavored with peppermint extract.

I baked these over the weekend and stored them in an airtight cookie tin overnight before I finished them off with the melted chocolate and candy. I popped them into the freezer and will share them with friends next week when the rest of my cookies are ready for distribution to friends and family.

May God bless those Bon Appetite editors. Seriously, I think I have a new favorite cookie.














Double Chocolate-Peppermint Crunch Cookies

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (not to exceed 61% cacao; 15 to 16 ounces)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large eggs
4 candy canes or 16 hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir 2 cups chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth (or use a double boiler). Measure 2/3 cup melted chocolate; transfer to a small bowl and reserve for drizzling.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar and extracts, beat until smooth. Add eggs, beat to blend. Beat in melted chocolate from medium bowl. Add dry ingredients, beat until just blended. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Chill dough for 20 - 30 minutes if too warm to form into balls. Measure 1 level tablespoonful dough and roll between palms to form a ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake until cookies are cracked on top, 8 to 9 minutes. Cookies should remain moist. Do not over bake. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment paper to racks to cool completely.

Finish cookies by rewarming reserved 2/3 cup chocolate in microwave or over saucepan of simmering water. Drizzle chocolate over cookies using a fork. Sprinkle crushed peppermints on each cookie. Chill until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.

Can be made ahead of time and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cookie Press rating: 5 cookies! (out of 5)

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Kisses

This week has been hectic for sure. I had planned to post several of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, but the week just seemed to get away from me. So now that I have a few minutes, I'd like to share one of my tried and true cookie recipes. No cookie plate is complete without Peanut Butter-Chocolate Kisses. These are super easy to make, especially with kids. And best of all, you can eat any leftover chocolate kisses. And there are always some leftover!

Baker's tip: unwrap the Hershey kisses as cookies bake so that they're ready to go or better yet, have your helper do it.

The recipe says to immediately press the kiss into the top of each cookie as soon as they're out of the oven but I prefer to wait a minute or so. The cookie will still be soft, but will not be so hot as to start to melt the chocolate. Don't wait too long though, or the kiss will not stick to the cookie!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Kisses

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
granulated sugar for rolling dough
36 Hershey's chocolate candy kisses

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening, and egg thoroughly. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mold dough into 1-inch balls then roll them in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven, wait 1 minute and press candy kiss firmly in the middle of each cookie. Let cool completely.

Hungarian Shortbread

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies are another one of my favorites. I tend to have a lot of favorite cookies if you haven't noticed but there's something about the simplicity of shortbread that I especially like. Other types of cookies rely on "stuff" to make them good such as chips, extracts, nuts, or glazes. Shortbread can stand on its own.

I've been making this Hungarian Shortbread recipe for a few years now and it's fairly simple, and makes a delicious cookie with or without the raspberry jam filling. A couple of weeks ago I made a batch of homemade raspberry jam from local raspberries I picked myself (well, with Mike's help) near our upstate home. While I was picking, I came upon a praying mantis among the raspberry bushes and snapped a picture of him with my IPhone. Just as I was about to take the photo, it turned its head and looked directly at me as if to say, "May I help you?"














The recipe requires freezing the dough for at least 30 minutes to 3 hours and then grating the frozen dough on a box grater. This helps the shortbread to have a light, crumbly texture. I bet it would be fun for kids to make (with proper supervision of course).

My oven is on the fritz so the top didn't brown as much as I would have liked. I've called Bill the repairman and he's scheduled for next week.

This recipe is based on one in Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Special equipment needed: box grater and 10" springform pan
Any grater with large holes will do if you don't have a box grater. You may also use a 9" x 9" square baking pan, lined with foil and lightly greased with butter.


Hungarian Shortbread

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup raspberry jam

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Turn mixer to medium and add sugar and egg yolks; mix until sugar is dissolved and mixture is light, about 4 minutes. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture and mix until dough just begins to come together, about 1 minute.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together with your hands into one lump. Divide the dough in half and form two balls. Wrap each in plastic and freeze at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

Arrange an oven rack in the center of oven. Heat to 350 degrees. Grease a 10" springform pan with butter. Remove a ball of dough from the freezer, unwrap, and grate, using the large holes of a box grater, directly into prepared pan. Gently pat the grated dough to even it out. Spread jam evenly over the dough, leaving about a 1/2" border around the edge. Grate remaining dough on top of jam and pat gently until the surface is even. Bake until light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, on a rack, before cutting into wedges and serving.

Cookie press rating: 3.75 cookies (out of 5)

Grated Dough (looks like cheese!)













Spreading the Jam

Chocolate-Marshmallow Treats

Even the thought of turning on my oven when the temps climb to over 90 degrees makes me start to sweat. Tiny droplets form on my upper lip and I feel like someone is holding a lit match to my skin.

Oppressively hot weather causes a problem for bakers since baking usually requires the oven to be on for periods of longer than twenty minutes. If you're baking a few batches of cookies or prefer to bake one sheet at a time like I do, your oven could be on for well over an hour which either means your A/C is working overtime or your kitchen temperature rises to something feeling like hell.

To combat the steamy kitchen syndrome, or SKS as I like to call it, I went in search of some no-bake cookie recipes. I found some on Martha's website and while I don't classify these as cookies, they will do in a pinch to satisfy a summer sweet tooth.

This recipe for Chocolate-Marshmallow Treats is prepared on the stove top using a single burner for about 6 - 7 minutes. The treats remind me of the Rice Krispie Treats I used to make as a kid, with Mom's help of course. Martha has kicked it up a notch by adding dutch-processed cocoa powder to the marshmallows and bittersweet chocolate on the top.

I liked these because I could really taste the deep chocolate flavor and they didn't seem overly sweet to me. Mike enjoyed them too, but he said the crisps looked like lentils. As usual, he's right. I couldn't get Rice Krispies at Whole Foods, so I substituted with the Whole Foods, 365 Organic brand of Brown Rice Crisps which do in fact resemble lentils.

Crispy Chocolate-Marshmallow Treats

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bag (10 1/2 ounces) mini-marshmallows
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
6 cups crisp rice cereal
1 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Line bottom of and 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. If using foil, spray lightly with non-stick spray.

In a large saucepan (approx. 4 qt.) combine butter, marshmallows, and cocoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted, about 6 minutes. Sir in rice cereal. Press rice mixture into prepared pan. Wetting fingers with cold water will allow you to combat the stickiness of the marshmallows. Re-wet fingers as needed.

Drizzle with melted chocolate. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 16 bars.

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

Variations:
Add 1/2 cup of dried fruit such as cranberries or cherries.
Crush up peppermint candies or add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract.

Melting Marshmallows on the Stovetop















Cookie press rating: 3.5 cookies (out of 5)

Some other no-bake cookie recipes:

Peanut-Butter Granola Bars

Coconut-Pecan Cereal Bars

Coconut-Chocolate Patties

Accordion Cookies

I had never heard of Accordion Cookies before I received this recipe from one of my faithful blog readers. The foil is folded like the paper fans we all used to make in grammar school on the final days of school in June when it was blistering hot and no one was thinking about learning anything, except the way to the town pool.

The dough is easy to make. The recipe calls for walnuts, but you could use pecans, hazelnuts chopped fine, or almonds. Try substituting nuts for dried cranberries or add a little lemon zest to give the cookies a new twist.

Spoon the dough into each fold being sure not to overdo it. As the dough cooks, it spreads quite a lot into a cookie that looks very much like biscotti. The outer layer is crisp while the inside is soft, creating a nice juxtaposition of textures.

These cookies would be fun to make on a rainy afternoon with your kids or grand kids. Top each scoop of dough with sprinkles or M&M's for a fun and tasty treat.

I really like these cookies because they are fun to make and they taste great to boot. They freeze well and hold their interesting "V" shape. I gave my friend Victor a few and he called them "remarkable" and limited his friend Eileen to only three before cutting her off! Don't worry Victor, the recipe makes enough to share without limits.

And thanks to Deb J. for sending me the recipe. I love to try new cookies so if you have a recipe, send it along to my email address which is listed in the About Me section of this blog.

Cookie press rating: 3.75 cookies (out of five)


Accordion Cookies

Ingredients
2 sheets (approx. 1 yard) heavy-duty foil
1 1/2 sticks butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1) Heat oven to 325°F. Fold 1 sheet of foil in half lengthwise. Then fold the double thickness foil crosswise into 1-inch pleats to make an accordion-pleated pan. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with second sheet of foil. Spray foil lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

2) In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour and salt; mix well. Stir in walnuts. Drop rounded teaspoonful of dough into catch of foil. (Dough spreads during baking to form 2 1/2 to 5-inch long cookies)

3) Bake for 18 to 26 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies from foil and cool completely on rack.

4) Turn foil over for second baking. Repeat with second sheet of foil.

If desired, baked cookies can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or frosted with a powdered sugar glaze.

Dough Prior to Baking













Gently Remove Cooled Cookies With a Butter Knife














The Final Product