Tasters Wanted

Recently, in a scene reminiscent of the George Clooney movie, Up in the Air, I was called down to my boss's office and was told that my job is no longer available to me. Well, that's not exactly what he said, but that's what he meant. I was being laid off. I can't say that I'm devastated by the loss. The job wasn't so great. It was a perfect storm of high stress, low pay, and long hours. I can do better.

But this leaves me with a much more serious problem. I need to find new taste testers who will provide comments like "yum" or "deeelicious" or even a "not so great." You see, my former co-workers served as my main tasters. Most of the time they wolfed down the cookies with words like "amazing," "wow," or Sheryl's favorite expression, "these are da bomb" (emphasis on da). Sometimes there were no words at all. They simply couldn't speak with cookie-filled mouths. But on occasion, my tasters would simply say, "these aren't my favorite" or "no thanks, I don't like coconut." Valuable feedback for sure.

So, it's time to find some new tasters. The only two requirements are that tasters must love to eat cookies. And, most importantly, you must be in Manhattan or close enough for me to easily get them to you. And you have to be willing to give me your honest opinion of the results. Friend, relatives, and friends of friends, need apply. Send me an email as to why you want to be considered as a taste tester and I'll post some of them on the blog. My email is listed on the right side of the page in the About Me section.

For the time being, the job search begins. I'll be filling my spare hours with trips to the park, lunch with friends, and of course making cookies and blogging about them.

Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies

Last week was my friend Victor's birthday so a bunch of us got together for a dinner celebrate to this milestone. I don't dare say which milestone, but it was significant enough for me to make a special batch of cookies just for him. These cookies needed to be not just good, but great. I remember asking him some time ago what type of cookies he liked. His reply went something like, "simple cookies, chocolate chip, butter. Nothing overly sweet." Victor is right. He's sweet enough already.

So I hit the cookbooks in search of a simple, not-so-sweet cookie and found this recipe for Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies. I neglected to mention that Victor watches what he eats and rarely has dessert. But cookies are his weakness and these just might fool him into thinking he's eating something healthy.

These cookies turned out very well. I'm not sure they qualify as simple (nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, raisins, and oats), but they were easy. The roasted peanuts added both great flavor and texture to the cookie. I used unsweetened coconut, but it was finely ground and was undetectable in the finished product. Next time I may also substitute M&M's for the chocolate chips to make them what I think is a true trail mix cookie.

Baker's note: The dough was very soft, so I popped it in the fridge and went out for a couple of hours until it firmed up.

This recipe is from The Gourmet Cookbook. Long live Gourmet, which closed last year, a victim of the recession.

I'll have to ask Victor if he liked the cookies. I bet they're already gone.

Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup salted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup raisins

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or lightly butter.

Beat together butter, shortening, and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in egg, baking soda mixture, flour, salt, and vanilla until just combined. Sire in oats, coconut, chocolate chips, peanuts, and raisins until well combined.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 4 inches apart onto buttered baking sheets, then flatten and spread each mound into a 3-inch round with a fork. Bake cookies in batches until golden, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to racks to cool.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

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

Coconut Pyramids

I love cookies that form interesting shapes. So when I received this cookie recipe from a friend's mom (thanks Mrs. Jarossy!), I was totally intrigued by the look of these miniature pyramid cookies. How cool!

These are a new interpretation of classic macaroons. They take more time to shape than simply dumping a mound of coconut onto cookie sheets, but for presentation purposes these are much more elegant. Serve these at a Egyptian-themed party or make them with your kids after you've been to the King Tut exhibit.

A few hints on shaping these cookies. The original recipe shaped the cookies into 3 sided pyramids. I found that more difficult than making a 4 sided pyramid. I suggest you try both and see which you like better. I tried several different spatulas to shape the cookies. A larger, very rigid plastic spatula worked best. A regular spatula seemed too pliable. I held the sides of the cookie with my fingers and placed the spatula on one side of the cookie and tilted it at a 45 degree angle. This worked best. You will likely need to go around the cookie several times before you get the shape looking like a pyramid.

Dipping the tops in chocolate seemed superfluous. I would forgo that step completely and get right down to the business of eating them. When I tried to dip more of the cookie in the chocolate, they fell apart or looked like a chocolate blob. Yes, definitely skip the chocolate.

Coconut Pyramids

1 3/4 cups sugar
5 1/4 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
7 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon pure vegetable shortening

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix together sugar, coconut, egg whites, and salt. Add butter and extracts, and combine well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Moisten palms with cold water. Roll 1 tablespoon of coconut mixture in palms, squeezing tightly together 2 or 3 times to form a compact ball. Place ball on a clean surface, and using a spatula, flatten one side at a time to form a 4-sided pyramid shape.

Place pyramids onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart, and bake until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Leave the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool completely. As the cookies cool, with your fingers, gently reshape any that have lost the point on the tops.

Place chocolate and shortening in a small heatproof bowl, and set pan over another pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Do not let water come in contact with the chocolate (even a drop!). Dip top 1/2 inch of each pyramid in the melted chocolate. Set each dipped cookie on baking sheet and allow chocolate to harden.

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

Yield: approximately 45 cookies

Ebelskivers

Occasionally I stray from writing about cookies to bring you something extra special that I know you'll enjoy such as Whoopie Pies. Today is one of those days.

I recently celebrated my birthday and as a present, I received a wonderful surprise from my partner's sister Maureen and husband Jimmy in the form of a circular pan with seven deep wells which is used to make ebelskivers (pronounced "able-skeevers"). These light, puffy, sphere-shaped pancakes are from Denmark. My quizzical expression turned to a big smile as I continued to unwrap the series of items used to make ebelskivers. First the pan, then a cookbook filled with recipes (complete with beautiful photographs). Next I tore the wrapping off the pleasantly shaped fancy wooden turning tools used to flip the spheres. Lastly, I unwrapped a container of ebelskiver mix. I was ready to start cooking up batches of these tasty pancakes with wonderful sweet or savory fillings. If I hadn't been in a restaurant at the time, I just might have begun churning out these tasty treats immediately.

Ebelskivers were traditionally served as snacks or desserts during the holidays but luckily, we can make them at any time of year. And believe me, you'll want to make them a lot.

At the risk of sounding a bit like Forrest Gump, you can make cinnamon ebelskivers, maple-nut ebelskivers, coconut ebelskivers, lemon-poppy seed ebelskivers, iced gingerbread ebelskivers, corn ebelskivers, cherry-almond ebelskivers, jelly donut ebelskivers, banana-rum ebelskivers, chocolate truffle ebelskivers, pumpkin pie ebelskivers, and caramel-pecan ebelskivers. I could go on and on but let's get to it.

The batter is simple to make. If you've ever made pancakes (and who hasn't?) you can easily make ebelskiver batter. You'll need to separate two eggs and beat the whites until they are stiff. Folding them into the batter just before cooking makes the batter very light and results in delicate, puffy spheres. If this sounds like too much work, you can skip it as Rachel Ray did on her show in 2008. Click on the video and see how Rachel does it.

I started simply, with plain Ebelskivers which turned out well for a first try. With a little practice I was flipping them like a pro. I served the pancakes with a dusting of powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, and a side of bacon. They were delicious and I devoured at least ten of them. I recommend you don't bother counting like I did. It only adds to the guilt factor.

The next day I tried chocolate filled versions which were truly decadent when served with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and bittersweet chocolate drizzled on top.

Basic Batter

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until blended. Batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl using in electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest until just blended and no white streaks remain. Use batter as soon as it's ready.

Chocolate Filled Ebelskivers

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl placed over a pan of boiling water. You can also use a microwave, being careful not to burn it.

Brush the wells of the pan with melted butter and place over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add about 1 tablespoon of batter to each well. Working quickly, carefully spoon 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into the center of each pancake. Top each with another tablespoon of batter.

Continue cooking about 3 minutes and using 2 short wooden skewers, gently flip pancakes and continue cooking about 3 minutes longer. Remove from pan and transfer to a preheated 200 degree oven or serve immediately.

Makes 21 pancakes.


Chocolate filled ebelskivers with strawberries, whipped cream, and drizzled bittersweet chocolate.

Product Review - Cookie Dough Scoop

I'm debuting a new blog feature this week! Introducing new product review entries. I'm a sucker for any type of new gadget that may improve my cookie baking technique. Recently, I found a cookie dough scoop at Bed, Bath & Beyond and had to give it a try. From the makers of the chip clip (how did we keep our chips fresh before these beauties were invented?), the cookie dough scoop beckoned me from across the aisle. It comes in several bright colors like purple, red, electric blue, yellow and green. I chose red since I felt it just might be easier to find when I'm digging through my overcrowded kitchen drawers.

The handle and rim of the scoop are hard plastic and I dishwasher safe. (top shelf only). The back of the scoop is silicon, so it's soft which is extremely useful for pressing the dough onto the baking sheets. It works especially well with sticky doughs.


I found this tool to be extremely useful in making nicely rounded dough balls that spread evenly when baked. Those of you who know me can attest that I'm a perfectionist so this product fits into my lifestyle very well by helping me to make perfectly round cookies. I give this two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Cookie Dough Scoop
Manufacturer: Robinson Products, Buffalo, New York
Description: plastic, easy to clean, approximately 5" long
Price: $3.99 @ Bed, Bath & Beyond

Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

Lately my office mates have been harassing me to bring in cookies by plastering my Facebook page with requests and comments. I must admit now that the weather has improved, I spend less time in the kitchen and more time outdoors. It's time to get serious about cookies again and this use of social media to nudge me back into the kitchen made me laugh. What next? Will I be hosting SNL a la Betty White? I hear there is another Facebook group lobbying for Ms. White to host the Oscars. I say hooray for Betty!

On my way home from work I popped in to Wholefoods and headed for the baking aisle to pick up some chips. I grabbed the last bag of Guittard 63% cacao extra dark chocolate chips and headed for the checkout. I have never tried Guittard chocolate and am happy to report the chips exceeded my expectations. At $3.99 per bag, were the least expensive chip available at "Wholepaycheck."

I like to try recipes I find on the side of boxes and bags. These recipes are extensively tested to make sure they work. After all, why would a manufacturer print a recipe that isn't thoroughly tested? Their reputations are at stake. I set right to work making the recipe on the side of the Guittard chocolate chip bag.

The dough is rather moist and you may want to pop it in the refrigerator for twenty minutes or so before baking (but it's not necessary). Be sure not to over bake these cookies. 11 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees is the perfect amount of time. You want the centers to remain soft and chewy. Also be careful when melting the chocolate in the microwave. I almost burned it because I don't know how to set my microwave at 50% power.


Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Heat one cup of chips and water in a small microwave safe bowl at medium power for 1 - 2 minutes, stirring well after 1 minute, then after 30 second intervals until smooth, set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until light. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add melted chocolate, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Mix in flour and baking soda just until incorporated. Stir in the remaining cup of chips. Dough will be moist and soft.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 11 - 12 minutes or until tops are cracked and crusty. Centers should be soft and appear slightly underdone. Let stand 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Meringue Cookies

Whenever I ask my friend Carol if she's been reading the blog she gives one of two answers, neither of which is a yes or a no. The first is, "send me the link again, I keep forgetting how to find it," and the second is, "when are you going to make meringues?" If Carol isn't reading the blog, then how does she know I haven't made meringues yet? It's a mystery I have yet to solve. But I'm working on it.

I asked Carol why she likes Meringues so much and she waxed poetically about the thin, crisp outer layer surrounding the soft, sweet inside. She went on about them for so long, she reminded me of Proust pontificating about Madelines.

So, this past weekend, I decided to give in and try my hand at Meringues. Mother nature, however, had a different idea. Sunday turned out to be hot and very humid. My heart sank as I looked at the first words of the recipe which warned to not make these on a humid day. So, I didn't even try. Besides, I needed to get outside and feel the fresh summer air that magically appeared after a rather cool, wet workweek.

Here's the recipe I would have made, had the humidity levels been anywhere near normal for this time of year.

And I still don't know if Carol is reading my blog.

Meringue Cookies

4 large egg whites, room temp.
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and increase speed to medium-high, and, watching carefully, beat the egg whites until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in half the sugar and continue to beat until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting, sprinkle in the remaining sugar and mix until just incorporated.

Using two soup spoons, place dollops of meringue, 2 tablespoons each (about the size of a walnut) 1 inch apart, fitting 3 rows of 5 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cookies have smooth, firm, dry exteriors. Turn off the oven and allow cookies to cool for several hours. Once cool, store the cookies in an airtight container. Cookies keep for up to two weeks.

Variation: Almond Meringues

Finely grind 1 cup toasted almonds and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor, about ten, one second pulses. Set aside. Add the first half of the sugar only to the whites as directed. Sprinkle the almond mixture over the whites and mix on low speed. Shape and bake according to the instructions above.

This recipe is from Baking Illustrated, by Cook's Illustrated. It's one of my favorite baking books ever.

Flash forward one week...

The weather is changeable this time of year so I was able to make meringues after all. Saturday was windy and cool, with much lower humidity levels. Not two minutes after the baking time of 1 1/2 hours, the power went out due to the incredibly high winds. Mother nature was at it again but thankfully she missed her opportunity to mess with my cookies. Whew.

My almond meringues turned out flat-ish, but are delicious nonetheless. I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong, maybe I didn't whip my egg whites enough, or perhaps I didn't work quickly enough when spooning them onto the baking sheet. I will definitely be making these again soon and this time will strive to make picture perfect meringue cookies.