Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Cinnamon)

After yesterday's blueberry debacle, I wanted even more to bring something to work to share.

Even with the safest of cookies -- chocolate chip -- I still do not feel comfortable. I've come to this realization after batches and batches of them, and it is perhaps due to my reluctance to measure ingredients -- ironic, as I am an engineer. Perhaps I am too used to cooking, which requires much less accuracy.

But! These certainly came out better than the blueberry mess.

Cream:

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

and then mix in:

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle salt

dollop of cinnamon

The cinnamon, I think, is what makes these interesting.

Dissolve:

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp hot water

and stir in. Then add:

1 1/2 c. flour

and then stir in:

more than 1/2 c. chocolate chips

handful of chopped walnuts

and bake in spoonfuls for 10-14 minutes at 375 degrees. When they came out, I added a sprinkle of raw sugar for visual appeal.

We will see tomorrow, in the public eye, how they fare.

Blueberry Cookies?

Sime's friend Talka has quickly made a beloved impression on me, somehow. She came to stay for two days for an interview, and she accidentally left blueberries in our refrigerator.

I wanted to bake for my coworkers....so against my engineering judgment I decided to attempt a blueberry cookie. Many people have posted recipes, but the idea did not seem feasible.

Bean came in and thought the lumps were chocolate; and said he would make me into a chocolate chip cookie.

So I let him pour some in.

And just as I was beginning to think they might, somehow, turn out alright --

let's just say.....these did not bake well.

I have come to the realization that fruit goes wonderfully in cakes, pies, biscuits, and alcoholic drinks. It does not hold up to a cookie's necessary soft-and-crisp texture; the beautiful juiciness that a fresh fruit contains simply forces the cookie to give way to a nameless clump.

Needless to say, I shall not be bringing these into work tomorrow...

Cherry Tomato Tart

For the crust, let a bit of yeast bloom in warm water. Then mix in:

~3/4 c. flour

pinch salt

And I added some oregano and dried tomato flakes. You can add whatever spice you desire!

And above, I added:

cherry tomatoes

parmesan cheese (grated)

spinach

and folded the dough around it.

And bake for maybe....12 minutes? Quick, and certainly delicious.

At Least Somewhat Cornbread

Here is a recipe I have concocted; a combination of many cornbread recipes I have so intricately researched.

Mix:

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cornmeal

dash baking powder

dash salt

And in a separate bowl (as pictured), mix:

1 egg (lightly beaten)

3/4 c. buttermilk (3/4 c. milk + dash lemon juice)

1 tbsp olive oil

But I added some scallions, the last cherry tomato, and some mushrooms before I stuffed them in the oven:

These are meant to bake for approximately 20 minutes at 400 degrees, but I believe mine tasted a bit too much like egg to agree with this sentiment.

The hearty taste went well with some fermented vegetables that dearest Ma'am has been working on!

And though they do not look scrumptious, they were pleasant, which is lucky; half went into tomorrow's lunch!

Brownie Cookies

Mother is the Town Clerk for Hubbardston, and today she had to be at work from 6 AM to 10 PM, presiding over the local elections and counting the ballots with her volunteer help. Earlier she had complained about the lack of chocolatey desserts available in the house, so it was Bee's idea to make her something to ease her pain. We couldn't decide between brownies and cookies, so I decided to attempt cookies out of a Betty Crocker boxed brownie mix. They didn't turn out terrible, but regular cookies seem to be more pleasing.

The ingredients were (assembled somewhat randomly):

1 box brownie mix

1 stick of butter (softened)

bloop of vanilla extract

1 large egg (farm fresh!)

1 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

~1/2 c. vegetable oil (when the dough proved unbearably dry)

a bunch of walnuts

a bunch of white chocolate chips

These had to bake for longer than a normal chocolate chip cookie. In the end they were kind of crispy, like chocolate crackers, but with a melt-in-the-mouth quality. Very different from the generally desired soft cookie, but I suppose if it's your thang...

There was a rainstorm during the baking process, and these freshly-baked cookies got splotched with rainbows in a most pleasing fashion.

Bagels!

Making bagels is something I've wanted to try for a while, and today it didn't seem like it'd be so hard. First, combine:

1 package rapid-rise yeast

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. warm water

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp salt

and beat with vigor for a few minutes. Then, add about 1 1/2 c. more flour until a stiff dough is formed. Knead this for a few minutes, and let rise (covered) for 15 minutes. I left mine much longer than that, as it wasn't rising very quickly and the family was engaged in some mandatory horseplay in the other room.

When the dough has risen, cut it into 8 equal pieces; form each into a ball. Poke a hole in the center and enlarge it while working into bagel shape (or really, whichever shape happens...). Cover these and let rise again.

Boil a gallon of water (with a pinch of sugar), and when it's simmering, add the bagels. Boil them for 7 or so minutes, and remove to a greased baking sheet. I brushed them with beaten egg for kicks, which provided a nice lil' crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for about half an hour.

I was gleeful to get an actual bagel taste out of these, with none of the strange preservative-induced hints that you get in Thomas' and other storebought bagels. And they weren't too much work.

Also, delicious for breakfast with cream cheese and smoked salmon!

Huge Cookies

Having the urge to use up the Ghirardelli chocolate chips from Nana's truffles, I made these cookies, and in doing so finally veered away from my tendency to make tiny blobular shaped morsels. For these, I took about golf-ball sized lumps and flattened them out before baking, and they came out like any you'd see in a delicious bakery.

Slight variation in the ingredients, too. Cream:

1/2 c. softened butter

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

and beat in

2 eggs

and mix in, all at once:

2 1/4 c. flour

1 package vanilla instant breakfast mix (a stray)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

sprinkle salt

and then

1 milk chocolate bar from Bean; chopped

~3/4 c. Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips

They were very popular, because big cookies look far more appealing than tids. I sent three home to Moth; she should be receiving them shortly. For Mother's Day, perhaps? :D

Baked Artichokes

Baked this in a cute little ramekin:

4 artichoke hearts

1 tomato, diced

olive oil

lime juice

salt

pepper

oregano

Don't know how long I kept them in there for; I was making truffles and blabbing incessantly at the same time. But they were tasty mixed with Simon's garlic chicken mix and some rice!

Breadbowl!

Breadbowls are the most delicious thing on all of Panera Bread's menu, so Simon and I decided to try making them tonight. It was a lot of work, and took longer than expected, but it was definitely well worth it.

To make, dissolve a packet of yeast in 1 1/4 c. warm water. When it has reacted, add:

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp (+) olive oil

3 1/2 c. flour (added in stages)

We kneaded that for a few minutes, and let it rise in an oiled bowl for about 45 minutes. Took it out, punched it down, and separated it into four pieces. After letting it rise 45 minutes more, we realized they weren't big enough for a meal, so we massacred one and split it up between its brothers so that there were three total. It rose beautifully and we brushed it with a mixture of egg white and water before putting it in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

While it was baking, we cut up

one carrot

bunch of spinach

garlic cloves

and put them in a pot to simmer with

water

chicken bouillon

basil

bay leaves

red pepper flakes

salt / pepper

When the 15 minutes were up, we brushed more egg mixture on the loaves and put them back in for 15 more. We dumped some tortellini in the soup at the exact moment of bread removal, so that the soup would be done when the loaves were cooled. Then we excavated those bitches, ladled in the soup, and went to town.

Pig Cookies

These cookies were supper one night; I got out of class at 10 PM and didn't feel like making real food. Consequently, of course, too many were consumed by me...

I made two batches of the following recipe, but to one I added a bag of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which Bean had purchased to make muffins with (HA!).

Cream:

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

And then:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp baking powder

a sprinkle of salt

The plain sugar cookies were allowed to cool for about an hour, which made them very easy to roll out and shape with the pig-and-man cookie cutters which I pilfered so long ago from my parent's house. Less than 24 hours later, all of the chocolate chip cookies are long gone, and a few lonely pigs linger on the kitchen counter.

Brush-Burning

The Brush-Burning is a "party" my family has every year in which we invite over a bunch of people, lay out a spread of sardines-cheese-crackers-coffee, and spend all day pretending to pull brush into piles and burn it. Then we go inside for a giant potluck, and play music for hours into the night. It is a joyous time, at least for me; I drove all the way home from Troy to attend the festivities, in fact. For potluck I brought this salad, which just had:

rotini

olive oil

feta cheese

basil

parsley

steamed asparagus

And then I experimented with these strange-tasting cookies, in an attempt to clear some shit out of my refrigerator:

1 c. flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. apple

1/2 c. walnuts

1/2 c. chocolate-covered espresso beans

a few tsp. of Godiva cocoa powder

Prepare as usual, and bake at 350 for 15 or so minutes. They came out slightly spongy and strange, and with a lot of flavors vying for attention. I kind of liked them, though!

Never Too Many Cookies.

Simon and I spend a pathetically high percentage of our time at Jeremy / Sean / Jesse's house. Yesterday Jesse complained that all of our cookies and cake were gone (mostly because of him), and that he was out of snacks. So when I got back from class at 10 freaking PM, we made two batches of cookies:

1. Cinnamon-Sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1. Blend sugar and butter; blend in eggs and vanilla.

2. Mix in the rest, form into balls, and roll in:

some sugar

some cinnamon

The recipe required baking at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, but I followed the same procedure as the next batch, which was:

2. Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. white sugar

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 egg (ha!)

1 1/2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

~1 c. flour

sprinkle of baking powder

sprinkle of salt

Cookie recipes always require such tedious mixing order, but specific instructions aren't really my thang, so I just mixed up the sugars and butter, then added egg + milk + vanilla, and finally all the dry ingredients. I'm convinced you'd get the same end result if you poured it all in a bowl simultaneously and shook it up (a hypothesis that has yet to be tested).

So! Bean mixed up the cinnamon cookies; I did the peanut butter, and they all came together for a sugar-filled serenade. The crowd seemed to approve.