Extra Schmaltz!

These cookies are super simple, and quite healthy for cookies! Ingredients: 2 c. almond butter (or any nut butter)* 2 c. chopped dates (I like to buy whole dates and chop them myself so they become very sticky) 2 c. oats (I prefer quick oats because they are smaller) optional: coconut, honey, maple syrup, vanilla extract, seeds Method: Mix well with a spoon and/or with hands. The mixture should stick together well. Use a tiny amount of water if too dry. Add more oats if too wet. If the mixture is too sticky to work with, but you don't want to change the consistency, you can leave it (preferably covered) in the refrigerator up to one hour before rolling the dough into balls. I store these in plastic airtight containers. If you are concerned about them sticking together, you could use wax paper to separate layers of cookies. These keep well in the refrigerator for at least one week. A similar cookie that is also delicious: Form balls out of mushed dates and crushed wal...

Gotta love Midwestern desserts: easy, delicious, and based on the magic of industrial food science. I combed the internet for a more 'scratch' version of these, but this semi-homemade version would be hard to beat. They are very soft and moist, like muffin tops. Cooooookies 1 box Betty Crocker spice cake mix 1 can pumpkin puree 1 egg 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temp Preheat oven to 350° and place parchment paper on two cookie sheets. Cream the butter until fluffy. Blend in the egg and the pumpkin until smooth. Mix in the cake mix until just combined. Blob the dough (it is fairly runny) onto the cookie sheets at least 1" apart. Bake for 15 minutes until they are set. As soon as you can slide a spatula under half of the cookie and lift it up without it bending and breaking, they are done. Frosting This is made extra special with fancy cinnamon. I used true cinnamon and korintje cassia with vanilla bean syrup. Go easy on the vanilla so it doesn...

I found this recipe partly by experimentation, partly by accident. Baking while distracted, I accidentally added too much flour, which gave the cookies more body and kept them from spreading out too much. I intentionally used part shortening to further prevent spreading, and some corn syrup to keep them moist. I drizzled them with leftover chocolate glaze from Chocolate Meringue Gondolas . If you click to enlarge this picture the cookies look more delicious. Preheat oven to 375° and place parchment paper on two baking sheets. 1 lb. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick) 4 oz. shortening, softened 3/4 c. white sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. light corn syrup 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used half white chocolate) 1/2 c. roasted walnuts, finely chopped Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until they ar...

This recipe is from Great Cookies by Carole Walters. The results are light, delectable, and wheat-free. Great for after a heavy meal when you want a touch of sweetness, and perfect for Passover. Preheat oven to 275°, with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Meringues 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces 4 large egg whites at room temp 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. superfine sugar, divided 1/2 tsp. vanilla For the meringues, chop the unsweetened chocolate in the food processor until fine. I found putting the chocolate in the freezer for 15 minutes helped keep it cool. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat at medium until frothy. Add the salt, increase the speed, and beat until it forms firm peaks. Add 2/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Add the vanilla and beat 1 minute more until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in four additions, then fold in the chopped chocolate. Form 'quenel...

Or, as I like to call them, Blueblerry Blars! This recipe is based on one from the Lunds & Byerly's free magazine, Real Food . These make a great breakfast or post-gym snack. Soon I will work on some other fillings, like apple or cherry. ~2.5 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen (or a whole 12 oz. bag) 1/4 c.white sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 tsp. lemon zest 1 c. walnuts, whole or in pieces 1.5 c. AP flour 1 heaping cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1/3 c. white sugar 1/3 c. packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 1/2 tsp. salt 12 Tbsp. melted, unsalted butter (1.5 sticks) Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Trust me--this recipe will be a lot easier if you use the paper. Place the walnuts on the baking pan and put them in the oven to toast for 5-10 minutes. They will become fragrant and make squealing noises. Make sure they don't start to burn. Remove from the oven to cool when they are done. ...

Betsy's Shortbread Bites (from King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook) These delicate cookies are tiny mouthfuls of melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. It is almost like making pastry, and not difficult at all. I saved half the dough in the fridge for later, which is my favorite way to make cookies. Not only do you have more for later ( Surprise! What's in this Tupperware?) but they don't all get eaten on the first day. 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use spelt, but any old white flour will do) 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 1/4 cup sugar (really!) 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla confectioner's sugar Combine flour, sugar, butter, and salt with pastry blender or fingers. Add vanilla and mix with a fork. Cover dough and chill until firm or overnight. (2 hours is plenty) Preheat oven to 350. Roll small pieces of fough between palms of hands into tiny little balls about 1/2" in diameter and place on greased (or non-stick) cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 mins. or until gol...

I wasn't sure if we needed another refrigerator cookie recipe posted, since mom posted her Jam Thumbprints recently. But, as you can see, the cookies look quite different and the recipes also differ substantially. I got mine from The Joy of Cooking. Since it's a refrigerator dough, chilling it for several hours is key, so plan ahead. My variation on it was using Orange Blossom Water instead of vanilla, which mingled nicely with the black raspberry jam (you could also use rose water). The basic dough can be used for all kinds of different cookies. 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp. orange blossom water 1/4 tsp. (seriously, just a tiny drop) vanilla 2 eggs 2 1/2 c. sifted AP flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt ~1/4 c. jam powdered sugar Preheat oven to 375. Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the orange blossom water, vanilla, and eggs. Sift the dry ingredients together and mix in thoroughly. The dough should be stiff and only sligh...

Had a hankering the other day for some cookies. Since I am wheat intolerant, I can't just reach up into the cupboard and raid Jeff's, so it takes some thought and planning. I found a recipe in the King Arthur Flour Cookbook that makes enough for 3 batches of refrigerated dough. I substituted spelt flour for the wheat flour and it worked just fine. Refrigerating the dough ripens it, which means that it changes its nature to make cookies that are thin and crisp rather than thick and chewy. These cookies are best made small. The beauty part of this scheme is that you can cook a batch on three separate nights, and add different flair to each batch. They are all baked at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. The first batch I just did was plain;I sliced pieces off from the roll of dough and baked them. They were very good, and excellent vehicles for milk-dipping behavior. (I think I made them too big, as they were thick and chewy). The second batch is fabulous - I pinched off pieces, rolled ...

After all that talk about pie, here's another family classic that's perfect for when you have a ton of rhubarb and you don't want to make pastry crust or wait for it to chill. This dessert has a buttery shortbread crust and a creamy, custardy filling with the tang of rhubarb. Crust: 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter) 1 stick butter, soft but not melted Filling: 4-5 c. rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces 1 c. sugar 4 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish. Crust: Stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl and then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is well-distributed in fine crumbs. Press the crust into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish so that the crust goes halfway up the sides. Prick with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Filli...

As you can tell, I'm on a cooking roll. Lately I've been into crisp, thin cookies (thanks mom for the King Arthur Flour Baking Cookbook!). These cookies are the state cookie of New Mexico and traditionally served at Christmas. I made biscochitos a couple of weeks ago using shortening, but this time I tried it with more authentic lard. The shelf-stable stuff you find at the grocery store is hydrogenated and tastes funky, so I made a special trip to the Midtown Global Market and found the real deal (hopefully I can find good lard up on Central too). Here's yet another photo I haven't managed to fit the subject into: This recipe makes a ton of cookies (~ 3-4 dozen), but if you want even more you can double it. 1/2 lb. lard or shortening 3/4 + 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. cracked anise seed (can be found at Penzey's) 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. orange zest (optional) 3 1/4 c. flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 c. brandy or sherry 1/4 c. sugar 2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon ...