Lemon Bars

I have been trying to expand my repertoire beyond the regulars.  I found this recipe on the Food network's website it is by Ina Garden.  Why Lemon...well one it is a sour fruit that fills desserts with a goodness that can't be matched by anything else.  I hope you enjoy making these Lemon Bars as much as I did.

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add the butter until just mixed.  Dump the dough onto a well floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2 inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides.  Chill.
3. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Leave the oven on.
4. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set.  Let cool to room temperature.
5. Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

I made these lemon squares several weeks ago and I give them a 3.7 out of 5.  The squares were good, but I was a little weird-ed out  by the lemon zest within the bar itself.  Was it really necessary to bite into lemon zest?  Did it really add that much to the flavor?  To answer these questions, I surfed the web... Lemon zest is the skin of a lemon peeled with a specific grater.  Apparently, the zest contains an oil that adds a specific flavor to food.  As it is cooked, it releases the oil into the food making it awesome.  Some websites say it is ok to use an oil substitute for zest, but I am skeptical.  I may have to test it out.  In addition, there is a small chance...just a small one that I am not grating my lemon zest thin enough?  Any thoughts? My second thoughts on the bars was they were a little too lemony.  I know the name is Lemon Bar, but I think there could have been a balance.  Despite all of my negative comments, the bars are quite tasty, unhealthy and fun to eat.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

     About two weeks ago, I went to visit my family in San Antonio for a couple of days.  My mother's kitchen is just so much better than my own.  For this reason (and the seemlingly endless supplies), I always feel the need to cook while I am there.  I will have to post of picture of my small kitchen sometime soon so that you guys can see the tight quarters that I am working in.  Going home though, reminds me that I hope someday I will have a kitchen as nice as hers except with gas appliances.  Maybe this doctor thing will eventually pay out after all of these sleepless nights and countless hours in books?  LOL.  Anyways, to celebrate the wonderful weather that we have had in Texas this October and the feeling of fall, I decided to make Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing from the Martha Stewart Cookie book.     

Above: My mom decided to take a picture of me icing the cookies.

Given the fact that I have already posted several of her recipes on my site.  I am only going to post a link to the recipe that I found on her website for the recipe.  Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing Recipe

Overall I give these cookies 4.2 out of 5 stars. They were simply delightful and I couldn't help eating them even if I tried to stay away from them. My favorite thing about these cookies was how incredibly soft they were! They simply broke apart... I am not going to lie...this characeristic was slightly magical. The brown butter icing tasted a little like cinnamon roll icing. It was really sweet...almost too sweet alone. However, it melded well with the cookies when I put them together and the cookies balanced the sweetness. When I make this recipe again, I may try to cut the recipe in half. The recipe produces TONS of cookies.  I was overloaded with cookies afterwards that even after giving away half of them, I still had cookies to eat a week later.  Craziness!  I highly recommend trying to make these cookies especially in the spirit of the fall season.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

This month has been tough.  Transitioning into residency has been more difficult than I anticipated.  I knew I wouldn't have a life, but I guess I got use to fourth year of medical school.  Anyways, I haven't had any time to bake all month.  I spend most of my free time sleeping honestly and when I am awake, it is at night.  I have though been staring at various recipes that I have been dying to make.  Sarah Yoder gave me a book of recipes from graduation.  She is one of the best bakers I know.  Anyways, some of the recipes are lock and key type recipes and I will never publish them here.  However, some of them are not as secretive.  She gave me some advise that I have tried on several occasions but have been unsuccessful thus far.  This advise was as follows:  If you like a dessert at a restaurant or meal, ask for the recipe.  I was out with my mom a month ago and I tried this...it didn't work, but I will try again.  The worst they can tell you is no right?  :)  Anyways last Christmas, Sarah baked cookies as her gift.  These Peanut Butter Cookies were included in the package.  I remember them tasting quite awesome.  I can only hope that some of her baking skills rub off on me and I can duplicate some her success.

Ingredients
2 cups of Natural Peanut Butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
24 hershey's kisses(optional)

Recipe:
Stir peanut butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time.  Mix in baking soda, salt and vanilla.  Chill dough at least one hour.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Roll dough into balls (makes about 24 cookies); place on cookie sheet.  Flatten gently and bake 6 to 8 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet about 10 minutes.  Put kiss in cookie center while still warm.

Wow!  These cookies are as good as I remember them and so easy to make.  Literally mixing them was less than a ten minute task.  It's a perfect dessert for a time crunched individual.  I give them 4.5 out of 5 stars. Each bite is of peanut buttery goodness.  The cookies melt in your mouth.  Sarah's tip in this recipe was to use natural peanut butter.  I did and I think it is the key to success.  The peanut butter is more pure tasting in the cookie.  Like usual, better ingredients yield better results.  I am 100% positive that these cookies are absolutely awful for you...they are peanuts and sugar...but who cares right?

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I finished all of my work for medical school last week.  Now, all I have to do is fill out a couple of forms prior to graduation.  I can't believe that I graduate in less than 2 weeks!  Instead of finishing the forms during the past couple of days.  I choose to go to the lake this past weekend and drive to San Antonio to see my family.  As I write this entry, I am sitting on my parent's couch watching TV.  Ahhh...the life!  Amidst this free time, I choose to go shopping and of course, bake.  I picked this chocolate chip cookie recipe.  This recipe is  from Baking Illustrated from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine.  The neat thing at about this book is the fact that is goes through a series of reason and taste testings to evaluate the ingredients in the recipe. (Perfect for a science nerd like me!)

For the recipe and evaluation of the recipe...

President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies

Every time I get a cookbook, it is a little like Christmas.  I furiously flip through the pages of the book to find my next project and proceed to dream about all of the things I am going to make someday.  Some of these hopes and dreams actually pan out...while others await the day I have more money to fund my baking projects.  Anyways, I was lent several books by my Chef Danny Jacob that I mentioned in a previous post and one of these books was Desserts By the Yard by Sherry Yard.  She is the famous Pastry Chef of a place called Spago in Beverly Hills and is also known for the desserts at the Oscars each year.  In others words, the woman is legendary.  With so many recipes to choose from, I picked her President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookie recipe for my first project out of her book.  Why this recipe you may ask?  Well, I picked this one mainly because I had most of the ingredients in my pantry.

From Desserts By the Yard by Sherry Yard p 250

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups FAT RAISINS (see recipe for these below)

Directions:
1. Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter on high speed until lemony yellow, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle or beaters.  Add the sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Continue creamin the mixture on high speed until it is smooth and lump-free, about 2 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition.  Beat on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until the eggs are fully incorportated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
4. On low speed, add the sifted flour mixture, beating until all the flour is incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  On low speed, mix in the oats and FAT raisins.
5. With a rubber spatula, scoop out the dough and divide it in half.  Center one half along the bottom of a sheet of parchment paper and roll it up in the paper, creating a log about 2 inches wide and 12 inches long.  Repeat with the second piece of dough.  Fold over the parchment, creating a sausage.  Twist the ends over and wrap in plastic.  Chill the dough logs for a minimum of 1 hour. (At this point the dough will keep nicely, wrapped well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month) You can also simply spoon the dough onto parchment-covered baking sheets and bake at once. (see Note)
6. Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  When the dough is chilled, remove it from the parchment paper.  Using a chef's knife or an offset serrated knife, slice 1/2 inch rounds off the log.  Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back, and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes.  remove the cookies from the oven and carefully slide the parchment off the sheets and directly onto your work surface.  Cool the baking sheets between batches.  Wait a minimum of 5 minutes before eating, or allow to cool completely before storing the cookies in an airtight container.
NOTE: Instead of forming the logs and chilling, you can also scoop spoonfuls of dough onto the parchment lined sheets.  Spoon teaspoons for small cookies, tablespoons for large.

Fat Raisins (Note the recipe for this makes 1 cup and the above recipe calls for 1.5 cups
Ingredients
1 cup golden or Red Flame raisins
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 tablespoons sugar

1, Combine the raisins, wine, orange juice, rum, and sugar in a small heavy saucepan, bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring all the while.  Lower the heat so that the liquid is at a bare simmer and poach for 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, cover pan with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.  Transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks!

 I want to first start off by saying that I haven't found an oatmeal cookie recipe that I am in love with.  After making these cookies, I am here to tell you that I still haven't found an oatmeal cookie recipe that I am in love with.  However, I did really like the FAT RAISINS in this recipe.  The idea of incorporating a sugary rum mixture into the raisins before using them to bake is glorious.  I think all oatmeal raisin cookies should have some soft of FAT RAISINS.  Overall, I give these cookies 3.4 out of 5 stars.  My biggest complaint about these cookies is they were not chewy enough and I baked each batch for shorter durations in an effort to achieve a softer cookie.  The cookies were too crisp when the directions were followed explicitly.  The recipe called for each batch to be baked close to 20 minutes.  Wow...way to long.  I eventually baked my fourth batch at close to 12 minutes... I don't know what I could have done to create a softer cookie here.  The cookies were cooled in the refrigerator prior to baking too.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.  Also, if you have a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe, please send it my way.  I want to find one that I am pumped about.

Chocolate Crackles

Several of days ago I went over to Chef Danny Jacob's house for a cooking lesson.  We set up an exchange in which I show him some of the things I have learned baking and in return, he teaches me some things about cooking.  Sounds like an amazing deal to me!  We made a seared salmon that was scrumptious with oven roasted purple fingerling potatoes and an arugula salad with pequillo peppers.  It was awesome.  My dessert pick was Chocolate Crackle Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book.  I made these cookies last spring at my parent's house with my younger sister, and I thought they were worthy of a remake for this particular occasion. 

Chocolate Crackles from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
8 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar


Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water stirring.  Set aside and let cool.  Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate.  Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk.  Divide dough into four equal pieces.  Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Divide each piece into sixteen 1-inch balls.  Roll in granulated sugar to coat, the in confectioners' sugar to coat.  Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks.  Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Boy are these cookies are seriously good.  :)  I originally gave them 5 out of 5 stars last year when I first made them, but I guess my grading scheme is getting a little more stingy with all of the baking and this year I give them 4.7 out of 5 stars.  In other words, these cookies are still awesome and worthy of your time and effort.  These cookies taste more like little cakes in texture and density.  They are the type of cookies that you need people around to eat with you otherwise you may find that you have consumed them all.

The learning moment for today will be passed because I am behind on posting recipes and I am seriously tired.  Until next time!  :)

Pecan Sandies

This is the second set of cookies that I made for the Dining For Woman cookie exchange that we have every December. (http://www.diningforwomen.org/) I had a bag of pecans lying around...so a cookie recipe with pecans seemed appropriate. Plus for my birthday, I recently received a food processor. This was the perfect opportunity to bust it out and use it. The new food processor is just so shiny and awesome. No longer do I have to grind nuts in my recipes with a coffee grinder. This is an exciting development for me in life. I choose this Pecan Sandies recipe out of the book Baking Illustrated. Enjoy!


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, plus about 32 pecan halves for pressing onto unbaked cookies
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
Instructions
1) In a food processor, process 1 1/2 cups pecans with both sugars until nuts are ground, about twenty 1 second pulses. Add the flour and salt and process to combine, about twelve 1 second pulses. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and process until the mixture resembles damp sand and rides up the sides of the bowl, about eighteen 1 second pulses. With the machine running, add the yolk and process until the dough comes together into a rough ball, about 20 seconds.
2. Turn the dough (it will look scrappy and uneven) onto a clean, dry work surface and gently knead until it is evenly moistened and cohesive. Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough into an even 12-inch log, cut the log in half with a chef's knife, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough logs until very cold but still malleable, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the freezer, unwrap them, and toll them on the work surface to round off the flat sides. Rewrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled and completely firm, about 2 hours.
3. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Unwrap the dough logs and using a sharp chef's knife, slice the logs into coins 1/4 inch thick, slightly rotating the logs after each slice so that they do not develop a markedly flat slide. Place t slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3/4 inch apart. Press a pecan half in the center of each slice.
4. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 24 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula and let cool to room temperature.

People have made some comments to me that I always make mistakes while baking. This isn't necessarily true...but I am very open and honest with you guys about things I could do to improve in both efficiency of the recipe and taste. I love finding ways to improve myself and my baking. So if you have any comments on the above things, please let me know. This being said....I will begin my critique of this recipe.

The recipe calls for basically the whole recipe to be made in the food processor. Now, I love my new food processor/baby but it wasn't big enough to hold all of the dough for the recipe. I discovered this as I made the recipe. I had to take out dough and place it in a separate bowl and mix the remaining dough in the food processor. Then, I exchanged the unmixed dough for mixed dough in the processor and repeated the process until everything was mixed. If I had not had trouble with the size of my food processor, the dough would have actually been created within 10 minutes... yes the recipe is that easy!

Overall, I give these cookies 4 out of 5 stars. You have to like shortbread to like these cookies but they turned out quite good. Not too sweet, not to crisp. They crumble in your fingers as you eat them, but melt in your mouth. I will definitely make them again.

Macadamia Butter Cookies

This is one of two cookies that I made for our 2nd Annual Dining For Women Cookie Exchange. Last year the Cookie Exchange was such a success that it was decided that we would do it again this year. I picked this Macadamia Butter Cookie recipe from the December 2009 Cooking Light Magazine. Why this cookie? They looked good simply put. Here's the recipe:


Ingredients
2/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Place nuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once. Combine macadamia butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add vanilla and egg, beat well.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combine. Stir in cranberries. Chill 10 minutes.
4. Divide chilled dough into 30 equal portions; roll each portion into a ball. Place 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl. Lightly press each ball into sugar; place each ball, sugar side up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Gently press the top of each cookie with a fork. Place 15 cookies on each of 2 baking sheets.
5. Bake cookies, 1 baking sheet at a time, at 375 F for 9 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pan, cool on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies.
Recipe is from December 2009 Cooking Light

I love the Cookie Exchange. It is so much fun...getting recipes from other people's cookies and coming home with a box of cookies. How fun is that, right?

Anyways, I made this recipe with my brand new food processor. Woo Hoo! No more grinding nuts with my coffee grinder. I am moving up in the world. :) I specifically choose this recipe so that I would have the opportunity to grind. I wish my food processor was a bit larger for this recipe but it was sufficient especially when you compare it to no food processor at all. Overall, I enjoyed these cookies. You have to like macadamia nuts...really like macadamia nuts to like them. The cranberries are a nice addition to them as well. I give these cookies 3.75 out of 5 stars. I wish they were softer and easier to to break apart. They were a bit crunchy and I wish I could bend them apart instead of crack them apart. I will definitely consider making these cookies again. I am not sure what I can do to improve them. Any suggestions?

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Drops

So I had left over Unsweetened Baker's chocolate from the Chocolate Pecan Pie that I made. The back of the Unsweetened Baker's chocolate box has a a recipe for Soft & Chewy Chocolate Drops. I decided...why not try making them! Here is the recipe.


Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2- 1/2 cups flour
1 tub (8 oz) Cool WHIP Whipped topping
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Directions
1) Heat oven to 350 F. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour. (Do not overmix) Refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
2) Shape into 1 inch balls; place, 2 inches apart, on lightly greased baking sheets.
3) Bake 8 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake) Let stand on baking sheet 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.
4) Microwave Cool Whip and semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl on high 1-1/2 minutes or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring after 1 minute. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread over cookies, let stand until firm.

From Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares Box

These cookies were descent but nothing special. I give them 2 out of 5 stars. I probably will not make them again. The frosting is slightly bitter and the cookies were not as soft as I wanted. The cookies themselves were difficult to discern when they were done. Hence this may be the reason why they were not as soft as I would have liked them to be.

Surprise Cookie

The dessert of the week is the Surprise Cookie from Martha Stewart's Cookie book. I baked the cookies to specifically take to the Pain Train softball game this past week. As the former Pain Train captain, I felt it was my duty to support the team I create every year. Let's hear it! Pain Train! Woo woooooo!!!



Ingredients
for the cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
About 15 marshmallows, halved crosswise

for the frosting:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
2. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium high-speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
3. Using a 1 3/4 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmallows begin to melt, about 2 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Make frosting: Put confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Melt butter with the cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to the confectioners' sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla.
5. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Overall the cookies were good. I loved the marshmallow on the inside and next time I make them, I will consider adding more marshmallow. In addition, I need to make sure I have enough powdered sugar next time. This time I just halved the icing recipe which meant I ran out of icing before I was done icing the cookies. I give these cookies 4 out of 5 stars and will make them again someday.

Funfetti Cookies

So I am kind of embarrassed about posting these Funfetti Cookies on the blog. I normally like making things from scratch, but I was in a huge hurry with very few ingredients. I found the Funfetti box and I thought about making the whole cake. But alas, I was missing the extra egg. So I turned the box on its side and noticed that it had a cookie recipe on the side. I then remembered one of my friend's use to make cake cookies. This recipe is super easy to make and it took less than 15 minutes to make them. Basically they fit all of the qualifications I needed in a cookie recipe for the night: fast and cheap. Yay!


Ingredients:
1 (18.9 oz) pkg Pillsbury Moist Supreme Funfetti Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Funfetti Vanilla Frosting

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until throughly moistened. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4 inch thickness.
2. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheets.
3. Spread frosting over cookies. Immediately sprinkle with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes: 3 dozen cookies

The cookies were a little brown on the bottom and they flattened out quite a bit. I think this has more to do with the pans I own rather than the recipe itself. I have heard from several friends recently that there are certain pans that are ideal to make cookies. Unfortunately, I do not own these pans. I took these cookies to a house warming party that I was invited to. One person described them as "Cupcake like." They taste very good. I would give them 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would make them again simply because of the simplicity of the recipe and the reception. However, I prefer to bake cookies that are more complicated because this equals more fun in the kitchen.

Carrot Cake Cookies

The past couple of weeks have been super busy. However, I have not been working at the hospital as usual. It is wedding season and I have been traveling to and from Houston every weekend to go to either a wedding or a bachelorette party. I missed the kitchen and decided to dedicate most of the day to cooking. I started off by trying this Carrot Cake Cookie recipe from a Brand Name Favorites Cookbook that my friend Jill owns.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 stick of butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated carrots (about 2)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2) Melt the butter. Mix the butter, egg, vanilla and brown sugar together.
3) Sift the flour in a second bowl. Add cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the sifted flour and mix.
4) Slowly add the dry mixture to the liquid mixture while mixing with beaters.
5) Add the carrots, walnuts and raisins last to the mixture and stir in with a spoon.
6) Bake cookies 12-14 mins

Recipe makes 3 dozen.

Overall, these cookies were moist and soft. They did not have the same consistency as a cookie and had a cake like consistency much like their name implies. However, the cookies did not taste like the typical carrot cake. The carrot taste was minimal. I typically like a more carroty taste to my carrot cake and these cookies tasted more doughy. My favorite part of the cookie was the raisins and if you choose to make these cookies the raisins are a must. I give this recipe 3.5 stars out of 5. I enjoyed the cookies but will definitely modify the recipe if I ever made it again in the future. I will possibly add more cinnamon and carrots in the future if I make these again.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

This past weekend I went home to visit my family. My sister, Andrea, loves being in the kitchen. I talked her into trying this Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book. It didn't take much of an effort on my part to sway her into baking with me. : ) She has been wanting to make this recipe ever since we bought the book. So we gathered all of the ingredients together and baked in the comfort of my mother's kitchen. While we baked, my mom reminisced about her grandmother baking a similar style Mexican Wedding Cookie. Her grandmother use to make these cookies and then would place them in tin boxes with powdered sugar lining the bottom to give to friends.



Ingredients

5 ounces whole blanched almonds (1 cup), plus 40 more for decorating
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 large egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread 1 up almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until fragrant, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool.

2. Place toasted almonds, flour, salt, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; process until nuts are finely chopped, about 1 minute.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat until combined. Add the chopped-almond mixture; beat on low speed until dough just comes together.

4. Roll dough into twenty 1.5 inch diameter balls; place on two clean baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly.

5. Place the 40 remaining whole almonds and 1 tablespoon beaten egg white in a small bowl; toss to coat. Press two almonds into top of each cookie.

6. Bake cookies until lightly browned around the edges, about 25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer sheets to a wire rack; let rest until cookies are cool enough to handle.

7. Place remaining 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar in a fine mesh sieve. Sift sugar over cookies, reserving any remaining sugar. Return cookies to baking sheets. Let cookies cool 15 minutes, and coat with sugar again. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

I followed the recipe fairly closely this time. I didn't have whole blanched almonds so I settled for sliced blanched almonds. In addition, I left the cookies in the oven for a total of 21 minutes instead of 25 at 325, but I think this is fairly oven dependent.

The cookies turned out wonderfully. On a scale of 0 to 5 stars, I give these a 5. I was quite surprised by how delicious they tasted. I savored each bite as it melted in my mouth. Mexican Wedding Cookies are suppose to crumble in your hands and these did just that. I actually had to be careful not to drop crumbs on the ground. However this being said, I have had dry tasting Mexican Wedding Cookies in the past and these certainly did not taste dry. These were the correct moistness. The blend of almonds and sugar were just right in these cookies and I will definitely make them again. I think they are worthy of a special occasion as well. Quite possibly, these are the perfect cookies for a wedding shower. I guess they are called Mexican Wedding Cookies for a reason! : )