Peppermint Macarons

Macarons are a finicky little treat.  One of the top questions on Google on macarons is why they are so expensive.  Anyone who has attempted or made these delicate meringue treats knows the answer to that question.  One wrong move and and you have a big pile of goop.

I might have had a few five fails before I was able to bring this together.  I actually checked out books from the library on macrons and I have to say, those books, which shall remain nameless here, make it way more difficult than necessary.

Last week I happened to have a couple of leftover egg whites that I let sit on the counter overnight.  I completely forgot about them and came down the next morning to find them looking sad and taunting me to give the macrons another try, after swearing them off after my last fail.  I looked up a recipe on pinterest that did not require weighing and was very simple.  Guess what?  They actually worked.  The recipe is here.

I used a basic buttercream filling, threw in some peppermint oil and rolled the sides in crushed candy canes.  The end result was delicious, although I do need to work on smoothing out the tops of the macaron shell.  Taking pictures of my work keeps me honest and those little bumps in the picture above are bothering me as I write.

White Chocolate Oatmeal Cherry Cookies - Crazy Monday

Monday mornings are never easy but it seemed like a cloud was hanging over this house yesterday.

One of the dogs had an accident, then my son fell halfway down the stairs before school and it sounded a little like this.  I ended up having to drive him to school and on the way back my allergies decided to take a hit out on me and I ended up looking like Rocky after taking on Apollo Creed...the first time.

To top it off, I rushed into my house racing for the computer for a call I had scheduled and tripped over a pair of shoes and went flying into a chair in the dining room, doing further damage to my already blown out eyes.  After binge watching The Crown, I realize everyone has their problems but I did feel a little more jinxed than normal for a Monday. 

Oh well.  At least I have cookies.  Life is good.

Peanut Blossom Cookies

There are times when I am doing well with daily meditation and finding inner peace.  In a world gone mad, focusing on my breath calms me more than anything else I have ever tried.

That is, until the streets of Oak Park became a scene out of Mad Max in the early morning hours as I drove home from my morning ass-kicking, better know as Pilates.  As I was savoring the worn out but feeling stronger aura that ones gets from Pilates, some jerk swerved out from behind me, almost hit me and then swerved in front of me.  Inner peace flew out the window and I laid on my horn.  So, I am annoyed that the peace and inner calm vibe I had going was shattered and that I allowed a crazy driver to disrupt my zen state.  Should have reacted like this guy.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies

As much as I think Christina Tosi is a baking pioneer and genius, I was not crazy about the Blueberry Cream cookie that I bought from the Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC a couple of years ago.  This could be because it was pre-packaged and had been baked a while ago but it just didn't grab me.  I loved the idea, though.  I thought it just needed a little punch of flavor.  Cream cheese seemed like a perfect accompaniment seeing as cream cheese on a blueberry bagel is quite tasty.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

This is rare but there are times when I think I know more than the legions of cooks and bakers who came before me.  There is not a Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe out there that instructs melting the butter before mixing with the other ingredients.  Being the brilliant master of the cookie that I thought I was (NOT), I thought I could make this cookie even nuttier by doing a brown butter version which entails melting then browning the butter.  The crumbly mess that ensued made my kitchen counter look like the cookies exploded.  So, pro tip, let the butter soften naturally to room temperature and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.  

Spiced Molasses Cookies - Christmas Cookie Countdown

It's that time of year.  How many cookie posts can I do before Santa hits our house?  My goal is 24 but I realize that is ambitious.  I am also aware that Friday is December 1st, not today, but I had to leave Friday for the cocktails.  Maybe next week I will be really wild and crazy and do a cocktail and cookie post.  I don't know if I am that adventurous.  You will just have to tune in to find out.😉

Friday Cocktail on Wednesday - Bulldog and What to Wear

Bulldog

Thinking the Friday cocktail should be up sooner rather than later given the holiday.  Or, perhaps this mixture would also be good on Friday to help with indigestion.  Either way, the name of this drink makes you think it would be shock to your system.  Quite the opposite.  Light tasting with citrus, a hit of gin, topped off with ginger ale.  An elixir to calm before, during and after the festivities.    

Friday Cocktail - Grand Galliano

I love our little Oak Park bookstore, The Book Table.  I can spend all day in that place and never get board, much to my son's exasperation.  "Mom, will we ever be leaving this place?"  As if I took him to jail and lost the key.  Oh, what a difficult life he leads.  Pain au Chocolat at Léa and then the bookstore.  To me, that is the perfect day.  To him, the first part is awesome and the second is torture.

Blini's with Caviar and Champagne

Blini's with Caviar

Happy New Year!  If I was a serious blogger, I would have had this post up pre New Year's but I was too busy drinking champagne.  That said, who says that blini's or caviar or champagne have to be for a special occasion?  I say, if your kids are not around, that is reason enough to celebrate.     

A note on the champagne.  My significant other likes to remind me that although Verve Clicquot is excellent and their marketing team has been brilliant, it is not the only fantastic champagne in circulation.  There are many other excellent choices.  Yum.  Also, bubbly is best with something salty.  One of my favorite champagne accompaniments is french fries.  Yes, french fries.  That or potato chips, the above salty caviar or smoked salmon, cheese straws, cheese puffs...you get the picture.  If you can, make the appetizers yourself.  Everything tastes so much better when it is not bought pre-packaged from the middle aisles.  

The blini recipe is from Ina Garten and you can find it here.  I also used the crème fraîche and dill in her recipe but substituted caviar for the smoked salmon, which I was able to buy from Costco for a small fortune.    

Blini's with Caviar, Champagne and a Roaring Fire

Eggnog Cake Cookies

Eggnog Cake Cookies

Can we talk about pain for a moment?  Pain is what happens when you are, oh say, 39, haven't worked out in about three months and then decide that you are going to finally get back to The Dailey Method class that you haven't been to since you purchased that five class package over the summer when you were feeling motivated.  I am now still feeling pain in muscles I was not even aware existed.  This says two things, 1) I am lazy and deserve this pain and 2) the class is incredibly effective.  I do this because I want to be able to bend over and touch my toes when I am 70 and for reasons I don't fully understand, after I take the class, I am at peace with myself and the world around me.  Considering my anal nature and tendency to overthink and stress about anything and everything, achieving inner peace, even if it is temporary, is an achievement.    

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars

I don't do traditional holidays.  Every other year, my son is with his Dad for (name the holiday) and I don't have family within driving distance.  Don't break out the tissues for me just yet.  This unconventional way of life can have an upside.

When my son is away for whatever reason, be it camps or at his Dad's house, it gives me time to regroup, clean up the house, and get my affairs in order so I can be completely on when he comes back to me.  I also never take the time I have with my kid for granted because I know that time is limited.

Packing from The Container Store

So, even though I don't celebrate holidays in the traditional sense, I do love to make holiday treats which I promptly give away to neighbors and teachers so I don't devour them all while I work from home.  These bars have to be the best invention ever to come out of Starbucks, besides the Peppermint Mocha.  I have been searching high and low for a recipe that makes a good imitation and this one is it.  Thank you, Pinterest!  This is about as close as you are going to get to the stuff at the Starbucks counter and dare I say, perhaps a little bit better.       

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

I have been putting off making rugelach for years.  I would always get motivated, buy the ingredients, and then get sidetracked by work or my kid or just procrastinate and forget about the project all together.  I realize that this does not speak volumes about my work ethic.  On the upside, I finally made them and so glad I did.

Rum Balls

This recipe always brings me back to my childhood. Every Christmas Eve, without fail, we would spend the time with my Mom's side of the family. A huge dinner was served, the entire family was there, we opened a bunch of presents and these rum balls were served as kind of an appetizer, middle of the meal and after meal treat. My wonderful Aunt Irene would always bring these little chocolate confections to the festivities along with some other tasty treats. Although there were other cookies to dive into, I was always enamored with these little balls of nuts, rum and chocolate. I was a little skeptical about them as a very young child and as I got older, they became my favorite treat. Go figure! My Mom's side of the family no longer gathers for the holidays which makes me a little sad. To compensate for sparser yule-tide gatherings, I make these rum balls to bring back the happy memories. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 jar or 7 1/2 ounces marshmallow fluff
1 container sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup drained and chopped maraschino cherries
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 cups crushed graham crackers
cinnamon and sugar for coating

Method:

Melt chocolate and fluff in a double boiler. Let cool slightly and mix in condensed milk and combine until completely incorporated. Mix in rum and add more to taste.

Zap nuts, maraschino cherries, and graham crackers in a food processor. Mix the nut mixture in with the chocolate mixture and combine.

Refrigerate mixture until completely cool. Roll by teaspoons into balls and coat with crushed nuts or cinnamon and sugar mixtures.

Fruitcake Cookies

I am definitely a member of the masses when it comes to poking fun at fruitcake. The fact that it feels like a lead weight that could easily break a window coupled with the lack of taste truly makes it food for fodder.

So why would I make fruitcake cookies? First, as you have probably noticed, I put an unusual amount of trust in Ina Garten and everything she puts in her recipe books. These cookies are from Barefoot Contessa at Home and I was intrigued that she would attempt any recipe with such a dubious reputation. If anyone can make fruitcake palatable, Ina can. I was also interested in the idea of making fruitcake into a cookie and thought, maybe the high volume of candied fruits, alcohol and nuts is just too overwhelming to a cake. The cake is trying to hold all of these elements together and screaming for mercy. Perhaps something with a cookie-like consistency and shape is exactly what is needed to make fruitcake something that is tolerable.

So, with all of that said, I present to you the fruitcake cookie. My verdict on these is that they are most definitely better than typical fruitcake. In terms of taste I would not put them ahead of chocolate chip cookies or macaroons but they have that candied/spice flavor that I love simply because it just tastes like the holidays. I will probably make these again for that reason along with the fact that they truly do look like a jeweled cookie which I adore for the holiday season. These are also excellent to transport and keep well over a long period of time. Give them a try and please enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dried figs
1/4 pound raisins
2 ounces candied cherries, coarsely chopped
2 ounces dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons very dry sherry
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces chopped pecans
Kosher salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Snip off the hard stems of the figs with scissors or a small knife and coarsely chop the figs. In a medium bowl, combine the figs, raisins, cherries, apricots, honey, sherry, lemon juice, pecans, and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cloves, superfine sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and mix until incorporated. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt just until combined. Add the fruits and nuts, including any liquid in the bowl. Divide the dough in half and place each half on the long edge of a 12 by 18-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll each half into a log, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch thick, making an 18-inch-long roll. Refrigerate the dough for several hours, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a small, sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices 1/2-inch apart on ungreased sheet pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Chocolate Bark Two Ways

As you can see from the packaging, I used these little darlings as gifts and they did not disappoint! What you see in the picture is chocolate bark on the left with fruit and nut toppings. On the right is the classic peppermint bark which seems to have been hijacked by Williams Sonoma lately. Take it from me, these are so very easy to make, taste better than anything pre-packaged and will not break the bank like the stuff on the pretty display at your local over-priced cooking supply store. Make and enjoy!

Recipe for Chocolate Bark:

9 1/2 ounces best you can find semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces best you can find bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews
1 cup chopped dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup candied ginger
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Melt the chocolates in a glass bowl in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring the chocolate at each interval. Do not completely melt the chocolate and stir it for the last interval until all of the chocolate is completely melted. The more you stir, the shinier it becomes. Pour the melted chocolate onto parchment paper in a 9x10 inch square on a sheet pan. Spread the chocolate around to get it into the square shape. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the toppings. Let cool overnight in the refrigerator and break into pieces the next morning.


Recipe for Peppermint Bark:

9 1/2 ounces best you can find bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces best you can find semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup candy canes coarsely smashed with a rolling pin

Follow the directions above for melting the chocolate and in separate bowls melt the dark and white chocolates. You can also clean the bowl out that the dark chocolate melted in while it cools to melt the white chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, let it cool slightly and add 1 teaspoon of the peppermint extract to the dark chocolate and to the white chocolate. Pour the melted dark chocolate onto parchment paper in a square on a sheet pan and spread it around to get it into the square shape. Let cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Follow the same procedure for the white chocolate and gently pour the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate and spread it carefully being careful to not mix the chocolate or marble it. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle the candy canes on top of the chocolate. Let cool overnight in the refrigerator and break into pieces the next morning.