Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

With some free time on my hands I've decided to give some new recipes a try. In the coming week (or weeks ... depends how much time I have on my hands!) I'm finally going to delve into recipe testing some new items for myself. I have grand dreams of infusing butter with tea and seeing what that will bring me.

In the meantime ... I had to try out a new recipe I came across in my reading. If you check my blog at all, or know me, you've probably realized that I borrow recipes from a lot of other bloggers. Some are better than others. This one ... the crisp salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies ... is like crack. Seriously. I was skeptical. I have some variations I'd love to try , but that will probably wait until after I get through this tea phase I've been dying to try.

This recipe compliments itself rather nicely with the combination of white chocolate & salt. The cookies are, in fact, somewhat crispy ... which is just lovely. They're easy and quick, I mean, what more could you want in a cookie? If you need something to whip up to take to your Memorial Day party tomorrow I would say whip a batch of these up and you won't be sorry!!

Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
(yes, the name is long but descriptive!)
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 - 15 minutes
Yields: 24 good size cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 tsp seasalt
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.
   
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chopped up white chocolate until well incorporated.
   
3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie
5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

These are great dipped in your cup of coffee, with a cup of tea of just by themselves.

Enjoy!!

Toffee Cookies

Who loves toffee? I do! I do!

So, these have quickly become a favorite of mine ... and many people I know. It's a very simple cookie (really just a variation of a chocolate chip cookie), but somehow seems more ... exotic with the addition of toffee rather than the standard chocolate chip.

About a year ago I had much debate as to the best type of coffee to use for this venture and I made two batches, which we had to taste test. I know, a terrible job, right? So I tried both Heath & Score bars. They're pretty much the same, when put in a cookie. I think I liked the Heath slightly better for these purposes, because it has a slightly thicker layer of chocolate which melts nicely into the cookie. Any chocolate covered toffee bar should work nicely.

Okay, without further ado...


Delicious Toffee Cookies

Prep Time: about 10 minutes
From ingredients to plate: about 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields: 3 1/2 - 4 dzn cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 to 5 toffee bars chopped into small pieces (I use either Heath or Score, though you could use a toffee bar without any chocolate coating)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
   
2. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
   
3. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in toffee bits.
   
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake at 375ºF for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Double-Crust Pie Dough

I realize every time I make pie that I end up typing out this recipe. It's actually a super simple, really great pie dough recipe. I didn't think I'd be able to make pie crust on my own ... or at least not make it well.

At any rate, I know me, and I wouldn't want to read through a different pie recipe every time I wanted to make pie. And I'm getting tired of putting this in every pie recipe I make. So ... it gets it's own post, and a link from now on.

Good luck with your flaky pie crusts!!

Double-Crust Pie Dough
(courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

Yields: enough crust for 2-single crust 9" pies, or 1-double crust 9" pie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes 1 hour of chilling time)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 TBS vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 12 TBS (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
• 6 to 8 TBS ice water

There are two methods here - one is using a food processor, the other is a hand-mixing method. I've only done this by hand.

1. Food processor method: Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top & process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Hand-Mixing method: Freeze the butter in its stick for until very firm. Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar and press into the flour, using a fork. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture, then cut the mixture together, using two butter knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Continue for both methods: Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
4. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting it into a pie plate. (Note: I like to flour 2 pieces of wax paper and roll the dough out between them, it leads to easier clean-up).

TO MAKE AHEAD: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up
to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter top until
malleable before rolling.

Spring is in the air with Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I love love love strawberry-rhubarb pie. If you've read other posts, you know it's hard for me to find people to eat fruit pie with. (well ... not hard, but nobody that lives in my apartment will eat a cooked fruit pie with me) But I was having a girls day the other day, and I had some rhubarb that I had picked up at the lovely and vibrant Union Square Farmer's Market. The rhubarb was just calling to me, I had to cook it.

I've never made a strawberry-rhubarb pie, but it's one of my favorites. Now, when I mentioned I was making this I got many questions asking "what exactly is rhubarb?". Basically it's a plant that is reddish green. Stalk sizes vary, the smaller the stalks the more tender. The leaves are toxic, but I've never bought it with the stalks on. Rhubarb has a nice tang to it, which is why it is usually paired with something sweeter such as strawberries. And there you have it in a nutshell. If you really want to know more, here is the Wikipedia article.

This pie is nice and light and tasty. And I forgot to take pictures. I guess you know what that means, I'll just have to make it again while rhubarb is still in season! But I wanted to share this with you now. So stay tuned. I'll get you pics.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Prep time: 20 minutes plus time to prepare the crust
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes plus cooling time

Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch lengths (5 - 6 cups) [NOTE: if the rhubarb is about the size of celery or smaller, you don't need to peel it]
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups plus 1 TBS sugar
• 1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
  
• 2 tsp grated orange zest (optional, but really .... is it?)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBS arrowroot (this is a thickener ... you can get it in the spice section of the grocery store)
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has shed most of it's liquid but is still firm, about 5 minutes. Spread the cooked rhubarb out over a plate and refrigerate until cool.
3. Meanwhile, roll out the crust to two 12-inch circles. Place the bottom crust into the pie plate.
   
4. Toss the cooled rhubarb, strawberries, orange zest and vanilla together. Mix 3/4 cup of the sugar, the arrowroot and the salt together. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture over the fruit and toss thoroughly. Add up to 4 more tablespoons of sugar if the fruit tastes tart.
5. Spread the fruit mixture in the unbaked pie crust bottom and pack it tightly.
6. Lay the top crust over the fruit, seal and crimp the edges, and cut eight vent holes (as opposed to the usual 4). Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 TBS sugar.
7. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temp to 425 degrees F. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
8. Rotate the baking sheet and reduce the oven temp again to 375 degrees F, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temp before serving.

The pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.

A NOTE ABOUT PIE CRUST:
So, I've started enjoying making pie crust. It's pretty simple (or at least I think). Though, sometimes it's difficult to get a nice crusty dough and it's really easy to overwork the dough. That, and it does take some time. Some days I just don't have the time or desire to make my own pie dough. When that happens I like to use the Pillsbury Just Unroll and Bake pie crust. You can find it in the refrigerated section. It's pretty cheap and quite good!

Okay...enjoy this pie! You can have it plain, with a nice vanilla ice cream, or perhaps some whipped cream. It's really amazing just slightly warm.

Lavender Shortbread; a delicious tea treat (or anytime)

Lavender shortbread?!? Crazy sounding, I know. But delicious. When I first came across this recipe last year I was quite skeptical. But then, I happened upon some lavender and thought "Why not?" I was pleasantly surprised! This is the perfect spring/summer treat. It's an amazing shortbread recipe with a hint of lavender.

Ever since I made it last year I've been longing to make it again. With the spring weather I was racking my brain trying to think of where I could get cooking grade lavender. It theoretically isn't that hard, apparently you can pretty much get it at any Chinese market in the tea section. Cooking grade lavender is also used for tea, who knew? (The answer: lots of people, I'm sure. I was not one of them). However, I've been busy and haven't been able to get to Chinatown and explore. Low and behold, I'm randomly strolling around the Union Square Farmer's Market last week and there is now a lovely gentleman who sells lavender in all forms .... sprigs, sachets and yes, bags of cooking grade lavender. I'll tell you what - his stand smells WONDERFUL. I could just spend all day standing there and sniffing. Instead, I bought myself a 2 oz bag of lavender so I could enjoy the scents at home. Of course, 2 ounces .... that's a lot of lavender!

Ok, so, this recipe is a delicate balance ... you want to be able to taste the lavender, but you don't want it to taste like you are eating the sachet out of your clothing drawer. Its a beautiful and delicate recipe. Even if you don't like how it tastes (in which case, I would question your taste), it will make your apartment smell like a wonderful mix of butter & lavender.

Lavender Shortbread
adapted from Renee's Garden

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 - 45 minutes chilling time)
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Yields: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3/4 pound, or 3 sticks) butter, at room temperature (no substitutes)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 TBS finely chopped lavender florets (fresh or dried)
• 1 TBS chopped fresh mint
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, lavender, and mint with an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt and beat until incorporated. Divide dough in half. Flatten into squares and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.

2. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F. Cover bottoms of two baking sheets with parchment or brown paper.

3. On a floured board, roll or pat out each square to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 -inch squares or rounds. Transfer to baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pale golden (do not brown).
   

4. Cool slightly, then transfer to a rack. Sprinkle with lavender powdered sugar.

5. Garnish with lavender powdered sugar: Put a 4 or 5 sprigs of lavender flowers in a sealed jar with powdered sugar for a day before using the sugar. **

**[NOTE] Okay, let's be honest. Usually when I bake my thought process is "ooo! I wanna make that! Now!" And since I keep my kitchen pretty well stocked with the basic baking items I need, that usually works. Or I run to the store and pick something up real quick. It's only specialty items, orders, or events that I really plan for. So, when I want to make this shortbread and happen to have lavender sitting in my kitchen...I make it. And don't have a day to make the lavender powdered sugar. The first time I made this I just used plain powdered sugar. This time around, I muddled a teaspoon of lavender florets with my powdered sugar. So there you have it.**

Enjoy this with some tea, coffee, or lemonade!!