Cupcakes Are So Last Year

Cupcake-shaped cookies are the new black! That's right, cupcake-shaped cookies. Or simply: cupcaked cookies. Yes, we took your favorite cookie and replaced it with one in the shape of a cupcake. Pleasantly surprised, weren't you?

Friday we ran some errands in Indy, knocking out most of the holiday shopping. At Crate and Barrel, I couldn't resist getting a little something for myself: a second miniature salt pig and this set of cupcake cookie cutters in two different sizes. So fun.

And since this week is Hadley's first birthday and he is going to Florida for a wedding (kids today!) , we decided to make him cupcake cookies for a surprise treat at dinner on Sunday night. And he loved them. His first cookie ever, apparently, so it was fun to watch him munch on it, throw it on the floor and have sprinkles all over his mouth. Adorable!

It's also the time of year for cutout cookies and there are lots of recipes out there. Most of my baking books are still in storage, and I couldn't find the Best Recipes recipe or the Dorie Greenspan one either. So, I went to the font of all kitchen knowledge: Martha Stewart. Her recipe is here and it couldn't be easier.

Couple of tips:
1. Add two tablespoons of corn starch to the dry mixture. This will make your dough especially toothsome.
2. Don't skip the freezing step after you cutout the cookies. Freezing the dough helps it retain its shape while baking and let's face it, it's all about the shape, right?
3. Icing is good, white chocolate is better. Yes, these babies are frosted in white chocolate that has been tinted, then sprinkled with multi-colored non-pareils. Yummy!

Even though I love the cupcake shaped cookies, I have to honestly say it doesn't mean I'm over the cupcake! This craze has no end in site and we even have a cupcakery in Terre Haute now--it opened on Friday. Stop into Caboodles Cupcakes for a very sweet treat.

Caboodles Cupcakes
3419 S. 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN, 47802
Phone:
812-232-5551

Mon - Fri:
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat:
11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Recipe: Pecan Lace Cookies

Recipe: Pecan Lace Cookies
A friend brought some delicious Pecan Lace Cookies to an event at the Museum a few weeks ago and I decided I had to try my hand at them. They have the amazing caramel flavor of my favorite Pecan Crispies, but the with a slightly fancier feel to them--a little bit of orange zest cuts the sweetness and makes them unique. My friend attributed them to Lee Bailey, one of my favorite Southern cookbook authors, but I found the recipe at Martha Stewart.com.

It really couldn't be easier: melt together butter, sugar and corn syrup in a sauce pan; add flour, pecans and the orange zest; then chill until firm and bake. The fact that there is no creaming of butter and sugar makes it snap. No eggs either, so a true breeze to whip out.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
2/3 cup cake flour (spooned and leveled)

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat cook sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt, stirring until sugar has dissolved and butter has melted, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in zest, pecans, and flour. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Stir once or twice why the dough is chilling, to make sure the pecans are fully incorporated throughout the batter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Using a teaspoon measure, roll dough into small balls (each 1/4 ounce). Place on a large baking sheet, about 2 inches apart (you can fit 6). Bake one sheet at a time, until cookies are golden brown, about 9 to 10 minutes. Let rest on the sheet for one to two minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 55 cookies.

Cookie Monster!

Boo invited me to observe the 16-hour cooking making marathon on Sunday, but since I wasn't feeling well I thought it best not to infect the batches of cookies. I did sneak back into the kitchen on Monday to see all that they had made. Thousands and thousands of cookies and fudge and more cookies, all destined for the gift platters, boxes and baskets that the community orders from the Crossroads Cafe. I had a sample and it was delicious!

Boo's Crossroads Cafe
679 Wabash Ave
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 234-2232‎

P.S. Midwest Living stopped by to photograph the extravaganza for the December 2009 issue. Remember when you see it that you read about it here first! Scooped them, as usual.

Triple Threat

Triple Threat: \tri-pəl thret\
1. Adjective. A performer who can act, sing and dance, e.g. Liza Minelli.
"I just love Cabaret, it proves that Liza is the consumate triple threat!"
2. Noun. A cookie containing cocoa, bittersweet chocolate chunks and cacao nibs.
"Wow, Liza really loves those triple threats! I think she ate two dozen without batting a seriously fake eyelash."

Recipe: Triple Threat
This cookie was inspired by a recipe by Dorie Greenspan, one of my favorite food writers.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (my favorite natural cocoa powder comes from Penzey's)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
16 oz best quality bittersweet chocolate bars, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup cacao nibs

Preheat your over to 375 degrees.

In a big yellow bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Whisk to combine and aerate.

With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. On low, add your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. With a wooden spoon or spatula, add the chopped chocolate and cacao nibs.

Spoon the dough (about a tablespoon) onto baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. They may still be a little soft, but allow to cool on the pan for a minute before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Southern Heritage Cookie Jar Cookbook

I'm always on the lookout for cookbooks not represented in my collection and pick things up for different reasons. Sometimes, it's the illustrations that are too great to pass up. On other occasions, the author may be someone important or iconic, and I want the book even though I may never cook out of it. And of course, I actually do pick up cookbooks because I want to use the recipes. That's the case of the latest addition to my library, the Southern Heritage Cookie Jar Cookboo from the publishers of Southern Living which I got while thrift shopping in Owasso, OK.

Admittedly, most of the titles from Southern Living don't have an appeal to me because the recipes within veer too much in the direction of classic American convenience cooking. Occasionally I will find one that is rooted in traditional Southern food ways and worth making, but not often. But this fantastic cookie cookbook is filled with wonderful images that reflect Southern cookie culture in addition to great recipes. If you see it, I suggest you snap it up.

Lately there has been a lot of conversation about Lady Bird Johnson (born Claudia Alta Taylor), widow of the late President L.B. Johnson. Does she really live in a penthouse atop the LBJ Museum and Library? Is she really the person longest protected by the Secret Service? How is she feeling now that she is out of the hospital? Is her brownie recipe better than Katherine Hepburn's? You be the judge, because I'm publishing it here.

Recipe: Lady Bird's Texas Brownies
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Cream the butter in a big yellow bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat until blended. Gradually add flour, stirring well. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Pour batter into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool brownies completely in pan. Cut into 2-inch squares. Yield: About 1 1/2 dozen.

Postscript: Actually, after looking at the recipes, the only differences are the amount of flour (less in Kate's), the type of nut used (Walnuts vs. pecans which I think was the argument that REALLY started the Civil War.), and the addition of salt in Kate's. I do think a taste test is in order!