most popular posts of 2011

new to these parts? or afraid you may have missed something good?

check out the eleven most viewed posts in 2011 (and the top 10 of 2010):

creamy mints, brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing, the chewy [alton brown's chocolate chip cookies]

white layer cake with blackberry buttercream, baked's aunt sassy cake [pistachio cake with vanilla honey buttercream], hot chocolate cookies

baked's monkey bubble bread, holiday shortbread cookies

bread and butter refrigerator pickles, dr. pepper cake

 

soft pretzels

vanilla buttercream filled vanilla bean macarons

i had my first macaron ever this past september at sugar factory in las vegas. they were surprisingly disappointing - the flavors weren't distinguishable and the bottom half of one was completely gone. the very next day, i picked up one, single, perfect pistachio macaron from bouchon bakery and was hooked.

my first attempt a couple weeks ago did not go so well. i didn't mix the batter enough and ended up without feet, cracked tops, and hallow cookies. no good. this time i tried a different recipe, a different method. and ended up with perfect cookies. sure, my piping skills aren't great and they didn't all come out perfectly round, but the texture and flavor are perfect.

and if the pink and blue filling hasn't given it away, baby winn is expected in june.

vanilla buttercream filled vanilla bean macarons
adapted from annie's eats
makes about 30 small sandwich cookies

for the cookies:
110 grams blanched or slivered almonds
200 grams powdered sugar
100 grams egg whites, aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
the seeds of one vanilla bean or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams granulated sugar

for the filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
about 1/4 cup milk

1. to make the cookies, pulse the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor until the almonds are ground very fine.
2. in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy. add the vanilla and granulated sugar and beat on medium high until stiff shiny peaks form. 
3. while the egg whites are beating, prepare a pasty bag with a small round tip. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
4. when the egg whites are done, turn off the beater, and add the almond mixture. using a rubber spatula, mix the almonds in with the egg whites until a thin, pourable batter results. when you lift the spatula out of the mixture, the batter should run off smoothly, without any lumps. if it's lumpy, keep mixing. you want to mix out most of the air that was whipped into the egg whites.
5. transfer the dough to the piping bag and pipe small circles, about an inch and a half in diameter, about an inch apart on the baking sheet. let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell top.
6. preheat your oven to 300F. bake the cookies about 12 to 18 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. try lifting a cookie off the parchment/silicone mat with your fingers or an offset spatula. if it comes off in one piece - nothing stuck to the pan - then they're done baking. 
7. cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan.
8. while cookies are cooling, make the filling. mix the sugar, butter, vanilla, and about two tablespoons (or half) of the milk. check the consistency and if it's too thick, add a bit more milk until it's at spreading consistency. add a couple drops of food coloring if you like. set aside.
9. when the cookies are cool, match them up by size and shape. add a small amount of buttercream to the flat side of one cookie and top it with it's match. store in an airtight container.

churros

these churros are really a testament to trial and error. since churros have been on my to make list for a while now and since my churro expert susie happened to be hanging out after an impromptu dinner tonight, we set out to make these.

the recipe and the dough is surprisingly simple. three things tripped us up: the right size tip when piping them into the hot oil, deflating churros, and the fry time. the first few i made with a small star tip. they were way too small and scrawny, so i upgraded to a large star tip. they were a lot thicker and one side looked beautiful. as the first side was cooking, the other side facing up split right down the center. once we got over the fact that their looks aren't perfect, we noticed some of the larger ones would puff up all nice and golden while cooking and almost immediately after we took them out of the oil, deflated - the middles sunk right in. this time, we weren't cooking them long enough and the insides were still gummy. a few more seconds on each side gave us a nice medium brown we were looking for. and of course we nailed it, with the very last bit of dough.

churros
adapted from anne burrell
15 minute prep and frying time varies, serves 4

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. add a pinch of kosher salt and whisk in the flour. using a wooden spoon, mix until a stiff dough forms. it should pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan in one big ball of dough. continue cooking the dough another two to three minutes, or until the surface looks shiny.
2. transfer the dough into a mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes. if you have a kitchen aid style mixer, use the flat beater blade and mix on very low to cool the dough down faster. 
3. while the dough is cooling, heat about two inches of oil to 325F in a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet. prepare your piping bag and medium size star tip and set aside. mix the sugar and cinnamon together and place in a large plate or paper bag and set aside.
4. when the dough is cool, beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure to incorporate each egg completely before adding the next. 
5. transfer the dough into your piping bag. when the oil reaches 325F, pipe the dough into sticks or whatever shape you want. use scissors to trim the dough between forming individual churros. let cook until a nice golden brown, about 60 seconds per side. 
6. using metal tongs or a wire mesh strainer, remove the hot churros from the oil and blot on paper towels. toss the churros with the cinnamon sugar while they're still hot. serve warm.

mocha gelato

gelato is another food that brings me to a distinct place and time.

a mere ten years ago, although it seems like yesterday, my parents, sister, and i set out on one of our best vacations ever: italy. we saw it all - the colosseum and vatican in rome. what remains of pompeii with mt vesuvius in the background. the amalfi coast. the cinque terre. st francis of assisi's church. more churches and relics than i can count. the ponte vecchio and statue of david in florence. the towers of san gimignano. my mother trying to pronouce moltepulciano the first ten times. the bridge of sighs and kicking our feet in the water when st mark's floods in venice at night. and gelato every single day, sometimes more than once.

so it's no surprise that any time i eat - or even think - of gelato, it brings me back to that trip. it's always a different memory, but always a great one.

mocha gelato
adapted from ready for dessert
makes 3 cups

a half cup of coffee beans gives the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee. if you aren't a big coffee fan, reduce it to a quarter of a cup of beans or skip it all together for plain chocolate gelato.

1/2 cup whole, unflavored coffee beans (decaf or regular)
2 cups whole milk, divided
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks

1. in a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of milk to just barely a simmer. add the coffee beans, turn off the heat, cover, and steep for at least thirty minutes. strain the coffee beans & discard them and place the milk back in the saucepan.
2. put the chocolate in a large bowl, preferably one with a spout, and set aside. 
3. add the cocoa and salt to the coffee flavored milk. bring to a boil and pour over the chocolate. stir until the chocolate is melted. place a mesh strainer over the bowl and set aside.
4. place the remaining 1 cup milk in the now empty saucepan. heat on low and add the sugar until dissolved.
5. in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. gradually add some of the warm milk to the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you add the warm milk. pour the warmed yolks into the saucepan. whisk continuously over low heat until the custard thickens. when thick, it will coat the back of a spatula and will leave a line when you run your finger through it.
6. pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate mixture and mix well until blended.
7. chill the mixture for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions, typically about 25 minutes.

Choco-PB Sandwiches

This recipe is from my blogger pal Angela over at More Ketchup Please! I saw the recipe on her blog the other day and knew it would be perfect for any leftover almond bark from making Peanut Butter Truffles and Oreo Truffles. Normally we just dip pretzels and Oreos in the leftover chocolate (and sprinkle them with crushed candy canes, yum) but we had Ritz crackers and peanut butter so of course I had to try it out. The verdict: delicious! Worth making for their own sake or to use up extra melted chocolate. Sorry mine are exceptionally ugly, I had very little almond bark left over so they didn't get a very thick coating. Still good though!

A few tips:

-Almond bark's other name is chocolate candy coating and it doesn't actually have almonds in it. It's basically low quality chocolate but is just fine for this type of thing. You can find it in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips and it basically looks like a very thick chocolate bar and is scored so you can break it into pieces. The grocery store we usually go to doesn't always have it but WalMart does.
-Parchment paper is amazing. You can bake cookies (and biscuits!) on it without them sticking (even without greasing it) and the little sandwiches come off it perfectly! Hop on over to Angie's blog to see what happens if you try making these without parchment paper or wax paper.
-A plastic fork with the middle tines broken off is perfect for lifting the sandwiches out of the chocolate.
-A toothpick works great for nudging the sandwiches off the fork and onto the parchment paper.

Choco-PB Sandwiches

Ritz crackers
peanut butter
almond bark/candy coating

Tear off a big piece of parchment paper and place it glossy side up on your work surface. Spread peanut butter on half of your crackers and top with the other crackers. Don't put it on too thick or you may have trouble keeping the sides together in the warm chocolate! Heat the almond bark according to the package directions and place the sandwiches in the chocolate. Use a spoon to pour chocolate over the top. Lift them out of the chocolate with your plastic fork and tap the fork against the side of the bowl to get off some of the excess chocolate. Place on the parchment paper to set. Store in a covered container at room temperature. They're best if eaten within a few days, which shouldn't be a problem because they're hard to resist!

Oreo Truffles

This recipe is from Southern Plate and I first made it last year. They're super easy to make and quite tasty, my husband in particular likes them. You wouldn't think the ingredients are only Oreos and cream cheese with chocolate on the outside! I made little baggies of Oreo Truffles, Peanut Butter Truffles and Coconut Rum Balls for my husband to give his coworkers- all guys- and these Oreo Truffles in particular were a hit. They're great made dipped in either regular chocolate almond bark or white chocolate almond bark.

A few tips:

-Almond bark's other name is chocolate candy coating and it doesn't actually have almonds in it. It's basically low quality chocolate but is just fine for this type of thing. You can find it in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips and it basically looks like a very thick chocolate bar and is scored so you can break it into pieces. The grocery store we usually go to doesn't always have it but WalMart does.
-Parchment paper is amazing. You can bake cookies (and biscuits!) on it without them sticking (even without greasing it) and truffles come off it perfectly! Buy some if you don't have it already.
-To speed things along you can put more than one truffle in the container of chocolate at a time.
-A plastic fork with the middle tines broken off is perfect for lifting the truffles out of the chocolate.
-A toothpick works great for nudging the truffle off the fork and onto the parchment paper.

Oreo Truffles

16 oz Oreo cookies
8 oz brick cream cheese at room temperature
16 oz almond bark/candy coating
chocolate sprinkles (optional but good if you're making Peanut Butter Truffles too)

Pulverize Oreos in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Place them in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the cream cheese and beat on low until well combined. Form mixture into balls the size of walnuts and refrigerate for an hour or so. Tear off a big sheet of parchment paper and place it on your work surface glossy side up. Heat the almond bark according to the directions on the package. Place the balls in the chocolate and use a spoon to pour chocolate on top. Lift them out of the chocolate with the plastic fork and scrape the excess off on the side of the bowl/container. Place on the parchment paper and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles if you're using them. Let the chocolate set then store in a covered container in the refrigerator. They'll keep for about 2 weeks.

Yield: about 24 truffles.

Peanut Butter Truffles

Most people seem to associate Christmas with cookies but at our house we end up making other kinds of treats at Christmas, like these Peanut Butter Truffles, Oreo Truffles, Rice Krispie wreaths (which we regrettably didn't make this year) and the new but delicious addition of Coconut Rum Balls. Cookies are great but candies stay good longer and it's nice not to have only cookies. This is my third year of making Peanut Butter Truffles at Christmas because they're so good! You may have heard them called Buckeyes but we call them Peanut Butter Truffles because I dip the entire balls in chocolate instead of just the bottoms/sides (which is how Buckeyes are normally done) and Peanut Butter Truffle just sounds nicer. If you've never had them and love peanut butter, you should really give them a try. They practically melt in your mouth and are very tasty. Also I can't really attribute this recipe to anyone because it's the result of trial and error after looking at about 10 recipes.

A few tips:

-Weigh out the powdered sugar with a kitchen scale. I buy 2 lb bags and just weigh the bag, then add powdered sugar to the mixing bowl until I've added 14 ounces. Surely you will find a use for the rest of the sugar!
-Almond bark's other name is chocolate candy coating and it doesn't actually have almonds in it. It's basically low quality chocolate but is just fine for this type of thing. You can find it in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips and it basically looks like a very thick chocolate bar and is scored so you can break it into pieces. The grocery store we usually go to doesn't always have it but WalMart does.
-Parchment paper is amazing. You can bake cookies (and biscuits!) on it without them sticking (even without greasing it) and truffles come off it perfectly! Buy some if you don't have it already.
-To speed things along you can put more than one truffle in the container of chocolate at a time.
-A plastic fork with the middle tines broken off is perfect for lifting the truffles out of the chocolate.
-A toothpick works great for nudging the truffle off the fork and onto the parchment paper.

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 stick butter at room temperature
18 oz peanut butter by weight (you can buy an 18 oz jar or scoop some out of a bigger jar)
1 t vanilla extract
14 oz powdered sugar by weight (I know, odd amount, but it's perfect)
16 oz package almond bark/chocolate candy coating

Place the butter, peanut butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until the powdered sugar has been incorporated. The mixture will look crumbly but it should be easy to form it into non-sticky, non-crumbly balls. You can add a little more peanut butter if it's too dry or a little powdered sugar if too wet but it should be fine. Also you can probably do this with a hand mixer too or just a spoon but it will likely be more difficult.

Once the mixture is ready, roll it into balls the size of walnuts. Tear off a big sheet of parchment paper and place it on your work surface glossy side up. Heat the almond bark according to the directions on the package. Place the balls in the chocolate and use a spoon to pour chocolate on top. Lift them out of the chocolate with the plastic fork and scrape the excess off on the side of the bowl/container. Place on the parchment paper and let set. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. They'll keep for at least 3 weeks or so.

Yield: 40-45 truffles

grandma's fudge

every christmas my grandma had a small glass covered dish of homemade fudge sitting on the bookshelf in her living room. each of us kids after dinner & all the hub of christmas was winding down - while watching a christmas story or some other christmas special - would sneak pieces of fudge until it was gone. the rest of us mad at the one who dared to take the last piece. that's how i remember it.

i had almost forgotten about that fudge until last week.

when my grandmother died nearly five years ago, my dad snatched up her cookbook before it went to the garage sale pile. it isn't fancy - a simple five section notebook, the majority of the recipes hand written, some named after people i don't know, others clipped from newspapers and magazines or printed from an email in the late 1990s - but one section was gold. i flipped to the "cookies" section and read through my christmas favorites covered in oil splatters and dried pieces of cookie dough. it wasn't until a couple nights later when i hit the "candy" section and realized i had forgotten about the fudge.

i haven't been able to bring myself to make one of her cookies. not yet. and it seems unfair to do it on my own, without the rest of the kids. but the fudge? fudge, i could tackle.

grandma's fudge
adapted from my grandmother's hand written recipe
10 minutes + cooling time, makes about 1 pound

this fudge comes out pretty thin - about a quarter of an inch. i suggest doubling it if you're feeding a small crowd or like a thicker piece. quadruple the recipe and pour into a 9" by 9" or 8" by 8" square pan to cool.

1 package cook & serve pudding, any flavor - i made batches of chocolate & butterscotch
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

1. line a 4" by 8" pan with parchment paper. set aside.
2. melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. add the milk and the pudding and whisk until smooth. turn up the heat slightly, continue whisking constantly, and bring the mixture to a very low boil. boil, whisking constantly for one minute. the mixture will be very thick and if you stop whisking it, will burn. make sure you cook it a full minute, otherwise your fudge will be a bit runny, like hot fudge, and you won't be able to cut it.
3. take the pan off the heat and whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. if you mixture looks lumpy from adding the sugar, beat it hard with a whisk or electric mixer to get the lumps out. it may take a couple minutes, but it works.
4. pour into the prepared pan and chill for a few hours until set. cut into pieces and serve.

chewy white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies

i've said it before and i'll say it again: i love gingerbread. not only does the smell instantly bring me back to my honeymoon in germany, and loudly announces - in all it's spicy glory - that christmas is here. each year i tell myself i'm going to roll, cut out, and decorate gingerbread men, and for last five or so, i've completely skipped it. partially because i've inherited my mother's cookie decorating skills, but mostly because i know my mom made a batch that my dad decorated. each year is different. there's been gingerbread at the beach. gingerbread boys and girls. gingerbread santa. all meticulously decorated by my father. the year we were engaged, my sister beat him to it and decorated a bride and groom for us.

this year i skipped the cut outs again and opted for chewy drop cookies studded with white chocolate. and next year, i'll probably do the same.

chewy white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies
get the recipe from two peas and their pod
10 minutes to make the dough, 10 minutes to bake

i made two minor modifications to the recipe:
i skipped rolling the dough in sugar & scooped it directly onto my baking sheet
i used a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop (OXO medium) and got 3 1/2 dozen cookies

2013.07.08 this is opera singer in the kitchen's pick for the secret recipe club!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

each and every time i email a request for a budget, modification, or some other financial request to one of our finance guys at work, the response always starts with "cookies!" followed by whatever information i'm asking for. sometimes - depending on how short i am on time when i put in the request or how involved the request is - i give in and ask him what kind. and it's always the same: oatmeal chocolate chip.

last week we were working on a particularly fussy and annoying budget, so i caved to the request. but who's the real winner?! i got my budget on time and got to eat cookies!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
adapted from baking illustrated
1 hour, makes 45 cookies

if you like chewy cookies, be sure not to overbake them and store in an airtight container. i stored mine in a container i thought was airtight, wasn't, and ended up with dried out cookies. a quick trip in the microwave softened them up a bit (and melted the chocolate!).

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line a sheet pan (or two) with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. set aside.
2. beat the butter until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until fluffy. add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next.
3. slowly add the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt to the batter. mix until incorporated.
4. using a large spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
5. using two tablespoons of dough at a time, roll dough into balls and place about two inches apart on the baking sheet. they don't spread much during baking, so they can be pretty close together.
6. bake about 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown and the center still looks slightly wet.
7. cool on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.

raspberry almond linzer cookies

almond and raspberry is one of my all time favorite flavor combinations. let's be honest - anything i've ever had paired with almond is a winner in my book. these cookies have been on my to bake list for the past few christmases, putting them off because cutting out all those windows seemed like a lot of work. these cookies are a complete labor of love. and if you find that cutting out the middle leaves your kitchen in a flurry of broken tops, skip it, and make simple sandwiches. they taste just as good and no one will miss the fancy window.

raspberry almond linzer cookies
adapted from martha stewart
about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

3/4 cup almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
raspberry jam

1. using a food processor, pulse the almonds, confectioner's sugar, salt, and cinnamon until finely ground. transfer to a bowl.
2. add butter and sugar to the bowl and mix until fluffy. add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. on low speed, slowly add the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
3. halve the dough and shape each half into a disk. wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours.
4. preheat your oven to 375F. line a sheet pan with parchment paper. roll out one disk of dough to an eighth of an inch thick. cut out shapes about two inches in size. if you want a window of jam, cut out the middle of half of the cookies with a smaller cutter. space two inches apart on the baking sheet. bake until pale brown, about ten minutes.
5. transfer cookies to cooling racks to cool. when completely cool, sandwich cookies with a generous dollop of raspberry jam. store in an airtight container.

white hot chocolate

from as far back as i can remember, my grandpa worked in a nestle plant. their candy drawer was always full of boxes of gobstoppers and nerds and bags of funsize butterfingers, o henry, and baby ruth. the fridge was loaded with juicy juice. grandma would tease us with stories of her trips to the company store - all that candy! and cheap! it was a kid's dream. and every year for christmas each of us grandkids got a milk chocolate santa. except me. i got a white chocolate snowman. i can still remember ripping open the box, sliding the plastic mold out, and biting the head off on christmas morning. i don't know exactly what year chocolate santas stopped coming - probably around the same time grandpa retired from the chocolate works, as he called it - but not a christmas day goes by that i don't have a split second vision of that snowman.

as an adult i tend to get most of my white chocolate in the form of hot chocolate. which surprisingly i have never thought to make myself until this year. besides, i needed something to wash down all these cookies.

white hot chocolate
adapted from martha stewart
10 minutes, fills two large mugs

this hot chocolate is incredibly rich. if you want to lighten it up a bit, omit the cream and use 3 cups of whole or even 2% milk. sure, you'll lose a bit of creaminess, but i think the lack of calories makes up for it. you decide.

since white chocolate is the star of the show, you want to pull out the good stuff for this one. you'll definitely notice a difference if you use lower quality chocolate.

6 ounces good white chocolate
2 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. place white chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl, preferably one with a spout (my 6 cup pyrex measuring cup worked perfectly), and set aside.
2. place the milk and cream in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until bubbles start to form around the edges.
3. pour the hot milk over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and whisk until smooth. continue whisking until a light foam forms on the top.
4. serve hot and store leftovers in the refrigerator.

holiday biscotti

these holiday biscotti are a simple riff on my favorite - i added dried cherries and white chocolate chips to my favorite pistachio biscotti to get all the holiday colors in one cookie. it's the same combination  i used last year to make killer holiday shortbread cookies. biscotti are the perfect cookie: insanely easy to make, pretty difficult to screw up, and they're just fancy enough that people are impressed you can make them from scratch.

not feeling the pistachio, white chocolate, and dried fruit blend? how about one of these -
dark chocolate and almond biscotti
cinnamon sugar biscotti
chai biscotti

holiday biscotti
adapted from tyler florence's pistachio biscotti

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1. using a mixer, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. turn the mixture down to low and gradually add the sugar and vanilla. add the eggs one at a time.
2. add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until smooth.
3. mix in the pistachios, white chocolate, and cranberries/cherries.
4. divide the dough roughly in half. roll each piece of dough into a tube, roughly the size of your rolling pin. move the dough to a parchment lined sheet pan. use your hands to flatten the dough - so instead of a long, circular tube, you have an almost rectangular sheet. repeat with the other piece of dough.
5. bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. let cool on the sheets for 10-15 minutes. keep the oven on.
7. slide one of the dough logs onto a cutting board. using a serrated knife, slice the log into 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices. the thickness of your slices will determine how wide your cookies are.
8. place the slices cut side down on the baking sheets, bake 5 minutes, flip them (so the down side is up and the up side is down) and bake an additional 5 minutes.
9. cool on a cooling rack. store in an airtight container and dunk in your morning coffee.

holidays from the archives

every year, the last week before christmas is deemed 'cookie week' at work. years ago when i first started, there was a sign up sheet to ensure treats were spread out among the week. needless to say, the week is complete cookie chaos and the sign up sheet soon went out the window. and in honor of our week of sweets, i've got five of my christmas cookies and treats this week, just in time for the big day.

but wait - don't forget about the archives! there are tons of holiday treats already there!

breakfast treats

 
baked's monkey bubble bread, raspberry glazed baked chocolate cake donuts

gingerbread spiced coffee, breakfast tacos, easy english muffins

 
gingerbread muffins, whole wheat honey pancakes

waffles of insane greatness, homemade cinnamon rolls, cinnamon scones


ina's maple oatmeal scones, deep dish apple pancake

cookies

chocolate peppermint pinwheels, holiday shortbread

chai biscotti, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate cookies


pumpkin gingersnaps, simple almond sandwich cookies

cinnamon sugar biscotti, lemon shortbread 

dark chocolate & almond biscotti, spiced thins


banana bars, amaretti

candies & sweets

ina's fleur de sel caramels, vanilla bean caramels 

bacon caramels, creamy mints, perfect caramel sauce

baked's buckeyes, caramel corn two ways

cakes & pies

 

fallen almond pound cake, amaretto cheesecake

baked's german chocolate cake, french silk chocolate pie
 

 

pumpkin chocolate spiced bundt cake, pumpkin cake with brown sugar cream cheese frosting

 

baked's aunt sassy cake, roasted banana rum cake