Baking With Ai » Cookies

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Cynthia — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:47:27 +0000

I love sugar cookies, especially chewy ones. These sugar cookies are perfectly chewy from the moment you take them out of the oven, to the moment you eat the last one. This is the first sugar cookie that I’ve ever had that has almond extract in it. I think it gives them the perfect flavor. Did I mention they are easy to make and only have to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes?

Here’s what you will need:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt (use 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Sift together your flour, baking powder and salt. If your sifter doesn’t come with a compartment where the product sifts into, just put it in a small bowl. I love this sifter though. It is, almost, mess free!

In another bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.

Add one egg and stir until it in incorporated, then add the next egg and do the same thing. Now is the time to stir in both your vanilla and almond extracts. Did I ever mention how much I love almond extract? I don’t think I have ever ate anything with almond extract in it, and not liked it!

Gradually add the flour into the sugar and egg mixture, stirring until well mixed. Do not be afraid to over mix this recipe. This type of dough needs to be mixed well, that’s how it produces really chewy cookies! When everything is stirred together well, the dough will be somewhat sticky and heavy. Now just cover it up and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Now is the time to go find something productive to do for 30 minutes. If I get “waiting time” in recipes I usually spend it cleaning the kitchen from the mess.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. When the dough is done chilling scoop out balls that are about the diameter of a quarter. I like to roll it together to form a more uniformed shape before placing it on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart from another.

Grease the bottom of a flat glass and use it to press down on the dough balls. You want them to spread out until they are about 1/3 inch thick. This will help the cookies spread evenly and making them have less flaws.

Before baking add sprinkles, if you wish to do so. I love sprinkles and have a pretty impressive collection. I choose the colored sugar and my hearts that I mostly use for brownies. You can also use plain granulated sugar if you don’t have sprinkles. If you really want you can leave them plain, but you don’t know what you are missing!

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges slightly turn golden-brown. Immediately remove them from the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Taking warm cookies off their baking sheets immediately is a big no-no! Of course if the recipe says to do it, then it’s ok. After the 2 minutes are up take them off with a spatula and let them finish cooling on wire racks.

These cookies look good enough to eat. Oh wait, you can eat them…you just have to make the recipe! Sugar cookies are as old as time, yet they are still a favorite. Don’t you think it’s time to show someone that you love them today? What better way than to make these cookies! They are chewy, yummy and take half the time of normal sugar cookies. Everyone should have a “go to” sugar cookie recipe, so try this out! They are sweet, but not overly sweet. You won’t be disappointed!

~ Ai

French Macarons

Cynthia — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:22:15 +0000

Let me start off by saying if Heaven was a cookie, it would be a French macaron.

These cookies were so delightful that I kept them all for myself. Usually I share them with co-workers (to keep myself from eating them all) but I had to be greedy with these. They can be a bit time consuming and very precise, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this awesome treat! Having a stand mixer is a life saver with this recipe too!

Here’s what you will need. It is recommended to weight everything instead of measuring it out, but I lack a kitchen scale. So until I get one (Ahem..are you reading this, hun?) I will be using my measuring cups. It also helps to have a stand mixer and a food processor for this recipe.

90 gr egg whites at room temperature(About 3 egg whites..I used 3 and it was good). Make sure the egg whites have been prepped at least 48 hours in advanced and can be used up to 5 days in advance

25 gr to 50 gr (2 TB to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar (basic white sugar)

200 gr (1.5 cups + 2 TB) powdered sugar

110 gr almonds (3/4 cup. Use whatever almonds you like, as long as they don’t have the “skin” on them. I used slivered.)

Pipping bags

#807 0r #809 decorating tip

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

8oz of chocolate morsels ( I used dark chocolate, but any is ok too!)

Gel/powdered food coloring, if desired

Place your powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor. Time to get grindin’! Set your food processor on “pulse” mode until they are finely ground. If you are anything like me, you might be doing this step 2-3 times.

Now it’s time to sift. Sift the flour-like mix a couple of times until everything is good and fine. If you still find big pieces of almonds, or you have a lot that will not sift, take it back to the food processor for another round. I sifted my mix 3 times, for your information.

This is where the stand mixer becomes very handy. If people were half as efficient as my stand mixer, the world would be a better place.

Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam. Your foam should resemble soap foam.

Slowly add your sugar as the eggs beat, making it a glossy meringue. Keep an eye on them though, because more than likely you will not need a lot of sugar. All in all I think I only used 6 tablespoons. You know you have it right when it resembles shaving cream and stiff peaks form.

Now add the almond/powdered sugar mix to the meringue and fold it quickly to just mix everything up. It should only take you 50 strokes at the most to have it right. Start folding real quickly at first and then slow down. Half way into mixing add your food coloring. DO NOT use a water based food coloring. Powdered is preferred, but gel will work fine too. This is one of the most crucial parts of this recipe.

Take your spatula and run it across the batter and count to 10. If it takes almost all 10 seconds to fold back to it’s original shape, you know you are good to go.

What a gorgeous color and anyone who says otherwise is..well..entitled to their own opinion!

Fill the pastry bag and pipe small rounds that are about 1.5 inches in diameter onto parchment paper. Now just let them sit there and look pretty for 30 minutes to an hour. This will cause the rounds to harden. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. When it is ready, bake the shells for 18-20 minutes.

And this is the result! See how the bottoms have “feet”? If your macarons have those, you know you did pretty darn good for your first try. If they do not, keep in mind these babies are rather hard to make. Now you need to have self control and try not to eat the shells before you fill them. It is well worth the wait, trust me on this!

Ganache…how I can not say enough about this heavenly concoction.

Heat the cream in a small pot, but just before boiling!

Place your chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the cream over.

Wait a few seconds and then stir like a mad woman until smooth (maybe a mad man, do any men even read this?!).

Let the ganache cool for a moment, and then spread a small amount of the chocolaty goodness on the bottom of a macaron.

Sandwich another macaron on top of it!

Ta da, you are now done! You also officially made a French macaron. Now you get the joy of explaining what these are to people (no one I talked to ever heard of a French macaron). Also make sure you pay attention to the confused look on their faces when you explain there are no coconut in them.

I got this recipe from Bakerella. If you have not seen her baking blog yet you need to. She is one of my inspirations and her blog is AMAZING!

Chocolate Crinkles

Cynthia — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:26:59 +0000

I know I told you all that my first baking post would be with french macaroons…well, I lied! I just cannot wait till Saturday to bake something. I must bake on my day’s off of work or I will go crazy. Yes, go crazy…my fiance knows exactly what this “craziness” is. Don’t worry though, those macaroons WILL get made and WILL get in my stomach. I need them in my life!

So let’s get started people!

Today I made chocolate crinkles, a sure thing recipe that everyone loves. I have made these several times before and everyone raves about them. People are also surprised when they learn how easy they are to make. People are also surprised at how their pants stop fitting after they get a copy of the recipe.

Here’s what you will need

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, softened (I am a butter gal myself)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup of all-purpose baking flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of powdered (confectioner’s) sugar.

Measure your sugar into a large mixing bowl

Next add the butter, cooled melted chocolate and vanilla extract.

Mix it all up! Make sure everything is mixed together real good

Stir in your eggs, one at a time

Stir in your flour, baking powder and salt

Now you have to refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.

I swear that box of girl scout cookies on the top rack is not mine. You know how it isn’t mine? I ate all my girl scout cookies within 2 days.

Now set the oven at 350 degrees. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls into the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and roll around until it is covered completely

Roll the dough into a ball

Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet and place on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for between 10-12 minutes or until the middle of the cookie doesn’t indent much when pressed.

Immediately after you take the cookies out of the oven, transfer them to wire racks to cool.

See? That wasn’t so bad. The most painful part is waiting those 3 hours for the dough to chill. Usually you can find me trying to sneak a taste of the dough somewhere around that time. I had self restraint today though, so I’m pretty darn proud of myself.

Go, go now and bake these!