Heart Glazed Cornmeal Cookies
My Kitchen Aid Mixer is named Sir Charles Mixalot III. I just call him Sir Mixalot for short. We had a conversation the other day. It went something like this:
Sir Mixalot: Hey Trace! Would you please use me? I'm sick of collecting dust on your pantry shelf.
Tracy: Hey. You talk! Fiiiiine. I'll use you. What should I make?
Sir Mixalot: I'm a little outta shape. Something easy. Baby steps. Take it easy on me.
Tracy: I totally get it Sir Mixalot, I haven't worked out in awhile too. How about cornmeal cookie dough?
Sir Mixalot: I can totally handle that. You're a dear. Many thanks. Don't forget to clean my crevices afterward.
Tracy: Ummm. OK...
So I busted out Sir Mixalot and put him to work. The dough came together in a snap. We high-fived and I gave him a deep cleaning (head out of the gutter!). Then I got to work cutting, baking & glazing these cookies. The dough was the easiest part thanks to Sir Mixalot. The glazing part was a little tough and I only say that because I had a 3 year old running around the kitchen island begging me for some cookies and showing me a new toy every 5 seconds. Labor of love, my friends. LABOR OF LOVE.
Valentine's Day is coming up! Bust out your Kitchen Aid Mixer (and name him/her if you haven't already) and get to work. Your Valentine is gonna love the crunchy bite of a sugary cornmeal cookie. I know this.
“Life Changing”Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Whenever I see a recipe described as "life changing," I feel like I'm Marty McFly and Biff is calling me chicken! OH YEAH? I'll be the judge if it's life changing or not! Let me prove you wrong! How could cookies possibly change my life?!? I accepted this challenge and am happy to report that these cookies are life changing in the sense that it's now acceptable for me to eat cookies for breakfast. That in itself is a good enough reason to make these. They pair ridiculously well with my morning cappuccino & make a fantastic snack in the afternoon with some tea. They are like an energy bar in cookie form!
They're a little dense, crunchy and kinda buttery with all of the almonds in them. They're a snap to make, totally kid friendly (as long as there are no nut allergies in your household) and the recipe makes a ton! I definitely think I'll make this WITH Cooper when he's not prone to dumping flour all over the place (that may take awhile). It's no big deal if he eats the batter! The only problem I encountered was figuring out which one of the jams I liked most. I used blueberry jam (I made from scratch) as well as apricot & raspberry jam (from Trader Joe's). I really liked the the seedy raspberry ones; they were the prettiest. I did love the tang of the apricot too! I dunno! I can't decide. Let me just take another sample....
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White Chocolate Almond Chunk Cookies
Almost two weeks ago, I was inhaling one of these amazing cookies at the kitchen counter of the most beautiful home in Seattle. With the happy chatter of 5 fellow female food bloggers in the background, I thought to myself.....
"I need to make these cookies. I need to be transported back to this moment. Girls weekend...discussions of cookbooks, family, the internet...A weekend of overeating, learning new things, and taking a break from my routine. I sooo need to get back to this space when I'm at home drowning in my TO DO lists."
Fortunately our lovely host-- Dana thee DANA of Dana Treat has supplied us with the recipe...
Oh these cookies...creamy white chocolate, chunks of crunchy almonds with a subtle oatmeal taste/texture! Your mouth is going to love you. The part in your brain that loves chewy cookies is gonna go nutso. I sandwiched them with vanilla ice cream at a Labor Day BBQ we went to; they were a hit! You are gonna DIE when you taste those almond chunks. I did. Fortunately I was resuscitated just in time to write this post.
So here I am. It's Thursday morning. I'm chugging coffee while Cooper shoves cupcake wrappers and pens into our printer. I'm working on a TO DO list for the day and I'm transported back to Seattle. I'm eating one of these cookies. My heart is happy. My taste buds sing. I am thankful for the new people in my life who show me different sides of the world and bring out new dimensions of myself. I feel like today is full of hope. I can do what needs to be done. I can handle it all. My kitchen is filled with Dana Treats and I couldn't be happier.
So thank YOU to Cheryl, Dana, Denise, Joy & Kristina
Because of you and the International Food Blogging Conference in Seattle, I finally feel like myself again.
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Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
Yes you read that correctly. BACON! These cookies were a birthday treat for my precious bacon-loving friend, Whitney. They were a hit at her pre-birthday tapas celebration last week! Six of us ladies scarfed them down for dessert. Ca-caw!
The recipe comes from my best baking friend, Joy! She's my go-to person when I want to bake something sweet and different! I love her. I love bacon. I love peanut butter. I love super easy recipes. So it's a match made in heaven!
Let's talk about how IN-CRED-IBLE these cookies are! The salty sweet combo is WICKED! They are chewy because of the brown sugar, crispy because of the bacon, and crunchy because of the light sugar coating! My mouth waters as I type this...I really wish I saved a secret stash of them. If you are a bacon lover, this recipe will not disappoint. I'm pretty sure Elvis would have been tickled for a tray full of these! Continue reading→
Hazelnut Espresso Cookies
If the culprit for my college "Freshman 15" had to be named, it would be ridiculous amount of hazelnut lattes I consumed. When I lost the extra weight, I lost the taste for hazelnut flavoring and hazelnuts in general. Many many MANY years later, I saw this recipe and thought it could be a good test to see if the adult Tracy still liked hazelnuts---in moderation of course! And yes, thanks to this recipe, I still do. If I had to do college over again, I would have made these cookies weekly! I also wouldn't have lived with my roommate who was the mayor of PSYCHOVILLE for over 2 years, but we'll save that for another time.
These cookies are everything I look for in a cookie. They've got crispy crunchy edges with a nice chewy center. Such a great bite! No need to worry, the espresso flavor isn't too bold. It's like a light buttery hazelnut latte with a few crunchy toasted nuts every now and then. There's also a subtle hint of malt flavoring in them. I don't know where that came from, but I enjoyed it immensely.
A few more notes about these cookies-
-The description in the Everyday Food: Fresh Flavors Fast cookbook says that these cookies are more of an adult cookie. NOT TRUE. Eleven of the twelve cookies I gave to my neighbor were eaten by her children. Those kids saved ONE for their mom. How ROTTEN! Tell your kids that there's spinach in them. Get their paws away from your cookies. Eat them during their nap time or when they are down for the night. Hide them where you hide their Christmas presents! Seems Coop wanted to get his little fingers on them too... NO WAY!
-The scent that will fill your kitchen when you bake these resembles the smell of hot buttery pancakes served with a freshly brewed pot of coffee. Close your eyes and meditate on that one. Is there anything more comforting than that? NOPE.
-They aren't ridiculously sweet. Which is great! And that's probably one of the reasons they are considered an adult cookie. If you want something on the sweeter side and want to indulge yourself even more, add some chocolate chips. DO IT. I will if you do!
-Roasting the hazelnuts wasn't as hard and annoying as I thought it would be. The skins peel right off if you use the technique described in the recipe! The steaming in the dish towel trick is pretty cool.
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Cherrywink Cookies
Flashback!
Two months ago I was at my parent's house discussing our favorite cookies at the dinner table. My mom told us that Cherrywinks were one of her favorites.
Cherrywinks? Say what?? What are Cherrywinks?
Apparently they are the classic cookies her grandmother made when she was younger! My dad agreed upon their deliciousness. He had his share from her too! If you could see how they beamed when discussing these cookies.... it was like Christmas morning! My mom got her Betsy Wetsy doll and my dad got that BB gun he wanted! The delight in their faces! The joy! Cookies!
The seed was planted. I must find the recipe and make them a batch.
Flash forward!
A month later, my mom handed me the recipe. She found it from her archives and it looked well loved. Thanks great- grandma for being so organized! I'm prepared to surprise them!
The top got damaged in transit. Don't kill me mom!
Earlier this week!
My mom's birthday arrived! So what better excuse to make her some?
So here they are!
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you! Continue reading→
Earl Grey Tea Cookies
Here's a good holiday gift idea for your tea loving friend...make them some earl grey tea cookies!
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Look what's currently sitting on my kitchen counter!
And there's a whole other group of them on the cooling rack...just chillin'
