What Now?

To pour salt on the wound my little sister requested Crème Brule. I don't know about you but it seems I'm being challenged by the very people who support me. But you know what I accept that challenge. Lets add Crème Brule to the mix. Now I'm not saying those two dishes will be the next two items to grace this blog. But watch out because I am coming for them. I will defeat one Soufflé and one Crème Brule if its the last thing I do. I will do it and its going to be big and loud!

Step It Up

So I have been thinking about what I can do next. Actually with all of the chaos and cookies of Christmas I wasn't really thinking about it at all, but my boyfriend asked me. It just figures I finally sit down to relax after taking my 845th batch of cookies out of the oven and he asks "So Adrienne, what will you make next." And his tone was just so accusing. As if I haven't just gone through the cookie gauntlet this week. As if I haven't made hard desserts or something. Like everything up till now has been child's play and I need to step it up. In the heat of the moment I blurted out something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Or at least until I accomplish it. Soufflé I said casually. In a equally dagger like tone. A tone that screamed I make those all day every day with my eyes closed and this time will be just as easy. Only its not easy. Its one of the hardest things to accomplish. Great bakers have been brought to their knees by this dessert. Tossed aside and added to the pile of the many failed Soufflé makers. And its not like if you fail you get to go home with some parting gift and call it a day. No. If you fail you get a soupy mess that will just stare at you with disappointment from the bottom of the pan. So in that second of frivolity I did it. I sealed my fate. I signed my life away to this dessert. And the only way to get it back is to master this thing. Man I hope this works. Soufflé here I come.

Cookie Press Dreams!

This is another cookie I made with my cookie press. My older sister requested this flower shape. They came out pretty despite the fact that the cookie press was growling a little. The dough may have been too hard for it to handle. But at least I know for next time. Everyone enjoyed eating them and breaking them into tiny cookie bites. I can't believe its Christmas and I'm still making cookies!

Polvorones/Mexican Wedding Cookies

Wow this really is cookie week. I guess with the Christmas spirit in the air mama wanted to make cookies. And when I say that I mean wanted me to make cookies. This is a cookie my mom used to eat as a kid. She called them Polvorones, but they are also known as Mexican wedding cookies. Out of all of the cookies I have made these were the easiest. Aside from rolling each cookie into a ball everything else was painless. And once they were baked I rolled them in powdered sugar to get them dressed for their photoshoot. I tried one and really enjoyed it. It was smooth and creamy inside with a sweet outer layer that contrasted nicely with the semi-sweet center. They were like little clouds melting in my mouth. No wonder they are served at weddings, they are beautiful and delicious. I will definitely keep this recipe in my baking arsenal. They are sure to be a crowd please and are easier than pie.

Cappuccino Cookies

I guess its cookie week. This is another cookie for mama. It seems mama always has another recipe she wants to "try." But actually she wants me to just make them so she can enjoy. I don't mind making them. It helps me fill my blog with great recipes and gives me experience in all kinds of baking. I have a feeling this isn't the last recipe mama has printed out. I took a look on the fridge and saw a couple more cookie recipes hidden. Tisk tisk. This recipe was easy to get together. As most cookie recipes are they come together quickly once the prep is done. I have gotten pretty good at sifting the dry ingredients together and creaming the butter and sugar. This recipe of course had its own variations but nothing too complicated. The dough smelled like a fancy coffee drink and mama tasted it and said it was good. Once the dough was complete I had to roll two logs out of it and freeze for two hours. Yet again more waiting!!!! Once the dough was frozen I cut it into slices, topped the slices with chocolate sprinkles and baked. The finished cookie was good looking and mouth watery. They tasted the best right out of the oven, so soft and warm. That coffee drink smell translated into sweet coffee cookie. These cookies would be the perfect partner to a cup of coffee. I can already imagine mama enjoying them with a cup. I even had extra dough which I kept in the freezer for later.  Mama did a great job picking this cookie.

Hazelnut-Chocolate Linzer Cookies

This is another cookie I made for my team. I served these along with the sugar cookies you saw previously and my famous chocolate chip. This recipe was one I saw while checking out the Food Network website. It was presented on the 12 days of cookies. I thought they looked interesting because they weren't just one cookie but two sandwiched together with chocolate hazelnut spread between them. Now if that doesn't sound delicious to you then you don't have a pulse. Hahaha. The recipe was a little more involved then the cookies I'm used to. I had to create a kind of flour out of the hazelnuts by grinding them up in the food processor. And did I mention I do not have a food processor. I had to use a food chopper and pure strength to get the powder I needed. After the chopping war was over the dough had to rest for 1 hour. I've noticed that the recipes that make me wait seem to be the hardest, mostly because I am impatient and can't wait to get the cookies in the oven and into my stomach. When the waiting was over and the cookies were baked and cooled I spread them with hazelnut spread and left them with the sugar cookies. I tried a couple bites of one and it was great. I loved the combination of the hazelnut and orange zest inside the cookie dough and the hazelnut spread. Yummy. Of course everyone at worked couldn't wait to get their hands on them. I was glad they turned out so great.

Soft Sugar Cookies

I wanted to make some cookies for my team at work. I am going to be leaving them soon and I wanted to do something nice. These are just some basic sugar cookies that I first made in a high school cooking class. They always turn out so soft and delicous. I used to make them all the time for Valentine's Day with pink frosting on them but this time I just made them plain. I thought the recipe was pretty simple but as I finished up and saw the dough I realized I forgot to use self rising flour. The recipe calls for baking powder and cream of tartar unless you use self rising flour. Since i forgot the dough came out a little dry and made cookies that were crunchy rather then soft. I was a little upset and was debating whether or not I should serve them. I kept having nightmares that people would break a tooth or throw them away so I tried to put a slice of bread in the container to soften them up. When I got to work they were a little softer and I gave them to my team. Needless to say cookies are cookies and they were loved by my co-workers. I guess I'm just hard on myself because I always find something wrong that others just overlook. I was glad everyone enjoyed them despite their crunchy texture. At that point it crossed my mind that maybe some people like crunchy cookies. Although when I was going thru my panic I could not seem to think of one cookie that was served crunchy. But my memory flooded back to me when I saw the cookies get devoured. Another crisis averted and another happy crowd.