Cranberry-Raisin-Spice Biscotti

The holidays, and first part of this year, have been a rough and tumble time around the Mormon Foodie house. Family health issues, along with the normal stresses of the holidays, really slowed down my output. Consequently, you missed a few things I made over the holidays. On the tasty treat front, was a tasty holiday themed Cranberry-Spice Biscotti.

In case you don’t already know, biscotti is made by baking an over-large cookie, cutting it into long, relatively thin slices, and then cooking it again, making them hard as rocks by design. They’re supposed to be dunked in some hot drink or other. In my house that means hot chocolate, herbal tisans, or Pero.

The trouble is, I still think they’re too hard. My solution? Don’t cook them for as long. I prefer my biscotti to have some “give” when I bite into it.

This recipe uses ginger, coriander, and cardamom to bring out the flavor of dried cranberries and raisins. Feel free to substitute other dried fruit as inspired. A combination of white and milk chocolate add a bit more complementary sweetness and flavor depth. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies, making it perfect for a cookie exchange, or a gift for your home/visiting teaching families.

Equipment Needed
Large baking sheet
Parchment paper
Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Hand mixer
Plastic wrap
Sandwich bags
Scissors

Ingredients
1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 cup raisins, finely chopped
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

for the glaze
4 ounces white chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
4 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, coriander, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together, using a hand mixer at medium speed, until light, fluffy, and well blended. Add the eggs, lemon juice, corn syrup and vanilla. Beat until blended.

Warning! The mixture may look curdled. This is perfectly normal. Don’t freak out.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the egg mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in the chopped cranberries and raisins until evenly distributed.

Divide the dough in half. Roll one-half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into a 15 inch x 2 inch log, rolling it up in the plastic wrap like sushi to help you shape it. Remove from the plastic wrap and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Arrange the logs as far apart as possible on the baking sheet and press down to 3/4 inch thickness.

Bake for 30 minutes on the center rack of the oven or until browned and slightly cracked. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Keep the oven on.

Transfer the flattened logs to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut diagonally into scant 1/2-inch thick slices. Lay the slices cut side down back on the parchment lined sheet. You may need a second sheet, or you can do this in batches. Bake for 5 to 7 more minutes in the oven, or longer if you want them hard. Turn them once. Remove from the sheets and let cool completely on wire racks. You can turn your oven off at this point.

Once the biscotti are cool, place them on a flat surface, like a table or a cool baking sheet, lined with wax paper.

Now to make the glaze. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate chips and 2 tsp of the shortening. Microwave on medium for 1-2 minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is almost melted. Continue stirring until the chocolate mixture is completely melted and smooth. Pour into a small, disposable plastic bag, a sandwich bag works great, and push the chocolate to one corner. Snip a tiny bit of the corner off with a pair of kitchen scissors and pipe the melted chocolate over the cookies in thin lines. Repeat this with the regular chocolate chips, melting, mixing, and piping.

Alternately you can melt chocolate and dip the ends of the biscotti in it. I just like the way this technique looks. It’s quite impressive, but super easy to do. For more tips on how it works, see this recipe for Holiday Orange-Spice Sugar Cookies.

Let the biscotti stand for 20 minutes until the glaze hardens. Store in and airtight container at room temperature and they will keep for up to 3 weeks, assuming they aren’t eaten before then.

Makes just about 4 dozen cookies.

Oaty Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

In marriage, we often have to make sacrifices. We give a little, our spouse gives a little, we both compromise. One thing I’m not compromising on is my oatmeal cookies. Not only does my wife not like oatmeal cookies, she doesn’t like raisins, either. Too bad for her. These are great cookies. All the more for me, I guess. If it weren’t for the children, anyway.

Most oatmeal cookie recipes just don’t have as much oaty flavor as I’d like. This recipe is different. It actually has more oats than flour. The raisins balance the heartiness of the oats with fruity sweetness. Too bad they get eaten so fast. Oh, well. Munch all you want. I’ll make more.

Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Parchment paper (optional)
2 Rimmed baking sheets
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Hand-held mixer
Ice cream scoop (optional)
Cooling racks

Ingredients
2 sticks butter (16 tablespoons), softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions
Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (or use cooking spray).

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar using a hand mixer on medium speed, until blended and fluffy. While the mixer is running, add the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Add the oats and raising and mix until just incorporated.

Using and ice-cream scoop, scoop up about 1/4 cup of dough per cookie, placing them on the two lined baking sheets about 2 1/2-inches apart. You should get about 10 cookies per baking sheet. Gently flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand.

If you don’t have a good ice cream scoop, you can roll the dough into balls with your hands.

Bake in the oven until the tops are lightly golden, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 25 minutes. Swap and rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.

Remove the cookies and let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling, or serve warm. With milk.

Makes 20 cookies.

Creamy Lemon Bars Recipe

A lemon walks into a bar and the bartender asks, “Why the sour face?”

Unlike that tasteless joke, these lemon bars  are full of flavor. Creamy, refreshing, and not too tart, they’re a perfect summer dessert. They were a hit with my kids and I think yours will enjoy them, too.

I use bottled lemon juice for these bars out of convenience, but you can certainly use fresh lemon juice. Tossing some lemon zest in with the lemon juice will only improve the flavor. You’ll need 4 fresh lemons and 1/4 cup grated lemon zest.

Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons
9” x 9” baking pan
Aluminum foil
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Instant-read thermometer
Fine-mesh strainer
Rubber spatula
Cooling racks
Saucepan
Chef’s knife

Ingredients

Crust
8 Tbl butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Cooking spray

Filling
2/3 cup lemon juice
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbl granulated sugar
Salt
4 Tbl butter
3 Tbl heavy cream

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Cut all of the butter into small pieces and place on a small plate or bowl to soften, about 30 to 60 minutes. Keep the butter for the crust separate from the butter for the filling to make it easier later on.

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Line the baking pan with two long sheets of aluminum foil, perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over the side to make a foil “sling.” This will make it easier to remove, later. Make sure the foil is pushed into the corners and smooth against the sides and bottom of the pan. Coat the sides and bottom with cooking spray.

Making the Crust
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 8 Tbl of the softened butter and mix with clean hands until the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like course cornmeal. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly across the bottom with your fingers. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until it just starts to brown.

Making the Filling
While the crust bakes, whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 1 cup plus 2 Tbl granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest, if using, along with a pinch of salt. Add the rest of the butter and cook over medium low heat until slightly thickened and registering 170 °F on a thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the mixture through a strainer into a mixing bowl, pushing the liquid through with a rubber spatula. Stir in 3 Tbl heavy cream.

Remove the crust from the oven and pour the hot lemon filling over it. It’s important that both the crust and the filling be hot to prevent the crust from getting soggy and the lemon curd cooked properly.

Bake until the filling is shiny and jiggles only slightly when shaken, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool in the pan about 2 hours. Remove the lemon bars from the pan using the foil sling to gently lift them out onto a cutting board. Cut into 9 squares. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 9 servings.

Big, Chewy, Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend and fellow food blogger Mark Hansen once told me he likes chewy cookies, not crunchy ones. Have I got a chocolate cookie for you, my friend. These cookies are big and totally tasty. Using melted butter, along with extra egg yolks, keeps these cookies rich and chewy. We use dark chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate, or even butterscotch chips if you’d like to.

Equipment needed
Small saucepan
Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper (optional)
Rubber spatula
Hand mixer or standing mixer (recommended)
Ice cream scoop
Cooking rack

Ingredients
2 sticks butter (16 Tbl)
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 additional egg yolks
1 Tbl vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag dark chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Directions

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally as it melts. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 °F with two racks set to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions.

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. You can use cooking spray, instead, but I find the bottoms of the cookies aren’t as likely to overcook with parchment paper and clean up is easier.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well blended. You can use either a hand mixer or a standing mixer. You can also a wooden spoon or stiff whisk, but it will take longer.

Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time until all is combined, about 30 to 40 seconds. Do not over mix. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly incorporated.

Using a medium ice cream scoop (about 1/3 cup), scoop rounded balls of dough onto the two parchment lined baking sheets, 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden and the centers are soft and puffy, about 20 minutes. Rotate and switch the baking sheets, from one rack to the other, halfway through, to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. The cookies may not look done to you. Take them out, anyway. They’ll continue cooking and firm up on the baking sheet as they cool.

Serve warm or transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

Makes 16 to 20 large cookies.

How to Make Meringues

Meringue - a fancy name for dried egg whites and sugar. This basic mixture is used in countless ways and in all kinds of desserts. Instead of drying, it can be poached to make oeufs à la neige (snow eggs). Mix it with nuts and you get dacquoise (also the name of a dessert cake using meringue as a base).

Here I'm sharing the simple technique of whipping them up, and drying them into little, lady finger like cookies. I'll share more elaborate techniques, later.

Equipment needed
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Hand mixer
Rubber spatula
Metal spatula
Baking sheet

Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar*
pinch cream of tartar**
butter and flour to coat baking sheet***

Directions
Separate the eggs, saving the yolks for some other dish. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer on medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until they start to hold their shape.

When egg whites are beaten, some of the hydrogen bonds in the egg protein break. This causes the protein molecule to unfold itself and get stiff. The cream of tartar acts as a binder for these broken protein chains.

Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar and continue to beat the eggs for one minute. They should be very stiff and shiny. Don't over-beat them! They will loosen up and become liquid.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Folding in the sugar at the end makes for a more tender meringue.

Coat a cookie sheet with butter and flour. Fill a large plastic storage bag or pastry bag with the egg white mixture. Pipe out plane or fluted meringues, about the size and shape of lady fingers (about an inch wide and 3 inches long). Lift the bag at the end in sharp, upward motion to avoid creating a long tail. Dipping your fingers in cold water, push the tails down, or leave them if you don't mind the look of them.

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the meringues for 1 hour 45 minutes, to 2 hours or so. The meringues should be very well dried. If you have an oven that will go as low as 135 degrees, you can dry them for 24 hours, like restaurants do. Carefully remove the dried meringues with a metal spatula. Store in a dry, covered container. Stored this way, meringues will keep for several weeks. Don't refrigerate them or they'll get soggy.

Meringues can be served on top of ice cream, with fruit, whipped cream, or plain. You can even make little meringue sandwiches by putting a little whipped cream in between two of them. I like dusting them with cocoa powder, as you can see in the picture, above.

*You can use regular granulated sugar for meringues, as well, it just needs to have very fine crystals.

** If you don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute a few drops of lemon juice or even a pinch of salt as a binding agent.

***You can use “cooking spray for bakers,” which has flour in it, if you like.

Photos by Mormon Foodie!

Christmas Cookies: Tangerine Dainties

Christmas and cookies just go together, don't you think? I sure do, which is why, every year at Christmastime, I make up a bunch of different cookies. My long time readers know this, of course. I've already got a few other cookie recipes here that you may want to check out.

This weekend, though, it was time to do something with the large number of tangerines my mother had given us for Christmas. Even though the family was doing it's best to devour them, there were quite a few left. They certainly weren't eating themselves. Then I remembered this recipe.

I really like these tiny, bite-sized cookies. Their small size may be part of the charm. They pack a surprisingly full flavor for their small size. The actual cookie has a buttery, mildly orange taste, not too sweet. The icing adds the perfect amount of sweetness, with a touch of tartness, to this elegant cookie.

If you don't have any tangerines on hand, use oranges instead.

Equipment Needed
Box grater or Microplane Grater/Zester
Several Baking sheets
Mixing bowls
Hand mixer
Measuring cups and spoons
Wire cooling racks
waxed paper

Ingredients

for the cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, plus two more egg yolks
2 tablespoons freshly grated tangerine zest
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
non-stick cooking spray

for the icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated tangerine zest
1 drop each, red and yellow food coloring
1 tablespoon water, more as required

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

To prepare the cookies:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer, at high speed, until well combined. Add the egg, extra egg yolks, tangerine zest, vanilla, and lemon extract. Beat with the hand mixer on medium speed until well blended.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl. Switch to dough hooks, it you have them, and mix until well blended and the dough comes together well. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to stiffen the dough.

Roll the dough into 3 /4 inch balls and place on the baking sheets. Better yet, get your kids to do it for you. Make sure you've got around 2 inches of space between them. You'll can easily do this in batches so, don't worry if you run out of baking sheets before you run out of dough. Just put the dough back in the refrigerator between batches.

Place the baking sheets in a single layer in the upper third of your oven.* Bake for 5 minutes and then turn the baking sheets around, so the cookies that were in the front of the oven are now in the back, and vice versa. This helps ensure even cooking. Bake for 5 more minutes.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven. Using a spatula, carefully remove the cookies and place them on wire cooling racks. If the cookies are too soft, and squish in when you try and remove them, let them sit on the baking pan for about 5 more minutes to firm up. Let them cool completely while you put the next batch in the oven.

To prepare the icing:
In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, tangerine juice, zest, food coloring, and 1 tablespoon of water. Using a fork, or the hand mixed, blend until well combined. Add additional water, a little at a time, until the icing is just a little runny. Set aside until all the cookies are completely cooled.

Once the cookies are cool, cover part of your counter or kitchen table with wax paper. Dip the tops of the cookie into the icing, and let the excess run off. Place the cookies, iced side up, on the waxed paper and let stand until the icing completely sets, about 45 minutes.

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, or in the freezer for one month, assuming you don't eat them all first. A better option is to give any you don't think you'll eat in time to your neighbors as a Christmas gift.

Makes about 4 to 6 dozen cookies.

I know that icing each individual cookie can be a pain, but trust me. This cookie is worth it. Enlist your family members or friends to help you make them.

*Placing the baking pans this high in the oven ensures the cookies are well cooked, but the bottoms don't get too dark. Don't try and bake them on two different rack levels. I've tried it, and the cookies never cook evenly that way. It's safer just to do them in batches.

Five Spice Cookies

Cookies and Christmas just go together. Every year I make a batch of Five Spice cookies, a spice cookie I came up with, inspired by Four-Spice Crackles. They add an Oriental flair to any Christmas cookie line up, and are a favorite around our house.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons Chinese Five-Spice powder (yes, that much)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and five-spice powder and set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, shortening and molasses with a hand mixer until blended and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well blended. Add the rest of the flour and beat until just blended. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 1/ 2 hours or until firm enough to shape into small balls.

Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease your hands and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in course (turbinado) sugar. Place about 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray, or lined with parchment paper.

Bake on the upper rack 9 to 12 minutes until cookies are cracked and slightly soft in the center. Bake in batches so you don't over fill the oven. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Five-spice cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 1 month.

If you can't find course sugar, you can substitute regular sugar, it just won't look so pretty.

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Brownies with Toasted Macadamia Nuts

Last Sunday I made brownies. From scratch. Really. They were very, very good. Monday, when I came home from work, they were all gone. Well, all but one. My wife made the kids (and herself) save at least one for me. When I told my wife I had decided to blog about them, she commented, “I liked those brownies. They were really good.” I guess that's why I don't have any pictures of them.

Confession time (again), I am not a brownie fan. At least I wasn't until Sunday. When I was a kid, my mom made brownies. They were hard blocks of stale, brownish, gritty cake like stuff that had more in common with hardened drywall paste than food. They were topped by a layer mini-marshmallows (which I hate) and a thick layer of solidified, too sweet, icing. I suppose they tasted a little like chocolate. It was all I could to gag them down and drown the flavor with a glass of milk.

Unfortunately, eating them this way would only cause Mom to think, “Oh, he must like them,” and then guilt me into having another. It's the only time in my life I can think of where I didn't want to eat something my mom had baked. “Uh ... no thanks, Mom. Can I just have a peanut butter sandwich?”

After I got married, my wife introduced me to brownies in a box. Store bought brownie mixes were actually a bit better than my mom's nearly inedible ones. At least they were softer. Still, for the life of me I didn't know why anyone would want to eat a brownie instead of, well, a peanut butter sandwich.

Until last Sunday.

These brownies were good. Very good. Good enough that, even though they require a bit more work than I normally like, I just might make them again. They were soft, chewy, sweet, rich, and chocolaty.Not too fudgey, not too cakey. The toasted macadamia nuts added a mild nuttiness, offsetting the sweetness, and a nice crunch.

In the words of Baby Bear, “They were just right.” Now I like brownies. These brownies, anyway.

The original recipe came from Cook's Illustrated. It looked interesting and I wanted to try it. When it came to actually making it, though, I realized that I didn't have the exact ingredients in my pantry. I'd have to improvise a little. For example, I didn't have any walnuts or pecans, traditional fair for brownies, so I toasted some macadamia nuts, instead. I also didn't have unsweetened baking chocolate. I had the semi-sweet kind so, I'd have to reduce the sugar.

Take note that this recipe calls for cake flour, not all-purpose flour. You can use all-purpose flour if you want to, but Erika Bruce of Cooks Illustrated says it will turn out gritty because of the extra gluten. Remembering the horrible texture of my mom's brownies, I'm inclined to believe her.

Ingredients

1 cup macadamia nuts
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes my oven about ten minutes, even though it thinks its ready in five. Just like me, I think its getting older.

While you're waiting for the oven to heat up, cut a piece of aluminum foil about 18 inches long and fit lengthwise into a 9” x 13” baking pan. (I use a Pyrex one.) Press the foil into the corners of the pan to make it as flat against the pan as you can. Let the foil stick out over the edges so they can act like handles, later. Cut another piece of foil about 14 inch long and place it in the pan, perpendicular to the first piece. Again, let the excess foil hang over the edge. If using very wide foil, you may want to fold it over a bit, first, to give a more even fit. Spray the inside of the foil covered pan with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.

Once the oven comes up to temperature, spread the macadamia nuts out in a single layer on a large cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until toasty brown. Set aside to cool, but leave the oven turned on.

Using a whisk and a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan nearly halfway with water. Put it on the stove and heat on high until it just begins to simmer, and then reduce to medium-low to keep it going. Place a large heatproof bowl over the pan to create a makeshift double boiler. You're going to use this bowl to mix up all of the batter, eventually, so make sure it's big enough. I used a medium sized wok I have, and it was barely big enough.

Cut the butter into smaller pieces and add it to the bowl. Once they're about half-way melted add the chocolate pieces. Stir gently, but constantly, to melt the chocolate. Don't let it burn. When it's completely smooth, remove the bowl from the heat and gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk each one into the chocolate mixture completely before adding the next one.

Whisk in the vanilla. Yes, one tablespoon is a lot, but it's not a typo. This recipe is chocolaty tough. It can take it.

Add the flour mixture in two or three batches, folding it gently into the chocolate until you get a completely incorporated and smooth batter.

As an added bonus, with all this whisking and folding, your hands and arms will get a good work out. Maybe you should use a different arm for each step, just for balance.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Use the spatula to make sure it gets into the corners and smooth the surface a bit.

Chop the toasted nuts and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come back with just a few crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. If you wait until it's it comes out clean, you'll overcook the batter and the brownies will be dry.

Remove the pan and place it on a wire rack (pan and all) to cool to about room temperature, about an hour or so. You can turn the oven off now, by the way.

Life the brownies out of the pan using the overhanging foil. Cut them into 2 inch squares and serve with a cold glass of milk.

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Hunt for the Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie

How can we have “peanut butter month” and not talk about peanut butter cookies? We can't.

Okay, technically we can, but I'm not gonna do it. We're gonna talk peanut butter cookies.

I like peanut butter cookies. Like that was a big surprise, right? Searching the web for the best peanut butter cookie recipe led me down a dangerous path of peanuts, chocolate, and Hershey's Kisses. Not a bad afternoon. The trouble is, the basic cookie recipe kept coming up pretty much the same as the one in my Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book.

Don't get me wrong. It's a decent recipe. It's just too sweet for my tastes and doesn't have the deep, rich, peanut butter flavor I'm craving in a peanut butter cookie. So, whisk in hand, I kick-started my brain and attempted to discover a way to make a better peanut butter cookie.

My brain got scared and abandoned me so I started looking through some other cookbooks and cooking magazines for ideas, instead.

I found a recipe for Peanut Blossom Cookies in a recent Cook's Country Magazine (published by the same people who bring us Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen). This is basically a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Kiss stuck on top. It turns out that Peanut Blossom Cookies came out of the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off. The recipe was submitted by Freda Smith and, as the runner up, she got a GE Stove as part of the bargain. Not bad for a cookie.

While I can appreciate Hershey's Kisses on my peanut butter cookies, that's not what I was after.

Cali Rich, who came up with the recipe, mentioned that the magazine's taste testers wanted more peanut flavor, too. I thought this might be a good start. I also thought, “Maybe I can pack this with even more peanut butter flavor.”

They did it by adding finely ground roasted peanuts to the mix. I thought I'd take it one step further by replacing half the butter with more peanut butter.

The first step was to grind up some peanuts and flour. Not having any dry roasted peanuts, I used Spanish roasted peanuts, instead. Knowing that they had a lot more oil content, it made grinding them with flour even more critical. I wanted a course peanut flour, not more peanut butter.

After putting the peanuts and flour into my food processor I noticed that the output chute guard was missing. No big deal. I wasn't using the grater attachment so, it wouldn't matter.

I was wrong.

After recovering the peanuts that shot three feet across the counter when I turned the processor on, I rooted through the kitchen drawers to find the guard. After the second try, the intense smell of ground peanuts wafting up from the processor bowl made me smile. I was on the right track.

I quickly moved through the recipe, only realizing at the last minute that I'd forgotten to reduce the amount of butter before adding the peanut butter. I didn't want to mess with the chemistry too badly, so I ended up following the magazine recipe, instead. Mostly.

I also wanted a softer cookie than the old stand by recipe made, so I made a couple of batches as simple drop cookies. I was after a nicely crackled surface and a chewy inside. These turned out okay, but it seemed more like a tiny cake than a cookie, so I tried a couple of batches mashed down with a fork, like the classic recipe. This turned out to be the best bet. A little more crispy on the outside, but still a bit chewy on the inside.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature while you prepare the rest. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two baking trays with non-stick spray, or line with parchment paper.

Put 1 cup of flour and the peanuts into a food processor. Pulse several times to start grinding the peanuts and mix in the flour. Switch to low and process until the peanuts are well ground and the mixture looks uniform. Don't over-process too long.

Pour the peanut mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add peanut butter and continue beating until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and do it again. Scrape the mixture down the sides of the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the cookie sheets, given them about 2 inches of space between. I got 8 cookies to a sheet. Flatten the cookies a bit with a fork, pressing twice, to create the classic criss-cross pattern. You don't need to mash them too flat. Just enough to get a good pattern.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for about ten minutes. While one sheet is cooking, prepare the next. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the baked cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Next time, I'm going to try using dry roasted peanuts, cut the butter in half, and increase the peanut butter by 1/2 cup. I don't know. Maybe I'll keep the extra butter.

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