Happy Spring!

Hi there, friends!

Just a quick note to say, Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Sunshine! (Can you tell I'm feeling happy right now?!)

Kate and I have been busy, but more posts will be coming soon. For now, I just wanted to share some photos of some Easter cookies I made this year. We first posted the recipe for Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies on Easter Sunday of 2011. Much has changed in the two years since then - the Music Man and I got married, we all moved into new apartments, and exciting new things have taken place in the greater world beyond.

But much has also stayed the same - Kate and I still love to bake, the Music Man still loves to eat what we bake, and at the end of a tough day when I need a little pick-me up, I always know that I can find it in flour, butter, and sugar.

And I'm grateful that spring is here - it's a time to take a deep breath of fresh air. It's a time of renewal and rejuvenation. And it's a time of sunshine and blue skies! If that doesn't get you going, what will?

I was feeling so rejuvenated by the sunshine this weekend that I made not one, but three batches of these Easter lemon sugar cookies to celebrate the season and share with friends. They turned out mighty cute, if I do say so myself. :-)

Happy Spring, everyone!

Peanut Butter Buttons

Howdy, folks! Nice to see you (or blog at you) again! I feel like I've been away from Sunday Treats for months.

Oh, wait. I have.

You see, there's a certain big day for me and the Music Man coming up kinda soon. 146 days, to be exact! I'm getting excited.

146 is also the approximate number of items remaining on my Wedding To-Do List. So much to do!

Would you like an example of how immersed I've been in wedding planning?

Watch as I illustrate with entirely too much ease how the steps for baking peanut butter buttons are the same as the steps for planning a wedding...

Baking Peanut Butter Buttons
Step 1: Roll hundreds of isty bitsy teeny tiny bits of dough into itsy bitsy teeny tiny little balls.
Step 2: Put them in the oven to bake. Think you're going to get 20 more balls of dough rolled in that 6 minutes? Wrong! Time flies when you're rolling teeny tiny bits of dough into teeny tiny little balls. Ding!
Step 3: Scramble to place a chocolate chip - the finishing touch - on each of the cookies before they cool. Hurry! Time is running out!
Step 4: Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Grab some cookies, chow down, and watch 'em disappear.

Planning a Wedding
Step 1: Coordinate hundreds of itsy bitsy teeny tiny details with a bunch of other itsy bitsy teeny tiny details.
Step 2: Put those done details aside and wait for the big day. Think you're going to get 20 more details organized in the next five months? Wrong! Times flies when you're coordinating a billion teeny tiny details with a billion other teeny tiny details. Ding dong!
Step 3: Scramble to get those last minute tasks - the finishing touches - done the night before. Hurry! Time is running out!
Step 4: Enjoy the fruits of your labor (and love). Say those vows, party down, and watch the day disappear!

I might be starting to lose it here, folks.

But you know what? I'm okay with that. Because these little cookies and this big day are both things that I've been wanting to make happen for a long time. Finally getting to enjoy both is worth all the tedious prep, the waiting, and the scrambling.

Difference is, one I get to enjoy until the tupperware is empty. The other I get to enjoy for the rest of my life. :-)

- Becky

Peanut Butter Buttons

Adapted from 17 and baking
Makes approximately 15 dozen cookies, depending on size

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated sugar for rolling
Chocolate chips (any type)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix peanut butter and shortening with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Add two sugars and mix until light. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

4. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating well between each. Place dough in fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes.

5. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls (approximately 1/4 teaspoon of dough). Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 5-7 minutes or until edges are just starting to brown.

6. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate chip into the center of each cookie. (Be careful not to touch the edges of the hot cookie sheet!) Let cookies cool one minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. [Note: The chocolate chip will be warm and gooey for some time, so be careful before stacking them.]

To make regular peanut butter cookies, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and press down gently with the tines of a fork. Rolling dough into balls and then in sugar is optional. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Cookies will keep for several days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

With our first snow storm a couple days ago and temperatures now in the 20s or lower, it seems that winter has finally taken up residence in NYC.


Call me crazy, but I actually prefer the extreme cold over 40 or 50 degree weather, for two reasons.


First, (and this is HUGE for my decision-impaired personality), the extreme cold considerably narrows down my wardrobe choices. Which coat to wear? The puffiest one. Which scarf to wear? The fuzziest one. Which hat to wear? The covers-my-ears-iest one. 


See? Easy decisions.

The second reason I like the cold weather is that it gives me an excuse to drink things like hot chocolate. And mochas. And peppermint hot chocolate. And Bailey's with hot chocolate.


I mean, um...hot chocolate with Bailey's.

In short, the cold weather gives me the excuse to consume one of my favorite treats--chocolate--in warm, comforting, liquid form. What could be better than that?

Well, possibly these cookies.  Because these are my favorite treat in warm, comforting, liquid form in cookie form.


Beck and I have made these cookies no less than three times since we discovered the recipe, to rave reviews each time. DaddyBob--usually a man of few words--waxed poetic about their perfect blend of crispiness and chewiness. "Better than a regular chocolate chip cookie!" he said.

They're also great because you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry, especially if you're like me and have nine thousand boxes of hot chocolate packets because you buy a box every time the weather gets cold "just in case you don't have any at home."


These cookies also keep extremely well, and perhaps get even better over the course of a couple days (assuming you can keep them around for that long!). And they're awesome dipped in milk. Or hot chocolate. Or Bailey's.


So next time it gets cold and you find yourself asking, "Which cookies to bake?," don't fret over the choices. The cookie you should bake is as obvious as choosing the covers-my-ears-iest hat. Which cookies to bake? The hot chocolate-iest ones, of course.


Stay warm,
Katie

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Baked Bree

Makes several dozen cookies

3 1/4 cups flour
4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup each white, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 3 cups any combination of chocolate chips)

marshmallow fluff (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, sift flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

3. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, blending well between each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Chill cookie dough for 45 minutes (this is not terribly essential, so feel free to skip if you’re short on time). Near end of chilling time, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Drop dough in heaping tablespoons onto prepared sheets* and bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to brown around the edges. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

*To add a marshmallow swirl to the cookies (as pictured), scoop a tablespoon of dough into the palm of your hand and flatten dough between your palms. Spread dough with a small amount of marshmallow fluff (just as much as you can scoop on the tip of a knife, maybe a ¼ - ½ teaspoon). Fold dough up around fluff and roll dough into a ball between your palms. Place on cookie sheet and bake as directed above.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Ok, so, last year for this haunted holiday, Katie and I decided to go scary, gross, and delicious with these oh-so-icky yet oh-so-yummy Oreo Cookie Eyeball Truffles. Fun, yes. Horrific? Definitely. I think our inclination to go bloody had something to do with the whole vampire-zombie-werewolf trend...

This year, we decided to bake up a treat from the other end of the Halloween spectrum. These little bitty cookies are the baking equivalent of a baby dressed up as a lady bug, or a doggie in a pumpkin suit, or anyone decked out as Winnie the Pooh. In short, they're super cute!

They're also just as addicting as the candy they're modeled after, so I'm warning you now: practice self-control. You will thank me later. Your waistline will, too. And your dentist.

They ARE rather tiny cookies, though. So, you know, don't torture yourself. You can have more than one. Five would be ok. Or six, or seven, or ten.

Actually, it's probably best to just make a double batch.

Vampires, this isn't for you! It's orange gel food coloring!

This recipe comes from the ladies at Our Best Bites. The step-by-step photos they've posted are excellent, so rather than re-creating them, Kate and I decided that you all could exercise your fingers and click your way on over!

So if you're feeling this Halloween like you'd rather hear some "Oohh, how cute!" than some "Oohhh, how gross!", bake up some adorableness candy-corn style.

Happy treating!

-Becky

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1 batch sugar cookie dough (like this one*)
Yellow and orange food coloring
*For these cookies though, I replace the lemon extract with almond extract

Optional:
Sanding sugar, coarse raw sugar, or sprinkles
Almond bark or white chocolate, melted

Instructions:

1. Divide prepared sugar cookie dough into three equal portions. Set aside one portion as the white part of the candy corn. Color one portion with yellow food coloring, the other with orange. Gel food coloring gives you the brightest color, but liquid food coloring will work as well. Be sure to add food coloring in small bits until you are satisfied with the color. Also, unless you want to wash your beaters, do the yellow first!
2. Line a standard loaf pan with plastic wrap. Gently press the uncolored dough into the bottom of pan and smooth flat, keeping it at least 1/2-3/4 inches high (you don’t have to use the whole pan if you have a small batch of dough). The taller the layer of dough, the larger your cookies will be. Layer orange dough on top of previous layer and gently smooth flat. Finally, layer yellow dough and gently smooth top. Wrap plastic over dough and chill until firm, 30-60 minutes in freezer or 1-2 hours in fridge. Or, store the dough in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking.
3. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap, lift dough out of the loaf pan onto a cutting board, and slice loaf into 1/4-inch slices. So the dough remains chilled, it is best to work with just a few slices at a time, placing the remaining dough back into the loaf pan and the fridge.
4. Trim the top of each slice to make a straight line. Then, cut each slice into triangle shapes and dip top side in sugar if desired. Bake according to sugar cookie directions, noting that these small cookies may bake more quickly than the recipe indicates. Cool 1-2 minutes on pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. If desired, dip ends in almond bark or white chocolate and decorate with sprinkles. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.

World Peace Cookies

I'm not sure when I heard about these cookies for the first time, but they've been on my to-bake list for a while. It was the name that first caught my attention.

"What could possibly be in those cookies?" I wondered. "Good listening skills? Understanding? Courage? Not just mere tolerance of people and cultures different from our own, but arms and hearts that embrace and celebrate our many differences?"

That would be one complicated cookie.

As it turns out, these cookies are not complicated at all. They are simple (albeit unorthodox) sables--shortbread cookies with a chocoately, salty twist.

While the story behind their name comes from Dorie Greenspan's neighbor who was convinced that a daily dose of these cookies would ensure peace the world round, I think the name is appropriate based on flavor alone.

With a little sweetness and a little saltiness, these cookies remind us that peace is all about balance. It's about taking something someone says (and in this case, the cookies we eat), with a grain of salt. It's about standing up for what we believe in...in this case, chocolate. And it's a reminder that sometimes in order to achieve peace, we must have courage to take something we're comfortable with (shortbread cookies), and turn it on its head (Sea salt? In my cookies?!).

As I sit here in New York amid remembrances of 9/11, I'm not entirely convinced that a daily dose of these cookies would achieve world peace.

But they would be a start.

My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost loved ones on 9/11. May your hearts find peace. To all our readers--may each of us find ways--cookie baking or otherwise--to be daily instruments of peace for our families, our communities, and our world.

Best,

Katie

World Peace Cookies
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan via Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons total) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Prepping the dough:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more. Turn off the mixer. 

3. Pour in the flour mixture, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours (I froze for 2 hours). (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting ready to bake: 

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6. Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Serving: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

Do ahead: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months. They can also be frozen in log form for months, and can be sliced and baked directly from the freezer, adding a couple minutes to the baking time.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Hey Readers! How are ya?

Are you holed up in your apartment waiting out Hurricane Irene, like I am? Are you using the hurricane as an excuse to watch old episodes of Mission Impossible, like I am? Are you also using it as an excuse to make Banana Bread Pudding, like I am?

No?

Oh. Why not?

Because you're at the beach today?

WHY?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! GO HOME! ON YOUR WAY, STOP AT THE SUPERMARKET AND WAIT IN LINE FOR AN INSANE AMOUNT OF TIME TO BUY WATER AND SOUP AND TOILET PAPER! WHILE WALKING HOME, CALL YOUR MOTHER TO ASSURE HER YOU ARE OKAY! AND CALL GRANDPA, TOO! WHEN YOU GET HOME, BOARD UP YOUR WINDOWS! FILL YOUR BATHTUB! LOCATE YOUR FLASHLIGHT! BE PREPARED, DEAR READERS!

What's that you say? You're not even on the east coast?

Oh.

Sorry. Please excuse my shouting. I fear that being holed up in my apartment has caused me to eat quite a bit of sugar recently.

The beach huh? That must be nice. I was at the beach once. Only seven days ago, in fact. And I brought these Lemon Cornmeal Cookies.

Reasons these cookies are great for the beach:

1) They're sturdy enough to withstand the schlep to the beach.

2) They do not melt in the sun.

3) The cornmeal gives them a sandy texture, which means you can eat 'em with sandy fingers and never know the difference.

4) They remind me of sand dollars.

5) And the sun.

6) And frisbees.

7) In fact, if you got desperate for beach sports equipment, you could probably use these as frisbees.

8) You could probably also use them to shield your eyes from the sun while you sunbathed. But then a seagull might swoop down to steal a cookie and poke your eyes out in the process...

...which would be worse: being on a beach during a hurricane, or getting your eyes poked out by seagulls?

What's that?

Oh. Yes. You're absolutely right. I should lay off the sugar before I go completely loopy.

Here's the bottom line: Stay safe during this hurricane, and if you're not on the east coast and are enjoying the beach, take these Lemon Cornmeal Cookies. But stay away from seagulls.

Best,
Katie

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light, via Me, Myself & Pie
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment.


2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger in a medium bowl and set aside.


3. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in lemon zest.


4. Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well until incorporated.


5. Use a cookie scoop or teaspoon to scoop 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough. Roll dough between palms to make a ball. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. 


6. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and almost firm, rotating pans halfway through. Cool cookies on pans for 2 minutes or until firm. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


Note: I made these once on a very hot day and the cookies spread a lot more, so if it's very hot in your kitchen, you may want to consider chilling the dough first, and in between batches.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Growing up, Becky and I used to await the day every June when Mama B came home from Costco with a giant tub of red vines. That tub signaled the official start of summer in our house; it was a symbol of the hours of swimming, koosh ball games, and zip-a-dee-doo-dah singing day trips to come.


Man! I couldn't WAIT for that tub of red vines to appear on our kitchen counter every June!


But you know what? If you put a giant tub of red vines in front of me now, yeah, I'd get all nostalgic and grab one red vine. I might even bite both ends off and use the red vine as a straw in a can of fruit punch soda, just for old times' sake.


But then I'd be done. Because just as our summer activities have evolved from playing catch to enjoying free Shakespeare in the park, so have our palates evolved.

Of course, not everything has changed. We do still sing zip-a-dee-do-dah, and do still feel it's not summer until we've had a special treat. With all the baking we've done in the last few years, a new "it's not summer until..." tradition has emerged: strawberry shortcakes.


We're big fans of good ol' Bisquick shortcakes, and I can whip those babies up in less than 20 minutes. But I'll admit that when I recently carried Bisquick shortcakes, plus strawberries, plus whipped cream to a dinner party...in the city...in the rain...I wished I'd had a more portable version of this fabulous treat.


Well, leave it to Martha to grant my wish. These Strawberry Shortcake Cookies gather all the summery goodness of traditional strawberry shortcakes into one easy-to-bake, easy-to-transport, easy-to-eat cookie. If they had sold these at Costco when we were little, well, I might still actually like red vines today. Not that I'm wishing that was the case - I'm happy to have eaten my life's fill of red vines as a kid; it leaves me with the rest of my life to eat strawberry shortcake, in cookie form or otherwise.

What are your "it's not summer until..." traditions?

-Katie

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart, via Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Makes 3 dozen cookies


12 oz strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
coarse sugar, for topping the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir together strawberries, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar, then set aside.  


3. In a large bowl, combine lemon zest and remaining 7 tablespoons sugar. Rub zest into sugar with fingertips until moist and fragrant. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to zest/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Use a pastry cutter to cut butter into flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs.  Add cream to  bowl and stir until dough starts to come together. Gently stir in strawberry mixture.

4. Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) to portion dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake about 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cookies cool.  Cookies are best the day they're made, but can be kept in an airtight container for 1 day.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear Sunday Treats readers,

It's been three weeks since we last posted a recipe. Actually, four, if you look closely and realize that Katie's Mother's Day post didn't include a new recipe, but rather linked to recipes we've posted in the past. Sneaky, Kate, real sneaky.

It's been a busy month in the world of K&B, what with the end of the school year, 3-day weekends, allergy season (yuck), birthday parties, bridal showers, and dance rehearsals and performances. We seem to actually be busy these days. Overall, I like to consider that a good thing.

The not-good thing, of course, is that it means we've been neglecting our blogging duties. Please do not take that to mean we've been neglecting you, faithful readers! In fact, part of our busy-ness has sprung from the myriad of picnics and parties and celebrations we've been baking for. It's the post-baking posting that's eluded us.

We sincerely thank you for your patience. And, to some of you, we also express our gratitude for your persistence. It's certainly a lot easier to put your nose back to the grindstone (er, keyboard), when you have friends and coworkers reminding you in gentle yet exasperated tones that "you didn't post a recipe this week, again."

To reward you for your patience, I am about to unveil the recipe that has become a K&B signature. Drumroll please...

Presenting the famous, fantastic, fabulous...Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! Oh yeah, and they're vegan, too!

The story of these cookies starts in El Salvador - a country known for it's spectacular pupusas and pan dulce, not cookies. However, while studying abroad there in college, our fellow American student and enthusiastically vegan friend Miguel decided to prove to his housemates that a meatless, dairy-less, eggless, etc.-less existence could still be tasty by whipping up a batch of said banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Aspiring bakers that we were at the time, Miguel had to fight Katie and I out of the kitchen while he worked. When the cookies came out of the oven, he had to fight to save a cookie or two for himself. My most prized possessions from those four months abroad include my personal journals, drawings from the children I accompanied in the coffee fields each day, and the recipe for these cookies.

 

There are many, many reasons I love these cookies. 1) They are simple to throw together, with no mixer required (which was good, because in El Salvador, we didn't have one). 2) They make use of my favorite egg replacer - ripe bananas. 3) Good ol' oatmeal gives them stability, but more importantly allows you to rationalize eating one or five of them for breakfast. 4) They're great for entertaining vegan friends, but hold their own against traditional baked treats - so much so that I sometimes forget they are vegan at all. And 5) My coworkers request them, conversations are started by them (what do you mean they're vegan?!), and friends of friends remember who I am by tasting them. Muchas gracias a Miguel, they've given Kate and me our reputation as superb bakers.

For a while after discovering their power, Katie and I attempted to keep the recipe for these cookies to ourselves. Then, of course, we realized the irony and selfishness in hogging a recipe we'd in fact gotten from a friend in the first place. Now we share the recipe as often as we bake the cookies, which, I'm sure, is what Miguel would want us to do.

So there you have it. Have at 'em, amigos. And when someone asks you for the recipe, be a good friend and pass it on.

-Becky & Katie

 

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe via friend Miguel

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1½ cups flour, less one tablespoon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup canola oil

1 1/3 cups unrefined (raw) sugar

One to one and a half ripe bananas (when smashed, volume should equal that of approximately two eggs)

2 tablespoons vanilla soy milk (plain or banana soy milk are fine, too)

1½ tablespoons vanilla (be generous)

3 cups quick oatmeal

12 oz. dark chocolate chips or chunks (check label to make sure chocolate does not contain milk products)

Non-vegan substitutions: When baking for a non-vegan crowd, I've often substituted regular milk for soy milk and semisweet chocolate chips for the dark chocolate. The result is still quite tasty, but in my opinion, not quite as good as the original.

Note: As quick oats tend to be smaller and less sturdy than other oatmeal varieties, I like to use half quick oats and half quick-cooking "old fashioned" oats. However, any type of quick-cooking oats will do.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
3. In large bowl, stir together oil and sugar until creamy. 
4. Using a fork, potato masher, or the bottom of a sturdy glass or plastic cup, smash bananas in a flat-bottomed bowl or tupperware until you achieve a consistent texture. There should be no large lumps. Add bananas to the sugar/oil mixture, stirring until well combined.
5. Add soy milk and vanilla and stir well.
6. Slowly add in the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
7. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.
8. Place heaping tablespoons of batter onto cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.
9. Bake approximately 10 minutes. Cookies are done when the inside looks moist, but not too wet, i.e. when they no longer look too "shiny". Because there are no eggs in the batter, they will not brown as much as classic chocolate chip cookies. They will, however, turn a golden tan.
10. Remove cookies from oven and allow them to sit on the sheet for about two minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be delicate when hot, but will firm up as they cool.
11. Cookies are best the day they are baked, or the following day, but can be stored in an airtight container up to five days. You’ll know when they are no longer good because the taste changes. To keep moist, loosely wrap a slice of bread or apple in a paper towel and place in airtight container with cookies.

Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies

It's Easter Sunday! He is risen! Spring is here! The flowers are in bloom!

Now where is the chocolate?!

I ask, because, well...there was a teensy bit of Easter drama in our house this year. See, every year since the sis and I have moved to the big city, Mama B the Easter Bunny has sent us an Easter basket in the mail.

This year, however, one particular sister of mine hinted that Beck and I didn't want said Easter basket. She hinted that we were too old for an Easter basket, or that - contrary to the number of sweets we bake - we are actually eating pretty healthy these days and wouldn't want all the Easter candy to go to waste.

I guess that sis was right - it's true that a giant basket of candy in our house will not get fully eaten, and nobody likes to waste food.

But in that moment when I thought about Easter morning arriving and there being no chocolate duck (Katie = chocolate duck; Becky = chocolate bunny) to munch on before church...well, that just didn't feel right. The whole chocolate duck/bunny thing is one Easter tradition we are definitely not too old for.


And I knew that Mama B the Easter Bunny didn't feel right about it either, because I happen to know that Mama B the Easter Bunny rather enjoys her outing to Cost Plus World Market and Schurra's Candy Shop the Magical Easter Meadow to fill that Easter basket with said chocolate duck and bunny.


So I made a phone call and set the story straight with Mama B the Easter Bunny. Easter morning came and so did an Easter basket. Not a big one, mind you - just one small chocolate duck and one small chocolate bunny and a few other tiny things. There was enough that the tradition was maintained, but not so much that anything will go to waste.


As we change, so do our traditions.

This Easter is also significant to Becky and me because it is the first Easter since we were ten years old that we haven't danced at church. It was a difficult Triduum for this reason, but also a life-giving one - a chance to let new joys take the place of old ones, for old traditions to be augmented by new ones.


Our dear friend we usually dance with has a tradition of making giant sugar cookies on Easter. While we couldn't share Easter joy with her through dancing this year, we thought the least we could do was share some Easter sugar.


These are for you, dear friend. May your Easter be filled with the energy of new life, or in the very least, the energy of a sugar high :-)


Easter blessings to all,


- Katie & Becky

Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies

Recipe from friend M

Makes 12 4-inch sugar cookies

Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon oil (or almond extract)

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Icing

Powdered sugar

Juice of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts and mix well.


3. Add flour and baking powder and mix until well blended.


4. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place cutouts on baking sheets.


5. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, until edges of cookies are just starting to brown and centers are no longer shiny. Slide parchment off baking sheets onto cooling racks.


6. To make icing, squeeze lemon juice into bowl and add powdered sugar a little at a time, whisking, until desired consistency is reached. Frosting should be thin enough to paint onto cookies, but not so thin that it spreads and drips off sides of cookies. Divide frosting into several small bowls or glasses and add food coloring as desired.


7. Use a small paintbrush to paint designs on cookies, decorating with sprinkles as desired.

"Open Your Heart" Linzer Cookies

I was nine years old the first time I had my heart broken.

All through third grade, Matt was my best friend. We played keep away at recess and raced each other on the blacktop while our moms chatted after school. I'm not sure I ever called Matt my "best friend", but he was special to me, and I was happy.

Then fourth grade happened and suddenly it wasn't cool to be friends with a boy anymore. It wasn't like Matt and I had a specific conversation in which we decided we wouldn't toss the ball around at recess. Things were just suddenly and quietly different. And even though we sat next to each other in class, I knew I'd never be close to Matt in the same way again - that this change was just part of growing up - and my heart broke a little.

I call these cookies "Open Your Heart" Linzer Cookies because they remind me of a song by that name that I learned around that time - a song that just happened to be written by Matt's mother, who was the chorus teacher at school.

It's a song Becky and I still sing with each other on random car rides, not only because we not-so-secretly love singing children's songs, but because the song's message is a good one: Even if you're afraid, you've got to open your heart and trust that someone out there will love you for who you are, because you're wonderful.

I've had my heart broken a couple times since fourth grade. While these cookies look fancy, I can surely say that making "Open Your Heart" cookies is way easier than opening your heart again after it's been through the ringer. If you can make sugar cookie cutouts, you can make these linzer cookies.

Valentine's Day is coming up. If you've had your heart broken recently, perhaps making these cookies will remind you how sweet it can be to open it back up again. And if your heart is already taken, what better way to celebrate than with buttery, chocolate-y, raspberry-y goodness?

To open hearts,

-Katie

"Open Your Heart" Linzer Cookies 

adapted from BakedPerfection

Makes approximately 16 sandwich cookies and 16 small heart cutouts

For cookies

2 1/3 cups flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup softened butter 
2 eggs 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For filling
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup raspberry jam, room temperature
powdered sugar for sprinkling

1. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and almond extract and mix until creamy.

2. Add dry ingredients slowly and mix until combined. Dough will be slightly sticky. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm (at least 45 minutes, or overnight).

3. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.  Remove one portion of dough from fridge and roll on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. It's okay to be generous with flour. Cut rounds with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet in freezer. (Placing cookie sheet in freezer helps cookies maintain their shape when baked.)

Note: When I make sugar cookies, I almost never use the "roll on a floured surface" method - I prefer to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment. But that DID NOT work in this case. I recommend sticking with the flour.

4. While first cookie sheet is chilling, cut out second sheet of cookies, this time cutting centers out with a heart shaped cookie cutter.  Take first baking sheet from freezer; put second one in freezer. Place first sheet in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies just start to brown and middles look set. Those with the heart cutouts may not need to bake as long as the rounds.

5. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Continue the cycle of cutting out cookies and rotating sheets through the freezer until all dough has been used (you can re-roll the scraps), storing dough in the freezer between batches.

6.  When cookies are completely cool, melt 1 cup chocolate chips in 30 second intervals in microwave.  Stir raspberry jam so it's easily spreadable. Spread teaspoon chocolate on flat side of cookie round to within 1/8 inch of cookie sides, top with teaspoon raspberry jam. Top with cutout cookie (flat side down).

7.  To garnish, sprinkle with powdered sugar. We used a small heart cookie as a stencil to make sure we didn't get sugar on the jam. Let cookies sit for one day before serving to allow jam to soak into cookies.