Toasted Almond-Honey Ice Box Cookies.

I love ice box cookies, especially in summer.  You make one batch of dough without the worry of having to bake them right away and you've got something you can slice and bake whenever you feel that sweet tooth coming on.  These are the perfect little cookie to accompany anything - coffee, tea, sorbet, ice cream, or ice-cold milk!

Almonds and honey are one of my favorite combinations, but as always, feel free to substitute your favorite nut here.  Pistachios always make a beautiful ice box cookie since their color gets to shine through, though I would recommend lightly toasting and coarsely chopping whatever it is you choose if not sliced almonds.

I used white whole wheat flour in this cookie dough which gave them a lovely ecru color, along with some sparkly turbinado sugar sprinkled on top.

Toasted Almond-Honey Ice Box Cookies
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and honey together until light and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing well.  Stir in the flour mixture, then the almonds until a dough starts to form, then divide the dough into 2 portions.  Form the dough into logs on wax paper and wrap tightly.  Freeze at least 1 hour, or up to a month.

To bake these cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Unwrap a log of cookie dough and cut into 1/4" slices and place them on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake until golden around the edges, 8-12 minutes.

Let cool completely, then store airtight up to 5 days.

By the way, hello August! :) I hope everyone is having an amazing summer, I can't believe it's already halfway over!

Chewy Date and Nut Bars.

These happened because I realized I only had 3 sticks of butter left in the fridge and panicked, but I loved them so much that I'd make them even if I had 3lbs. left!  You'd never know there wasn't any butter in these cookies, I swear!  If you're a chewy fan, you must preheat the oven now.

Feel free to substitute any nut -  I used almonds, but typically walnuts are the partner for dates.  I'd also suggest using any dried fruit you'd like as long as it amounts to 5 ounces, but I'm rather partial to dates and their sticky sweetness :)

  
Chewy Date and Nut Bars
Adapted from Go Dairy Free
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup (4 ounces) sliced almonds
1 cup (5 ounces) dates, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line an 8x8" glass baking pan with foil, then grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.  In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs until they're lightened, then add the brown sugar and flour mixture, stirring until almost completely  mixed, then add in the nuts and dates.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is just golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 12-18 minutes.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and store airtight up to 4 days.

Mini Strawberry Muffins with White Chocolate Chips and Toasted Almonds.

I LOVE fruit and generally I prefer to eat fruit raw.  Especially juicy summer fruit - you don't need to add anything to it to make it any better, it's perfect as-is!  But sometimes I go overboard at the supermarket and buy too much to handle.  This morning while reaching for my morning egg, I saw the strawberries I bought last week getting pretty soft, too soft for a tart or any fresh presentation, so I found a strawberry bread recipe.



The great thing about quickbreads is that you can divide the batter in any way you'd like - 9x5", mini loaves, cake pans (I did a few heart-shaped as you can see), and mini muffins. 

These adorable mini muffins are absolutely addictive and the drizzle on top adds just the right amount of sweetness along with the white chocolate chips in the batter.

Mini Strawberry Muffins with White Chocolate Chips and Toasted Almonds
Adapted from The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mashed, ripe strawberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted until golden brown

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and spray 48 mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line them with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time.  Mix in the vanilla extract, then the flour and strawberries alternately.  Stir in the white chocolate chips and almonds, then divide the batter among the muffin tins.

Bake until slightly golden around the edges and set in the middle, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Let them cool completely before decorating with icing.

  
Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons skim milk or water

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and milk together until it's a nice drizzly consistency, then drizzle over the mini muffins.

Sand Dollar Cookies.

 

I've been home from North Carolina for almost a week now.  I've baked a few things but quite frankly haven't had the motivation or inspiration to write anything or take pictures until now.  It's pretty rough to come back from warm, beautiful sunny weather to day after day of clouds, rain and cold, not to mention being away from my sweetheart!

But life must go on and until I'm able to move more permanently, it doesn't make any sense to sulk around in the mean time.  In comes baking - my ultimate comfort in its routine of measuring out ingredients, whisking, creaming, smelling and most importantly, tasting.  I've had this recipe on my YumTab for a few months now and when I was browsing for things to bake, this seemed like the perfect time to try it out.  Sand dollars are adorable reminders of sun, sand, seashells and water.  I can't tell you how much I love the beach.  I realize being a full time beachcomber is not an original dream but I could absolutely spend the rest of my life walking up and down the North Carolina coastline and never get sick of it.

 

These cookies are absolutely delicious and I hope you try them!  They're buttery, tender, slightly sandy like the environment they evoke and bring some much-needed sunshine to this rainy spell so many of us are going through.  I halved the recipe and got exactly 24 cookies, and added a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of the dough.  This is a great project for a rainy afternoon when all you can think about is being at the beach with your favorite person :)

 

Sand Dollar Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs - 1 whole, 1 yolk with the whole egg and the white in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Cinnamon sugar
Sliced almonds

In a large bowl, cream together the soft butter and powdered sugar until very creamy.  Add in the whole egg and yolk, then beat until well combined, then the vanilla and salt.  Stir in the flour and baking powder until you have a very soft dough.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick on a floured surface and cut out 3" circles.  Brush the circles with the reserved egg white, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar and press 5 almond slices into the center of each circle.  Bake for 3-4 minutes, then take the sheet out and press the almonds in again, making slight indentations in the circle.  Place the sheet back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 7-10 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the circles.  Stored airtight, these cookies will keep up to 5 days.

 

Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti.

I hope everyone who celebrated Easter had as lovely a holiday as I did!  Although last week's weather here certainly didn't feel like spring, my family and I began our Easter preparations anyway, hard-boiling and dyeing eggs, baking Easter egg bread, and buying Wardynski sausage for Sunday brunch.

 

Somehow it slipped my mind to take photos of our feast of brown sugar and mustard-glazed spiral sliced ham, roasted asparagus, smashed red potatoes and sauteed broccoli and cauliflower with shallots, everything smelled and looked too delicious. I did take pictures of the cutest little Easter baby I know, though, my adorable nephew :) 

Judging by many other blog posts I've read over the past couple of days, I know I'm not the only one who overate on Sunday, but I still wanted to bake yesterday.  The placek was almost gone, and the cupcakes had all been given away (luckily!)  There are still jellybeans in a glass bowl and chocolate bunnies sitting in a basket filled with plastic green grass, but those will last and be a reminder of the holiday.  I wanted to preheat the oven, crack some eggs, measure sugar and flour into bowls, stir things together and smell something baking.  So I made these biscotti.  Nothing indulgent, but enough to satisfy that sweet tooth after dinner. 

The original recipe states 36 as the yield - I must slice my biscotti on the very thin side because I easily had 48 when all was said and done.  No matter how thick you slice them, the scent of these baking is incredible, as is anything with cinnamon.  They're absolutely perfect with coffee or tea and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and extracts and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until well mixed.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until a dough forms.  Divide the dough in half and knead slightly until it comes together into a soft dough, forming two 12" ropes and place them side by side on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and slightly cracked, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the logs cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.  Slice into 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices and lay them on the baking sheet and bake in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes on one side, then 10 minutes on the other side.

Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container for a week.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cookie Hearts.

These crispy on the outside, fudgy in the middle cookies are basically Almond Joys in cookie form and they're delicious!  I pressed the dough into some miniature heart-shaped tart pans, but these are originally drop cookies and obviously if you don't want to fuss around, just form into walnut-sized balls and flatten slightly before baking.  I'm using upcoming Valentine's Day as an excuse to make everything heart-shaped these days but these are perfect for the people you love any time of the year :)

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cookie Hearts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate together and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  When the butter-chocolate mixture has cooled, stir in the sugars, egg and vanilla extract, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until almost completely mixed, then add the almonds and coconut.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray tart pans or molds with cooking spray, then using about 2 tablespoons of dough per mold, press in the dough, coming up the sides just slightly.  Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on the size of the molds and how much dough you've used.  They should puff up in the middle and be just firm to the touch.

Let cool on wire racks, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Orange and Toasted Almond Biscotti.

An important quality in most baked goods I choose to make is that they're good keepers.  Because unless I demand my family (and myself) eat about 6 cookies each or a quarter of a cake, there's just no way things get eaten within a few days.  This is part of why I make biscotti so often.  The other part is just because I adore the process of creating them - you make the dough, you form it into logs, bake it, slice it, bake again.  It takes decidedly more effort and time than a drop or bar cookie but I don't mind one bit.  (In fact, I find the process rather soothing but I used to get made fun of a lot for wanting to do the jobs in restaurants and bakeries that no one else wanted to do because I found them to be "soothing.")  Not to mention I'm addicted to coffee and tea and biscotti are THE perfect dunking accompaniment.

Anyway, if you happen to have a few oranges lying around the house that need using up before they get too wrinkly and dry (something that occurs often in my house this time of year), and a handful of sliced almonds, you can create this addictive and unique biscotti yourself.  Changes I made to the recipe were to omit the rosemary, as well as the egg wash and sugar on top before baking, but I'm guessing some people might want to omit the cornmeal as well or at least use finely ground cornmeal.  I used coarse cornmeal as called for and I looooved it, absolutely loved the nubby texture it added, but feel free to substitute finely ground cornmeal or just add another 1/3 cup all-purpose (or whole wheat!) flour.  These are tender (from a few tablespoons of nutty browned butter no less), just slightly sweet, and perhaps what makes them so addictive is their cracker-like quality because I can't stop myself from eating at least 2 at a time.  The original recipe says to bake this in one log, but I divided mine into two in order to get more, smaller biscotti.

In a few hours I'll be on a plane to North Carolina to stay with my beloved and some of my most favorite people in the world for 8 days.  See you in mid-January :)

Orange and Toasted Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Martha Stewart
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to foam, turn brown and smell slightly nutty, about 3 or 4 minutes.  Stir in the orange zest and let cool slightly.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.  After the butter mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and extract, then pour over the dry ingredients, stirring until almost completely mixed, then add in the almonds.

Form the dough into 2 (or just one, if you prefer) logs, each about 13" long on the baking sheet.  Bake until they're golden brown on top and firm when you press the center, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to thinly slice with a serrated knife.  Place the slices back on the baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees F.  Bake for another hour to dry them out, turning the slices over after 30 minutes.

Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.  These would last for a few weeks at least, but even someone with as much willpower as myself can't help nabbing a couple every time I pass them on the counter :)

Mocha and Toasted Almond Biscotti.

My only excuse for making these is that I had no chocolate cookies to put on cookie plates for Christmas this year ;) Not that anyone really needs an excuse to make chocolate anything.  This wasn't my favorite chocolate biscotti recipe ever, the dough crumbled when I tried to slice it thinly (I prefer thinner over thicker biscotti), but the taste is great so I suppose that makes up for it.

Mocha and Toasted Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Nestle
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) until well combined.  Cream the butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix for another minute.  Add the dry ingredients and almonds, making sure everything is well incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 12-inch roll.  Place the logs onto the baking sheet and flatten slightly.  Bake until firm, about 20-25 minutes.  Take out of the oven, reduce the heat to 325, and let the cookie logs cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing the logs into 1/2-inch strips and placing the slices back on the sheet.  Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

I drizzled these with some white chocolate and sprinkled with Christmas nonpareils, feel free to do the same or not, however I do think the sweetness of the white chocolate works very well against the espresso powder and toasted almonds :)

Happy holidays!

Sick of Winter.

I think one of the toughest parts about dieting during the winter is the lack of comfort foods I can have. Comfort foods are notoriously and infamously rich, buttery, creamy, cheesy, chocolatey, the list goes on - not food you can eat a lot of (or frankly, any) while dieting. I couldn't tell you the last time I even had a mug of nice, steamy hot cocoa. (Clocking in at around 200 calories per mug, I refuse to drink skim milk :D)

I guess you could say my mid to late February is a lot like most people's January - since January is my birthday month, I still have something nice to look forward to after the holidays. This year, my best friend and his family came to visit me the first week of February and we had a blast. They've been gone for just over a week now. I miss everyone, my house is so quiet, and looking out my window at the snow falling, the icy roads, I want to eat an entire casserole dish of macaroni and cheese and a chocolate fudge cake.














Instead, I bring you a fairly lo-cal granola from Cooking Light. Cooking Light is an amazing resource for dieters (or those who are just smartly watching what they eat) because they lighten recipes but they still keep the flavors of the original dish and in some cases, add even more flavor than before. I had a hankering for some granola last night and looked around at many different recipes and was surprised at how NOT lo-calorie it is. This version is possibly one of the best granola recipes I've had and you'd never know it doesn't have all the calories of other versions. I know granola doesn't seem very comforting, but after I made this, I sat down with a bowlful of it and a dollop of yogurt and it made me feel better. Besides, I tend to consider anything you can eat in a bowl comfort food. Just a couple more months of everything being covered in white and ice (I hope), things will be green and lush soon. Just a few more months.

This is a modified version; the original also called for 1/3 cup of groud flaxseeds and 1/3 cup dried cranberries. I didn't want to limit myself to just cranberries, so feel to add any dried fruit you want after the baking process or when serving! I should note that I used mango-flavored orange juice as well and I love the way it smelled while baking, but you can't taste it in the final granola.

Power Granola from Cooking Light
Serves 9 (serving size = 1/2 cup)
2 cups oats (I used quick-cooking, I suppose rolled would be better, but mine was delicious anyway)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix the oats, nuts, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine the orange juice, honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium until the brown sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the oats and stir well to combine. Spread the mixture thinly on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the granola and bake for another 10-15 minutes (although mine took much longer, I wanted it crispy so I let it bake for another half hour or so). Let cool completely, add any dried fruit you'd like and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

(Calories per 1/2 cup serving with dried fruit: approximately 196)

Comfort in Sundays.

A quick introduction: I wanted a place to record what I bake or cook, the events and things that inspire them, and the photography I take as the end result or process of doing it. So this is it. Hope you enjoy.
Every Sunday I don't work, I like to make my family brunch. I've done this for about 4 or 5 years now and I it's a nice tradition, and I hope to continue it until I move out. I grew up being dragged to Sunday morning mass (raised Catholic. not a Catholic now.) and sometimes the only thing that got me through was looking forward to my dad's omelettes, bacon, waffles, freshly brewed coffee, egg's Benedict. I've long since decided to stop going to church, but I have not stopped enjoying these things.

So to start this blog off the right way, a recipe I made for brunch this week from one of my all-time favourite cookbooks: apple kuchen. I like to think of this as a sweet focaccia almost. I had many apples to use up so I doubled this recipe and I changed the method a bit from what's in the cookbook itself, but it all ends up being about the same result anyway. If you're a fan of yeast breads, give this one a try.

Apple Kuchen
Recipe adapted/changed from Nigella Lawson's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess"

Dough:
2 1/4 to 3 cups bread flour (I used AP, it's fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 package rapid-rise yeast
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon (original calls for nutmeg and lemon zest. didn't have any lemons, I like cinnamon better)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter

Topping:
2 apples
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cream
Nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, whatever spice you like with apples
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon demerara or turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Icing:
1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioner's)
1 tablespoon hot water

To make the dough, put 2 1/2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl with salt, sugar and yeast. Beat the eggs and add the vanilla, (zest, nutmeg) cinnamon to the lukewarm milk and then add these to the flour mixture. Mix until a soft dough forms, probably adding about 3/4 to 1 cup more of flour, and then add in the butter and knead until it feels smoother and glutenous. Cover with a clean towel or greased plastic wrap and let rise until it's doubled in size, or in the refrigerator overnight.

Punch down the dough and place it in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. It won't stretch all the way to the edges at first, so let it rest and then try again in a few minutes until it's almost stretched to the whole pan. Then let it rise for about 15 to 20 minutes, until it has occupied all the edges.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel, core and chop the apples. Stir together the egg and cream, and brush this over the dough. Then combine the sugars, spice(s) and almonds and toss with the chopped apples and then place these on top of the dough in the pan.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake until it's nice and golden brown on top, about another 15 minutes or so. Then combine the icing sugar and water, and drizzle over.

Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee or tea and read the Sunday paper until 1 o' clock in the afternoon.