Grandma's Kitchen Table

Tuesdays with Dorie: Dorie's Cookies - Almond Crackle Cookies

        The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for April are Almond Crackle Cookies (page 176) and Espresso Chocolate Sables (page 338).  This week I chose to make the Almond Crackle Cookies. 
        Ingredients:  sugar, egg, and sliced almonds. 

        First of all, this photo is not the greatest, it doesn't look anything at all like the cookie pictured in the book...and I tried twice with the same result, so I just piled them up on a plate and called it a day.  After looking at a couple of posts that others did on this cookie, I decided that the three of us were at least in unison in the looks of our cookies, so not sure what's up with that. We all followed the recipe. I will say these cookies are delicious no matter their looks and are very addictive with their crunchy almond flavor. 

        The ingredients listed are correct, there are only three ingredients in this cookie. It all goes together in a few minutes, they bake for 10 minutes, and cool for 10 minutes.  They are hard to describe…kind of meringue-like, not really cookie-like, but what else would you call them? What they definitely are is delicious, with the almond flavor being prevalent and a nice crunchy crackly feel as you bite into them and eat them.  Definitely a repeat, a little bit addictive.

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

Tuesdays with Dorie: Dorie's Cookies - Classic Brownies

        The Dorie's Cookies group has a rewind this week…make any recipe you missed along the way. This week I chose to make Classic Brownies (pages 33-34) in Dorie’s Cookies cookbook. I chose this recipe as I have a husband who loves chocolate and brownies seem to be one of the quickest way to accommodate him in that regard. 
        Ingredients: butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, flour, walnuts, and optional chopped chocolate.   

        The recipe is quick and easy with ingredients you probably already have on hand so in no time at all you can have a nice homemade dessert or treat.  Since I don’t eat chocolate, I have to rely on Mark’s comments…the first one being a moan of happiness, I think that pretty much sums it up. He said they were moist inside which is how he likes them. It’s on the repeat list. 

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD: Dorie's Cookies - Cocoa-Almond Uglies

       The Dorie's Cookies group has a rewind this week…make any recipe you missed along the way. This week I chose to make Cocoa-Almond Uglies (page 140) in Dorie’s Cookies cookbook. The name of the recipe intrigued me…well, as a non-chocolate lover, I tend to think all chocolate cookies are ugly, but to have someone else think so and name a cookie for that, piqued my curiosity.  
        Ingredients: confectioner’s sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, egg whites, vanilla, slivered almonds, and bittersweet chocolate.    

        The recipe takes hardly any time at all to put together and bake. The longest bits are toasting the almonds and waiting for the cookies to cool when they finish baking as Mark likes to sample cookies right out of the oven most of the time. He liked them just fine, but they don’t appear to be a particular favorite, so I’m not sure I would make them again, but they were appreciated and there aren’t any left, so I’m thinking that’s always a good sign.

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD: Dorie's Cookies - Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for March are Leckerli (page 56) and Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies (page 450).  This week I chose to make the Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies. 
        Ingredients:  flour, cocoa, cayenne, butter, salt, confectioner’s sugar, sugar, egg yolk, and flake salt.  

        These little cookies come from the Cocktail Cookies section of the book and are not your typical dessert cookie. The dough goes together very quickly, and the hands-on time isn’t very much, so you can whip these up in no time if say, for instance, you completely forgot that this was the day that you were supposed to be posting a TWD DC cookie. You know, if you know anyone like that, for instance and have a friend like Gaye who keeps you accountable by her early posts, or at least tries to most of the time. Cocoa and Cayenne…not my favorite ingredients, but Mark loved them and he’s the one I bake cookies for, so these are a hit and I would make them again upon request.  

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD: Dorie's Cookies - Mary's Maine Bars

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for February are Swedish Dream Cookies (page 227) and Mary’s Maine Bars (page 50).  This week I chose to make the Mary’s Maine Bars as I previously made the Swedish Dream Cookies.  Both recipes are from my lovely friend, Mary Dodd…we met through TWD back in 2008 and have been friends ever since, sharing bits of our lives and our love of books as well as our cooking and baking. Rarely a day goes by without some connection with Mary…she adds smiles and fun into every single day, I am so blessed.  
        Ingredients:  flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sugar, molasses, canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and sanding sugar.  (I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on the tops of ours.)

        These bars are more like a little snack cake, very easy to make, and full of rich molasses and spice flavoring, a tasty treat on a cold snowy winter day.  I can see these becoming a favorite here…I love it when something so easy to assemble, bake, and serve is a favorite.  We ate them as is as well as with a dollop of whipped cream, because my husband thinks all desserts taste even better with a little whipped cream. It takes so little to please him, so why not. Definitely on repeat status.

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD: Dorie's Cookies - Swedish Dream Cookies

         The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for February are Swedish Dream Cookies (page 227) and Mary’s Maine Bars (page 50).  This week I chose to make the Swedish Dream Cookies. 
        Ingredients:  butter, flour, cardamom, baking powder, sugar, salt, vanilla, and almonds.

        These cookies are quick and simple with ingredients that you probably have on hand at any given moment or that you can score quickly if not.  The longest bit is browning the butter, but oh so worth the flavor to do it, that deep nutty taste should not be missed. All in all, a fun recipe to make and delicious to eat.

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Portofignos

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for January are Bruno’s New Year’s Waffles (page 253) and Portofignos (page 215).  This week I chose to make the Portofignos as the other recipe required the use of a pizzelle iron and I don’t have one of those and couldn’t think of a way to adapt it to make it work as intended.  
        Ingredients:  walnuts, salt, dried figs, ruby port, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract.

        Disclaimer right up front: I used dried cherries instead of dried figs as Mark does not care for figs and since he is the one eating the cookies, dried cherries it had to be today.  Sometimes one can substitute things and it really isn’t obvious, but since FIG is in the name, I felt I had to confess that my cookies are Pseudo Portofignos. There aren’t any figs in mine, sometimes these things happen.

        Mark liked them, and it’s a good thing as I made half a batch and that netted 24 cookies, he figured four a day for six days…you know, like they are some kind of vitamin dose or something. The man loves his cookies, he always has an emergency stash on hand in case I haven’t gotten around to baking any for him.  When I asked him why he didn’t like figs he said that his mother loved Fig Newtons and would buy them when they were children.  He said it was the most disappointing day ever if she only bought that kind of cookie as he didn't like the taste and wouldn’t eat them, which left him with no cookies when the others were eating theirs.  Childhood nightmares indeed. These cookies are easy to make and judging by his comments, should be on the Repeat Often List.

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Mulled Wine Jammers

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for December are Mulled Wine Jammers (pages 362-364) and Hot-and-Spicy Togarashi Meringues (pages 400-402).  This week I chose to make the Mulled Wine Jammers, jury is still out whether I’m going to make the hot and spicy meringues as there are only two of us here, neither of which are excited about those, so unless I can get some interest from Matt when he is home over the holidays, I might just do a rewind that week.
        Ingredients list:  butter, sugar, powdered sugar, salt, egg yolks, vanilla, flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fruity wine, honey, orange peel, dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, and cherry jam.

        This is a long list of ingredients for sure…can’t think there were many things in my baking pantry that I did not pull out and use.  The cookie takes awhile to make.  I did it in two days actually.  I made the cookie dough, the streusel, and the jam one day…two of them needed time to cool off in the frig anyway.  The next day I cut out the dough, filled it with the jam, topped it with the streusel, and baked them. The dough, streusel, and jam were all easy to make, came together as she said, and the only thing I noticed a difference in was the amount of time it took for me to reduce the jam (probably a difference in pans and the amount of heat on the simmer). It was fun assembling them, they look very cute all lined up with the jam peeking out of the streusel topping.  

        Delicious…I couldn't resist, I had one straight out of the oven.  Mark liked them as well and we both agreed on two things:  first, the jam was wonderful with a little hint of wine in the fruit and second, that most of these (recipe makes 24 cookies) need to go into the freezer to be brought out at Christmas when there are many others to help eat them all.  Definitely worth all the work, definitely worthy of a repeat, definitely Christmas-forward with that Wassail-like filling. 

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Cabin Fever Banana Bars

        The Dorie's Cookies group has a rewind this week…make any recipe you missed along the way. This week I chose to make Cabin Fever Banana Bars (p. 65).
        Ingredients list:  butter, brown sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, banana, sour cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, walnuts, and chocolate.

        Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Our refrigerator and pantry, probably much like yours, have all sorts of partially used bags and containers of ingredients just hanging out looking for ways to be useful…a bit of brown sugar, the last of the bag of flour, a forgotten ripened banana thinking no one is going to call it by name, exactly the correct amount of sour cream for this recipe at the bottom of the carton, the end of the bag of walnuts, and those teeny tiny chocolate chips that someone accidentally bought because they did not read the writing on the bag (why are there so many bags of chocolate chips, who needs this much chocolate?)…and I found this recipe as I was looking through the book with the list of Cookies Already Made on the TWD DC site.    

        This is a bar cookie, seems more cake-like to me, like a brownie always seems more cake-like than cookie-like to me. Bar cookies are really easy as you just mix everything together, scrape it into the baking pan, and slide it in the oven, none of this moving cookie sheets back and forth and front and back and such. This one baked 25 minutes and just needed a couple minutes to melt the chocolate on top and sprinkle on the walnut pieces.  After cooling it was not that easy to cut into the 16 bars, those little nut pieces make cutting straight lines difficult, in hindsight, I'm thinking those nuts should have been chopped in much smaller pieces...next time. Husband-approved as absolutely delicious, repeat worthy. 

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Pecan Butterscotch Shortbreads

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for November are Coco-Almond Thumbprints (page 288) and Pecan Butterscotch Shortbreads (page 194).  This week I chose to make the Pecan Butterscotch Shortbreads.
        Ingredient list:  flour, cornstarch, butter, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, salt, Scotch whiskey, vanilla, pecans, white or milk chocolate (I used half of each because it seemed like one less thing I would need to make a decision about, a good thing in my mind).

        This recipe is easy enough but does take a bit of planning and figuring.  It needs to spend time cooling off in the frig or freezer for one thing, you can’t just whip up a batch of cookies, bake, and sample them in the space of a half hour.  That said, nothing is difficult, and it was fun getting to roll out dough, use a cookie cutter (albeit a fairly boring plain circle one), and bake them off in muffin tins.  New things to learn and do in baking are always more interesting.    

        This was a delicious cookie, nice caramel-ly buttery sugary crunchy tastes going on to make it onto the Let’s Do This Again List. I debated adding the Scotch but when I asked Mark if he would like a full batch of these cookies (40 of them) or a half batch (a much more reasonable 20 of them), he said a half would be fine until he heard me list the ingredients and then he thought maybe a full batch would be best.  He also suggested that if the cookie was not quite Scotch-forward enough for you, you could dunk them in said Scotch. We wouldn't tell anyone but by itself, Scotch talks. 

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Coco-Almond Thumbprints

        The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for November are Coco-Almond Thumbprints (page 288) and Pecan Butterscotch Shortbreads (page 194).  This week I chose to make the Coco-Almond Thumbprints.
        Ingredient list:  almonds, coconut, sugar, egg whites, and chocolate. 

        This is one of the easiest cookie recipes ever.  You only need to toss the first four ingredients in the food processor and form little balls with the dough, make a little indent in the middle of the ball, bake them, and then put melted chocolate in the little indent after they are cooled.  What a deal, fast, easy, and husband-approved.   

        Three chocolate cookie recipes in a row…my husband is very happy, he says they are delicious and worth repeating as he liked the combination of coconut and almonds with the chocolate. 

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Cherry-Nut Chocolate Pinwheels

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for October are Chocolate and Walnut Bars (page 45) and Cherry-Nut Chocolate Pinwheels (page 245).  This week I chose to make the Cherry-Nut Chocolate Pinwheels.
        Ingredient list:  flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, salt, egg white, vanilla, dried cherries, chopped walnuts, sugar, and optional: sanding sugar and white chocolate chips for the drizzle. 

        The dough comes together quickly and easily with all the usual lineup of ingredients.  It has to chill in the freezer a bit, at which time you can make and cool the filling which is also not at all difficult, although it did take me twice the amount of time to get it to reduce to be the spreadable consistency Dorie detailed in the recipe, but that just gave me a little longer in the kitchen so I used the time to straighten the pantry.  Again, not at all difficult (straightening the pantry was the more difficult of the two tasks actually). After filling the pinwheel dough (what a luxurious dough this truly is) it is again parked in the freezer before slicing and baking.  All in all, a pleasant little cookie to make, something a bit unusual for us around here with its fruit and nut filling.   

        Two chocolate cookie recipes in a row…my husband is very happy, he says they are delicious and worth repeating as he loved the combination of cherries and walnuts with the chocolate. Praise enough, which is why I bake.

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Chocolate and Walnut Bars

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for October are Chocolate and Walnut Bars (page 45) and Cherry-Nut Chocolate Pinwheels (page 245).  This week I chose to make the Chocolate and Walnut Bars.
        Ingredient list:  bittersweet chocolate, walnuts, flour, butter, sugar, salt, eggs, cream, sugar, and water.    
        Dorie Greenspan is releasing a new cookbook this month entitled Baking with Dorie, Sweet, Salty, & Simple.  The Tuesdays with Dorie group is going to bake/blog the book beginning at some yet undetermined (but soonish) time.  I’ve been baking/blogging with the group on and off for the better part of 13 years and decided it was time to dust off the blog writing keys and get back into it, so back into the current Dorie’s Cookies group I go. It will be nice meeting up with and baking with dear friends again.

        Mark suffers greatly with "the disturbing lack of homemade chocolate offerings here at the house" at times…I’m not a chocolate fan so it’s usually last on my list of Fun Interesting Tasty Nutritious Favorite things to make…therefore, it’s always a good idea for me to be in a group where they REQUIRE you to bake outside your comfort zone. This week’s chocolate recipe was a good place to jump back in…highly encouraged by my husband.

         There are a lot of bowls, utensils, appliances, and such to execute this recipe…not a complaint, just an observation.  (After all, I already have these things, so I might as well be using them, right?) The process is a lot of “hands on” but none of it is complicated, there are no exotic ingredients involved, it goes together easily in a decent amount of time, and you end up with a nice sense of accomplishment. I made half of a recipe in an 8"x8" pan and baked it for 25 minutes.  It netted 9 manly sized bars...you know, "What's the point of needing to go back twice or taking two when you can just have one really nice big bar?"  Oh…and the taste…well, you get to hear about that from Mark as you all know how I feel about chocolate. He loved these bars, apparently they were nice and chocolatey, like a brownie, and satisfied that chocolate craving most pleasantly.  He would like them repeated, praise enough. And here, making the guy happy is what it's all about, especially with chocolatey things.

        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.  (I don’t publish copyrighted recipes, so if you’d like to bake along, buy the book, it’s well worth it.) 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Smoky Hearts

       The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for February are Smoky Hearts (page 453) and Date-Nut Pinwheels (page 248).  This week I chose to make the Smoky Hearts.
       Ingredient list:  flour, cocoa, smoked paprika, butter, confectioner's sugar, sugar, salt, egg whites, and smoked almonds..   
       The recipe ingredients aren't what you would normally think of when you set out to make "cookies," but that's because these little "cookies" are actually in the section of the book called Cocktail Cookies...little bites to serve with cocktails and they belong somewhere on the table next to the olives and nuts and such. Dorie suggest serving them with scotch or bourbon.  The recipe all came together nicely, you need to allow a bit of extra time to park the rolled dough in the freezer to firm up a bit, an hour worked perfectly for me.  Dorie suggests using an inch and a half cookie cutter, which I happened to have, strangely enough, because I can't think of a single time that my guys would be happy with a cookie the size of an inch and half.  They are so cute...I'm all about cute food. 
        Mark's thoughts were that they were interesting, something a little different, and he thought they would go nicely with the drinks suggested. "They are chocolatey without being overly sweet...a nice combination actually," I believe were his exact words. He liked the smoky almonds with the chocolate in the cookie.  He had no trouble eating several and making plans for the rest at a later time. All in all, I would count these as a success and possibly even a repeat.  Something different and unexpected is always fun, particularly if it tastes good. 
        The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Cast-Iron Pan Chococlate Chip Cookie Bars

      The Dorie's Cookies group recipes for July are Pistachio-Berry Slims (page 325) and Cast-Iron Pan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (page 53).  This week I chose to make the Cast-Iron Pan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
       Ingredient list:  apricots, flour, baking soda, butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, egg, vanilla, coconut, and chopped chocolate.   
       The recipe is straight forward, it goes together quickly and easily.  The best part is that you just dump it all into a skillet and bake it in the oven, so easy.  I happen to have (thank you Margaret) a small little perfectly seasoned 6" cast iron skillet that would be perfect for a quarter of the recipe...you know since there are just two of us here these days and only one of the two eats chocolate.  You can mix it up and bake it right alongside your dinner, producing a lovely dessert ready after dinner when you are wanting that sweet little something to end the day.

          Mark's thoughts are that they were very tasty and worth repeating. He couldn't really taste the apricots so I will maybe increase the amount for those next time for him as he loves apricots.  All in all, a great little chocolate chip cookie bar. 
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Salted Chocolate-Caramel Bars

       Some more catching up today from my absence in the Tuesdays with Dorie group baking from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Dorie's Cookies.  In March of 2017, the group made Salted Chocolate-Caramel Bars, found on pages 42-44 of the book. 
       Ingredient List: flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, salt, water, corn syrup, heavy cream, chocolate, and pecans..
       Mark loves chocolate, pecans, and caramel so when I saw this recipe, I knew this would need to be one that I would make as soon as possible because he's a great guy and deserves good things as soon as possible. 

       This is another recipe that you can do in stages, i.e. you make the chocolate shortbread crust (I think if I had used a darker cocoa powder, the crust would have been a richer color after it baked, so I will do that the next time) and let it cool after it bakes before you make the topping and pour that part on...so people like me with small attention spans for somewhat fussy baking...after all, you do make the caramel from scratch...can go do something else between the stages. 

       The cookie bars went together nicely and were a big hit with the person they needed to be a big hit with, proof that people with small attention spans for fussy baking can come up with a stellar treat now and again.  Definitely worthy of many repeats...I asked him if he wished me to farm some of these out and without hesitation he said, "No."  I guess he plans on eating them all, a very good recommendation indeed. 
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie Bars

       Some more catching up today from my absence in the Tuesdays with Dorie group baking from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Dorie's Cookies.  It is time to dust off the book and continue on with the original intention of making all the cookie recipes in the book.  In June of 2017, the group made Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie Bars, found on pages 62-64 of the book, I made them at the time but never got around to posting them, so here they are, all beautifully fruity and pie-like. 
       Ingredient List:  flour, sugar, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and blueberries.
       Mark loves pie and cookies, what could be better for him than a cookie that looks and tastes like a pie? And, of course, if you are Mark, pie is usually topped with whipped cream, so the obvious segue here is that the pie cookie should also be topped with whipped cream.  And a very fine decision was that...yum. I just love something that surprises you, just when you think it is one thing, it is in fact, another...a pie cookie is just perfect.  These are definitely on the repeat list as they are so easy to make, maybe even easier than an actual pie.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Chocolate-Cornflake Haystacks

       Some more catching up today from my absence in the Tuesdays with Dorie group baking from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Dorie's Cookies.  When I purchased the book, it was with the intent to see it through and try to make every cookie recipe in the book...now it is time to dust it off and continue on with the original intention.  In May of 2017, the group made Chocolate-Cornflake Haystacks, found on pages 174-175 of the book, I made them at the time but never got around to posting them, so here they are in all their crunchy chewy goodness. 
       Ingredient List:  eggs, agave, salt, shredded coconut, pecans, raisins, cornflakes, and milk chocolate.
       Another fun recipe to make, all you do is toss the ingredients together, scoop them out onto parchment, and bake them.  I love the texture and look of them, so interesting and you just know people are going to pick them up and snack on them remembering those no-bake cookies of their childhoods...only these are even better.  These are definitely on the repeat list.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: "Corked" Breton Galettes

       Today I am catching up a bit here from my absence in the Tuesdays with Dorie group baking from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Dorie's Cookies.  When I purchased the book, it was with the intent to see it through and try to make every cookie recipe in the book...my husband happens to like cookies very much.  Then a bit of life got busy and such, the book was set aside...now it is time to dust it off and continue on with the original intention of making every cookie recipe in the book.  In March of 2017, almost a year ago now, the group made "Corked" Breton Galettes, found on pages 291-293 of the book, I made them at the time but never got around to posting them, so here they are in all their delicious glory. 
        Ingredient List:  flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, fruit jam, and water.  Such a simple list.
       These were such fun to make...you make the dough, roll it into logs, chill them, cut them into slices, place the slices in muffin tin cups, bake them, and use a wine cork to create an indentation for the jam.  Some people like to make everything beginning to end all at once...I like to make things in stages so these were perfect.  The taste is downright dangerous because it's way too easy to think you might need more than just one. These are definitely on the repeat list.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Bee's Sneeze Nuggets

       For February, the Dorie's Cookies group participants could chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Sebastian's Remarkably Wonderful Brownies for the third Tuesday (posted yesterday) and I now post the other recipe today to complete February's choices, Bee's Sneeze Nuggets, found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 438-440 and also online here.
       Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, gin (I used Limoncello), honey, lemon oil, sugar, salt, lemon zest, fresh ginger, and optional honey for dipping.   
       The recipe is found in the section "Cocktail Cookies" in the book, so it is not your standard sweet dessert cookie at all.  While it does have a little sugar and honey in the mix, the tartness of the lemon and the Limoncello override any thoughts you might have that this could be a little dessert cookie.  It's not.  It tastes lemony and savory, the ginger doesn't really stand out, nor does the black pepper, which surprised me.  I did taste the Limoncello and I like (okay, love) lemon always, so these were fun and would be nice to put on a nibble tray to circulate before dinner, just a little something unique. 
          The recipe is easy, quick, and fun...you don't even have to get out a mixer for it.  In my oven they took about 30 minutes to get the light tan coloring.  It was fun to make them and try something new, and I might make them again if the situation warranted just such participation by a savory lemony tidbit.  Check the link and tour around to see what the others thought...it's always good to have more than one take on a recipe.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Sebastian's Remarkably Wonderful Brownies

       Hello, it's been awhile...I know, I know.  Yesterday was Tuesday and, as always, on Tuesdays, I think of my baking friends who I have baked and cooked with over the years since joining that original Baking From My Home to Yours group of bakers. And so much has happened since those early days...not just to me, but to many of us...very few of us are in the same places we were back then.  But still, on Tuesdays I think of the Doristas and today I decided I wanted to bake one of the recipes chosen by the Dorie's Cookies group this month.  And, yes, it's Wednesday, but I decided not to let that stop me.  So, I might be back, and I might not be back...we shall see how it goes. 

       Sebastian's Remarkably Wonderful Brownies (pages 30-32 in Dorie's Cookies, you can also find it here online) was one of the choices for February...a good place to start as my husband loves brownies, a chocolatey treat would certainly be welcome.

        Ingredient list:  all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs.  All the usual suspects lined up and ready to roll.

        Everything went together smoothly...it was comforting and relaxing to be rattling measuring cups and spoons and firing up the stand mixer like I actually do this regularly instead of what it truly is...that I haven't baked in months...seriously, months.  Okay, a little at Christmas, but seriously months before that for certain.  I love Dorie's recipes, they always work out for me exactly as she says they will, they are always a hit with the people here who eat the results, and they make me feel so accomplished. 

         The result was a soft-centered brownie that was "more cake-like than some," which apparently is a good thing as Mark knocked back three of them with hardly time to breathe between each one.  Of course, that might be because, like I said, it's been months and months since the poor guy has been gifted baked goods from my kitchen.  I would love to report that these were fabulous, and I think they probably were, Mark certainly enjoyed them, but, if you know me at all, you know I don't do chocolate.  So on behalf of those here who do chocolate, these were very very good and worthy of many repeats. 

       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts are the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location.

TWD Dorie's Cookies: My Newest Chocolate Chip Cookies

       For June, the Dorie's Cookies group participants can chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the My Newest Chocolate Chip Cookies for this first Tuesday.  This recipe can be found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 125-127 and also online here. The second recipe will be for the third Tuesday, and it is Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie Bars, and can be found on pages 62-64 of the book.
       Ingredient list:  all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, nutmeg, coriander, butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, chocolate pieces.   
       The recipe goes together easily and quickly and the baking time is just 12 minutes.   I mixed the dough and formed them into balls to sit in the frig overnight so I could bake them this morning (I know, it's Wednesday and not Tuesday, what can I say?) and that seemed to work nicely.  Were these cookies our new favorite...not really a favorite maybe but delicious, of course, a little crunchy at the edges and chewy in the middle, and they did have an interesting flavor with the coriander addition.  I would make these again.  It's always fun to try a new recipe with unusual ingredients to see where it might take you...the search is always on and this week it was met with success.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Rose-Hibiscus Shortbread Fans

       For February, the Dorie's Cookies group participants can chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Rose-Hibiscus Shortbread Fans for this first Tuesday.  This recipe can be found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 191-193 and also online here.
       Ingredient list:  all-purpose flour, white rice flour, sugar, hibiscus tea leaves, butter, salt, vanilla, rose extract, powdered sugar, milk. and rose colored decorating sugar.   
       Margaret at Tea and Scones and I were chatting about the fact that neither of us thought much about making this particular recipe, but that we were really surprised how much we loved the cookies.  Absolutely delicious...buttery, sugary, lightly flavored of floral scents, tea, and vanilla...oh, yes, they are very good cookies.  As we always say here at TWD, "Trust Dorie" as she always knows best. She just does.
       The recipe goes together easily and quickly and the baking time is just 25 minutes.  There was the option to add icing and decorative sugar or not, so I did half of that and left the others plain as they were perfectly delightful either way.  I could taste the tea in the cookie, which did surprise me, and it tasted just perfect, not too overpowering, and just enough to say, "interesting in good way," while I was eating it.  Definitely a repeat, absolutely delicious and fun...and it gave Margaret a chance to use her new fancy-pants shortbread pan, go check it out, makes her cookies look so pretty. 
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Breakfast Biscotti

       For January, the Dorie's Cookies group participants can chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Breakfast Biscotti for this third Tuesday.  This recipe can be found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 98-100 and also online here.

       Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, butter, sugar, salt, orange zest, eggs, old-fashioned rolled oats, granola, almonds, and dried cranberries.   
       I am not a fan of biscotti, just to say right offhand, as I don't care for the hardness of the cookie.  I don't drink hot beverages that lend themselves to dunking a hard cookie to soften it, i.e coffee and hot chocolate, so they have never been something I would go in search of, or even help myself to if they were right in front of me.  Mark, however, was willing to take one for the team and totally embrace the biscotti consumption expectations this week.  I made a quarter of a batch which gave me 10 cookies.  They are small, so I'm confident in his ability to pelt these away in a few sittings. 
       I will say that this recipe is easy to follow and didn't require a lot of work, only the baking process took any real time commitment, and not very much.  Since Mark loves cookies, almonds, cranberries, and oatmeal, this was certainly a winner.  Although Dorie commented in the book that she wasn't encouraging anyone to actually have these cookies for breakfast, my cookies-for-breakfast-eating husband did not see a problem with that at all.  Definitely a keeper, definitely something he would like to eat again. 
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: World Peace Cookies

       For January, the Dorie's Cookies group participants can chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the World Peace Cookies for the first Tuesday.  This recipe can be found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 335-337 and also online here.
       Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, vanilla, and bittersweet chocolate. 
      This is what I call one of Dorie's signature cookies.  The recipe is easy and simple with common pantry ingredients, the only thing of note is that it does require some resting time in the refrigerator or freezer so it's best to plan ahead to fit all that into the mix. 
       I am not a chocolate lover...not at all, so this one was FMO (For Mark Only), much to his delight as he loves chocolate and anytime he can come home to a chocolate treat is a great day for him.  I made half a recipe and that worked out well.  Mark was very happy with his chocolate treat, he thought these cookies were just wonderfully delicious.  Definitely repeat worthy.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Christmas Spice Cookies

  
       For December, the Dorie's Cookies group participants could chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Pfefferneuse for the first Tuesday, leaving the Christmas Spice Cookies for this third week.  This spice cookie recipe can be found in Dorie's Cookies on pages 236-238.
       Ingredient list:  butter, sugar, salt, egg whites, vanilla, flour, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, allspice, and sanding sugar. 
      The recipe was easy and simple with common pantry ingredients, the only thing of note is that it does require some resting time in the refrigerator or freezer so it's best to plan ahead to fit all that into the mix. 
       I am so-so on the dough's friendly nature...I've had friendlier dough to work with so this one would not rank in the top five. It was a bit sticky and even rolling it between sheets of parchment didn't make it more friendly.  I had a difficult time getting it to stay firm long enough to move the cut out to the cookie sheet and a real struggle getting the little ends of the stars and snowflakes to come cleanly out of the cookie cutter, despite it's required rest in the freezer. That said, on taste alone, this is one very top five tasty cookie dough which translates to a very desirable cookie, as in I would choose one of these off the cookie tray immediately.  The combination of the spices is lovely and not overpowering, it makes me sort of want to use this from now on as the sugar cookie dough I use for cutouts now seems a bit bland.  Would I make these again? Yes for flavor...might need to try again on dough management.  Definitely repeat worthy.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Pfefferneusse

       For the second month, the Dorie's Cookies group participants could chose from one of two recipes to post, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Pfefferneusse (Dorie says this is the German word for Pepper Nuts...both plentiful ingredients in this cookie) for the first Tuesday, leaving the Christmas Spice Cookies for the third week.  This recipe can be found in the Dorie's Cookies on page 233-235, you can also find it here.
       Ingredient list:  flour, cinnamon, fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground cardamom, dry mustard, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, lemon (or orange), butter, eggs, pecans, confectioner's sugar, chocolate, and espresso (optional). 
      These cookies were easy and fun to make...you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients, or fancy equipment, or fancy time slots set aside.  It was fun to use so many spices, just measuring them out and adding them was an aroma treat all its own. I followed the recipe exactly and baked them for the amount of time she specified and declared it all a success, especially since Mark really enjoyed eating them, the combination of lemon and pepper was delicious.  Dorie had instructions for making some dusted with confectioner's sugar, some spread with melted chocolate, and then I also opted to make some without either, because, well because sometimes you just want a cookie without a lot of extras.  I made a big plateful and then packed three quarters of them away in the freezer for Christmas trays in a couple of weeks.   Definitely a repeat.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

       For the inaugural month, the Dorie's Cookies group participants could chose from one of two recipes to post this first month, one on the first Tuesday and the other being the post for the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Peanut Butter Change-Ups for the first Tuesday, leaving the Chocolate Sandwich Cookies for this week.  This recipe can be found in the Dorie's Cookies on page 306, you can also find it here.
       Ingredient list:  flour, cocoa powder (I used the dark variety), butter, sugar, salt, egg white, and vanilla for the cookies; butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and salt for the filling. 
      These cookies were easy to make but take a little time and planning...in other words, you can't really throw them together on a whim as they need a little time to mix, roll, freeze for an hour, cut out, bake, make the filling, spread the filling on the cookies, and then allow them to set up a bit.  I actually like recipes like this where I do a little and then go do something else for a bit and then come back and do a little more...this probably says something about my attention span these days.  I found the whole process relaxing and satisfying. 
        Mark says they taste like Oreos and maybe even a little better, fresher.  Chocolate is not my thing, so I will take his word for it.  The only note I made in my book, more to myself than anything wrong with the recipe, is that I should have used clear vanilla to get that bright white creamy center as the dark vanilla added a tint of color.  Not a big deal, but next time I'd use the clear. The recipe instructions were spot on for me, I wouldn't change a thing. Missing Alex...Oreos were his favorite cookie, he would have loved these.  Definitely repeat worthy.
       The Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies.  The posts will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 

TWD Dorie's Cookies: Peanut Butter Change-Ups

      Beginning this week, the Tuesdays with Dorie group is now baking from Dorie Greenspan's new book, Dorie's Cookies (which was just released last month).  The group posts for this will be the first and third Tuesdays of the month and can be linked at the main Tuesdays with Dorie website here.  You can also find the information on joining in and/or see the posts from those in the group baking along at this location. 
      Cookies are a good fit for us, even with it just being the two of us at home these days.  They are always a welcome snack, can be frozen for later use, or easily given away to cookie-loving recipients.  Cookies are easily transportable, definitely making things much more convenient when you are looking for a home for extra baked goods.
      The group could chose from one of two recipes to post this week, leaving the other recipe for the post on the third Tuesday.  I chose to make the Peanut Butter Change-Ups. This recipe was posted in the Washington Post so you can access that here and try them for yourself while you wait for your own copy of the book to arrive. 
       Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, nutmeg, peanut butter, butter, salt, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and peanuts. 
      The cookies were easy to make, used common pantry ingredients, and were full of wonderful peanut-y goodness.  I would not hesitate to make these again.  Definitely repeat worthy.  Wonder what the others thought?  You can check it out here.

                                               

Purchase a copy of Dorie Greenspan's Dorie's Cookies and bake along with the group or just bake on your own.  Dorie's books are always wonderfully written and illustrated, and you will have 300 cookie recipes at your fingertips.  :-)