Thanksgiving: Italian Wedding Cookies!

papi requested these italian wedding cookies for thanksgiving without knowing that what he really wanted was french macarons.

doesn't really matter because i got a fancy new camera (Nikon D5100) and wanted to take a picture of anything and EVERYTHING!

aren't they pretty??? i have a lot more to edit, but i really wanted to share them with you!


for those wanting to make them - i did it differently this time. Instead of rolling out the cookie dough, which i'm terrible at, i used my hands to roll little balls of dough and flatten them with my palm. i then pressed them into the sprinkles before i baked them.  to make sure they were all the same size, i used two things - a mini muffin tin and a whoopie pie mold. both small circular shapes. keep in mind that using this method will make them a bit thicker and require a few extra minutes of baking. also - dont be an idiot like myself, and make sure to remember to poke holes in the cookies with a fork prior to baking. after baking, assemble the same way.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies!!

HOLY WOW!!! you guys!! you HAVE to make this cookie for your thanksgiving spread!

this is the ultimate come back from my baking hiatus! i finally figured out how to use my damn gas oven, and i'm pumped! these cookies are soft little pillows from heaven, and i swear by that. i didnt bother with icing - and the cookies were still ah-mazzzinggg!

i randomly got stressed out that i had unused pumpkin in my pantry, and immediately googled "easy pumpkin cookie recipe" - i kid you not, this was the first recipe that i saw that was on a blog and clicked on it. turns out, the recipe was super easy, super quick, and super delicious (and i had all the ingredients in the house already - hi, my name is madeleine and i am a food hoarder!). google for the win!!

Old fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

{via *Very Best Baking}

"Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely"

how easy is that?? i highly suggest getting a cookie scoop thinger for this, i had to use an actual teaspoon and it sucked because its a fairly sticky batter!

Enjoy!

sprinkles

strawberry milk whoopie pies

ahhhh...I DIE. i need these in my life immediately. Sprinkle Bakes is the cutestt!

too bad i already packed ALL of my baking equipment for the move...now i need to wait two weeks. waaaah!

Candy Cookies!

*precious
(*via)

Dulce de Leche cookies!

(photo via *crepes of wrath)

pop over to Crepes of Wrath for the recipe for these little cookies. they are delicious and are super easy to make! YUM! i made them for my office and everyone was a big fan! the sweet and salty combo was amazing.

Mother's Day Cookies

Sissy did a great job making these Mother's Day Sugar Cookies! (I can't take any credit for anything except finding the idea....sad)

The sugar cookie and icing recipes are from here* and so is the idea for these cookies! She is an amazing baker, definitely worth checking out her site!

Sorry there aren't more pics, we had already dug into the cookie jar before this was taken!!

The point was to put a HUGE "you are..." cookie tag on the outside of the cookie jar. On the inside, she filled it with cookies that say nice things about my perfect momma :)

Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints

These were much easier than the Samoas I made. Unfortunately, I need to perfect the chocolate coating. I was so disappointed with the Ghiradelli chocolate that I used, that I didn't even take a picture of the final outcome. It was super strong and overpowered the delicious mint cookie. Next time, I'll use a less strong chocolate. :)

Homemade Thin Mints
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick - if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp - and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Coating
10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.

Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

The cookies taste exactly like the middle of thin mints, and like I said, I am going to have to experiment with the coating! :) Enjoy!

Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas

Home-made Samoas! Just as hard to make as they sound! :)

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)
Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.

(Sidenote: THIS SUCKED ASS. I'd suggest just forming the dough into a log and freezing it. The circles in the middle are pointless for this cookie, you'll be better off - and more sane - without them. just slice the dough once its firm. seriously.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

If i try to make these again, i'll most definitely be making the Samoa Bars instead :)

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and Food Network
*via the SoHo

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened - i used light, salted
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese - i used part skim
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Makes about 44 cookies. (ok...i made them way too big, but still DELISH!!)

mine had the perfect consistency of "Madeleine Cookies" - the little french coffee cookies! also - my name! how fitting!

Chimichurri x2

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hi again, lovely blog friends!

Last night's din consisted of more chimichurri deliciousness! follow the recipe from yesterday (double or triple for more! taste as you go!) to get started!


Cumin rubbed Steak

• 3 lbs flank steak - i forget the REAL name for it. good thing i'm so descriptive.....flat steak.
• Goya Mojo sauce (int'l section of the grocery store...hispanic foods)
• cumin
• s&p

rub the cumin, s&p into the steak and place in a big ziploc or dish - pour liberal amounts of Mojo sauce on top. Marinate for as long as you like (2 hrs for me!)
grilling instructions: find them yourself.
pan-searing instructions: put some evoo on the bottom of the pan and heat - place steak in and cook about 3 minutes per side if the steak is an inch and a half thick for a pink middle. remove steak once done to your liking, and let it sit for a few before you start cutting it, let the juices settle.

Brown Rice with Red Peppers and Cucumbers

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2.5 cups fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup red bell peppers - roasted (s&p, evoo, diced peppers in glass baking dish for 30 mins on 375 should do the trick)
• 1 cup diced cucumbers
• s&p
• 1/3 cup evoo
• 2 lemons - zest and juice
• a few sprigs of green onion - chopped (use both green and white parts)
• reduced fat or fat free feta cheese - if you please :)

boil chicken broth, add rice, reduce to simmer for 40 mins or until cooked through. in another bowl whisk together lemon juice and some zest, green onions, evoo, s&p. Add peppers and cucumbers. let sit while rice cooks. add rice, stir, yay it's done! so simple! don't forget to top with yummy reduced fat feta cheese! can be served hot, warm or cold :)

this makes me happy, i hope it makes you happy too! it's so simple, and so worth the ridic 40 minute wait for the rice!

and for dessert, SUCK ON THAT MICHELLE!
Italian Wedding Cookies - this time properly plated!



might i just add that i made this for 8 people :) it's not all for myself ...hahaha

Italian Wedding Cookies

s
i found these little suckers here and after seeing the picture, i knew i had to make them!

every other week or so we have a potluck with the girls and last night's theme was italian - perfect opportunity to make the cookies! oh how i wish i took more pictures! in addition to my little italian wedding cookies, we had baked ziti, garlic bread, meatballs, bruschetta and caprese!

I used unsalted butter in the first batch, and added a pinch or two in the second - i couldn't taste the difference... :)

Adapted Recipe:

Italian Wedding Cookies

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. For the dough, combine 1 c. soft butter, 2 c. all-purpose unbleached (i used bleached) flour and 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream in an electric mixer. Mix until combined. Roll out dough 1/8" thick on a floured pastry cloth and cut out circles with a shot glass {or a very small cookie cutter if you prefer a different shape} -- ** BE SURE TO FLOUR HEAVILY, this is sticky if it warms up**. Gently press both sides of the cookie into a little bit of sugar that you have placed on a small plate (whoa just read this part for the first time - haha missed this all together). Transfer cookie to baking sheet and prick 3 times with a fork. Bake for 7 (I did 8) minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.

For the icing, combine 1/4 c. soft butter, 3/4 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and food coloring of choice (TEAL!). Mix with electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. Spread icing between 2 cookies to make little sandwiches.

as you can see, mine were quite messy (like most of my baking) but they were sooooo good! i should have presented better, but they went so fast that there was no point :)