Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been busy baking cookies for a realtor open house we'll be having week after next. While I prefer freshly baked cookies, the cookie I'm featuring tonight is earmarked for the freezer. My left eye has stabilized, so we can finally proceed with the transplant for the right eye. I'll be out of commission for a while, so I'm trying to get my house in order, cookies and all, before the "thou shalt nots" kick in. Obviously, one limitation will be the amount of time I can devote to the blog. Using a combination of old and new, I hope to schedule posts for the days I can't access the computer. That, anyway, is the plan. Should I miss a day or two, I hope you'll understand. I want to share these delicious molasses cookies with you, as well as the realtors, because they are so simple to make. They require no special equipment, save for a bowl and wooden spoon, and while the cookies look crisp, they are actually soft, chewy and undeniably delicious. My only caution is a reminder not to over-bake them. I pulled the cookies in these photos after they had been in the oven for 8 minutes. I let them cool on the baking pans for about 10 minutes more before I transferred them to cooling racks. At that point,  you should be able to move and lift the cookies without them bending. The recipe for these gems comes from Bon Appetit magazine. If you are looking for an easy cookie recipe, I hope you'll give this one a try. Here is how the cookies are made.

Simple Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If your cookie jar is empty, you might want to give this recipe a try. My family loves ginger cookies regardless of their country of origin. This is one of our favorites and the recipe I'm featuring is for an all-American version that produces large, nicely spiced cookies that remain soft and chewy as they bake. I use light molasses to make ours, but any type of molasses, save blackstrap or sorghum, can be used. These ginger cookies are simple to make and they are good keepers. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. These cookies are great for school lunches and those occasions that don't require finesse. Here is how they are made.

Spiced Pumpkin and Oatmeal Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The near saucer-size of these soft and chewy cookies makes them a perfect contender for a fall church or school bake sale. While the recipe, which comes from the CHOW test kitchen, is simple, these warmly spiced cookies are delicious and they're a perfect accompaniment for warm cider on a brisk fall day. The maple-flavored drizzle that's used to finish the cookies provides a nice counterpoint to the warm spice flavoring and the oatmeal adds some texture to an otherwise cake-like treat. Once the drizzled icing has set, the cookies can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookies are a nice change of pace from standard fall fare and I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the cookies are made.

Spiced Pumpkin and Oatmeal Cookies Pumpkin...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of CHOW Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
Glaze
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk (not nonfat), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:
1) To make cookies:
    Heat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange racks to divide oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.
    Place butter and both sugars in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down paddle and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and return mixer to medium speed, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down paddle and sides of the bowl.
    With mixer on low speed, add half of reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add half of pumpkin and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and pumpkin.
    Drop 8 dough rounds per baking sheet by scant 1/4 cup, staggering them 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Place remaining dough in refrigerator. Place both sheets in oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back and continue baking until cookies are golden brown on bottom and around the edges, about 12 minutes more.
   Place baking sheets on wire racks and let cookies cool on sheets for 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Let baking sheets cool to room temperature and then repeat with remaining dough (you can use the same parchment paper). When all cookies are baked, set pieces of parchment paper aside.
2) To make glaze:
    Place powdered sugar, milk and maple syrup in a medium bowl and whisk until evenly combined. (You may need to add more milk by the 1/2 teaspoon if glaze is too thick to drizzle.)
    Place cooled cookies on reserved parchment sheets. Dip a fork into glaze and drizzle it over the cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 20 minutes. Yield: 24 cookies.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Pumpkin Scones with Whipped Orange Butter

Two Years Ago Today: Fennel and Celery Salad

Three Years Ago Today: Mincemeat Tart with Apple and Streusel Topping

Four Years Ago Today: Pom Koec - Belgian Coffee Cake

Pillow Soft Almond Sugar Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a fondness for almond flavored sweets and treats, so when I saw the recipe for these soft and chewy cookies, I knew I had to give them a try. I found the recipe on Confections from the Cody Kitchen and I decided to serve the cookies with the ice milk I had planned for our holiday dessert. The cookies are quite easy to make and they are delicious, but having made them, I have a couple of thoughts to share with you. While the first is a matter of personal taste, I recommend using less almond extract than is called for in the original recipe. I found 2 teaspoons to be overpowering, so I cut the quantity to 1-1/2 teaspoons and added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to make up the difference. I also had to experiment with how long the cookies should bake. At the 8 minute mark, my cookies were so soft they could not be moved. Allowing them to sit did not improve the situation, so the batches after that were cooked for about 11 minutes. I cook with a conventional, rather than convection oven and that might explain why mine took so long to bake. If you like sugar cookies that are soft and chewy, I urge you to give this recipe a try. Here is how these  cookies are made.

Pillow Soft Almond Sugar Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Confections from the Cody Kitchen

Ingredients:
1-1/2 Cups white sugar
2/3 cup butter (cold)
2/3 cup shortening (room temp)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
2-3/4 Cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coarse sugar for rolling dough balls

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Cream sugar, butter and shortening. Stir in eggs and almond extract. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and add to butter/egg mixture. Use electric mixer to ensure dough is thoroughly combined.
3) Chill dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4) Working in batches, roll 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball and roll in raw sugar. Place on prepared pan about 1-inch apart. Return unused dough to refrigerator between baking batches.
5) Bake cookies for 7 minutes 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press rounded tops of cookies flat with  back of a spoon while the cookies are still warm and pliable. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 36 to 40 cookies.








One Year Ago Today: Crumb Cake


















Two Years Ago Today: Mango Mousse


















Three Years Ago Today: Pork Tenderloin in a Salt Crust














Four Years Ago Today: Steak Diane Flambe

Soft Dinner Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... Bread, in one form or another, has always been a part of our holiday meals. I've been looking for a recipe that would allow me to make rolls from a dough that could be shaped and frozen days before the rolls were to be baked off. I envisioned the maddening aroma of just baked bread greeting guests as they walked through the door. While that's a great appetite stimulant, it's also helps boost the cook's reputation and I'm not above a dirty trick or two. Martha Stewart had a recipe for a rich and buttery pan roll that I thought would work well for my purposes. I've just completed a test run and these are just what I was looking for. The dough for these rolls can be made without special equipment. If you have a wooden spoon, you can have rolls for dinner. They are easy to make and have a soft crust that covers a buttery interior that is light and fluffy. They are a perfect addition to the holiday table and I can assure you they will be on mine this year. I hope you will give them a try. The recipe for the rolls follows and below it you can see the complete menu for our non-traditional holiday dinner. Bon Appétit!

Soft Dinner Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water
4-1/2 teaspoons (4 packets) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl and pans
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, divided use
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions:
1) Place water in a small bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, butter, sugar, salt, and 2 eggs. Whisk in yeast mixture.
2) Using a wooden spoon, stir in 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft, shaggy dough (if necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more flour). Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Butter the inside of a large bowl; place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1-/4 hours.
3) Butter two 13-by-9-inch baking pans. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 15-inch rope; cut each rope into 15 1-inch pieces. Press each piece into a disk, then shape into a ball. Arrange dough balls in prepared pans. (To make ahead: Wrap pans well, and freeze, up to 2 months.) Cover pans loosely with plastic; let stand in a warm spot until rolls have doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours (2 hours more if frozen for a total of 3 to 3-1/2 hours).
4) Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg until blended; brush onto rolls. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Let rolls cool 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 30 rolls.

Thanksgiving Menu 2011







First Course: Fennel and Carrot Soup













Salad Course: Roasted Apple Salad with Bacon and Mixed Greens














Main Course: Cider Brined Pork Loin













Side Dish: Sweet Potato Home Fries

















Additional Sides: Minted Peas, Apple Stuffing and Red-Currant Cranberry Sauce
















































Dessert One: Frozen Maple-Mousse Cake with Candied Cranberries














Dessert Two: Cranberry Bread Pudding with Orange Hard Sauce