peanut butter cookies

(adapted from lisa yockelson)

3 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (smooth) peanut butter

makes about 3 dozen cookies

For the dough, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice (if using) onto a sheet of waxed paper. 

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes. Add the light brown sugar in two additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added. Add the granulated sugar and beat for two minutes longer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and blend until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the dough even-textured. On low speed, beat in half of the sifted mixture, then the balance of the sifted mixture. The dough will be moderately dense, creamy-textured, and sticky. Divide the dough into thirds and enclose each portion, patted into a flat slab about 1 inch thick (more or less), in a sheet of plastic wrap. Chill the dough, covered, for 3 hours (or overnight, if you wish).

Preheat the oven to 350* in advance of baking.

Line several heavy cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans with oven-proof parchment paper. 

Scoop up heaping 2 tablespoon-size mounds of dough, roll into balls, and place on prepared baking sheets, placing about 3 inches apart. Gently flatten the cookie in a crisscross pattern with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar (or flour). 

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until set. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to cooling racks, using a wide off-set metal spatula. Cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.

* coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, 1 cup lightly salted or unsalted, can be added to the dough after the first half of the sifted ingredients are incorporated , using lightly salted peanuts creates a cookie with a salty-sweet contrast, unsalted peanuts a gentler flavor 

(if using lightly salted peanuts, reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon)

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black and white cookies

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adapted from Martha Stewart

so, these cookies! Seemed so simple, yes! NO! I was a bit frustrated with Martha. Yes, the Martha. Usually I find her recipes to be delightful, simple, everyday. But this dough! I found this dough to be a bit hard to work with, as in it could double for wall paper paste. Good to know ahead of time, right? I know! step 5. completely coat yourself with flour before proceeding with shaping dough-fine- just let me know! That's not asking too much, is it? I forged on, cussing out Martha the entire time...and finally stumbled on the solution...scoop the dough into a small ice cream scoop and ploop it onto the parchment covered cookie sheets. By George, it worked! The result was a rather fetching little cookie that tasted quite lovely. So it was good and bad. These cookies both pissed me off and made me happy. black and white. Ha! I'm just brilliant that way.

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk
 

icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt - set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter - about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour.

Scoop dough gently into a small ice cream scoop and drop onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake until bottoms turn golden, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool.

Icing: whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 t. vanilla, and 1 T water in a small bowl until smooth. Add more water if needed (consistency should be a bit thicker than honey). Transfer half of mixture to another bowl. Stir in cocoa; add water if necessary. Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flattest side and cocoa icing on the other side; allow to set for about 30 minutes. 

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enjoy!

bitter-sweet chocolate pie

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*Please note, you will need two things for this pie: a fine-meshed sieve, for straining the pudding; and four hours' lead time waiting for the pudding to chill (plus the patience of a saint) okay that may be three things.

Graham cracker crust:
9 graham crackers (1 sleeve or 5 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted and warm

Chocolate Cream Filling:

8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2" cubes and chilled
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
9 egg yolks
11 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee (if desired)
1 1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping:

2 cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. good vanilla extract

Shaved bittersweet chocolate, to garnish

Place oven rack in middle position, and preheat oven to 325°.

Roughly break graham cracker, then pulverize to a fine powder in a food processor, about 30 seconds.  Add sugar, and pulse briefly to combine.  Add melted butter through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, pulsing as you go to combine, until mixture resembles wet sand, you know like at the ocean.

Transfer the crumbs to a 9" glass pie plate.  Spread lightly to distribute, then gently and firmly press crumbs into bottom and up sides of pie plate, using your hands. It will be kinda loose, but will firm up considerably as it bakes.  Bake 15-18 minutes, until your kitchen is filled with yummy smells, and the crust is lightly browned.  Cool completely while making the filling. 

Heat half-and-half in a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, until it's steaming and just barely reaches a simmer.  Remove pan from heat.  In a large bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch.  Add egg yolks, and whisk until smooth.  Slowly, steadily, drizzle hot half-and-half into the egg yolk-sugar mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth.  (This will temper the egg yolks, to prevent them from scrambling).  Return tempered yolk/half-and-half mixture to the large saucepan, and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until bubbles rise to the surface and mixture is very thick and pudding-like, 3-4 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, and to the hot pudding mixture, slowly, in batches, add the 8 tablespoons of cold butter and the 11 ounces chopped chocolate, whisking until smooth.  Whisk in instant espresso, if using, until smooth.  Stir in the 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. 

Set a fine-meshed sieve over a deep bowl, and strain chocolate mixture.  Pour pudding into strainer in batches, and press with a spatula to smoosch through.  This is fussy but fast, and is key to achieving that sublime creamy texture.  You'll see when your done all the inevitable cornstarch lumps and eggy bits left behind in the strainer, which is such a much better place for them than the pie. Cover filling with plastic wrap, pressing down right to the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.  

When filling is firm, remove plastic wrap and stir until smooth.  Spoon chilled filling into cooled crust, forming a dome in the center with a rubber spatula for a more polished look, or piling it high in the middle for a more casual affair.

In a large bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until soft but strong-ish peaks form.  Dollop cream on top of filling, as much as you dare, and with a peeler, shave a little additional chocolate over all, if you fancy.

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enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

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adapted from Luscious Lemon Desserts

yields one quart

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup + two tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped meringue cookies

3/4 cup lemon curd

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Allow to stand for 20 minutes at room temperature, whisking every couple minutes to help dissolve the sugar. Strain out the lemon zest if you like, I however find that zest from a micro plane is so fine and fluffy that it is best left in the ice cream and adds a bright, fresh lemon flavor.

Chill this mixture for 3 hours until very cold and then you're ready to churn.

Add the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once finished, quickly stir in the chopped meringue cookies and then transfer the mixture into the freezing container. Layer the ice cream with large spoonfuls of the lemon curd. Seal the container and freeze until firm.

 enjoy!

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