TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal (??) Drops

A photo study of a Sunday night, chocolate oatmeal drops included.  Please note, I said NIGHT and it was January.  Draw your own conclusions about the quality.

Will playing basketball in the kitchen, trying to avoid the bags of clothes are giving away.  Notice that he is still in his uniform.  His game was at 2:00pm.  This was after dinner .

The rest of the pics were taken by Will.

Me mixing the dry ingredients.

The entire family (parents included) is banned from electronics until after dinner on Sundays.  Colin whips out the game controllers as soon as possible.

In case you were wondering what was on screen.

The finished chocolate oatmeal drops.  Hmmm…I didn’t “get” the addition of the oatmeal to these.   I wish I had left it out or substituted something else.  Colin, of course, was disappointed to discover the oats.  He wanted them removed from the next batch…

TWD: Chockablock Cookies

Good news:  Now, that I am on my way to

Puerto Rico, I will probably be forced to confront my photography situation.  I will have pictures that I really need to upload.  Bad news:  Still, using phone camera photography this week.

On to the actual cookies…I think these suffered by comparison, poor things.  Let me explain.  I grew up in Kansas City.  Occasionally, we will have a lovely sunset.  Beautiful, I always thought.  Then, as a young adult, I moved to Arizona.  The sunsets there?  Dramatic.  Magical.  And regular.  When I moved back here the sunsets weren’t the same.  They were still pretty but they didn’t compare.

Had Dorie filled her “cookie jar” chapter with snickerdoodles, gingersnaps and lemon crèmes, I probably would have really loved these.  But the book is filled with these hyper mix-in kind of cookies, and these were not the best of the bunch.  I just last week proclaimed my everlasting love for the Chocolate Chunkers and Malted Whopper Drops.  And I don’t want to tell you how many of the Granola Grabbers I ate that week.  So, these were good…but not magical.

As I alluded at the beginning, I am off to Puerto Rico for a conference by day/pina colada by night by night kind of thing.  I will not be checking and commenting this week (at least not any time close to Tuesday).

Variations:  I used a mixture of molasses and honey solely because I ran out of molasses.  I would be curious to try to them with all molasses.  I left the nuts out completely and made half with coconut and half without.  I tried both and really thought you could taste the coconut (so one bite was PLENTY).  I used cranberries for the dried fruit.

Bottom Line:  a good solid cookies.  Kids definitely enjoyed them.

Next week:  Burnt sugar ice cream.  I really hope I get to this before next Tuesday.  I thought about making it ahead, but my swimsuit smacked me in the head for even thinking about it.

TWD: Dulce De Leche Duos (no, really)

I really did make these.  I really did take pictures.  I even made my own dulce de leche (the David Lebovitz method).  I am really too beat to figure out why my camera has decided not to upload to the ol’ laptop anymore.  This putting-the-house-on-the-market has taken it all out of me.   So, instead of cookies you get my dining room.  Where we ate many of the cookies (eat at the table!  the crumbs!)

I wasn’t really sure how these would go over here at Chez Exhaustion/Frustration.  Happily, I report they were a big hit.  I should have made a whole batch.  We devoured them in one night.

Next week: Coconut Tea Cake.  I have made this and, more importantly, the photos are already on my computer!

TWD: Honey-Wheat cookies (aka Lipton as a solid)

Wheat on the left; oat on the right

Sometimes I am an idiot.

English is my native tongue and I have been reading for well over 30 years.  But sometimes the pertinent items just slide right past me.  Like the time I was sure the invitation said the party started at four only to realize it ended at four.

In this instance, I saw the name of the cookies and a few key ingredients and started to get enthused.  I love whole wheat!  Had I been paying attention I would have given a little more thought to the combination of lemon zest and honey.  Someone said the cookies reminded them of tea with honey and lemon.  They were right.  I don’t like tea with honey and lemon.  In fact, I don’t think I am on the lemon zest love train at all.

I love lemon…when lemon is the star of the show (lemon meringue pie, lemon cake, lemon yogurt…).  But I am almost always put off by the addition of lemon zest to non-lemony goods.  The lemon flavor is overpowering.  I usually leave it out completely or reduce the amount significantly.  I did neither.  And lived to regret it.

I think I had in my mind that these would be a heartier, spicier cookie.  Considering there isn’t one spice listed, I have come to the conclusion that I am an idiot.  I liked these OK but not as much as I think I can.  I want to love these a little more.  So, I am going to play around.  Maybe add some orange zest in place of the lemon and throw in some cinnamon or something.  I’ll keep you posted.

Variations:

I actually made two batches, one with wheat bran and one with oat bran.  I didn’t have wheat germ on hand.  The cookies looked different – the oat bran cookie was smoother.  But, the taste difference was negligible.  Because I only had the bran, I skipped rolling the cookies in it.  That seemed a little much.  Next time, I will try with wheat germ.

bottom line:  good but could be better (for me).   Will tasted one and said, “too much wheat for me.”   I left a plate of them in a kitchen at work and left for the day without ever checking back to see if anyone ate them.  Who am I kidding?  I am sure they were gone.  You could put a plate of week old half eaten bagels out around here and someone would grab one.

Next week:  coconut custard tart.  There are TWO coconut recipes this month.  If I make both, you will know I am really dedicated.  But don’t be surprised if you see a variation of these cookies one week instead…

The full recipe is Flourchild by Michelle.

TWD: Farvigscherben

When my grandma was growing up poor in the 1910s and 1920s, her family ate a lot of what they called “roll-ups.”  They used inexpensive ingredients and were amazingly adaptable.   She was amazed to find out decades later that her humble roll-ups were known to the rest of the Western world as crepes.  Growing up, we still called them roll-ups and filled them with PB & J.

The moral of the story:  sometimes humble ingredients meld together beautifully into something you will choose to eat long after you can afford to stop eating it.  And, then, sometimes they don’t.  And that is where I found myself with the scherben.  I made a full batch (the ingredient list was too small to even bother with the reduction math) but baked half and fried half.  I was feeling strangely motivated on Friday…Could be because we are covered in snow and it was a whopping 3 degrees that day.*

I didn’t get finished pictures of the baked but you can see how much flatter they are.

Small disclaimer:  My thermometer is obviously not worth the space it takes up in my catch-all kitchen drawer.  It wasn’t even close to 350 degrees when I decided to test one.  The first poor little scherben practically burned up on the spot.  Needless to say, I had difficulty finding the perfect temperature to get them crisp but not black.  Anyhoooo, I doused both batches with cinnamon sugar and then completely covered them with powdered sugar.

And you know what?  They tasted like something you would make if you were desperate for something sweet, not like something you would make for its particular enjoyment.  I was reminded of those diet soda/box mix cupcakes.  You know, the ones people make when they are counting calories but need a sweets fix.  As a substitute, they are just fine.  As a stand alone cupcake: no thanks.  Somehow, I doubt the scherben lovers will gladly adopt the slogan:  Scherben – fine for when you can’t afford anything else.  But that is the way I will think of them.

Visit Teanna at Spork or Foon for the recipe.  Her blog is very funny.

Next week:  Chocolate oatmeal almost candy bars.  I am looking forward to these…

You would stay in and bake too…

TWD: Cafe (not so) Volcano Cookies

Well…..these certainly were nutty, weren’t they?  What mine weren’t were in any emblematic of a volcano or crater.  I must have messed up something somewhere – which kind of boggles because this recipe was about as simple as they come.   I suppose someone has to be on the wrong end of the bell curve.  But, the pictures don’t lie.

I, of course, made no effort to taste test these.  Jamie gave it a go and ate…one.  ONE.  Never a good sign.  I took them to work and made my colleague taste one before I set them out for public consumption.  The bad news:  she called them “interesting.”   The good news:  they reminded her a little of peanut brittle which her husband loves.  She took the whole bag home to him.  I never got a follow-up report and I probably won’t ask.  In my mind, they went to a loving home and were gobbled up with glee.  Why let the truth ruin things?

The full recipe is at the Lonely Sidecar by MacDuff.  Next week:  Pecan pie.  This nut thing?  It never ends.

TWD: Slacker makes Sables

Missed another recipe – no Pistachio Pear Tart from last week.  I have missed more recipes in the last two months than in did in over 18 months.  Ahhh…well…such is life.  But, I am back for month o’ nuts (as I have dubbed December).  We had the pistachio pear tart and have the oh so nutty cafe volcano cookies and the can’t-make-a-sub-for-nuts pecan pie to look forward to.  I know some of you are salivating but…

I was relieved to have a break from the nuts.  No chance of pecan sables around here.  I made lime and orange.  I used the zest of one fruit for each half of batch of dough.  Frankly, I was hoping for a little more citrus taste but thought they were equally good.  Would have been better dipped in chocolate, natch.

These didn’t blow me away but I am not just a butter cookie lover or a taste of butter lover.  All of my life I wondered who really ate the cookies in those blue tins.  I join this group and discover lots of you were.  Live and learn.

So, thanks to Bungalow Barbara for choosing an easy and nut free cookie.  I will say several got disposed of quickly around here.  Someone likes the butter cookies…

Next week: Cafe Volcano Cookies.  I have -surprise- already made these.  Early reports were troubling, but I am seeking additional opinions.

TWD: 36 hour Cottage Cheese Pufflets

Saturday – 8:00am:  I had to go two (2!) grocery stores to find cottage cheese.  I can unequivocally state that I have never purchased it before so had never noticed that there wasn’t any at my regular store.  I briefly considered using ricotta as sub but the recipe is called Cotttage Cheese Pufflets, not Ricotta Pufflets.  I persevered.  Fortunately, I was going to the second store anyway.

I thought about making the dough that morning but we were hustling to get to the pumpkin patch, so I bought the cottage cheese and forgot about it.  I realize it is a little early for the pumpkin patch but our cable company was having a customer appreciation day for FREE.  Free trumps early.  If you are thinking that all your cable company does for you is jack up the rates when they add stupid new channels, you need to get a second cable company in your area.  Sometimes a little competition is a good thing.

Saturday – 1:00pm:  Home from the pumpkin patch, I put the butter out to soften.  Then I decided to take the boys to the neighborhood fall festival so Jamie could watch the Husker game in peace.  We arrived home in time for the last few minutes of the game.  The less said about that the better, but I got distracted enough that I forgot about my butter.

Saturday – 7:00pm: The butter was so soft, I had to chill it up a little and then finally got to work on the dough.  Honestly, who eats cottage cheese?  I don’t think I have ever seen anyone under 70 eat it.  It is seriously unappetizing.  I guess I should consider it a blessing that I didn’t care for the dough.  At all.

Sunday morning: dusting (yippee!); yardwork (hooray!); laundry (are we having fun yet?).  No time for pufflets.

Sunday afternoon: Much to my younger son’s dismay, the hapless Chiefs lost AT HOME to the equally hapless Raiders.  We went to the park with the kids, with a sidetrip to TCBY.  Dough still in fridge.

Sunday – 5:00pm:  I will try to sum up the tedium of the next two hours lest you decide to spork your eye after the full description.  A lot of chilling, rolling, chilling, cutting, chilling, cursing, forming, cursing, filling, chilling, sighing, etc.

Sunday – 7:00pm: Pufflets in the oven.  I am not confident.  I am thinking maybe I should have had some frozen yogurt when I had the chance.

Would this inspire confidence in you?

Sunday – 7:15pm:  First batch out and my fears have been confirmed.  The blackberry jam was clearly a mistake.  I am at once grateful for silicone mats.

Sunday – 7:30pm:  Taste testing.  Jamie, lifelong Cowboys fan, eats a few while watching the Cowboys game.  Showing the good sense he was born with, he gives up on the Pufflets and the Cowboys and calls it night.  They taste better than they look, admittedly a very low bar to cross.  They do not, however, taste good enough to justify the 5:00 – 7:00pm effort.  I am sorry to say I will be crossing this one off the list.  The baker and the football teams should have quit while we were ahead.

Am starting to see why no photos in the book…

Next week:  We travel to Lincoln for the Huskers’ 300^th consecutive sell-out (that number is correct – my parents were in high school last time there were empty seats) and I tackle the chocolate crackle tart.  Let’s hope both fare better next weekend.  Thanks to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes (TWD) for picking something that had piqued my curiosity from the beginning.  The recipe is on her site.  I have some cottage cheese you can have.

MONSTER Chocolate Chip Cookies

Working on the theory that you can never try too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, here is another one.  We had some visitors again this weekend and the boys decided we would make homemade cookies.  Will has this giant set of cookie recipes he received last Christmas.  Somehow they managed to come up with a “working” pile of 19 to choose from.  Clearly, Colin can’t read because I am sure there were recipes in there that he would refuse.

Helpers at the ready…

I narrowed it down to those recipes that did not require a trip to the store and we settled on MONSTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (requires all caps, don’t ya think?).  They were large indeed and a little crunchier than I expected.  Sadly, though, not my favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe.

TWD

 

Things that turned out more pleasantly than I expected: 

1.  Lincoln, Nebraska
2.  A night of arias from Handel
3. My first semester law school grades
4. My second go ’round with childbirth
5. Bull Durham
6. Last Thanksgiving
7. Caramel Crunch Bars

 

Don’t get me wrong.  I wasn’t expecting the worst.  I really had no preconceived notions about these.  They didn’t catch my eye in any of the 20+ times I have flipped through the recipes.  That said, they were a pleasant surprise.  I only made half the recipe.  My hubs’ birthday was last weekend and we gorged on Mexican and cupcakes**.  I also skipped the toffee bits thinking maybe Colin would eat them plain (no chance in hell with toffee bits).  I was, of course, wrong.  I am not sure what was objectionable about them but I fear I will never understand the inner workings of his mind where food is concerned.

I have this nagging feeling that I have made these before but I can’t recall when or why.  I may be losing my grip on the inner workings of my brain.

**The cupcake frosting was made with silken tofu but don’t tell Colin.  I would have liked to have posted about them but I am getting frustrated with my limited photography options.  I couldn’t take any pictures of the bars in progress because Jamie was doing our taxes on the computer.  Somehow a (polite) entreaty for photos of uncooked dessert didn’t seem like the best idea.

This is what happens when you leave iPhoto up on your laptop.  I came back to find 89 new photos after the crunch bars.  All a variation of this:

There are lots of “neat” effects…

Armagnac cake next week.  Truthfully, I don’t know what that is.  Probably means good ol’ whiskey and raisins for me.