Woe is a Fluffy Marshmallow...

Of which the pan I can no longer eat in one sitting... Well by now, most of you are probably sick and tired of looking at marshmallow cookies and Milan(o) cookies. Or you could be like me - not exactly sick of looking at them, but getting to the point that the photos are driving you f'n crazy and soon will cause you to say "Fakkk the diet" as you dive into the freezer head first, in search of the box of cookies you made last week. Gah. Now I'm not blaming anyone here but myself. I made my bed by abusing my body for 40 some years. So this is entirely my fault. But DAMN people. Couldn't the Daring Bakers hostess picked baked carrot sticks?? Sugar-free Jello Trifle?? Dog biscuits? ANYTHING but crispy and delicate lemon scented cookies stuffed with chocolate or melt in your mouth fluffy marshmallow dipped in chocolate?? c'mon! Speaking of hostesses... The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network. Incredibly, I didn't have many problems this month. I KNOW! That's rare for me! :P I started with the Milan(o)s - the batter was so easy to put together I was kinda shocked once it was done and reread the recipe to make sure I didn't forget an ingredient or step. I decided to not pipe them out because seriously, my piping skillz are about equal to my mad frosting skillz. I really need to make another cake so I have something else to reference to. hahahaa! Anyhoo.. instead of piping, I decided to make a template. Problem was, I didn't have anything thin enough to cut the shape of a milan(o) cookie out of. It was getting close to lunch time, so I decided to think about what to use while perusing the fridge and pantry for something to munch on when I happened upon an old box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Even though this box of tiny elbow macaroni and package of orange dyed salt is a comfort food to me, I didn't think about eating it.. I thought about sacrificing it to the Baking Gods. So I poured the contents out, cut the box so it would lay flat and proceeded to draw a 3" x 1" template of my cookies. Worked like a charm! Course after they baked they didn't exactly stay in the perfect shape I had worked so hard on, but they weren't too bad and I liked the "rustic" look of them. Now when it came to the chocolate.. well.. that's where I had a problem. I didn't melt the chocolate over a double boiler, because the last couple times I've done that, my chocolate broke. Some steam had caused it and I didn't want to take that chance this time. So I nuked the chocolate & cream.. at first it came out great but soon it got clumpy and greasy looking. I have no fakking idea how or why this happened unless there was a water molecule on the spoon I used to stir it? Fakk me. Of course I didn't care toooooo much as I figured it was going to be sandwiched and the look of the chocolate didn't matter as much as the taste. So I filled up ohhh eleventy billion cookies. Uhh Gale? You don't know how to count. This recipe made quadrupal the amount of what your recipe said it would. I ended up with lots of cookies left over without filling, but that was okay because Hubbs had cookies to munch on while driving to work and didn't have to worry about getting chocolate all over his truck. ;) As I'm sure you've guessed, I did sample a cookie or two. Please, I have next to zero willpower when it comes to chocolate anything. They were good - I actually prefered the cookie plain for munching. But they weren't Milanos. A Milano isn't lemon flavored. And I didn't particularly like the vanilla/lemon flavors. I wish I had cut down on the vanilla.. but you'll have that. Will I make these cookies again? Nah.. but it was really fun going through the process. :) Now the chocolate covered marshmallow cookies (Mallows) - they were delicious. I couldn't get over how easy making marshmallow was. And to think, I've made that frosting a 1000 times and didn't realize that by just adding some gelatin, I could have had homemade marshmallows years ago. Doh. The cookie base was also as easy as the Milan(o)s. Instead of shaping into a disk and refrigerating, I decided to take a tip from one of our wonderful Daring Baker members and cut the dough in half, rolled each half into a log and I froze it for a couple hours to make cutting easier. That also worked like a charm and I got some nice round 1.5" - 2" cookies in the end. I went bigger than what the recipe called for because by now, I'd already invested like 3 hours into the Milan(o)s and didn't want to be up til midnight with the Mallows. I'm glad I did.. they make an impressive larger cookie! Originally, I wanted my marshmallow to be swirled. Like this one. I was going to make two flavors.. strawberry swirled and mocha swirled. I was also going to spread homemade strawberry preserves, that were given to us last week, over the cookie before I piped the strawberry marshmallow and this wonderful super thick hot fudge over the cookie before I piped the mocha marshmallow. But again, I'd been at this baking without eating 1/2 the end product before I was done thing for many hours and I just couldn't be bothered. So I went with mocha only, no fudge. Unforch, my folding skillz leave much to be desired.. so by the time I stopped folding, my mocha mix (2 TBS. water, 1 tsp. instant espresso powder & 1 tsp. Starbucks' Mocha Mix) was completely incorporated into the marshmallow - no swirls. Boo. Didn't matter though - the mocha flavored marshmallow was fakking heavenly. OHMYGOD. It's a wonder I had enough to top 1/2 a batch of the cookies (still have a log in the freezer.. wtf am I going to do with it??).. yeah, my diet went straight to hell once I tasted that marshmallow. Gah. I let them set over night and dipped them the next morning.. they started to set up immediately and that happened because I went with Crisco instead of cocoa butter or oil. I was very, VERY pleased especially since I'd read about so many members' cookies not setting up for them. I've just always used Crisco in my Buckeyes candies, so it wasn't even a conscious decision to do so with these cookies. Right now, I've got about 20 cookies in my fridge that I still haven't had a chance (or good lighting) to take a photo of, but will upload them as soon as I do. Once they are photographed they are also going into the deep freeze and along with the Milan(o)s, will be a gift to my girlie-friends who are coming for a slumber party this weekend. Thanks, Nicole! Even though I cheated some this past weekend.. it was worth it to know I can make marshmallows now! I can't wait for winter and Christmas present making! :) Check out the blogroll for BILLIONS of other amazing cookies! PS - Mom is doing well.. a few problems with leg cramping (from the Lasix) and exhaustion from being poked and prodded.. but I am confident she'll be like brand new once they are done draining the excess fluid. Thanks for the many concerned emails.. ya'll have no idea how uplifting they were. Hugs! xoxo

A Taste of Yellow

When I first read Barbara's A Taste of Yellow post, I knew immediately that I'd be participating. For I am a cancer survivor. I kicked it's ass and I'm quite proud of it. I had to give up the option of ever having kids, and although that saddens me at least twice a day, it was a small price to pay for being able to still be here with my family and friends. In November of 2005, I was called back in to see my doctor after having a routine pap smear. The first one I'd had in 4 years.* I was then sent to my OB/GYN who did a biopsy, which came back positive. 'kay so I just wrote two paragraphs of what I went through and deleted it.. suffice to say that after all attempts at saving the cervix failed, my only option was to have a radical hysterectomy including removal of the near-by lymph nodes. Amazingly my bout with cancer lasted 2 months only. It's amazing how far some cancer treatments have come. When first diagnosed, I thought for sure I'd be dealing with this for at least 6 months. This past December, I had my 1 year check-up and all results came back negative. =) So you see, I am eternally grateful for people like Lance Armstrong and his LIVESTRONG Day as well as Barbara of Winos and Foodies and her A Taste of Yellow event - these are survivors who take action, who try to make a difference. I don't believe for a minute, that cancer treatment and cures would be where they are today if it weren't for people like Lance and Barbara raising awareness about cancer issues. And that's a true statement. It is with great pleasure that I can participate in such a worthy cause, even if it's just with a simple recipe that took no more than 30 minutes of my time. To even be a miniscule part of helping to make people aware, is a great honor. Thank you to Barbara for organizing this wonderful event! =) Well.. my yellow food, she ain't yeller. But she smells yellow and she tastes yellow - so that counts right? Months ago as I clicked on one of my favorite blogs, Danielle's Habeas Brulee, I found a post she had written about finding a piece of scrap granite that was hers for the taking, and all the ass pain she went through to get that free slab of stone home. Although Danielle's post was fun to read, it was the cookies that stayed in my memory these past 5 months. I KNEW I'd make them at some point. It may not have been immediate, but I knew they wouldn't sit in my "Must Make" pile forever. The cookies are called "Lemon Chocolate Chunk Cookies" and the photo she shared of them was extremely drool-worthy. Oh yeah, baby. I had found an excellent opportunity to make these cookies, as they were a pretty shade of yellow and fit the requirements of this event perfectly. Now, I followed Danielle's recipe - my only change was to use chips instead of chunks of chocolate (as I had depleted my stash of good chocolate on The Martha's Crepe Cake) - but mine did not turn out looking even remotely like hers. Mine look like your normal chocolate chip cookie, with maybe a slight twinge of lemony color. But what's fabulous about them is you can smell the lemon and when you take a bite, the lemon flavor stands out. It's wonderful.. truly. And as we all know.. I'm all about the chocolate/citrus combo these days, eh? (DUDES! I'M THE FIRST BROWNIEBABE! WOOOOO!!) I'm copying Danielle's recipe exactly as she has it on her blog, but I really urge you to go check it out for yourselves. You'll see what I mean about total drool worthiness. Not to mention, this gal can cook! If you haven't been reading Habeas Brulee yet - do yourself a favor and click on over there and read, read, drool, read! Danielle's Lemon Chocolate Chunk Cookies Courtesy of Danielle of Habeas Brulee 1/2 C unsalted butter Zest of 4 lemons 3/8 C granulated sugar 3/8 C packed dark brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 1 1/8 C all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 C chocolate chunks Preheat the oven to 375º. You can use store-bought chocolate chips for this if you like, but I prefer to take a hunk of good chocolate and cut it into large chunks myself. Cream the butter, lemon zest, and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. At low speed, beat in the flour, salt, and baking soda just until blended. Add the chocolate chunks and mix in until evenly distributed. Prepare baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place heaping tablespoons of dough on the baking sheets about 2″ apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden and done. *Note: Ladies, please don't be stupid like I was. As much of a pain in the arse it is to get your yearly pap smear done, it's crucial that you do not skip it. Had I not blown my test off for 4 years, the cancer could have been caught in the early, early stages and I'd most likely still have all of my pieces parts. This means the decision to have children or not, would not have been taken away from me, without my having a choice. xoxo

A Biscotti Recipe, 4 Extremely Talented Bakers.. and Me. =)

*UPDATED* - Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti recipe added below I just got done reading Peabody's, Brilynn's, Helene's and Ivonne's posts about their biscotti. I couldn't be more impressed and awed. What a fabulous job you guys did!! Thank you so much for joining Ivonne and I in baking this recipe! I truly look forward to next month and can't wait to see what we'll be making. :D Oh yes.. I've decided.. and made that executive decision without being anywhere nears an executive, that we shall do this again next month.. Oh yes, my friends, we shall. Muahahaa! This was my first time baking biscotti. I've always paid the big bucks for these crunchy cookies and never even gave it a thought. Until Ivonne and I were talking about what to make this month and after suggestions of panettone (scared the bejebus outta me) and Christmas cookies, she came up with biscotti. My eyes lit up and a very large smile appeared on my face. Of course! Biscotti! Perfect! And so it was settled. By this time, I had already spoken with Peabody about her wishes to join us and Ivonne had spoken to Brilynn - so now the 2 of us had become 4. I was tickled. A few days later, as I was writing what seems to be my weekly letter to Helene, I realized she'd probably enjoy making biscotti too, so I invited her as well. I was very happy to find out that she was definitely up for it - now we had 5! And I was just delighted. =) Well let me tell you.. had I known how easy it was to make such delicious biscotti in my own kitchen I would have NEVER shelled out a dime for those "gourmet" cookies I've always loved. Of course this is thanks to Dorie Greenspan and her fabulous book, Baking: From My Home To Yours. Kids? If you haven't bought or begged for this book yet, seriously - get on it. You will NOT be disappointed. Her inclusion of Thelma Labensky's recipe for Chocolate Biscotti was heaven sent. When I read the ingredients and saw espresso powder in the list, I knew this would be a damn good biscotto. And ohhhh is it! The cookie has a nice crunch and isn't too sweet. The chocolate is very pronounced, thanks to the espresso powder. I don't digest nuts well, so I left out the almonds but kept in the chunks of semi-sweet chocolate. Well duh. Aside from that, I followed the recipe to the T. Right up to the option of dipping them into white chocolate. Not a white chocolate fan here. Actually, I hate the stuff. BUT, my creative juices were flowin' and I thought adding cinnamon to white chocolate might make it good enough to eat. Alas, this did not come to fruition as my white chocolate would not melt. I used a double boiler and gently brought the heat up, but my chocolate would only melt to a thick, frosting like, consistency. So I chucked it. And then I ran to the freezer for my good semi-sweet stash and got on with the dipping! Chocolate Biscotti Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Company, Nov 2006 2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder 2 TBS. instant espresso powder 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 3/4 stick (6 TBS.) unsalted butter at room temperature 1 c. sugar 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 c. chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 3/4 c. store-bought mini chocolate chips Sugar for dusting Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may be crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don't worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12 inch long logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand so that they are 1/2 to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar. Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The logs will spread and crack - and that's just fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.) Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet - you'll have an army of biscotti - and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool. Makes about 40 cookies. Playing Around: Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti: As impossible as it seems, these are even more irresistible than the original version. Add 1/3 co. of chopped dried cherries to the dough along with he almonds and chocolate. White Chocolate Dipped Biscotti: Have a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment or wax paper at hand. Gently melt 12 oz. finely chopped white chocolate or 2 c. store bought white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and scrape the chocolate into a narrow heatproof container. One by one, dip the biscotti into the chocolate, coating them to their midpoints. Lay the biscotti on the mat or paper, and when they are all dipped, slide them into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set the white chocolate. My Notes: I must have cut mine thicker than Dorie's as I only had 30 biscotti. Also pictured are cinnamon biscotti that I also made. They were equally delightful - with a big kick of cinnamon for you cinnamon lovers. Unfortunately, I'm about done tuckered out tonight, so I'll post the cinnamon biscotti recipe tomorrow morning. =) Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti Courtesy of Mollie and All Recipes 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 2/3 c. sugar 6 TBS. butter 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg, beaten 3 TBS. sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the 2/3 c. sugar and butter. Beat in 1 egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. (I used my stand mixer for all of this) Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time (you'll need to knead this dough a bit to get the unmixed dry ingredients incorporated thoroughly), roll the dough into 9 inch long 1 1/2 inch wide logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand slightly, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden and firm to the touch. Cool for 15 minutes. On a cutting board, slice each log crosswise at a diagional into 1/2 inch slices, using a serrated knife. *Note: see below for notes on slicing. Place back on baking sheet, cut side down and sprinkle with a mixture of the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, until toasted. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container. Makes 20 biscotti. My Notes: Thanks to advice from Alton Brown (I heart you AB!), I used my electric knife to cut both varieties of biscotti. I hardly had any crumbles at all. Also, if you don't have an electric knife, another tip I picked up was when cutting with a serrated knife, press down instead of sawing - helps to reduce crumbling. Serving: You can serve these with coffee - espresso, cappuccino, latte, or plain-old-poured-from-the-pot coffee - red wine, milk or ice cream. Or, if you stick them in a cookie jar and leave them onto he counter, they'll just about serve themselves. Storing: By their very nature, biscotti are good keepers. They'll keep in a cookie jar or an open basket for a week or more. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Someone is in big trouble. I think.

Laura Rebecca I have not decided if I am in love with you or if I should curse you.. yes, I said Curse You!! Friday was my 6 month check-up on the road to being completely cancer free.. the visit was nothing to report.. tests won't be back for a week (probably a lil longer because of the holiday) but I'm not worried, I feel confident I'll pass with flying colors :D I was a lil upset, though, to find that I have gained 7 pounds since December. Holy Shit! That's 3 pounds less the 10 I lost in THREE WEEKS directly after the hysterectomy. To think.. I figured while hubbs was away, I wouldn't do badly as I wouldn't be cooking as much because I could easily live on cereal for dinner every night.. Mmm hmm.. things did not go as planned. I've become a cooking FREAK.. and as you've all witnessed.. I haven't been cooking lots of steamed veggies and rice cakes. Can you cook a rice cake?? So being of sound mind and sound (not to mention quite thick) body.. I take total responsibility for my actions. And by actions, I mean thoroughly enjoying high caloric and high fat foods the past 3 months. Thank God he'll be home by next weekend WOOO HOOOO!!!!! No wait.. I am blaming Laura Rebecca for today's walk down Chocolate Boulevard. If it were not for Laura Rebecca posting the mouth-watering pictures and recipe for Outrageous Triple Chocolate Cookies, I never would have known about them. They would not have been talking to me from Beyond for well over 5.5 days. They would not have awaken me from a sound sleep at 5 a.m. this morning - beckoning me to combine all of that delectable chocolate into the most heavenly, chewy, ooey gooey, orgasmic giving cookie on the face of this planet we here call Earth. My quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie? It's no longer. I have reached the mecca, my friends. Although not a traditional chocolate chip cookie as it's a chocolate based "dough" - this is still it for me. I will NEVER make a traditional chocolate chip cookie again. I spat on traditional chocolate chip cookies! You are dead to me traditional chocolate chip cookie! Oh and Tyler Florence?? If you are reading this.. and I know that you are.. your Big Fat Chocolate Chip cookie can bite my Outrageous Triple Chocolate cookie right in the ass. Loser. Loooossserrrrrrr! When I took them out of the oven they were shiny and cracked, just as promised by Laura Rebecca (will you marry me, Laura Rebecca?). I let them sit on their warm sheets for 10 minutes before slowly sliding my super thin metal spatula oh so gently under their tender bellies, transfering them to a more comfortable cookie rack. Even then I did not touch them! I waited yet another 10 minutes before allowing myself to sample. And sample I did. After the first bite, my eyes rolled back in my head and I think I lost consciousness. When I came to my senses I went in for another taste, savoring the rush of chocolate that hit my senses like a Mac truck hitting a concrete paver. It was at this point that I grabbed hold of the counter as my knees went weak. I might have thanked the Lord Jesus. And Mr. Lindt. And Mr. Ghirardelli. And Martha. And Laura Rebecca. Repeatedly. I stopped at just one. I must savor these cookies. I must not be a glutton. These have to last AT LEAST until tomorrow morning. Only because I am out of eggs. Outrageous Triple Chocolate Cookies Recipe as discovered on Laura Rebecca's Kitchen: 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped 4 TBS. unsalted butter, softened 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 large eggs 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 6 oz. dark chocolate chunks or chips (recommended Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate chips) 6 oz. white chocolate, chopped (recommended Green & Black's White Chocolate bars) My changes - I added 1 tsp. of instant espresso powder because I just do that with most anything I make that has chocolate in it and I could not find Green & Black's White Chocolate bars, so I used Ghirardelli's white chocolate. Also, I am a dork and only bought 1 (3.5 oz.) white chocolate bar, so I subbed 3 oz. of Lindt semi-sweet chocolate for the missing white chocolate - because God forbid there is less chocolate than called for in ANY recipe I make. Preheat oven to 350º F. Heat chopped semi-sweet chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks. (Note: Don't worry if the batter seems thin. It should look more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough.) Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days. Makes 2 dozen. So what's 7 pounds?

Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay well this week's chocolate binge can easily be blamed on Ali because of this month's Cinco de Mayo WCC #5 I couldn't stop thinking about Mexican chocolate.. Mexican cocoa.. Mexican coffee.. Mexican Wedding Cakes.. and finally, these Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies that I read about a few weeks ago when the announcement of the winner of the COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, Best Darn Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest. (Wow that's a mouthful) Chaim Potter of Napa invented these intense chocolately and slightly spicy cookies and took the top prize. Sooo.. thanks Ali.. I just hadda make them! :P These cookies are delectible. Simply put. I can see how they won first place. They are crispy on the outside, chewy and gooey on the inside. The chocolate flavor is very intense and the spice is a nice background flavor. My only change to these, if I were to make them again (yeah, as if I wouldn't make them again, hello?) is to add maybe an 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Yes, me.. the spice hater of all time! I just think that a spicey cookie, should be a tad bit spicier. Hey.. I love me my gingersnaps! :D Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon because it is one of the most potent in flavor) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. coarse salt 1/8 tsp. finely ground black pepper 1/4 pound coarsley chopped good quality dark chocolate (I used the last of my Valrhona bittersweet chocolate) 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 325ºF Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Set aside. In a small heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt the coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter. Let cool slightly. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the melted chocolate mixture with the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Line a 17-by-12-inch cookie sheet with parchment. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until they look flat and the surfaces crack (cookies should still be soft in texture). Let the cookies cool on the parchment on wire cooling racks. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. (As if they'll last that long) Oh and later last night? Yeah well I was thinking.. hmmm.. just how could I kick this cookie up a notch?(was feeling so Emeril) So I slapped some Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream in the middle of two cookies and voila! Oh yeah baby!

I am crushing your skulls, lil meringues!

Victory is mine!! MUAHAHHAAAAAA!!!! Oh yes.. look at my lil globs o'puff! So crunchy yet so oooey gooey on the inside! Melty yet chewy! I have looked my opponent in the eye and I have risen victorious! Am proud. Am also a dork. So I got out my very old, but ALWAYS trusty Mrs. Fields Cookie Book. I've made so many great cookies out of this book.. it's fantabulous. I wish I would have went straight to her when craving these little light chocolately snackers yesterday, but Paula is truly a wonderful, good down home cookin' gal and other than her meringues, I've never made a bad recipe courtesy of my favorite butter guzzlin' southern gal =) There differences in the recipes are as follows: Paula uses melted chocolate chips, Debbi uses finely chopped unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder to flavor the meringues. Paula uses just confectioners' sugar while Debbi uses both confectioners' and granulated sugar to sweeten the meringues. Debbi uses cream of tartar in the egg whites, while Paula doesn't add anything. And the kickers - which I feel are why Debbi's were pretty much fool proof - A: After piping or "globbing" (which I did*) them onto a foiled cookie sheet she lets them sit for 45 minutes or until they aren't sticky anymore. And B: She bakes hers at a much lower 200º for an hour, where Paula baked hers at 325º for 45 minutes. I think the combination of letting them dry and the cooler oven were the key to keeping these meringues from falling like they did. Also, I really liked the method of folding in the dry confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and finely chopped chocolate as opposed to folding in the melted chocolate. Where I thought I had kept my fluff when I made Paula's with the melted chocolate, I realized today while folding in the dry ingredients that I did lose a hell of a lot of fluff yesterday.. which probably also contributed to the horror. Oh yeah.. jeezzusssss, I almost forgot to mention, the taste of Debbi's was fantastic, deep chocolately goodness in every bite! So there we have it.. Meringues - LOSERS, Lisa - CHAMPEEN!!! :D Mrs. Fields Chocolate Meringue Puffs 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate 3/4 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted 3 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 3 large egg whites 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 1/2 c. white granulated sugar Line baking sheets with foil. Finely chop baking chocolate squares in a blender and set aside. In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder with wire whisk. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer at medium speed until mixture thickens. Increase speed to high, while adding granulated sugar slowly. Beat until mixture forms stiff peaks and turns glossy. Gently fold in cocoa mixture and chopped baking chocolate with a rubber spatula. Fold ingedients into egg whites until mixture is uniformally brown with no streaks. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip with the meringue. Pipe meringue in decorative shapes onto foil-lined baking sheets. Preheat oven to 200º F. Allow meringues to dry at room temperature for about 45 minutes or until not sticky. (Don't try making these on humid or rainy days.) Bake for 1 hour. When cool, remove from foil with a metal spatula *I tried to pipe mine into decorative shapes, but the only star tip I have isn't big enough to pass through the small bits of chocolate.. so my bag blew up on me. *sigh* I then proceded to drop 'em by large teaspoonfuls, not caring how the hell they looked. :D To those who might have noticed that I've changed the subject several times, it's because it took until today (5/8/06) and a chat with the very sweet Ali on Yahoo Messenger that I realized yet again what the absolute correct quote was. Not that it would help anyone in recognizing it unless you are a dork like me and were obscessed with Kids in the Hall way back when :D

Tyler is hot!

I don't know if I've mentioned.. but I'm on a quest for the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie. After my score of Valrhona chocolate at Miles Farm Market last weekend, I could not wait to try a new recipe with one of the best chocolates in the world. So I searched high and low and found 5 chocolate chip cookie recipes - all promising to be chewy and yummy. But which one to try first? Well.. after much debate, I decided to go for Tyler Florence's Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Why? Because Tyler is hot, of course. The man is a fantastic chef and total eye candy to boot.. how could I go wrong? I made a damn good choice. =) His cookies are buttery, big, fat AND chewy! yay! I was kinda worried because they do end up pretty huge and although golden brown around the edges after 12 minutes, still looked undone in the middle.. but I figured what the heck - if I cook them any longer they are gonna be crispy and a crispy chocolate chip cookie is bad juju to me. After cooling off (As If. They were still steamin' hot because I couldn't wait to taste them) I found them to be delightful.. are they the BEST chewy chocolate chip cookie EVER? Well.. I've still got 4 more recipes to try and the ultimate test is a day or two after - will they still have their chewy goodness? We'll see. =) But if these other 4 recipes turn out 1/2 as good or better than Tyler's - well all I can say is it's going to be delicious finding out :D Tyler Florence's Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 c. white sugar 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 (8 oz.) block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Place the butter, sugar and brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually ad the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and contine to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula. To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 c. of the cookie dough into your hands and roll it into a ball; place them about 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets - you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets. *Note: I didn't use 1/4 c. balls, instead I scooped them out with 2" scoop - they flatted out to be about 3 inches in diameter. Loverly =)

VRC: Cinnamon

I'm so excited.. my first contributions! Unfortunately, I didn't see what this week's VRC theme was until late last night, so I didn't make either of my submits.. therefore no pictures. (as if I could get a picture to show up anyway.. har!) Cinnamon Cookies For cookies: 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring) 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. walnuts (4 oz.) 1 c. granulated sugar 1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs, beaten For icing and decoration: 2 tsp. powdered egg whites 2 TB. warm water 1 1/4 c. sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring) 1 drop of fresh lime juice 1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts (2 oz.) Preparation: Pulse walnuts with 2 TB. sugar in a food processor until finely ground (be careful not to grind to a paste). Beat together butter and remaining sugar with an electric mixture until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs until combined. Mix in flour mixture and nuts at low speed until just blended. For dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic warp, until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325º F. Keeping remaining dough chilled, roll out half of dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2 to 3 inch floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps. Arrage cookies 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until firm but not browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer cokies to a rack to cool. Makes cookies with remaining dough in same manner, rerolling scraps no more than twice. Ice and decorate cookies: Whisk together powdered egg whites and water, then stir in confectioners sugar and lemon juice until smooth and spreadable. Spread a thin layer of icing on 1 cookie with a metal spatual or knife and sprinkle lightly with walnuts. (Use your imagination and decorate more elaborately if you like.) Decorate remaining cookies in the same manner. Let icing harden, about 1 hour, before storing cookies. Makes about 6 dozen. *My notes: Although these are heavy in cinnamon, I've found that using a weak cinnamon really doesn't do justice for this recipe (or any recipe, really). I use vietnamese cinnamon that I purchase from a local farmer's market. This cinnamon smells exactly like red hots candies.. it's very strong and gives the cookies a great bite not to mention so delish! Next is, if I don't have powdered egg whites on hand, I just leave them out of the icing. I really haven't tasted or noticed much difference from the batches with the egg whites and the batches without. Also, I usually leave out the walnuts on the icing. This does not add nor take away from the cookies, it's just a personal preference. =) Cinnamon Ice Cream 6 c. Half & half 1 oz. Cinnamon stick - in small pieces 1 Vanilla bean -- split length 2 1/2 c. Sugar 12 Egg yolks 4 c. Whipping cream Strawberry for garnish Combine half and half, cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean in heavy large saucepan. Scald over very low heat. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour. Combine sugar and egg yolks in large bowl of electric mixer and beat at high speed until mixture forms slowly dissolving ribbon when beaters are lifted. Reheat half and half over low heat. Gradually beat 2 cups half and half into egg yolk mixture. Stir yolk mixture into remaining half and half. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thermometer registers 180º F. and custard coats back of spoon; do not boil. Immediately transfer custard to large bowl. Cool at least 2 hours. If possible, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Strain custard, discarding cinnamon and vanilla bean. Whisk in whipping cream. Transfer to ice cream maker (in batches if necessary) and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. To serve, spoon into large bowl and garnish with fresh strawberries. Makes 1 gallon.