Buttery Jam Cookies

These cookies were so painfully easy to whip together, I really don't have much to say about them EXCEPT for the fact that I tried Amanda's of Beckett Bakes It prior to baking mine and I am now extremely disappointed in my own. I think she used brown sugar instead. I am officially coveting someone else's cookies. Baking has caused me to break a commandment. It could have at least been one of the good ones. This is a new low for me.

Tuesday Twosome

Since last I blogged, I have been to Atlanta, Cancun, and my hometown over Thanksgiving. November was definitely time well spent with my husband, my family, and old friends. And I didn't even cook or bake a single thing. So, to make up for lost time, today is a Tuesday Twosome.

First, I should note that this month appears to be the month of cookies. I do not own a single cookie cutter as several years ago I spent my hard-earned money on a Pampered Chef Cookie Press.

To this day, this magnificent kitchen gadget has yet to produce the first cookie. Is it because I have not made cookies since the purchase? Oh no. It just doesn't work. I have not yet determined the type of cookie dough the actually functions well in this press. But when I do, I promise IT'S ON!!! If you have any thoughts or similar experiences about this contraption, please feel free to leave me a comment regarding that. Perhaps we could form a support group. Moving along......

Linzer Sables. Cut with a cinnamon lid. Voila! These delightful cookies are excellent whether plain or smothered in raspberry jam. I failed to buy ground cloves for this recipe even though it was plainly written on my grocery list. I just made up for this deficit with extra cinnamon. I know, I am such a kitchen risk-taker. Ooooooh.

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookies. Grandma knows her stuff. I'd like to call this the "perfect recipe" as I did not have to purchase a single item. Indeed. Perfect. I only baked a few of these as I intend to eat the remainder in a raw dough format. And then I intend to lie in bed at night and ponder how my diet has gone so horribly wrong.

Happy Baking!

Rugelach

Rugelach is rugelicious. This was pretty easy to make, although it did involve some waiting which always irritates me. I prefer to just make everything at once, throw it in the oven and EAT. But that's not the way it sometimes goes. And I'm quickly discovering that any time you work with dough you have to wait and wait and wait. I was unsure as to what currants were, so after a quick Google search (I google everything), I discovered I could use dates or raisins as a substitute. I was super excited about using dates -- I love dates. But, alas, it was not to be - no dates at the store. Pooh. So I decided to use Craisins. Yay for Craisins! My favorite part of making this was heating the raspberry jam until liquefied, mainly because I spoon fed myself all the extra liquid jam. I think I may heat up jam in the future and pour over biscuits. It was de-lish.

I have discovered 2 things since joining TWD. The first being that if you start cooking out of the blue your husband will go on a diet because he is afraid you are suddenly trying to poison the food supply to off him for the insurance money. Mine is now 70 pounds lighter than when I started this, and has YET to touch anything that I've made that has been the subject of this blog. The second and greater thing is - PARCHMENT PAPER. Is this not one of the greatest substances on earth??? Why did I spend the first 30 years of my life scrubbing metal cookie sheets? Some jam spooged out of several Rugelach and I could have cared less because of the miracle of parchment paper. I'd like to shake the hand of the WOMAN (has to be, right?) that invented this fine substance.

This has been a very busy week for me. Halloween was on Friday, so we had to play dress up - my man was Pimptastic and I was a disco diva:

Also, my brother who graduated law school in May found out on Friday (yes, Halloween) that he passed the Georgia Bar Exam! I am so extremely proud of him!!!! I made him a congratulatory plain cheesecake (his favorite) and we had that on Friday night:

I then co-hosted a bridal shower at the home of Amanda of Beckett Bakes It. And I have to say I was super jealous of her party dessert display of cheesecake pops and petit fours:

Oh yes, note the subconscious brainwashing occurring behind the dessert display. That's how she sucks people into this cult. Highly effective - but I tell you, that girl is the DEVIL.

Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes

Long time no see, fellow bloggers. It's pretty sad when it takes a few tries to crack the password to your own blog. Anywho, I'm back for a little bit and then I fully intend to disappear again for a few weeks. It's a little thing I like to call CANCUN. YAY! I'm super excited about it!

Moving on to Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes......

It looks like a perfectly happy and healthy little cupcake there.......ohhhhh, but it is not. It's an English Tea Muffin in disguise. It is my humble opinion that a cupcake is supposed to be a piece of birthday cake for a girl on the go. If I had a birthday cake that tasted like this I would be severely disappointed and may indeed question my relationship with the person who made it; however, I quickly realized that this "cupcake" tasted exactly like the Cotswold muffins my mother always made when I was growing up. So, as long as thought of it as a tea muffin it was DIVINE and gave me happy food memories. I did substitute milk chocolate for bittersweet chocolate. Primarily because I live out in the sticks and I don't quite have the baking choices you city folk type have. That makes me laugh because I am a total city transplant.

I hereby dedicate this blog entry to my absolute favorite chocolate cupcake, Senator Barack Obama.

Dimply Pear Cake

This week's TWD recipe was Dimply Plum Cake; however, I used plums in my Summer Fruit Galette and really didn't care for them. So, thanks to my friend Peggy of Pantry Revisited, I made a Dimply Pear Cake. Thank you for this beautiful brain child, Madge! (I know, I know, Madge is not a nickname for Peggy.....I just enjoy harassing you.....Madge). I digress. I worked late on Monday night - which is usually when I find myself cooking my TWD recipe. I am quite a procrastinator. Every week I tell myself I'm going to do better, but as any good procrastinator would, I tell myself I'll just do better starting next week. Anywho, I worked late and got home and was able to whip this bad boy into shape and pop it into the oven in no time. Perfect for the girl on the go!! I used canned pear halves. I think fresh pears may have cooked better - these may have been entirely too juicy. I also used cinnamon as my spice. And lots of it. After it cooked I just set it on the oven and left it alone until today. I took it to work and cut into it and realized that it was not even cooked. About an inch all around the edges was cooked correctly, but the rest was pretty much batter. I still sat at my desk and ate half of it though. WHAT. EV. ER. It's flavor got good reviews though, regardless of it being undercooked. I have discovered that hungry, over-worked, over-stressed people have generally easy-to-please palettes. I think I would make it again. I'll just make sure it's thoroughly cooked next time. My secretary Karen (what up, girl?) suggested that it would taste good with thinly sliced apples on top. I agree. The cinnamon really does wonders for this recipe. And it made my kitchen smell beautiful.

Next week is Creme Brulee - but I will have to opt for a rewind instead as I refuse to purchase a butane torch. And I refuse to eat Creme Brulee without torched sugar. AS IF.

Chocolate "Somebody Has the Trots" Chunkers

This weeks TWD selection was very easy to make and quite tasty. Now, I must regrettably inform you that I have a very vocal 12 year-old that lives inside me. She usually rears her ugly head during church, funerals, weddings and work meetings. I can't help it. I love my inner 12 year-old. Having said that........

Last week I had a very unfortunate encounter with a post-Taco Bell crackhead whom I have affectionately named "Greasy Britches". Ol' Greasy Britches decided that 5 feet away from me was the place to relieve her bowels. Appreciate the CRAP out of that, Greasy Britches. Thanksomuch!!!

Yes, I took a picture. And yes, my inner 12 year-old thought it was a good idea. Keep in mind I was running away when I snapped that shot. This near death encounter yielded a result that looked remarkably similar to this:

Yep, that's my cookie. And that's why it has earned the title Chocolate "Somebody Has the Trots" Chunkers.

Now I will shut my inner 12 year-old up with a cookie.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

The name itself is as much a mouthful as the cookie itself. Oatmeal.....Peanut Butter.....Chocolate Chunks.....SHUT. YOUR. MOUTH. Dorie, Dorie, Dorie. You really outdid yourself on this one. I believe you may indeed be the devil. I'm not really sure how many cookies I ended up with other than "a lot", but I lost about 1/4 of the dough to my belly. I wonder why my thighs jiggle the way they do????? I only wish I had tried them with raisins too. I was too busy gorging myself to stop and think to add some. DE-LISH!!!

I'd like to share a picture, but again this week, my internet is a total hunk of junk.....at least my cookies weren't. I'll try to add a picture tomorrow.