iced gingerbread cookies

Looks like my posts/recipes are out of chronological order. I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I'm letting my phone connect to google plus so I can access my cooking phone photos via blogger directly without having to download them and take up memory I don't have available on my grandpa of a computer, but g+ seems to be willy nilly picking them and not going in any order. As you wish, google.

I made this recipe a few nights ago because I had some free time, and I felt like doing something that might make me feel a little more in the Christmas spirit. I had made gingerbread cookies a few weeks ago when I first got to NYC and had time to kill during Hurricane Sandy, and they turned out really well. I used a different recipe for these, and they were a lot drier. They crumbled from dough to rolling. I gave up on rolling and just balled them up and flattened them out, hence their plain jane shape. Then I was grateful for our funky oven and having a dish of water to keep them moist; otherwise, I'm sure they'd have been dry and terrible. Luckily they turned out okay, and once I put the icing on, I was surprised that they were actually pretty good. A stroke of luck and sugar. I decided to decorate them in Christmas colors as well as good luck cookies for my roommate's finals! I'm pretty sure she nailed them, and I'll take a point or two of credit from the snacks. :)

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt


1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring, as desired
*I loosely measured and then added milk and sugar until I got a consistency that was spreadable but would harden after a bit

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can re-roll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

To make the icing, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave 1/3 white, and color 1/3 green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties.

Brownies

I've been negligent. But I've also been cooking a little bit lately, and I wanted to get my last bits of Austin cooking endeavors up on the blog. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath (at this point, I'd make some joke about my mom being the only one reading this, but I know she doesn't, so...).

I think this was a Joy of Cooking brownie recipe. Or maybe Smitten Kitchen. Either way, it was simple. Theoretically, it was easy, but it still took me three attempts to get it right. I think for one (or all? It was a couple months ago), I used this SK recipe. The first time, I accidentally used rancid butter. The whole time, I could tell that things smelled/tasted funky, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally, after a beautiful batch of brownies came out of the oven, I connected the dots and realized it was terrible. I even tried to eat a bite, and it was so bad I just had to throw it all away. I can't remember what trick I pulled on the 2nd batch that I ruined, but eventually, I made a simple batch of brownies. Huzzah!

 Nice totally sick filter from my hipstamatic. 

Yes, I admit to using it. I love the way the pics look except that the downside is that you have to think ahead and pick the filter first. That means I use the same one pretty much always. 

Because you noticed/asked/cared.

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 grams, though some brands may weigh more) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I know that I just posted a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, so this is fairly repetitive. I have been trying to use my new Joy of Cooking cookbook whenever possible, though, and my sister specifically requested oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. How can I say no to a simple request like that?

Blonde moment: forgot the oats. Seriously. I made it, noticed the consistency was a bit drippy while putting them on the cookie sheet, and put them in the oven. I turned around, tidied up a bit, and then noticed the very large and obvious cylinder of oats. Oh, ohhh, yeah. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Well the first 6 weren't (and unsurprisingly were quite thin) and then the rest were. I hastily gave my sister the first 6 still hot (she was off to pick up kids to babysit), so I didn't get to try how they turned out (too crispy? too thin? off flavor?). The dough sure as heck was delicious and I liked the cookies too. The cookbook says not to put in the cinnamon and nutmeg if not making oatmeal raisin, but I like those flavors so I kept them to make the chocolate chip version more interesting.

Still don't notice something is missing...

 Growing suspicious about cookie dough texture...

 After realizing that they were missing the OATS!

 That's more what we had bargained for...

I made a half recipe, which gave me about 24 cookies. Below is the original recipe from Joy of Cooking 75th edition

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.

Stir in dry mixture. Stir in raisins and oats. Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet (greased or parchment lined, I prefer parchment). Flatten into rounds. Bake until lightly browned, 12-14 minutes.