Switching roles

High school dances can get very repetitive and unstimulating after the first couple, but my last Sadies dance is coming up and I decided I'm just going to go and make the best of it. Plus, I thought it would be fun to ask a guy and switch things up for once. This time the pressure is on the girls to find the nerve to ask someone, and the boys have to endure the anxiety of waiting to be asked. All this sounds so childish, really. But when else can you have this kind of fun? Not when you're "all grown up" that's almost certain.

Since I love baking and my potential date loves food, I decided to make fortune cookies with a continuous message inside, revealing who was asking him. Everything worked out pretty well. Score! :)

Lucky Fortune Cookies

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

8 tbs. flour

2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 tbs. vegetable oil

1 tbs. water

fortunes written on strips of paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees [F].

In a medium bowl, stir egg whites, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and oil together. Beat in flour and cornstarch. Add water if batter is too thick.

Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper or spray with a non-stick spray. Drop batter by tablespoons about 4 inches apart onto the prepared sheets. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn over one cookie at a time, place a fortune in the middlem letting part of the paper stick out, and fold the cookie in half. Pinch closed and lift the cookie and bring the corner together to make a C shape. Let cool in muffin tins so they maintain their shape.

I suggest making the fortune strips ahead of time because it is imperative that they are placed inside the cookies immediately, before the cookies harden. Don't make more than 2 or 3 at a time because you may not be able to work quick enough before the cookies turn stiff. But if this happens, simply put them back in the oven for a minute or so to soften them.

My "boo"

Happy Valentines Day dearest blog readers. Although I believe this day is somewhat overrated, it gives me another opportunity to take the time out of my busy schedule and reserve it for my baking pleasure. The only guilt I feel is for licking the spoons and bowls covered with delectable delights. (And sometimes I leave a little more than I should on the sides of the bowls.)

Instead of predictable heart cookies, I decided to use my ghost-shaped cookie cutter and thought of a witty excuse for using such an odd pattern for this particular occasion.

Excuse the cheesiness... "I know it's not Halloween, but I still want you to be my BOO!"

The ghosts came out looking like deformed dinosaurs, but no matter. I tried to make them as BOOtyful as I could at 1 in the morning. (Yes, I baked throughout the night like a mad woman.)

Roll Cookies (for your boo/lover)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

(sprinkles, decorating icing, etc.)

Directions:

Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in vanilla, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Once your dough starts to come together, divide it into thirds and wrap in plastic to chill for an hour or so in the refrigerator. This makes handling the dough much easier.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees [F]. Roll the dough out evenly and use confectioner's sugar instead of flour for dusting your rolling pin and surface. Cut out cookies with relatively similar sizes and thickness to that they will bake evenly. Place cookies on a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 12 minutes. For best results, bake 1 sheet at a time.

I also revamped the typical chocolate chip cookie recipe with my favorite ingredients in a cookie.

Mocha White Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Monsters

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

peanut butter (for filling)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees [F].

Whish flour and baking soda. In a large bowl beat white&brown sugar and eggs until well blended. Add and beat in egg, salt, cococa powder, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended in smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

You can stop here... but if you want to mimic my exact insanity, make decadent sandwich cookies out of these by gluing them together with peanut butter. I also made some with ice cream in between and stashed them in my freezer for a midnight snack.

Impatient

Most things in life, I can stand. However, it's so hard for me to resist a fresh batch of cookies right out of the oven. Most recipes suggest you let the cookies cool on a rack before munching on them, but I always fail that part of the directions. Sometimes it just feels (and tastes) so good to break "rules," especially in times like these. Here is a recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen that is quite irresistable, even before the final product is revealed.

Slice-and-bake Cookies

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
pinch of salt
**optional mix-ins of personal choice
grated zest of 2 oranges
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Beat butter in a bowl and mix in sugar. Add in the egg, salt, vanilla, and any optional ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour in batches. Once everything is well incorporated, gather the dough into a ball and divide into two. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so.
Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours.
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
While the oven is preheating, roll cookie logs in any coatings of your choice. Then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (10 mm) thick. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

If you're like me, the last step may be irrelevant.

Guilty pleasures

A Thursday evening, an hour too soon for a midnight snack. I'm on the phone with a friend when a waffle cone filled with a mountain of ice cream dances to the most beautiful tune in my head. My mouth salivates. I hang up the phone to find a place still open so I can get some ice cream or frozen yogurt. It's very cold outside and I'm comfortable in my snuggly bed, but my desire is just too strong. I drive to the neighborhood "Village". Of course Cold Stone and Golden Spoon are both closed; it's almost 11 pm. There's a vacant McDonald's right across the street. The drive-thru seems so convenient. I pull up to order a large Oreo McFlurry. (Yeah, I'm going all out. No Kiddie Cone for me tonight.) I drive home and change into my pajamas. I wrap myself in two blankets because it's too chilly for just one. Finally, an episode of Law&Order:SVU I have not seen is on. I am prepared for a night of suspense and the 16 oz. overfilled cup of next-day regret I hold in my hands. My inclination for ice cream in cold weather always defeats me.

Sesame Seed Wafers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup and another 1/2 cup white sesame seeds, toasted

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees [F]. Grease and flour 2 cookie sheets.

Combine flour, 1/3 cup sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture.

Roll pices of dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the tops of the balls into 1/2 cup remaining sesame seeds. Place the balls on the sheet, seeded side up, 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the balls into 1 1/2-inch rounds. Bake (1 sheet at a time) until the cookies are just lightly browned at the edges, 6-8 minutes. Let stand briefly. Then remove to a rack to cool.

A bundle of love

I needed sturdy cookies to send my parents in a package along with their Christmas gifts, that would survive a trip across the country not in pieces. So I made biscotti. I put them in little goodie bags and wrapped my dad's sweater around them for cushioning. Hopefully they'll arrive at their destination "alive".

Mocha Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs. cocoa powder
1 tbs. instant coffee granules

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees [F]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly toast the almonds in a skillet to elevate the nuts' essential flavor. In a mixer, beat sugar and eggs until fluffy. Add the extracts and mix again. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add to the egg mixture. Fold in the nuts.
Once the ingredients are well incorporated, form it into a log (12in long. x 3.5in. wide) on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it is firm to the touch. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Cut into slices 3/4 in. thick diagonally. Place the cut side down on the sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes on the other side. I bathed mine in melted chocolate because deserved a reward for baking so well.
**The best way to melt chocolate is using a double boiler method. Fill a sauce pan with some water and put on low heat. Instead of topping it with its lid, place a glass bowl over it so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the hot water. Place your chocolate in the bowl and stir until it becomes smooth and shiny.