Orange Cardamom Cookies

A few months ago, I received some Barnes and Noble gift cards. I briefly considered buying a Nook, thinking that it would be easier to use an e-reader while taking care of a baby, and that it would be nice not to have to go to the library in order to pick up something to read.

It's almost like I forgot who I am!



I have always loved libraries and used bookstores. Truly, they are some of my favorite places in the world. I love the musty smell, the cozy cluttered feeling, the sheer feeling of possibility! What will I find around the next corner? What adventures lie between the covers of that well-worn volume? I find the whole situation very romantic.

Did you know that only an estimated 3% of Americans actually use the public library system? That is a shockingly low number. It's like people don't realize that it's completely free, and super convenient! Especially in a large city like Chicago, there's almost always a library within walking distance, and if the closest branch doesn't have the title you're looking for, you can request it online. They send it to the branch of your choice, notify you by e-mail when it's ready, and you just go pick it up! So easy! So completely free, too.



Whether my trip to the library is just another stop in a day full of errands, or the destination of a morning walk with my girl, I usually don't just beeline it to the holds shelf, get my requested books, and head out. I usually take at least a few minutes to take a peek at new arrivals, or browse for fiction I might not have heard of anywhere else. I don't always find something, but sometimes I find little gems like this book, Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen, by Donia Bijan. I'm honestly not that far into it yet (true to form, I'm in the middle of several books at a time), but the first few chapters have been delightful. I love memoirs where each chapter is accompanied by a recipe or two. It's as if the author is using the food to tell the story, which just makes sense. Food is so tangled in all of our stories.



I made these cookies on a snowy afternoon last week, and as they cooled I brewed a pot of black tea with crushed cardamom pods; it was a fragrant and comforting treat. The cookies have a buttery, crumbly texture, aren't too sweet, and are just lightly kissed with cardamom. I hope you'll give them a try!

Orange Cardamom Cookies

adapted from Maman's Homesick Pie

 

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
grated zest of 2 oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until white and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and blend well, another minute or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg yolk and orange zest, and blend well again. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, cardamom and poppy seeds and fold in, mixing until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead a few times to bring it together. Divide the dough in half and shape the halves into 8- to 10-inch-long logs. Wrap the logs in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, and arrange them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's a ceiling fan in our dining room, which connects to our kitchen. It is Anne's new best friend. I sit her in her little bouncy chair underneath it and she stares contentedly at it, smiling and cooing. Between that set-up and wearing her in the sling, I can get a fair amount of stuff done! As a new mom, it's amazing the tiny things that can make me feel like a rock star. "Not only did I just mix these cookies and get them in the oven, I cleaned up my kitchen before the baby needed me!" Totally worthy of high fives. Timing errands so that the baby goes in the car seat full and sleepy, takes a nap, wakes up happy and isn't hungry until you're back at home? Oh my gosh, that lady deserves some sort of medal.



I have had my eye on this cookbook for a long time, and I got it as a Christmas gift! It is already even better than I thought it would be! To tell you the truth, I really love the recipe that's on the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag - it has never failed me. These cookies are a complete departure from those. I love the nutty flavor of the whole-wheat flour, and the crumbly texture it gives the cookies. The kosher salt gives an extra crunch and a little extra sparkle. Adding an extra teaspoon of vanilla and dark instead of light brown sugar lends a sophisticated depth. The cookies really are best straight from the oven, or later that day (as Kim says in the book), so I would suggest you do as I did: bake a pan or two when you make the dough, and then refrigerate the rest of the dough (already formed into balls) to be baked throughout the week as you want them. They are fantastic with a cup of coffee for breakfast.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce



3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and toss together with a fork. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars, and mix on low until well-blended, about two minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until well-blended. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Scoop dough into balls about 3 tablespoons in size, roll slightly between your palms, and place about 3 inches apart on the prepared pan. Bake 16-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time, until cookies are evenly browned. Slide the parchment and cookies onto the counter to cool.

Crispy Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies

I'd like to think that most of the time, I'm a pretty un-selfish cook. I try to accommodate the needs and preferences of the people who will share in what I'm making. If I'm having people over and one of the party is vegetarian or lactose-intolerant, I cook a meal that will satisfy everyone while staying within the high-maintenance (kidding!) person's parameters. I do this daily when I'm just cooking for two; I hide greens by chopping them up or blending them into sweet berry smoothies, I leave out the mustard, and I rarely cook seafood. I even leave the nuts out of cookies. Most of the time.

Sometimes you just need to make something for yourself! You need to put tons of roughly chopped nuts and cocoa nibs in the cookies, and bake them until they're super-crispy. Because that's how you like them. And you deserve perfect cookies.

These are my perfect cookies. Sweet, crunchy, and packed with goodies. So good that I couldn't stop eating the dough. And I even shared them.

But I made them for me.



Crispy Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Joy the Baker

I encourage you to leave out or add in whatever you want to make these into your perfect cookies. Toasted coconut, white chocolate and macadamias? Yes! Dried cherries, pecans and chocolate chips? Heck yeah! This recipe just begs to be customized. Go crazy; these are for YOU.

1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 cup cocoa nibs
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment or spray lightly with cooking spray.

Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating about one minute after each addition, until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, and add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated. Remove bowl from the mixer stand, and fold in oats, walnuts, cocoa nibs, and chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.

Drop cookies by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, and bake 12-15 minutes (for crispy cookies, a little less time for chewy), until golden. Allow to cool for 1 minute on the sheets before transferring to cooling racks.

Yield: about 6 dozen small-ish cookies.

Russian Tea Cakes

This Saturday morning, I woke to one of the most lovely things you can see the week before Christmas: a light dusting of snow falling merrily from the sky.  I promptly donned my boots, coat, and obnoxious drug store Santa hat, grabbed a ladder, and went out to the front of the building to put up a few twinkly lights.



Our Christmas decorations went up a little at time this year.  After Thanksgiving, I brought up the box from the basement, and we've just been taking a few things out and putting them up around the house when we have spare moments.  The advent wreath was first.  Then a funny little snowman who counts down the days until Christmas.  We got a tree, and then a few days later, decorated it with lights.  A few days after that, we finally got around to the ornaments.  It's been really nice.





Russian tea cakes are my all-time favorite Christmas cookie.  The instant hit of sweetness when you bite through the outer layer of powdered sugar, the tender, crumbly cookie, the crunchy walnuts.  They are practically perfect in every way.




Russian Tea Cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus 1 cup extra for rolling)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low until well incorporated.  Scoop a tablespoon of dough at a time, roll it into a ball between your palms.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, until cookies are just set and barely beginning to brown on the bottom edges.  Remove from oven, allow to cool 2 minutes on the pan and roll in powdered sugar while still hot.  Cool completely.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Note: In an airtight container, these keep well for at least a week.  They have never lasted that long in our house.

Anise-Almond Biscotti

I learned a lot of things about myself when I spent a month in Italy in college.

• I don't like to make grammatical mistakes, even in other languages.
• I like Italian coffee bars. Espresso or cappuccino, a biscotto or cornetto. A real cup, and a few seconds to enjoy.  No 20-ounce sugar-free, non-fat, super duper caramel latte, no giant mediocre muffin, none of this to-go nonsense.
• I can live without peanut butter.
• I love-love-love the flavor of anise. It started with my first sip of Sambuca, and I haven't been able to stay away since.

The word "biscotti" is the plural of "biscotto," which literally means "twice-cooked." You bake them once in a flat, oblong loaf, and then you slice them and bake them again!





These flavor of these cookies is subtle and sophisticated.  They make a fantastic gift, because they are fancy and impressive, and they keep well without becoming stale.

Give some away in cute little tins, but save a few for breakfast!

Anise-Almond Biscotti
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
 
1.5 cups roasted unsalted almonds
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon anise seedes
Turbinado (raw) sugar for decorating the top

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.  On a different rimmed baking sheet, arrange the almonds in a single layer.  Place in the oven and toast until golden and fragrant, about 6-8 minutes.  Cool completely.  Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt, and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add anise extract and beat to combine.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add flour mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in almonds and anise seeds.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead to form a cohesive ball.  Make sure the nuts and seeds are evenly distributed.  My dough was very sticky, so make sure to have extra flour handy for your hands.  Divide dough in half, and shape each half into an oblong loaf, about 18 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 1 inch thick.  Don't worry too much if these loaves look smooth and pretty - it doesn't matter after you cut them up.  Transfer carefully to parchment-lined baking sheet and bake about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time, until the loaves are golden and firm.  Transfer parchment and loaves to a wire rack and cool 20 minutes.  Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Using a serrated knife, slice loaves on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices.  Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, and arrange slices cut-side up.  Bake about 30 minutes, and let cool completely on the rack.

Yield: about 4 dozen

Carrot-Cherry Breakfast Cookies

Good morning!  Happy Monday!  Oh, I know you're not happy it's Monday.  I'm not terribly happy about it either.  The better the weekend, the sadder it is when it ends.  So I brought you a present to make you feel better.  Cookies for breakfast, jam-packed with healthy vegan stuff!  We are starting this week off on the right foot!

What kind of weekend did you have?  Fun?  Responsible and productive?  Both?  I had the apartment to myself, and I had a whole mental list of things that I wanted to get accomplished, including:

• finally switch my closet from summer to winter
• purge said closet of things that either don't fit me or I hate and never wear
• clean all the things!
• take a yoga class
• buy some new winter clothes
• get the plants in from the porch so that they don't die in the frost

Here's what I actually did:

• drank wine while knitting and watching Cars 2
• danced around the house to Adele and Maroon 5 (I've got the moves like Jagger.  Yes I do.)
• cooked for 8 hours straight
• met friends for drinks at a new-to-me bar in my neighborhood
• brought treats with me everywhere I went

Sometimes you just have to scrap your sensible list and do what feels right.  I mean, obviously you'll get back to the list sometime.  And these cookies are great for that.  They are perfect try, try again cookies.  Yummy, soft, spicy, and so healthy.  Hope you love them as much as I do! 

Carrot-Cherry Breakfast Cookies
adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
3 tablespoons millet, rinsed well
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 heaping cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Position racks in the upper half of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.  Whisk together oil and maple syrup, carrots, cherries and ginger, and add to the dry ingredients, folding to combine.  Let mixture rest for 5 minutes. 

Spoon mixture by heaping tablespoonful onto pans and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.  Allow to cool on pans for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Market Day... and Moose Tracks Cookies.

Visited the Daley Plaza market again today, and picked up so much great stuff!  Pickles, orange blossom honey (the local bees went for a winter vacation in Florida), 3 more bunches of asparagus, some cheese, and most importantly...

RHUBARB!!!

I looked for it last week, but they had already sold out by the time I got there!  So I got two bunches this time.  And I will be searching high and low for different ways to use this delicious vegetable... fruit?

...(going to Wikipedia)...

"Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties."  What duties do fruits have, exactly?

Anyway...

The farmer who sold me the rhubarb told me that it freezes really well, and I told him thanks for the tip, but I'd rather stuff myself silly with something when it's in season (even if that's only 3 weeks a year), and then wait for it to come around again.  He looked at me with that look salespeople get when you talk to them more than they wanted you to, and I continued to the next stall to make someone else uncomfortable. 

Keep your eyes peeled for rhubarb-laden recipes in the coming days (and please share some if you've got good ones!), but in the meantime, you should probably make these!

Moose Tracks Cookies!

I came across this recipe yesterday as I was scanning my favorite blogs, and as soon as I read the words "pudding cookies," I knew I was a goner.  As far as I can tell, there are nearly limitless flavor combinations for these cookies, but the Coppertop Guy loves Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream, and I wanted to do something nice for him.  And I wanted not to have to eat all the cookies myself.  And I had bought this little container of mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's this weekend.

So the Moose Tracks cookies were born!  And they are goooooooooooood. 

Chocolate Moose Tracks Cookies

(about 40 cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3.9-oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 12-oz. container mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy again.  Add vanilla and pudding mix, and beat until combined.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to the butter and sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Drizzle in the chocolate sauce, and mix well again.  Gently stir in peanut butter cups.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, press down slightly to flatten, and bake 10-12 minutes.  Pour yourself a glass of milk.  Eat, baby.