December Project: What's Cooking

There is a lot to love about this time of year- parties, presents, White Christmas showing all weekend long on AMC. There is however, one thing the fat kid in me looks forward to more than anything else... COOKIES. More specifically, holiday cookies! 

This year, I decided to take my holiday baking up a notch and make holiday cookies for all my friends and relations, both in LA and Singapore.  Phew! 

Leading up to the big event, I a) tested potential recipes, 2) ate A LOT of cookies, all in the name of research and subsequently) OD on sweets. At the end of the process, I settled upon these 4 treats to delight the kids-- Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies, Hungarian Apricot Bars, Cranberry Coins, and Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. 

Back off Santa, those ain't for you! (clockwise) Baking, baking!; Cranberry Coins; Cookies in their boxes; Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies. 

Personally, I loved the Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies the best! The savory aspect of the bacon lends itself well to the sweet ginger cookie and made for a more elevated "foodie" type offering. Meanwhile, Mama T's favorite were the Hungarian Apricot bars, she went so far as to hoard a batch for herself. 

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed bake, bake, baking and hope my yums helped to spread some holiday cheer to those I hold dear. 

Here is the recipe for the Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies. Happy Holidays! 

Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies
Ingredients 
8 oz. thick0cut smoked bacon (about 6 slices) cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger 
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp plus 2 tsp unsalted butter, softened 
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup sorghum syrup ( I used unsulfured molasses instead) 
1/2 cup raw sugar, like turbinado 
Sea salt for sprinkling 

Directions 
1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crisp, about 14 minutes. Pour off the fat and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp fat and 3/4 cup bacon); transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Let bacon and reserved fat cool. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk to combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. 

3. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Beat in reserved bacon fat. Add egg and mix until blended, scrapping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add sorghum syrup and mix until blended. Reduce speed to low and add in flour mixture. Mix until blended. Mix in reserved bacon. 

4. Shape dough into 1 inch-balls. Roll balls in raw sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets or jelly roll pans. Flatten balls using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. 

5. Bake sheets, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and tops are cracked but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. Cookies can be store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days. 

Makes 5 dozen cookies. 

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Well hello there friends!

Is it really 2012 already? Have I truly not posted anything on here since June of last year?? Wowza!

Have you missed me?

I've missed you.

It sure has been a while hasn't it? While no excuse is a good excuse, I actually have a good one! I got a HUGE promotion at work (Yay me!) right around July and it would be an understatement to say that work overtook my entire life! The work load doubled, I was on the road non-stop for 3 months straight, my apartment (and life for that matter) was in shambles, and my energy level outside of work and travel was zero.  It makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

Well either way, I'm back, and hopefully with a vengeance.

To "celebrate", I thought I'd share this deelightful Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies that I recently made. The deep hints of espresso take this cookie from kiddie treat to adult indulgence. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Makes 50-55 cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
12 oz. Semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not over beat! Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, or rounded teaspoon, drop dough on the sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 mins or until tops look dry. Cool on wire rack and serve.

via food 52 cookbook

Fudgy Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Hellloooo! Guess what, thanksgiving is tomorrow! Are you ready and all excited for turkey day? I know I am.

But on a side note, do you recall me briefly mentioning that I made a chocolate cake over the weekend? Well, here is it, in all its fudgy, double layer greatness!

I will not be lying to you when I say this cake is just delicious! Furthermore, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've already polished off half of the cake by myself. It makes me happy. My waist line on the other hand is not too pleased.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
3.4 cup cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup boiling water

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 cups icing sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine dry ingredients. Add the eggs, mill and oil, beating at medium speed for 2 minutes. With a spatula, fold in the boiling water. (Note: YES, this will be a very runny batter) Divide evennly into prepared tins.

3. Bake 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Cool completely on wire racks before icing.

4. To make the frosting, cream together butter and cocoa on low speed. Add milk and corn syrup and combine for another minute. Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time,  making sure to scrape down the sides as you go. Beat until a smooth spreading consistency is achieved.

5. To assemble cake, place one cake layer on a serving dish and top with about 3/4 cup of the frosting. Spread evenly over the cake. Top with remaining layer and use the remainder of the frosting over the top and sides of cake.

Recipe courtesy of Bite Me by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat.

Cookie Jar

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? (Insert name) stole the cookie from the cookie jar. Who me? Yes, you! Wasn't me! Then who?

Details:
Provencal Cookie Jar
Anthropologie
$28.00

St. Patrick's Day

I never did anything to mark St. Patrick's Day till I got to college. There I learnt just how incredibly lively and boisterous this holiday can be! I remember St. Patrick's Day falling in the middle of my sophomore year's NCAA championships. That day, my team donned green tie dye c&c shirts (courtesy of the awesome UCLA swimming parent group) instead of our usual Blue and Gold. That was a tame St. Patrick's Day for me but if I recall correctly, our team swam well, so the luck of the Irish was on our side, aye.

This year, in preparation for the wee lil' leprechauns, the merriment and the luck that is St. Patrick's day, here is an adorable three leaf clover cookie cutter. Use it to make three leaf clover chocolate chip cookies. Or better yet, use the cutter to cut shapes out of day old bread before you soak 'em in an egg and milk mixture to make St. Patrick's day french toast! Which ever route you choose to use, may this shamrock cookie cutter help you sprinkle the luck of the Irish over your kitchen countertops!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours!

Details:

Shamrock Cookie Cutter

The Spoon Sisters

$5.95

Happy Chinese New Year (A little late)

Last week, in preparation for Chinese New Year, I decided to make my 4th aunt's almond cookies. In the hustle and bustle of the weekend, I entirely forgot to share it with you guys. However, since CNY technically lasts for a while, I figure a "late" posting is alright.

I haven't celebrated CNY with my extended family in Singapore since I left home at 15. In my high school and college years, this didn't bother me that much and I actually went a couple of years without really celebrating CNY (unless you count trying to use CNY as an excuse to do a get out (of practice) swim. p.s none of my coaches fell for this). However, in my recent quest to regain some of the Chinese/Singaporean identity that I so casually tossed aside upon arrival in America, I find myself longing to be back in Singapore doing Chinese New Year up BIG! But I won't complain because I did have that steamboat extravaganza this past weekend. Anyway here is my 4'ee's Almond Cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of icing sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

3 teaspoons of baking soda

1 1/4 cup of almonds, chopped and lightly baked

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of corn oil

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all above ingredients in a bowl and formed preferred shapes (I make 1/2 inch balls, perfect for popping into your mouth whole) and bake for 15 minutes.

3. After 15 minutes, turn tray and bake for another 10 minutes.

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Tiger (my year), so 2010 sure is going to be a great one!