Coffee and Cookies Combined!

Dear Mom,
I have enjoyed 2 glorious days off from any kind of "work" so I took the days to be lazy and enjoy the yard, the weather (knitting outside!) and baking! I baked 4 loaves of Grams' Bread, otherwise known as Mercy Watson Toast, white chocolate chip cookies that were terrible (but eaten anyway!) and then these:

Coffee Bean Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped almonds, toasted

1 cup chocolate-covered coffee beans (purchased at Starbucks, of course!)

1 cup heath bar chips

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating well.

Stir in chopped almonds, chocolate-covered coffee beans and heath bar chips.  Cover and chill dough, if desired.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes or until golden.  Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield:  4 dozen

These cookies have always been my favorites!!  An indulgence for me.  The kids got the white chocolate chip cookies; I ate all of the coffee bean cookies!

Much has been brewing during these past two days . . . . all of which I will share in the next coming week!  In the meantime, I can't wait to read about The Queen! And I STILL have my Alice Starmore "Reef" sweater that was properly steeked with the aid of Kim and her bottle of wine, but never finished.  It was to be for the teenager when he was 2 . . . and then the Diva . . . and then Pipsqueak  . . . . . .

Enjoy your weekend!

Love,

Wendy

Grammie's Red Velvet Cake

Dear Mom,
Our birthday came and went with a flurry of activity!  I was spoiled by friends and neighbors and family!
I baked my annual "Grammie's Red Velvet Cake" which Grammie called her "Waldorf Cake" (lovingly spelled on her recipe card to me "Waldrof Cake (RED Cake)").
This is my last picture of Grammie and Grampie, taken on Mother's Day in 2007.  Grammie died unexpectedly in September, 2007.  Everything Grammie baked was heaven.  I am lucky to have gotten so many of her recipes.

So, without further ado, Grammie's Red Velvet Cake:

Waldrof Cake (RED Cake)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup crisco (not oil)

2 eggs

2 oz. red food coloring

2 Tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. soda

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and beat.  Combine food coloring and cocoa and add to above mixture.  Alternate milk and flour to above mixture.  Mix well.  Last add soda to vinegar.  Add to cake mixture by just stirring in (do not beat).

Bake in 2 9" greased and floured pans or 1 13x9x2" pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Grammie didn't include a frosting recipe so I just whip up a cream cheese frosting.

This cake is absolutely divine when shared with friends and family; when you can eat your birthday cake amidst much love and laughter.  That is how Grammie did it her whole life.  I hope to follow in those footsteps.

Love,

Wendy

The Tooth Fairy and Oatmeal Cookies

Dear Mom,
We were visited by a fairy last night!!  My baby's first lost tooth . . . .

And we made cookies.  I am on a quest for the perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.  I think I may have found it here!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
Wendy

Best Friends and Brownies

Dear Mom,
Few people are blessed with all I have been blessed with.  Two of my blessings are best friends.  My first best friend is my BFF, Brooke.  I met her several years ago at the yarn store.  She was an employee and I was only just a customer then.  After searching for a very long time for a knitting friend, she spoke to me about a hat she had designed in "short rows".  She had me at "short rows".  It was love.  There was no going back.  Now we both work at the yarn store and she dances with me to Mmmm Bop (by Hanson).  She is extremely funny.  She shares my love of knitting and Burn Notice.  She is an encouragement to me in ways that are unbelievably incredible.  She loves me in spite of who I am!
My other best friend is my neighbor, Joey.  I met him a few years ago when they moved into our neighborhood.  I couldn't remember his name so he said, "Doughy Joey cuz I'm not done yet!"  Okay.  He had me at "Doughy Joey".  We have kids the same age; one of each of our children share the same birthday.  He shares my love of coffee and baking.  He is also extremely funny and very much reminds me of Daddy.  Which is why I like him so much.  He travels often so there are stretches where I don't see him. (I do, however, see my third best friend, which is his wife, Kim!  And she is fabulous that she even tolerates me.  And Joey and me together?!  Remember--he is like Daddy!!!)  He was home on Friday and asked if I would bake these brownies with him.  I think he really just wanted my cake flour!  I decided they would be the perfect "cookie of the week"!!  We are snowed in, after all; who doesn't want a fluffy brownie?!?!
So.  We decided that we should double the recipe (which turned out to be a very wise decision!).  So we (and when I say "we", I really mean "he" because he kept reminding me that I needed to take pictures for the blog!) beat the eggs whites until stiff; gently folded the egg whites into the chocolate mixture ("very gently otherwise the egg whites will fall" . . . . says Doughy Joey.  Up to me, I would have added everything all at once and had flat egg whites!!!  Chocolate is chocolate; brownies are brownies!)  We licked our beaters.

We (again when I say "we", I really  mean "he") gently poured the chocolate batter into our mini-muffin cups.

We baked the mini cupcake brownies for 12 minutes.  They were light and fluffy.  And as we were taking them out of the oven, we (and when I say "we", I really mean "HE") DROPPED THE PAN OF BROWNIES!!  All. Over. The. Oven.  (I reminded him that I had to take a picture of it for the blog!)

See?  Good thing we decided to do a double batch!  Because we (yes "we") were able to make our second batch, bake them successfully and dollop each of them with melted chocolate frosting.

They were extremely yummy brownies and I will bake them again.  Admittedly, most of the fun was baking them with my best friend, Joey.  BUT, if we (I mean "he") didn't drop that first batch, maybe my BFF Brooke would have been able to have some of these brownies, too.  She has been patiently waiting for a cookie of the week cookie and hasn't been able to have one yet.  Soon, BFF Brooke!

Thanks for taking your Friday afternoon to bake and giggle with me, Joey.  And thanks, Kim, for letting us bake and giggle!!  My blessings are huge!

Love,

Wendy

The New Cookie

Dear Mom,
The cookie recipe for this week is from one of Diane Mott Davidson's culinary mystery books.  Title of the book unknown--oops.  I was clearly more interested in the cookies and not so much the mystery.

Vanilla-Frosted Fudge Cookies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 egg whites, unbeaten

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2-3 Tbsp. skim milk

additional unsweetened cocoa powder

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together; set aside.  Mix together the oil, sugar, 1 tsp. of the vanilla and the egg whites until well combined.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Chill 1 hour.

When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a large non-stick cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray.  Using a 1/2-tablespoon measure, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and cooked through.  Do not overcook.

Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely.  Mix together the confectioners' sugar, skim milk and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla until pasty.  Add skim milk if necessary.  Spread a small amount of vanilla frosting on each cookie.  Put the cookies back on the rack, dust lightly with cocoa powder and allow the frosting to dry. Makes 4 dozen cookies

So now the "real" process.  I used bigger than 1/2 tsp. scoop so this batch only made 2 dozen cookies.  We also didn't dust with cocoa powder because we wanted to eat them right away; no allowing the frosting to dry!!!  These cookies didn't last an hour in the house.  They were delicious!!!!  Soft in the center; crispy on the edges.  Sweet all over.  I will makes these cookies again and again, probably with the same results---gone in under an hour!!

The Diva made the frosting and Pippers did the actual frosting.

I want to thank everyone for their kind, sweet comments from yesterday.  It is some kind of wonderful knowing that we are all strong women that can lift each other up with kind words and deeds.
In the top picture, the Diva is wearing a sweater ("Libby") that I knit from a pattern designed by one of my favorite blogging friends. My New Friend To Knit With (please come and knit with me; we can bake cookies together, share a coffee and everything really will be okay--thank you so much for that encouragement!)!!  I finished the sweater this week and have been waiting for a sunny day so I can take pictures (may be awhile).  I LOVE the sweater and the pattern is uber fabulous . . . . I can't wait to "show it off" on the blog soon.
Go make these cookies; eat them up!  Enjoy your weekend!!
Love,
Wendy

Not So Great

Dear Mom (and Kim),
The weather must be getting to the cookies, too.  My Martha's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies were . . . not so great.  When I think of oatmeal raisin cookies, I think of chewy on the inside, crispy edges, sugary, moist with raisins.  Martha's recipe calls for Wheat Germ.  . . . . . ick.  It was a long day and we are also getting freezing rain.  I wanted warm-fuzzy oatmeal raisin cookies.  These oatmeal raisin cookies were more "for your own good" cookies.

On a happy note, though:  in the midst of our financial aftershock--after the initial financial earthquake a year ago, this has been a week of much kindness from friends.  I have been struggling recently---really needing to find kindness, care and compassion again.  Kindness did come small, sweet as well as large and very unexpected.  I shared a warm muffin and a made-for-me espresso with a friend.  I had a friend bring some warm loaves of bread; another friend gave boxes of Pop-Tarts to the kids!!  Yet another friend shared columbine seeds for planting and still another friend GAVE me her refurbished Kitchen-Aid mixer!!!  To encourage me with my cookie of the week!!
I also have the best sisters that anyone could ask for.  Kim and Bonnie Jo are different from one another and yet they both encouraged me (the baby!) so that my heart grew three sizes this day!!  Thank you, Kim, for ordering pillowcases!  And thank you, Bonnie Jo, for ordering my photo notecards!!  Kisses and hugs to both of you!
Love,
Wendy

Just Four Ingredients!

Dear Mom,
This was a recipe I got from a friend that I met when the Teenager was in preschool!!  We make it A LOT in our house because it is stupid-easy.  Just 4 ingredients.  I'm not a chemist so I can't really explain just how these four ingredients can come together to make the most fabulous peanut butter cookies.  But these are the best. The Best! peanut butter cookies!  Ever!  And every time I pull out my recipe card, I laugh because written on the card are literally 4 ingredients.  And nothing else!
But enough already!

And here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 egg

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together.  Drop by rounded teaspoonful on a cookie sheet.  Press down with a fork to make the fun cross-marks on the top of the cookie!  Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.

Enjoy!

Seriously?!?!  About 2 minutes to mix everything together.

Go ahead!  Impress your family!  Your neighbors!  Your friends!  And then go make some more!

Love,

Wendy

Snow Days and Warm Cookies

Dear Mom,
We are getting beautiful snow and it was a snow day for the kids.  So.  The girls baked.  Hmmmm our favorite cookies.  We did just enjoy these over Christmas break; Santa gets treated to these on Christmas Eve (or, in our house, Christmas morning since no one can go to sleep before 2:00 a.m. because of all of the excitement-even with threats and warnings that Santa doesn't come when children are wide awake!)  Anyhooo----Chocolate Crinkles!

Chocolate Crinkles

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, cocoa powder and sugar.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.  In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the dough for approx. 2 hours (or--do what we did today--mix the dough, stick in the fridge; put all of your snowpants and coats and hats and gloves and scarves on; pull out the sleds.  Sled and play outside.  Come back in, take everything off. Drink hot chocolate and THEN the dough will be chilled!!)  Heat the oven to 350.  Form the dough into 1" balls and roll them in the confectioners' sugar.  Bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Try not to eat them all while they are still warm!!!

Enjoy your snow day, too!!!

Love,

Wendy