Sometimes you just have to bake some cookies

I've been in a baking funk lately. It's been a combination of a somewhat new (and inferior) kitchen and just lack of time, but I won't lie and say my inspiration hasn't been at a dribble too.

This past weekend, I caught a cold and couldn't go out for Halloween. I was bummed as a good friend of mine was throwing her annual Halloween party, and instead of having a great time with friends and dressing up as a Day of the Dead doll, I was lying on the couch watching So I Married an Axe Murderer and wondering what my life would have been like if I had been my age now in 1993 and when exactly Mike Meyers became NOT funny.

After I wrapped up Axe Murderer, I found myself bored. I wasn't tired as I had been sleeping all day. I didn't feel like getting online and playing around on Facebook, so I was left with few options. I went into the kitchen and began what has become my routine the past two months - opening the fridge with the brief hope that somehow it has filled itself magically with ingredients so I could whip up a sweet feast. What did I have? Two onions, half a stick of unsalted butter and black truffle butter. A feast I did not have.

Before meandering back into my bedroom, I remembered the peanut butter and jelly I had bought a couple of weeks earlier. I had bought these household mainstays with the idea of making a cookie recipe I had seen in Martha Stewart Living. I was craving some sweets, so making these comfort cookies became my mission for the night.


To call this recipe a "mission" is a bit dramatic. Time-wise, these bad boys took me less than an hour to make, and that includes bake time.

Even though I'm still getting over this cold, I have to believe that the chicken noodle soup and PB&J cookie combo is what's really speeding along the healing process.


Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 40

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat peanut butter and butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugars, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients, and mix until combined.

Scoop level tablespoons of dough, and form into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies are puffy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and make indentations in centers by pressing with the handle end of a wooden spoon. Return to oven, and bake until edges are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Heat jam in a small saucepan, stirring, until loosened, about 30 seconds. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon into each indentation. Cookies can be stored in a single layer for up to 1 week.

Gastronomica's Marshmallow Fluff Extravaganza

Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend the Marshmallow Fluff forum at the Astor Center. The evening was part of an ongoing series organized by Gastronomica, the wonderful quarterly food journal.

The event itself brought focus to article in the Spring issue of Gastronomica by Katie Liesener which chronicled the evolution of this "food" product in New England and the rather torrid love affair it has experienced in America.

Here are some interesting facts about Marshmallow Fluff that I learned:

~ Marshmallow Fluff was invented in 1917.

~ To this day, Marshmallow Fluff is made in a small factory by the Durkee-Mower Company in Lynn, Massachusetts.

~ New England and upstate New York count for over half of all Marshmallow Fluff sales.


Although I'm not a New England native, I grew up eating the Kraft Foods version of Marshmallow Fluff. For my regular readers, you'll recognize it as the key ingredient in my grandmother's fudge recipe. We also used Fluff to make Rice Krispy treats. To be honest, I don't remember a period of my life when I didn't know what Fluff was. Perhaps my early adoption of the product meant I was destined to move East to the land of Fluff and coastal cities.

Over the course of the panel discussion, the Astor Center provided each attendee with a platter of Fluff delicacies, which included a Rice Krispy treat made with brown butter, a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich (Fluffernutter, for you not in the know), a peanut butter, Fluff, and bacon sandwich, and an unusual combination of a saltine topped with tuna, hot sauce, and of course, Marshmallow Fluff. Although the tuna concoction sounds a bit weird, you couldn't actually taste the Fluff through the overpowering tuna and hot sauce, so it really just tasted as expected. The peanut butter, Fluff and bacon sandwich was probably my favorite - you simply can't go wrong with sweet and savory. It's the world's best combination, in my opinion.


However, the real stand out of the evening was a cocktail designed especially for the event. A take on the classic Aviation, the Astor Center mixologist pre-mixed the maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff in a blender, and then proceeded with the classic recipe. As someone adventurous when it comes to taste (you should have seen me the first time I was offered haggis - I couldn't wait to try it!), I immediately ordered this special drink. And may I say, it might be my new favorite novelty cocktail. Although the drink itself looked like cloudy water, the taste was incredible, perfect for sipping while I enjoyed the fact that I live in a city that hosts entire evenings dedicated to Marshmallow Fluff.


If you're interested, here is the recipe and "how to" to create the Marshmallow Fluff cocktail at home:

Ingredients (Per each cocktail):
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo, blended with Marshmallow Fluff
1/4 ounce Crème de Violette
Lemon twist, for garnish.

First, blend a healthy amount of maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff. The final product should be like a normal liquid - not sticky or gummy (Remember: you have to put this in a cocktail shaker at some point!). Combine the gin, lemon juice and maraschino/Fluff mixture in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Drizzle the Crème de Violette into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Yield: one cocktail.

Baking Unplugged: Two amazing cookie recipes

When I was in Portland, Oregon, in March I had the privilege of meeting Nicole Rees, a wonderfully talented cookbook author and all around cool woman. She sent me a copy of her latest cookbook, Baking Unplugged, and over the last two nights I've tried out two of her oatmeal cookie recipes - Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Dried Cherries and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips.


Normally, this is the part of the blog entry where I would share the recipes, but because these cookies might be some of the most delicious I've ever tasted, I want you all to go out and buy Nicole's book, so I'm not sharing! I am a huge proponent of Baking Unplugged because all of the recipes are gadget-free, meaning you don't have to own a fancy schmancy mixer or high tech oven to get these amazing results.

You can purchase her book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other retail outlets. I highly suggest you check it out!

Chocolate...and lots of it

After perusing the March issue of Food & Wine while I jetted across North America yesterday, I thought I would check out what the magazine's web site had to offer after landing. And boy I'm glad I did! I found a whole smorgasbord of chocolate-themed recipes as part of their Menu of the Week in the Entertaining section. Highlighted recipes include:

Milk-Chocolate Pots de Crème
Milk-Chocolate Cookies with Malted Cream
Milk-Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust
Silky Chocolate Mousse with Peanut Butter Crunch
Milk-Chocolate-Frosted Layer Cake
Warm Double-Chocolate Brownie Cakes
Milk-Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Warm Milk-Chocolate Croissant-Bread Pudding

I'll definitely be whipping up the milk-chocolate tart with pretzel crust as well as the milk-chocolate chip cookies when I get back to New York.

Trying out one of these recipes? Tell me about it in the comments section!