Holy Ingredients!

The results are in, we not only baked our way through this cookbook but by the tightness of our pants we really ate our way through it! Here is the breakdown of ingredients used over the last 2 and a half months by baker. This caloric count does not out weigh the amazing taste. I would do it all again. This just puts what we bought and ate into some sort of prospective.

Zucchini Chocolate Bars

This cookie bar surprised me. I read zucchini and coconut and wondered how it would come together. Marvelously indeed.

To recap my last day baking will be a delight. The sun is out and I made my final decent to the grocery store for what I thought was all I needed. Zucchini and eggs. My errands were done and it was just me and my clean kitchen, clean apron and pearls ready to get started. I am surrounded by fresh flowers, my favorite candle was lit, as well as my favorite music was kickin. The only thing was to pour a glass of wine. Yes I know it was in the middle of the day, however it was what Julia would have wanted me to do. Be surrounded by everything I love while enjoying the process.

I looked over the recipe 2 times and thought the only butter I needed was a melted part at the end. I was wrong. I actually started laughing about this. How many times did this butter thing get me. Whether it was putting it out in advance or measuring the right amount. I will never think of butter the same way. Oh and the most important item it asked for was shredded zucchini. So I pulled out my processor and proceeded to shred my 2 cups. After looking at this slaw like pile I am concerned how this cookie bar is going to taste? Then I read, to place a handful of grated not shredded zucchini in a paper towel and wring out the moisture. I started rethinking, am I supposed to grate or shred. I took another zucchini and began to grate it. You probably already know what happened to that. It pretty much turned into water. I decided to stick with the shredded and hoped for the best.

The rest of the mixture was a breeze, until I came to the chocolate chips. There isn't a time that I haven't had any in my kitchen an there wasn't a recipe out of this book that I recall that I needed any. But today I'm out, so compromise it is. I had semi sweet chocolate pieces that I chopped and it worked perfectly. Then on to the glaze, wouldn't you know it calls for a cup of confectioners sugar and I only had 1/2 cup left. I quickly grabbed my half full measuring cup, with apron and pearls on, ran to do the old fashion task aan ask the neighbor?, "Can I borrow a 1/2c. of sugar?" Thankfully my sweet neighbor, has everything on hand, and helped me out in pinch. Last recipe down and it smells de vine in my kitchen.

How can I wrap up the rest of my thoughts about my journey in one paragraph? This adventure has been one whirl wind of an experience. I have learned more baking tricks, own more cookware, and have a huge appreciation of what Sharon and Theresa have accomplished in putting this book together. So many little details to help us bake in their shoes. My grandma would be proud. She baked everything from scratch and always used the same yellow Pyrex mixing bowl for all of her creations. When she passed away it was the only thing I asked for of hers. Each time I pull it out I think of her and how much she would have loved to be with me during this journey. Thank you for helping me recharge a bowl that has primarily been used for just chocolate chip cookies. I am signing off on the completion of "It's all about the Cookies", with a big smile! I will be posting one more surprise tomorrow afternoon. So tune in for the last of the last blogs. As for now, Happy baking to all and may your kitchen light up as much as ours have. Angie

Spumoni Slices

Spumoni Slices are an overnight cookie, so I prepared the dough while watching the Wings win game seven last night – GO WINGS! I sliced and baked early this morning. I briefly saw each of the Julia’s or their families today, yet, didn’t give them their cookies. I figure if I held onto them, then my bake day isn’t officially over until midnight or delivered.

Funny how one crazy, spontaneous comment, “we could bake our way through the book” (and one twist of the arm) turned into a three month long project that everyone knows is really not about the cookies but the friendship behind it. Thank you Sharon and Theresa for being so receptive!

Today, I sat at the computer a couple of times trying to put my emotions into words. I found myself scribbling a few things on paper today. I’ve been the classic procrastinator just because I didn’t want this to end! In the beginning, blogging was addicting. Couldn’t wait to check comments or how many hits the blog had or what my friends had to say. My middle child does the best impression of me receiving a batch of cookies from the Julias. He has this high pitched “OMG, OMG” with hand gestures and all. I will miss those special deliveries as well as the laughter it brought my life. We have a lot of friends who were following us but not “official” followers...thank you for all the kind comments and laughing along with us. I am happy our guest bakers got to experience the fun we were having.

Looking back I am proud of what I accomplished, pounds and all. I got through two bouts of playing single mom while my husband was away on business, a month long old-fashioned “hand” washing & drying dishes until our broken dishwasher was replaced, conquering my beloved hand painted Sour Cream cookies, the laptop accident, three kids’ birthdays and spring schedule adjustment. After it all I am still sane and smiling!

What I gained besides the obvious (pounds), great love & admiration for my girlfriends and authors and more laughter than a girl deserves, is the confidence to experiment baking in the kitchen and the drive to create the time to do so.

What I look forward to now, after a short baking hiatus, is experimenting with cupcakes (thanks Angie) and other desserts (especially with photos to tell the story), planning my holiday cookie platter, cultivating creative ideas, saving up for a professional camera and replacing my baking time every fourth day with running. I also look forward to being the founder of the “cookie de-tox” society starting after Angie’s last cookie tomorrow!

This journey has also given me the blogging world. I am now obsessed with baking blogs and their pictures that make me feel like I can touch, smell and taste the decadent creations they share. During this time, I have begun a family journal blog just for our eyes that documents fun and special times in our family. It is my replacement for scrapbooking that I could never seem to stay current or at least in the same decade.

This project has shown me that nurturing friendships (which I’m not the best at) really creates an extended family that is always there for you. Thank you ladies for the amazing experience, being so game, and the willpower to see it through to the end! A special thanks to our husbands and boys for letting us bake continually for eleven weeks, blog and have to listen to the ups and downs of every minute of it. It will make good conversation for years to come especially around the campfire. You are the best taste testers!

Thirty years from now when I am still putting on my apron and pearls to bake for my grandchildren, I know that a flood of memories will wash over me remembering this special time in my life.

What I owe my girlfriends, at the very least, is the ability to play a good game of Euchre. Sigh..It’s time to learn!

Thanks for the fun, laughter, and memories,

Love, Love, Love, Phoebe

Raisin and Almond Biscotti with Orange

Where do I begin? Well, my first recipe in this project was biscotti and my last recipe is biscotti. Does anyone remember me asking what blanching almonds meant? And I wondered if Sharon would notice. I still laugh when I think about Angie telling me to read the tips in the beginning of the cookbook! I had to blanch almonds in this biscotti recipe, also. I now know what it means and also know that Sharon would have noticed! How far I've come!

Let me give you an example (or two) of how far I've come. I was hosting a family birthday party for my son, Cole, on Sunday. I was expecting company at 3:00 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. I realized that I hadn't baked a birthday cake. So I went to my pantry to retrieve a box of chocolate cake when I realized that I was out of chocolate cake mix! What was I to do? I could run to Kroger and pick up a box, or...I knew that I had all the ingredients that I needed to make one from scratch. What do you think I did? That's right, I made my son's 8th birthday cake from scratch! I pulled out my Betty Crocker cookbook and chose the recipe for Best Chocolate Cake. It probably took only 5 minutes longer to mix up that cake batter than my usual Betty Crocker cake. Was it worth it? Well, I amazed myself. However, half of the people at the party liked it better than a box cake and half like the box cake better. I have to admit, I was one of those that voted for the taste of the box cake. I guess I need to find a better Best Chocolate Cake recipe!

Example number two. Yesterday I saw a note on our family calendar that said "Need cookies" written in my husband's handwriting. When I asked him what that meant, he said that he volunteered to bring cookies to work for a baby shower to be held at lunch. He has been very supportive throughout this whole process. Instead of being irritated that I had to bake cookies on a very busy and non-baking day, I was actually touched that he wanted me to bake cookies for work! So, from 10:30 p.m. until midnight, I baked TWO (not one) batches of oatmeal cookies for him. Before you give me too much credit, I did have the base of the oatmeal cookie left over from the Basic Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Still, I baked THREE days in a row! Sharon, Theresa, you've created a monster!

The best part of this journey was not the cookies, or the six pounds that I gained by eating all the cookies. It was the excitement of reading the comments on my blogs. It was getting to know Sharon and Theresa and my friends better though those comments. It was the Easter Bunny delivering cookies at my door. It was talking, laughing and seeing my favorite people everyday because of the cookies. It's a bittersweet ending for me. I'm glad that I don't have to bake again unless I want to. But I am also sad that it's over.

Time for a new project. I still think the Friend and Cookies calendar is a good idea!

Lots of love!

shelly

Pineapple Pecan Cookies

How is it possible that this is my last cookie ?? I have been thinking all day about how to start. It seems simple enough...get out the ingredients, mix em up, and bake. I found it was not happening for me. I put on my pearls and apron and decided to get started. When I went to get out my butter for softening I realized someone in my house put an empty butter carton back in the fridge. I called Angela to borrow, rather than make a trip to the store. (on a side note I have gone through at least 8#'s of butter since this has started....that's a lot.) Once I was back home after a bit of chatting, I started assembling my ingredients. Everything was going smoothly until I hit a minor snafu. The recipe did not say when to add the pecan pieces, I looked at the picture and it looked like the nuts were in the batter so I added them at the end (hope this was correct) and chilled my dough. I could not find pineapple filling at the store I was at so I opted to make my own filling. Piece of cake (or cookie if you prefer). I opted not to put the coconut on because I do not care for coconut, so a little deviation on my part. The cookie is delicious. I love the cherry, pineapple, and nuts all combined.

When this all began it was hard to see what we would gain from this experience (Well the extra pounds were easy to imagine, did I mention 8 pounds of butter?) First off I can honestly say I probably would have never pulled out the cookbook except to show it off to friends. I began this endeavor as a non-baker and can now happily say that I am a baker and not afraid to try anything new (in the baking department that is.) I want to thank Mom and Theresa once again for all of the love and time you guys have put into our cookies over the years.

I knew before this that I had amazing friends. After this is proves just how amazing. All of our guest bakers just jumped right in and helped out if we needed a hand. Thank you. My Julia friends are wonderful women, mothers, and wives . No matter what any of us had going on ( you can tell from our posts that there was a bit) we never dropped the ball on one another. The fact that we made this commitment to each other and stuck it out shows the true meaning of friends. I feel so blessed to have such great gals in my life, and can't wait to see what Phoebe cooks up for us next. Thanks for taking the time to enjoy this with us and I hope everyone had as an amusing time as us reading our experiences.

One more thing as Cameron and I were delivering cookies for the last time he came up with what he thinks is an awesome idea..........we should change the rotation and go through the cookbook one more time!!! What do you think Shelly??

Danielle G signing off and thinking how much I am going to miss cookie visits :( Thanks again friends.

Nutmeg Cookie

Dejavu, I feel like I did this last night minus the blog. I can't believe this is my second to last cookie to blog about and I am speechless! This cookie was even faster than the last I baked. This recipe called for fresh nutmeg but due to the busy weekend I opted for pre bottled nutmeg. If I had more energy today I would have made the trip to the store. But convenience won out.

Mixing the dry ingredients was a breeze. then it called for the butter, egg, and vanilla. In haste I put them in with the dry ingredients instead of pre mixing them seperatly. I think this is why my mixture was alot dry and did not melt down the the way the picture shows. I had to give them an little pat mid way through or they would have come out like green little balls. Good news is they taste great. I will deliver both sets tomorrow. Have a great day and I will be back in 4 days with my final blog. The best part of having these daily deadlines is that it keeps me accountable. I will miss this....

Angie

Orange Filled Meringues

Oh what a busy, fun, fun day it has been. All of the Julia children were able to be together to celebrate a couple of their birthdays. A kickball party, a surprise party and a sleepover were in the mix today along with the regular baseball practices, soccer games and Science Olympiad practice too.

About 6:30pm, I dropped off my oldest son at Angie’s home for her son’s birthday sleepover. My son was so excited to celebrate his friend’s birthday but I wasn’t so sure that he’d want to wake up at his buddy’s home on his birthday which is tomorrow (today actually). What was I thinking, he loved that idea! That speaks volumes to how he feels about his friendship and their family. So it was a win-win for everyone. Angie had planned a special breakfast for my son to make him feel special and I had a little something from us to open in the morning. And you know that I planned on picking him up earlier than normal in the morning as I just didn’t want to be away from him for too long on his birthday.

So back to the drop off, really, I only intended to do a quick drop off and back home to bake, bake and bake. I still had his birthday cake to make too. But there is something about Angie’s home and before you know it, you are engaged in conversation, cocktails and laughter. As I really was leaving this time to go home and bake, Angie suggested that it would be fun to bake together so that’s what we did! We shared ingredients and we split up the tasks of preparing the cookie. I already had my almonds blanched from earlier in the day (I ran home to get them). I worked at the food processor while Angie mixed the wet ingredients. When it was time to mesh the two sets of ingredients together I just dumped it into her bowl while she was mixing. We put it into a pastry bag to pipe and it just drizzled out of the bag without any control. We end up with just a plain mess. Apparently, I still don’t follow directions well because the recipe clearly states that the dry ingredients should be folded into the wet ingredients and not mixed. Folded is a key step. I was really quite content with our mess and thought that we made a good attempt and that this one just didn’t work out. There’s nothing to say we had to get it perfect, we just had to try. Well, Angie was still going strong and convinced me that we need a do-over. So that’s what we did but this time we skipped the almond blanching step (you’d never know) and proceeded to correct the step where we went wrong. Folding the ingredients together made all the difference in the world. The batter was a nice thick texture that was very easy to pipe keeping its form. I redeemed myself! Thinking back, we didn’t wait an hour for them to settle as the recipes suggests¸ we just stuck them in the oven and baked.

The filling was a cinch to create. The cookies turned golden brown and looked great. We were just waiting for the cookies to cool so we could fill/sandwich together.

That was about 11:20pm and my son was almost in tears because he suddenly wasn’t feeling well. Oh, no! We rushed to gather his belonging, said our quick good-byes, thank-yous, apologizes and got him home in bed. It’s one of those times where you feel terrible for every aspect of the situation. As sad as it makes me, I really am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. This reason must be that he was meant to wake up in his own bed on his birthday!

I didn’t get a chance to taste the cookies, but Angie finished assembling them and snapped the pics. Baking together tonight really gave me a sense of what Sharon & Theresa have fondly experienced together over the years. I think all of the Julia’s need to bake together someday because that would be entertaining! Phoebe

Millionaire Shortbread

TGIF!

I spent a wonderful day with the Julias today. We went out to lunch and spent the afternoon browsing around Leon & Lulu's in Clawson. Such fun!

I started my recipe first thing this morning. I woke up, walked into the kitchen and put my can of sweetened condensed milk in a pan of water and left it to boil. Let me explain. The recipe called for heating the milk in a pan until it became thick and a light caramel color. Well, I can remember my mom making caramel out of sweetened condensed milk when I was a kid. She would put the entire can, unopened, in a pot and cover it with water. Then she would boil it for an hour or so. When it was cooled, she would open the can and it would be thick caramel. So, I thought I would give it a try.

I didn't get back to the recipe until after returning home from my day of fun with the girls. (Just as I opened the garage, the school bus pulled up-how's that for timing?!) I put together the shortbread crust recipe. This is like the third time I've had to make a shortbread cookie and I still am not comfortable with it. There is hardly any wet ingredients in the mix. Anyway, I baked my shortbread and let it cool while I ran an errand.

Back from my errand and time to open the can of sweetened condensed milk to see what's inside. Thick, sweet caramel. Delicious enough to eat right out of the can! Is it thick enough? We'll find out.

After letting the caramel layer set for a while, I added the chocolate layer. The directions said to cut it before the chocolate hardened so that's exactly what I did. I then put the whole pan into the fridge to cool it faster. When I went to take a piece of the cookie out of the pan to take a picture...well, let's just say that maybe the caramel wasn't thick enough. Or maybe it needs to cool much longer. I guess we'll know tomorrow. (I may be delivering this cookie to my friends in a bowl!)

I'll post a comment, or a prettier picture if the cookie cooperates, to let you know how it turns out. Have a great weekend!

shelly

Marble Brownies

Happy Thursday. This has been another crazy, busy day. It started with chess club this morning, then off to work, after that we had a practice event at the junior high for our school district for science Olympiad. It went well. Home at 8:30, dinner, showers, and baking. I was not sure I could get it all done today but I was not going to drop the ball with only two cookies left. It is now 10:00 and I am done with two hours to spare.

I have never made a brownie from scratch, it was not nearly as hard as I would have thought. I do believe I may try this again. The recipe was different than anything I have baked before. I was very leery of melting my butter in a saucepan with 3/4 cups of water (and chocolate) it just seemed odd, but it worked just fine. Another thing I have never been able to accomplish is the whole marbling thing, in the past I have always played with it to much and ended up blending everything together. I am proud to post my picture of the wonderful marbling that has been done today :) The flavor of this brownie (cookie) is very good. The only thing I am not sure about is that my chocolate chips did not melt and I am not sure why. It is still yummy (especially if you get a bite of the chocolate chips). Ta Ta for now see you on Monday for my last blog. It makes me very sad to type that actually, who would of thought??

Danielle G.

P.S. You guys will get your cookies tomorrow on the field trip. Looking forward to it.

Holiday Macaroons

I am back in town and had a fresh start this evening. This is the first cookie that I had to buy just about everything because I had none of it on hand. However going to the grocery store at 6:30 to retrieve my ingredients, having dinner (prepared by my dear husband), mixing, baking and delivered by 8:30 sounds incredible doesn't it!. I know, it doesn't even seem feasible but I even had short conversations with my girlfriends in between deliveries!

I did have a few follies in the blending stages that I will share. First off I did not read the recipe from beginning to end. I briefly scanned it to see if it had butter that needed to be put out. It did, 1/2c. which for those of you who would like the short cut, it means 1 stick of butter! Anyway that was this morning, fast forward to this evening. I began as I normally do, pulling out the ingredients and putting them in the corner where I do most of my mixing. This is also known as the busiest corner in the house. The garbage, the sink and the stove within a foot of each other. So I start with the first item, crushed pineapple. The cookie tip says to make sure to drain very well. So I put on the pressure. Somehow the lid folded flipped and threw a few chunks of pineapple into my sink all the while hiding, buried below the remaining pieces in the can. On to Plan B, I put the pineapple into a strainer and gently put pressure on through a spatula. It worked.

Distractions where at a level orange. My youngest was to the left of me, putting dishes away from the dishwasher, my husband to the right of me heating up leftovers and trying to have a conversation with me. My oldest was in and out of all of us trying to set the table and get to the garbage.

Back to mixing the ingredients, it asked for 1/2c. of unsalted butter melted. Right then I realized probably didn't need it to soften today. However, just to make sure I re-look at the butter equivalents. In hast, I see 8T of butter equals 1/4c. auugh! I'm a 1/4c. short! I go to the fridge all I have left is 4T of unsalted and 4T of salted. I use them anyway. But something stopped me from melting them at that point. Maybe it was the questions of where does this go, is this the right answer for math, should I make a salad as well? Anyway I re-read the butter equivalents. This time I see 8T. = 1/4 lb. or 1/2c. (lightbulb moment) I pull the excess butter! Everything is blended, and now I just need to sift the flour and powdered sugar together. Yes I know this sounds as odd to me too after the fact but a tsp. of powdered sugar I add. Then back to reading the recipe and I now see that it actually called for baking powder? OOPS I figured it wouldn't hurt.

These were small errors, but lesson learned here. Always READ the whole recipe before you start, it will save you time in the end. This being my 3rd to last cookie, and I am still learning valuable lessens! Each day is always a new experience. Have a great day today! Angie

Coconut Orange Madeleines

It almost happened to me…when I woke up I didn’t realize it was my bake day! Danielle delivering for Shelly yesterday is probably the reason for my throw off- lol! This cookie is so quick that I could have easily whipped it up at the last minute but luckily I realized before the kids left for school.

This recipe requires a Madeleine pan which I do not own; however, the recipe suggests that a mini muffin pan will work just the same. Good for me. However, Theresa’s picture of her cookies is much cuter and more delicate. The mini muffin tin really doesn’t do this cookie justice.

It is another easy recipe to prepare. What I especially like is that every ingredient requires a different measuring cup or spoon so there was no washing or sharing sizes making the process quicker.

The cookies, which look like muffins, taste great. This recipe did not take 5 hours to bake. Just minutes and if I had more muffin pans the process would have been even shorter. I did go to the cake decorating store, as I needed birthday cake decorations, and did not find a pan. If I did, I would have made a second batch. I yielded 2 dozen even with the muffin tin and can’t wait to share with the pearl girls. BTW, we are again in another birthday boom – 4 more boy’s birthdays between us (one in each family) in the next 10 days. Happy Birthday “DJ”!

Another great day of baking, Phoebe

Extravaganza's

Well it is 7:10 P.M. and I am still wearing my pearls. I traded my apron for a fresh cup of coffee. I thought I would enjoy my favorite beverage while I shared my guest baking experience.

I started at 10:00 A.M at Krogers to buy my preserves. I blanched and peeled my almonds yesterday.

I felt very extravagant using my new food processor that came with three bowls. I did not have to wash a single processing bowl while I worked. Modern technology is a beautiful thing. The cookie was relatively easy. I did two batches and therefore it took considerably longer because I had to wait for my square pan to cool in-between batches. The recipe said it yielded 2 dozen squares and I wanted to try some different preserves as the filling, thus the two batches. I used cherry preserves in the first one. I pureed the preserves because cherry preserves come with whole cherries in it. I thought it would be smoother and easier to spread if I pureed it and that was the case. The next batch I used strawberry preserves. Danielle liked the strawberry better and I have to agree. Let me know what the rest of you think.

I never realized how much time one batch of cookies takes. When I do my baking I assemble all the doughs, refrigerate the ones that need refrigeration and perhaps bake one of the five I might be working on at the time. I bake the others when I can get to them. Today I was packaging at 3:15 to get ready to deliver at 4:00 with my dear daughter. That was 5 hours for one cookie recipe. I could never have gotten children to school, worked at school, cooked dinner and do all the other volunteer jobs you darling pearl girls are involved in. My admiration was 100% for all of you at the beginning of this and now it is 500%.

Thank goodness Danielle had me for dinner tonite I don't think I had enough energy to think about that on top of my deliveries.

Shelly thank you for allowing me to guest bake. I would have never known this aspect of the blog adventure.

I close my blog tonite in awe of The Pearl Girls and your other guest bakers. Our would certainly is a better place because of the wonderful women you all are, your beautiful friendships and the future leaders you are doing a fabulous job raising.

Love and Admiration, Sharon

Black Forest Cookies

This is the kind of day I love!! We have been so busy lately it has been difficult to squeeze in the baking. Our chess clubs big tournament was yesterday, we helped set up on Friday and were back at 8:oo a.m. yesterday morning. It was a very busy day and all of the kids had a nice time. After the tournament we brought four extra boys home with us to play. My boys stayed with Grandma and Grandpa last night and Kurt and I had a much needed date night (thanks Mom and Dad). So I woke up this morning with nothing on the calendar except for one science Olympiad practice, and Black Forest Cookies to bake. It was wonderful to not have to rush and stress about the baking. I went to the grocery store to get the two ingredients I did not have on hand - dried cherries, and dark chocolate. I have to admit I was shocked at the price of dried cherries so I cheated a bit, one bag dried cherries which is about a cup and one jar of maraschino cherries. This recipe went very smoothly and the batter was very yummy! I thought it was going to be to rich for my taste and was pleasantly surprised. The one thing I did discover is that I am not a fan of dried cherries, they are much to bitter and tart for me. I think in the future when I make this one I will use just maraschino cherries.

Danielle G.

Orange Chocolate Pinwheels

Angie’s away on a business trip so I am baking for her today. What I have in common with Angie and the rest of the Julias is the extreme sport of breeding boys.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the German Chocolate cookies (noted by the authors as the easiest recipe in the book) but fortunately I didn’t get the Lemon Meringue Tarts either. Anything with the word meringue is complicated. I know this because my mom could never figure out how to make my grandma’s “puffy cookies” after she passed.

Anyway, Angie emailed the recipe to me at work yesterday. I read it quickly and was relieved to find out I had all the ingredients at home, including a zesting tool. Pretty impressive for a non-baker, huh? But what I did need to buy was some good baking sheets. The ones I have are warped, discolored and only good for heating frozen food. I also figured I needed a little somethin’-somethin’ to impress the Julias. So I used Cote D’Or Orange Noir chocolate from France. I just happened to have some in the house because a friend had brought me some back from her recent vacation in the south of France. I thought the orange flavor would enhance the zest already called for in the recipe. Plus the smoothness of this chocolate would make my cookies way more decadent than if I used baker’s chocolate.

I started mixing ingredients at 9:00pm last night since we had to be at the chess tournament all day today. But because I had to refrigerate the dough after every step I still wasn’t finished at midnight. I decided to go to sleep during a “chill” phase and finish in the morning. It wasn’t until 5:00am that I discovered my brand new, professional grade baking pans don’t fit in my oven!! Bleep! I baked the cookies anyway and delivered my samples to the Julias who were all at the tournament today.

A lot of cursing and not a lot of sleep- this is why I don’t like to bake! However, if I take a step back… I helped a friend out in a jam, supported two women’s dream by getting a cookbook, brought smiles to my husband and kids, brought back memories of my grandmother, blogged for the first time, and got to know each of the Julias a little better through the whole experience. For me, the experience was really not all about the cookies….

Thanks girls for giving me the chance to be part of your story!

Theresa

Austrian Raspberry Shortbread

I was patiently waiting to make my first bar cookie since I just love every one of them. Austrian Raspberry Shortbread, just love that name, calls for the dough to be frozen and then grated in a food processor. Whoa put on the brakes….did I read that correctly? Grate frozen dough??? Well, the recipe also offers it to be grated by hand in the absence of a food processor. That sounds like…work! So I put my trust in my like new food processor hoping it could handle this job.

So last night I mixed my dough together sampling it way too many times. This just attests to the deliciousness of it! I rolled the dough into two long logs, wrapped them and put them to sleep in the freezer overnight.

Today, I put my food processor to the test and it didn’t disappoint! It just flew through the frozen dough grating it into small soft pieces that didn’t appear frozen at all. That goes into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, spread with raspberry jam (I was very generous) and top with the rest of the grated dough. Pop in the oven and forget about it for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar as is comes out of the oven.

This recipe is another testament that simply just reading a recipe can seem overwhelming and perhaps get skipped over; however, when the baking process is broken down into a couple of steps, over a day or two, then it really becomes quite simple. The proper kitchen tools are also essential in making the baking process successful without much effort and tremendous results! I truly feel like a baker now and am very pleased that I had the opportunity to try such recipes. I will be bringing this recipe to many future gatherings. Funny how something I thought I would have never attempted now has plans to be baked over and over again.

Shortbread snacks at the tournament tomorrow boys…and parents!

A great day of baking, Phoebe

Orange and Rum Pizzelles

Good morning! Forgive me for not posting yesterday. I tried to post last night, but I was having difficulty getting my pictures to be where I wanted them in the post and it was becoming very frustrating. They are not lining up where I want them now, either, but this morning I can live with it for the sake of getting something on here. After all, it's the cookie that matters-right?

I have been looking forward to making this cookie for months! I was so excited when I saw that it landed on my schedule. The flavors looked wonderful to me and I love pizzelles. I never had them growing up. As an adult, it is the first cookie I choose on a platter of cookies.

My boss (she knows who she is) told me to make a double batch so that's what I did. I emptied out my flour and sugar canisters and the little bit of rum I had but it was all enough to make the two batches. Putting it all together was a breeze because I am an expert baker now. This recipe called for sifting the flour and baking soda together. That did not even stump me because I have a sifter! Imagine that. I don't think I've ever used it but taking it from my mom 10 years ago now has a purpose!

Thanks to my friend, Sandy, for lending me her pizzelle maker. I wanted to make the thin ones and she has the machine for both. It took some getting used to and my son, Jake, was right by my side eating all the scraps that came out of the first couple of tries. Unfortunately for him, I got the hang of it. Again, it was my melon baller that saved the day. It measured out the exact right amount of dough. I think that tool has been the most useful in my entire cookie experience. To think that I've never balled a melon with it!

The cookies do not disappoint! They are heavenly with the orange flavor and crispy texture. I may have to invest in a pizzelle maker! Until then, I'll have to be real nice to Sandy so she lets me borrow it!

Happy Friday!

shelly

Nut Balls

Happy Wednesday!! It has been a very busy day here but that isn't anything new. Lots of Science Olympiad practices coming up. Our big event is only a few weeks away. I read my recipe yesterday and made the mistake of thinking this is an easy one, no prob. It was easy, just not early as I had planned. I was sure I set my butter out to soften this morning, I was going to run to the grocery store for the only ingredient I didn't have which was the 2 cups of nuts. I ended up talking to Shelly and before I knew it it was time to go to school for our bugs practice. (For anyone interested I am Cameron's coach for one of his events called "Don't bug me") So off to school I go, then to the grocery store with all of my coupons (thanks Bargains to Bounty:), and home to mix my batter. Once home I realize my butter has not been sitting out so it could become room temperature, it is still very chilled in the fridge. Thankfully my microwave has this wonderful button to soften butter so I did that. Mixed all of my ingredients and was ready to start forming balls at ten til four. Then I realize the dough has to chill at least an hour, so in the fridge it goes. The boys came home we had dinner, then I realize I do not have time to bake because both boys have practice for Science Olympiad at 6:30. Out the door we go, dropped one off at school to shoot rubber bands and the other one at Phoebes to study mammals. Then off to the Onyx Ice Arena for a friends sons hockey game. Back to pick up the boys and finally home at 8:30.

Time to start baking. The rest could not have gone smoother, I could fit almost 30 balls on a sheet per time so only three rotations of cookies. Rolling in the powdered sugar was a bit dusty(thank goodness for my super cute apron:) Once I had about 10 cooled I took my picture and now I am going to go back and finish. Ladies don't leave chess club without your cookies in the morning!!

Danielle G.

Bohemian Nut Slices

Well I'd have to say if I didn't miscalculate 3/4c. of butter for 3/4 stick of butter the first batch would have come out pretty good. However I did the latter. I considered adding more butter but I had already pushed this dry train wreck a little to far. Out with the old and a few hours of waiting for that darn butter to soften. Once I began it took less than an hour.

The egg white mixture with nuts is outstanding I just hope mine taste better than what the picture shows. Yes I could have done a lot of things better however when your on your second batch perfection goes out the window. I also didn't use all my filling and even admitting that I still over stuffed oops! They just came out and I can not wait till there cool due to time constraints. Keep your fingers crossed the girls like them. I may have not used enough filling or I may have not rolled the dough fine enough. All in all great taste but you difinetly need a cup of milk for my batch. I would really like to try yours Theresa I think they would be much juicier!

See you ladies tomorrow. Angie

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

My spring schedule just kicked up triple notches. With three kids finishing up their winter activities this month and each starting a sport this week, I am bound to mess up a time or two. So if I end up at the wrong venue with the wrong kid, please forgive me, if I forget to bake on my day, please forgive me, if I don’t post before midnight, please forgive me, if you don’t get your cookies delivered, please forgive me!!! Getting uniforms washed, ALL of the equipment packed and kids to their destinations on time is considered a successful day for me. I don’t do it all alone. I have an amazing husband who divides and conquers with me. It’s all good and I’m happy to do this for my kids because someday I’m going to miss this!!!! Like most kids, they have huge dreams and it’s my job to keep the dreams alive! A special thank you to all the friends and family who help us out carpooling or watching my children, you are also helping them achieve their dreams (while keeping me sane)!

So I am really proud of the fact that I am still eager to bake with all of this going on around me. Today I made Gluten –free Peanut Butter Cookies. Well, almost! I didn’t have all-natural peanut butter on hand so I used regular peanut butter and good to know they still turned out awesome! It is nice to see alternative recipes as there are so many people with food restrictions now that I’m sure this cookie is a blessing to some! However, feeling a little guilty that I didn’t get out and buy the necessary product so my girlfriends could taste what this cookie represents, I started to rationalize that they probably would have made them without the all natural peanut butter anyway. I am just showing them how great they taste with the product they already have on hand.

I really like these kinds of cookies. Just throw all the ingredients together at once and mix. Adding chocolate chips and coconut at the end finishes off the batter. The batter is a little heavy but not too hard to handle. I love the softness of this cookie and the combination of peanut butter, chocolate and a smidge of coconut flavors this cookie just right. Extremely delicious and make sure they are accompanied with a tall glass of milk! Yum! Phoebe

Bishops Bread

We left the cottage this

afternoon about 1:00 and I already had had a full day. The cottage needed some t.l.c. since I had not been there in 7 months. So yesterday we put the boat in the water and spent the next four hours doing yard work(happily because it was 70 degrees and beautiful) This morning we got up and I started spring cleaning the bottom floor of the cottage. Bathroom, family room, and kitchen. We hit the road and drove home. I did not feel like going to the grocery store for ingredients and then baking. I knew I had to persevere. So after a quick shower off to the store I went. This is a more expensive cookie because of all of the different ingredients which are awesome. I knew from reading the recipe it was going to be very flavorful and it is. It has Maraschino cherries, walnuts, sweet German chocolate and dates. I did not have exactly 2 cups of dates so I added about a 1/4 cup of raisins to fill in. I also realized as I was mixing that I used 2cups of cherries when the recipe only called for 1&1/2 cups. Thank goodness it did not do anything horrible. When it was mixing it did have the consistency of bread dough. I was worried that I was going to have spillage on my jelly roll pan, but I did not. It firmed up nicely and stayed a thicker consistency as you can see from the picture. They are a very tasty cookie with wonderful strong flavors. Thanks again Shelly for switching days with me I appreciate it. So I will chat again Wednesday. Til then.

Danielle G.

Sour Cream Pastries

I can't tell you how apprehensive I was about making this cookie. If you haven't figured it out by now, I like things easy and simple, with little room for failure. Over the past few days I have been watching my girlfriends successfully tackle cookies that looked WAY too complicated for me. I was so thankful that those recipes didn't fall on my days! I looked at the list of ingredients a few days ago for the Sour Cream Pastries and bought what I needed. I didn't actually READ the recipe until this morning. The first thought that went through my head was "Oh, crap!"

I remember Theresa demonstrating this cookie at the book signing. Sure, she made rolling the dough out into a perfect circle look easy but I was wise enough to know that she's been making this cookie forever. I don't bake pies and have never made a pie crust in my life. Visions of irregular shaped circles and dough sticking to every surface filled my head. However, there was only one thing to do...get started.

Mixing the dough was easy enough. I don't have an electric stand so I did it all by hand. I'm a pro at cutting the butter with flour because I've had to do that for another recipes in the book. Once the dough was done, into the fridge to chill for a few hours. At least I had some time to psych myself up for the task.

I do remember that at the demonstration Theresa was using a Tupperware Silicone Wonder Mat that has the circle measurements on it. Wouldn't you know, I have one of those! I bought one for my aunt for Christmas about 5 years ago and picked up one for myself, too. Hardly ever used it before I started baking all these cookies. So out it came. I also have a long wooden rolling pin that I got from my husband's grandmother who used to do quite a bit of baking back in the day. Can't say I've ever used it.

O.K. You see my picture. You know that I was successful at making this cookie, so here's where I am going to skip to my lessons learned: 1. rolling the dough out into a circle wasn't that hard with a little time and patience. (Notice I didn't say "perfect" circle.) 2. Figuring out how to make 12 sections out of that circle was way harder than I thought it should be! I think I need a lesson on geometry! 3. If using the right tools, anything is possible. The rest was a piece of cake thanks to the fact that I've made Pillsbury Crescent Rolls a few times in my life.

There are a lot of baking recipes that I have wanted to try over the years but ultimately wouldn't attempt because certain steps looked complicated and overwhelming to me. So I really never baked ANYTHING except cake and brownies from a box. Through this process, I am learning that most of the time, the difficulty lies in my head. Also, because I am committed to making these cookies, I am forced to do it and give it my best effort. In the future, I hope to get myself to at least try a recipe and if it works out, good for me. If not, I'll scrap it and find another.

By the way, I ate a warm cookie just out of the oven and I must say, DELICIOUS! For those of you that don't have the cookbook, did I mention that these cookies have apricot preserves, walnuts and coconut in them!

Until Thursday! shelly

Tri-Colored Almond Slices

These are so fun and colorful. The green layer reminds me a little of pistachio while all three together remind me of ice cream!

Lets see, pretty uneventful process. No electrical failure, no laptop drop, no missed ingredients and no spill over! This is a good day and its Friday. The only disaster is my kitchen sink which I will tackle later. Something new, I have never worked with almond past before. For those of you who have FYI, it now comes in a tube in a box. It is quite thick to work with so when I blended the paste with my sugar, I put it in my food processor with the dough blade and it made it much easier. (Side note: make sure you blend well as the almond paste once blended does not really break down any more.) Then back to my original bowl with the rest of the ingredients and hand mixer.

As you can see, I decided to give you a picture prior to cutting into squares in fear mostly they would fall apart. I think Theresa"s picture in the background shows you the size while my photo is the step right before. The only thing I changed was trimming the sides prior to the chocolate drying. I figured if I waited the chocolate would crumble off the sides. It worked out. The trimming pieces are a great treat in the end.

On a last note, my children keep me smiling when its baking day. They have 3 styles, totally invovled from batter to clean up, somewhat invloved- ask to help out on a task or two, and not invovled at all except the frequent pass by to see how it is going and tell me how delicious it looks or smells. My favorite today was when my middle son came by to try the trimmings. He grabbed a bite looked at it started to walk away then realized how good it tasted and came back for more. The best part was as he walked away the final time he looks over his shoulder and says "Bon appetite!" I instantly thought of Julia and how this all started. After I replied back, Bon Appetite!" in Julia Child's accent, a feeling of accomplishment came across my mind.

Have a great weekend and see you in 4 days. Angie

Sugar Crisps

Sugar Crisps took me back in time. As a teen I often would make cinnamon tea rings, soft pretzels and braided breads all involving yeast. However, I didn’t have the baking bug today! I procrastinated till late afternoon making the dough knowing full well it would take at least four hours for the dough to rise in the refrigerator.

Before I got around to baking this evening, the kids and I all treated ourselves to a Lemon Thin Shelly dropped off. While I was enjoying the cookie, I used my free hand to open the lid of my laptop. The keyboard also lifted up with the lid and next thing I know, the laptop is falling off the half wall and crashing down a flight of stairs. Screams of horror…total silence (thinking what just happened?)… too paralyzed to move…deep, deep breaths! The conclusion is it has some aesthetic damage but it still works. The question will be for how long? It is only two months old. Trying to count my blessings as my children were giving me “at least we weren’t in a car accident” and “at least it wasn’t one of us falling,” etc.

Then I had to bake.

As the recipe suggests, work fast as the dough will get too soft to work with. That’s the truth. I was not working all that quickly as my mind kept replaying the awful moment of the computer falling. Twisting the Sugar Crisps was getting difficult with the soft dough so some of them didn’t turn out as pretty but they still taste delicious. Love the sweet crispness.

I’ll let the pictures finish the story. I quit for the night and will bake the rest tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a better day! Phoebe

Lemon Thins

Here's the story. At 10:00 a.m. I started to make this cookie-honest! I was just about to mix my dry ingredients into the mixture when the power went out. My son, Cole, was watching me and wondering how I was going to mix up the dough without my electric mixer. The boys and I just had a conversation the other day about how people lived without electricity. They thought it would be impossible! Well, I showed him! I got out the wooden spoon and started using manpower. I was feeling pretty good about the lesson I was giving him that life does go on without electricity. The batter was mixed up and I was ready to bake. Then Cole wondered how I was going to bake the cookie without the oven. Yeah, he got me there.

I called Angie to see if she lost her power since she lives so close to me. Her power went out for a minute and blinked right back on. Angie offered to pick up my batter and bake the cookies for me because I had guests visiting from out of town. She's so sweet! However, I felt that since her power came right back on, our power would be on soon.

Fast forward to 3:30 p.m. I am saying goodbye to my company and hustling my boys out the door for dentist appointments. Still no power! Danielle G. invited us over to her house for dinner since I couldn't cook. (Thanks again, Danielle!)

Well, the power was on by the time we arrived home at 9:15 and I got started on the cookies right away. It took a couple of batches to get my cookies flat enough to be considered "thin". I was very generous with the lemon zest in the batter and on top of the cookie so you can really smell and taste the lemon. I think this recipe is one that will be repeated!

shelly

Almond Crescents

Boy is it nice to be home. Our first trip without kids in 10 years. I have to say leaving your children and dog is more difficult than I thought it would be, but we had a nice time and Kurt bowled well. I was nowhere near a computer for four days and I really missed my friends and our blogging(and the kids and dog). You guys as always did an awesome job. Thanks again to Sandy for taking over for me and doing a beautiful, tasty cookie.

Well nothing like a little diffuculty to get me back into the swing of things. As you can see from the pictures Gavin took immense pleasure in grounding up our almonds. Cameron took part also but he's not into having his picture taken anymore. As I was reading my recipe I was wondering how I was going to get 7 dozen cookies out of such a small amount of ingredients. I was not able to, I must have made them to big. I think it made 31 cookies, and mine did not puff up pretty like Theresa's, they were very flat when they came out of the oven. The cinnamon and sugar makes them look much prettier. So all in all a very easy recipe with very few ingredients, the longest part was forming the half moons. The almonds make it a nutty, tasty treat.

My next baking day is Saturday and we are going up north to put the boat in the water!! This has never been done before the kids are out of school and we are excited. So I will either bake on Friday or Sunday. Maybe Angie or Shelly will trade with me??

Danielle G.

French Lemon Squares

Piece of cake! I think, the only thing I did not have on hand was the eggs! Easter robbed me of them all. I think mine could have cooked a little more however I was afraid to burn the tops. So out they came out after the 20 min. My only question, what is the significance to mixing for 10 minutes? Hope you all enjoyed them. Sorry for the short post however I am going back for a little lemon treat. Happy Easter. A

White Chocolate Chip Dreams

As predicted, I lost some sleep over baking and blogging. I was up late last night baking cream cheese bars and crepes for morning breakfast to go with the coffee that I’ve given up for the last 40 days. As soon as the clock hit midnight, my pot of coffee was perked and ready for a midnight swig but it wasn’t as good as I remembered! Perhaps, that’s an indication that my bad habit may be kicked!!! Technically, I baked on Easter Sunday since it was after midnight. My philosophy was if I was going to dirty my kitchen, I was going to do it all at once.

Next it was on to making White Chocolate Chip Dreams. This cookie calls for orange zest and white chocolate chips. I really, really love the orange flavor. It makes this cookie outstanding and I could have eaten the entire bowl of cookie dough. The white chocolate chips give it that oh, so sweet flavor. I know next time I need a cookie fix, which will be quite sometime after this venture is over, I will whip these up just for the yummy dough. The recipe is easy to follow and no sudden disasters occurred early Easter Sunday with every store closed. I think my cookies turned out great.

Drizzling the white and dark chocolate over the cookies was successful. I have always bought the specialty candy pieces from the cake decorating store but this recipe called for chocolate squares found at the grocery store. This new tip will save me an extra trip in the future. Sandy graciously lent me her small squirt bottle to drizzle the chocolate. This worked well but sometimes I would get an air bubble that would cause me to lose the continuous line of chocolate. I also wanted to experiment with the baggie technique too. I was able to get out most of the air thus eliminating the air bubbles. I found the difference between the techniques is in the amount of chocolate that was being released. The bottle had a wider opening so I used triple the amount of white chocolate required. I snipped a super small hole in the baggie to drizzle a fine line and had left over dark chocolate. In my opinion, it’s just a matter of preference. I like how beautiful the drizzle makes these look. I just may do this topping on traditional cookies to give a little pizzazz!

I had my sweet Easter Bunny making personal deliveries with me today. The only problem that we did have was getting the cookies to their destination without the topping melting some. He had to leave two deliveries on porches and hopes that your cookies didn’t turn out too messy. Angie, we hope those two beautiful dogs next door didn’t get to your cookies first!

I admire that Theresa’s daughter, Catherine, created this recipe. Apparently she has inherited the baking gene! Lucky her!

Now it’s off to bed to snuggle with my little Easter Bunny. Happy Easter, Phoebe

Acorn Cookies

Happy Easter, Friends. I hope everyone is enjoying this special day with family and friends, lots of food, and of course, cookies!

I had every intention of getting my cookie done early in the day. In fact, I set my butter out last night so that it would be at room temperature and I wouldn't have to wait. Well, I don't know how it always happens, but the day slipped away from me. I was enjoying the nice weather early in the day and went shopping once the rain started. The next thing you know, it's 6:00 p.m. and I can't bake because the Spartans are playing in the Final 4. With their loss, boo hoo, came my deep depression which put me off baking for a while. Finally, around 10:30 p.m. I made my way into the kitchen and slipped into my apron and pearls. Instant pick up!

This recipe has very few ingredients so it only took minutes to mix it together. It took a little longer to make 50 little balls, and even longer to try to make them look like acorns. Theresa is an artist because I don't think mine resemble acorns very much-even after 50 tries! Maybe once the chocolate and nuts are on them they will look more like acorns.

As I sit here and wait for the cookies to come out of the oven, the Easter Bunny has arrived at our house and I'm watching him hide eggs everywhere.

The cookies are out of the oven and the house smells so good! I've prepared a few cookies for the picture and popped a few in my mouth. These cookies are dangerous because they are little bite size temptations!

I love the leaf plate that Theresa used in her picture. I don't have anything like that but I do have a bunch of leaves that I've pressed over the years. It's an obsession for me to pick up colorful leaves in the fall and press them. I've been doing this for at least 10 years and have never used the leaves for anything. Now I know my collection had a purpose!

Well, I may have to decorate the rest of the cookies in the morning since it is now 12:30 a.m. and I know it will be an early morning at our house tomorrow!

shelly

Lace Cookie

Hello, Ladies-when Danielle G. asked me to sub for her the day she had to make the "Lace Cookie", I thought, sure. This cookie requires no mixing and the ingredients seem simple enough. Little did I know what an experience it would turn out to be. The procedure of making the batter was rather easy. All on top of the stove in a saucepan. After lining the baking sheets with heavy duty foil, I was ready to drop my batter by 3/4 spoonfuls. (Here's a hint if you ever make these...the cookie batter spreads on the cookie sheet before baking-you kind of have to be quick.) Once the cookies were done, they cooled for a good 15 minutes. Carefully peeling them away from the foil was not an easy task. I used a special spatula to finally reach that goal. They are very delicate. So many of them cracked or broke at that time. Uniformity also went out the window. Some turned out larger than others, you will see. The next step was to simply drizzle them with the melted mixture of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and finely ground walnuts-which, as stated, were optional. Of course, I integrated the nuts into the recipe, trying to get a product exactly as shown in the picture. I had the bright idea to put the chocolate mixture into one of the ketchup bottles that I just happened to have, and go on to drizzle them so perfectly. Ever try funneling before? Big mistake! What ended up happening was the nuts were not as finely ground as I thought so they would get stuck in the hole atop the dispenser. It was really comical to witness the chocolate mess I had going. I was panicked. Nino...can you please help me figure out how to drizzle the chocolate? (It was now 10:30, Thursday night...yes, I was cheating and baking prior to Danielle's actual day.) Problem being, the mixture started to harden as it sat out. He concocted a baggie with a slit and started some artistry work. Uh-oh. They looked terrible. The chocolate was globbed here and there and most of the designs looked like a capital "S". I surely didn't want you to think that I marked each one with my initial, and I realized that I cannot give these to the ladies looking like this. Well, I remade a batch today. They seem more uniform than last night's. The chocolate mixture is missing the nuts. I was not going to try that again. I also found a smaller squirt bottle (for lack of a better word) in the Chocolate Factory Kit" I've had for years, but forgot that fact last night. The drizzling is much more appealing. I also tried to sprinkle finely ground walnuts over the chocolate mixture, to no avail. They just wouldn't stick.

These cookies are delicious. Light and crispy and very chewy. I did enjoy making them both times. The old saying "Third times a charm" will be motto If I ever attempt these again. I kind of consider myself a semi-pro.

Enjoy, and Happy Easter!

Sandy

Chocolate Crackles

Good Evening, I had to work all day, pulling into the driveway at 8:30 this evening. My wonderful husband helped me out by being my last minute guest baker for tonight. Here is his journey for the night...

For over 40 days I've listened to how much chaos it is to pack kids school lunches, get them out the door, and get the ingredients together to make and bake the cookies that will be discussed in this blog. As my lovely wife was working, I had the pleasure of experiencing the "art" of baking the Chocolate Crackles. Not only was this enjoyable, it was therapeutic. The art of slowly adding ingredients at the exact moment while keeping the kids full of healthy snacks made me realize how much I should stay at work. Throw in the fact that I had steaks burning on the grill and two more boys being dropped off to spend the night, it's a miracle that we are able to blog this early in the evening. All kidding aside, these are the best cookies I have ever made and I certainly enjoyed participating - JR.

Thank you Jack, these are like mini brownies but with a twist. The two of us have eaten at least 5 each and that can not be done without a cup of milk. Thank you! so good! Angie