This is my first time doing Daring Bakers, and it definitely was out of my comfort zone! I had generally overlooked panna cotta as something I wouldn’t really be that interested in. I was completely wrong. We were encouraged to play with flavor combinations, so I layered Bailey’s panna cotta, coffee gelee, and chocolate panna cotta with delicious results.

In addition to the panna cotta, we made Florentine cookies. These were not my favorite cookies on their own, but combined with the panna cotta they were quite delicious.

A word of warning: even with using unsweetened chocolate, the chocolate layer in the panna cotta was almost unbearably rich. This may be remedied by cutting back the sugar or chocolate content, but at this point I would probably just look for another recipe. I’ll let you know if I find one that I like. If you choose to use this chocolate panna cotta recipe, try to keep the portions small.

We had friends over to help us taste test (this made a lot of panna cotta, so four of us only ended up eating half of it). The consensus was that the chocolate was really rich, the Bailey’s panna cotta was good, and the coffee gelee was actually the star of the evening. Put together, the flavors worked very well.

Continue reading Daring Bakers – Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies →

These are giant cookies. Really, really large cookies. They are sweet and slightly spicy… and huge.

They’re perfect.

This is the first time I made these cookies with sorghum molasses. It’s what they call for, but I have never been able to find it. But this summer at the farmer’s market I saw a stand selling sorghum molasses and I had to get some. It is pressed amish-style and made from local produce. I wish I had bought more.

If all you have is regular molasses, by all means make these cookies. They will still be wonderful. However, the sorghum takes it to a whole new level.

These are perfect cuddle-up-by-the-fire, stay-inside-out-of-the-snow-with-a-cup-of-coffee cookies. You must try them with coffee.

Continue reading Giant Molasses Cookies →

Merry Christmas!

We tend to have our more elaborate Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve. We go to church, gather with the extended family for dinner and conversation (and the traditional white elephant exchange), then open presents with the immediate family. Usually the festivities wrap up after 2:00 AM, so on Christmas Day we sleep in and relax.

Throughout all these festivities there are always plates of cookies set out for nibbling. We have the obligatory frosted sugar cookies, of course. But next to these cookies, are unassuming gingerbread cookies. Unassuming that is, until you hold them up to the light.

These beautiful cookies serve just as well as a decoration as food. But don’t let that fool you… the cookie is a delicious gingersnap, with hints of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. The sweetness of the hard candy that forms the stained glass center provides a compelling contrast.

These cookies take a little bit of time, but are well-worth adding to your christmas repertoire.

As a bonus, the dough can double as the walls of a gingerbread house!

Continue reading Merry Christmas! Stained Glass Cookies and Gingerbread Houses →

I put a lot of thought into what I should do for my first post. I have a lot of standard recipes that I frequently make, so I considered posting one of those. We’re heading into the holidays, so I considered something red and green. It’s snowing outside, so I considered something warm.

And then I remembered that my family was coming home from vacation and could use something bright and sunny to make the return to the snow and cold a little easier. So I decided to make lemon shortbread cookies with lemon filling. There’s just something about lemon that makes everything seem sunny and fun.

So I decided to make lemon shortbread cookies. Soft, buttery shortbread cookies with a tart/sweet lemony filling. Each delicious on its own, but when combined, they are melt-in-your-mouth-lemony-bliss.

Oh, and I made them in the shape of a character that they had to leave behind.

The verdict? My family loved these. They said they were some of the best cookies they had ever had–and we like cookies in my family! Please try them out for yourself and let me know if you think the same.

Continue reading First Post: Lemon Shortbread Sandwich Cookies →