Amy Ruth

Growing up, as a little girl in a funeral home, ( yep, that’s right) makes you kind of different already. I mean, lets face it. How many funeral homes are there in a town of 3,000 people? You get the picture?  Do you even know someone who grew up in a Funeral Home?   Don’t worry…

There are things that stick with you even when you grow up that always spring forward from the back of your mind when you least expect it. I remember my Mother reminding me often that it was okay to be different. I didn’t have to “be” like everyone else, dress like them, act like them and do everything they did. There are a few more things she told me too, but I’ll save those for another cookie. he he    Maybe Dorie has a fortune cookie hidden in the table of contents?  ar ar ar

These little precious cookies are  different.  Being different isn’t bad, its just different.  In this case, the World Peace Cookie is Stupendous!  They are just a European cookie, a sable, that has come to America and chosen to be different from all the other chocolate chip cookies  in the CCC universe.  They don’t even compare.  Just consider the lovely sandy nature of the crumb.  You might remember the “crumbly” nature before baking.  It’s just different and that’s okay.   The fact that the base of the cookie is dark with intense chocolate from the cocoa powder, is ah  so wonderful.   From the moment you bite down on this delicate yet soft crispness you know its not like all the other chocolate chip/chunk cookies you’ve had at every other PTA reception. Right?  The snap of the bits of bittersweet chocolate seal the deal as far as I am concerned.   But wait, there’s more (no, not the knife set) its a salty finish on your palate, and that’s that!

Dorie, thank you for including this lovely little Korova/World Peace Cookie in Baking From My Home to Yours.  By far, this is my absolute numero uno perfecto cookie choice!  Make sure you get this one folks.  Click here to find the recipe over at Jessica’s Cookbook Habit where she has those beautiful cookies just sitting there tempting you to copy for your own use, the recipe for these marvelous cookies.  Now if you aren’t already copying and pasting the recipe in about  the next 5 mintues,  you will live to regret not having the pleasure of baking and eating these  fabulous cookies.  So, just do it!  Option number two is to visit you local bookstore, of course, and pick up Dorie’s book, Baking From My Home to Yours.  You don’t want to be sorry that you let this one get away.  :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I really appreciate the visit.  Hope you enjoy your cookies too.

Actually, I am playing catch up….  I’ve had this post written for sometime, sitting there, waiting.  So here we go, trying to get back in syn with the baking rhythm.  In case anyone is stopping by these days.  Boo Hoo!  I’m so sorry I was distracted with some other tail gate projects, football games, and the sort of timing of my resident photographer.  Good News, back in the swing!

Its time for the next Tuesdays with Dorie baking post for the Dimple Plum Cake.  However, here I am a day late (1 week) and a dollar short.  While I am collecting all the different chocolates and other various ingredients, my husband passes by with an inquisitive look and says, “they have all this chocolate in them?”

Thanks to Claudia from a Fool for Food for this awesome, so I hear or read as the case may be, selection.  If you “Go There” her site is in German.  However, a note, a link in oh so tiny print (for these over 50 eyes) if clicked upon will provide the English version.  There you will find the recipe or a trip to your local book store will provide you the opportunity to procure, for your very own self a copy of Dorie’s Baking from My Home to Yours.  Go ahead,  you’re worth it!  So is the book.

Since I have the added benefit of some of these wonderfully talented baker friends to forge a path in the chocolate wilderness ahead of me like Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs, thank you for your amazing post.  Take a side trip to her site if you like….go ahead.  It too, is worth it.  I know, I know  its easy to get distracted.  You can come back for a visit.  Okay, now that you’re back, didn’t you love all her variations.  I did, so I am going to adopt some of her tips, factoring in  the ingredients I currently have in my pantry to work with and stir up some Chocolate Madness.  Nancy, you are a chocolate wizardress…

Oh MY Goodness,  I just tasted the dough, with a spoon, Mom.  Wow,  delicious!  Dorie references Maida Heatters’ Mulattoes which I have made numerous times for friends.  They are chocolatey, delicious and worthy of repeating.   I’ve learned  much from her experiences in the kitchen.  Maida is an amazing author and as a beginning baker I was both thrilled and reassured to have her in the kitchen with me to guide me step by step as I went along my baking journey.  I am definitely a fan.

Back to the Chunkers.  In my arsenal of chocolate I pulled Scharffenberger Unsweetened Chocolate, Nestle’s semi-sweet, Callebaut bittersweet and Valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder.  Again, using ingredients from my current supply I pulled Macadamia nuts as well.  No white chocolate, raisins, or other fruits were incorporated.  I just couldn’t bring myself to add white chocolate to otherwise totally chocolate cookies.   Since white chocolate really isn’t chocolate at all.   I love raisins and apricots but my raisins  were a little less than optimum.  Those sad little dudes stayed in their container for some other such baking function, or not.   I didn’t find it bothersome that the cookies didn’t spread.  I think that adds to the overall texture, flavor and sort of “brownie-ness” of the cookies.  I didn’t chop my Macadamia nuts small enough and so the next time I think I will chop the designated nut a little smaller so that the flavor of the nut doesn’t distract from my beloved chocolate.  These cookies are sort of a free for all, chocolate extravaganza, expression of Chocolate Love.  

When making these or Maida’s Mullattoes in the future, I plan to use small pieces of chopped apricot  and a nicely chopped nut.  I like the pairing of apricots and chocolate.  A fruit that is not used every day paired with a lovely creamy, melt in your mouth,  favorite chocolate of your choice.  I think a very important lesson taken away from this weeks cookie choice is the emphasis of good quality chocolate.  The idea comes to mind that like fine wine and coffee beans, chocolate can possess its own nuances, owned by the origination of the cocoa bean and the chocolate’s maker.

[SinglePic not found]As soon as these come out of the oven the rest of the story will unfold and I will know the ending.   I’m pretty sure it will be happy in my mouth.  They smell wonderful, just like chocolate. hmmmmmm.  Thanks so much for propelling us on to cookie euphoria Rachel from Confessions of a Tangerine Tart.  I seriously think it is so cool to preview these cookie recipes for Christmas baking.  Isn’t that just a fabulous idea?  Thank you, Thank you Rachel.  As you may already know this cookie recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking from My Home to Yours and if you would like to see the recipe visit Rachel.  A click to TWD will take you to the blog roll where you can check more bakers.

There usually is never enough chocolate as far as I can tell so when Dorie offered the option of either chocolate or regular Ovaltine for the malt flavoring, well, I went with chocolate Ovaltine.  From there I pretty much stayed on target with the recipe.  Although, I did take the advice of veteran TWDers and cut the whoppers in half only.  Using the 60% bittersweet chips and regular Hershey’s cocoa made for a nice mild chocolate flavor.  They actually reminded me somewhat of a little crunchy brownie, nice and soft, puffy little cookies.  Scooping up the sticky cookie dough with my ice cream scoop or triggered cookie scoop, proved to make the process a little easier.  With two college students living in town it is so convenient to have some cookie dough in the freezer for a quick “freshly baked”  dozen or so cookies.  You never know when they might drop by with friends in tow.  You can count on them being hungry. Who would turn down home made cookies?  he he

These were tasty little morsels and I can’t wait to try them with some ice cream like my resident teenager did last night.  Sweet dreams…

Not a creature was stirring…. except me. The whole house is empty, peace and quiet… I’m just mixing cookie doughs today. The car is being serviced and so I have no place to go. A Great Excuse. Yea, I know its not Christmas yet, but let me just send a jolt your way and remind you that there are only, how many days until Christmas? Check your calendar. Yours may be different than the one of a procrastinator. Would you put this recipe in your “pile of possibilities?” I think so! Oh yes, 108 days… he he he

So for all of us with lofty ideas of a baking extravaganza each year this is a yummy cookie, I think, for gift giving. I learned to exchange a little of the dairy butter for nut butters in making cookies. On this one I did trade some of the butter for peanut butter. I like peanut butter anyway, so it goes minus a couple of ounces here and add a couple of ounces there. I didn’t have the crunchy type but I did have peanuts so I added 1/4C chopped peanuts to the mix. My chipsters were Chunksters because I used my Callebaut and hand chopped chocolate into chunks. I think the cinnamon was a nice addition for a holiday cookie as well. As many of you indicated the chilling was tricky…did the chilling and whipped out the ice cream scoop after I let the dough warm a bit. Worked like a charm. Thank you. My cookies were large though on the first half so as I baked along I split the dough balls in half for the cute smaller ones. Hubs asked me to give them away ASAP. We both are teetering on the scales. he he

Not being the one to wait for the cookies to cool out of the oven, I had to taste right away. It is like Christmas to experience the surprise of a new cookie in your mouth. Chewy and tasty, but I do think I will try the dried fruit idea from Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs and make it with dried fruits so that truly it mimics and PBJ… wouldn’t that be just right? Thank you Nancy.

If you would like to preview the wonderful cookies for your Christmas baking projects, check out the rest of the baking maniacs at TWD and see what all the sweet energy is about. Thank you Stephany at Proceed with Caution for choosing a cookie with a combination of All American favorite flavors.

Granola Grabbers are brought to you by Michelle of http://badgirlbaking.com/. After reading her post I think she is really a great girl. What is it about mixing up flour, sugar, butter, etc. that brings forth a transformation “as if” bakers are creators. I love the experience, don’t you?

This is my first post and from the looks of it…. ar ar ar, I’m new to this whole blogging scenario. Although, reading them has been a hobby of mine. So, if you have read any of the about me stuff, well, I bake and others eat. That way the work out at the gym keeps sizes in check. You know!

A little late to the finish line but I scrambled, to the store, back home, and magically these Granola Grabbers came together lickety split. I was surprised how simple. My son the photographer wasn’t home from football practice, so I snapped a few shots. Not being the photo-talent that he is, you’ll have a giggle, but I stopped the process to take a few photos while mixing up. Which in turn, gave me a some ideas. Like: Okay, here we go ladies/gentlemen bakers. The kind of granola you use has to have an impact on how the cookies taste. I picked up some Cascadian Farm Organic, honey and oat. It seemed to be one of the most straightforward i.e. without fruit. “Grabbed” the wheat germ off the shelf, you know its gotta be healthy so far, right? he he Anyway, well like a lot of us chocoholics out there, had to have chocolate, so the chips came into the mix, minus the raisins. Pulled out the scales, converted the butter measurement to ounces and changed part of the butter to peanut butter. Try it ! You might like it too. I don’t know for sure, maybe someone else did it too. I’m sorry ladies and gents. Still getting through all 250 of the membership. What fun! Thats about it. Anyway, I gave them to a “Birthday Club” neighbor after my football son had some and I had some. We deemed them “keepers”. I’ll definitely make them again! For “Friends”. Thanks Dorie!