When people find out that you run a food blog, they often ask me who my favorite chef on Food Network is. I really dislike this question as half of them are not actually chefs, and second because no one seems to know my favorite sadly. Gale Gand had a show called Sweet Dreams, it was my favorite show. It’s not on anymore (or so I think) to make room for people to show me how to mix Cool Whip with Jello and set it in to an all orange kitchen. Bitter? Perhaps I am a tad. All I have left on the Foodnetwork now is my eye candy, Tyler Florence.
If you never got to see the show, too bad. Great desserts were shown how to be made by a woman who has worked at two of my all time favorites, Gotham Bar & Grill and Charlie Trotters. She has several cookbooks with Butter Sugar Flour Eggs being my favorite, but they all are good. So when I was asked if I would want to receive her Brunch book I was intrigued. Brunch? Up until now, I had only known her as the dessert woman, or guru. But heck yeah, I wanted to see what she did with brunch.
Gale did Brunch proud. And let me just say, this book made me want to eat brunch more than just on Mother’s Day and Easter. It covers everything from beverages, eggs, pancakes, coffeecakes, toppings and much, much more.
This being a baking and sweets blog, I thought I would stick with that. I made three things from the book; the Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake Muffins, the Chocolate Waffles, and the Banana Fosters topping to go on top of my Chocolate Waffles. Let me just say that Chocolate Waffles with Banana Fosters topping is definitely the way to start your day! And for you on the go people, the muffins were yummy. I liked them because they were more sweet than a regular muffin, and you know I am all about the sugar. Next I am needing to make the Almond Ciabatta French Toast and my husband some Peanut Butter and Jelly Turnovers.
The sad thing is, no recipes. But I can highly suggest that you buy the cookbook. I mean, come on, Arbor Day will soon be here, and surely you deserve to buy yourself an Arbor Day gift. Right?

Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake Muffins

Chocolate Waffles with Banana Fosters Topping

I stole a book from the library once.
Though I didn’t know I stole it. I found it years later and noticed stamped inside was the name of my high school library. Oops. That book was The Field Guide to North American Birds. I am still not sure why I would have even checked out a book like that. Not the field guide part, but the bird part. So I had a bit of a flashback when Anita’s (Dessert First) cookbook arrived in the mail. For there in the mail was the best field guide I had every seen, a field guide about cookies! Now surely if my high school library had that this cookbook in it, it would have totally made sense that I would rip it off (though really I must say I do not condone stealing…buy the book instead!).
Anita Chu’s first cookbook Field Guide to Cookies, or How to Identify and Bake Virtually Every Cookie Imaginable, packs an enormous amount of cookie recipes and cookie information for such a compact little book. I had a myriad of cookies to choose from but the minute I saw the picture of the spritz cookies I knew that is what I wanted to make. You see I got a cookie press for my birthday this year and had yet to put it to use! I have always been fascinated by them. My mom never made them (probably because she never had a cookie press…good detective work I know). So since we never had them at home around the holiday time I would scour peoples cookie plates to see if they had them. They are essentially a buttery sugar cookie that get squeezed out of a tube in different shapes. I went with the festive tree shape since before we know it Christmas will be here. Be warned though, they are highly addictive and I now know why maybe my mom never made these. They made about 5 dozen. I made them 3 days ago. There are none left.
The cookbook is easy to use and navigate through, and more importantly it has a picture of every cookie, a huge bonus to me. But the most interesting thing about the cookbook (well to me) is the information before each cookie recipe. Not only a general description of the cookie but the history about the cookie. I learned that my cookie, the spritz, is Scandinavian and they were made for Christmas celebrations (good thing I made trees) from as early as the 1500’s. This is a great little book especially for your friends who are not that comfortable baking. Has clear and easy directions that all bakers can appreciate. I’m glad I got to be apart of the tour. If you missed any part of it you can see the list of talented bakers who participated in this Cookiepalooza.

Since I am the last leg of the cookie tour everyone has pretty much asked Anita all the serious questions, I took the liberty to have a little more fun with mine. I mean, don’t you want to know which of her cookies is the most aerodynamic for a food fight?

P: The Keebler Elf or Cookie Monster¢â¬¦who wins in a fight, and why?

A: Cookie Monster – he¢â¬â„¢s big, blue, and has those awesome googly eyes.

P: Personally I feel that the Snickerdoodle is one of the most underrated cookies of all time. What do you feel is the most underrated cookie?

A: I love snickerdoodles as well! But I think one of the most underrated cookies is oatmeal raisin, mostly because it gets mistaken (and then ignored) for chocolate chip so often. When the two types of cookies are on the same plate, I always see people pick them over carefully, wanting to make sure they don¢â¬â„¢t end up with oatmeal raisin by accident. It always makes me feel bad for the oatmeal raisin cookies. They¢â¬â„¢re great too!

P: Do you think there is an overrated cookie? If so, what?

A: Hmm, should I mention one that¢â¬â„¢s in my book?:) That might be a little mean (you notice I¢â¬â„¢ve gotten very protective of cookies after writing this book!) You know those Danish butter cookies that come in round blue tins? I used to love those cookies when I was little, and now they always seem kind of dry and tasteless. Either the quality has changed or my cookie experiences have grown and I realized they aren¢â¬â„¢t what I thought they were. If there¢â¬â„¢s still excellent Danish butter cookies out there, I¢â¬â„¢d love to know about them!

P: Do you like to dunk your cookies in milk?

A: Certain cookies, like chocolate chip and Oreos, wouldn¢â¬â„¢t be complete without a glass of milk.

P:You and I both morned the loss of the beloved Mother¢â¬â„¢s Circus Animal cookies. Having tried to recreate them myself I know they were a little tricky. Is there a store bought cookie you wish you could figure out how to make at home?

A: I can¢â¬â„¢t believe you asked this! Yes, as a matter of fact. I got these cookies from Marks and Spencer a few years back, which were like a vanilla biscuit with bits of honeycomb toffee and dried raspberries mixed in, and the whole cookie was dipped in dark chocolate. I have been dying to recreate that cookie, especially since it¢â¬â„¢s hard to get Marks and Spencer in the US. The day I do this will make for one of my happiest blog posts ever.

P: Which cookie in your book would be the most aerodynamic for a food fight?

A: Well, I think the flat cookies like the tuiles might fly the farthest, but for damage potential I¢â¬â„¢d have to go with the big, solid guys like rock cakes. I mean, they really do harden into rocks over time!

P: When making a chocolate chip cookie are you a with nuts or without nuts kind of gal?

A: I am a no nuts kind of girl, but I have encountered chocolate chip -pecan cookies that have tested my resolve.

P: Did you eat every cookie that is in the book?

A: Yes, I¢â¬â„¢ve tried all the cookies, although I didn¢â¬â„¢t eat every single one out of every batch! There were times towards the end of the testing when it was all I could do to take one bite of a cookie.

P: What is next for you Anita? Are you working on your next cookbook?

A: Yes, I am! I am working away already on my second cookbook by the same publisher, due to come out at the end of next year. I¢â¬â„¢m looking forward to revealing the topic as it gets closer to the publication date. As well, I¢â¬â„¢ll be teaching a cupcake class at my alma mater, Tante Marie¢â¬â„¢s Cooking School, in the spring. And, of course, there¢â¬â„¢s a huge backlog of ideas I have for Dessert First that I¢â¬â„¢d love to explore. So much baking to do!

Spritz Cookies

(You will need a cookie press in order to make these cookies)

2 cups cake flour
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 or 4 drops food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Sift flour into a bowl. Ad in the salt and sift again. It is important to sift the flour twice.
In a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for several minutes until soft.
With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar in a slow stream and beat until light and fluffy.
Add in the egg yolk and both extracts and mix until combined.
Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.
Load the dough into the cookie press per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Press cookies onto the cookie sheets about 1 ½ inches apart. Decorate the cookies with sprinkles, candies, and other decorations. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool cookie sheets on a wire rack..
Makes about 5 dozen small cookies.

While going through my Google Reader one day I ran into gorgeous looking cashew bars on Bake or Break. I notice that they were from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. Oh my, how good those looked. And then all I could think of was, where is my copy? Hurry up stupid mail.
Then, as if someone was listening, there in my mail that day was my copy. Ah.
I quickly thumbed through it as I do with all cookbooks and I write down right away what sticks out at me. Those cashew bars(Butterscotch Cashew Bars to be exact) did. I will make them. Granola Breakfast Cookies, which I will be making next.  Bee Stings which are Melissa’s answer to doughnuts…she has no fryer at her bakery. The Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake with Blackberry Glaze sounded very Pacific Northwest so I flagged that one too. But the one I knew I wanted to make right away were the Chestnut Honey Madeleines. You see, ever since I bought those pans I am always looking for a good madeleines recipe. I found one.
What caught my eye was description up top that they were featherweight cake. In all of my limited madeleines baking, none of them have been what I would call featherweight. These most definitely were. I tried both the mini and the regular size pan and must say that for this recipe the regular size pan is the way to go. If you can not find the chestnut honey(I had to go to three places) than use clover. But there is a subtle difference that is nice. I own a cinnamon crème honey that I plan on trying these out with as well.
For those that don’t know, Sweet Melissa is an actual bakery, in Brooklyn NY. It’s full name is Sweet Melissa Patisseries. Sweet Melissa is Melissa Murphy. The first thing you notice about the book is that there are little bees drawn through out it. There is a reason for this. Honey. Melissa uses honey in a lot of her recipes, which is what gives so many of her treats that something special. I know the chestnut honey sure made the Chestnut Honey Madeleines something special.
There isn’t much not to love about this cookbook(my only complaint is my usual one…not enough photos). These are good solid recipes that are not fluffed up(no deconstruction and big towering desserts). Simple and good.
 If you are a novice baker you will find that the instructions are easy to follow and the results will be positive ones for you. If you are a veteran baker like myself you find little twists on classics that you most likely didn’t think about. All around, if you are a baker, you should be owning this book. If you are not a baker and you want to be…you should be owning this book.

Chestnut Honey Madeleines

½ cup hazelnut flour
1 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting
½ cup plus 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
13 TBSP unsalted butter
6 large egg whites
1 TBSP chestnut honey(or clover if you can not find chestnut)

Butter and lightly flour two 12-cup madeleine molds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together the hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour, and confectioner’s sugar.
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until the butter solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden brown. Immediately remove from the heat and strain into a bowl to stop the cooking.
In the bowl of an eletric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the butter and honey and mix until combined.
Spoon batter into prepared molds, filling almost to the top. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Position rack in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. Preheat oven to 375F.
Remove the filled molds from the refrigerator. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. After removing from the oven, immediately tap the pans on your work surface to release the madeleines. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
To serve, turn the madeleines scallop side up and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Adapted from Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy, Penguin Group 2008

I will admit that next to pies, cookies are my least favorite thing to bake. They didn’t used to be until I married mister no variety. In the beginning, I would make him all types of different cookies and would he appreciate it?…no. He would simply ask why didn’t I make chocolate chip cookies. Grrr. And so my cookie making for the most part has been dwindled down to three types: chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar. Oh sure if I am going somewhere I will make a different variety, but sadly if I am just making for him, that is what I bake.
So when I was presented with the opportunity to review 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, I thought, yes, I am going to put the variety back into my husbands unexciting cookie life. Not wanting to send his body into total shock, I eased into one that I thought he would enjoy, Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies. And enjoy he did. The only thing I changed from the recipe was the nuts. It asked for walnuts. I measured out walnut. I sat them by the bowl. They never made it to the bowl. I noticed this after the cookies were baked.
There is definitely variety of cookies in this book. Next on my list are the Pineapple Bars with Caramel Drizzle. Oh the man wont eat them, but I will! For him I will be nice and make the Peanutty Milk Chocolate Bars. Others on the list to make include: Key West Cookies(you know my love of key lime), Toffee Drop Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallow Melts and Sweet Graham Scotchies.
If you are a novice baker this book is great for you because the recipes are, as the name implies, easy peasy. But if you are an experienced baker, don’t be turned away, as the shear variety of the cookies is the reason to add this book to your cookbook collection. All the ingredients are readily available at pretty much every grocery store out there, no looking for odd ingredients. Clear and quick instructions. The only thing I would have liked is photos. I always like to see what the end product is looking like.
Oh and before you ask, because I know you will, that cup is 13 years old, so I don’t know where you can get it.

Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
Gradually stir in flour mixture,
Stir in milk, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips.
Drop by level ¼ cupfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack.

Adapted From: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes by Lucinda Wallace and Heather Wallace