March came in like a lamb and is going out like a lion, in terms of busyness.
This last week has been crazy! Work has been super busy, and we had a very full weekend celebrating Aaron's birthday with him and Michelle here in Vancouver - with some very special guests, Martin & Kristine! Which I had kept a secret from Corey since December - that's right, I'm so proud of myself for that! He was in shock, teared up a bit, and exclaimed "What is happening!?"
It was wonderful.
Another accomplishment this month…
Doing the dance to Spice Girls' "Stop Right Now" at our neighbourhood pub in front of my co-workers (and the rest of the crowd), and winning a pint. That's right. All that dancing to Spice Girls in elementary school finally paid off!
Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies, Vanilla Bean Shortbread,
Week 9 - Sour Cherry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, via Bakers Royale - baked for 10 minutes, made 36 cookies
I think this is the closest I've come to a cookie fail so far. I thought this recipe would be similar to my "kitchen sink" oatmeal cookies I make when I've realized how many random small amounts of bulk nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, etc I've collected in my pantry, But, when I was mixing the dough it was really forming a dough, it was a weird granola-like texture, unlike any cookie I've ever made. I scooped balls of dough and really had to compact them. Then half way through baking they kind of started cracking, and I had to squish them together with the back of a spatula. It was a really weird experience, and they turned out okay. But I probably won't attempt these again.
I think this is the closest I've come to a cookie fail so far. I thought this recipe would be similar to my "kitchen sink" oatmeal cookies I make when I've realized how many random small amounts of bulk nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, etc I've collected in my pantry, But, when I was mixing the dough it was really forming a dough, it was a weird granola-like texture, unlike any cookie I've ever made. I scooped balls of dough and really had to compact them. Then half way through baking they kind of started cracking, and I had to squish them together with the back of a spatula. It was a really weird experience, and they turned out okay. But I probably won't attempt these again.
Week 10 - One Pan Skillet Cookie, via Sophistimom - baked for 17 minutes in a 10" skillet
After the previous week's disappointment, I felt I needed to stick with a tried & true household favourite.We Corey makes this whenever we get a cookie craving, and need a quick dessert. I love it because you make and bake the whole then in the skillet. Our 10" cast iron skillet is probably the harder working item in our kitchen, we use it at least once a day. Bake until golden on top and around the edges, but still soft in the centre. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
After the previous week's disappointment, I felt I needed to stick with a tried & true household favourite.
Week 11 - Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies, via The Beeroness - baked for 8 minutes, *half recipe made 13 cookies
In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day I had to make cookies with beer. I made these with Parellel 49's N2 Milk Stout, which is a bit sweeter than a regular stout and quite flat because they use Nitrogen to carbonate it. I love baking with the combination of beer and chocolate, usually adding beer to chocolate cakes & brownies, but I haven't tried it in cookies yet. It adds a depth of flavour and enhances the chocolate. I also haven't made chocolate crinkles before, but they are a staple Christmas cookie Corey's Dad makes every year. For these cookies I refrigerated the "dough" - it will be more like batter - overnight (about 22 hours) and it firmed up a lot. She warns not to over bake the cookies, so I pulled them out at 8 minutes. They were quite gooey in the centre when I tried one, I probably could have let them bake a minute or two longer, but they did firm up a bit once they cooled completely.
In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day I had to make cookies with beer. I made these with Parellel 49's N2 Milk Stout, which is a bit sweeter than a regular stout and quite flat because they use Nitrogen to carbonate it. I love baking with the combination of beer and chocolate, usually adding beer to chocolate cakes & brownies, but I haven't tried it in cookies yet. It adds a depth of flavour and enhances the chocolate. I also haven't made chocolate crinkles before, but they are a staple Christmas cookie Corey's Dad makes every year. For these cookies I refrigerated the "dough" - it will be more like batter - overnight (about 22 hours) and it firmed up a lot. She warns not to over bake the cookies, so I pulled them out at 8 minutes. They were quite gooey in the centre when I tried one, I probably could have let them bake a minute or two longer, but they did firm up a bit once they cooled completely.
Week 12 - Vanilla Bean Shortbread, via Butter Baked Goods
This recipe comes from the cookbook of one of my favourite Vancouver bakeries, Butter. If we all lived in Vancouver we would be having tea at Butter on a weekly basis! Their buttercream black tea is amazing!
1 cup Butter
1 cup Icing Sugar
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract - I substituted 1 Vanilla Bean & 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
In a stand mixer cream together butter & icing sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low, add the flour and mix until just combined.
Add vanilla and mix to combine.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4" thick, cut out cookies, space about 1/2" apart cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 for 14-15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies generously with granulated sugar while they are still warm. Cool on wire rack.
This recipe comes from the cookbook of one of my favourite Vancouver bakeries, Butter. If we all lived in Vancouver we would be having tea at Butter on a weekly basis! Their buttercream black tea is amazing!
1 cup Butter
1 cup Icing Sugar
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract - I substituted 1 Vanilla Bean & 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
In a stand mixer cream together butter & icing sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low, add the flour and mix until just combined.
Add vanilla and mix to combine.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4" thick, cut out cookies, space about 1/2" apart cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 for 14-15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies generously with granulated sugar while they are still warm. Cool on wire rack.
Week 13 - No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites, via How Sweet It Is
I've tried a few different recipes for "granola bites" in the last few months. They satisfy the urge to eat cookie dough, and you can adjust the recipe it to fit whatever you have on hand. You could easily swap out the peanut butter for almond butter, sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds, add dried cranberries… the list goes on.
Hope you all have a great Easter!
Sending love,
Xo, A
Xo, A
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