What the What?!

I don't know what is happening to my baking skills!? Is baking all of a sudden like running, I take a week off and all abilities are lost?! I'll be honest, I'm borderline hysterical. 

So last night you'll recall that I failed miserably at my first attempt to create cinnamon rolls. They were actually so bad that after I pried them out of the pan in the vein hope that I'd eat them again, I threw them away in the light of day. I never throw food that hasn't gone bad away, so you know they must have been bad. 

In an attempt to restore my confidence in the kitchen, I decided to take advantage of working from home on a gloomy Monday to create a new and fun cookie that I could also bring into the office and share with coworkers. Even with the best of intentions, it was once again not meant to be my day in the kitchen. Oh Gian, where are you to go from here?!

Similar to yesterday, I will share this recipe with you because I believe it was my fault that the cookies turned out like they did, not the fault of the recipe. This is quickly becoming the year of recipe redos?! Get it together Gian, get it together.

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies
Adapted from one of my fav sites: Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsps (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks [this is one point where I messed up, I dumped the whole egg in]
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 - 1 cup rainbow sprinkles

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine butter and sugar together in stand mixer with paddle attachment until creamy

3. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined

4. Add flour in 1/2 cup increments until a dough ball forms. Stir in sprinkles by hand

5. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, create Easter Island looking balls of cookie dough. [This technique is totally legit. TF swears by it and he's kind of my cookie-making guru. More technically speaking, when the cookies are made tall to begin with they spread less, resulting in a fluffier cookie at the end]

This Easter Island business is completely my own naming....every time I see them I just can't help but think that they look like the statutes on Easter Island

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, making sure they don't brown. [It is here that I also went wrong. Not only did I put my cookies too close together, causing them to run together into a pseudo-giant cookie mass, but my antics caused them to not cook all the way through due to lack of space. Double fail]

7. Allow cookies to cook for a few minutes on tray before moving to wire rack for the remainder of their cooling time

In my perfect baking world, I would be showcasing a beautifully stacked pile of Christmas sprinkle-clad yumminess here

Instead, I broke out one of my new cookie cutters (a mitten) and tried to salvage some of the half cooked/half doughed mass. They were better warm. In the light of day, they may be joining the cinnamon rolls in the trash. 

Clearly I need to re-acclimate myself with baking ASAP. I cannot go on like this!

.

To Nutella With Love

Dearest Nutella,


      I can't believe I resisted you for so long. Whether it was months or years, I no longer know. Whatever the case may be, I am filled with shame. In part I blame the fanfare that surrounded you. It wasn't your fault, I know, but I'll be honest, I feared you were overrated and poised to disappoint me at first bite. While I'm told some have been consuming you in an array of ways for years, it seems only as of late have you begun your rise to prominence and subsequently, the journey to my heart.


       When I finally decided to take the plunge, I was filled with mixed emotions: excitement, trepidation, fear, and angst. Then, as I summoned my courage and took the first bite of my shortbread cookie with your ridding on top like a king, I was nothing short of elated. 


        It's been a few weeks now since our first meeting and in that time I have come to appreciate both your versatility and the joy you bring me with each encounter. It was from this joy that I was inspired to write this note to you, dear chocolately-hazelnut friend. Thank you for being so smooth, creamy, and always satisfying. I raise my nutella clad cookie to you!

Love, 

Gian

Sugar Cookie Nutella Sandwiches

Ingredients

• Sugar cookie dough (I had some frozen from this recipe)
• Nutella

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Prepare cookie dough according to recipe or defrost dough (like I did....oh, and if you go this route, don't preheat oven until ready to bake as defrosting takes a couple hours)
3. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly golden (I prefer a softer cookie). Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks
4. After cookies are cool (I found this to be an overnight process, due in part to the fact that I started later in the evening), spread the Nutella on the backside of one cookie
5. Once cookie has desired amount of Nutella on it, sandwich a cookie of similar size on top
6. Take a big bike and enjoy. i love you Nutella!

St. Patty's Day Fun

In addition to Saturday being the half marathon, it was also the only holiday that I've found to be more fun as an adult than as a child. Growing up I actually hated the "day of green." I think this was largely do to the fact that I owned little to no green clothes (it was never really a color I gravitated to) so it was always burdensome to find something to wear to keep people from touching me all day (I also don't like to be touched, let alone pinched). As I've gotten older, green has infused itself into my wardrobe and now it's no longer a question of if I have something green to wear, it's more deciding which delightful green item I should adorn on this joyous occasion. 

Although I spent the majority of the day resting up from the race so that I could  celebrate to the fullest later on, I still found time to whip up a little holiday treat in Mr. Red. I realized I had even seen his smiling face since my first (and last) baking project in him and that simply was not ok. I mustered the strength to bake about two hours before I had to meet up with everyone, so I was somewhat limited in what I could take on. Sugar cookies had been all that I could think about for the better part of the afternoon, so I decided to whip up a recipe I'd found a few months back and loved, cutting them into cute little clovers and decorating them with some festive sprinkles. Yes, I have sprinkles and cookie cutters for every occasion (or so I thought). As I went to get out the cute little clover cookie cutters I envisioned in my giant cookie cutter box, they were nowhere to be found. As I scoured the side of the box for their picture, I was shocked and appalled to find they weren't included in the mix. Literally the only cookie-appropriate holiday not represented! Fear not, I'm resourceful. I let go of the shamrock dream quickly and end up just making circles...I guess that's not really resourceful so much as it is me just wanting to make some cutout cookies so I'd have something to put my festive sprinkles on :) And at the end of the day, I still have a fun cookie and recipe to share!

Easy Sugar Cookies

Courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Place shapes onto ungreased cookie sheet
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks
4. Decorate icing (I used my favorite buttercream recipe from Martha) and festive sprinkles

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day!!

Celebrating the day of green with two of my loyal readers