Aunt Mary Dillion's Praline Cookies

To start: I DO NOT have an Aunt Mary Dillon.  However, I think someone from Martha Stewart's staff (or maybe event Martha Stewart herself) does.  I tried this recipe - it was really easy to make, but based on the amount of brown sugar called for, extremely sweet.

It's a yummy cookie, but for those who don't want a dessert toothache (or a sugar crash), reduce the amount of brown sugar used in the baking from 1.5 cups to 1 cup (since you'll be drizzling the sugared pecans on top of the finished cookies).

The cookies are actually pretty interesting - the time needed to bake these things varies from top rack to bottom rack.  The cookies on the top rack definitely needed an extra 2 minutes to turn golden, but the ones on the bottom only needed about 10 minutes at 345 degrees.

The difference in texture in just two short minutes is astounding.  They're either perfectly crisp to soft and doughy (which isn't bad in itself - it just doesn't work out so well for this type of cookie).

Rocky Road Brownies

As teenagers, my best friend and I used to take the bus to one of the local malls and hit up the Baskin Robbins. Instead of plain vanilla, my friend convinced me to try rocky road. The combination of nuts, marshmallows and chocolate bits, mixed in with the ice cream...absolute summer heaven.

But now that I'm a little older, my metabolism can no longer keep up with the calories...but it's still nice to indulge once in awhile - with a twist. Instead of ice cream, the chocolate is amplified using a chocolate brownie as the base.

Martha Stewart (scary genius that she is)'s web site has some amazing recipes.  I tried this one.  (No tinkering required).

And for those who still have an amazing metabolism,  serve the brownie with ice cream. 

Messing with Martha Stewart

I love changing recipes and making them my own once I'm familiar with them - especially cookie recipes. It's rare that I'll add or take away from a cookie recipe on the first try though - especially if it's by MARTHA STEWART (insert echo here). After all, she's the grand dame of cooking. Who am I to question the greatness of her words?(And to be honest, if I ever met her in an alley, I'd run the other way).

But I did...and I'm lucky. I've been meaning to try her Outrageous Chocolate Cookies recipe for awhile now...it looked relatively easy-to-make, plus there are quite a few people in my life who are, quite frankly, chocolate freaks.

To be honest, I find working with oodles of chocolate quite overwhelming. It gets everywhere, plus I find melting chocolate quite a tedious process (this particular recipe calls for using the microwave to melt the chocolate and butter together...let's just say butter EXPLODES).

But this particular recipe was...interesting. This recipe calls for very little flour, which had me questioning whether or not the cookie would ever solidify, or if I'm just making a very expensive chocolate pudding (luckily I wasn't). I also didn't like using semisweet chocolate chunks twice, so I substituted with bitter sweet chocolate. Plus, I added walnuts, changed cooking times and temperatures (my oven tends to run a little hotter).

All I can say is that it turned out really well. I'd love to say it was because I'm an amazing cookie chef, but to be honest, I think it was just dumb luck.

The full recipe can be found below. I placed asterisks where I made changes. Happy baking.

Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen (I actually made 30)
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar (*I only used 1/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks (*substitute with bitter sweet chocolate)
- 700 grams chopped walnuts

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate.
- Mix in flour mixture until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chunks * and walnuts.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets.
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool on sheets 10 minutes (*20 minutes)
- With a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Chinese New Year goodies (Chinese almond cookies)

It's the night before Chinese New Year, which means a big family dinner with amazing dishes (see below).

There are certainly no shortage of goodies going around. From my mother's "lor bak go" (white radish pudding), to lucky red pocket candy (strawberry and cream), to sugared lotus roots, there are lots of options to fill my belly.

But as I grow bolder and gain more confidence to try new recipes, so does my willingness to contribute to the day. This year, it'll be something simple, such as Chinese Almond Cookies. The following recipe was given to me by an Aunt and then modified. (I added some red food coloring when I added the vanilla, egg and almond extract). Enjoy...and Happy New Year!

Chinese Almond Cookies (Makes about 100 cookies)

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1-1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg yolk (for the egg wash)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F in the middle rack of your oven
- Beat butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl until it's fluffy
- Add egg, almond extract and vanilla, beating lightly (red food colouring - optional)
- In another bowl, use a fork and whisk flour, ground almonds and baking powder
- Add to the butter mixture and with a wooden spoon, stir to create a stiff dough
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls
- Place on parchment paper to bake (2.5 - 3 inches apart)
- Mix 1 spoon of water with the egg yolk to create and egg wash; brush over the cookies (this is what gives it the pretty yellow shine)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are a light golden colour
- Take cookies off of the tray and place on cookie racks
- Cool completely

If you're not giving these cookies away, store them in an air-tight container (between waxed paper). You can also freeze them.

Enjoy...and Happy New Year to all! <> :)

Chocolate hazelnut cookies

I love the taste of hazelnut and chocolate, but I often find the combination to be too sweet. I came across this recipe on Foodnetwork.com, but have since modified it to have less sugar. One of my favourite cookies to make (and give away over the holidays).

- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup sugar (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 8-10 (12 minutes max, because it'll start to burn). Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.