(My) Cookies

I decide to copy Sundae and create a thread about cookies. :D I'll be making cookies for my nephew's birthday, Christmas, and Teacher's Appreciation Week next May. I just found a wonderful blog page on cookies, so I got excited about making cookies. I just may start making more to practice my icing.

These are the cookie I did my practice run on. These two girls came in to look at my cookies. One of the girls said my cookies are pretty. I think she'll go far in life. Yeah, you know what they say about flattery, it will get you everywhere. Anyways, I gave her chocolates since she loves them. :lol: I think they look hideous, but my sister said they don't look so bad. She got me some finer tip icing for the outline, so I think the next try may look better. By the way, these are characters from Angry Birds. :p:

OMG!
Totally Angry Birds!

My kids would love them.
Refine all you like for your own needs, but these are good enough to sell.
You have a very blessed nephew.

Totally and instantly recognizable as Angry birds!


I agree with Sundae. They're good enough to sell.

I'm not familiar with Angry Birds, but I would eat them. They look delicious!

I love the beaks particularly

Well done! Those are excellent.

I'm not even a fan of Angry Birds, but I immediately recognized them as such. Refine your line technique or whatever if you want, but the point absolutely gets across.

Dittos all the above. I'm only vaguely aware of AB but I recognise them immediately.

You're your own harshest critic. Except maybe for your sister.

They look awesome, Lola!

In fact I am thinking... steal, steal steal idea!
Hey, we could have an Angry Birds cookie-off.

'Cept I rarely enter anything I know I am going to lose so badly!

Thanks y'all! My sister bought me an icing tube with finer tip, but it was still too broad. I'm gonna have to go back out there to buy a squeeze bottle and a really fine decorating/writing tip. All my cookie cutters are back! Yay...I'm getting excited. :p: I've made the batter today, will bake the cookies tomorrow, and decorate them Thursday. :D

ZenGum: My harshest critic is actually my mom. Of my 40 yrs of life, she has only praised me 3, 4 times. Okay, I don't remember exactly, but I really only remembered like once or twice. But I'm sure she praised me more than that, right?

Sundae: Let's do it! Let's have an Angry Birds cookie-off. Or just a cookie contest. But only if you participate, hihi. :p:

Angry Birds.... You're supposed to throw them, right?

Monkey: Yes, hehe. I've gathered boxes to make a pretend wood structures and cut-out the Pig faces for the kids to throw balls(Angry Birds) at it. Now, if any kids throw my Angry Birds cookies, I will really become an Angry Bird. :mad2: ... :lol:

I would not toss your cookies.

Is that what they're calling it these days?

by this definition

Bunny, I gave up on all those special icing things ages ago. I put the frosting in a Ziplock bag, (snack size) seal it up and then cut the corner off with a sharp knife to create a nozzle honed to the task. if I don't know what size i want, I start small and work up. I know I never post pics, but I make quite a lot of special cake and draw/write with frosting fairly often. I use one bag for each color and just toss them when I'm done.

I agree with monster. I feel like I've gone through every new fangled frosting bag in the world, and nothing works as well as a good ol' Ziploc. Sure you can't get ridged edges or anything, but if you just want a straight line it works really well.

you can put shaped cones/icing nozzles in the corner of the bag if you want stars/flowers/whatever. if you just want texture, make the frosting thicker -you can do this with bags where you can't with some proper equipment systems.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll tell y'all how things go after I'm done with them. :D

Wow girl. Those are so fantastic!! My oldest daughter had a fit when I showed her the pic. She is going to try to make some too!

Happily, the party was a succes, but I'm still so tired from it. It took both my sister and I three days to finish 60 something cookies. Actually, we still need to outline the eyes of the yellow Angry Birds. However, we ran out of time, and frankly, we were both too doggone tired.

I'm not angry about ur birds.

Lola, those are fantastic!

Lola you and your sister are very gifted.
I can now see why you were disappointed with the first batch.
Those are so good you better hope the copyright people don't get wind of them.

Those are amazing. you should find a bakery to sell them, for sure!

Lola! FanTAStic cookies!

Sell them! You've both got talent and an opportunity.

Freaking awesome lola! I just want a cookie now!

I just realized that I have rudely not thanked everyone for your kind comments. Thanks y'all! :D

Ya done good!!

Undertoad;764501 wrote:

I would not toss your cookies.

DanaC;764503 wrote:

Is that what they're calling it these days?

I am so holding back the salad reference. [Size=1]Oops.[/Size]

wow, lola, those are phenomenal. exquisite, fine detailed, professional looking. I bet you never want to see an icing tube again. that must have taken hours.

I learned the phrase "toss your cookies" from Stephen King.
From a book, not personal conversation.





















He stopped calling years ago.

Lola, Those are phenomenal cookies.

Your biggest problem, I think, will be keeping the kids from using rubberbands to slingshot the bird cookies at the pig cookies.

Sundae, you are making excellent progress in learning to speak 'Merkin.

Tossing cookies = Blowing Groceries, just for variety.

jimhelm;767891 wrote:

wow, lola, those are phenomenal. exquisite, fine detailed, professional looking. I bet you never want to see an icing tube again. that must have taken hours.

That took hours and hours and hours and HOURS. :3_eyes: I've put all those tubes away. Hopefully by Christmas, I'll forget how tiring and long it was to make them cookies. :p:

wolf;767965 wrote:

Lola, Those are phenomenal cookies.

Your biggest problem, I think, will be keeping the kids from using rubberbands to slingshot the bird cookies at the pig cookies.

Thanks, Wolf. Both kids and adults bagged some in the party favor bags.

Gravdigr;768504 wrote:

Tossing cookies = Blowing Groceries, just for variety.

Learned something new. :D

Hello everyone! It's Christmas cookies time, hehe. Anyways, I've narrowed down to 3 recipes. I thought I'd try something new this year. Would you guys like these cookies? Or if there's something else you think might be better, please suggest! I prefer something simple because I'm making a load to give away. I saw a recipe for 7 Layer cookies. Looks absolutely wonderful and would love to try it but so time-consuming. :neutral: Anyways, here are the cookies' names and recipes.

(I'm gonna put each recipe in its own post.)

I like making spritz for Christmas. Simple, fast, and easy to eat. This year, I chose a recipe that calls for cinnamon and orange zest. Does that sound good to y'all?


INGREDIENTS:
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups butter
2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest

DIRECTIONS:
You have scaled this recipe's ingredients to yield a new amount (72). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (36).
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and orange zest. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Fill a cookie press or pastry bag with dough, and form cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cookies are golden brown on the peaks and on the bottoms. Remove from cookie sheets at once to cool on wire racks.

The second cookie is called Sara's Santa's Whiskers. The cookie looks colorful. :D It seems simple to make and it's different.



3/4 cup (6 ounces) flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or rum extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 ounces red candied cherries, coarsely chopped
3 ounces green candied cherries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

Special equipment: 2 large baking sheets; wax paper

Arrange two approximately 12- by 12-inch square pieces of wax paper on a work surface and spread half the flaked coconut in the middle of each.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla or rum extract and beat until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, add the flour in 3 batches, followed by the red and green cherries and the pecans, and stir until just combined, about 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 10-inch-long log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Transfer each log to a sheet of wax paper and roll to coat them in the coconut. Once the logs are completely covered in coconut, roll the wax paper around each log, cover in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third then preheat to 375°F.
Slice each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick cookies and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Bake, switching the baking sheets between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

Now, this third cookie is, well...., I just wanted to make something that appears healthy. :D :lol: And I want to use cranberries. :p: Is this okay as Xmas cookies?

Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

2 ounces milk chocolate or white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light brown, about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.
Stir chopped milk chocolate in top of double boiler until melted and smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies in zigzag pattern. Let stand until milk chocolate sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Oh, I just remembered there's another one I wanted to make. It's called "Almond Joy" Macaroons. I found it in a magazine so I guess I'll scan it and post it tomorrow. Seems simple and different.

Yum. :D

Can we choose all of the above?

wss^

I usually make three types of cookies. Just making sure these three sounds good. :D Thanks y'all!

And here is the recipe for "Almond Joy" Macaroon. I'm iffy with this recipe because of the pineapple. Think y'all would like this?

I like pinapple , but i think i would pass on it here , these should be All about the Almond and the Macaroonish goody they sit on , Oh and do EXTRA dark Chock !!!!

I stole your cookie recipes, love a shot of your buns, too. ;)

Almond Joy Macaroons should be renamed Yucky Yuk Things.
Well, maybe not that bad. I'd only eat one because I'm not mad keen on coconut and dislike almonds. The plus side of that is I might avoid strychnine poisoning one day.

More for me then !!!!

zippyt;777225 wrote:

I like pinapple , but i think i would pass on it here , these should be All about the Almond and the Macaroonish goody they sit on , Oh and do EXTRA dark Chock !!!!

Thanks, Zip. I think I'll skip on this recipe since I'm iffy with it in the first place. I'll just stick with the three I already have now. That is enough work...whew!

xoxoxoBruce;777268 wrote:

I stole your cookie recipes, love a shot of your buns, too. ;)

Be careful of what you wish for. ;)

Chirstmas cookies I made for my nephew's teachers and to give to my friends. :) I was super busy and tired so I forgot to take a picture until they've all gone into containers. :p:

I have lots of leftover oat meal and cranberries, so I decided to make the following recipe. However, I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 pecans.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Total Time: 32 min.Prep20 min. Cook12 min.
Yield: 5 dozen Oatmeal Cranberry Cook

Ingredients
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamon
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

Direction

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture and stir until well blended. Add dried cranberries. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool.

:yum: [COLOR="White"] .[/COLOR]

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

You know what blows my mind? It's cardamom, (not picking on you Lola, any copy-and-paster is absolved of responsibility, :)) and awhile back on Top Chef Just Desserts not one but two of the pastry chefs kept saying "cardamon" in interviews. How can you be a professional chef and not know the correct name of a common spice?

Those cookies do look really good though, Lola. :yum:

chefs need to be good at math not language....

monster;781079 wrote:

chefs need to be good at math not language....

chefs need to shut UP and get out those pots and pans!

Mama's hungry!

;)

To be honest, I don't even know that spice, and I don't use it either. I omitted it and added an extra 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. :p:

I ate a few and gave the rest away. I have a week left to lose down another inch to win a bet.

Anyways, I have to put away the mixer (darn heavy thang) and stop making cookies for a while. My mom is getting a bit upset that I keep on baking and giving everything away, hehehe.

It's a savory spice, used a lot in Indian cooking. Very pungent. Can come as whole brown seeds, or ground up. Cinnamon probably tasted much better. :)

Clodfobble;781071 wrote:

You know what blows my mind? It's cardamom, (not picking on you Lola, any copy-and-paster is absolved of responsibility, :)) and awhile back on Top Chef Just Desserts not one but two of the pastry chefs kept saying "cardamon" in interviews. How can you be a professional chef and not know the correct name of a common spice?

Those cookies do look really good though, Lola. :yum:

The same way you can be president and say "nuke-u-lar."

Clodfobble;781160 wrote:

It's a savory spice, used a lot in Indian cooking. Very pungent. Can come as whole brown seeds, or ground up. Cinnamon probably tasted much better. :)

Ahhh....thanks. I usually don't cook Indian food. Maybe that's why I haven't encountered it much.

Chocolate banana bread....:D

I used Wolf's recipe that Sundae put up in her thread. Thought I'd put a picture here, although it's not a cookie. It was a bit dry, so I microwaved it a tiny bit before eating to make it a bit more moist.

Clodfobble;781071 wrote:

You know what blows my mind? It's cardamom, (not picking on you Lola, any copy-and-paster is absolved of responsibility, :)) and awhile back on Top Chef Just Desserts not one but two of the pastry chefs kept saying "cardamon" in interviews. How can you be a professional chef and not know the correct name of a common spice?

Those cookies do look really good though, Lola. :yum:

you say cardamom, I say cardamon, let's call the whole thing off!

Clodfobble;781071 wrote:

You know what blows my mind? It's cardamom, (not picking on you Lola, any copy-and-paster is absolved of responsibility, :)) and awhile back on Top Chef Just Desserts not one but two of the pastry chefs kept saying "cardamon" in interviews. How can you be a professional chef and not know the correct name of a common spice?

Clod, it varies. Cardamon/ cardomom/ cardamom/ cardoman etc.
Anything which originates in a country that does not share a written alphabet with Europe is open to interpretation.

When reading an Indian menu I expect to see differences in the spellings of many popular dishes, let alone the spices they contain. Naan bread, nan bread, nann bread etc. And even variations of names for the same dishes, Chicken Ananas, Chicken Ceylon, Murgh Curry with Pineapple etc etc.

I feel your pain. But in this case I think regional spellings and pronunciation from a vast sub-continent should be celebrated. In order not to send you stark staring mad.

ETA - that post was a w-h-i-l-e back!
I hope you are still sane.

Lola that cake looks good even to me.
(as in banana hater)
Would you recommend a lower cooking temp or a shorter cooking time?
I might make a welcome back to school cake for after the hols. Just for old time's sake :)
My other fallback is a rainbow cake. More effort assemble but spectacular. And fun in a way, because... well it's a rainbow cake. Subliminal and all that and everything.

Slightly shorter cooking time, or a bit more banana. Or oil. I usually have more bananas available than the recipe calls for, and just use them.

More banana :thepain:
But of course I wouldn't be cooking for me.

When I think about a rainbow cake, it's usually where I separate the cake batter and put different colours in, then blob it into the cake pan, then swirl it a bit before baking.

I've made it twice lately because Max loves it.

Hmm....personally I would shorten the cooking time. This was my first time so I used the toothpick testing method. The other banana recipe I did before actually baked the whole 50 mins and was not dry, so I didn't think 50 mins. would be too drying for this one. The banana flavor was not too strong, so I may go with Wolf's suggestion by adding more bananas. And shorten the cooking time too! :D Whenever I bake brownies and chocolate cake (from mix, hihi), I usually shorten the cooking time and that would make them more moist.

I do that with some cookies and cakes if I prefer them a bit more moist, or sometimes just lower the oven temp a bit.

I have a question.

Is banana bread the same as banana cake?

I get the impression that some people call it banana bread, but it's really a cake. Am I right?

eta: I'm asking because I know people who make a cakey mixture, but it comes out more like bread and usually it is served with some kind of condiment/spread.

In America there's a difference between a quick bread and a cake, not sure about the rest of the world. "Bread" implies a denser end product. Cakes are lighter in texture. You could certainly do a banana cake, though.

Speaking of which ... The fact that this is a really dark batter makes it suck the heat in more efficiently, and leads to it drying out more if you overbake. I may just get lucky because my oven tends to run under the set temp.

Serving suggestion ... slather it up with butter and stick the slice in the nuker for 20 seconds. Don't eat until the butter is all melted in.

Yeah, that sounds about the same here. I was just wondering.

It's hard to tell textures from pictures. :)

Aliantha;804350 wrote:

When I think about a rainbow cake, it's usually where I separate the cake batter and put different colours in, then blob it into the cake pan, then swirl it a bit before baking.

Yeah, I'm thinking of going to whole hog and having a seven layered cake :yum:

Thin layers of course.
But it will take time as we only have two sets of two sandwich tins, so whatever size I choose will mean four quick changes!

Since I received lots of compliments on this recipe, I thought I'd post it here in case someone wants to try it. This banana bread is very moist. If I remember correctly, I only baked for 50 mins. But I could be wrong. My mind has been off lately. :neutral: Do the toothpick test if you want to be sure.


Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Servings: 15

" Sour cream guarantees a moist and tender loaf. And bananas are sliced instead of mashed in this recipe, giving a concentrated banana taste in every bite."


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium bananas, sliced


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

wow, that looks good.

Made some Hello Kitty cookies today. I used the shortbread recipe that came with the Godiva's cookie cutter. The cookie is really yummy (if you like buttery cookies, that is) and simple to make too. I will post up the recipe later in case anyone who might be interested.

BigV;805172 wrote:

wow, that looks good.

Thank you. :D It is very yummy, unless you don't like bananas.

Lola you are so precise, your cookies are a wonder to behold.
I think I tend towards the more "rural" cake styles because they allow me to slap things together!

Oh! I have some batter for you.
Will probably post on payday.
Comes with instructions - I can translate but you'll find what you need online otherwise.
It's also pancake batter pver here, but our pancakes are not like yours - more like crepes.

Sundae, you are such a sweetheart. You didn't have to waste money on me, but I have to confess, that made me feel special and loved. :blush: I'm sure I should be able to understand the instructions.

As for cakes, nothing can just be slapped together. Cakes take work too. And all your cakes look like your efforts were well spent. ;)

Lola, did you know that wolf has a proclivity for all things hello kitty?

Aliantha;806785 wrote:

Lola, did you know that wolf has a proclivity for all things hello kitty?

Yes, I do. I assumed she'll see this post so I didn't post a pic into her FB page. Hmm...maybe I shouldn't assume.

Ali means mail some to her.........

Well I wasn't going to suggest it, but I figured Lola might choose to if she wanted to. :)

no offense, but I thought they were sheep at first.

lol...but they don't look like sheep.

Yes they do. Kitty's hairbow is the sheep's head, they're standing side-on :D

Mmmm...ok, kinda. lol

I couldn't see it at first. But after staring at them for a bit I can.

monster;806800 wrote:

Ali means mail some to her.........

Already on its way. ;) I was hoping to make it a surprise. :D

limey;806835 wrote:

Yes they do. Kitty's hairbow is the sheep's head, they're standing side-on :D

I see it now too. :lol:

Hello Kitty Cookies!!!! Wow!!

I now need to know where you got the cutter and stencil, and, of course, your recipe. Those look AWESOME!!!

The new nuthouse's very strict internet and cell phone use policies are keeping me offline during work. I did not see these until now. Ah, the downside of actually working instead of letting the state support me.

Those are some seriously happy cookies!

BigV;806826 wrote:

no offense, but I thought they were sheep at first.

limey;806835 wrote:

Yes they do. Kitty's hairbow is the sheep's head, they're standing side-on :D

Aliantha;806846 wrote:

Mmmm...ok, kinda. lol

DanaC;806849 wrote:

I couldn't see it at first. But after staring at them for a bit I can.

mmmmmmmmm, sheep!

Speaking of sheep, Max said yesterday that he wants me to get a lamb. I asked why. His response was that they're yummy.

Attaboy!!

He's right.

Here's the recipe. Adjust to your liking. Obviously, I did not do the chocolate part, and I used my own cookie cutter. And I did not get 4 dozen cookies. I ended up with little less than 3 dozens.


Godiva Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 30 minutes plus baking and cooling times
Special equipment: GODIVA Cookie cutter

Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 bars (1.5 ounces each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles crumbs. Form into a ball and knead until smooth.
3. Divide dough in half. Place half on lightly floured surface and roll to 8-inch by 6-inch rectangle, trimming edges with a knife. Cut out 24 shapes using the Godiva cookie cutter. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, placing at least 1 inch apart. Repeat with other half.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheet on wire rack 2 to 3 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high (100% power) for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Dip cookies into melted chocolate, coating the bottom third of each cookie. Shake off excess chocolate and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. (If chocolate becomes too thick, microwave at medium (50% power) for 30 seconds.) Let dipped cookies stand at room temperature about 1 hour or in refrigerator for 15 minutes until chocolate sets.

As for the Hello Kitty cookie cutter, you can find one in ebay. At first, I was choosing items in a Japanese website, but it became expensive. Luckily my sister thought of ebay. She did a search and bought this. It came with a stencil if the effect you want is like my cookies. Using sprinkles the way I did was a b*tch! Sorry for my language, but it took so damn long. (Partly due to inexperience. :neutral:) Designing it with cocoa is faster. The second cookie cutter would also be great, especially if you want to design by icing. Works great without icing too. One day, I will get myself the cookie/bread/veggie cutter mould.

Completely adorable, and completely delicious!

I got an awesome surprise in the mail today! Thank you so very, very much!

The gorillas at the post office spent some time kicking the box around, and despite your extremely careful packing, some of them didn't make the trip intact, which is absolutely fine ... there are no calories in broken cookies!

There is extra happiness baked into these cookies. They are beautifully light and delicate and the flavor is excellent!

Awe - that was so nice of you lola!

AaawWWwwWwwWww......I shook the container and didn't feel any movements, so I was so hoping the cookies would come in one pieces. Oh well, at least two didn't break. :p:

the post office has a lot of experience.

Super sweet Lola!

Real good cookies are very hard to ship intact. The flip side is, with real good cookies nobody cares if they're pre-portioned. :haha:

I will do research on how to send cookies. I once read that cookies won't break if they don't move in the container. Apparently the post office workers are more skilled than I anticipated. :p: Anyways, I am planning a birthday party...mine. Huh? Yeah, you guys read right. My nephew said because of a friend's birthday, I didn't get a chance to have mine. Hmm....okay, so he wanted one for me.....today. :neutral: He came over this morning, asking to put up balloons and such. Anyways, we put up a train set, and he got excited so he seeked out his friends and cousins. I spent 4 hours with 5 7 yr. olds. Then I found out my nephew had told his other cousin I'm having a birthday party. :eyebrow: I later found out from my brother that my nephew really wanted for me to have my birthday party so he could have his presents. I had promised my nephew that I will give him some presents on my birthday, but I never got a chance to have a party. Therefore, he wants me to have my birthday party so he could have his presents. Of course, he wanted to call "the kids" over too. So, on Monday will be my birthday party, filled with kids as guests. :lol: My nephew has drawned a designed for the cake and of course, the house has be decorated with balloons. :p:

I've searched for recipes and decided on a carrot cake with buttercream frosting. There will be pix by Tuesday morning, if not earlier. :D

I didn't get to bed until 3AM, but everything turned out okay. Here's the cake...titled by my nephew....Air Race. By the way, the "planes" are flying over water. He was specific, hehe. When people asked, I told them the cake was for my birthday. :lol: The kids sang happy birthday to me and my nephew gave me a birthday kiss. Awww......

I only baked the cake, which is carrot, and made the butter cream frosting. My sister did all the decorations. :)

P.S. Sorry about the huge pictures. I'm so tired and just wanted to show the cake off before going to bed.

outstanding!

Thanks, Glatt. :)

Wow. That's frikkin awesome. I have never seen anything quite like it.

Excellent work, Bunny family.

That would make a good superbowl cake. :thumb:

The bubble tea straws are a nice touch. Do you have those stocked normally in your kitchen?

Thank you Dana, Monster. :)

Clodfobble;808910 wrote:

The bubble tea straws are a nice touch. Do you have those stocked normally in your kitchen?

Yes, usually. I find it easier to sip up the fruit and avocado smoothies. :D

My brother likes the banana bread so much that he suggested I make that to give to my nephew's teachers for teachers' appreciation. Also, a friend placed an order for banana bread too. So, here was my lot yesterday. The packaged ones are what I brought to school this morning. :)

Wow, you've been a busy girl!

Hihi...yes, I have. Last week, my sister-in-law placed an order for a number of banana bread too. But then she bought all the ingredients and since she's family, I didn't charge her anything. I kept all the leftover ingredients though. :D

Everything looks soo good! I remember going through this thread before....don't know why I didn't post on it.....hmmmmm.

You are a crazy baker.
I'm so impressed.

I took mini-cupcakes into school today for my first day back.
They were all cheaty though, so no pics.
Sponge mix AND prepared icing.

Sundae;810753 wrote:

You are a crazy baker.
I'm so impressed.

I took mini-cupcakes into school today for my first day back.
They were all cheaty though, so no pics.
Sponge mix AND prepared icing.

Woman, I "cheat" bake all the time. I see nothing wrong with that. :D :lol: My sister helped me with that load of banana bread, so it didn't take me that long. I want to eat some carrot cake, so I was gonna give your mini carrot cake recipe a go this weekend. However, my friend asked me to make her some napoleons this weekend. I asked my mom and she likes them too, so I'm gonna make some this weekend for dessert for Mother's Day meal. Gonna have to give your mini carrot cake a try another day.

Not a cookie and ain't exactly cake either. My friend asked me to make these for her for Mother's Day. It turns out, my mom likes them too, so I, uh....mostly my sister, hihi, made a batch enough for us to eat and to give half a tray, as requested, to my friend. :p:

We made strawberry napoleons. I got chocolate rather than vanilla pudding.

Yum. My kids would go crazy for those.

Ecstrawberry!

I am now apprehensive about what you will do with my mini carrot cake recipe. Probably take over the world?!

Everything you bake looks so perfect, so precice - the precision of a factory made comestible with the love and flavour of a home made bake. :notworthy

grrrrr....I wrote a long post and now it's gone. I'll attempt another time. :thepain:

I did that last night.
Not on here, just sending an email to my bro.
So I called him instead. Which is what anti-internet people are all for, "real" communication.

Then I had to call him back because I forgot a vital point. Then he emailed me about 30 minutes later (he won't call too late because of the 'rents). I emailed him back after breakfast and am waiting for a reply.

This was all Diz's fault for making free with cat paws on keyboard.

Which is a long-winded way to say I feel your pain.

What I had wanted to say was, Sundae, you flatter me! :blush: Muah! hihihi.....By the way, your mini carrot cakes were perfect. Since I don't have the carrot toppings to make mine cute like yours, I was gonna sprinkle coconut shreds on them. As for the strawberry napoleons, they're extremely quick and simple to make. I used the recipe on the box, Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. However, I pour the milk, heavy cream, and pudding mix into the blender, and whoosh, everything mixed. You can omit the strawberry and it would taste great.

Ali: you can easily do this for your kids and if you're up to it, you can make them with Max. :)

Here's the recipe I grabbed from Pepperidge Farm. However, the way I make them is much simplier. Cut into 3 big rectangle strips, then cut into however many small rectangle pieces you want. I place them directly onto the baking sheet. You may want to use parchment paper if you've got them. After they're baked, cut them pastry puffs into halves rather into thirds. And use whatever pudding flavor you want. I once used canned peaches rather than strawberries. But hey, y'all are bakers and cooks here, so I'm sure you know what you'd want to do. :D I just went into their site and found a whole load of recipes I'd like to try out, hehe.


P.S. I just skimmed over the recipe, sounds so complicated. I gotta go but will come back to simplier directions.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
• All-purpose flour
• 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
• 1 pkg. (about 3 1/2 ounces) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped or 2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tsp. milk
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle the work surface with the flour. Unfold the pastry sheet onto the floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 strips along the fold marks. Place the pastry strips onto the prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Split the pastries into 2 layers, making 6 layers in all.
4. Prepare the pudding mix according to the package directions with 1 cup milk in a large bowl. Fold in the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. To make icing, stir the confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons milk in a small bowl.
5. Spread the icing on 2 top pastry layers. Spread 3/4 cup pudding mixture on 4 pastry layers. Top each with about 1/3 cup strawberries. Stack 1 strawberry-topped layer onto a second one to make 2 stacks. Top each stack with an iced pastry layer. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.
6. Helper: For easier slicing, refrigerate the Napoleons for a least 1 hour and use a wet serrated knife.
7. Serving Suggestion: The pastries may be drizzled with 1 square (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate, melted, before serving.
8. Recipe Note: Parchment paper keeps the pastry from sticking to the baking sheet and also makes for easier cleanup. If you don't have parchment paper, you can spray the baking sheet with cooking spray instead. However, cooking spray may cause the bottoms of the pastries to brown more quickly, so begin checking for doneness 5 minutes early.

I bought those carrot toppings. They were on sale :blush:

I might try to translate your recipe for the Napoleons.
It looks spectacular and if you say it's easy I kinda believe you.
'Cepting I've seen some of your amazing creations already.

Yes I intend to flatter you, but I mean what I say. Your precision and fine motor skills are out of the ordinary. I can make cakes. But I know they are ordinary. No self-flagellation, it's the truth.

I wowed the staffroom with my cheese scones today.
No pics, I've kinda given up documenting my baking.
But I was happy - I thought they were chocoholics. Turns out enough of them like the old savoury snacks after all. I had as many compliments as I did for the carrot cake (the big one).

Mrs B has also suggested paying me to make her some comestibles.
She is currently without a kitchen due to an extension (building work, in case that doesn't translate). Maybe this time I will accept the offer of £. The makey-cakey offer was never in doubt, because I just enjoy it.

I see a career opening up...
I'll be right over to help you Sundae.

They loook a bit like a strawberry version of a vanilla slice. the puff pastry looks lovely.

Sundae;811574 wrote:

Mrs B has also suggested paying me to make her some comestibles.

:thumb2: You've given the teachers enough. It's about time someone shows some appreciation.

Lola Bunny;811570 wrote:

What I had wanted to say was, Sundae, you flatter me! :blush: Muah! hihihi.....By the way, your mini carrot cakes were perfect. Since I don't have the carrot toppings to make mine cute like yours, I was gonna sprinkle coconut shreds on them. As for the strawberry napoleons, they're extremely quick and simple to make. I used the recipe on the box, Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. However, I pour the milk, heavy cream, and pudding mix into the blender, and whoosh, everything mixed. You can omit the strawberry and it would taste great.

Ali: you can easily do this for your kids and if you're up to it, you can make them with Max. :)

I might do so when they've finished the brownies and stuff they have here atm. :)

Aliantha;811760 wrote:

I might do so when they've finished the brownies and stuff they have here atm. :)

Just realized I have not put up the simplied recipe or instructions for the napoleons. :p:

Well do it, damn it.:p:

Okay, this is what I did to make the napoleons.

I bought:
puff pasty sheet
one box instant pudding
1 c. milk
1 c. heavy cream
strawberries (fruits are optional)

1. Cut the sheet into however many rectangles you want. Leave the puff pastry sheet to thaw only a little bit, like 5, 10 minutes. It's easier to open and cut when it's still somewhat hard. Bake as directed on the box.

2. Put the pudding mix, millk, and heavy cream together and mix it. The blender is the easiest way to go.

3. After the puffs are cool, cut them in half. Put pudding in the middle of the two pastry sheets that you had cut.

4. Take a piece of chocolate, milk, dark, white, mint, whatever you want, and put it in a sandwich bag. Stuff it in the bottom corner and microwave it until melted. Poke a hole with a toothpick. You can squeeze to drizzle chocolate onto the pastries. Rather than chocolate drizzles, you can shift confectioner's sugar on top of the pastries to decorate.

DONE!

(Hope I made sense. :p:)

What is instant pudding in British English?

I'm guessing instant whip or angel delight?

limey;812467 wrote:

What is instant pudding in British English?

Sorry, I meant instant pudding mix. I did a search, and I think it's available in England too. I found the following brands, such as in Jell-O or Moir's. I grabbed the pictures from twengo.co.uk when I did a search for british instant pudding mix. Hope that helps. :p:

Yeah, Angel Delight

Thanks guys!

Made cookies for my nephew's birthday this Sunday. My mom saw the Hello Kitty cookies and asked, "Are they pigs?" When I replied no, she said, "Cows?" I almost laughed out loud. I told her they're cats. She later asked if they're cats, how come they don't have whiskers? :lol:

I thought of Wolf but I don't have enough to send her any. :( Next time. :D

Oh yeah, so I ordered a rocket cookie cutter for the space shuttle theme birthday. We don't have time to decorate them and the person who requested the cookies don't even like icing. Luckily someone pointed out that undecorated rockets will look like little penises. :lol: I had to order the star cookie cutter quickly. So, if there's ever a bachlorette party, I can offer to make cookies. :lol:

I made these cupcakes for my nephew's class today.

wow. those look delicious

C is for cookie!

I'd eat Lola Bunny's cookies anytime ;)

Sorry, I could not resist the pun.

Thank goodness for the internet and its urban dictionary. A while back I posted that I like to toss my salads and this guy had such a good laugh. I had to nag him quite a bit to get why he thought it was so funny. Anyways, I looked up "cookies." :blush:

Christmas is coming, so it's cookies time! I bought a brownie pop pan recently and came up with this idea. Now, I've got to come up with a few more recipe ideas.

Brownie pop Xmas trees :)
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Nom Nom Nom, and a beard full of those little sprinkle things. :haha:

You want some Xmas cookies, Bruce? :D

Thank you, but my blood sugar doesn't need a boost, especially this time of year. :haha:

Hehe, well, I had to ask. :)

wow. lola you need your own cupcake show on the food network. those look great

Big Sarge;841396 wrote:

wow. lola you need your own cupcake show on the food network. those look great

Aww...shucks :blush: I know it's not true but I'll take the compliment. :D Hihihi....Anyways, you want some Xmas cookies, big guy? Send me a pm and verify your address. I don't want someone else enjoying your cookies. :p:

Big Sarge;841396 wrote:

wow. lola you need your own cupcake show on the food network. those look great

Lola Bunny;841570 wrote:

Aww...shucks :blush: I know it's not true but I'll take the compliment. :D Hihihi...--snip

why the hell not?

Because unlike Alan Richman, she is female and therefore will have to live on coffee and nicotine if she is on TV - especially on a food show. We want her around for more years than that.

But hey, when she becomes an old crone she can do a down-home cookery programme, because older ladies are allowed to spread a bit.
Well - when I say spread a bit I mean being a week away from actual malnutrition.

I want Lola videos on YouTube though.
I would watch faithfully every week and marvel at her appearance, accent (we've spoken, it's cute), cooking, decorating. And get sis in on the act too. Or maybe not, as we all know how special Lola is, but she seems to think her sister is better. Nope!

another good suggestion!!

Do it, Lola! Just try one, see what happens. :)

No, try 52.
Hey, start small ;)

You mean make videos of me baking cookies? Hmmm...I'm even lazy taking pix, much less making videos. :p but how to do it, make my sis be the camera man?

Btw Sundae, you crack me up. Hahahahahahaha.......

Or a tripod.

I have a tripod. I'll think about it. :)

I did mean Adam Richman by the way.
I know Alan Richman is a very talented man, but he wasn't who I had in mind when writing.

Is that the Man v Food chap?

Aye.
He was on Fighting Talk (11.00 Staurday on BBC Radio Five with Colin Murray - recommend) the other week. Spurs fan, really knows his football.

Apols, just had to ETA because I had the two Northern Irish 5 Live presenters mixed up.
Well, they all look the same don't they...

I love that guy.

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Happy tears in my eyes as I'm making my great-grandmother's famous Christmas cookies today. She brought the recipe with her from Spain. She passed away in 2000 and my grandmother passed away in 2008. My family thought the recipe was lost, but I got it from my grandma before she passed. Through lots of research I was able to closely mimic the wine the recipe calls for, and so now I'm having these cookies for the first time since 2006. Lots of very happy memories, here.

What a wonderful tradition this is and will be for your family and children, Choco. It's a great thing to preserve and pass on heritage recipes and family memories.

The cookies look delicious! Is it a sweet wine, a type of sherry or port, that the recipe calls for? What is the overall taste? The cookie part looks rather like shortbread. I'm not asking you to divulge a secret recipe, just interested; I love learning about taste combinations and especially how traditional recipes combine ingredients, and why.

Yea, I think it qualifies as a shortbread. The wine specified by my grandmother was Domecq Viña 25, which is a mahogany-colored, syrupy sherry with notes of nuts, raisins, molasses, and toast. I'm using a sweet marsala that had very similar tasting notes.

The recipe is actually very simple. Here it is, should anyone care to make these.

Abuela Catalina's Pastisettes
(Makes a gazillion cookies.)

Mix 12 egg yolks with 1.5 lbs sugar. Add in 1.5 lbs lard or shortening. Mix well until lumps are gone. Gradually mix in 3 lbs of flour, then about 1/3 cup of the wine. Knead until it forms a dough. (I've been adding a bit more wine when the dough gets too crumbly. Should be similar in consistency to a pie crust.)

Roll a chunk of dough out about 1/8" thick. Use a cookie cutter or a cup to cut circles. Dab a little bit of fruit preserves -- strawberry and apricot are my faves -- on to the middle of half your circles. Use a thimble (or anything similar in size) to cut holes in the other half of the circles. Lay these on top of the jammed circles, press the edges, and re-cut with the cup to seal.

Bake in a 300F oven in the middle rack for 12-15 minutes per batch. Allow to cool completely on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

Thank you for the recipe! It sounds delicious - can butter be used in place of lard or shortening, do you know? Maybe not if this is your first time making them ...

I'll give it a try during the holidays. :)

I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I imagine there'd be texture issues.

Someone told me recently that he replaces all shortening or oleo in cookie recipes with butter. He said shortening makes the cookie crunchier. He just likes butter better.

http://www.differencebetween.net/object/comparisons-of-food-items/difference-between-shortening-and-butter/

They mention you can usually substitute shortening with butter, but not the other way around. The butter would melt faster, though, so I don't know if the cookies would hold their shapes.

Yes, there's definitely a texture and baking difference in some items - I guess I'd have to try a small fractional recipe and see if it worked. Or use lard. I don't like to use hydrogenated fats, that's all. Did you use lard or shortening in your cookies today? Some people swear by lard for pie crusts; I used to use shortening and then switched to butter.

I used shortening today. My grandmother recommended lard, but I was baking for vegetarian neighbors and so wanted to avoid making cookies that were 20% animal fat! :)

Chocolat: Just read your recipe. Does sound like it'll make gazillion cookies! I just found this recipe for peppernuts. This man who giave it to me said it was passed down in his family. I really want to try it but couldn't find citron and small package of clove yesterday. I'll put up my recipes later. I've narrowed down to 3 types of cookies for Xmas gifts.

Ortho: Rather than lard, use shortening. Still unhealthy though.

Happy tears in my eyes as I'm making my great-grandmother's famous Christmas cookies today

That's awesome. There's nothing so special as a recipe passed down.

Christmas cookies! Yes, they're actually called Christmas cookies, hehe. They're supposed to taste like fruit cake cookies. Someone once gave me some and I thought it was good. Sadly, these don't taste like it. :( I'm a bit disappointed but the teachers will just have to eat them, hehe. Gonna take a break, put these into a jar. I'm baking two more types tomorrow then off they go on Thursday!
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A forest of Christmas trees...
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A mountain of cookies...
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Cupcakes when pressed for time (minimal decors)
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By the way, someone tasted the "Christmas Cookies," and she thought they were good.

Wow, that is one massive amount of beautiful Christmas baking! It looks delicious - you know it will all disappear in a flash. :)

Yum! What lucky people were the cookies going to, Lola?

Two tiring days, and that's with my sister's help. Oh yeah, my mom helped me chop the ingredients in the "Christmas cookies." She must've have felt sorry for me because I was taking forever to chop the candies. I ate one or two of each types and that was enough. I made these for my nephew's teachers and staff at the school. I remember having only 1 teacher when I was in elementary school. My nephew has one main teacher, 2 music teachers, 2 P.E. teachers and an assistant, and an art teacher. This year, he also an small group reading teacher. I also give to the principal, assistant principals, counselor, librarian, nurse, and a big box for the front office. I'm always harrassing the receptionists and there are these 3 ladies who help the children get off the car when parents drop them off in the morning. I feel that teachers get gifts from students, but the staff has no one to show them appreciation. Anyways, yeah, that's why I always make so much cookies. The teachers at first would thank my nephew's parents (hehe...meaning my brother and his wife). But now, by the third year, they know it's me who make the cookies so they thank me. This one teacher would tell me they're yummy and stuff and that makes me happy. I don't mind being tired a few days in a year when it's appreciated. Well, I make cookies for teacher appreciation week too. :p: This year, I made a total of 17 boxes of cookies. The cookies you see is just enough for 17 boxes of cookies. I would've liked to fill more but ran out of time, and energy, to make more cookies.

Lola Bunny wrote:

My nephew has one main teacher, 2 music teachers, 2 P.E. teachers and an assistant, and an art teacher. This year, he also an small group reading teacher. I also give to the principal, assistant principals, counselor, librarian, nurse, and a big box for the front office.

OMGtellmeaboutit.

Minifobette has a teacher, two aides, and a speech therapist at school, plus 6 more therapists at private therapy. Then back at school there's Minifob's teacher, plus the nurse, special ed coordinator, librarian, and counselor, each of whom spend personal one-on-one time with one or both of my kids. I didn't even bother with the rest of the staff who only interact with them the same amount they interact with all the other students.

(For the record, I made glatt's wife's awesome spiced nuts for all of them. They've become a yearly tradition at our house, and everyone I give them to always raves about them.)

I just read Glatt's awesome nuts.
















































I'm sure they are.

If you liked reading about them, you should try putting them in your mouth.

Where are Glatt's nuts? I wanna see! :D

I just read the recipe, or rather, looked at the instructional pictures (the best kind in my opinion :D ) and it sounds absolutely wonderful. I will try this. I know a number of people who love nuts. Gonna buy some nuts and clove tomorrow.

Glatt's nuts sound delicious!

By the way, I went back to read Clod's post. I initially misread that she gave Glatt's wife some spiced nuts. That's why I was wondering where was the post about the nuts. :p: :lol:

Clod: regarding the spiced walnuts, does it matter if you use canola oil or not? can it be vegetable oil?

Any type of oil is fine. Well, olive oil might taste weird. But I've used canola, grapeseed, and sunflower, at least.

Ugh! I couldn't find ground cloves at the store today. :( I was really hoping to make the spiced nuts tomorrow. I'm thinking of smashing the whole cloves that I have, hehe.

I made a second batch of pastisettes last night and they turned out MUCH better. So for anyone wanting to try -- this time I upped the oven to 310F and baked for 15-18 minutes per batch. Way better texture.

Lola Bunny;844948 wrote:

Ugh! I couldn't find ground cloves at the store today. :( I was really hoping to make the spiced nuts tomorrow. I'm thinking of smashing the whole cloves that I have, hehe.

Yes, I quoted myself. :lol: Anyways, I'm just gonna omit ground cloves. I've ran out of time. I'm going to make the spiced walnuts then chocolate pound cake first thing tomorrow morning before my sister needs to cook. I made another version of fruit cake cookies today but forgot to take pictures. I have a few of them left of which I'll take pix tomorrow.

People liked them except for my mom who said they tasted good in a "meh" attitude. She hasn't eaten them again since the morning that I made them. By the way, I burnt some nuts. Those definitely tasted "meh." :lol:

Clodfobble;844721 wrote:

(For the record, I made glatt's wife's awesome spiced nuts for all of them. They've become a yearly tradition at our house, and everyone I give them to always raves about them.)

The spiced nuts are perfect for that. This year we didn't make enough for me to give any away. They barely made it to Christmas before we ate them all.

Nuts are so expensive to buy though. Where do y'all get yours?

Nuts are expensive. We get ours at the grocery store.

Albany, Georgia. The best you can buy and great people to deal with.

Plus, they keep in the freezer forever (over a year at least,) so if you know you'll eat them eventually, it's worth it to buy in bulk.

glatt;846087 wrote:

Nuts are expensive. We get ours at the grocery store.

I get mine at the grocery store too, that's why I asked. I'm thinking of giving the teachers spiced nuts rather than my usual homemade cookies. Thanks to Bruce's link and Clod's suggestion, I may just do that. This girl who ate the spice nuts mentioned several times that she thought they were really good and wondered if I'd serve them for Vietnamese New Year.

I have plans to make a batch of these spiced nuts. I bought a two pound bag of walnut halves for $18 bucks at Cash and Carry. That seems like a fairly good price.

We don't have Casy and Carry here in Houston. I looked it up and found it to be a wholesale and restaurant supply store. We have those kind of stores here. I can look around to see and compare prices before I order. I've decided not to make any for New Year anyways. Blah, feeling like a humbug so I'm not gonna cause extra work for myself. Thanks, V. :)

You're welcome. :)

Do these look burnt to you? Hihi....I burnt them the last I did it. This time, I reduced the temp, and thy still burn. Ugh! I didn't smell it like last time though. My mom said how come they're all burnt. I replied that the nuts aren't burnt, that's how the color supposed to be. She popped one, right out of the oven, into her mouth. "They're burnt!" She exclaimed. Darn , I couldn't fool her. Hehehe.....I guess I'll be eating them by myself. :P

Anyways, Clod, how did you manage NOT to burn your nuts?

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Gas or electric oven? What temp? What rack, top, middle or bottom?
Inquiring minds need to know.

Bottom rack will almost always burn things
Electric ovens are a pain in the ass and will often burn things
I think nuts are usually cooked at less than 300°f, like 250° or something.

You also have to stir them every five minutes, literally. The upshot to this is you'll be watching them so closely, they can't possibly burn.

Also, like foot said: middle or top rack only, and turn down the heat if your oven tends to be overzealous.

Electric oven, mid rack, 300 F. I followed the recipe, which said to stir after 10, 10, 5, 5 minutes. Next time I'll set the temp at 250 and stir every 5 mins. If the nuts still burn, I'll switch to top rack. :P

I toast nuts in a heavy cast iron pan, takes about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, high heat.

Lola Bunny wrote:

I followed the recipe, which said to stir after 10, 10, 5, 5 minutes.

In that case, just taste one every time you stir. When they're crispy but not burnt, eliminate all the rest of the instructions and stop cooking them. :) (You did boil them first, right? That's also part of the recipe.)

Yes, I boiled them first. I don't know how to cook/bake, so I always follow the recipe. :P

Lola Bunny;862380 wrote:

Do these look burnt to you? Hihi....I burnt them the last I did it. This time, I reduced the temp, and thy still burn. Ugh! I didn't smell it like last time though. My mom said how come they're all burnt. I replied that the nuts aren't burnt, that's how the color supposed to be. She popped one, right out of the oven, into her mouth. "They're burnt!" She exclaimed. Darn , I couldn't fool her. Hehehe.....I guess I'll be eating them by myself. :P

Anyways, Clod, how did you manage NOT to burn your nuts?

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There is nothing worse than burning your nuts!

Thought I'd put the question here although it might be better elsewhere. Teacher's Appreciation week is next and I still haven't decided what I want to do. I thought making cookies would be boring because I've been doing that for the last few years. I give them cookies for Xmas and Teacher's Appreciation week. However, a friend said the teachers would appreciation home baked goods because they hardly get these. She suggest I could give brownies or cupcakes since I make good ones. Or fruit tarts because she'd want one or two if I decide to make these. :rolleyes: I've thought of the spice walnuts but nuts are expensive since there are many teachers to give to. So, should just bake them cookies like usual? Or something else?

Cupcakes. :yum:

I think I'd prefer the real fish and chips. :lol: Looks interesting. I'll check out the recipe later. Don't wanna spend too much time doing these.

Has anyone tried seven-layer cookies? Heard of it in a TV show, so when I saw HEB selling them, I had to buy some to try. They were absolutely yummy! Found the recipe but not sure if I'd want to make these to give because it'd be my first time trying it out and I'm not very handy. Anyways, if you haven't tried these, do so!

Got a link to the recipe?

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Seven-Layer-Cookies-233296

or

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/12/seven-layer-cookies/

I haven't tried either so I decided to give you both. Let me know which one is better. :D

Not much chance of me making them, I print recipes for my 93 year old aunt.
She doesn't bake a lot anymore but loves to collect recipes.:rolleyes:

Wow, these both take a seriously long time... one chill step is 8 hours, in both recipes.
The second recipe as some good tips at the end for avoiding problems.

Oh yeah, one of the note says you don't really need 8 hours. Rather than measuring 8 hours, just stick it in the fridge overnight.

If all you want are recipes, I have plenty to give you. :D

Since Bruce's suggestion was too complicated and no one else offered any, I am making Duncan Hines cupcakes for the teachers. :D someone did recently tell me I make excellent cupcakes...lol. :D

Sorry darling, with my appetite down an no staff to cook for, I've been a bit lazy about keeping up with your culinary advdentures.

PM me next time to tell me to get my lazy arse into your thread :)

ETA - those fish & chip cupcakes are stunning.
But I'd rather have the real thing
Nice find though, Bruce. too ;)

Oh, it's okay, Sundae. I wasn't really whining (I hope). I've been feeling lazy lately. This year has not started good and things aren't looking up yet. Anyways, I'd rather have the real fish and chips too. :lol:

I made brownie with white cake cupcakes. Bought the boxes from Michael's. When we (my nephew and I) gave the box to the principal, she asked if I run a bakery. Hehe....I hope that implies that all the past baked goods I gave her were yummy. :D Well, she could just asked because the box was nice. :P
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Yummy! They look super cute, Lola!

Maybe you should run a bakery, Lola! Those look professional! :yum:

Thanks, Chocolat and Ortho. :) These were super easy to make too. I used cake mix and brownie mix, hehe. My mom thought they were delish. :D

Hmmm....now I have to go make cupcakes! Thanks lola!!!

Made cookies to give to the ladies who open doors for the kids in the morning at school and the crossing guards.
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Lucky volunteers! I'll take half a dozen thanks. :)

Mmmm. :yum:

I'm no Lola Bunny, but I have plans in the works to open a bakery booth at the local farmer's market twice a month. I'll be specializing in whoopie pies -- which are like if an Oreo and a cupcake made a baby, if you've never had them. :yum:

Wish me luck!

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A s'more whoopie

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A classic chocolate cake with marshmallow filling

Well, if you send me some, I'll let you know if they're good enough. :lol: Just kidding. :p: They look good though. Good luck!

Thanks, Lola! I started a donations page to help me drum up start up money, in case any one has "extra money" they feel like throwing my way. :lol: A girl can dream, right?

I didn't make these butt I thought they were kool.

Fargon, those are amazing! My grandfather would've loved those. :lol:

Objectively speaking, they look delicious.
Objectifyingly speaking, they make me drool in anticipation of tasting them.

I forgot to snap a picture until later at the party. I received many compliments. :-D

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Well done. :thumb:

Happy Monkey;900095 wrote:

[URL="http://io9.com/star-wars-macarons-prove-the-force-is-delicious-1583682180"]Star Wars cookies

That is so kewl.

That is very cool. :thumb2:

Guava cupcakes. I couldn't taste the guava too much, but everyone else really likes it.
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Guava in the cupcakes or just on top?

Both.

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yum!

I tkink I found some of Gnomie's friends.

And beheaded....eek!

How else you gonna get them to stay still?!