Making the world a little sweeter one pastry tip at at time.
Wafer cookies – you know those types. The cookies that are thin and crisp and layer perfectly with ice cream for perfect little ice cream sandwiches or crumble up nicely over pudding. I didn’t realize this until I actually looked it up but July 3rd …read more
July 2nd is National Anisette Cookie Day, and in celebration of this sweet day here are some anise flavored cookie recipes to try. They come from my collection of cookbooks from the 50s and 60s. For an interesting one, try an anise drop cookie recipe …read more
These chocolate wafer cookies use unsweetened chocolate and are drop style. Use a small disher or ice cream scoop for consistent sized cookies.
To substitute unsweetened chocolate if you don’t have any in the house, for each ounce use 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon melted shortening or oil.
Christmas is finished and now it’s time to gear up for New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays, if not my favorite. Since I had my first baby 17 years ago, that holiday has been spent at home toasting in …read more
Ok, I’m in love with oatcakes. At least this recipe. In celebration of national oatmeal month (January) I dove into my collection of recipes to find some outstanding ones using oatmeal. I almost overlooked this one. Oatcakes are savory biscuits (although sweet ones are out …read more
Breaking Breads by Uri Scheft gives spirit to old favorites, and is a reflection of the author’s travels. Traditional challah, laminated breads, flatbreads, and stuffed breads are all greatly described and made, and he mixes contemporary ingredients with traditional methods. And it’s not just about yeast breads – we are presented with wonderful treats for afternoon tea or coffee, too, and all the things to serve them with, a surprising focus on the savory here.
While there are non-bread recipes, the bulk of the book details on creating the best bread at home, from start to finish. Actually, the introduction contains a great section on bread basics, from ingredients and mixing, to baking and creating your own steam oven easily at home. Scheft even goes into bakers percentages (using flour as your 100% benchmark) and the proper way of scaling up a recipe precisely and mathematically, since baking really is a science.
The color photos throughout Breaking Breads show the perfect baked recipe and step by step instructions on how to complete tasks. Examples include showing how to shape and braid a perfect challah and how to stretch the paper thin strudel needed for all its glorious wafer-thin layers. And let me tell you, nothing is as much fun as stretching strudel dough over a large table.
Most of the recipes have long instructions, but don’t be turned off by that. It is like the author is there instructing you step by step. Without his clear guidelines it wouldn’t be as easy to recreate some of the treasures in the book.
All the recipes make you want to spend a few days in the bakeshop baking, but my favorite recipe in the book isn’t even a bread at all, though. It’s a Middle Eastern twist on the traditional Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes (same thing) – with the addition of tahini paste and sesame seeds. A really lovely book all around.
Book Info:
Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own. Affiliate links help support the site. 🙂
Looking for quick and easy old-fashioned cookbooks for baking (or even giving) this holiday season? The ABC series from Peter Pauper Press may have just you are looking for. Peter Pauper Press recently is releasing several of its older titles from the 50s and 60s …read more
My latest find at the library’s ‘Friends of the Library’ store – an older cookie recipe book from the sixties. The Art of Making Good Cookies Plain and Fancy (Annette Laslett Ross and Jean Adams Disney, Doubleday, 1963) is a hardback covered recipe book with …read more
 |
| Photo courtesy Wicked Cool Toys, wickedcooltoys.com. |
Looking for the perfect toy for a Girl Scout this fall, or perhaps the little baker of the house? Wicked Cool Toys is coming out with a Girl Scouts Cookie Oven this Fall, 2015.
From the press release:
The Girl Scouts Cookie Oven lets aspiring bakers experience the hands-‐on fun of making their own Girl Scout Cookies. A real working oven, it comes complete with tools and mixes that allow girls to make cookies that look and taste just like the real thing. There’s also a viewing window that lets bakers see the treats they’re making and a warming station to heat and melt delicious cookie coatings and frostings. The Girl Scouts Cookie Oven comes with a mix to create Thin Mints®, a spatula, baking pan and measuring tool. SRP is $59.99.
Refill packs will be available – Thin Mints, PB Sandwich, Trefoils, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Coconut Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Sugar and Oatmeal – each for $6.99. The Deluxe refill packs will include these packs:
For those that want to role play, too, a Girl Scouts On-the-Go Wagon ($129.99) and a Girl Scout Cookie Stand ($79.99) will also be available.
For full detail, visit the Wicked Cool Toys Girl Scout Cookie Oven press release or contact Wicked Cool Toys directly.
Here are some recipes to make using peanut butter. Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies 1/2 cup soft butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups all …read more
