Sugar Cookies and Fall Days

The sweet smell of fresh sugar cookies reminds me of the first day of fall. With each whiff, of the warm vanilla-sugar aroma, my sensory glands are transcended— feeling a gust of crisp cold wind sweeping past my body. Opening my eyes brings me back to reality with warm air resting peacefully in the atmosphere.
Well if colorful leaves are yet to come, at least Ilya and I have discovered that we can recreate a sense of comfort through one little cookie (or a batch of 50).
Actually, this food frenzy we have goes beyond the powerful taste-buds in our mouths and the empty pits in our stomachs when we are hungry. Cookies for me (these at least), are a time machine, a memory, and even a dream. At first bite a subtle smile takes over my face, and as the warm flavors begin to take their place in my mouth my mind is at ease; I feel like the world is at peace and everyone is enjoying their evening as much as I am. I remember the when baking with pre-made dough and boxed mixes felt like an enormous accomplishment. As I appreciate the joie de vivre, I remember the last time I curled up on the couch with a warm cookie and a glass of milk.
Ahh... I love many other sweet luxuries, but cookies in its purest form— fresh, warm, sprinkle-free— are, without a doubt, the most mesmerizing of all sugary pleasures.

If you still don't understand how I feel, just try this recipe.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn baking powder
1 cup (softened) butter
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn cinnamon (optional...my favorite)

Oven 375 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
2. 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

[recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com... altered sugar and cinnamon]

bon appétit!

~ the confectionist ~

note: don't forget to close your eyes as you take your first bite

At Last...

At last, my love has come along... The words to Etta James' song, were ringing in my ears as I took a bite of my home-made chocolate chip cookie. I finally found the recipe that I will soon inscribe in my leather-bound journal that I use as my cook-book. This is the recipe that I will use to fill my cookie jar that will sit on my kitchen counter. These are the cookies my children will eat with a cold glass of milk, and the cookies I will adorn with shiny ribbon as a get-well remedy for a sick friend. I guess my cookie disaster the other night was a "felix culpa" or a happy fault— a mistake that resulted in finding the perfect recipe. These quick and easy, dairy-free, 100% whole wheat, chocolate chip cookies are delicious delicacies will satiate every cookie lovers sugary fantasy! Hurry up to your kitchen! 

Cookies Gone Awry

I've been searching for the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie recipe for a while now. The perfect cookie entails the right amount of crunch and chewiness in the same bite. It must be sweet, but not cavity inducing. The perfect cookie must be made with whole wheat flour and vegan butter so I can call it "healthy"  (well really justify it for myself) while tasting like the creme de la creme.   Turning to the Toll House recipe is just not good enough for me— it's just as homemade as buying the Toll House "break & bakes." I'm starting to think that the agony of finding the right recipe is just not worth it. But my palette, told me otherwise a few nights ago. 

My friend, Nicole, and I spent last Thursday evening baking chocolate chip cookies. We were off to a late start, probable around 9:51. I wanted to try a new recipe, one that I found on a favorite blog of mine. I have never been so precise when baking, we double checked the instructions and used exact measurements. I like to use Earth Balance, vegan butter, instead of regular butter filled with large amounts of artery clogging, heart attack causing cholesterol and fat. The sticks are packaged in half size. Therefore, 2 cups of butter would mean 4 sticks of Earth Balance. 

We mixed the batter, placed little balls of dough on two shiny pans, and put them in the oven. As we anxiously waited, Nicole and I cleaned the bowl. Mmmm cookie dough. 

With 6 minutes to go, I turned the oven light and saw that our cookies had merged together to form  large pans of what looked like mush with specks of glistening chocolate. It was so bad that on one of the pans, the slop of cookies began to dripping off the edge. When the timer turned off, the result was an ugly and tasteless mess. I thought this recipe would be the end to my interminable search! I was ever so wrong. 

 

A few days later, I replayed the steps we took when baking over and over again in my head. I continued analyzing the chocolate chip recipe, seeing where we could have gone wrong (or where the maker of this recipe went wrong). It hit me like a gallon of milk being thrown at my head— we only put 2 halves of Earth Balance in the batter! 

Lesson learned: you can't expect to master the "perfect" cookie recipe past bedtime.

I plan to make a new batch this week. Any recipe suggestions?