Betty Kaiser
There’s nothing more humbling to a recipe columnist that leaving a vital ingredient (or two!) out of a recipe. Mea culpa. Last month in one of my Christmas cookie recipes, I unknowingly screwed up big-time, when I entered the wrong amounts. I turned in the column before the recipes were published, and then left town and was incommunicado.
A couple of weeks later, I came home to questions on my answering machine that went like this: “The recipe for the Almond Cutout Cookies only calls for 1 teaspoon flour. Is that correct?” And “Is there supposed to be baking powder in those cookies? It doesn’t say so in the ingredient list but it mentions it in the body of the recipe.”
Now I am usually not at my best during the month of December but this was a new low! So, the answers to the above questions are: No, that was not the correct amount of flour. It should have been 4-1/3 cups flour. And yes, the recipe did call for 1 teaspoon of baking powder. That omission, however, was not as crucial as the flour.
The corrected recipe is printed in its entirety in this column. One of my callers said that she just “eyeballed it” (the dough) and the cookies turned out great. Goofs like this are the reason that I put my phone number at the bottom of every column. At this rate I may start adding my cell phone number.
Soups were going to be the subject of today’s column but I think I’ll leave that for another day. Today we’ll add some everyday drop cookie recipes to top off December’s intricate creations.
Old-fashioned cookie jar style cookies are just the right thing to calm a sweet tooth on these cold winter days. The following applesauce-raisin cookies are chock full of fruits and nuts to add to your daily dietary quota. And who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? Make a batch or two today. Enjoy!
APPLESAUCE-RAISIN COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium Granny Smith apple, finely chopped
1 cup dark raisins
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Lemon Glaze:
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets.
2. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in egg, applesauce, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. With spoon, stir in apple, raisins, and walnuts if using.
4. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoons, 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets. Bake cookies on 2 oven racks 20 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned around edges and set, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking.
5. Prepare Lemon Glaze: In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
6. Transfer cookies to wire racks. With pastry brush, brush glaze over warm cookies; cool completely.
CHUNKY CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT COOKIES
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment or lightly spray with cooking spray.
Cream the butter, sugars, eggs together then add the vanilla, salt and baking soda. Scrape the sides and add the baking powder and flour. Mix till incorporated and add the walnuts and chocolate chips just till mixed.
Scoop and bake at 350° F. 12-15 min. or until golden brown. Makes about 2 dozen cookies according to scoop size!
BUTTERY ALMOND CUTOUT COOKIES
(Corrected recipe)
Cookies:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
3 teaspoons almond extract, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Food Color
Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, eggs, 2 teaspoons almond extract and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat just until well blended.
Divide dough into 4 pieces; flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
When read to bake, preheat oven to 375° F.
Working with 1 disk of dough at a time, roll dough out onto floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough into desired shapes using 2-1/2 inch cookie cutters. Place about 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are brown. Remove from baking sheets to wire rack to cool.
To frost: Combine powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract in small bowl; stir until smooth.
Divide icing among 3 or 4 small bowls; tint with desired food color. Frost cookies. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Note: This frosting recipe is a great basic recipe to have in your baking box of tricks. Use it to frost cookies, drizzle over coffee cakes or wherever you need a touch of sweetness.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Read her weekly columns in the Cottage Grove Sentinel newspaper.
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