The festive season is here!!!! Yes, December is officially upon us and Santa is nearly here- and I’m tired already. Something about having a child born 5 days before Christmas makes this season HECTIC.
So I didn’t bake this week- I blame the (nearly) 8 year old and his birthday party- but it could also be that the week before I went ALL out. I made Gingerbread Latte Cookies , Gingerbread Snickerdoodles and Rum Balls (no link but I did combine a US recipe and 2 Australian ones- here and here!) So this week to be honest, I didn’t bake at all… BUT I did make Rum balls AGAIN!
And I’m a Rum Ball convert. I was never a big fan of them- possibly because I wasn’t allowed to eat them as a kid… they have actual rum in them! But I LOVE them now. They’re easy to make (although in the Aussie heat they take a bit of logistical planning) and they’re tasty. Plus I feel SUPER festive when I make them- and because they don’t bake, they’re great for a summer treat. I can see why they’re a festive favorite!
Stay tuned to see what we bake this week- will we do Christmas cookies or just have a break and focus on Christmas dinner? We’ll see!
I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of the year. Christmas carols are playing, the tree is decorated, the turkey and ham are ordered and I’ve been reading Christmas Cookie recipes.
My experience with Christmas cookies has been mixed at best. There was one time when I baked them as a child- but forgot the sugar in the sugar cookie recipe, and wound up with cut out Christmas trees and stars that tasted like cardboard. As an adult, I find that cut out cookies are a lot of effort for very little reward. Sugar cookies aren’t amazing. Sugar cookies that a toddler or 5 year old has decorated are– worse. So when I think about baking cookies this Christmas, I can’t say that Sugar cookies are high on my agenda.
What is on the menu? Spicy cookies. Flavourful cookies. Cookies that make your mouth happy. Cookies like these Dirty Chai Earthquake Cookies. They have coffee and all the spices and flavours of a dirty chai latte- but rolled in two types of sugar and baked in the oven. AND they’re pretty good. What makes them Christmassy- the spices. They taste like a chai tea- and they have that gingery, cinnamony, clovey goodness that feels like Christmas.
I also made Soft Chocolate Chip cookies– just in case the Dirty Chai vibes were divisive. Chocolate chip cookies are always a crowd pleaser and these are are more soft and pillowy than crunchy. They weren’t quite what I was after… I was hoping they’d be closer to the OG Keebler Elf Soft Batch cookies that I used to eat bags of as a kid. I used to bring them back to Australia, and then suddenly they were gone. Discontinued in a cruel twist of fate. Their familiar and comforting red bag no longer on the supermarket shelves in the US, or anywhere on the internet. And the internet wasn’t happy. I wasn’t the only one that missed Soft Batch cookies. Articles were written. Blogs were posted. Apparently, Keebler has brought them back in a yellow package- but I’m sceptical. I will try this recipe for Mock Batch Cookies in the next few weeks just to see how close it is to my memories!
I also had the absolute pleasure of having my friend, Feliken, over today to make macarons. Ok, full disclosure. She made them and I watched. Macarons are not for the faint hearted. They’re not for the type of baker that forgets to put sugar in sugar cookies. In short, kids- do not try macarons at home. Or do, but it’s hard work. Feliken made it look super easy and they turned out really well. But they are a lot of work, a lot of steps, and they’re pretty fickle little things.
In short, I was in awe of her. The patience, the consistency, the level of detail, so many steps.
Ah-mazing. And they tasted soooooo good too. Am I inspired to try them on my own??? No. I’m a bigger fan of cookies that are simple and hard to get wrong. I mean any recipe with more than 4 steps, or more than 4 different action verbs and I’m lost. Dump everything in a bowl. Yes. Separate eggs, mix, add, whip, pipe, pop, wait, bake, cool, scrape, pipe, smush. I’m lost. Those poor little macarons wouldn’t stand a chance with me. But Feliken is a master at them! And it was great to see a master at work!
It shouldn’t be a suprise that Thanksgiving is one of my all time favourite holidays. Food, family, friends, and football. What else could you ask for? Other than family, Thanksgiving is one of my favourite things about America. So this time of year, I’m always a bit sad to be here and not there.
And yes, tonight I am making a bit of traditional dinner. Corn Casserole, turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and this week, I’ve baked Thanksgiving cookies. Honestly, I’m not sure about them. They’ve gotten good reviews so far from the usual suspects but something about them just isn’t right.
Could it be that they have veggies in them or could it be that I’ve never heard of a Thanksgiving cookie before this week? Or was it just homesickness making me a bit sad that I’m eating Thanksgiving in cookie form rather than pie form? Either way- I’m not sure how I feel about them.
I mean on paper, they scream Thanksgiving. And no, they’re not turkey flavoured or even turkey shaped. But they don’t quite taste like Thanksgiving.
The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip ones are interesting- the texture is quite pillowy and soft. Not the standard cookie texture but I think that’s why people are liking them. And they don’t taste like what they are. I also don’t think that they have a big punch of flavour. Not sure if it’s the recipe or just that Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are subtle. I mean I’m kind of happy they’re subtle because Aussies don’t always vibe with vegetable desserts (for good reason!). I’m not sure I’d make these again- not just because Libby’s canned pumpkin is expensive and hard to find in Australia, but they’re also just.not.a.vibe.
Sweet Potato Pie Cookies were different in a different way. They kind of were like Sweet Potato Casserole but in cookie form- because Marshmallows. And sugar. And cookies. These I would make again- but not all the time. Kind of like sweet potato pie casserole- and turkey. It’s fun once a year but not EVERY day.
So Happy Thanksgiving. I hope wherever you are, you’re with people that make you feel thankful and grateful and loved.
Spoiler alert! The secret ingredient is Coca-Cola. There was also the option to use Craft Beer- but as I made them in the morning it felt a bit too early for beer. The Coke made the cookies really airy and soft like my favourite discontinued cookies from the US- Soft Batch Cookies. These guys were my ALL time favorite as a kid and I used to devour them! SO yummy. And these weren’t too far off.
I’m not sure how I feel about the rocky road cookies – but I’d definitely make the Secret Ingredient cookies again… and maybe next week we’ll have a go at Copycat Soft Batch Cookies. We’re also getting close to the festive season, so it may be time to start investigating Christmas cookies!!
Well, here we are again. Clearly those photos were taken on Election morning when the future looked hopeful and optimistic- when change was in the air and anything seemed possible.
Personally, I’m still processing all the feelings I’m feeling. Disappointment, surprise, foreboding, grief, fear, impending doom.
It’s a familiar feeling- well, not familiar as in it happens all the time, but I remember it well from 2016. I didn’t write about it then- at the time I was 31 weeks pregnant and there was still a lot of hope. Hope for my unborn baby, hope that maybe it wouldn’t be “that bad”, hope.
Not to be bleak, but I don’t have the same hope this time. This time I just feel scared. We know the sequel is always worse than the original. We know we’re in for hard and dark days.
I’m processing my feelings- and baking through my grief and anxiety and fear.
Cookies help. Cooking helps. In fact, any activity that doesn’t involve doom scrolling helps.
Yes, that is right. Reason 10,952 that I’m bummed about the election- we could have had a President with their own Cooking Channel. Masala Dosa, Tuna Sandwiches, Bacon Fried Apples. All recipes from the Cooking with Kamala channel. Check out the video on Monster Cookies– which coincidentally are one of the cookies I baked this week.
Like I said, I’m baking in an alternate universe. One where we have a President who bakes AND believes in the rule of law AND healthcare for women AND isn’t a felon.
So, this week I made Snickerdoodles. I have never eaten a snickerdoodle before, let alone made one. But my friend, JJ, requested them and so this week, I made Snickerdoodles. And they were yum! They were a bit of a departure from my normal cookie- they’re very simple sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They’re very light, very mindful and very demure. And, I have to make them again…because my friend, JJ, didn’t get to eat them! She wasn’t in class this week and missed out!
I also continued my First Lady Bake Off/pre-election streak with Jill Biden’s Oatmeal Craisin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were ok- not amazing but ok. The cranberries give it a different sweetness to raisins, but I’m not 1000% convinced on them.
We’re coming up to the US Election- so next week, I’m continuing my First Lady Baking with Hillary Clinton’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. I really want to make Michelle Obama’s Mama Kaye’s White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies BUT they need Andes Mints or mint chocolate chips, which sadly are NOT a thing here in Australia! :(.
Last week I made Chocolate Chip Cookies. You know the ones. The boring, old favorites that have the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. Tollhouse chocolate chips if you grew up in the US, no idea what recipe is on the back of the Australian chocolate chip packages because I didn’t make those.
I made Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (minus the nuts of course!) and they were lovely. Easy to make, and just like Mom used to make. Well, not my mother per se, but you know what I mean…
This week’s are called Cowboy Cookies. I wanted to make Halloween Cookies but 1, it’s next week, and 2, I don’t have Halloween Cookie Cutters– and even if I do happy to buy them, I’m not sure I’m going to spend the time actually decorate the cookies to make them look like pumpkins or ghosts or witches. Even though I techincally have the time, I’m not sure that I actually HAVE THE TIME to decorate cookies.
So, instead of Halloween, I’m going to focus on something FAR scarrier than Halloween for the next three weeks- the US Election.
Namely, the First Lady Bake Off or Presidential Cookie Poll. It took place from 1992-2016- after Hillary Clinton’s famous “I could have stayed home and baked cookies” comment and continued until Family Circle magazine went out of business in 2019.
So, I’m going to try a few recipes out–starting with Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies. There are a few others that might pop up in the next three weeks before Election Day so watch this space!
I’m not bragging but each week I’m getting better and better at this cookie thing. And to be honest, some of it comes from just following directions and recipes. If it says use softened butter, then don’t be lazy or impatient. Soften the butter! Seriously, when you decide that you might bake, take the butter out of the fridge, weigh it, and then do EVERYTHING else on your to-do list. All the things you hate doing- laundry folding, unpacking the dishwasher, vacuuming- now’s the time. Hard butter is no one’s friend when it comes to cookie making. Although I’ve never been a stickler for the rules, sometimes it’s a good idea to listen to others’ advice and experiences.
Anyhoo, this week I made two cookies- both from Smitten Kitchen. Her Browniest Cookie aka a Brookie aka a cookie and brownie combo. They were good but after the spicy fun of the Mexican Icebox cookies, they were only ok. I added cinnamon but it wasn’t enough. I’m addicted to dark chocolate and chili, and I’m not afraid to admit it.
The other cookies I made this week- Thick Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with chocolate chips added!). And they were AMAZING. I feel like I say this every week, but these could be THE BEST ONES YET. So good. And I don’t even like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. But these are so good. Honestly, it’s the hint of chocolate that makes them. Oatmeal sounds healthy but the chocolate is a bit naughty– and they both work so well together!
And now, I have a problem. I don’t know how I’m going to top them this week. I need to come up with cookies for this week that will be better.
Or at least that’s the theme for cookies this week. This week I’m attempting to recreate Van Stapele’s infamous white chocolate stuffed chocolate cookies and Canva’s famous (at least at Canva) Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies. Canva’s cookies are baked by the Hungry Squirrel but I”m trying Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Van Stapele’s cookies are what kicked off the cookie baking the last few weeks. They’re an Amsterdam based Cookie Bakery or Koekmakarij and they make one cookie. One type of cookie. Chocolate stuffed with white chocolate. And they’re amazing. This bakery sells 2000 cookies a day. 2000! And they’re famous, like writing a case study about them famous.
I mean, I’m considering a trip to Amsterdam just to try them fresh and warm from the source. I’m mildly obsessed by them. I think it has something to do with the chocolate they use– or maybe there’s a secret spice. I’m not sure but I’m working on them. I don’t think I’ve nailed them yet, but this week’s cookies were pretty good.
In fact, both sets of cookies this week were well liked. I mean, most people who have eaten them haven’t tried the originals, so it’s hard to know. Canva’s cookies are/were honestly legendary. Delicious. Chocolatey. Salty. Yum. Universally liked and coveted. Smitten Kitchen’s cookies are good- maybe not quite Canva cookie level yet. But I’m working on it!
So, I’m currently in the midst of figuring out my next career move. I absolutely loved my last job and now that it’s over, I have a lot of choices to make and a lot of paths to explore.
While I continue to figure it out, I’m baking.
This week’s cookies are Red Velvet Chocolate Crackle Cookies by Donna Hay. I LOVE Donna Hay. I had nearly every issues of her magazine and I LOVE her cookbooks. These cookies are yum! I brought them to a BBQ on Sunday, and they were a hit. So, I baked another batch today. As I mentioned last week, I’m building up a bit of a cookie fan club. One batch isn’t enough to last the week, and since I’m currently funemployed, I have time to bake cookies twice a week.
I also baked the world famous Neiman Marcus Cookies. If you haven’t heard of these cookies, there’s a whole urban myth/legend about a woman who paid $250 for the recipe because she liked the cookies so much.
I mean they were good- but not sure I could charge $250 for them.
Some people have told me I could into the baking business- I mean, it’s not going to happen but it’s a fun idea. I’d have to bake a LOT of cookies to be self-sustaining, so I don’t see it in the future– but I do kind of like the idea of calling them, “He Runs, I Cookie…”
He Runs, I Cook 