We’ve been wanting to make macarons for ages. We’ve looked at recipes. We’ve copied down some of them. We’ve read the tips for perfect macarons. We’ve had them in French bakeries. We’ve just never made them before. Why? Is it that they seem impossible to make? Nah, that won’t stop us from trying. Besides, plenty of people have made macarons. The real reason is more mundane: we’ve not had fine enough almond flour. You see, normally we make our own almond meal/flour from whole almonds by grinding them in a food processor; but, that makes a moderately coarse flour, too coarse for macarons. So, they fall by the wayside. We’ve waited long enough, so let’s make some macarons!
Continue reading “Vanilla Macarons”Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti
A few weeks ago we were looking through Baking at République, by Margarita Manzke, and, as usual, we saw a number of recipes we wanted to try. We copied down a few to store in our vast archive here at Scratchin’ It Central, figuring we’d try at least a couple, including this one for biscotti. If you’re wondering how we can get recipes from so many different cookbooks, we have two words for you: Public Library.
Continue reading “Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti”Snickerdoodles
Near the end of the month, we put together something for a coffee/social hour at church. It varies in terms of complexity, but, lately, we’ve been tending toward cookies. Not so much because they’re really easy to make, but because they’re easy to serve, easy to handle when you’re standing, and not very messy. All good things. But, we do try to vary the type of cookies from month to month, so, this month, we thought we’d try snickerdoodles.
Continue reading “Snickerdoodles”Crispy and Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Are you a crunchy cookie fan? Or, do you prefer chewy cookies? Well, with this recipe, you can have both crunchy and chewy in the same cookie.
Like dark bittersweet chocolate? Or semi-sweet chocolate? Again, you get both in the same cookie. And, lots of chocolate too, which, we think, everyone prefers.
Continue reading “Crispy and Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies”Pecan Macaroons
Sometimes we just have to try something new. Change out one ingredient for something similar and see what happens. Who knows when we’ll hit upon the next big thing?
So, this is really nothing more than a variation on our Almond Macaroon recipe. A simple swap out of almonds for pecans. But, there are a few things you might want to watch out for, as we’ll see in a bit.
Continue reading “Pecan Macaroons”Linzer Cookies
Okay, if you’re going to make these cookies, you need to learn an important mantra: “The freezer is my friend. The freezer is my friend.” Keep that in mind, because you’ll need to repeat it many times. If you do remember it, you’ll be making some really tasty cookies. If not, you’ll pull out all your hair in frustration.
Flourless Oatmeal Lace Wafers
Even if you own The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, which is where today’s recipe originates, you’ll be thanking us profusely for testing it out and giving you critical tips for making your life (or at least the part of your life that involves making these cookies) so much better.