My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
A small French cake, similar to a Madeleine that is baked in a small rectangular mold. Financiers are sweet, tender and moist, and have a distinctive almond flavor. The basis of the cake is beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, sugar, flour, and flavoring. The browned butter imparts a lovely nutty flavor and crispy edge. … Read more
Whether you are making drop cookies, shaped cookies, or rolled cookies, exact measuring and uniformity in cookie size is critical to successful baking. Many people don’t like to roll cookie dough because they struggle with getting the cookies the same thickness. If your cookies are all uniform in size and thickness, they will have a … Read more
I have favorite cookies to make and favorite cookies to eat. This cookie definitely falls into the favorite cookies to eat category! This recipe differs from others in that it allows the taste of the two star ingredients – oatmeal and raisins – to shine. Everything else is just a subtle accompaniment. One thing that … Read more
A cookie with cinnamon, ginger, molasses, and cloves – need I say more? A warm and fragrant, soft, slightly chewy, melt-in-your-mouth bite of nostalgia. A classic spice cookie that you will want to make year after year. It’s a Fall tradition in our house! Molasses Crinkles were considered by the Betty Crocker staff to be the … Read more
The classic peanut butter cookie. Hot out of the oven, the edges are light and crispy and the center is slightly chewy. The second day, the cookies are crispy throughout. Nothing fancy or difficult here – just a good, old-fashioned cookie. Gather all ingredients. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and … Read more
The Snickerdoodle is a drop cookie topped with ground cinnamon and sugar. It has a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft. Its name and origin are a mystery. Some think the name came from New England because they often have playful, whimsical cookie names. The invention of the Snickerdoodle is also questionable with … Read more
If you want to boost your baking confidence or if you are new to baking, then shortbread is an excellent place to start. With just four ingredients in this slightly sweet biscuit-like cookie, there is not much that can go wrong. The key to making good shortbread is high-quality, pure butter and pure vanilla. Do … Read more