The older I get, the more I love spending time in my kitchen. I'm not a chef - nor do I ever want to be - but I love to bake. LOVE. It's fulfilling, it's therapeutic, and it makes the people around me happy (I wonder why...). It's one of the few things in life that I have a ton of patience for.
One of the earliest memories I have is baking with my mom. She is a rubbish cook (don't tell her I said that...) but when it comes to baking, the woman is magic. There are quite a few recipes that have great sentimental meaning to me. For my first installation of what I hope will be an occasional food feature, I'm going with these cookies that she would make around Valentine's Day. I made them this Valentine's for the one/ones I love and they were a major, major hit.
Comrades, it's true. I've had these photos on my digital camera since Valentine's Day. I took photos with the intent of posting this RX ahead of time so you could make them yourself. Procrastinator? Me? How dare you.
Why does it need to be a valentine's thing? Make them for an anniversary, a birthday, a baby shower, a bridal party. I mean really.
My apologies for not as many photographs as I'd like. I kind of forget to document things until I'm half-way done.
Let's get started.
CUPID'S COOKIES
from the Los Angeles Times, 1981
(sorry, I didn't make this up. I'd have given them a cooler name.)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
red food coloring
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (you'll probably use a little more)
4 ounces of milk chocolate (or dark chocolate, whichever you prefer. I did half & half)
2 Heart shaped cookie cutters - one 2 1/2 inch heart and one 1 1/2 inch heart
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla.
Sift together flour and salt.
Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats.
Divide dough in half.
Add peppermint extract and a few drops of food coloring to one half of the dough until it's ask pink as you like. Leave the other half alone.
Wrap each half in saran wrap and chill for several hours. I usually leave it in for 2.
Roll out tinted dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a surface sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Cut with 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
Roll out remaining, untinted half of dough and cut with 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
Place cut-outs on ungreased baking sheets
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and place 1 chocolate square on center of each large heart.
Place small heart on top and press lightly to secure.
Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
Makes about 40 cookies, 20 servings.
Et voila, bon appetit.
current sounds: Arcade Fire - Haiti
current beverage H20 & St. Johns Wort
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