Reliving Christmas

It's weird, I don't drink eggnog, don't like it one bit. But last Christmas a friend's wife sent over a big plate of various cookies, most were edible but nothing to die for. Except one cookie really stuck out with me, and that was the Eggnog Cookie. I had never had these before or even heard of them, and when it came time to plan my baking schedule this past Christmas I knew I had to make some Eggnog Cookies. I wasn't able to get the recipe from said friend, so I searched the web and when I came up empty handed I enlisted the help of my friends over on the Bakespace forum, and was given the perfect recipe. The original cookie had icing, but the recipe from Bakespace did not so I figured I could wing it and come up with my own icing, but after baking the cookies and doing a tastetest I nixed the icing idea because the cookies were so good as is. These Eggnog Cookies, are not your average cookie. They're soft and a little cakey, not chewy or crispy at all. Not typically what I go for, but these are great, and I love the hint of spice with that extra boost from the nutmeg sprinkled on top. And if you manage to keep these cookies around for more than a few days you'll be fooled into thinking you just baked them because they keep their freshness well. Don't forget to add these to your "must bake" list for next Christmas! EGGNOG COOKIES 2 ½ c. flour 1 t. baking powder ½ t. cinnamon ½ t. nutmeg 3/4 c. butter 1 1/4 c. sugar ½ c. eggnog 1 t. vanilla 2 egg yolks 1 T. nutmeg, for sprinkling Preheat oven to 300°. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until just combined. Stir flour mixture into eggnog mixture until uniform. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet; sprinkle cookies lightly with nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms are light brown.

Biscotti Brings Me Back

Hello? Anybody out there? After all my time away, quite possibly not, but I'll cross my fingers that someone is still reading my little ol blog. There has obviously been no blogging for quite some time, but amid the fiascos that are my life, I have continued to bake, and bake some delicious things I have! Bear with me, and I promise to do my best to catch everyone up on my baking adventures, and mix in a few stories about my crazy life. Christmas, which is when I went on my most recent blogging hiatus, was of course filled with many day long kitchen adventures. One of my favorite new recipes, which I included in my foodie gift bags, is this Coconut Biscotti recipe. I love, love, love biscotti, and I think this is my new favorite. The coconut flavor is not overpowering, it's just right. I found myself sneaking one of these every morning with my coffee until suddenly there were no more. Thankfully the biscotti are pretty low fat, so I wasn't too ridden with guilt. Coconut Biscotti From Cooking Light 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut Preheat oven to 300°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through nutmeg). Place sugar, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until thick. Add flour mixture and coconut; stir to combine (dough will be very sticky). Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 7 or 8 times. Shape dough into a 15 x 3-inch roll. Place roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pat to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes or until roll is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Cut roll diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch-thick) slices; stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack. Yield 20 cookies (serving size: 1 biscotto) 2.5 grams of fat *The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups flour, but the dough was entirely too sticky.