Black and Whites...the quest for perfection...

click on photo

This past week my Grandson and I made my all time FAVORITE cookie Black & Whites. Growing up in NY I was exposed to these cookies on every corner and in every bakery. I am always on a quest for the perfect black and white cookies. Black and whites are like little cakes. The cake texture should be between a cake and a light pound cake. They have to be fresh and the icing has to be perfect. My favorite place to buy them is in Grand Central Station because these babies are baked fresh every day and fly off the shelves in the bakery in a New York minute.

Most New Yorkers have a ritual for how they eat them. I prefer the vanilla side the best so I first eat the chocolate side and save the best for last. I like to savor every single bite.

There are many Black and White cookie debates. One thing New Yorkers will agree upon is that they are best eaten along with a big glass of milk and shared with someone you love.

Half Moon Cookies aka Black and Whites

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I use non salt butter)
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375*.

Cream sugar and butter.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients and then add to the sugar and butter.

Add the vanilla.

Add the milk.

Batter will be fluffy in appearance since these are like little cakes.

Drop by tablespoons ( I used 1/4 cup) on a greased cookie sheet. I use silpat mats so I did not grease. Use your spoon to mold into round shapes. I made my cookies the size of a small saucer.

Bake until brown but not dark. The recipe did not say for how long to bake but I baked them for approximately 13-15 minutes until they were a light golden color.

Cool and frost.

Frosting

Frost half the cookies with vanilla and half with chocolate.

2 cups confectionery sugar and a few teaspoons of water to reach desired thick consistency.
I will add some vanilla the next time as I found they lacked flavor.

The frosting must dry before adding the other frosting.

2 cups confectionery sugar and 3 tablespoons unsweetened coco powder and a few tablespoons of water to reach desired consistency.

I found the cookies to be a little dry in texture so I am still on my quest for the perfect NY black and white cookies.

Do you have a favorite black and white cookie recipe?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Chocolate Cake & Aunt Mary...Foodie Friday

This weeks theme is Cake and since I love to play with flour this was a fun theme for me!
Please visit Designs by Gollum to view more delicious cakes.

This week I was watching the movie MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. The part where the Mom brings her bundt cake to meet the in-laws reminds me of my Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary loved to bake bundt cakes. Each week she would bake several for family and friends. She did not drive and she loved to have company. Being Italian, she knew that the way to entice you to visit her was through your stomach. Every Saturday morning, my brother and I would scramble to the telephone while it was ringing . We would make a bet with each other to see if the call was from Aunt Mary. If the call was from Aunt Mary, she would casually ask if we would like to come over to pick up the special bundt cake that she made just for us. Since Aunt Mary had twelve brothers and sisters, and a ton of grown nieces and nephews with children of their own, it was truly like winning the Italian lottery in our family if you received "THE CALL".

Aunt Mary's Chocolate Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350

Grease and flour bundt pan (serves a dozen Italians)

1 box of devil's food cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding mix (3.9 small size)
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed with electric mixer for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Increase speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes scraping down the sides if needed.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Batter will be thick.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Place in oven on the middle rack.
Bake cake until it springs back 45-50 minutes. Oven temps differ so test with a toothpick.
Remove pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
Invert cake onto a rack to cool completely for 20 minutes or more. You may need to run a knife around the edge of the pan should it stick to the sides.
When cake is completely cool sprinkle with powdered sugar.

So bake Aunt Mary's Bundt cake and make "THE CALL" and entice someone special to share this chocolate treat. I promise you that you will both feel SPECIAL!

MANGIA!

Fresh Strawberry Pie...

Strawberry Pie

1 Pastry shell, cook and cool & set aside

Filling:
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) strawberries, hulled
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Bake Pastry shell as directed.

In a small bowl, mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup.
In a 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch.
Gradually stir in 1/2 cup water and mashed strawberries.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.
Boil and stir 1 minute; cool.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and lemon peel until smooth.
Spread evenly in pie crust.
Top with remaining strawberries.
Poor cooked strawberry mixture over top.
Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
Store in refrigerator.

I found that this Betty Crocker recipe was light and refreshing. It would be perfect on a hot summer day with a glass of lemonade. The lemon peel gives it a nice taste but it is not overpowering. This should be made and served the same day as it tends to get a bit runny the next day. Did I like this? You betcha. I made 3 this week for my neighbors and they all gave it thumbs up!

MANGIA!

Saddle up for some Derby Day Pie....

It's Post Time!

Get your ovens ready to bake and your horses ready to run.
Grab a traditional Mint Julep .
Sit back and enjoy the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

Preparation:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into pie pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.

*Photo from internet

Easter Egg Bread...

My Grandmother & Mom & Aunts would make a bread similar to the following recipe that I found on allrecipes. The only thing I did differently was add some lemon zest. I also added some pastel colored sprinkles. I decreased the baking time by about 10 minutes.

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 5 whole eggs, dyed if desired
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
2. Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden.

ENJOY!

Kitchen Gadgets addiction...

The Beaterblade +

I love kitchen gadgets. I have a draw full of them in all shapes and sizes but when I saw this I just knew I had to have just one more to add to my addiction. My KA is old some of you may already have this beater style with your newer KA edition.

The BeaterBlade continuously beats, scrapes, folds and mixes clean like a squeegee — with a patented, wiper-blade design that eliminates hand-scraping bowls, batter build-up, and unmixed contents. It’s a holiday must for cookies, cakes, frostings, meatloaf, mashed potatoes — you name it. And it cuts mixing time by as much as 50%! Dishwasher-safe. Rubber and metal. Made in the USA. This comes in two sizes for your KA's.

So now I am hanging out at my front door waiting for the UPS person to deliver my new gadget so that I can perform my FLOUR POWER!