Archives: Butter Pecan Cookies

December 21, 2009 | Filed Under Baking, Cookies, From the Archives | 8 Comments

**I haven’t been cooking or food blogging lately. So, I’ve decided to go through my archives and repost some of my earlier posts, from the days when I started learning to cook and bake (I’m still learning). It certainly brings back good memories.

I remember when I first made these Butter Pecan Cookies. They were really good. I made them several times afterwards. I’ve gotta make them again, very soon.

Happy Holidays to all!

Paz

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Originally posted December 25, 2006

Hi everyone:

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukhah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Eid-al-Adha… Whatever you celebrate, I wish you all the best during this holiday season.

Here’s a delicious Butter Pecan Cookie recipe I’d like to share with you. It’s from Simply Recipes. The buttery taste, along with the pecans will have you going back for more. I made them Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. They keep disappearing. Fast! I may make it one more time on Tuesday. The more I make it the better my cookie-making skills become.

This recipe only makes 12 cookies, but you can double the ingredients to make more. Thanks, Elise for the recipe and tip on creaming the butter and sugar. Very helpful.

Paz

Butter Pecan Cookies
Simply Recipes

By the way, here’s a tip I learned over lunch with Bay Area pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. Cream the butter first. Then add sugar and cream them together. This is the way it is supposed to be done. (Thanks Shuna!)

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1- Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2- With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3- Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet.

4- Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.

5- Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Archives: Santa, Baby — Stained Glass Cookies

December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Baking, Cookies, From the Archives | 7 Comments

I remember the first time I made these cookies. I was so proud of myself.

Paz

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Originally posted December 26, 2007

Okay. So, one of the questions in a Christmas meme that I recently completed got me thinking. It asked what I left for Santa. My answer was nothing. Then I started to think that this year, perhaps, I could bake some cookies for him.

I saw the most enticing, delectable-looking cookies — Stained Glass Cookies — on Elise’s Simply Recipes site. Actually, I’d first seen these cookies on Pille’s blog some time ago. Looking at them, again, this time on Elise’s blog, I was ready and knew that they were the cookies I’d bake for Santa! Yeah, baby!

I put all the ingredients together without incident and then the adventure began: The instructions called for placing the hard candies (that made the stained glass portion) in a bag and then crushing them. Anxious to make my cookies, I forgot to put the candy in a bag before crushing them. I placed them on the chopping board and started whacking away at them. Each time I banged on them with my mallet, pieces of candy would fly all over the kitchen.

Oh, my! However, I didn’t let that minor hiccup stop me. Determined to get my stained glass, I continued to bang away. I think half of the candy must have landed on the kitchen floor. Haha! I’m sorry to say that it never occurred to me on my own, to put it in a bag to contain it. Duh. What a scene. Definitely, next time, I’ll remember to use the bags to crush the candy.

I cut out my cookies and filled in the shapes to make the stained glass, put them in the oven, and voila! I made my very first ever Stained Glass Cookies. They didn’t look too bad and they tasted G-R-E-A-T! I think Santa liked them because the next morning, I found the cookie plate empty and I found some gifts under the Christmas tree with my name on it. Thankfully, he didn’t leave me any coal. So, I think I did all right.

Thanks, Elise and Pille, for the recipe and inspiration. Now that I’ve started, I plan on making these cookies again.

Paz

Oh, by the way, I did my best but for some reason couldn’t get decent photos of the cookies. I was unable to capture how much they really looked like stained glass windows when held to the light. Check out Elise and Pille’s cookies for an accurate and beautiful photo.

Stained Glass Cookies

Simply Recipes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
30-40 hard candies (such as Life Savers), preferably in several flavors/colors

1 Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

2 In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.

3 Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days.

4 Remove any wrappers on candies and separate them by color into plastic bags. Using a mallet to crush candies.

5 Place one disk between two large sheets of waxed paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut shapes into centers of cookies, reserving these center bits to add into extra dough.

6 Use a spoon to sprinkle the crushed candy into the hollowed-out centers of the cookies, filling to the edges. Try to keep the candy within the centers. Any candy specks that fall on the cookie will color the cookie.

7 If cookies will be hung as ornaments or decorations, poke a small hole in the top of each cookie before baking.

8 Bake 9 to 10 minutes. The candy should be melted and bubbling and the cookies just barely beginning to brown. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool on pans at least 10 minutes; otherwise, the candy centers may separate from the dough. When cookies are completely cooled, remove and store in an airtight container. String with ribbon if you want to hang as an ornament.

Makes 2 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.

Drop In & Decorate

November 13, 2009 | Filed Under Announcements, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate | 6 Comments

Hi Folks:

I’ve mentioned Drop In & Decorate®, the cookies-for-donation event founded by Lydia of The Perfect Pantry, many times before and it’s time for me to mention it again.

It’s so exciting for me to know that this fun and worthwhile event continues to spread across the 50 states and Canada and it’s about to start again for the holiday season.

Here is what Lydia writes about Drop In & Decorate®:

We’re based in Rhode Island. This will be the 8th year of cookies-for-donation in my kitchen. We are year-round, not just at the holidays. But holidays are a great time to get people together.

I’m not a baker - in fact, I’m baking-challenged! So, really, anyone can do this.

There’s a free guide with everything you need to know to host your own party, download on our web side (www.dropinanddecorate.org)

Before the end of this year, the 10,000th cookie will be decorated and donated. Where???

December 4 is National Cookie Day.

Cookies make people smile, and bring a bit of happiness to people in difficult circumstances.

If you’re interested in this cookie donation and would like to participate, here’s how:

The idea behind Drop In & Decorate® is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your worship group or book group to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community.

It’s a simple idea in a complicated world, and something anyone can do.

If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate® event, Pillsbury and Wilton would like to help.

Pillsbury has donated 50 VIP coupons, worth $3.00 each, off any Pillsbury product — including sugar cookie mix, icing and flour — to be distributed, first come, first served, while supply lasts, to anyone who plans to host a Drop In & Decorate event (max. 5 coupons per person). And we’ll include a Comfort Grip cookie cutter, donated by Wilton, while our supply lasts.

Write to lydia AT ninecooks DOT com for more info on how to get your free coupons and cookie cutters.

So, how about joining in on the fun of making others feel good?

Paz

I Liked it! I Really Liked It!

May 10, 2009 | Filed Under Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate, Foods I Never Liked Before Until I Started to Cook, Herbs, Sweet Potatoes | 30 Comments

Sweet potatoes! Simply tossed with extra virgin olive oil, salt (or Veg-it), and chopped fresh herbs like Oregano, Marjoram, Rosemary and Thyme. Roasted at about 375°F till cooked and a little caramelized. And Viola! Ready for me to enjoy. I loved it!

I never liked sweet potatoes. While I found sweet potato pie okay (a little too sweet for me), I never cared for it. In general, I hated it, especially when it was served at Thanksgiving meals. Hated it. Okay, maybe I should say I never liked the way they were prepared.

Well, I finally liked this dish, based on a suggestion from Christine Cooks. Yay! I liked that it was simple to make. The taste was flavorful and enhanced by the fresh herbs. A really nice meal. Sweet potatoes will now be on my eating list.

A while ago, I mentioned that Lydia of The Perfect Pantry was looking for people to host the Drop In & Decorate® holiday event, where you and your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) get together and decorate cookies (like a cookie-decorating party) then donate the cookies to places serving people in difficult circumstances during the holiday season — places like an emergency shelter, local food pantry, senior center. It’s started and been really successful so far. If you have time, you can read an update about it and see fun photos here.

Have a good week, all.

Paz

Help Donate 1,000 Cookies for Mother’s Day…

April 18, 2009 | Filed Under Announcements, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate | 9 Comments

… and have fun in the process.

Wonderful Lydia of The Perfect Pantry, founder of Drop In & Decorate® is asking for our help to participate in the latest Drop In & Decorate® holiday event.

Drop In & Decorate® is a fun event where you and your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) get together and decorate cookies (like a cookie-decorating party) then you donate the cookies to places serving people in difficult circumstances during the holiday season — like an emergency shelter, local food pantry, senior center.

Lydia has organized a Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® Mothers Day Celebration, which will take place from May 1-10, 2009. Her goal is to donate 1,000 cookies to agencies across the country.

For example, Lydia is hosting her own decorating party and will donate the cookies to Lucy’s Hearth, SSTARbirth, and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

She writes that "You, too, can honor moms everywhere by hosting (or helping to organize) your own cookie decorating party, with your friends, family, co-workers or faith group. We’ll write about all of the Mothers Day events (and link to your blog) on our site."

The Drop In & Decorate® organization will also give a prize to the host who donates the most cookies. The prize package includes free coupons for organic ready-to-bake cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co.

If you’d like to participate in this Cookies-for-Donation event, contact Lydia:

Lydia AT dropinanddecorate DOT org

She’ll send you more info on how to host your own cookies-for-donation event. In the meantime, she’s passed along some responses to Frequently Asked Questions.

Thanks for your help!

Paz

Ed. Note: Fourteen different Mother’s Day events have started already. You can read about it here.

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Mothers Day Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® Cookies for Donation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I take part in the Coast-to-Coast Drop In & Decorate® event?

It’s easy — your party can be big, or just you and your kids, or a couple of friends. Pick a date between May 1-10. Bake cookies ahead of time (or ask people to bring baked cookies). Invite a few friends over to decorate, or invite your entire neighborhood to join in. Then wrap your cookies, and deliver to a local agency or shelter.

Where do I donate the cookies?

To your local food pantry, Ronald McDonald House, senior center, homeless shelter, or domestic abuse shelter. For Mother’s Day, why not look for an agency serving women and children? If you don’t know of an agency to take your cookies, we’ll help you find a recipient.

Is there a prize for whoever donates the most cookies to their agency?

Yes! Besides the warm feelings that come from giving a gift of kindness, Drop In & Decorate has a special prize pack for the host whose event donates the most cookies to their designated agency: A reuseable canvas shopping bag, three large cookie cutters, and 5 coupons for free ready-to-bake organic cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co. — enough to bake 120 cookies! Just let us know that you’re planning an event; then, send us the name of your recipient agency, the number of decorated cookies you donated, and photos to share on our site at www.dropinanddecorate.org.

How much does a party cost?

If you already have the ingredients for your favorite type of sugar cookie in your pantry, the party is absolutely free! If you’d like to purchase supplies similar to those used at the flagship event, download our "host your own cookie decorating party" brochure for supplies and sources.

Can I use your logo for my event?

Yes! Send me an email, and I’ll send you a JPG.

Good News: Drop In & Decorate

December 6, 2008 | Filed Under Announcements, Baking, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate | 5 Comments

Some news I wanted to share with you:

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry is also the founder of Drop In & Decorate, a special cookie event. I mentioned Drop In & Decorate last year. It started out as a holiday event and has grown bigger. It’s a fun time where you bake cookies and then invite your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) to help decorate the cookies. It’s like a cookie-decorating party. Next, you donate the cookies (to places like a shelter or food pantry, etc…). This is not only a fun event in which to participate, it’s also worthwhile.

Check out Lydia’s site, Drop In & Decorate. You’ll find cookie recipes, photos, tips on how to host a cookie-decorating party, where to donate your cookies and more.

New York Monday #101: Flat Stanley in New York City!

December 17, 2007 | Filed Under Books, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate, New York Monday | 11 Comments

Flat Stanley in the subway station. I think riding the subway was his favorite thing to do.

New York, New York —
It’s a helluva of a town,
The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down.
The People ride in a hole in the ground.
New York, New York —
It’s a helluva of a town.

Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Leonard Bernstein’s musical, On the Town

Fellow blogger, Kelly of Ms. ABC Mom is a school teacher. Her students are participating in interesting and fun event that involves a book character called Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley is a normal boy who, one day, wakes up flat as a pancake (a bulletin board fell on him). He becomes four feet tall, a foot wide and half and inch thick. Flat Stanley takes advantage of this predicament and is able to do a lot of things no one else can do. He can slip in between things and go places easily. For example, he can slide under a closed door or narrow metal grating. Instead of worrying about paying expensive airfare to travel, he can fold himself and fit into an envelope, and put in the mail. Flat Stanley has several adventures.

The students in Kelly’s class made Flat Stanleys and sent them out to people all over the United States and world. The person who receives Flat Stanley is asked to take him around and then send him back to the class with a report (and photos if possible) about the places he’s visited.

As Flat Stanley’s host, I had lots of fun showing him around town. So easy to travel with, he slipped into my book and we took the subway. I think he liked riding the subway best. He didn’t want to get out of the subway car and go upstairs. He wanted to keep riding the train.

The photos here shows a few places that Flat Stanley visited. This was fun.

On another note, a few weeks ago, I posted an annoucement about Lydia’s Drop In and Decorate event. Many people have participated. Lydia had a record number of people (85!) stop by her kitchen to decorate cookies, which were sent out to two food pantries and six shelters for domestic abuse victims. Wow! Looks like it was a lot of fun and many people are going to be happy reaping the benefits of all the volunteers efforts. Go have a look at some of the cookies they decorated here. Great job Lydia and all! It’s not too late to participate. You can read about how to get involved here.

Paz

In front of the legendary Apollo theater in Harlem. The place that discovered several celebrity performers.

In front of Grant’s tomb, where the 18th president of the United States is buried.

In front of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Gothic style cathedral in the world.

Look here!

Grandma Hazel’s Easy-As-Pie Banana Bread

November 6, 2007 | Filed Under Baking, Banana Bread, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate | 24 Comments

Yes. I’m still baking breads and still having fun.

Here’s another recipe I liked in Ruth’s cookbook Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories. This banana bread recipe is from her Grandmother. She’s right it’s so easy to make. The ingredients were readily available and it didn’t take long to put them together and bake. Within a short time, I had a tasty banana bread set on the stove top, waiting to cool. It didn’t last long — perhaps a day and a half. Then it was all gone.

Paz

Grandma Hazel’s Easy-As-Pie Banana Bread

Every Kitchen Tells its Stories

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas (Joanna uses 4)

2 tbsp soft butter

1 cup sugar

1½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips and /or coarsely chopped nuts – pecans or walnuts work well (optional

1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.

2. Mash bananas in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until blended. It seems as if there is not enough liquid but don’t be fooled. The very ripe bananas add all the moisture needed. Mix the ingredients together with a fork for 2-3 minutes. That’s all you need to create the batter.

3. Pour into greased 9”x5” loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry (unless of course you hit a chocolate chip).

4. Cool for 10 minutes on a cake rack before removing from pan.

5. To bake muffins, prepare the batter as above and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400°F/200°C, in center of the oven.

For more info, go here.

New York Monday #95: Red Dot

November 5, 2007 | Filed Under Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate, New York Monday | 10 Comments

Due to the unseasonably warm weather in New York City, it’s taking a while for the leaves to change color. The majority of the leaves are still green. However, in some places, you’ll see touches of yellow and red — reminders that the fall season is here.

Have a great week everyone.

Paz

Go here for more information.

Drop in & Decorate: Cookies for Donation

November 4, 2007 | Filed Under Announcements, Baking, Cookies, Donation, Drop in & Decorate | 14 Comments

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry has started a wonderful holiday event. It’s called Drop In & Decorate: Cookies for Donation. It’s an easy and fun event. All you do is bake some cookies, invite friends or family (or co-workers or neighbors) to drop by and help decorate. Then donate your cookies to a local food pantry, emergency shelter, senior center, lunch program, or other group serving people in difficult circumstances during the holiday season.

Isn’t that a wonderful idea? I think so. In Lydia’s words, "It’s a wonderful way to give back, to spend time with friends and family without spending gobs of money on gifts, to give the gift of your time and creativity to brighten someone else’s holiday."

Another cool thing about this party is that King Arthur Flour is joining in on the fun and will sell Drop In & Decorate baking kits from now till November 15. If you buy the kit within that time, they will offer a free dough scraper with each order. Add the kit to your shopping cart. On the payment page, enter Promotion Code "Dropin" to the Promotion field and click the Update button. The page will refresh and the dough scraper will be added to your order. Offer valid through November 15 only (but the kit is on sale until December 26, and would make a great holiday gift).

You can read more about Lydia’s event and how to host your own cookie decorating party here at ninecooks.com.

Way to go, Lydia! Way to go!