A Very Sweet Treat

Yesterday was sort of a lazy day so Maggie and I decided to make cookies. We started out thinking about chocolate chip, then we thought maybe sugar cookies with icing, but finally the thought came to me. Why don't we do cookie sandwiches? They are so expensive at the mall (who knows why) and they would be fun to make! We chose Snickerdoodle cookies with a cinnamon buttercream filling. These were a hit with Maggie's and Zach's friends. It took a platter filled with cookie sandwiches outside and came back with three left! I hope the kids who had two didn't go into sugar commas... Anyway, these snickerdoodles are definitely not an everyday thing, but they are a great treat.

Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
Yields: Around 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups castor (granulated) sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups white flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Coating:
3 tablespoons castor (granulated) sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Now is when you can stick the dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes. You don't have too, but it will make scooping easier. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized portions. (Yes, measure it. They have to be consistent to stack them.) Roll the dough portions into little balls and dip into the sugar cinnamon coating. Make sure the balls are well covered in coating. Bake at 350 F or 175 C for 5 to 8 minutes. When they are done, they will look cracked on top. You want to take them out before you normally would for other cookies. That's just how snickerdoodles are. :) Remove immediately from pan. If you break one because they are hot, BONUS! That is the chef's treat. ;) Allow to cool.

Now for the filling...

Buttercream Filling
Yields: About 2 1/2 cups (enough to fill all of your cookies)

1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
Cinnamon, to taste (optional)

Beat butter until smooth and add sugar in 1/2 cup additions. Add vanilla, salt, and milk halfway through adding the sugar. Add the cinnamon, if using, at the end. You may need more/less sugar depending on the consistency, and you want the filling to be pretty firm to fill cookies. The cinnamon is optional but it really brings the cookie and filling together. I used a little less than 2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Take one cookie, turn it upside down, and dollop a glob of filling on the center. Push another cookie down onto the first cookie. Both cookie bottoms should be on the inside. I stuck these into the fridge for a few minutes to sort of "set" the filling. Serve them that day or store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy your treat!

Andy

Maybe, The Best Recipe Ever

Who doesn't like the smell of bread baking in the oven? Even better, who doesn't like the warm steam that rolls out of the inside of the bread? The best is biting into a hunk of freshly baked bread with maybe some creamy butter on top. Although it is tempting, spending 3, 4, or even 5 hours making a couple loaves of bread can kill anyone's enthusiasm. This recipe for bread may be the best yet. Now, let me explain a couple of things. This bread does not get crusty on top, it has a fine, somewhat dense crumb, and it resembles a dinner roll because of the bit of sugar in it. But, it is amazing! And this recipe for bread can be made in just 35 minutes. There are a lot of cool variations that you could do, and I'll list those after the recipe.

35 Minute Bread
Yields: 1 loaf or 12 dinner rolls or 24 small rolls

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup castor sugar (granulated sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2 cups flour (see variations)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, combine the water, oil, yeast, and sugar. Stir gently and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Then mix in the salt and egg. Next, add the flour and sort of knead it in the bowl until well mixed. You may need a little more flour. Make sure that your dough is soft and not too sticky, but smooth. Roll into 12 balls, or form into a loaf. Place in a greased pan and let rest for 10 minutes and then bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly and enjoy!

Really, the possibilities are endless. If you think of something that may work, mix up a batch, add your variations, and throw it in the oven! Here are a few of mine..

-Whole Wheat Bread
Replace as much as all of the flour or as little as 1 cup with whole wheat flour.

-Pizza Bites
Once bread is soft and smooth, roll out until about 1 centimeter thin. Spread a little tomato sauce over the dough and top with cheese and your favorite pizza toppings. Roll the dough up into a log and cut into slices. I usually put the slices into a muffin tray for a uniform shape, but you could bake them on a flat pan too. Bake for about 10 minutes until brown.

-Cinnamon Rolls
Not traditional cinnamon rolls, but equally good, and quick! Roll out the prepared dough as with the pizza rolls and then spread generously with butter. Sprinkle a good amount of cinnamon sugar over the dough evenly, and roll it up. Either put in a muffin pan or pack tightly in a walled-pan.