Cooking
Page 148 in the old book / page 181 in the new book
OK, first off I must call your attention to the name of these cookies. I didn't get it until long after the cookies were out of the oven. Do you see it? They have almond and spice and they're icebox cookies, so.... Almond Spicebox Cookies. I like that.
Anyway, these cookies were crunchy and loaded with almonds, cinnamon and brown sugar - they reminded me of Jan Hagels, except that the almonds were on the inside. They were definitely crowd pleasers - who doesn't like cinnamon? The recipe made a huge batch, so there were plenty for the office to enjoy over two days and some for people to take home as well.
There was nothing unusual in the making of them. The only (slight) difficulty was in shaping the dough. The dough is soft and sticky, so it is spooned onto the wax paper, the paper is folded over it, and then you press the dough into shape (rather than shaping with your hands and then wrapping it). Others of the icebox cookies have been shaped in this way, but this dough was softer than most and I had a little trouble with it. Once frozen, slicing was no problem.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "Delicious! I actually ate two cookies. I usually limit myself to one. Trying to keep my girlish figure. The cookie tastes like a thin ginger bread cookie with thinly sliced almonds. The shape was long like a lady finger and the cookie had a crunch to it, but the cookie melted in your mouth. I loved this cookie. Cathy has broadened my horizons. In the past I would have only rated a cookie with chocolate in it as a 5, but I will give this cookie a 5. Rating- 5.0"
Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and not too much spice. -1 for no chocolate. Rating - 3.8"
Laura: "A wonderful blend of cinnamon and other spices, brown sugar and almonds. Delicious! Rating - 4.0"
Herman: "This week’s cookies were/are DELICIOUS … I rate them 5 out of 5 as they obviously delighted my palette! Rating - 5.0"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.5
Next week - Anise Icebox Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Chocolate-chip Pillows
Page 194 in the old book / page 222 in the new book Wouldn't you know... chocolate finally shows up again and Denny is away for the week on travel. It would be hard to imagine anyone not liking these little pie-shaped cookies filled with chocolate...
- Mondays With Maida - Ischler Cookies
Page 171 in the old book / page 206 in the new book I knew these were going to be a hit - how could they not? Two cookies, rich with butter and ground almonds, are sandwiched together with some sweet and tart apricot jam and then given a crowd-pleasing...
- Mondays With Maida - Viennese Almond Wafers
Page 170 in the old book / page 205 in the new book It was probably when I saw those little beads of butter sweat on the parchment that I first had the sinking feeling these cookies were going to be a flop in the office. Cookies oozing butter don't...
- Mondays With Maida - Neapolitans
Page 134 in the old book / page 170 in the new book "Busy" is the word that comes to mind for these cookies. "Busy" as in cluttered and "busy" as in you're going to be busy for a while making these cookies ;) Unlike some other two-tone cookies, the...
- Mondays With Maida - Cobblestones
Page 132 in the old book / page 168 in the new book These are not cookies that stand up and say, "look at me!", yet they are everything I look for in a cookie - delicious, easy-to-make, chewy and satisfying. Though not unusual in any way, they are arguably...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Almond Spicebox Cookies
Page 148 in the old book / page 181 in the new book
OK, first off I must call your attention to the name of these cookies. I didn't get it until long after the cookies were out of the oven. Do you see it? They have almond and spice and they're icebox cookies, so.... Almond Spicebox Cookies. I like that.
Anyway, these cookies were crunchy and loaded with almonds, cinnamon and brown sugar - they reminded me of Jan Hagels, except that the almonds were on the inside. They were definitely crowd pleasers - who doesn't like cinnamon? The recipe made a huge batch, so there were plenty for the office to enjoy over two days and some for people to take home as well.
There was nothing unusual in the making of them. The only (slight) difficulty was in shaping the dough. The dough is soft and sticky, so it is spooned onto the wax paper, the paper is folded over it, and then you press the dough into shape (rather than shaping with your hands and then wrapping it). Others of the icebox cookies have been shaped in this way, but this dough was softer than most and I had a little trouble with it. Once frozen, slicing was no problem.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "Delicious! I actually ate two cookies. I usually limit myself to one. Trying to keep my girlish figure. The cookie tastes like a thin ginger bread cookie with thinly sliced almonds. The shape was long like a lady finger and the cookie had a crunch to it, but the cookie melted in your mouth. I loved this cookie. Cathy has broadened my horizons. In the past I would have only rated a cookie with chocolate in it as a 5, but I will give this cookie a 5. Rating- 5.0"
Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and not too much spice. -1 for no chocolate. Rating - 3.8"
Laura: "A wonderful blend of cinnamon and other spices, brown sugar and almonds. Delicious! Rating - 4.0"
Herman: "This week’s cookies were/are DELICIOUS … I rate them 5 out of 5 as they obviously delighted my palette! Rating - 5.0"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.5
Next week - Anise Icebox Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Chocolate-chip Pillows
Page 194 in the old book / page 222 in the new book Wouldn't you know... chocolate finally shows up again and Denny is away for the week on travel. It would be hard to imagine anyone not liking these little pie-shaped cookies filled with chocolate...
- Mondays With Maida - Ischler Cookies
Page 171 in the old book / page 206 in the new book I knew these were going to be a hit - how could they not? Two cookies, rich with butter and ground almonds, are sandwiched together with some sweet and tart apricot jam and then given a crowd-pleasing...
- Mondays With Maida - Viennese Almond Wafers
Page 170 in the old book / page 205 in the new book It was probably when I saw those little beads of butter sweat on the parchment that I first had the sinking feeling these cookies were going to be a flop in the office. Cookies oozing butter don't...
- Mondays With Maida - Neapolitans
Page 134 in the old book / page 170 in the new book "Busy" is the word that comes to mind for these cookies. "Busy" as in cluttered and "busy" as in you're going to be busy for a while making these cookies ;) Unlike some other two-tone cookies, the...
- Mondays With Maida - Cobblestones
Page 132 in the old book / page 168 in the new book These are not cookies that stand up and say, "look at me!", yet they are everything I look for in a cookie - delicious, easy-to-make, chewy and satisfying. Though not unusual in any way, they are arguably...