Cooking
Page 49 in the old book / page 82 in the new book
As you may have already guessed from last week, I'm starting to have trouble thinking of something new to say about all these drop cookies. Don't get me wrong... I do like drop cookies, and they are easy to make, it's just they're not that interesting to write about... or so it seems by the time you get around to the 23rd variety of them.
The one thing that I found interesting this week, was that there is sort of a progression from the Praline Wafers, to the Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies to these cookies. When I started this project, one thing I was hoping to gain from it was a better understanding of the chemistry of cookies - how different ingredients in various amounts affect the outcome of a cookie recipe. I think it would be fun to spend a day or two experimenting with slight variations on a single recipe, but I'm not sure when or if I'll ever get around to that. In the meantime, though, I can notice the similarities and differences in Maida Heatter's recipes and try to figure out cause and effect. These cookies have more flour, less sugar (and use dark rather than light brown sugar) and have some sour cream, resulting in a not quite chewy and almost cakey cookie, or what Maida Heatter calls semisoft.
I thought these cookies were nice, but nothing special. They're supposed to be topped with a walnut half, but I didn't have any walnut halves or even any attractive pieces, so I omitted them. It also seemed to me that they had plenty of nuts on the inside and didn't really need a piece on top (OK, and I couldn't help but recall Phil's comment about the Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies).
The cookie panel had quite a variety of ratings for these...
Suzanne: "Perfect cookie with a cup of coffee. This is a cakey cookie. You can really taste the brown sugar. This along with the walnut pieces inside make this a perfect cookie. This would also be good with vanilla ice cream. Yeah, no raisins!. Rating - 5"
Denny: "Very good Nut-Tree Walnut Jumbles. Rating - 4"
Laura: "Chewy cookie with yummy nutty crunch. Rating - 3"
Phil: "Cathy, quit your day job – perfectly cooked cookies – moist, puffy, and nicely textured. But put your considerable skills to another recipe – too nutty and not sweet enough for this sweet tooth. Rating - 2.8"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.7
Next week – 24-Karat Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Sour Cream And Pecan Dreams
Page 229 in the old book / page 254 in the new book These cookies are formed like thumbprint cookies, with a smidgen of brown sugar, sour cream, pecan, and cinnamon filling. They are firm, but not quite chewy and have a hint of cinnamon from the filling....
- Mondays With Maida - Supremes
Page 86 in the old book / page 129 in the new book These cookies have a crumbly oatmeal walnut base, a sweet chocolate middle, and more of the oatmeal mixture on top, as well as an added sprinkling of walnuts. They're good, but too sweet for my taste....
- Mondays With Maida - Blind Date Cookies
Page 58 in the old book / page 89 in the new book These are soft cookies, each with a walnut-stuffed date inside and a thin glaze on top. I thought they were a little too sweet. If these had been easier to make I might have liked them better. The dough...
- Mondays With Maida - Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an...
- Mondays With Maida - The Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies
Page 47 in the old book / page 81 in the new book What a difference a cup or so of flour makes! These cookies have the same ingredients as last week's cookies, but with more flour, less sugar and less butter. While last week's Praline Wafers...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Nut-Tree Walnut Jumbles
Page 49 in the old book / page 82 in the new book
As you may have already guessed from last week, I'm starting to have trouble thinking of something new to say about all these drop cookies. Don't get me wrong... I do like drop cookies, and they are easy to make, it's just they're not that interesting to write about... or so it seems by the time you get around to the 23rd variety of them.
The one thing that I found interesting this week, was that there is sort of a progression from the Praline Wafers, to the Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies to these cookies. When I started this project, one thing I was hoping to gain from it was a better understanding of the chemistry of cookies - how different ingredients in various amounts affect the outcome of a cookie recipe. I think it would be fun to spend a day or two experimenting with slight variations on a single recipe, but I'm not sure when or if I'll ever get around to that. In the meantime, though, I can notice the similarities and differences in Maida Heatter's recipes and try to figure out cause and effect. These cookies have more flour, less sugar (and use dark rather than light brown sugar) and have some sour cream, resulting in a not quite chewy and almost cakey cookie, or what Maida Heatter calls semisoft.
I thought these cookies were nice, but nothing special. They're supposed to be topped with a walnut half, but I didn't have any walnut halves or even any attractive pieces, so I omitted them. It also seemed to me that they had plenty of nuts on the inside and didn't really need a piece on top (OK, and I couldn't help but recall Phil's comment about the Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies).
The cookie panel had quite a variety of ratings for these...
Suzanne: "Perfect cookie with a cup of coffee. This is a cakey cookie. You can really taste the brown sugar. This along with the walnut pieces inside make this a perfect cookie. This would also be good with vanilla ice cream. Yeah, no raisins!. Rating - 5"
Denny: "Very good Nut-Tree Walnut Jumbles. Rating - 4"
Laura: "Chewy cookie with yummy nutty crunch. Rating - 3"
Phil: "Cathy, quit your day job – perfectly cooked cookies – moist, puffy, and nicely textured. But put your considerable skills to another recipe – too nutty and not sweet enough for this sweet tooth. Rating - 2.8"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.7
Next week – 24-Karat Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Sour Cream And Pecan Dreams
Page 229 in the old book / page 254 in the new book These cookies are formed like thumbprint cookies, with a smidgen of brown sugar, sour cream, pecan, and cinnamon filling. They are firm, but not quite chewy and have a hint of cinnamon from the filling....
- Mondays With Maida - Supremes
Page 86 in the old book / page 129 in the new book These cookies have a crumbly oatmeal walnut base, a sweet chocolate middle, and more of the oatmeal mixture on top, as well as an added sprinkling of walnuts. They're good, but too sweet for my taste....
- Mondays With Maida - Blind Date Cookies
Page 58 in the old book / page 89 in the new book These are soft cookies, each with a walnut-stuffed date inside and a thin glaze on top. I thought they were a little too sweet. If these had been easier to make I might have liked them better. The dough...
- Mondays With Maida - Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an...
- Mondays With Maida - The Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies
Page 47 in the old book / page 81 in the new book What a difference a cup or so of flour makes! These cookies have the same ingredients as last week's cookies, but with more flour, less sugar and less butter. While last week's Praline Wafers...