Cooking
Page 68 in the old book / page 96 in the new book
Phil suggested that everyone might like these so much because we were on the rebound from those awful Poppy-Seed Wafers. There might be an element of truth to that, but they were awful good. Not only were they good, they were unusual - quite different in flavor from any spice cookie I've ever had.
Because of the unusual spices in this recipe, I was afraid I was setting myself up for another disaster. But I need not have worried, these cookies have a wonderful warm spicy taste. The anise is what you taste first, but it is supported by the ginger and molasses and the other spices (coriander, cinnamon, and cloves) as well, though they are less distinct.
Some people didn't really enjoy the noticeable presence of whole anise seeds and crushed coriander. If you make these (and I recommend that you do!), depending upon your intended audience, you may want to try grinding the anise seed before adding it. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the coriander, but next time I'll probably substitute ground coriander. I did like the whole anise seed though.
I had a little trouble getting the proper consistency for the icing. I used more sugar and less milk than called for and it still wanted to run off the cookies. Next time I think I'll start with 2 cups of sugar and play it by ear with the milk.
It's so nice to have a happy cookie panel again...
Suzanne: "This was a soft cookie with the definite taste of anise. If you don't like licorice you won't like this cookie. The cookie had too many different tastes. I prefer a crunchier cookie. I did like the icing and the pecan on top. Rating - 3.0"
Denny: "Another one that I wouldn't normally like but I rate them a 4. Very good even with the anise which I don't like. Rating - 4.0"
Laura: "Moist, yummy cookies. Loved the spices! Rating - 4.0"
Phil: "A delightful discovery -- soft almost fluffy cookie with a strong melange of interesting spices (aptly refered to as exotic by Maida) with a noticable zip of anise. Seemed to wake up a range of taste buds I didn't remember having. Rating - 4.4"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.9
Next week - Vanilla Butter Wafers
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Whole-wheat Honey Wafers
Page 160 in the old book / page 198 in the new book Last week was the first of a string of plain brown cookies that will be featured here over the coming weeks. This doesn't make for very interesting photos - hence the bow tie on these fellas. Though...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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 - Indian Figlets
Indian Figlets - oh, and guess where the plate came from! Page 51 in the old book / page 84 in the new book These cookies are an interesting combination of spice, lemon and figs. I thought the combination of lemon and fig sounded really good, but I felt...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Tijuana Fiesta Cookies
Page 68 in the old book / page 96 in the new book
Phil suggested that everyone might like these so much because we were on the rebound from those awful Poppy-Seed Wafers. There might be an element of truth to that, but they were awful good. Not only were they good, they were unusual - quite different in flavor from any spice cookie I've ever had.
Because of the unusual spices in this recipe, I was afraid I was setting myself up for another disaster. But I need not have worried, these cookies have a wonderful warm spicy taste. The anise is what you taste first, but it is supported by the ginger and molasses and the other spices (coriander, cinnamon, and cloves) as well, though they are less distinct.
Some people didn't really enjoy the noticeable presence of whole anise seeds and crushed coriander. If you make these (and I recommend that you do!), depending upon your intended audience, you may want to try grinding the anise seed before adding it. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the coriander, but next time I'll probably substitute ground coriander. I did like the whole anise seed though.
I had a little trouble getting the proper consistency for the icing. I used more sugar and less milk than called for and it still wanted to run off the cookies. Next time I think I'll start with 2 cups of sugar and play it by ear with the milk.
It's so nice to have a happy cookie panel again...
Suzanne: "This was a soft cookie with the definite taste of anise. If you don't like licorice you won't like this cookie. The cookie had too many different tastes. I prefer a crunchier cookie. I did like the icing and the pecan on top. Rating - 3.0"
Denny: "Another one that I wouldn't normally like but I rate them a 4. Very good even with the anise which I don't like. Rating - 4.0"
Laura: "Moist, yummy cookies. Loved the spices! Rating - 4.0"
Phil: "A delightful discovery -- soft almost fluffy cookie with a strong melange of interesting spices (aptly refered to as exotic by Maida) with a noticable zip of anise. Seemed to wake up a range of taste buds I didn't remember having. Rating - 4.4"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.9
Next week - Vanilla Butter Wafers
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Whole-wheat Honey Wafers
Page 160 in the old book / page 198 in the new book Last week was the first of a string of plain brown cookies that will be featured here over the coming weeks. This doesn't make for very interesting photos - hence the bow tie on these fellas. Though...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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 - Indian Figlets
Indian Figlets - oh, and guess where the plate came from! Page 51 in the old book / page 84 in the new book These cookies are an interesting combination of spice, lemon and figs. I thought the combination of lemon and fig sounded really good, but I felt...