Cookie Madness

First off, Happy Fourth of July!

And now for the weekend tip (even though it’s only Friday).

Last night a reader named Kerry posted this tip.

“Next time you’re baking PB cookies try this suggestion: Add a tablespoon or two of frozen orange juice concentrate. The flavor doesn’t really say “oranges” but it kind of brightens the flavor and improves the texture.”

Sounds interesting.

Thanks Kerry!

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This morning’s dessert recipe is from Pat, who linked to it in the comment section. Pat was sorry Cooks Recipes didn’t include pictures, but promised me it was a good dessert. As to its name, it has flour layers. The first layer is a crumbly crust made of vanilla wafers. The second layer is a thick pile of meringue, the third layer is fresh sweetened whipped cream and the last layer is mixed berries. As a bonus, it’s made in an 8 inch square glass pan and perfect for small groups. If you like it, you can double it and use a 13×9 inch pan.

Here’s the recipe as I made it. What’s great is, the base and meringue can be cooked head of time and topped with cream and berries at serving time.

Four Layer Meringue Berry Dessert

Butter for greasing dish
1 1/2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs, regular or reduced fat
4 tablespoons butter (regular salted type), melted
4 egg whites, room temperature — large
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint assorted berries, sweetened to taste with sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub bottom and sides of baking dish with butter.

Stir together Nilla Wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press this mixture into bottom and slightly up sides of the greased dish.

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add the 1/2 cup sugar to the egg whites. When whites are stiff, beat in the vanilla and pinch of salt. Spread egg white mixture over crust, doing your best not to let it touch sides of pan.

Bake crust & egg white mixture for 16-18 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Spread over cooled meringue. Arrange berries on top.

Serves 4-6 people

Note: the meringue is chewy and soft and billowy in the center. If you like chewier, thicker meringue, you could probably dry it out a little more in the oven by letting it sit with the heat off for 30 minutes. I might try making it with an Italian meringue or the no-weep meringue I used on my last lemon pie.

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Hey!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions regarding the baking rut. Thanks to your comments (and I won’t say who yet, but rather leave you in suspense) I have a new and interesting dessert to post. Or at least I think I will.

For now, here’s a copy of the peanut butter cookie recipe I made for myself, Fuzz and the three kids who came over to play today. I made this recipe because a) it’s a good one and b) I know it by heart. You’ll be able to memorize this too. And just think, if you find yourself in the middle of a Top Chef Quick Fire Peanut Butter Cookie Baking Challenge, you will have a recipe in your head. Tom and Padma won’t be able to say it’s not peanut butter-y enough because you used a whole cup. I used Peanut Butter & Company “Crunch Time” which I’m finding is great in baked goods.

Criss-Cross Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I used PB&Company which is not sweet)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted flour (6 oz)
1/2 to 1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready an ungreased cookie sheet – preferably uninsulated.
Cream the butter and both sugars. Beat in the peanut butter and egg; Scrape sides of bowl and beat in the salt, baking soda and vanilla. When well blended, add flour and stir until it is blended. Stir in the chips.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheets about 2-inches apart. Flatten balls with a fork making crisscross patterns; Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.
3 ½ to 4 dozen

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Congratulations to Lizzie, who just won a year’s supply of Frosty Paws! Here’s her photo.

I’m pretty excited about this because picky Ms. Lizzie looooooves Frosty Paws. Since she’s so little, I let her lick straight from the cup (as in photo) for about 5 minutes then take it away. As she gets older, she can have more.

Anyway. If you living my neighborhood and have a dog, stop by for some Frosty Paws. But not yet, because I don’t have them.

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I am in a HUGE recipe rut right now and can’t think of anything to make. A Fourth of July dessert seems logical, but I’m a bit overhwelmed by all the blueberry/strawberry/whipped cream creations and can’t commit to one. And to be honest, I’d rather just serve really good pound cake with fresh whipped cream and blue & red fruit on top.

So I think I might make peanut butter cookies today. There’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to re-visit for quite some time.

For now, here’s a link to some Flickr photos from yesterday. I’m not done labeling them yet, but you get the idea. It’s basically a bunch of girls running around at Sea World. Rachel took the bulk of the Shamu pix, so I’ll link to hers when and if she posts them.

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