salted butterscotch oatmeal cookies

Last week my good old friend left Vancouver and headed back to the South. The night before she left, I decided to make some cookies for her to take back on the plane. If she had to leave the sunny and very spring-like Vancouver weather for the snowed in streets of Durham NC, she might as well take something nice for the harried trip home. She, like myself, appreciates the sweet and the salty together in one bite and these oatmeal cookies turned out to be pretty delicious. I was initially worried about using butterscotch chips but the salt really helped to tame that kid-friendly flavour into something almost sophisticated. Well, maybe not sophisticated, but something that at least goes well with coffee or a double-strength earl grey tea. Crispy, salty and sweet, these oatmeal cookies turned out quite tasty. You can get the recipe over at Poppytalk.

Interested in a little winter libation? How 'bout sneaking over to ReadyMade and checking out my Olympic spirits? A little Maple Leaf Sour to warm you up while watching all that snow and ice on television? I think so. Make mine a double!

Blog Aid Recipes for: Haiti Cookbook update:

Just this very second, I got a knock from Canada Post at my door. Inside of the box was the Blog Aid cookbook. After tearing up the packaging, I'm just stunned at how wonderful the book looks and I'm already drooling over the recipes. The cookbook sales were spectacular and all told $47,166 was raised and sent to Haiti!! So a big thank you to everyone who bought a copy. You can find out more about this project here.

vegan-ish sandwich cookies + portland (+ big changes)

I made these cookies well before the holiday rush way back in early December. I had a friend coming over for dinner and wanted something special for dessert. I had spotted these "no-reos" a few days earlier on a new-to-me blog called The Gluttonous Vegan Loves You (the name is as adorable as the blog itself) and I knew that this was the cookie I was going to try.

I'm not really a fan of iced cookies, but I knew that my friend would love them, so I whipped up a batch. Despite the added component of making frosting, these are quite simple to make. And, the cookies taste amazing....even without the frosting! I think these cookies, plain, will be made again and again when I'm craving something sweet. While the original recipes is fully vegan, I made my frosting totally non-vegan since I didn't have any vegan cream cheeze on hand. But do what you like, vegan, vegan-ish, or made with butter and dairy, these are fine, fine cookies.

But do they taste like the real thing? They really do! The chocolate cookie is nice and dark and not too sweet and together with the vanilla filling, it's the ultimate sandwich cookie. I decided to make a chocolate version to go along with the vanilla, and the chocolate filling turned out better in terms of texture which I'm guessing is because the extra cocoa made it extra sturdy. The vanilla tasted more like an Oreo, but because I was hesitant to add too much icing sugar, it was soft which made the cookies smoosh around after each bite. Which isn't too much of a problem, you know?

Before I solicit any Portland, OR travel tips, I have some exciting blog news! You can find out more here on EverybodyLikesSandwiches.com (hint, hint!). Stay tuned for more details once things get wrapped up on the switch. Now, about Portland...we're heading down for a few days via train which excites me to no end. We're staying downtown at The Nines (got a super-dooper deal) and will be using our feets and public transit to get around. I've waxed about Portland so often, and we definitely have our favorite spots (Pine State Biscuits, Pambiche, Amnesia Brewing, Reading Frenzy, Powell's, The Tin Shed, Hedge House), but again, would love your help in discovering a few more. Food cart recommendations, cozy pubs & drinking spots, great little indie shops, etc. Leave a comment & I'll see you next week!

vegan-ish sandwich cookies
(adapted from The Gluttonous Vegan Likes You)
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 scant c sugar
1/2 c vegan margarine, melted
1/4 c canola oil
2 t almond or soy milk

filling
1/3 c vegan cream cheese (or not vegan, if you swing that way)
1/2 c - 3/4 c icing sugar
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
1 T cocoa powder (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients (flour through sugar). Pour in the melted margarine and canola oil and mix it well. Stir in the milk. The mixture will be a bit crumbly, but that's just how it is. Go with it.

2. Use a teaspoon to ball up the dough, roll it into a ball and then slightly flatten it down with your palm. These spread quite a bit, so keep the cookies spread apart on your cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops crack slightly, while remaining soft. Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Makes about 30 cookies.

3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the cream cheese with the icing sugar, salt and vanilla until the icing is smooth and of a good consistency. If it's too thick, thin it slightly with a tiny bit of milk. If it's too thin, add in more icing sugar. Divide half of the filling and add in the cocoa if you want to make 2 fillings, one chocolate.

4. When the cookies are thoroughly cool, pair up the cookies of equal sizes and spread one half with a dab of the filling. Press the cookies together so that the filling spreads out. Now, try not to eat them all at once.

lemon cornmeal shortbread cookies

I know, I know...another cookie recipe. Really, if that's the worst thing in the world then I'm happy I'm living in a cookie-filled world. However, this cookie is a bit different from most cookies that I make. For one, it's got cornmeal in it which gives it an amazing sandy grit. I'm saying sandy grit and you might be thinking, uh oh, kinda weird. But it's good. Trust me. The sandy grit in your teeth is so much better than the sandy grit in your bathing suit after a day at the beach.

The second thing I love about these, it's that they are shortbread cookies. Not too sweet, slightly crumbly and I could satisfy my late night cookie craving even though I was all out of brown sugar. Oh, and they are also lemony which is always a good thing. And like all late-night cookies, they are really simple to prepare. So head on over to Poppytalk and bake up a batch.

the no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal "cookie"

To me, no-bake cookies come right out of old cookbooks with worn canvas covers. I've seen plenty of no-bake recipes while browsing through my vintage cookbook collection, but never thought to try them myself. Then I spied these no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies on Ezra Poundcake and something told me....Go! Now! No-bake these immediately! Well, that was last fall and I only made them a few days ago. Obviously, I'm tardy when it comes to following my gut. But no more. These are seriously the easiest cookies anyone could ever make, so what are you waiting for?

I'm actually hesitant to call this a cookie. They remind me of a chocolate haystack candy that my mom made when I was little. They were amazing and this no-bake recipe is the closest thing I've had since I was nine. It's like a sweet bite of memory overload. I followed the original recipe and used tablespoons to drop the mixture onto waxed paper, but in hindsight I'd use just a teaspoon. Smaller lumps would make for better bites. Plus, these babies are sweeeeeeeeeet! Next time I'd cut the sugar and increase the peanut butter, but I'm not sure if that would screw up the recipe. Thoughts? Oh and another bonus? Easy to make vegan by switching in soy milk and soy margarine!

These cookies/candies make use of the stove top, so they are perfect for summer sweets when turning on the oven would be criminal. Plus they are delicious served cold, which makes them a refreshing bite of chocolatey goodness. I tried a keeping a batch in the freezer and a batch in the fridge for testing sake. The ones in the freezer were stickier and gooey and the ones in the fridge were almost sandy in comparison. I liked the sandier fridge chilled cookies best, but do whatchya like! Either way, they'll go quickly.

no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies
(adapted from Ezra Poundcake)
1/2 c butter
2 c sugar (I used a scant 2 cups)
1 t salt
1/2 c milk
4 T cocoa
1/2 c natural peanut butter
3 to 3 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
2 T vanilla

In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the first five ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Add in remaining ingredients and then use a teaspoon to drop the mixture onto cookie sheets lined with waxed paper. Chill until set. Keep in refrigerator.

package cookies: ANZAC biscuits

My best friend lives in Durham, NC which makes dropping off cookies a bit more difficult. When she lived around the corner from me in Vancouver it was real easy to do so many things, but through the years we've managed nicely, I think. She's a good friend and her holiday package to me was chock full of good stuff, including a few things that would be pretty difficult for a Canadian to find...like a can of boiled peanuts, a bag of grits and the holiest of all flours, the very Southern White Lily. Yes, my friend knows me well.

When it came time for me finally send off my uber-late holiday box to her, there was still a bit of room in the package and I wanted to fill it with some baking. After spotting the recipe for ANZAC biscuits, I decided that this would be the biscuit that would make the trip over the border to North Carolina. These cookies are made for traveling long distances since they were baked up by loved ones of the Australian New Zealand Army Corps and sent off to soliders fighting abroad. Traditionally, these are made with golden syrup, but since I didn't have any on hand, I decided to sub in honey instead which is a very acceptable substitute.

Besides the little history lesson, how are these easy to whip up cookies? They're good, but honestly, they're not my favorite. I love coconut and oats but I felt that they were missing something. They are sturdy and hearty and not overly sweet which are all good things in my book, but I couldn't put a finger on what was missing. Maybe next time a bit of lemon zest would make these cookies sing or a splash of vanilla or almond extract to round out the flavour. Yeah, that's probably it! As is, it definitely makes a good breakfast cookie with a cup of hot coffee. However, that's just my opinion. They are an eggless cookie, so that's always a nice find. Easy to make vegan too by replacing the butter with a vegan margarine and the honey with agave nectar. My husband liked these cookies a whole lot and they reminded him of cookies his grandmother used to make, and grandma's cookies are never a bad thing!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's about the Bloggies again. I really would love to win, so please tackle the very unruly sideways scroll bar and vote for me as Best Canadian Weblog. While you're there, vote for a few other favorites (I'm in very good company). Remember, voting ends February 2nd!

anzac biscuits
(recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)
2 c all-purpose flour
2 cs rolled oats
1 3/4 c sugar
1 c sweetened flaked coconut
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 t salt
2 T honey
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 c boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment or silpat. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, salt and coconut. Set aside.

2. In a medium size pot, melt butter and honey together. In a measuring cup, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and pour into the butter mixture. ..be careful as the baking soda will foam up. Stir well and pour into flour and oats mixture.

3. Use a tablespoon to gather the dough to form a ball with your hands. This mixture is very crumbly, so roll tightly! Press the dough with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 18 cookies.

let's call them rustic: brown butter cookies & other holiday goodies

I was super excited when I saw Gourmet's favorite cookie guide. Cookie recipes from 1941 to 2008...amazing!!! The first cookies that really caught my eye were the brown butter cookies from 1961 and when Cornelius needed to make some cookies for a work party on Friday, I suggested those. Now, I don't want to blame my husband for the outcome of these cookies. True, cooking let alone baking are not his strong suits, but there were factors against his control. Mainly, we were out of white sugar. I figured brown would be an easy substitute. Uh, maybe not. Somehow these cookies didn't come together like I thought they would. They are super fragile and sandy and they're not very sweet at all. Whatever. I stuck them in the freezer because I'm sure (like all shortbreads), they'll taste better when frozen and eaten at midnight as a snack. Try the recipe out if you like, otherwise, just dig into some tried & true holiday goodies from my archives below.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

Rum Balls

Chocolate-Covered Caramel Crunch

Mint Melties

Sponge Toffee

Spicy-Sweet Glazed Pretzels & Nuts

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Ginger Gems

Ginger Syrup for homemade ginger ale

Snowballs & Buckeyes

Candy Cane Chocolate Bark

Really Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Cherry Oat Bars

Chocolate Shortbread

Salted Honey Caramel

Icebox Peppermint Yule Log Cake

for papa: pfeffernusse cookies

When I was little, there was one cookie that signified the start of the holidays: the pfeffernusse. Translated, they mean peppernuts which is because they have ground pepper in them (spicy!) and they look like walnut shells (I'm guessing). My dad would bring home a small bag or two of these round and frosted cookies from the German market and I'd immediately dig in. These cookies were slightly soft, a little bit dry and not as sweet as the cookies I was used to. And oh boy, they were spicy! I loved them.

For my dad, they were cookies that I'm sure reminded him of the cookies of his youth in Eastern Europe. Cookies that tasted like his mother's own baking. For me, they were slightly exotic. They came from a deli that had dried sausages hanging from the ceiling, jars upon jars of sauerkraut, and my dad only brought them home at Christmas. This cookie was definitely something special for the both of us.

I've never tried making these cookies before. In fact, I blindly assumed that these cookies could only be purchased at ethnic markets. How wrong on so many counts! These cookies are alive and well in the same old crinkly plastic bags at a neighbourhood Italian market and then I last night I spotted a recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies. Instead of being labour-intensive as I had assumed, they're so easy to whip up! And of course, they taste better coming from your oven than ones shipped over seas. I've packed up a container and am shipping them to my dad for Christmas. They're not only delicious, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, but they pack a whole wallop of good memories. I know he'll love them.

pfeffernusse cookies
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies)
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 large egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line sheets with silpat or parchment.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat molasses, brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

3. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the dough are firm to the touch and have cracked slightly. Place cookies on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Working in batches, add a few cookies into a high-sided bowl (or paper bag) filled with confectioners' sugar. Roll about or shake until cookies are well coated. Place back on wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

oh sweet jebus: crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies

It's funny. When I first saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, there was no doubt in my mind that I'd be making these cookies. I love the combination of salty and sweet and to find such goodness in one cookie is like finding cookie nirvana. So I bookmarked the recipe and quickly forgot about it. Then I bookmarked it again. And again. Well, you know what they say, three times bookmarked is the charm!

I hope you don't choose to wait as long as I did to make these cookies. I mean it, they are good. Too good! Thin and crispy and that sprinkle of fleur du sel (hell, just use regular ol' kosher instead) on top, is the icing on the cake. The salt brings an interesting complexity to each bite...it's like a party in your mouth! As for the white chocolate? Normally, I'd go for dark, but I had some leftover from last Christmas in the freezer. But please, when using white chocolate, buy the good stuff as taste and quality really does matter here. Callebaut all the way.

crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies
(recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t kosher salt
14 T unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 c sugar
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
6 oz good-quality white chocolate
1/2 t fleur du sel (or Maldon or kosher)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the 1st salt measurement in a medium bowl.

2. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until just blended. Add in oats and chocolate until incorporated.

3. Spoon up a large tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball, repeat for remaining dough. Press down on each ball to slightly flatten and sprinkle a flake or two of fancy salt on each cookie. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 24 - 30 cookies.

i heart crafts bazaar and other news

This Sunday September 28th, I will have a table at the *I Heart Crafts* Bazaar, a craft fair held from 11 am to 6 pm in Strathcona, at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 805 East Pender St. Vancouver. I had a table at the last fair, but had a friend take care of my table since I was home sick with a cold. This time, I will be there. I will also be on my own since my husband will be working, so if you are in Vancouver, please drop by and say hello! What will I be selling? My own illustrated note cards, including my latest design featured below (along with a few brand new food-related Christmas cards).


If this illustration looks familiar to you, I drew it after creating this vegan cookie recipe from my blog. If you aren't in Vancouver and would like to purchase my cards, I've got an etsy shop here. So come on by, online or in person and take a peek at my wares!

In other food blog news, a reader of ELS, Andrea, was featured yesterday on CBC Radio Ottawa talking about my beet greens & fried potatoes topped with a poached egg recipe that I posted a couple of weeks ago. You can listen in here. Thanks Andrea!

it's a cinch: oatmeal coconut pecan squares with chocolate chips

Summer seems to be fading here in the ol' Northwest. Grey skies, constant rain and cooler temperatures set up shop this morning and things don't seem to be letting up. I'm not impressed. At least I've got some heirloom tomatoes and some Rathtrevor cheese from yesterday's farmer's market to keep me company. But instead of holding onto fading memories, I decided to take this new direction out for a stroll and do a little baking. So I dug out some pantry staples and whipped up this little number. Easier to make than cookies and the results are sweet, chewy and dense. Did I mention good? Oh yeah, really good. The recipe exists in so many places online, that it's hard to find its lineage. With so many variations, I think it's safe to say that this recipe belongs to everyone. Here's my stab at it.


oatmeal coconut pecan squares with chocolate chips
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
5 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all the dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg and vanilla. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well blended. Oil up an 8x8 pan and pour mixture in, patting the top flat with your hands while making sure the mixture gets into the corners. Bake for 25 minutes and cool. Cut into squares.

a plain jane: buttery raisin biscuits

I've been swamped with work so it's been nothing but crickets around here from my end. I haven't had much to write about really, as all the cooking that I've been doing has involved just emptying out all the bits n' bobbins from my pantry. It's tasty, in a gotta-do-it kind of way, but not all that exciting.

Yesterday I did celebrate one small work milestone with a bit of baking. After some website mockups that I had sent to a client were approved, I figured that a bit of celebratory baking was required. The thing was, I still had loads of other work to complete, so the prep and baking had to be quick so that I could get right back into the swing of things work-wise. Lucky me, I had just finished reading this post on Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. The photo reminded me of my favorite bakery item: the eccles cake. I know that some people are all about chocolate or a macaron or a cupcake. But for me, if I spot an eccles cake, it's mine. It's not the prettiest or the sweetest thing on the shelf...in fact, it's just a little bit dowdy and plain Jane. But I know that what it lacks in beauty, it makes up for in taste. Buttery, crispy and chewy all at once, and studded with lemony currants, it's my idea of bakery perfection. Take that you starry-eyed cupcake!

So getting back to the real star of this post, the buttery raisin biscuit. Now, I'm calling these a biscuit in the way the British refer to cookies. These are not to be confused with the Southern-style biscuits dripping with gravy or clotted cream. Nope, these are a bar cookie of sorts or something akin to shortbread. I made the recipe as directed, except I used plain ol' raisins instead of fancy currants and added a bit of lemon zest just to remind me of those eccles cakes. I started preparing the recipe, weighing the ingredients at the top of the hour and by half past, the biscuit was on my kitchen table cooling. A 30 minute treat, indeed. I don't have a fluted tart pan, so I made do with my small 7 inch springform cake pan that worked just fine. When I cut into the biscuit, it didn't have the crunch I was after, but it did have a good texture that was somewhere between a dense brownie and a scone. Next time (and oh, there will be a next time), I will bake it a bit longer for a bit more bite. This recipe only makes a small batch of biscuits as I was able to cut 8 wedges and after they disappeared, I wanted more. So go ahead and make a double-batch!

buttery raisin biscuits
120 g ap flour
90 g cold butter, cut into cubes
50 g white sugar
120 g raisins
zest from 1 lemon
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and butter. Get it all crumbly using your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Add in sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until combined; add raisins and zest, stirring gently until evenly distributed. At this point, the mixture will still resemble coarse meal. Slowly add in a little bit of the egg and stir until a soft dough forms. You don't want a dough that is too sticky. I used only half of an extra large egg, but I could have used a bit less.

Pat dough into a tart pan or a small springform cake pan. Make sure to get even coverage and then use the remaining egg to brush the top of the dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops and edges are golden.

(recipe adapted from Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once)

bakery hack: smart cookies

One of my favorite cookies is the Power Cookie sold at Capers Markets around town. It's freaking delicious and it's filled with all kinds of nuts and seeds and other good things. After devouring one quickly on the street, I decided to head home and see if I could recreate the cookie on my own. It turned out I did a pretty good job hacking out what I thought went into each bite. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo, as I made these cookies as a gift and mailed them out before I had a chance to start snapping. I hope my drawing of these 100% vegan treats will convince you that this recipe really is fantastic!

The cookies are filling and with all of that good stuff crammed in, I certainly wouldn't be adverse to calling these a breakfast cookie! While the ingredient list is long, these are simple to put together and they bake up really well too. If you don't have applesauce on hand, but you do have an apple, just make your own sauce. One large apple should do it.

These cookies aren't cakey or crisp but they are definitely chewy and hearty. Don't worry about the chocolate messing up your healthy eating plans, cuz after all, isn't chocolate good for you? I think so.

smart cookies
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c oat bran
1 c raisins
1/2 c coconut
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts, broken
1/2 c sesame seeds
1/4 c flax seeds
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 large pinch each nutmeg + cardamom
1 t vanilla
1/2 c applesauce
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 c brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix up everything from the flour on down to the nutmeg/cardamom. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and mix well.

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into your hand and then flatten. Place on a silpat covered cookie sheet and bake for 14 minutes or until the tops feel dry. Let rest on cookie sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in a covered tin.

jingle bells and chocolate shortbread cookies

I think I'm all ready for Christmas. Phew! The only thing I have left to do is our dessert for tomorrow's family dinner and making tonight's cozy supper for two. Every Christmas Eve, Cornelius and I relax, drink boozy cocktails, watch movies and play games. Our bar is stocked, we've got my favorite Christmas movie ever, The Shop Around the Corner, and a bunch of board games all lined up. I was thinking I might make up some moules et frites for this evening, but decided to try another Flemish specialty, a Belgium-beer braised beef stew instead. I'll let you know how things turn out.

But if you are still in the last minute throes of a baking frenzy, I did make a very simple and super delicious holiday cookie this past week that I'm eager to share. These shortbread cookies are chocolately, buttery and easy to make vegan (if that's what you're into). For me, these cookies are pretty hard to resist and I keep sneaking into the cookie tin to try just one more. Even snacking on them straight from the freezer makes them doubly enjoyable!


Enjoy and happy holidays!!

chocolate shortbread cookies
1 c unsalted butter, softened (or use Earth Balance margarine for a vegan version)
2/3 c icing sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 t kosher salt

1. Blend together the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa. Mix in the salt. Add this mixture to the butter and sugar and combine until blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 275. Roll out dough to 1/8" thickness and cut out with small circle-shaped cookie cutter. Bake for 17-20 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

delicious confections: mint melties

I'm in the throes of Christmas baking and homemade gift making. We're heading to Ontario first thing tomorrow morning to visit family and won't be back until a week before the holidays really kick in. I'm making/baking most of my presents this year because who doesn't love receiving homemade treats? Tiny, mini loves of UBC cake have been baked, my totally addictive crack-like snack mix has been bottled up, an uber-fancy version of my standard granola has been packed into glass jars and I've got some potent limoncello waiting to be bottled and corked.


I did mix in some new players in the holiday baking mix this year. After seeing this delicious post on the 64 sq ft kitchen blog, I had to make those snowy white merengue cookies. I've made merengue to top key lime and lemon pies and I've also made a few showy pavlovas in my recent past, but I've never made a merengue cookie like this. Unfortunately, I don't have a piping bag so mine didn't have the kiss-like disposition, but despite their rustic outsides, their insides were delicious! I added a drop of peppermint extract to the egg whites and it flavoured these cookies beautifully. I also decided to dip the bottoms in white chocolate and Christmas sprinkles to make them more holiday-like.


I made these late at night and turned off the oven to let them sit overnight. In the morning, these white delicious blobs were still too gooey, so I turned the oven on low and checked on them every 15 mintues or so until they had the perfect consistency. You really want them crisp on the outside with a bit of gooey softness inside. Or if you like them dry, they will melt immedately on your tongue! Delicious confections, indeed.

merengue mint melties
3 egg whites, room temperature
dash of salt
3/4 c sugar
drop of peppermint extract
white chocolate buttons
holiday sprinkles

1. Using a stand mixer with the whip attachment, pour the egg whites along with a dash or salt into the bowl. Whip on med-high speed and when the egg whites begin to double in volume, slowly add in the sugar. Keep beating mixture until it becomes glossy and the texture begins to feel like melted marshmallows. Add in a drop of peppermint and whip until you can make peaks in the egg white.

2. Flour and butter a cookie sheet (or 2) and drop or pipe small mounds of batter. Don't worry, these cookies won't spread. Bake them in a preheated 190 degree oven or preheat the oven to 375 degrees and then turn off the oven and let the cookies sit over night. If you do the latter, you may have to rebake them at low heat if they aren't as dry as they should be. Store in an air-tight tin.

3. If you choose to dip these in chocolate, melt a small amount of white chocolate in the microwave. I pop open the microwave every 30 seconds or so to see if it's melted. Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the white chocolate and then sprinkle with the decorations. Leave them chocolate side up to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then pack up in an air-tight tin.