tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post2650256552705556944..comments2023-07-15T04:20:16.543-05:00Comments on Almost Diamonds: Grandma CookiesStephanie Zvanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15182490110208080002noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post-72757768831662694372010-12-31T21:51:58.815-06:002010-12-31T21:51:58.815-06:00I'm sure it was that approach to cooking that ...I'm sure it was that approach to cooking that got me near to flunking out of organic chem lab. "Nearly exact" wasn't good enough. I limit my cooking these days to things where that approach does work.<br /><br />(I refuse to consider that taking a week off to deliver a baby had anything at all to do with my grades.)Heather M. Rosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17531766752385785489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post-39961448643796968952010-12-31T11:39:50.798-06:002010-12-31T11:39:50.798-06:00D. C., we use cinnamon (ceylon--the "red hot&...D. C., we use cinnamon (ceylon--the "red hot" kind) and cayenne in cocoa, but I don't think we've ever added it to brownies. Something to think about.<br /><br />I'm always amused when people refer to baking as an exact science. If you're using good, fresh ingredients, there's always some variability to your volatiles. And how flour behaves--even to be measured--is infinitely changeable. So much of baking requires the guts to change things that are okay but not quite perfect.Stephanie Zvanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15182490110208080002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post-30816577681648903102010-12-24T08:54:51.988-06:002010-12-24T08:54:51.988-06:00Heather, $HERSELF reports that her little sister g...Heather, $HERSELF reports that her little sister got all the baking from their grandmother, because $SISTER was still young enough to be home and interested in learning to cook when grandmother moved in with them.<br /><br />I can attest that although $HERSELF is a good cook [1] she's not nearly the baker that her sister is. $SISTER's sour cream cookies are heavenly and $HERSELF freely admits to having never managed an edible batch.<br /><br />[1] almost as good as I am -- GD&RD. C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06515125525097163604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post-8608544364353932932010-12-24T08:48:02.808-06:002010-12-24T08:48:02.808-06:00Some things skip a generation. I never could make ...Some things skip a generation. I never could make my mother-in-law's cookies, at least not these. I'm delighted that you can and do. The only name she ever used - to me - for them was Cottage Cheese Cookies. Hardly an enticement to dig in, although the first (hundred) bite(s) takes care of that nicely.Heather M. Rosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17531766752385785489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38764987.post-30345697017622130382010-12-23T17:07:05.171-06:002010-12-23T17:07:05.171-06:00Hershey's at least used to have a Dutch cocoa ...Hershey's at least <i>used to</i> have a Dutch cocoa as well. Since I'm finally running out of the massive stock of Droste I laid in when I was regularly traveling to the Netherlands [1], I'm back to looking for it.<br /><br />Now, for the adventurous: brownies. In particular, herbally-enhanced brownies (no, they're legal! Really!)<br /><br />It's really a recipe mod: use your favorite brownie recipe, or mix, with the following alterations:<br /><br />1) Replace any water with espresso. This works for just about any chocolate recipe, by the way.<br />2) Add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Optional, but hard to spot in your usual 9x13 batch.<br />3) The real secret ingredient [2]: chipotle powder. I use the commercial stuff (<i>not</i> McCormick, though: real pure chipotle) instead of my own home-smoked because mine is too smoky. I use 1/8 tsp per 9x13 pan batch, and if in the slightest doubt use less rather than more. Get it right and nobody can tell what's been added but it's just a bit warmer. Even a tiny bit too much is inedible.<br /><br />[1] As well as the cellar full of duty-free Ardbeg. <i>That</i> I will really miss, unless $DAUGHTER brings me a bottle or two from her trip to Scotland this break.<br />[2] Nobody has guessed it yet, but seriously: don't get generous or you'll ruin it.D. C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06515125525097163604noreply@blogger.com