Happy Albert Pi-nstein Day!

Monday is March 14th and it is affectionately known to science and math geeks everywhere as Pi Day!  Pi Day is an actual holiday for me because it's an excuse to bake something pie related and is both a celebration of Pi and the birth of one of my favorite scientists, Albert Einstein who would be turning 132 this year.  I wanted to do something a little different, no shocker there, and came across this recipe for Apple Pie Cookies.  I noticed a few ways to improve upon it based on the comments and wanted to put my own spin on it as well.  The result is DELICIOUS! I made a batch to bring into work and some extra for Mr. Sprinkles.  I hope you like them as much as we do.  Enjoy!

Apple Pi Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/4 cups diced fresh apples (2 parts granny smith and 1 part red delicious)
• 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and maple syrup. With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the flour mixture. Once all flour has been incorporated, stir in apples and pecans.
4. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies are browned around the edges. Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Since the apples let off more moisture as time goes by, these cookies will start to stick together slightly after a day of being stored in an airtight container. To prevent this, as well as to make the cookies easier to eat, layer them with pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. 

Science Cookie Send Off

My science teacher buddy at my school had a baby recently and I had the pleasure of working with Erin, her maternity leave sub, who was a fantastic teacher and fellow science geek.  Recently, Erin had her last day with us and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to create a cookie I've been dying to craft...Atom Cookies!  They are a basic chocolate cut out cookie with a bit more cinnamon added as the reviews said the cookie was a bit bland.  Maybe I'll add a little clove or chili powder next time.  I used royal icing to create the well known Rutherford atom model and Wilton pearlized sugar sprinkles for electrons.  They have a nice crunch and don't hurt your teeth like those little silver ball sprinkles are known to do.

Hydrogen, Helium, and Lithium

Atomic Chocolate Cut Outs (adapted from Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cut Out Recipe)
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Decorations:

• 1 batch royal icing
• Wilton Pearlized Sprinkles (or similar)

1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.
2. Place butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Form dough into a disk on the paper and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
3. Lift baking mat from baking sheet. Roll out dough between baking mat and plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2 inch flower shaped cookie cutter. Transfer baking mat to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove baking sheet from freezer and trim scraps. Reroll scraps between a nonstick baking mat and plastic wrap and repeat process.
5. Bake cookies until crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
6. Once cooled use royal icing to create 3 orbitals (oval shapes) and add pearl sugar electrons. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I saw these being made on Giada at Home and just HAD to try them.  While most kids love chocolate chip cookies, I dislike them.  My favorite is still my mom's homemade oatmeal raisin cookies.  They're warm, chewy, and comforting - just like a big hug from mom.  That being said, Giada's recipe is terrible!  I was left with a heaping pile of crumbly oaty messiness that made me sad for the loss of an entire cup of cranberries which are my favorite baking ingredient.

I decided to send Giada's recipe to the recycling bin and pull out mom's tried and true recipe and make my own changes.  The result is pure awesomeness.  I brought these to work as brain food for an institute day for my fellow teachers.  I left a small container on my table and saved the rest to bring for a large group work day.  After about two and a half hours of listening to a speaker we rotated tables for an activity and I came back to find a post-it on the container that read "Please hungry me cookies."  Clearly the brain food idea was a good one.  They were a huge hit and I left for the weekend with only a few cookies left.  They're delicious!  Crunchy on the outside, chewey on the inside and packed with delicious cranberries and chocolate - these might be my new favorite cookies.  Enjoy!

Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Makes 3 dozen

• 2 C flour (I used equal parts all purpose flour and whole wheat flour)  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 C old fashioned oats
• 2 sticks of room temperature butter
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1 C packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 C dried cranberries
• 6 oz chopped semi sweet chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and oats.
3. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
4. Mix in the vanilla and eggs.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients until incorporated.
6. Mix in the cranberries and chocolate until just combined.
7. Scoop and roll the dough into walnut sized balls.
8. Place on your baking sheet about 3 inches apart and bake for 10-14 minutes.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

So the blog has been having some weird formatting issues so if there are no longer 12 days of Christmas Cookies on this site, you'll know why.  I'll get around to reposting those recipes one of these days.  Hopefully, those issues won't show up in this post.

I made these cute little cookies to bring to work to celebrate a friend from work's birthday.  I used raspberry jelly but you could substitute any flavor you like or use a variety.  I loved the end result.  It was like having a cookie version of your favorite childhood lunch.  Okay, so it's still one of my favorite lunches now.  :) Enjoy!

hand juicer used to make indents

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints
Makes 40

• 1 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 C smooth peanut butter
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1/3 C granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1/3 C packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C jelly (I used raspberry)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Using a paddle attachment or hand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and butter.
4. Add the sugars to the peanut butter and butter mixture and beat until pale and fluffy.
5. Mix in the egg and vanilla until just incorporated.
6. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
7. Scoop out level tablespoons (about the size of a large marble) and roll into balls.  Roll each ball in sugar and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake until cookies are puffy, about 10 minutes and remove from the oven.  Make indentations in the center.  I use the end of a a juicer but you can use anything that will make a round depression like the handle of a wooden spoon.  Return to oven, and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 4 minutes more in my oven.
9. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
10. Heat jelly in a sauce pan or cheat like me and pop it in the microwave. Spoon about 1/2 tsp into each cookie.
11. Cookies can be stored in a single layer for about 1 week.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Hermit Bars

These treats are named Hermit Bars because they can be "hermited" away and taste better when they are a few days old.  They have a chewy but firm texture and would be great to mail to loved ones far away this holiday season.  Mr. Sprinkles is not a big raisin fan so I substituted the same amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Enjoy!

Hermit Bars
Makes 24 1" bars

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup loosely packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 3/4 cup raisins or chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg; beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once.
3. Add molasses; beat until combined, and scrape down sides of the bowl.  Add the flour mixutre and raisins/chocolate chips; beat on low until dough just comes together, about 2 minute.  Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator to chill 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator, and turn out onto a clean work surface.  Divide into 2 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a 12 inch log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place on prepared baking sheet, at least 3 inches apart.
6. Place in oven, and bake until logs are golden but still very soft to the touch, 20 to 22 minutes.  The logs will flatten out and lengthen and get slightly puffy in the center. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Slice logs into 1-inch-wide bars.  Hermit bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

While making a Whole Foods run, I came across this magazine.  While I'm not typically a huge fan of the author, you can see why I obviously had to buy this magazine. This link is to a site for a $1 off coupon for any of you interested in picking up the same magazine or stay tuned to this blog because I earmarked a zillion of these recipes to try. :)

I love to try the new and unexpected and this magazine definitely delivered on both accounts.  I was drooling over the yummy looking chocolate cookies on the cover and was excited to learn they involved chocolate and cayenne pepper.  I was nervous they'd be super spicy which thanks to my Austrian heritage, I'm so not used to, but the pepper and cinnamon they are rolled in gives them more of a spicy warmth that makes them taste like a cookie version of a cup of hot chocolate.  They were a huge hit at my school, at Mr. Sprinkle's workplace, and got a thumbs up from Sister Sprinkle who is a huge foodie.  Disfrutar!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper OR ground chile such as chipotle/ancho/arbol

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. 
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar (the other 1/4 is used for rolling) on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 
4. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. 
5. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper or chile powder. Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-pepper/chile-sugar mixture. 
6. Place, about 3 inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. (Mr. Sprinkles hates crunchy cookies so I shorten the time to 9 minutes.)
7. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Lemon Snickerdoodles

Mr. Sprinkles is a HUGE fan of the snickerdoodle, so when I saw a lemon version I just knew I had to give it a try.  The end result is fresh, clean, chewy, lemony goodness and a new Mr. Sprinkles favorite.  You can roll them in traditional sanding sugar but I had some left over white/clear sanding sugar from the engagement ring cookies that I thought would add a nice crunch.  You could also substitute turbinado sugar (raw sugar) if you don't mind it's brown hue.  I'm going to try making these with Meyer lemons sometime.  If you try that before I do, be sure to let me know how they turn out.  I hope you enjoy them as much as he does!

Lemon Snickerdoodles
Makes 3 dozen

• 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest of two large lemons
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup coarse/turbinado/sanding/granulated sugar for rolling

1. Zest your lemons over your mixing bowl to capture any of the oils released. (Be careful to remove only the lemon's zest and not the bitter white pith. Blech!)
2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or hand beaters), cream together the butter, lemon zest and sugar on medium-high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the cream of tartar and baking soda then the flour, mixing until it forms a uniform dough.
3. Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, form into a rectangle and wrap in plastic. Place the dough into the refrigerator and allow to chill for several hours or over night.
4. When you're ready to roll and bake, pre-heat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking mats.
5. Roll your dough into walnut sized balls (1 inch) and then roll each in a bowl of sugar.
6. Arrange the balls on your pan, giving them plenty of room to spread. Pat them down slightly.
7. Bake the cookies for 9 minutes (chewy) or 10 minutes (crunchy).  
8. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.