Italian Orange Cookies

I'm staying true with my cookie Thursdays. I've strayed from the basic and moved to European  These cookies remind me of the tins that my grandma would buy that had all the European cookies. This is a thick batter that gets piped into a swirl pattern. Also I would try it with lemon instead of orange. For this cookie you will need a plastic bag and a large star shaped pastry tip. This cookie is a bit drier and not too sweet. A great cookie with tea or coffee. On with Cookie Thursdays!

Italian Orange Cookies:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

It's a very thick dough

1 cup polenta or cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter- 8 oz soft
2/3 cup sugar
1 TBS orange zest
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350
In a meduim bowl whisk together flour, polenta and salt

They don't really spread too much. 

In the bowl of a electric mixer add the butter, sugar and orange zest. Beat till light and fluffy about 3 min. Then slowly add the egg, and beat, then add the egg yolk and vanilla.  Slowly add the flour mixture and beat till combined. Now time for the fun part- piping the dough into a swirl shape or be creative, make a C or a S.  Just make sure you line the baking sheet with parchment, and space the shapes about 1 inch apart, they don't spread much. Once you are all done piping the cookies place them in the freezer to set up for 20 min or so. Bake the cookies for 12-15 min or until the edges are golden, make sure to rotate the pan half way through.

Old Fashioned Cookies

I'm rolling out a new idea. Cookie Thursdays! Yup that's right I'm gonna do it until I run out of cookies to make. Lukas has been having fun making cookies with me and with that I have decided that we will make it a weekly thing. I'll have to plan to give some away, since cookies every week could be dangerously yummy.
First I'm starting with Old Fashinoned Chocolate drop cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (soft)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS Vanilla extract
Crystal Sugar for rolling
In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. As Lukas Demonstrates in the photo below.

In the bowl of a electric mixer add the butter and sugar. Beat them on meduim speed till light and fluffy about 3 min. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat to combine.

yes 3 min is a L-O-N-G time!

With the mixer on a low speed slowly add the flour cocoa powder mixture. Continue to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to completely mix the dough. Divide the dough in two, and roll into logs and wrap in either parchment paper or plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. 

While the Dough is chilling preheat the oven to 350. Once the dough is chilled slice each log up. I went for big cookies and cut my logs into 9 pieces each. It would be easy to make at least double that and have good sized cookies.  After slicing the logs roll each cookie into a ball and roll in crystal sugar. Place 1 1/2 inches apart.Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets  for 10-13 min turning the pan half way through baking. Cookies can be stored for up to one week covered, if they last that long. If you don't want to bake them all at once the cookie dough can be frozen for 6 months.  I made 1 1/2 dozen cookies, but they were huge! 
 So next time I would make 3 dozen for regular size cookies.

Roasted Chickpeas with Bacon

Chicka-BOOM! I'm back from a nice little blogging rest. Now I am full of great new ideas, and ready to share. Today I was reading the new Bon Appetit Magazine and it reminded me how much I love roasted chickpeas! Roasted chickpeas- with BACON! Yup might as well do it up! This is a great side dish or for a lite snack. Lets face it once you start eating them it will be hard to stop. Trust me. And when it's this simple to make you'll be surprised how often you crave them.

Roasted Chickpeas with Bacon
(2) 15oz cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed
4 slices of bacon chopped
1-2 pinches Cayanne Pepper
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
2 pinches Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cumin
2 Bay Leaves
1 TBS Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400
Pour olive oil on a 4 sided sheet pan, place sheet pan in the oven. Let the pan preheat for 5 min.
In a bowl combine, chickpeas, bacon, and spices. Stir to combine. Pour onto the hot pan, and shake to even out. Bake for 30- 40 min, checking every 15-20 to stir and shake the pan. They are done when the chickpeas are crispy. Let cool for a bit, and enjoy!