TWD: Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

I cannot overemphasize how much I love these cookies. Love. Them. This is cookie simplicity at its best.

The dough is simple to make, and it uses ingredients I always have on hand. Once it's mixed, it's ready to go into the bag. Yes, I said bag. This is where Dorie's genius shines through. She has us spread the dough into an even layer in a gallon sized zip top bag. Genius. Then the dough goes into the fridge or freezer for a chill. A very necessary chill to help the flavors meld and allow the cookies to keep their shape when baking.

Once the chill is ended, the cookies go on a cutting board. The plastic bag is cut off, and the slicing can begin. I use my kitchen ruler (it's a sturdy plastic and can go in the dishwasher) and a pizza cutter to make even 1 1/2" squares. They go on a cookie sheet, each cookie gets pierced with a fork two times, and then the sheet goes in the oven. Easy and done.

The mix of the espresso and chocolate is perfect. I've made these a few times. One of my favorite versions used chopped Lindt orange and almond chocolate. This batch went to the teachers at the Boy's school. I know how to stay on the good side of the school staff.

Awww. A heart for the teachers.

Make these. Now. Try not to eat all the dough before they become cookies. The key word there is "try." Thank you Donna of Life's Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First for giving me a chance to make these wonderful cookies again.

Not a TWD: Vacation!

We've just returned from a wonderful weekend away. But, that means no baking. I'll be back next week!

(In a little while, this will be a wonderful photo of my children silhouetted against the lake with the moon high in the sky. The Husband has to e-mail it to me first.)

Here it is!

TWD: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

The name, folks, is a misnomer. This bread isn't just for breakfast, though it was lovely toasted with a dab of cream cheese. It was also a nice afternoon snack and a little something to get me through that after dinner time.

For some reason, I originally thought this was a yeasted bread. When I saw that it was a quick bread, I was sold even more. This was an easy - and adaptable - bread to make. It calls for ingredients that I usually have on hand, so that was nice. I found a great dried fruit mix from Trader Joe's in my cabinet. It came together pretty quickly with no mixer. I'd seen where a few people had problems with the interior being soggy. While mine has a moist spot or two, it's basically baked through.

I love the golden color, and it smelled heavenly. The light coatingof pecans and cinnamon/sugar was a nice addition.

Here is a cross-section. You can see the lovely fruit and moist texture of the bread.

While the husband and I liked it, it was not a hit with the Boy and Girl. They were unimpressed. What do they know anyway. Unfortunately, since they do a fair portion of the eating around here, I don't know that I'll be making this one again. Ah well. Go see Natalie's blog, Oven Love, for the recipe.

TWD: Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

Let me just start this by saying HOLY SMOKES! This stuff is good. Really good. I don't have a photo because I just finished the churning, and the ice cream is in the freezer. But the taste that I snuck was fantastic.

*** Here's the finished ice cream. YUM!

How far do you think I'll get with my family if I told them that it was horrible and I had to spare them and no, I didn't eat all the ice cream before dinner, why would you think that? Oh, that stain on my shirt? I was cleaning something. Yeah, that's it.

Ok, I gave them each a taste. I think they liked it.

This one is simple to make with indefinite possibilities. If I can remember and if there's any left (a big IF), I'll take photos. (Done!) Go see Katrina's blog, Baking and Boys to see some gorgeous photos and the recipe.

Not a TWD: I was a bit busy

This week's recipe was gingered carrot cookies. While they do sound intriguing, I was a bit busy this past week and weekend and they did not get made. I'll have to read everyone else's comments and see if they get favorable reviews.

Go see Natalia's blog for photos and the recipe.

I'll be back next week because it's ice cream. I rarely pass up ice cream.