It’s cookie month for Sweet Melissa Sundays (every single recipe selected this month was a cookie recipe – fun) and I have a double post today. First up are Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints, which were last week’s selection. I made them on time, but didn’t get around to posting them last Sunday. I blame the season premiere of “The Next Food Network Star” being two hours long, if it had been its normal length, I would have been able to watch it, post, and get to bed at a decent hour. (Actually, we had a busy weekend in general, including a half-marathon in oppressive humidity and attending the first birthday party of a cute relative, so by Sunday night, flopping on the couch and watching reality television was an appealing activity.) Anyway, it had been reported on the Problems & Questions section that the dough was difficult to work with when cold. I made mine on Saturday and then let it sit out for about half an hour when I made the cookies on Sunday, before shaping the cookies and found it easy to work with.
Though they ended up being a bit more work than a simple mix and scoop cookie (somehow I created quite a mess between rolling them in the pistachio crumbles and filling a pastry bag with jam), I thought they were fun to make and enjoyed the flavor combination. I also thought their rustic-look was quite charming. I was worried Josh wouldn’t like them, since he had told me he’s not big on pistachios, so I was pleasantly surprised when the half-batch I made disappeared in just a few days. He said he was happy he could surprise me with his gluttony. These cookies rated a 7 for Deliciousness and a 3.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 2. Tracey kindly helped out a fellow baker and hosted last week; you can find the recipe here on her site.
Moving on to this week’s cookie: Chocolate Orange Macaroons. I made these last Sunday evening, another thing I did when I should have been posting, with intentions to bring them to my book club on Monday. Unfortunately, the macaroons did not turn out so well. As Melissa promised, it was a very simple recipe to put together – one bowl, no mixer! – but I ended up over-baking mine a bit. My oven is kind of temperamental and I need to be careful about monitoring the actual temperature and baking times. I checked these on the low end and the bottoms had totally crisped up. The flavor combination was great and cookies were edible, but I didn’t want to bring them to my friends and be like, “here, have some kind of burned cookies.”
I’m not sure how to rate these, because mine really didn’t turn out so well and just really aren’t worth the calories to me. I guess they ended up rating about a 5 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, for an EDR of 2.5. Many thanks to Ellen of Blue Tree, Green Heart for hosting this week. You can find the recipe here on her site and visit the SMS site to see how the other bakers fared (hopefully better).
Love the double post! I am enjoying Food Network Star, too!
ReplyDeleteWe loved both cookies at our house.
LOL, your comment made me laugh, as I recall what my mom said to my then-boyfriend, now husband— "Would you like some leftovers? None are very good, but they're still edible."
ReplyDeleteThe thumbprints look great, as do your macaroons, even with the "well-done" bottoms. I thought they were chocolate coated initially!
two sets of cookies! You're ahead of me, that's for sure. One try of my macaroons got a little too done but were still pretty tasty.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a double header with us. The thumbprints looks yummy! I could use as a nice breakfast treat right about now. ;)
ReplyDeleteBummer about your macaroons being overdone. I hate it when that happens to me...I also have a tempermental oven. I have to set the temperature 20 degrees above what a recipe calls for...most of the time. Sometimes it acts up and burns my goodies. Glad to hear yours were still edible. A little dip in chocolate and no one would ever know they were "well done". ;)
Great job with the double post!! The linzer cookies look delish! My oven is tempermental as well, I am constantly checking on my baking in the oven throughout the process. And congrats on the half marathon, did you run it? That must have been tough in heat and humidity!
ReplyDeleteYour linzer cookies look beautiful! Sorry about the crispy macaroons :-( It definitely happens to all of us!
ReplyDeleteWe're watching Next Food Network Star too! A few favorites, but overall I'm wondering where in the world they found these people?? :)
ReplyDeleteYour thumbprints are lovely! Glad Josh was able to help you eat them. I wish Shane would help out with more of the desserts around here so I wouldn't have to give so many away. Bummer about the macaroons but on the bright side, at least it was a simple recipe. It would have made me more angry to spend hours on a complicated recipe and then have it turn out slightly burned.
Thanks, Mara! I did run the half-marathon, despite the hot conditions.
ReplyDeleteMy cookie bottoms were crispy (but not quite burned- which is just how I like it!) too -- I think it must be all the sugar in the recipe. I'm impressed with running a 1/2 in this weather -- once the temp gets above 80 I do all my running indoors!
ReplyDeleteThe thumbprints look really delicious. Too bad about the macaroons; I bet they'd be delicious if they baked properly.
ReplyDeleteLook on the bright side you didn't burn the thumbprints. Macaroons always need careful watching, I've had a few mishaps myself. My kids love it when I goof up and they get to eat the disasters.
ReplyDeleteMimi