Be An Open Book.

There are three ways to get to know what a book is all about.  Look at the cover only and form a conclusion based upon no factual information.  Read the tease on the inside, or back, cover and form a conclusion based upon rumor or gossip.  Read the entire book, beginning page to ending page, and form a conclusion on every point of factual information.

As a species, humans are comfortable when they can label each other.  That way, they can place an individual into a box or file folder, and know how to deal with them without stress.  It is also a form of protection; you know who is just like you, and who to be cautious of because they are different from you. This is what happens when only the person’s outward appearance is looked at, what is “heard” about this person, or garner facts by speaking, and getting to know, someone.

In cooking and baking, the same kind of “judgments” can be made.  Does the food look appetizing?  Many, if the answer is no, will not try the dish.  The same happens if only a little knowledge is known about the ingredients.  Who wants to put something into the mouth, only to spit it out again, and no one looks graceful doing that.  But, as I have stated before, life is an adventure, fear is the mind killer, and sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

Take, for example, the recipe I am about to give you, Mint Balls.  It is a small round cookie, very plain on the outside, but inside it is packed with mint and chocolate.  Sort of like Doctor Who and his Tardis; it looks like a small police call box, but inside it is immense.

Mint and chocolate are an enticing combination of coolness and rich decadence.  Remember the commercials for York Peppermint Patties, where someone bites into a patty and goes into another dimension of sorts.  This combination is not a 20^th century creation, but dates back to the 16^th century.  European explorers returned from the “new world” with cacao beans which were used to make a beverage by the indigenous people.  However, the drink was very bitter, so spices and herbs, one being mint, were added to make it more palpable.

The York Peppermint Pattie originated in 1940 at the York Cone Company, York, Pennsylvania, owned by Henry Kessler.  The concept developed due to consumers requesting a softer type of mint candy, but how to keep it from melting into a gooey mess.  The peppermint mixture was given a granular texture, then covered in a thick coating of dark chocolate.  Kessler’s company was eventually bought out by the Hershey Chocolate Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1988.

A rival candy to the Pattie was Junior Mints, developed in 1949 at the James O. Welch Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The idea was to make a peppermint patty that could be eaten in one bite, and had a creamier texture inside.

Other popular brands you may have tried, or simply heard about, are: Andes Candies, After Eight, Ghirardelli Squares, Lindt Balls, Dove and Palmer’s.  Ghirardelli, Lindt and Palmer’s also make peppermint bark which only comes out for the winter holidays.  So, if you do not have a clue as to what gift I will be expecting, you will not go wrong with peppermint chocolate candy.

Now here is the recipe for Mint Balls that I mentioned earlier on.  By the way, this recipe appeared in the Food for Friends cookbook, published 1995 by The Friends of The State Museum of Pennsylvania.  It was created to raise monies for the support of the museum, and my recipe was recreated during a PBS special about the museum, and the cookbook.

Happy Holidays!

 

Mint Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

3 dozen “Junior Mints” candies

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract; slowly add the flour and salt to the creamed mixture.  Cover and chill till the batter becomes firm, but manageable.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take the batter by teaspoon, place a candy mint in the center, and form a ball around it.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet (Air Bake is the best for baking), and continue forming balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes; cookies will be lightly browned.

Let cool; can be eaten as is, or rolled in confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 36 cookies.

Note: before baking, the balls can be rolled in crushed nuts; and if you are seeing the pun, then have a great laugh.

Mary Cokenour

 

No Rehab for Brownie Brittle Addiction.

Sheila G's Brownie Brittle

Website: http://browniebrittle.com/

Hello, my name is Mary and I am addicted to Brownie Brittle.  It all started when I saw an advertisement on Facebook; yes, that evil Facebook drew me to this villainous snack.  I tried finding it at the local City Market locations, even at Walmart, but no luck.  Then I happened to be at Sam's Club in Farmington, New Mexico and there is was in the snack aisle; large bags of Brownie Brittle (Chocolate Chip) and I purchased two.  I am a sad case, as I was going to give the second bag to someone else to try, but I kept it; yes, I kept it and ate it all myself.











Brownie Brittle, how can I describe this delectable snack?  Imagine a rich, deep chocolate brownie, sliced into 1/8 inch thickness.   Then baked to a light, airy crispness that can be enjoyed by crunching onto it, or letting it just melt into chocolaty goodness.  The crispy squares are 4 inch by 4 inch; 6 of them are only 21 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams of fat.  No, I wouldn't push these as nutritious, but they are so wonderfully good, who cares!  As to the amount to eat, I have to admit, as addicted as I am, that two goes a long way in satisfaction.  Brownie Brittle is very delicate, so can break apart, or crumble easily; makes a great topping for pudding or ice cream.  I don't know who Sheila G. Mains is, but I would hug her till she popped for creating Brownie Brittle.

Just yesterday I stopped at Safeway in Cortez, Colorado and in their baked goods aisle I found....Brownie Brittle!  Smaller sized bags than the ones at Sam's Club, but in different flavors such as Salted Caramel and Toffee Crunch.  I love this addiction!!!

Redemption; I purchased extra to give to that friend.  I may be a Brownie Brittle addict, but I still have a conscience.  Become addicted too, it's so good.

Mary Cokenour

More from the Italian Bakery.

In Italy, nothing goes better with a cup of espresso than a sweet, crunchy cookie, and the best cookie for the job is Biscotti. Loosely translated, Biscotti are twice baked cookies; the dough is first baked in an oval or log shape, sliced into individual pieces and baked again to achieve the crunchy texture. Variety is certainly the rule for Biscotti; dipped in chocolate or not, candied fruits or chocolate bits, nuts or spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves.

At one time, you really couldn't find Biscotti unless you went to the local Italian bakery; but now these crispy gems can be found in any coffee establishment such as Starbucks or Seattle's Best; even in the cookie aisle of the local supermarket.  Of course, making them yourself gives you the control over taste and ingredients.  To get comfortable with the idea of baking Biscotti yourself, I recommend buying a book on them; the one I used to get started, and still do, is "Biscotti" by Lou Seibert Pappas. While I might change ingredients around to get a different variety of Biscotti, using the recipes from this book is a basic starting point.

Considering how many types of candy bits, candied fruits and chopped nuts there are available nowadays; the possibilities are endless.   One other idea, consider savory ingredients for a Biscotti which can then be used for dipping in soups or stews.  Happy Baking!

Mary Cokenour

Chocolate and Coffee - two lovely food groups

That's right, chocolate and coffee are food groups; ask any woman and she'll tell you it's a fact. I feel sorry for you if you try to argue the point; you'll lose and not well.

When a female feels, well anything really, chocolate and coffee are needed; doesn't matter if we're happy, sad, angry, feeling well or ill. In other words, we don't need an excuse to indulge in these beauties at all.

My personal favorites for chocolate are: Godiva ( http://www.godiva.com/welcome.aspx ); a Belgian creation with its smooth, rich chocolate and luscious centers...to die for. I mean come on, how can you not love a chocolate that Hercule Poirot himself endorses; a connoisseur of chocolate himself. That's correct, in Godiva's newest television commerical, David Suchet, who plays Hercule Poirot (one of Agatha Christie's great sleuths)does the voice over.

The second is Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory ( https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/portalHome ); I especially love their Caramel Apples (crisp Granny Smith apples covered in caramel and a range of decadent toppings).

The chocolate confections from these companies are not the type that you cram in your mouth, or eat at a fast pace. They are meant for savoring; if you want a mouthful of chocoate, grab a Hershey or Nestle Crunch bar.

Now to coffee, while a regular cup of coffee might be good in a pinch, I prefer the flavored coffees. They can be purchased in any grocery store and flavors available for any desire. I don't really care for the flavored creams offered in the dairy section. While they offer a mild taste of caramel, vanilla, chocolate, etc; I find that they tend to thin out the coffee, much the same using nonfat milk would do. I like my coffee creamy, so use half n' half; personal preference, that's all. My favorite flavor is Vanilla Nut Creme, and the best brand I have ever purchased for this flavor is from Papa Nicolas ( http://www.papanicholas.com/ ). The French Vanilla and French Caramel Creme are very good too. They also offer a selection of Numi teas; I so recommend the Moroccan Mint.

So, chocolate and coffee can be drunk, eaten, and also cooked and baked with. I have heard of putting both into chili, and I have tried using unsweetened cocoa powder in chili, but I prefer baking and making desserts with them. Here is a cookie recipe that you might enjoy trying, especially if you love chocolate and coffee.

Coffee Kisses
These cookies can be made with espresso, a flavored coffee made strong, or Kahlua (the alcohol will bake off, and just leave the coffee flavor).

Ingredients:
½ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 Tbsp coffee or Kahlua
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking powder
Hershey chocolate kisses

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F. Use nonstick baking sheets, or spray with nonstick baking spray (contains flour).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth; add eggs one at a time, then the coffee; mix until smooth and creamy.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

Use a teaspoon to place mixture onto cookie sheets; bake for 10 minutes. While still hot, insert a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie. Let cool.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Mary Cokenour

Being labeled, boxed and filed away.

As a species, humans are comfortable when they can label each other.  That way, they can place an individual into a box or file folder, and know how to deal with them without stress.  It's also a form of protection; you know who is just like you, and who to be cautious of because they are different from you.

One famous question is, "What religion are you?"  I love this question, cause I can drive a person totally insane with my answer: "Why do you need to know?"  Yeppers, I put them on the spot.  Hey, they just met me, and that's the first question they can think of to ask me...why?  Because they need to label me, and figure out which box or folder to put me in.  Am I one of them, do I have the same beliefs, and are, therefore, safe?  Or am I "one of those other people"?

I see this more as two types of fear.  The first is "fear of the unknown"; a religion different from one's self, that you know nothing about; how can you have an intelligent civil conversation, and/or debate, if you know nothing about the religion?  The idea about learning about it seems to not come to mind, for some very odd reason. 

The second fear is, and I've experienced this from others, that the other person's religion is better or more right than their own.  Eh???  Now that one really puzzles me, for how is one religion more right than another?  In the United States, the First Amendment is "Freedom of Religion", so don't be singing, "I'm Proud to be an American" when this amendment bothers you to no end.

So, for those who know me, or for those who haven't met me yet....My religion is "Other", and that's all you need to know.  That's right, when filling out surveys or questionnaires, that is what I mark down, the "Other" box.  Now, those folks who are very close and precious to me, they know who and what I really am, and they are quite comfortable and content with it. 

Basically, this is a good example of "judging a book by its cover".  How in the world can you really know a person if you judge them immediately on one facet?  Seriously, get over the fears, take the bull by the horns and run with it.

So, today's recipe is a cookie that looks rather plain on the outside, unless you add to the surface.  But what's on the inside is a complete surprise, if you take the chance and bite into it.

Mint Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

3 dozen “Junior Mints” candies

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract; slowly add the flour and salt to the creamed mixture.  Cover and chill till the batter becomes firm, but manageable.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take the batter by teaspoon, place a candy mint in the center, and form a ball around it.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet (AirBake is the best for baking), and continue forming balls. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes; cookies will be lightly browned. 

Let cool; can be eaten as is, or rolled in confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 36 cookies.

Note: before baking, the balls can be rolled in crushed nuts; and if you’re seeing the pun, then have a great laugh.

Mary Cokenour

January 25, 2011