Recipes: March 2006 Archives
This is a Toll House recipe that my mom modified to work in high altitudes, though it works quite well here in New York, too. I've learned that cookies are all about technique. If it's humid outside, you might need more flour, if it's dry, you might need less. If the cookies are coming out too cakey, you can reduce the Crisco and add more butter (I always use salted!). I've also found that it's better to undercook the cookies a bit, then let them rest on the baking sheet for several minutes; this helps them stay chewy on the inside, while maintaining a good bite. This recipe also calls for three times the amount of vanilla usually in cookies, which really inhances the other flavors; if you have some fancy extract, now's the time to use it.
Directions:
* 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 5 Tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup Crisco
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 12oz Nestle Chocolate Chips
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In another bowl, combine butter, Crisco, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes or so before removing to cooling rack.
This is a modification on a recipe for lemon bars from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, published in 1963. The cookbook was a gift form my mom, as she got most of our Christmas cookie treats from the pages of her copy. It's a little hit and miss. For instance, right above this recipe for lemon bars is one for "Teen-Time Chocolate Nut Bars," which is next to "Lemonade Prune Bars." Mmm!
I don't think there's anything worse than a gummy, pasty lemon bar, and the filling on these ends up like silk. Almost more pie-like than bar, and simply delicious. My margarita twist on it substitutes some of the lemon juice with lime, uses salted butter for the crust, and adds a little sea salt and coloring.
Liz's Margarita Bars
Heat oven to 350-degrees. Put into bowl and blend (with a pastry blender if you have one) together:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup salted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 Cup confectioners sugar
Press evenly into a square 8x8 pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Beat together:
2 eggs
1 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. lime juice (when doubling, I use 3 T lime juice, 1 T lemon juice)
a bunch of lime zest
1 drop green food coloring
Pour over crust and bake 20-25 minutes more. The filling puffs during baking, but flattens when cooled. They should be browned on top. Cool completely before covering and refrigerating overnight (for best results, though can be made for same day). Dust with powdered sugar. Sprinkle sparingly with flaky sea salt. Choose a salt with large flakes, or the granules will soak into the bars. A little goes a long way! Makes about 16 squares; I often double the recipe making it in a 9x13 pan.
