Saturday, March 23, 2013

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Our church is having an event tomorrow, and I have to bring 3 dozen cookies.  My husband immediately suggested Neiman Marcus cookes - with no hopes of getting extras for himself, I'm sure.  When having lunch at Neimans last year I ordered the cookies for my dessert, and it came with the recipe.  I made them tonight and WOW.  They really are good.  If you need a chocolate chip cookie recipe, try this one!


Neiman Marcus Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).
Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.
Using a 1-ounce scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Recipe courtesy Neiman Marcus.
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Monday, March 11, 2013

Best Pickles for Tuna Salad

This one is going to be short and sweet and most people will be like, "What? Who cares." But, these pickles really make the best tuna salad. What makes it great is chopping up some of the other veggies in the jar with the pickles (except the cloves of garlic. That's a little too intense for us)

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Unsolicited Product Endorsement: Buttermilk Powder

Buttermilk powder. Have you tried the stuff? It changed my baking life. How many times have you skipped a recipe or used a questionable milk/vinegar concoction because you didn't have buttermilk or didn't want to buy a half gallon for two tablespoons?

Buttermilk powder is available on almost any baking aisle and goes in the fridge after you open it, so you use what you need and keep the rest for your next recipe. The can tells you how much powder to mix with water. This stuff is pretty cheap and, I won't lie to you, I keep it in my fridge for months with good results (Disclaimer: the FDA probably doesn't condone my cavalier attitude towards shelf-life...). So, next time you come across a recipe that calls for buttermilk, don't be afraid to go for the powder. You'll be glad you did when future buttermilk-requiring recipes come along.

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