In Search of My Body - Not the One I Ate, VOL 7! Princesses? Nope, just us Goddesses!

[Ronda93]

I feel like Samantha calling for Dr Bombay, Dr Bombay.

I need cookie help, Nancy. I'm baking a bunch of cookies to be included in the Christmas baskets at our church's food pantry. I'll be using fresh baking soda and powder.

I like to use the butter flavor Crisco recipes for choc chip, sugar and oatmeal raisin cookies. They stay soft and I like the lazy factor of not having to remember to set the butter out. But they fall. With rounded tops and just browing edges, right from the oven they are worthy of a photo shoot. Within a few minutes they collapse to a more pancakey shape and while still tasting awesome are a visual disappointment.

I use airbake cookie sheets. The cookies cool a few minutes before I move them to a wire rack. If I try to move them immediately they will go, but all end up with a flat spot on the spatula approach side. What's wrong? Too much something, not enough something? I've read I should weigh flour. How many grams should a cup be? Is there a better recipe for a shapely cookie?

There's no way I won't sample!

Then I have the opposite problem. We are having some wee friends over this weekend to decorate sugar cookies. I'm looking for a recipe that WON'T puff up so much. I want a shapely bell, not a rounded triangle. I've read chilling the dough makes a svelt ginger man. The strategy I'm going to try this weekend is to roll and cut on parchment and stick them in the fridge. One sheet at a time goes into the oven.

Thanks for any cookie suggestions.

Ronda

 

[DisneyGalUK]

Nothing fancy, but everything in bulk Toffee bars, Russian teacakes, sugar cookies (to be decorated), chocolate dipped macaroons, choc. chip biscotti (mini, for cookie trays) gingerbread men (and girls!)...that's it for today. Tomorrow I'll wait for the snow to let up (around noon) and go work on things like Jam Thumbprints, Snickerdoodles, peanutbutter blossoms (w/Hershey kisses) and who knows what other evil treats.

Oh - and in case you were wondering....I didn't eat a single cookie.

Everything I bolded, I don't know what they are! Im thinking Google, but I'll wait until AFTER Ive eaten my lunch so it doesn't tempt me!
FANTASTIC job on eating no cookies!

SNOW DAY!

Time to get on cocoa detail...

Erika, this made me feel really Christmassy!

 

[Ronda93]

We got snow last night and Cathie's cold weather is moving in, too. Brrr. Lots of districts are closed and I headed for work early. It's a short commute on city streets, some plowed, some not. People like to complain about city services, but the geographic size of Kansas City is (too) big. City streets laid end to end would stretch to Tokoyo. Plow that in a day.

We watched the BL finale last night. Tracy is still crazy and Rebecca seems to have discovered her inner stripper. I wouldn't recognize Danny either! Antoinne looked buff. Ah, young skin.

Ronda

 

[adsrtw]

Good Morning all!

No snow here, but we are supposed to drop to 20 by late afternoon. Yikes! I'm off to a conference for women today. Yay! Did I tell you that I love my overgrown teddy bear of a director? He thougth it would be good for both Bethany and me to attend the conference together. She is the additional supervisor. I can't tell you how awesome she has been, btw.

See ya later.

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

AAAAAAAAAAA (Thats me, screaming bloody murder.) I've got a major case of butterflies. They are pounding me. I'm nervous for all I have to get done, I'm excited to go. I'm feeling it all.

Kelly - peanut butter blossoms are THE BEST. They are a peanut butter cookie with a hershey kiss on top. We love them. I can't make enough.

Ronda, can't wait to hear what the pastry chef has to say. Baking is a science that's for sure.

It's like 54 here so I got gas this morning, cause it's going to be a cold cold rain tonight. Hate getting gas in the cold.

Gotta go.

Oh yeah, BL, awesome. I only watched the last 45 minutes with the final 3 so I didn't see everyone else, but man, they looked SO GOOD.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

I feel like Samantha calling for Dr Bombay, Dr Bombay.

Dr. Bombay! Hilarious!

Ok. Does the recipe call for butter or shortening? Some use a combination, some say "butter OR shortening". However, Crisco is 100% fat and butter has fat as well as water, so your composition is a bit different.

I don't care what any cookie recipe says. I always first cream the butter/shortening and sugar. You can't overdo it at this point, but you certainly can UNDER do it. Then add your eggs/extracts and beat again. Majorly. You want to see a definite change in the consistancy the mixture in your bowl. This is where you are creating the air bubbles that your leavening will then "support". The more you beat, the finer the air bubbles will be, creating a better texture. Then add your dry, finally stirring in any "add-ins". (after adding dry to your bowl, don't overmix - that can make your baked goods "tough").

There are a number of things that can effect how much flour you need, so unless you weigh all your ingredients I don't think weighing the flour is necessary. Eggs. Are they medium? Large? Jumbo? That will make a difference in your liquids in your recipe. Humidity? Flour will suck moisture from the air making your batter wetter. I tend to add flour roughly according to the recipe, but in the end it's a matter of *feel* for me. I know what I want my dough to "feel" like. I tend to get better results with a stiffer dough.

Don't be tempted to add extra baking soda/powder. That will make the air bubbles in the batter larger, and they won't be able to support the weight of the cookie, resulting in collapse. And salt! Do not skip the salt in the recipe. It's as critical to the leavening as the baking soda and/or powder.

Do you ever bake on parchement? I swear by it.


after all that, I'm not sure how much I helped. Without seeing the recipe I can't say for sure what the issue might be.

As for sugar cookies - I'll pull that recipe for you. Easy. Yummy. Not too sweet, not too "cakey". Just right.

Tracy is still crazy and Rebecca seems to have discovered her inner stripper.

OMG. Just choked on my coffee.

 

[Ronda93]

I'm going to use parchment to get them off the cookie sheet quicker. It calls for shortening - pure fat....mmmm I'll let the Kitchen Aid run a good long time before getting the dry stuff involved. I have a gas oven so lots of moisture is supplied by combustion. Will the cookie soak that up, too?

I'm going to keep the dough in the fridge until it goes in the oven. I love my cookie scoop! Another feature of combustion in the oven is lots of heat in the kitchen.

I'm getting a new dual fuel range in January. Electric convection oven - I am more excited that I want to admit.

Ronda

 

[cathie1327]

We got snow last night and Cathie's cold weather is moving in, too. Brrr. Lots of districts are closed and I headed for work early. It's a short commute on city streets, some plowed, some not. People like to complain about city services, but the geographic size of Kansas City is (too) big. City streets laid end to end would stretch to Tokoyo. Plow that in a day.

We watched the BL finale last night. Tracy is still crazy and Rebecca seems to have discovered her inner stripper. I wouldn't recognize Danny either! Antoinne looked buff. Ah, young skin.

Ronda

Good Morning all!

No snow here, but we are supposed to drop to 20 by late afternoon. Yikes! I'm off to a conference for women today. Yay! Did I tell you that I love my overgrown teddy bear of a director? He thougth it would be good for both Bethany and me to attend the conference together. She is the additional supervisor. I can't tell you how awesome she has been, btw.

See ya later.

Yikes! Stay warm ladies!!!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood here....-9 degrees when I left the house.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Another thing just occurred to me. Have you put a thermometer in your oven to check the temp?

Here's the recipe I use for Sugar Cookies. You can easily 1/2 it, as this will make a lot of little cookies!

1 lb butter
2 1/4 c. granulated sugar

(cream together, then add

4 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla

(beat well, then add

6 c. flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Mix well, shape into a ball, wrap in saran and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before rolling/cutting. You can make it ahead and refigerate longer, but if I do that, I like to let it sit out for an hour or so to make rolling a bit easier.

 

[Ronda93]

Here's the recipe I use for Sugar Cookies

375*, 7-8 minutes sound right?

Mmmm, I'm excited to try this. Lots less baking powder than the others I've seen.

Ronda

 

[3DisneyKids]

I feel like Samantha calling for Dr Bombay, Dr Bombay.

I am betting that there are only a few of us who get this reference! Grrr...

It's like 54 here so I got gas this morning

I SO read this the wrong way!! Thinking, what does the weather have to do with digestion? And why on Earth would Lyz share that anyway?!?!

So my lovely, relaxing snow day got fouled up. No sooner had we settled in than the phone rang. The milk man was stuck on our road! So I had to bundle up and get the salt and the shovels and all of that and go help get him out. Such is Maine life.

On the upside, the kids have been outside all morning. First a big snowman and now they are having a massive snowball war. So they are having a blast. I can't make cocoa fast enough, though!

Ronda, I have nothing to add on the cookie issue. Cause, as we all know, I am on the national "do not bake" list. Plus, since Nancy is our resident goddess, you are totally covered.

 

[3DisneyKids]

We watched the BL finale last night. Tracy is still crazy and Rebecca seems to have discovered her inner stripper.
Ronda

I KNOW! Like, ok, she looks awesome, but that dress! She could have looked so much better! I was SO worried that Tracey was going be the at home winner, because, WOW.

AAAAAAAAAAA (Thats me, screaming bloody murder.) I've got a major case of butterflies. They are pounding me. I'm nervous for all I have to get done, I'm excited to go. I'm feeling it all.

Can't believe that you leave the day after tomorrow! Are you going to be checking in? Bringing the laptop? Or just available via text? I have to prepare now if I am going to go through withdrawal.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Lyz - I'm nervous and excited for you! Oh how I love WDW at Christmas time. Oh, how I love WDW at ANY time Are you packed? Have everything set to go? What did you decide about a camera?

375*, 7-8 minutes sound right?

375* sounds about good - If you are using convection, I'd drop it to 350*, until they start to get browned around the edges.

I SO read this the wrong way!! Thinking, what does the weather have to do with digestion? And why on Earth would Lyz share that anyway?!?!

I read it the same way. She's all butterflies and she's got gas?

The milk man was stuck on our road!

You have a MILK MAN? For real?

Ronda, I have nothing to add on the cookie issue. Cause, as we all know, I am on the national "do not bake" list.

Oh come on. You can't be THAT bad. I have to say, I don't typically do wicked fancy stuff. Just good ol' fashioned comfort stuff. I must have told you how my family (extended that is...) thought I was pure GENIUS when I made rice krispie treats with 1/2 regular rice krispies and 1/2 cocoa krispies it was like it was rocket science to them.

 

[Ronda93]

I must have told you how my family (extended that is...) thought I was pure GENIUS when I made rice krispie treats with 1/2 regular rice krispies and 1/2 cocoa krispies it was like it was rocket science to them.

OMG. I have to try this. You are a genius. I have some treat crazed co-workers. They WILL think I have spun gold!

I thought I was good mixing vanilla and chocolate pudding to tone down the chocolate.

Okay, back to BL for a minute. I make sugar free jello cups for snacking. Last night I was headed to the fridge and asked DGF if she wanted one. Yup. Brought it to her on the couch and said, "Bob would be proud of us". She laughed and said he would then offer us gum!

Ronda

 

[3DisneyKids]

Of course we have a milk man! Don't you? This IS New England, after all! And it comes in the glass one-quart bottles and everything. And before we get into the Great Milk Debate again, we are not dairy-free in this house by any means. I don't DRINK milk, but I use it for cooking, etc. And the kids drink it, though not excessively.

As for baking--well, I am sure I CAN bake well. But here's the thing. I just. can't. bring myself to use the required amount of butter in a recipe. If it calls for 2 sticks of butter, I use one stick of light butter and then something else to substitute for the rest (so I end up using about 25% of the amount of butter called for). I know, I know. But I just physically CAN'T make myself do it. So you can only imagine how things turn out. Jeff does the baking for the most part. And of course, Karen is my cake connection. She makes the cakes and turns me loose to decorate. Sort of. She is always right there since I make more mistakes than do things right.

Ronda--too funny about BL! That is my one complaint about the show. The embedded commercials are SO annoying and insincere.

 

[DisneyGalUK]

Of course we have a milk man! Don't you? This IS New England, after all! And it comes in the glass one-quart bottles and everything. And before we get into the Great Milk Debate again, we are not dairy-free in this house by any means. I don't DRINK milk, but I use it for cooking, etc. And the kids drink it, though not excessively.

Oh we have a Milk Man! With the glass bottles and different coloured foil lids depending on what type of milk you have! I love our milk man, hes great with his electric milk float!

LYZ - So excited for you!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

I love our milk man, hes great with his electric milk float!

his WHAT? I have no idea what that means.

 

[3DisneyKids]

*sigh* Nancy--the vehicle that he delivers milk in is electric!

And yes! The different foils for the different types of milk! Like, for the holiday season I get skim, half & half (because I have some rich dishes that I only make at the holidays when I break down and use real cream or half & half), eggnog, and every once in a while chocolate milk.

 

[adsrtw]

Hey everybody! Home from the conference. It was pretty good, but the room was freezing. We dropped from 56 to about 25 now. Yikes!

 

[cathie1327]

his WHAT? I have no idea what that means.

(I thought the same thing)