Cashew Chocolate Chip Crisps

I was lucky enough to receive Claudia Fleming's The Last Course for Christmas. It is an incredibly beautiful book that is only available now through the North Fork Table & Inn website. It is pricey, but worth it. I've spent hours perusing the inventive recipes and sumptuous photographs. Everything looks amazing, each recipe meticulous, unexpected, familiar, inviting. I want to make it all.

To christen my book, I started with these cookies. It is well-documented that I love chocolate chip cookies. These are one of the most interesting chocolate chip cookie recipes I've come across, and I just had to give them a try.

They're called crisps, and Claudia describes them as being brittle, but mine weren't... I made my cookies larger than she specifies - heaping tablespoon of dough instead of a heaping teaspoon - which probably accounts for the difference. The texture was fairly standard as far as chocolate chip cookies go, though thinner than I usually prefer. That being said, I loved these cookies. To me they are a cross between a Florentine and a chocolate chip cookie - this is how they are forgiven for being on the thin side; since they aren't a traditional ccc, they don't undergo the typical ccc scrutiny. Though they don't fall short on any other fronts.

These cookies are chewy, crispy on the outside, contain milk and bittersweet chocolate, they're studded with toasted cashews and are finished with orange zest. They are magnificent.

Cashew Chocolate Chip Crisps

adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming

2 1/2 cups toasted cashews

2 1/2 cups white wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups palm sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest from 1 orange, finely grated

2 large eggs

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon water

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks

8 ounces milk chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a food processor, grind 1/2 cup of toasted cashews and 1 tablespoon flour to a fine meal. In a medium sized bowl, combine remaining flour, salt and the ground cashew/flour mixture. Coarsely chop the rest of the nuts. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and zest, beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in water and add it to bowl of the stand mixer. Beat until combined. Add flour mixture in two batches, mixing until just combined. Stir in chopped chocolate and cashews. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheet. Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden brown all over. Cool on baking sheet.

TWD: Burnt Palm Sugar Ice Cream

It has been way too long since I've made ice cream. Every time I make it, I wonder why I don't do it more often, it's really so easy! I was really happy that the TWD bakers were tasked to churn some this week, because it forced me to pull out my ice cream maker for the first time in a very long time.

This is basically a caramel ice cream. First you make a simple caramel out of sugar and water, then add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, resulting in your ice cream base. Couldn't be easier!

This is a delicious, rich, deeply flavored creamy treat. One that even my little ones got to enjoy, since I used palm sugar in place of cane sugar.

Thanks so much to Becky of Project Domestication for this fun pick, the recipe can be found on her blog.

Also, my business is having a great giveaway on our Facebook page, enter here!

Quinoa Cookies

There has been quite a bit of buzz lately about the new baking book Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. As soon as I heard about the book I bought a copy, I knew it would be right up my alley. I was right.

Good to the Grain is all about baking with whole grains, and each chapter is devoted to a different one; whole wheat, barley, amaranth, quinoa and more. Though I eat a variety of grains on a regular basis, I have barely dabbled with their flours in baking. I've been wanting to incorporate new flours into my baking for some time, but was unsure of how to begin - they all have different textures and flavors and I only have so much time for experimentation!

When flipping through the book for the first time, one of the recipes that immediately jumped out at me was these cookies. I love quinoa. My boys and I eat in on a nearly daily basis. Did you know that it is a complete protein? One of the many things that makes it a regular in my home.

I had no idea what to expect from these cookies. They use not only quinoa flour, but quinoa flakes, plus a hefty 2 teaspoons of nutmeg. Unusual, to say the least.

They came out of the oven much being more attractive than I had anticipated; a crackled top, slightly crispy edges, soft on the inside, flecked all over with the white quinoa flakes. The quinoa flavor is much more subtle than I had hoped - it was rather overpowered by the nutmeg. If I made these again, I would definitely tone the nutmeg down. If you're not sure about your feelings on quinoa, however, you may want to leave the nutmeg as is. I suspect it helps ease people in to the flavor of quinoa which some find to be an acquired taste.

I really enjoyed these cookies, and was surprised at how effortlessly the quinoa fit in. Though I did hope the flavor would be a little more outstanding, though it was there, and very tasty. I used palm sugar as my sweetener, which was a lovely complement to the quinoa and nutmeg. I found them to be a tad on the salty side - which is not something I ever say, I love salty - so you may want to use 1/2 teaspoon less. It just occurred to me that these would also be fantastic as thumbprints, filled with jam or even a nut butter - I'll have to try them that way with some of my remaining dough.

*** Update *** I tasted a cookie on its second day and the nutmeg had mellowed considerably. If you're going to serve the cookies immediately, I would still recommend using a little less nutmeg, but if you think they'll be around a couple of days you may want to leave it as is.

Quinoa Cookies

adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups palm sugar

2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups whole oats

1 cup quinoa flakes + 3/4 cup for rolling

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and mix on low until just blended, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about a minute after each addition. Stir in molasses and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on low until flour is barely combined. Add oats and one cup of quinoa flakes mixing until just combined. Don't be concerned if the dough seems crumbly, it will come together when you form it into balls. Place remaining 3/4 cup quinoa flakes in shallow bowl. Form dough into balls about 3 tablespoons in size and roll in flakes to cover them completely. Place balls in baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for about 5-18 minutes, until cookies have spread, cracked and are an even golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet.

Le Creuset Winner!!!

The winner of my Le Creuset giveaway is Debbie in Memphis!!! Congratulations, Debbie! Email your shipping address to blueridgebaker@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

TWD: Chockablock Cookies

I've always been a bit of a procrastinator. If there's something I'm not 100% excited about doing, I'll wait until the absolute last minute to do it. I actually baked and photographed these cookies on Tuesday. I loved the cookies, but wasn't thrilled with the photos so I've been dragging my heels on writing this post... Here goes...

This week's TWD treat is a delightful cookie with endless possiblilities for playing around! It is an oatmeal cookie with your choice of dried fruit and nuts, plus coconut and chocolate - though in the interest of feeding them to my children, I left the chocolate out. There's a first time for everything...

I used a combination of dates and pecans, which I just love together. Since I omitted the chocolate, I added a little extra of all of the other add-ins. Not surprisingly, I sweetened my cookies with palm sugar and an unbelievable local molasses. I also used all butter instead of part butter, part shortening.

These cookies are thick, soft, chewy, chock full of goodies and almost healthy enough to call breakfast! One of my favorite things about them is that the molasses is a very prominent flavor. It was a welcome surprise! I think using palm sugar as my second sweetener helped to highlight the molasses, as it is itself rather dark in flavor.

Thanks to Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet for choosing this wonderful cookie for us to bake! The recipe is on her blog.

Roasted Asparagus

I am completely obsessed with roasted vegetables. I somehow managed to go through 29 years of my life without roasting a single one, but after discovering them last summer, I now make them at least 3 times a week. You name it, I'll roast it, but some of my favorite vegetables to roast are tomatoes - cherry tomatoes, especially - zucchini, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus.

Oh, asparagus, how happy I am to see you again at less than $8 a pound! I won't buy vegetables if they are out of season, so it has been quite a while since asparagus has been in my house. As long as I can get it at the farmer's market, however, it will be making regular appearances and I couldn't be happier about it. It is one of the things I look most forward to about spring. On a side note, have you ever made asparagus pizza? If not, you have to! My absolute favorite; Peter Reinhart's Pizza Napoletana crust, asparagus, fresh mozzarella and fresh parmesan. Heaven. And on this week's menu. I know, I digress... I'm just so excited about the asparagus!!!

I roast all vegetables in basically the same way - simply; nothing but olive oil and salt. Once in a while I'll add some ground coriander, but most often it is just olive oil and salt. The amazing thing about roasting is that it cooks the vegetables more slowly than on the stovetop, bringing out flavors that you never knew could exist. It also creates wonderful textures. The edges get crispy and caramelized, while the insides are soft, almost creamy with many vegetables.

If you haven't roasted vegetables before, you really must give it a try. It is an easy, effortless way to create a healthy and delicious meal. What I'm giving you below is more of a guideline than a recipe, I never measure anything when I roast... Let me know if you have questions.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus - about a pound

olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 400. Wash asparagus and pat dry - the drying is very important, you don't want excess moisture, or it will steam and get mushy. Trim woody ends. Drizzle baking sheet with olive oil - just enough to give it a thin coat - and spread it evenly with your fingers. Lay asparagus on baking sheet, placing them in a single layer as much as possible. Drizzle with more olive oil and salt to taste. Toss with your hands until asparagus is evenly coated. Re-arrange in single layer and place in oven. Check asparagus every 10 minutes, turning it as necessary. Remove from oven when it is tender and ends are crispy and caramelized - about 25 minutes. This works for any vegetable, though if you use a variety with different cooking times you'll want to stagger their additions to the baking sheet. If you use a large amount of vegetables, opt for more of a roasting pan or baking dish with high sides. As a variation, add a handful of nuts after the asparagus has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, the crunchy toasted nuts add a fantastic dimension to the dish.

Also, I'm having a fabulous Le Creuset giveaway right now!!! Enter here.

Le Creuset Giveaway!!!

To make up for my absence lately, I have a fabulous giveaway for you!

You could win this beautiful Le Crueset batter bowl & balloon whisk in Caribbean blue!

To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me where you're going on your next vacation - or where you'd like to go if you don't have one planned. I just got back from the beach, and am wishing I was still there!

For an additional entry, follow me on Twitter - I'm @blueridgebaker - and tweet this:

Le Creuest giveaway from @blueridgebaker http://blueridgebaker.blogspot.com/2010/04/giveaway.html

The giveaway will run through 11:59PM EST on Friday, April 30, 2010. The winner will be picked using random.org, and announced here on Saturday morning, May 1st.

This giveaway is sponsored by cookware.com and the CSN Stores. They have over 200 sites with everything from bakeware to pet products to kids beds. They have it all!