What's Baking: Chocolate-Dipped Walnut Butter Cookies

So, in case you were wondering ... dropping the lid to your 6 3/4-quart Le Creuset Dutch oven on your toe is not a good idea. I learned this firsthand last Thursday night when I broke the tip of my toe after dropping the lid onto it from a height of about three feet. And how did this happen, you might ask? Well, perhaps I was pulling the (quite heavy) dish out of the corner of the pantry with just one hand, while my other hand was preoccupied with holding one of these cookies.

Long story short, let's just say it's a good thing it isn't flip-flop season. And, um, does anyone know if they make Lee press-on toenails? (Are Lee press-on nails even still a thing?) Also, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to talk about toenails (or the lack thereof) on a food blog. But sometimes I'm a maverick like that. Who doesn't love a little real talk now and again? I will, however, do you the favor of not showing you a photo of the aftermath. Because, let's face it, no one wants to see that. Not even me.

In the end, should I have put down that cookie and grabbed the dish with both hands? Umm, probably. But it was a really good cookie.

These cookies remind me of the boxes of cookies my New Yorker grandparents would bring from an Italian bakery in their Jackson Heights neighborhood when they would come to visit. You know, the kind that are packaged in a big white square box tied with red-and-white baker's twine?

I always went for the ones with chocolate or nuts or sprinkles first – okay, that's basically all of them. These rich butter cookies have a tender crunch and delicious nutty flavor. And a dip in chocolate and additional sprinkle of chopped walnuts takes these cookies (and your tastebuds) over the moon.

Chocolate-Dipped Walnut Butter Cookies (printer-friendly version)
makes about 3 dozen

For the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter (1 stick melted, 1 stick softened)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the decoration:
8 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour mixture at low speed, then stir in walnuts.
3. Form 2 teaspoons of dough into an egglike shape, forming a ridge down the middle with your thumbs. Arrange the dough1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in batches in the middle of the oven until undersides are light brown, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
4. To decorate the cookies: Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate and then sprinkle with chopped nuts. Place on a piece of wax paper to set, about 15 minutes.

(lightly adapted from this Gourmet magazine recipe)

What's For Breakfast: Chai-Spiced Granola

O granola! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... You're sweet, you're savory, you give my breakfast crunch ... There are endless ways to make you, and once you know the general components, it's pretty hard to mess you up.

Case in point -- the latest granola recipe I tried out, which I think may be my new favorite. This granola recipe has the addition of Maldon sea salt, which gives it a little extra flavor oomph. I initially found the recipe in the book The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes, which I was paging through at our friends' house on New Year's Eve. (While we were roasting some coffee beans -- you know, as one does as part of their regular NYE festivities...) When I saw the recipe for granola, I knew I had to give it a whirl. I tweaked a few things, including subbing in some seven-grain flakes for half the rolled oats (I buy the seven-grain flakes in bulk at our local natural foods store) and adding in a few additional spices.

This granola requires low and slow cooking (about two hours in the oven) -- which makes it a perfect recipe to try out on a gloomy winter afternoon. I've found that this granola is excellent just for nibbling on as a snack on its own, as well as a great topping for Greek yogurt (my daily weekday breakfast).

Chai-Spiced Granola (printer-friendly version)
makes about 12-15 servings

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup filtered water
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups seven-grain flakes [or just double the rolled oats]
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon granulated orange zest [optional]
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1/3 cup walnut oil [or use a neutral oil such as canola]
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.
2. In a medium sauce pot, combine together the brown sugar and filtered water. While stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, add together the oats, seven-grain flakes, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, cardamom, and sea salt.
4. Stir the walnut oil and vanilla extract into the cooled brown sugar mixture. Then pour it over the oat mixture. Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients together.
5. Spread the granola evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and flip the granola over with a spatula. (Try to keep it in large chunks.)
7. Bake for an additional 60 minutes, or until the granola is dry.
8. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool completely. Break the granola into small chunks and store in an airtight container for up to three weeks.

 (adapted from a recipe in The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee)

What's Baking: Vegan Banana Coconut Walnut Bread

I'm still on my vegan baking kick, and decided to veganize my Mom's banana nut bread recipe. Since I was feeling a little extra adventurous, I also subbed in some whole wheat flour and added in some finely shredded coconut as well. This is the first time I've tried Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks -- which are made from an expeller-pressed natural oil blend including soybean, palm fruit, canola, and olive oils. Palm fruit oil is a bit of a controversial ingredient -- Earth Balance addresses this issue here. I've got to say, the resulting loaf of bread was moist and delicious, and no, Dad, it wasn't as dense as a brick. : )

Vegan Banana Coconut Walnut Bread (printer-friendly version)

makes one large or one medium and one small loaf

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

6 tablespoons water

1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup organic finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

3-4 uber-ripe bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease (I use cooking spray) one large or one medium and one small loaf pan.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the ground flaxseed and water. Let sit for about 2-3 minutes.

4. Use a stand mixer to cream together the vegan butter and sugars. Add the flaxseed mixture and vanilla and beat well.

5. In a separate bowl, stir the dry ingredients together with a fork.

6. While stirring, alternate adding the dry ingredients and mashed banana to the mixer bowl.

7. Stir in the chopped walnuts by hand.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan(s).

8. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the bread center comes out clean.

9. Remove the bread from the oven and place pan on wire rack. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes.

11. After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.

12. Wrap in foil and store in the fridge.