Sunday was one of those days. One of those mad days when I had a million things to do and not enough hours in the day. And then I ended up doing a helluva job completing a small portion of my to-do list. I had gone food shopping to make the two recipes for the Oscars. I needed eggs so I stopped at the market. I started the recipe and realized I was scraping the bottom of my flour bin. I put my jacket back on and ran (literally ran because I had zero time to spare) to the neighborhood market to find that for the first time in 3 years of going there, there were actually other shoppers and they had formed quite a long line. I finally made my way to the register, back to my place, and continued with the recipe. Then I realized I was scraping the bottom of my sugar bin as well. This time my saint-of-a-husband went to the market for me. Just as he arrived back, I was scraping the bottom of my baking soda box (I mean why would I have checked that, it’s not an item you ever seem to run out of!). I made do with what I had. As I finished the recipes, I was already five minutes late to the party. I loaded them on trays and went for the cling wrap to cover them. You know what happened next…

Thank god, in baking there are recipes and if you have the ingredients (!) and follow the instructions, you can make some delicious food even if you botched up every step along the way.

Black and White Cookies (makes about 16 large cookies)
Adapted from Joy the Baker & Gourmet Cookbook

For the Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes. Then frost (recipes below) on the flat side of the cookie, half vanilla and half chocolate. Enjoy!!

Milk Chocolate Frosting
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cocoa powder and salt. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar followed by 1 tablespoon milk. Beat well. Add another cup of powdered sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of milk. Melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add melted and slightly cooked milk chocolate the frosting and beat to incorporate. Add the final 1/2 cup of powdered sugar if you need a bit more thickness.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter , softened
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¹⁄₈ teaspoon saltIn a bowl combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat till blended. Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Pulling Off a New Recipe When Everything Goes Wrong

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Visit my sister site!

Get Social

As seen on:

Grab my button!!