Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Chocolate gingerbread cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Baking is one of my favorite things about Christmas, partly because I love love love cookies and sharing them, but mostly because it's a tradition in my family, as true as putting up a tree and wrapping presents. My earliest kitchen memories are of rolling out cookie dough and selecting just the right cookie cutter, pressing out the shape and gently placing it on the cookie sheets that my Mom rotated in and out of the oven. I still bake her Christmas cut-outs every year, a tradition that has moved from her kitchen to mine. (She still bakes the fruitcake cookies, though.)

This is a new favorite, chocolate gingerbread cookies, adapted from Food and Wine magazine. Gingerbread's kick combined with rich chocolate is an inspired creation, and one that will be on my cookie-baking list year after year.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons, unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup shortening, such as Crisco

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

½ cup molasses

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Icing

1/2 pound confectioner’s sugar

A few tablespoons milk

1.       In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2.       In another bowl, beat the softened butter and shortening until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

3.       Add the egg to the batter and beat until incorporated. Add the molasses and the melted chocolate (I use the microwave to melt the chocolate, in 15 second intervals until it’s fully melted). Gradually add the flour, beating in each addition. Divide the dough into 3 pieces, shaping each into a disk, then wrap individually and chill for at least two hours.

4.       When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350. Lightly flour the countertop and roll the first disk about ¼ inch thick. Get out your favorite cookie cutters and cut the dough into shapes. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Re-roll the dough scraps to make more cookies (I try to keep re-rolled dough scraps together; they’re just a little bit softer than first generation dough.)

5.       Bake the cookies in a 350 oven for about seven minutes, until tops are dry. Remove from oven, let cool on pans for five minutes, then transfer to wire racks for cooling completion and icing application.

6.       For the icing: the original recipe used a royal icing with egg whites, but I went with my go-to cookie icing ~ just sifted confectioner’s sugar mixed with enough milk to get a smooth, pourable consistency. I start with a half pound bag of 10-X sugar and a couple tablespoons of milk and adjust from there.  

7.       Let cookies dry and they can be stored at room temperature in sealed containers.

 Recipe adapted from Food and Wine magazine.

Chocolate gingerbread cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

What are your favorite cookie discoveries of late? Please share in the comments. Happy Baking!

Butterscotch Pecan Chews Recipe

Butterscotch Pecan Chews. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

A perfect excuse to bake (as if you need one): Here's an easy blondie recipe with a surprise ~ no butter. Four eggs hold the brown sugar and flour together and pecans add texture. These bars can be assembled and baked up in under an hour. If they're not gobbled up still warm from the oven, wrap them up tight, refrigerate and send in school lunches throughout the week. Guaranteed lunchtime friend-maker.

Butterscotch Pecan Chews

Non-stick baking spray

4 large eggs

1 pound dark brown sugar

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch square pan with baking spray. 

2. In a bowl, stir together eggs, brown sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth and nearly lump-free. Stir in the pecans.

3. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove to cooling rack, and cut into squares when barely warm.

Adapted from "Treasured Recipes of the Charleston Cake Lady" by Teresa Pregnall (Hearts Books, 1996)

Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

It's so easy to use up summertime blueberries ~ eaten out of hand, or in granola parfaits or salads, any time they can be enjoyed for their own tart and sweet selves. But save a few of the tart and sweet treats for this blueberry coffee cake.

This buttermilk coffee cake is delicious on its own, and downright delightful with the addition of blueberries. It's really just a loose scone dough, spread into a square pan and baked. The recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Treasured Recipes of the Charleston Cake Lady" by Teresa Pregnall (Hearst Books, 1996). Mrs. Pregnall was a retired secretary in Charleston when she decided to turn her hobby of baking cakes into a business. Through the Charleston Cake Lady business, she shipped more than 20,000 cakes all over the country. Her cookbook is a winner, too, with recipes just right for home bakers.


Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease an 8-inch square pan.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to remaining crumb mixture. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and add to the crumb mixture, stirring until the dry ingredients are well moistened. Add the vanilla extract.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. scatter blueberries across the batter and press in. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned on top.

4. Cool the cake in the pan. Cut it into squares when the cake is completely cool.

Adapted from Treasured Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady by Teresa Pregnall 

(Hearst Books, 1996)

The Christmas Ham, #LetsLunch

Ham and Cheddar cheese scone.Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

One of the great privileges of mommyhood is sharing the books that I loved as a child with my girls. My  youngest, at seven, still allows me to read to her at night, so I have another Christmas sharing Barbara Robinson's "Best Christmas Pageant Ever," one of the best modern re-tellings of the Nativity that I can name. The six unruly Herdman children take over a church's Christmas pageant and learn the reason for the season. It's one of those books that entertains younger readers and gives parents an "a-ha" moment, too.

The opening sentence pretty much sums up the Herdmans:

"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse."

The Herdmans only show up at the church because they hear there are snacks and threaten their way into all the plum roles in the pageant. The Christmas story gets a fresh interpretation from the Herdmans - the Wise Men are spies, King Herod needs a good beating. But the best part, the very best part, is the ending, after the children are told about how the Wise Men gave the most precious gifts they had to the Baby Jesus, and the play is over and the Herdman kids leave their charity Christmas ham on the stage. I mean, really, I've never cried and laughed so much over a ham. 

"Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson ($5.99 Harper Collins). Read it aloud this Christmas. To a child, or even yourself.

Ham and cheese scones. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

  

 They say that eternity is two people and a Christmas ham. I don't like to think so ~ I love having a Christmas ham around. First we start with a ham dinner with sides of macaroni and cheese and green beans, then on to ham sandwiches. 

Later in the week, the ham is taken off the bone and we make bean soup. I may grind up some of the ham and mix it with boiled dressing and mayo for ham salad. To put a savory spin on my favorite buttermilk scones, I added ham and rat-trap Cheddar. These kid-pleasing biscuits would make a fine breakfast or brunch treat. Try them split with a dab of last summer's homemade strawberry preserves.

Merry Christmas! 

Ham and cheese scones. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Buttermilk Scones with Ham and Cheddar Cheese

If your ham is watery, dice it then heat it in a small pan

 over medium high heat until it crisps up and loses moisture.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped ham
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
half and half or milk or cream for glazing

1. In a batter bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Using a grater, shred the very cold butter and lightly mix the shavings into the dry ingredients. Using your hands and a gentle, quick touch, make sure the butter is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.

2. Stir in the cheese and ham. Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently with either a wooden spoon or my instrument of choice, a silicone spatula. If mixture seems dry, add additional buttermilk until a cohesive dough forms. The dough should be slightly wet and sticky, but not overly so.

3. On a floured countertop, press dough into a rough 12 X 6 inch rectangle and cut into 16 triangles. (A pictorial for my scone shaping method can be found here.) Place scones on a lined baking sheet. The scones can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully brush each wedge with buttermilk or cream. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. They may need a bit more time, depending on your oven, convection, etc. Scones are ready when they are golden brown on top and bounce back when touched lightly in the center.

This post is part of #LetsLunch, a monthly Twitter party featuring outstanding food stories

 told with bright, original prose. This month's topic is Celebrating Christmas around the world. Interested in joining the party?
 Follow #LetsLunch on Twitter and ask for an invitation to the Facebook page.

Thanks to this month's host, Rashda! See all of the fabulous blog posts on her pinboard.

Annabelle's Pecan Slices at Glass of Fancy

Linda's Sorrel Cocktail at Spicebox Travels

Grace's Persimmon Salad at Hapa Mama

Joe's Orange Honey Cake

Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.

Hummingbird Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

Hummingbird muffins with cream cheese glaze. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 There's a lot of buzz over the name Hummingbird Cake, a classic Southern layer cake made with bananas, pineapple, pecans and cinnamon, frosted with cream cheese icing. For many years, it was the most requested recipe at Southern Living magazine, but their website doesn't offer an explanation for the whimsical name. I did find two plausible possibilities - the cake is so good that folks gather round the cake like hummingbirds to nectar. Or, my favorite, banana and pineapple are native to Jamaica and its national bird is the hummingbird. 

Either way, it's a delicious cake and well worth the effort if you're looking for a showstopper cake for the holiday table. Here's the link to Southern Living's original recipe. 

I decided to take the small view and make hummingbird muffins - moist banana muffins with chopped pecans and chopped dried pineapple. Can't forget the frosting, in this case, a sweet cream cheese glaze. Give this a try and tell all partakers that no actual hummingbirds were harmed to bake these muffins.

Hummingbird Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

Yield 1 dozen muffins

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/3 cup (3 medium) bananas

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup pecans, finely chopped

¼ cup dried pineapple, finely chopped

Cream cheese glaze

1.       Heat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs until light colored and foamy. Add mashed banana and beat well, batter will have a few lumps.

2.       In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add pecans and dried pineapple. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture and mix until just combined, less than 12 strokes needed.

3.       Use baking spray or liners (or both) in a muffin pan and fill each cup just to the top. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. Muffins are done when the tops spring back after gently pressed, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Glaze with cream cheese glaze. Store leftover muffins in refrigerator, bringing to room temperature before serving.

Cream cheese glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temp

½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoon vanilla

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1.       Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until it is soft and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, whisking until it is free of lumps. Add vanilla, then milk, until the glaze is the proper consistency.

2.       Glaze hummingbird muffins. Store leftover muffins in fridge, bring to room temperature before serving.

  Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.

My new favorite cake

Grapefruit Chiffon Cake. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Do you go through baking binges? I sure do. I can go months without turning out scones, cookies, cakes or pies, then inspiration strikes and I buy a few pounds of butter, sugar and flour and go to town. This particular bolt of inspiration struck me back in the winter ~ it's a prize-winning cake published by nannydeb on Food 52.

It's called Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake with a Hint of Mint and it's spectacular. I've made it four times this year and each time it has gotten rave reviews. You may be alarmed by the word grapefruit. Another word: don't. The flavor is subtle and really, more citrus-y than particularly grapefruit-y. If you need to bring a cake to a family function this fall or winter, give this recipe a try. It's definitely a keeper.

I left off the mint in my version and the cake got raves, but give it a try with the mint. The recipe is found here: Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake with a Hint of Mint. Be sure to check out Food 52 while you're there ~ the recipes range from homey standards to fresh new takes on restaurant and international dishes. I even have a page and a spotlight (curtsy).

Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.

Wrap it up for teachers

Wrapped loaf cakes. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Give those hard-working teachers something homemade this year, all wrapped up in a pretty ribbon. Loaf cakes and quick breads fill the bill - most recipes make at least two loaves, and if you use smaller pans, you can stretch the recipe further. Below are some of my favorites. Click on the name in the caption for the recipe.

Lemon tea loaves. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Cream cheese pound cake. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Banana bread. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.

Let the baking begin!

Miss Abbey's fruitcake cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Each December, I pull down my Christmas baking books and decide on which cookies to turn out each year. There are the tried and true, like the 100 cookies and the shortbread with candied cherries. I will make a pan or two of tassies, because I'm a Southern gal, after all. And no Christmas is complete without Christmas cut-out cookies - the ones my girls plead to make and decorate. The fruitcake cookies from my Mom's kitchen are the very best - you can't eat just one!

Christmas cutout cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Here's a round-up of my favorite cookies, with links to the recipes (just click on the name in the caption). In the comments below, tell me what your favorite holiday cookies are.

Ginger cookies with raspberry jam. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

100 Cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Dried cherry biscotti. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Lemon Glazed Cookies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Tassies with macadamias and rum. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Shortbread with candied cherries. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Blue Ribbon Dreams Redux



It's late September and time again for the North Georgia State Fair, always an event for our family. From the petting zoo to the smoked turkey legs to the kiddie rides, we have a blast. Last year, I caught blue ribbon fever with my first entry into the baking categories. My Morning Glory Muffins took the honor, but my entries in the cookie and pound cake categories didn't place.

Well, I'm back at it again and planning my baking strategy for this week. I have three items that I plan to bake and enter, but I'm giving myself a break if all the recipes don't turn out as well as planned, or if my baking time gets cut short. (Let's see, two night meetings, piano, soccer, and a Very Important Birthday, all this week).

I'm going to go bold and enter the pie category with the best pie I baked this year - PieLab's Apple Cheddar Pie:



Apple Cheddar Pie by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

For the cookie category, I'm thinking of submitting my all-time favorite cookie: Ginger-Raspberry. 



Ginger Cookies with Raspberry Jam. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 And if I have time, I might whip up the most-viewed recipe on my blog, Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Three stellar recipes, three shots at blue ribbon glory. I think I might be able to make it. My family may be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for supper, but sometimes, sacrifices must be made. I just noticed that there's a cheesecake category, and I make a mean cheesecake....

How about you - have you caught blue ribbon fever? Do you plan to visit a state fair this fall?