Limoncello Cookies

Hello and welcome to dessert of Lemon Christmas...Limoncello Cookies! 

Lemon Christmas started as the story of stuffed grape leaves (Domathes) passed down through the generations of my neighborhood, as told by my Aunt Connie. To my total elation, it became a five hour cooking spree with my Aunt Connie, culminating in a dinner of Domathes with Lemon Sauce, Lemon Risotto, Lemon Chicken, Lemon Roasted Broccoli, and Limoncello Cookies! 

Thanks to Uncle Dick for the Limoncello Cookie request, and thanks to in sock monkey slippers for the wonderful recipe!                                                     

The Recipe: Limoncello Cookies

·         1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/4 teaspoon sea salt

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         1 large egg, at room temperature

·         2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste

·         1/2 Tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

·         1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

·         5 Tbs Limoncello

·         1 Tbs lemon juice

·         2 washed and sliced lemons (to make Candied Lemon Slice Garnish)

·         2 cups granulated sugar

·         2 cups water

·         2 to 3 large lemons, for 24 slices

The Process: Dough

1. Put salt and flour in a medium bowl.
2.  In another bowl, mix the butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy (about 2 minutes). 
3. Add the egg and mix until combined.
4.  Next, add vanilla and lemon zest to the bowl with butter, sugar, and egg.
5. Slowly mix in the flour/salt combo. Don't overmix! 
6. Pour the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and tightly cover. Refrigerate overnight. 

   Candied Lemon Wheels (prepare the night before!!!): 

1. Wash and cut slices of lemon to about 1/8 inch (the smaller the better!!) and remove all seeds. 
2. Bring water and sugar to boil in a pot. Add a little lemon juice from the ends of the lemons. 
3. Fill pot completely with lemon slices and boil on medium-high for about 30 minutes. (Wait until they appear to be candy coated and somewhat orange. You'll find that the more slices you put in at once, the more they become saturated and the faster they will cook. )
4. Allow to dry overnight on parchment paper. 

 

Baking and Decorating:

1. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees Celsius)
2. Allow dough to loosen. 
3. HEAVILY flour a sterile surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. 
4. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/3 inch thick. 
5. With a 2 inch diameter round cookie cutter, cut dough and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
6. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until the edges start to golden. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7.  Once baked, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing: 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, Limoncello, and lemon juice. Stir until fluid but thick. 
2. Ice with a pastry brush. 
3.  Decorate with a candied lemon wheel.  Allow the icing to set for at least 10 to 30 minutes.

Calories:

Flour- 569 calories

Sea salt- 0 calories

Lemon juice- 0 calories

Powdered sugar- 700 calories

Limoncello- 30 calories

Granulated sugar- 1950 calories

Lemons- 45 calories

Butter- 815 calories

Egg- 72 calories

Vanilla Extract- 12 calories 

_____________________________________

TOTAL: 4193 calories

This recipe made about 40 cookies, so each cookie plus the lemon wheel had 104 calories. More comments on the lemon wheel below...

What went right:

            The cookies themselves were absolutely delicious!!! In my personal opinion, the icing was better when combined with the cookies and fully dried, but everyone else seemed to like it on its own as well. And as you can see, they are gorgeous on a plate ;) 

What went wrong:

            The lemon slices are ridiculously difficult to eat, so we ended up taking them off the cookies and tossing most of them. Additionally, the calories really should be edited because much of the granulated sugar was still in the sugar bath and tossed by the end of the lemon candying process. 

What I would do next time:

            As discussed in light of the candied lemon slice issue, we decided the cookies would look just as good if the lemon slice decoration only covered a portion of the cookie, as shown to the right. 

Would I do this in college:

             There are a few things keeping me from doing this in college. Namely being under 21. Also not having a lot of time. I would gladly make the batter, however! The plain cookies are just as good as the iced cookies, and would have a much lower calorie count as well. 

Overall, a great cookie and a delicious end to a perfect meal!! 

Spritz Cookies with Friends

Hello and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

So apparently most people don't know what spritz cookies are, which shocked me because they are one of the most classic Christmas cookies ever.Hopefully the 200 or so spritz cookies Emmy, Lauren, Clarissa, and I made was enough of an explanation ;)

                                       

Thanks for baking and enjoying with me darlings <3 

                                        

Thanks to everyone who indulged with us as well :) 

The Recipe: 

• 1.5 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour
• Dark Chocolate (as desired)
• Sprinkles (as desired)
• Hershey Kisses (as desired)
• Reeses (as desired)
• Crushed Candy Cane (as desired)
• Marshmallows (as desired)
• M&Ms (as desired)

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176.7 degrees C). 
2. To separate the egg, crack carefully and move yolk to one side of the shell. Transfer yolk between the shell halves, allowing the egg white to drip into another container. 
3. Mix butter, sugar, yolk, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and flour. 
4. Chill batter for about 30 minutes. 
5. Fill cookie press. 
6. Press dough onto baking pans using cookie press. 
7. Decorate as desired. 
8. Bake for 5-8 minutes, depending on your oven. 
9. Allow to cool before removing from pan. 
10. Share the love with friends :) 

The Calories:

Butter: 1215 calories

Sugar: 387 calories

Yolk: 55 calories

Vanilla: 6 calories

Almond: 6 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Flour: 910 calories

_______________________

TOTAL: 2579 calories

A single recipe makes about 65 cookies. This means each cookie contains about 40 calories. Not too shabby! 

What went right:

         Everything! These were such a hit, we made a double batch a couple days later :) 

What went wrong: 

         They're entirely too addictive. 

What I would do next time: 

          Try other toppings and potentially mix cocoa powder into part of the recipe to make chocolate spritz cookies. 

Overall, one of my favorite holiday traditions fulfilled! 

                                                                                                                                    

  Here are the Spritz Cookies with the Gluten Free Mint Chocolate Cookies:

Here is the final collection of my Christmas Cookies and Truffles, including Spritz Cookies, Gluten Free Mint Chocolate Cookies, Caramel Truffles, and Peanut Butter Truffles: 

Gluten Free Mint Chocolate Cookies

Hello and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Welcome to yet another of my holiday baking experiments gone oh so right! 

                                  

Originally based in the Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies, this recipe became something entirely new and unexpected, but still equally loved and appreciated by my gluten free friends :) 

The Recipe: 

• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup melted chocolate
• Crushed Candy Canes (as desired)
• Water (as necessary)

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176.7 degrees C). 
2. To separate egg, crack and turn such that the yolk falls into one half of the shell. Carefully transfer yolk between shell halves, allowing white to drip into a container below. 
3. Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe container in 30 second bursts, stirring the chocolate after each burst. 
4. Mix egg white, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, melted chocolate. 
5. Add water in small portions until the batter holds together and is moldable. 
6. Roll batter into balls and "thumbprint". 
7. Add candy cane pieces as desired 
8. Bake for 6 minutes. 
9. Enjoy and share! 

The Calories: 

Egg White: 17 calories

Cocoa Powder: 65 calories

Powdered Sugar: 389 calories

Vanilla Extract: 3 calories

Melted Chocolate: 80 calories

Candy Canes: 30 calories

______________________________

TOTAL: 584 calories

And that's for the ENTIRE recipe!! Each of the 25 cookies made has only 23 calories, and they're gluten free! 

What went right: 

          While I thought the consistency was totally wrong because it didn't match the consistency of the Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies, they turned out amazing regardless. 

What went wrong: 

           Ditto :) 

What I would do next time: 

           It would be fun to try this recipe as a vegan recipe as well, by replacing the egg white with applesauce. Additionally, if dipped in unsweetened chocolate, this could make a delicious vegan truffle! 

Overall, a very successful recipe despite its deviation from the original. It worked quite well with my Spritz Cookies as well ;)        

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies

Welcome Gluten Free Eaters and Dessert Lovers!

Today's recipe comes once again from my lovely bio lab group <3

Meet Team Hunar: Hunar, Caitlin, Caroline, Me

 

Our first cooking experiment together (Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies) was such a success, we decided we should bake again while putting together our lab report presentation. That, and, we wanted an excuse to hang out and bake together again. 

The major stipulation for all lab group baking projects is that they have to be Gluten Free, because Caitlin is Gluten Free, and we love her, so we need to make sure she can enjoy the cookies too! 

                                                             

Thanks to Caroline for finding this recipe and suggesting it to the group :) 

Thanks to Caitlin for reinventing the recipe with M&Ms and being an awesome DJ :) 

and of course...thanks to Hunar for bringing "the spunk" ;P

Objective: 

Bake delicious, gluten free, addictive, healthy cookies that will please the "god" of Lab 116. 

Hypothesis: 

Removing the egg yolks and not using flour or butter will increase the health value of cookies and adding cocoa powder and M&Ms will increase the deliciousness. The powdered sugar, when baked, will form a coating for the cookies, to give these soft fudgy cookies some crunch. 

Materials:

• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup melted chocolate
• 1/4 cup M&Ms 

Protocol:

1. Use sterile technique. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
3. Mix all dry ingredients together
4. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe container (preferably ceramic) in small spurts of 30 seconds each, stirring between each spurt (If you do not follow this protocol you are guaranteed to burn the chocolate and potentially burn the container!!)
5. Add eggs and melted chocolate and mix
6. Add M&Ms and mix
7. Spoon onto baking sheet
8. Bake for about 10 minutes, watching carefully for when they expand, as each oven is different. 
9. Allow to cool
10. Enjoy!!

Results:

The Calories:

Egg Whites: 51 calories

Sugar: 1167 calories

Cocoa: 128 calories

Chocolate: 200 calories

M&Ms: 253 calories

Vanilla Extract: 6 calories

____________________

TOTAL: 1805 calories

For 30 servings, this is about 60 calories per serving. It's a lot of sugar, but the egg whites and lack of butter and flour really make a difference for the health value. 

What went right:

         They're absolutely delicious, and again, our instructor loved them!! 

What went wrong: 

          Nothing :) 

Would I make these again: 

          I'm pretty sure I'm morally obligated to make these again...a few of my hallmates saw me bring them upstairs and I couldn't give them any because they were for the lab class...so look out T3, we'll be having these cookies at some point :) 

Overall, a delicious and relatively healthy dessert! 

If you really need to work this off, it doesn't take a lot of work. 60 calories can be burned off with: 

• 30 minutes of yoga
• 20 minutes of playing pool
• 20 minutes of bowling
• 20 minutes of playing darts

As you can see, these are relatively light activities. That said, every little bit helps!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

...if the name alone isn't a tantalizing mouthful, how about this mouth-watering photo?

And this is a healthy cookie!! 

The credit for this recipe goes to pinterest, which continues to inspire delicious smells and delighted smiles. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from my Bio lab instructor, Dr. K. I was early for lab last week, and we were talking about food. I mentioned that I like to cook, he asked if I bake, and I, of course, said yes. He jokingly requested cookies, I excitedly said, "Sure!". At that point, my lab group had arrived and jumped at the excuse to bake cookies together. Thanks to Caroline, Caitlin, and Hunar (Team Hunar) for baking and doing labs with me, and overall being amazing. I look forward to lab every week just to hang out with you all <3

The following week, the night before lab, we met at my dorm. Everyone brought some ingredients, we made the batter together (feeling intense deja vu, as if we were once again in the lab together, measuring starch and amylase) and while it was baking, we worked on our lab reports. 

Being the geek that I am, I decided it would only be fitting to write today's post like a lab report. Happy Incubating! 

Objective: Bake stunning, delicious, flour-less, butter-free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Hypothesis: Cookies will be primarily held together by the oats and peanut butter. They will rise because of the baking soda, be chewy because of the brown sugar, flavorful because of the vanilla extract, and appease chocoholics with chocolate chips. 

Prediction: This cookie will become a new healthy, addictive favorite!

Materials: (Makes 30 servings)

• 1.5 tbsp Vanilla Extract (22.5 grams)
• 2 Large Eggs 
• 1 cup Peanut Butter (236.6 grams)
• 2/3 cup Rolled Oats (156.1 grams)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda (4.9 grams)
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed (156.1 grams)
• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (236.6 grams)

Protocol:

1. Preheat the oven to 176.7 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit for those of us in the US). 
2. Combine Baking Soda and Rolled Oats in a small bowl. 
3. In a large bowl, combine Vanilla Extract, Eggs, Peanut Butter, and Brown Sugar. 
4. Mix with a hand mixer for approximately three minutes, or until the batter matches this picture: 
   
   5. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. 
   6. Mix in the dry ingredients with a spoon until the batter is relatively homogeneous (completely mixed). 
   7. Fold in chocolate chips using the same technique. 
   8. Using your hands, roll batter into 1 inch diameter balls and place approximately an inch away from all other cookie balls on a non-stick cookie sheet. There is no need to use butter or oil, as the peanut oil from the peanut butter will allow the cookies to separate from the pan. Do not be surprised if your hands become slick and covered with peanut oil while you form the cookie balls; the oil separates in most peanut butter because the peanut oil contained is not pure. 
   
   
   
   
   
   9. Bake for about 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. The cookies will bubble while the separated oil touching the pan cooks, you will think there is something very wrong, worry not! The cookies expand in the second half of the baking process, and will end up looking like this: 
   
   11. You will know the cookies are done if you poke one in the middle with a fork and it comes out clean. Be sure to observe the base of the cookies as well, to see if they have burned. 
   10. If the smell that extends throughout the entire first floor doesn't cause a stampede of hungry college students, suddenly very interested in your affairs, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before eating to avoid a burnt tongue. 
   12. Try not to eat them all before lab! (This is the most difficult step...we decided to eat the small pan and bring the full pan to lab.)
   
   
   Data Collection: 
   
   
   The Calories:
   Vanilla Extract- 17 calories
   Rolled Oats- 240 calories
   Baking Soda- 3 calories
   Brown Sugar- 547 calories
   Chocolate Chips- 805 calories
   Eggs- 147 calories
   Peanut Butter- 1518 calories
   ____________________________
   TOTAL: 3277 calories
   
   
   Because the recipe made 30 cookies, each cookie is about 109 calories. 
   
   
   The peanut butter looks like a problem, because it contains a high amount of fat. However, it contains mostly unsaturated fat and a high amount of protein. Regular butter is 100% saturated fat, which is more dense than unsaturated fat. (If you're interested in the science behind this concept, please click here!)
   
   
   Discussion:
   What Went Right:
   Everything about these cookies was so right. They're exceptionally delicious; the class loved them, we loved them, and most importantly, our instructor loved them! Plus, we had a great time baking together and working on our lab. 
   
   
   What Went Wrong:
   The total prep time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. The total bake time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. That means from start to finish, 30 delectable cookies can be made in only 20 minutes. Need I say more? 
   Follow-Up "Experiment":
   There's nothing in particular these cookies NEED. This is one cookie recipe that I don't particularly want to change. It's wonderful the way it is and really should stay that way. 
   That said, we discussed the potential of combining them with two other cookie recipes we found: Apple Spice Cookies and Boyfriend Cookies. In the spirit of fall, it would be great to try adding diced apple to the recipe, and potentially caramel. I think these would add to the texture and flavor well.The Boyfriend Cookies contain M&Ms, pecans, a few different kinds of chocolate, and pudding mix. I think this is a bit extreme and eclectic, and would take away from the pure warmth of this recipe that blends together so beautifully. 
   Otherwise, I think it would be safe to exchange the milk chocolate for dark chocolate chips or raisins, if you wanted them to be that much more healthy. Exchanging the chocolate for raisins would make each cookie about 99 calories, so it's only worth it if you don't like chocolate. 
   Final Comments:
   Overall, this was a highly worthwhile endeavor which will be duplicated with a different "experiment" next week...stay tuned for more Lab Reports ;) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie

As promised! Some simple variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie...

These cookies used the recipe for basic peanut butter cookies from earlier in my blog, and the medium baked process. 

Experiment 1: Folding in Cinnamon Swirls

• Sprinkle cinnamon onto a small plate.
• Using your hands, flatten a small amount of batter and press it into the cinnamon.
• Roll the batter into a ball with the cinnamon in the center. Each ball should be 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter. 
• Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees

Experiment 2: Adding a dark chocolate center

• Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees
• Immediately post baking, press a dark chocolate Godiva chip into the center and allow to cool. The chocolate chip should become fully embedded into the cookie. 

The caloric addition of a single chocolate chip or a small amount of cinnamon is not significant enough to change the health value of each cookie. 

And of course, while they bake, do the Peanut Butter Cookie Workout to stay in shape and enjoy, guilt-free!

Both experiments went well, and I will definitely have more trials in the future. I might try different shapes for the cookies, such as a triangle for the cinnamon, and rolling it like a crescent, or cinnamon roll. 

 Keep checking for more variations on the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe!

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Welcome Deceptively Healthy Baking Fans! 

I was skeptical of this cookie recipe when I came across it on Pinterest. 'Fat free' and 'chocolate cookie' just didn't seem to fit in the same paragraph, much less recipe title. As the cookies came together, it made more sense...

The Recipe: Fat Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies

• 1.5 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Karo syrup
• 3 egg whites 

The Process:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Butter a cookie sheet or spray with cooking spray
• In a large bowl, mix/sift the cocoa, baking soda, flour, sugar, and salt. Try to get out all the lumps.
• Crack your eggs into a smaller bowl, separating the whites from the yolks by carefully transferring the yolk back and forth between the egg shell halves. (You can save the yolks separately for later use in any other small container. If you do not save them separately, remember to label the container '3 egg yolks', so you know later on)
• Add the egg whites and Karo (corn syrup) to the dry ingredients
• Mix until the dough becomes thick, sticky, and thoroughly blended
• Use a spoon to drop small cookie balls onto the cookie sheet (the recipe says it makes 30, but I made almost 60...size matters!)
• Bake for 7-9 minutes, watching to see that the cookies rise
• They will still be soft to the touch, but a toothpick test will come out dry
• Allow cookies to cool and set for a couple minutes
• When storing, be sure to use wax paper to separate the cookies, and do not lock them into the container. Otherwise, they will stick together. 
• Enjoy!

The Calories:

Again, I've taken this recipe from another source. The only thing I changed was the salt content, which I cut in half. Additionally, mine were smaller. The recipe online says 55 calories per cookie. This makes mine about 27 calories per chewy chocolate cookie, and zero fat! 

What went right: 

         They are fantastic!!! Everyone who's had one loved it. They almost taste like brownies, and the small size, zero fat, and low calorie content makes them guilt-free as well :) 

What went wrong: 

         The first time I packaged them, I learned that they stick together. This was quickly remedied, and did nothing to the amazing taste of the cookies.

What I would do next time:

          A few new recipes for the batter come to mind...

1. Fat Free Blondie Cookies (no cocoa powder and light Karo syrup)
2. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cookies with walnuts (add walnuts...could be done with pecans or almonds as well)
3. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips (add white chocolate chips)
4. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cupcakes with banana chocolate frosting (made with a frozen banana and unsweetened cocoa powder)
5. Chewy Chocolate Boston Creme cupcakes (bake cupcakes, cut the top open, fill with custard, close, and top with all natural, home made whipped cream)
6. Fat Free Chewy Chocolate cake batter (filling can vary from raspberries to chocolate truffle/mousse and caramel...possibilities are endless)

Will I do this in college:

          To all my lovely future classmates who so kindly read my blog, I promise you I will be making these cookies a LOT! They are quick and easy and -for the 15th time- fat free!

This recipe is definitely going to come back in other forms, so stay tuned for the fat free results!