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Original recipes, commentary, and photos published in Kitchen Encounters are from the personal collections of Melanie/Melanie's Kitchen.
Copyright 2010/2011/2012/2013.
"Three cookies of my youth week" here on KE is coming to a close! Sigh.
On Monday we made ~ My Favorite Sugar Cookie: The Snickerdoodle ~, then, on Wednesday we made ~ My Favorite Spice-y Cookie is: The Ginger Snap ~. Both recipes can be found in Category 7, and they
are from my very 1st cookbook: a bridal shower gift to me 'way back when' in 1974!
Snickerdoodles (pictured above) and gingersnaps (pictured here) are referred to as "drop cookies". They are made by dropping uniform sized pieces of dough onto a baking pan. They are not fancy or gourmet (and I don't care for versions of recipes that try to make them so). They are the kind your mom and grandmom had waiting on the kitchen table with a glass of milk for you and your friends afterschool. The kind you grab on your way in the door or out the door. The kind you love to dunk in your coffee at breakfast or a glass of milk at the end of a long, hard day!
Today, T.G.I.F., I'm making peanut butter cookies. The ones with the signature criss-cross fork marks on top. Why bake cookies in mid-May? We've had a cold-snap here in Central Pennsylvania: 40-degree temperatures (which I dislike), with lots of rain (which I admit we need). Cold and damp gave me the perfect excuse to preheat my oven. The thermometer is predicted to go into the 70's tomorrow, so, look for me to head outside to the garden and the grill this weekend!
Why did I choose the peanut butter cookie as my third "cookie of my youth" this week instead of the chocolate chip cookie?
That is what my husband Joe wanted to know. My answer is simple: The peanut butter cookie came first in American history. Peanuts are native to the Americas (chocolate chips are not), and, hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs were pulverizing them into a pasty, edible substance. The transition from peanut paste to peanut butter was the gradual result of modern processing, which added oil to the paste to achieve a smoother, spreadable product which traveled well.
In a nutshell, here's a brief, historical timeline which explains it all (or most of it):
1895: Dr. John Kellogg patented a process for preparing nut meal (which included peanuts) and served it as a health food to his wealthy patients at his Battle Creek, MI, sanitarium.
1897: Popular Science News, under "Recent Inventions", proclaims that peanut butter could be used in recipes as shortening, in place of butter and/or lard.
1890's: (Similar to Dr. Kellogg) Dr. Ambrose Strab, in St. Louis, MO, provides peanut butter to his poor, toothless, elderly patients, as a souce of protien that didn't require them to chew...
1903: ... after years of work, Dr. Ambrose Strab patents his peanut-butter-making machine.
1904: Peanut butter was featured at the St. Louis World's Fair and soon afterword Beech-Nut and Heinz introduced it nationally, but, because it did not travel well, it needed to be produced regionally.
1910's-1920's: The hydrogenation process was developed. Hydrogenation raised the melting point of peanut butter, so that it remained solid at room temperature (it stopped the separation of the oil from the solids), which gave it a long shelf life. Peanut butter began being mass-manufactured and sold, in both smooth and crunchy form, in glass jars, by companies like Peter Pan and Jif. It quickly became a staple in American kitchens and lunch boxes.
1916: An issue of The Reading Eagle (Pennsylvania), published an article entitled, "Some of Mrs. Wilson's Favorite Recipes: The President's Wife Gives Hints on Cooking", which included a list of cookie recipes, one of which was a recipe for for Peanut Cookies that included peanut butter (and no chopped peanuts).
1917-1920's: Recipes for peanut butter cookies began appearing (and are well-documented) in newspapers, journals, magazines, cookbooks and other publications.
1930: Mrs. Wakefield accidentally invented the chocolate-chip cookie by substituting a chopped up Nestle chocolate bar for nuts in her cookies (because she ran out of nuts in her pantry). She expected the chocolate to melt (to form a chocolate cookie), but it did not, it stayed in chunks. She published her recipe in 1936. Nestle bought it from her in 1939 (for a lifetime supply of chocolate) and printed it on the back of their package.
1936: The Pillsbury Cookbook published their recipe for peanut butter cookies and introduced the famous and beloved criss-cross fork pattern on top of the cookies. The rest is history.
Did you know: Peanut butter contains neither nuts nor butter. Peanuts are legumes (seed pod plants that split up along both sides when ripe), just like beans, lentils, peas and soybeans!
Let's move on and bake some American cookie history:
1/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening, at room temperature
3/4 cup chunky-style peanut butter, your favorite brand
1/2 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (chop after measuring)
1/4 cup additional granulated sugar
~ Step 1. Chop the peanuts as directed. You can use a cutting board and a chef's knife, or, if you have one of these "nifty chopper thingies", now is the time to use it. I chopped all of the peanuts in less than a minute. Note: I do not recommend using a food processor, as it tends to chop them too small, which defeats the purpose of chunky peanut butter cookies!
~ Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, place the butter, shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar and egg.
~ Step 3. On medium-high speed of hand-held electric mixer, thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a large rubber spatula as you work, until smooth.
~ Step 4. Lower the mixer speed and blend in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using the rubber spatula, fold in the chopped peanuts.
~ Step 5. Place the granulated sugar in a small, shallow bowl and set aside.
~ Step 6. Line 3, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans with parchment paper.
Note: Don't have 3 large baking pans? Your option is to coat, put the criss-cross fork marks on top, and bake the cookies in batches, but pans must be completely cool before placing unbaked cookie dough balls on them.
~ Step 7: Using a 1 3/4" ice-cream scoop as a measure, scoop out some dough, gently drop it into and coat it with the granulated sugar, while at the same time forming it into a 1 1/2" ball.
Place balls, well apart, 9 on each pan.
Note: These cookies are going to spread out quite a bit as they bake, so don't be tempted to try to crowd any more on the pan.
Time for the criss-cross fork marks!
~ Step 8. Using an ordinary table fork, press down on the center of each cookie, until it reaches a thickness of about 1/2". Reverse the direction of the fork and repeat. It's sort of like making a tic-tac-toe board on top of each cookie.
Note: If you're inclined to skip this step, don't. Because this dough is so dense, cookies will not flatten on their own and what you'll end up with are cookies that are burnt on the outside and raw in the inside.
~ Step 9. Bake, one pan at a time, on center rack of preheated 350 degree oven until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes, or until light-golden and set, but not yet firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool, in pan, 5 minutes. Using a thin spatula, transfer cookies to cooling racks to cool completely, about 30-45 minutes:
Note: While the criss-cross pattern is more visible on peanut butter cookies made with smooth peanut butter, I wouldn't trade the look for the taste and texture of these any day of the week!
My Favorite Salty Cookie is: Chunky Peanut Butter: Recipe yields 2 dozen, 3"-round cookies.
Special Equipment List: cutting board and chef's knife, or, "nifty chopper thingy"; hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; 3, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans; parchment paper; 1 3/4" ice-cream scoop; fork; 2 large cooling racks; thin spatula
Cook's Note: I can't write about peanut butter without mentioning this one. If you're looking for another way to get a real-deal peanut butter fix, you can find my recipe for ~ Agnes Starosta's Creamy, Dreamy "Killer" Peanut Butter Fudge ~ in Category 7. This recipe is legendary in our family!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2013)
Today is part two of "three cookies of my youth" week here on KE. Here in Central PA we're experiencing some unseasonably cold weather, 30-40-degrees (which I dislike), with lots of rain (which I admit we need). I've decided to take advantage of the uncooperative weather, preheat my oven and bake some cookies. Not fancy gourmet cookies either. The kind your mom and grandmom had waiting on the kitchen table with a glass of milk for you and your friends after school. By next week at this time I'll probably be complaining about how hot it is -- there will be plenty of time to switch gears and head outside to the garden and grill when it happens!
On Monday I posted ~ My Favorite Sugar Cookie: The Snickerdoodle ~. You can find the recipe in Category 7, or just click on the Related Article link below. These flat, golden, crispy on the outside, slightly-chewy on the the inside cookies are made with butter and shortening, then rolled in cinnamon and sugar prior to baking. Where I grew up, these "super-yummy cookies with the quirky name" were a very popular and quite common. Never eaten one? I suggest you give this recipe a try ASAP!
If you love spice cakes and cookies as much as I do, you no doubt love gingersnaps. I grew up eating the real-deal ones and it kind of makes me sad that so may of todays youth have not. It's high time they did.
Meet Mel's First Cookbook!
I was 19 and this was one of the gifts given to me for my bridal shower in 1974, by my fiance's grandmother. It's the 1972 edition and 16th printing of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. Pages 144 and 145 were marked and three recipes were underlined: Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles & Peanut Butter Cookies. These three recipes worked so well, I've changed them very little over almost 40 years.
A bit about the ginger snap, gingersnap, ginger biscuit: These are basically small, unadorned, round versions of those well-known fancy-shaped and often-decorated gingerbread cookies: the traditional German Christmas cookie called "Lebkuchen". "Gingersnap" comes from the fact that they are quite crispy and make a snapping sound with each bite.
All recipes pretty much contain cinnamon, cloves, ginger and sometimes cardamom. At one time allspice was used but was eventually replaced by cloves. Gingersnaps have long been favored in England and Germany and were brought to America by our colonists, who brought the ingredients, in powdered form, along with molasses, which was much less expensive than sugar!
Real-deal gingersnaps are NOT hard as rocks (like you buy in the store). They're full-flavored, they are crispy on the outside, and, they've got slightly-chewy centers!
Nobody can eat just one. Got milk?
3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening, at room temperature
1 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup full-flavor molasses
2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
~ Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, place the shortening, brown sugar, egg and molasses.
Tip: Molasses is a sticky liquid. If you 'grease' the measuring cup with some shortening, butter or no-stick cooking spray, it will glide right out. This works well for honey, maple syrup, ketchup and mustard too!
~ Step 2. On medium-speed of hand-held electric mixer, thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a large rubber spatula as you work, until smooth, about 2 minutes.
~ Step 3. Lower the mixer speed and blend in the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Continue to blend until mixture forms a mass, about 3 minutes.
~ Step 4. Transfer the cookie dough to a food storage container, cover and refrigerate until well-chilled, about 1-1/2-2 hours.
~ Step 5. Line, 3, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans with parchment paper. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Note: Don't have 3 pans? Coat and bake in batches, but pans must be completely cool before placing unbaked dough balls on them.
~ Step 6. Using a 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop as a measure, scoop out some dough, gently drop it into and coat it with the granulated sugar, while at the same time forming it into a 1 1/4" ball. Place balls, well-apart, 12 on each pan.
Note: While one pan is in the oven, do not roll more cookies and place on the next pan. Put dough back in the refrigerator to keep cold, meaning: if dough is kept at a constant temperature, all pans of cookies will bake the same.
~ Step 7. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cookies are set and look "crackly" on top. Watch carefully after 8 minutes.
~ Step 8. Remove from oven and allow to cool, in pan, about 3-4 minutes. Using a thin spatula, transfer cookies to cooling racks to cool completely:
My Favorite Spice-y Cookie is: The Ginger Snap: Recipe yields 3 dozen, 2"-round cookies.
Special Equipment List: hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; food storage container w/tight fitting lid; 3, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans; parchment paper; 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop; 2-4 large cooking racks; thin spatula
Cook's Note: "Nana" gave me another bridal shower gift too: this baking pan, spatula, measuring cups, spoons and a handwritten copy of ~ Nana's Applesauce-Oatmeal-Raisin-Walnut Cake ~, taped to the bottom of the pan. You can find the recipe in Category 6!
I truly do come from a foodie family!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 3013)
Today is a preheat the oven kinda day in my kitchen. We're having a cold snap here in Central PA: frost warnings and 30-40- degree temperatures in mid-May -- what's up with that? Don't ask me why, but while I was clutching my steaming hot cup of coffee this morning, snickerdoodles popped into my foodie head. I haven't posted a cookie recipe in quite a while, and, if the weather isn't going to cooperate, I'm declaring it "three cookies-of-my-youth week" on KE.
Nothing's ever as good as it was when you were a kid:
What in the wide world of cookie sports is a snickerdoodle?
A bit about the snickerdoodle: A traditional snickerdoodle is a flat, golden, crispy on the outside, slightly-chewy on the inside, sugar cookie made with butter and shortening, then dusted with cinnamon and sugar prior to baking. It doesn't contain chocolate or white chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, other embellishments or flavorings. Spare me any recipes that attempt to make this cookie gourmet. As for its quirky name: according to Wikipedia, it is believed they are German in origin and evolved from the German word "Schnickennudeln", which is a cinnamon-dusted sweet roll. Other tales about how they got named exist, but, this particular one seems right to me. Why?
A bit about me and snickerdoodles: I grew up in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania, often called "Pennsylvania Dutch country". I was told that snickerdoodles were Pennsylvania Dutch sugar cookies. I'm here to make it clear that Pennsylvania Dutch cookery does not belong solely to PA and it is not Dutch either. The term "Dutch" is slang for the German word "Deutsch", so: when we say Pennsylvania Dutch, we mean Pennsylvania Deutsch and are crediting the Germanic or German-speaking people for this delicious cuisine (and these cookies)!
At the age of 19, I ate the best snickerdoodles I ever tasted, made by my fiance's grandmother, "Nana". Nana was my son Jesse's paternal great-grandmother and my grandson David's great-great grandmother. It just so happens, Nana and her husband, Pap-Pap, were Pennsylvania Dutch. My recipe is Nana's recipe and it came straight out of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. This is the first cookbook I ever owned. It's the 1972 edition and 16th printing of the book. It was given to me as a bridal shower gift from Nana in 1974. Pages 144 & 145 were marked and 3 recipes underlined: Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles & Peanut Butter Cookies!
I hope you're having fun, because I sure am!
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature, very soft
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons additional sugar
~ Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, place the butter, shortening, sugar and eggs.
~ Step 2. On medium-high speed of hand-held electric mixer, thoroughly combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a large rubber spatula as you work, until smooth, about 1 minute.
~ Step 3. Lower the mixer speed and blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
~ Step 4. In a shallow bowl, mix together the cinnamon and additional sugar.
~ Step 4. Line 4, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop as a measure, scoop out some dough, gently drop it into and coat it with the cinnamon-sugar, while at the same time forming it into a 1 1/4" ball. Place balls, well-apart, 12 on each prepared pan.
Note: Don't have 4 pans? Coat and bake in batches, but pans must be completely cool before placing unbaked dough balls on them.
~ Step 5. Bake, one pan at a time, on center rack of preheated 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are are set and look "crackly" on top. Watch very carefully after 7 minutes.
~ Step 6. Remove from oven and allow to cool, in pan, about 2 minutes. Using a thin spatula, transfer cookies to cooling racks to cool completely:
My Favorite Sugar Cookie is: The Snickerdoodle: Recipe yields 4 dozen, 3"-round cookies.
Special Equipment List: hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; 4, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans; parchment paper; 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop; 2-4 large cooling racks; thin spatula
Cook's Note: Nana gave me another bridal shower gift too: this baking pan, spatula, measuring cups, spoons and a handwritten copy of ~Nana's Applesauce-Oatmeal-Raisin-Walnut Cake ~, taped to the bottom of the pan. You can find the recipe in Category 6!
I truly do come from a foodie family!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2013)
Let me start by wishing all of you moms, step-moms and soon-to-be moms a very Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. In honor of moms everywhere, over the past week I posted a couple of unique ways to start mom's day off in a special way. Click into Categories 9 or 20 to find:
~ The Benefits of Baking Eggs & Bacon for Breakfast ~, and
~ Baked Eggs in Birds Nests (Hash Brown Potatoes) ~.
I also posted my mother-in-law's recipe for ~ Simplicity: Creamy, Crunchy "Classic" Egg Salad ~in Cats. 2, 14 & 20!
Before I sign off, fold up my apron, put my feet up and enjoy my own relaxing mom holiday, Kitchen Encounters got two great questions this week that need answering ASAP:
Q. Melody says and asks: Hi Mel! I have made your ~ Creamy Baked Five-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese ~ [found in Categories 4, 14, 17 & 18] a few times now and due to popular demand it is now the ONLY mac and cheese I make. Thank-you for sharing this wonderful recipe. After baking it, can I portion and freeze it for quick weekday meals in the future?
A. Kitchen Encounters: Happy Mother's Day Melody! Yes, like lasagna and other baked pasta dishes, you can freeze macaroni and cheese. There's more good news: You can freeze it prior to baking, or afterward. The choice is yours. Just remember to thaw it completely and return it to room temperature prior to baking the uncooked version in the oven as directed, or, reheating the cooked version (which I think works best if done in the microwave)!
************
Q. Lyle asks: Melanie, I met you at WPSU over ten years ago. I was an onlooker at one of the cooking shows (my sister was a guest) and I remember watching you do some remarkable food-styling that day. I'm happy you're now doing your own show, and, writing this marvelous blog. I've noticed in a few of your posts some special cutters and slicers. They appear to be made of aluminum, some w/piano wire. Can you tell me where I can buy them?
PS: I'm "dying" to make your French fries! [Note to readers: ~ Do You Want (Perfect) "French" Fries with That? ~ can be found in Categories 4, 15, 20 or 21.]
A. Kitchen Encounters: Lyle! How nice to hear from you -- that was a long time ago and there were always a lot of people around my table in the studio. E-mail me your last name and your sister's name. I'd love to know which one of the shows she was on. About my slicers: you are correct, they are cast aluminum strung with piano wire. When I bought them (thirty-some years ago) they were available almost everywhere. Now, they are considered vintage, but, after doing a quick internet search, I am here to tell you they all can be found on various vintage/antique sites. They are truly useful, well-made gadgets: butter slicer, egg slicer, apple corer, egg wedger, cherry stoner, French-fry cutter. In the case of each and every one, "they don't make 'em like they used to"!
Enjoy your weekend everyone, and once again: To leave a comment or ask a question, simply click on the blue title of any post, scroll to the end of it and type away... or e-mail me directly!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipes, commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2013)
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