If The Shoe Fits...Make Cookies!

There is this cookbook that I have, you may have heard about it. It is calledFlour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe. Who am I kidding, you have to have heard of it...at least if you have been reading my blog for a little while. I feel like I am always harping on and on about this cookbook. LOVE IT. Is harping even the right expression or phrase?

Speaking of expressions and phrases, I am absolutely horrible with them. Only in the last year have I started to understand or even know the correct words. Did someone say 'for all intents and purposes'? I always thought it was for all intensive purposes. Case and point instead of case in point. This all probably relates to my horrible hearing.

Enough of those cliches or whatever you call them, here are cookies that I made for my cousin's bridal shower! The invitation had a pink stiletto on it, so I wanted to take inspiration from that and incorporate it into the cookies! I ended up going with a very literal interpretation, but I still think they were pretty in pink! GAH, another cliche phrase! Must. Stop.

My rolling pin was really on a roll and rolled off my counter and broke. But some duct tape came to the rescue. The end of my pity party.

And I just looked one of those phrases up and they are called idioms just in case you wanted to know. I guess I am an idiot for not knowing they were called idioms.

I am going to do a separate post on royal icing, but if you need it ASAP I used Bake at 350 <-- lifesaver--="" lifesaver="">

Rolled Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:

1 Cup (2 Sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 and ½ Cups granulated sugar

2 Large eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla bean crush extract (Or use 2 Tablespoons of regular vanilla)

3 Cups all-purpose flour

2 and ½ Teaspoons baking powder

½ Teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

1. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes on medium, occasionally stopping the mixer to scrape down the bowl. The mixture will become light and fluffy. On medium beat in the eggs and vanilla, mixing until evenly combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stop the mixer and add in the flour in 2 or 3 additions to the creamed butter, mixing on low until evenly combined.

3. Remove dough from the bowl, placing it on some plastic wrap, press it down to form a disc. Refrigerate dough overnight (or for at least 1 hour, until firm).

4. After the dough has been refrigerated and is ready to be rolled, preheat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

5.To roll the dough, cover workspace in flour and place half of the dough on the floured surface. Flour the top of the dough, and then roll out the dough. Remember to rotate the dough 90 degrees and to check that the bottom is not sticking to your work surface. If it is sticking use a bench scraper to loosen it and apply more flour. Cut the dough using cookie cutters of your choosing. The leftover dough can be reformed and then rerolled. If the dough becomes too soft just stick it back in the fridge until firm again. 

6. Bake cookies 13 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies), the cookies should just be beginning to turn golden brown on the edges. For 10 minutes let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Recipe Originally from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafeby Joanne Chang

Click Here For Print Friendly Recipe

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Weekly Scoop 6/23/2013

1. Remember how I said I would be back soon with a recipe, well I have yet again failed you. Sorry, and excuse me while I accept the award for laziest and worst blogger. "I would like to thank Pinterest for distracting me, life for throwing me curve ball after curve ball, and finally, sleep deprivation for causing me to randomly fall asleep and neglect my bloggy blog."

2. I went strawberry picking the other day! I had gone last year, and wanted to go again this year and was taunted by this farm near my house that began offering strawberry picking this year! Constantly I was driving by it, and finally the opportunity arose during which I could actually go and pick my own berries! Last year I also went blueberry picking, and it seems that whenever I go "picking" I have a creature encounter...with the blueberries it was a dead bird stuck in the netting over the bushes and the other day with the strawberries it was a snake! I screamed like a little girl, and probably gave the farm workers a good laugh! And of course one of the workers came over to see what happened only adding to my embarrassment, but he did help by showing a trick to find the best berries! Do you like to go "picking"? I am kind of obsessed.

3. I have mentioned this before and it keeps popping back into my head... would you like me to do a beauty (more like my attempt to look a normal adult and not a clown) post? I remember saying I try to use mostly cruelty-free products, but of late I have been noticing that I haven't and I feel horrible. What cruelty-free products do you use? Any you would recommend?

4. Last week I made over 150 cookies for my cousin's bridal shower! I made little pink shoes and what were supposed to be clutches, but ended up being sparkly squares when I ran out of time! Recipe coming shortly! Promise!

5. I went in the pool for the first time this year! It took me awhile to make my way in, it t'was a wee bit chilly! When the pool was opened it was supposedly warmer, but with all of this rain it has cooled down tremendously! Dare I say it is freezing? Not necessarily complaining about the rain because it means that I don't have to water my garden. 

6. What I am ogling over:

• Strawberry Cake by Add a Pinch I would totally use this as an excuse to go strawberry picking again. 
• Orange Cinnamon Belgian Waffles by Desserts for Breakfast I am still obsessed with waffles, but I have neither indulged my waffle obsession nor my Leslie Knope obsession of late. 
• Peach, Blueberry and Basil Crisp by How Sweet It Is Come August I want to go blueberry and peach picking, then harvest (okay maybe not harvest, but pick a small amount of) some basil from my garden! I don't know if I can wait until August to make this recipe...might need to cheat and buy peaches and blueberries from the grocery store. 
• Roasted Strawberry and Toasted Coconut Popsicles by Joy the Baker Two of my favorite things and another reason to go pick more strawberries! 
• Red, White, Blue Icebox Cookies by Shugary Sweets I should probably start working on these now so that I am able to actually post them on or before the fourth of July. 

7. Total guilty pleasure song. Tween Bakelette is having a moment.

Orange Creamsicle Dress

Walking the plank. 

 My recent "postless" span lasted much longer than expected, but I hadn't even planned to be "postless" to begin with. I recently woke up early one morning and made two recipes, but neither were up to par. I had been counting on at least one of those as being a success and I was going to post it, but they were kind of gross. I tried to make a honey wheat bread that I had had a restaurant and I also tried to make honey cookies because I have this huge jar of honey. Well I used up a lot of honey, but it was all for naught. In this time I also made banana cupcakes, but never got around to frosting and photographing them. There were also some really dry cookies that had good flavor, they just need a little work, then I will be sharing those! Also in this time I make 150 something sugar cookies! And worked with royal icing! Needless to say its not like I wasn't in the kitchen, in fact I was in the kitchen a lot! Anyhoo, enough excuses and on with the outfit post.

Obsessed with this bag. 

I received positive feedback on my last outfit so I thought I would do it again. It just took me a little while to put together a presentable outfit and photograph it! 

While maxi dresses have been a big summer trend the past few years, I have not gone near them until this year! I have no idea why because they are so comfy and often look effortless! Now these photos may not showcase either of those attributes, but the lighting wasn't very helpful! Oh, and please excuse my lion king mane hair, humidity hates me! 

Can someone please teach me how to pose for fashion blogging photos?
I need A LOT of help. 

Dress by Calvin Klein from Marshalls

Bag from Rebecca Minkoff

Jacket by Mossimo from Target 

Shoes from Target 

I'll be back soon with a recipe! Thank you for your patience and please enjoy the crappy elevator music while you wait! 

Weekly Scoop 6/7/2013

1. It's June. What? Already? I don't understand where January, February, March, April and May went! If you find any of them, I would like a refund please and thank you, but I do want to keep the pretty flowers!!

2. This week I got an immersion blender, holy heck I LOVE IT! The blender-blender that I have is practically a dinosaur and a pain in the tush to clean, so it rarely sees the light of day. So when I got this "boat propeller" I was really excited and the first thing I made was a smoothie! Delicious! I think I have boarded the smoothie train! Please share any smoothie recipes if you have them!

3. Recently I have been listening to the same like 8 songs in rapid rotation, and I like these songs, but sometimes I just need some new tunes to mix things up. Any suggestions? Also I am in need of some good running music!

4. I have completed 2 days of the Couch to 5k app! Granted, day 1 and day 2 were like a week apart, but I am starting somewhere! Now to just keep it a habit...

5. I started to read the Great Gatsby because I want to read it before I see the movie. I never had to read it in school, weird I know? But I have not gotten very far into it, I usually don't start reading until midnight, when I am already half asleep so it's not really surprising that I am only on chapter 2. Have any of you seen the movie? Should I see it in theaters or wait for DVD?

6. What's new with you? Most likely it's way more exciting than mine, so please share, I need to have fun vicariously through you. Hope that is okay with you!!

7. One month until my first Blog-o-versary! I want to make it big, well as big as I can and am able to consume. Any ideas or requests?  I cannot believe it has been one year, seriously whoa. Can't stand it.

8. Pins and Bookmarks of Late:

• Tropical Smoothie by Yummy Mummy Kitchen See number 2. 
• Strawberry Buttercream by Cooking Classy I think this fruity buttercream would pair beautifully with a moist (hate that word, but whatever) chocolate cake. Okay, now I want chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream. 
• Waffle Doughnuts by Sweet Treats  Have I told you about my new waffle maker? Probably, but just like Dory I forget...wait what was I talking about? Just kidding, sort of, but not really. Frying doughnuts terrifies me, as does yeast, but this recipes requires neither of those wretched things. 
• Quick Stovetop Mac and Cheese by The Kitchen Paper Mac and Cheese, people. Need I say more? If you think so, go look at the pictures. 
• Cherry, Coconut and Honey Frozen Yogurt by Cookin' Canuck  To do this summer: make fro yo and save the bunches of money that I would normally spend at those fancy self-serve places. 

Coconut Oil Brownies

I LOVE brownies, well I love a lot of things, but brownies hold a special place in my heart. Chewy brownies are my favorite, oh and corner pieces all the way! Once the corners are gone I can settle for an edge piece, and when those are gone I will take a center piece warmed with ice cream on top! 

Okay, now I totally want a warm brownie with ice cream on top....but per usual these brownies no longer exist. They have already been consumed and here I am left to rummage through the cupboards in search of the non-existent sweetness that I want in my belly. That was a weird sentence, forget I even uttered it. 

Back to the brownies, these are extremely rich and dense because of the coconut oil. And because they have coconut oil, I with my "expert nutritional expertise" consider these healthy and may be eaten for breakfast. Awesome there you go! Now make these you will love them! I did! 

Coconut Oil Brownies
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Melted Coconut Oil
1 and 1/2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl add coconut oil, sugar, flour, cocoa and eggs. Stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish, bake 25-35 minutes depending on the size of your baking dish (shorter time for the 9x9). Let brownies cool completely before cutting.

Recipe by Bakelette Adapted from Persnickety Plates
Printable Recipe Here