Tag Archives: Martha Stewart

by | June 3, 2011 · 11:22 pm

Homemade Graham Crackers

Graham crackers aren’t found on supermarket shelves here like they are in North America. I remember the crackers always seemed to turn up in novels I read as a youngin’ – especially The Baby-sitters Club Series. The BSC girls always had the coolest stuff, like Graham crackers and scrunchies.
Most Australians have never had a s’more, and in fact this was my first. I think we should change that, one Graham cracker at a time. I had to improvise, I used a microwave as I didn’t have a camp fire handy.

 

Homemade Graham Crackers
Adapted from recipe By Martha Stewart 
Makes 20

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons high-quality honey

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flours, wheat germ, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
  2. Put butter, brown sugar, and honey into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture, and mix until combined.
  3. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, and divide into quarters. Roll out each piece between 2 sheets of floured parchment paper into rectangles a bit larger than 9 by 6 inches, about 1/8 inch thick.
  4. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trip the outermost edges or each rectangle, and divide into three 6 by 3-inch rectangles. Pressing lightly, so as not to cut all the way through, score each piece in half lengthwise and crosswise, to form four 3 by 1 1/2-inch crackers. Stack parchment and dough on a baking sheet and chill in freezer until firm, about 20 minutes.
  5. Remove two sheets of dough from freezer. Pierce crackers using the tines of a fork. Transfer to large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake, rotating halfway through, until dark golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes; transfer crackers to wire racks to cool completely.

Cook’s Note: Crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. 

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by | January 23, 2011 · 12:32 pm

Snickerdoodles

Funny name but seriously yum. Almost unheard of here in Australia, but I’m yet to meet and Australian who didn’t love them after a cookie or two. I’ve made these quite a few times now, the dough is pretty quick and easy to whip up. Rolling the balls of dough in the cinnamon and sugar is the most time-consuming aspect of the recipe, but it’s worth it! The recipe makes a fair few cookies so you’ll have plenty to share, even if you sample a cookie or eight. Aim for a little crisp on the edges and cakey in the middle.

Snickerdoodles
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes three dozen 3 to 4-inch cookies. Your mileage will vary by the size scoop you use.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tbsps (2 stick or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tbsps ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400°, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. At this point, I chilled the dough for an hour (or you can overnight) before scooping it, because I otherwise found it too difficult to scoop into balls and roll but the original recipe doesn’t find this step necessary.

Once dough has chilled, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small ice-cream scoop* to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. In theory, they can be stored in an airtight container up to one week, but I say good luck with that.

* Martha recommends a size 30 (1 1/4 ounce) ice cream scoop but I used a size 40 (3/4 ounce) and they came out 3 to 4 inches across, or plenty huge.

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by | October 25, 2010 · 8:15 pm

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown-Butter Icing

I made these yesterday and was quite happy just to frost them, share them and leave the rest in an airtight container. No chocolate in these you see, so why would I like them? Until tonight, when I thought I ought to try just one. So I did. One turned into three. It could have quite easily turned into 10 but I popped the lid back on and covered the container. Out of sight, out of mind. Until tomorrow!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown-Butter Icing
From Martha Stewart’s Cookies and MarthaStewart.com 

Makes about 6 dozen

FOR THE COOKIES

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 FOR THE ICING

  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Make cookies: preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture. Mix until combined.
  3. Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
  4. Make icing: put confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners’ sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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by | October 10, 2010 · 5:57 pm

Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

I made carrot cake cookies today from my new Martha Stewart cookie cookbook. Yummy they are, cute they are not! They got the thumbs up from multiple taste-testers. I thought this recipe would be tricky to bake and that turned out to be the case. Some cookies spread more than others and I couldn’t quite work out a way to control it. The dough needs to be chilled before baking so I tried putting balls of dough in the freezer for a little while before baking. This seemed to help a little, but I still didn’t get consistent results. Of course, I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to baking! Next time I’ll probably stick to carrot cupcakes unless specifically asked for these cookies again.

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by | September 13, 2010 · 8:34 pm

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

More cakey than chewy but definitely soft. Not as cakey as whoopie pie, but similar. I used milk and white chocolate chips.


Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (This is US tablespoons so 100 grams)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup milk-chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with sour cream, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Cover, and freeze for 10 minutes.
  2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until centers are set and cookies are pale golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

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by | June 20, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Snickerdoodles

Recipe by Martha Stewart

 

These were made for a friend who can’t eat chocolate.
It was hard finding a chocolate-free recipe in my archive!

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by | May 31, 2010 · 11:16 pm

Kitchen Sink Cookies

On my birthday, I stumbled across Hershey’s Butterscotch Chips at Sugar Fix. Ok, I actually went to Sugar Fix especially to look for them. They weren’t cheap but I have another recipe in mind for the rest of the packet that looks decadent. The pink M&M’s came from America – I bought them when I was there last December. (Anyone in the US who would like to send me more pink M&M’s let me know!)

Kitchen Sink Cookies
Adapted from recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes about 40

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 block coarsely chopped dark cooking chocolate
1 cup M&M’s
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line baking sheets with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in oats, M&M’s, butterscotch chips and chocolate.
  4. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto trays, about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. (12 minutes in my oven) Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

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by | December 14, 2009 · 12:49 pm

Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

This book made its way into my suitcase and travelled all the way home with me from Virginia, USA. I paid $20US for it. It retails here in Australia from $30 to $50. For the best price in Australia check out Booko.

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by | October 25, 2009 · 5:52 pm

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookies
Adapted from recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes about 40

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped dark cooking chocolate
1 cup mini M&Ms

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line baking sheets with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, M&Ms and chocolate
  4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons trays about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. (Mine needed only 9 minutes) Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

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by | September 22, 2009 · 9:55 pm

Kitchen Sink Cookies

This is Billy P. Penguin. He likes long walks on the beach, fresh fish, and kitchen sink cookies made with orange-flavoured M&Ms. He says the recipe is a little too oaty, but still quite delicious. He says you can use just about anything in these cookies – nuts, choc chips, raisins, lollies etc but M&Ms are his favourite.

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