Fare for the family table
I've struggled for a while with what to call these little nuggets of goodness.
At first I called them…… Kind of "Kind" Bars
Then …..Sort of "Kind" Bars
Then I became concerned that the fine folks who make Kind Bars might take offense at my using their trademarked name in ANY way, so I thought of a synonym for "Kind" instead.
Et voila….Amiable Bars were born!
For the most part my wife and I generally agree on the quality of a restaurant experience we share. One may have enjoyed the meal slightly more or less than the other, but on a thumbs up – thumbs down basis, it is rare that we disagree. In fact, if memory serves there have only been two restaurants that we've visited where one of us (me) really loved the place, and the other (she) didn't.
I love a good cookie….really, I do.
I love making them, eating them, discovering new ones, and returning time and again to old favorites.
Since I was a kid, my favorite mass produced cookie has been the Fig Newton, hands down. Their fruity-cakey goodness easily beat the competitors of the day, the lowly Oreo and Chips-Ahoy. I have found over time though, that my love of the Newton is not universally shared. It is hard to find someone who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie, but when asked about Newtons I find that nearly half the people I ask can't stand them (not that I've spent a great deal of time trying to discern people's love/hate of Newtons, but I'm just sayin'). I don't understand these Newton haters.
Are you a fan of brownies so rich and dense that if you close your eyes when taking a bite you think you're actually biting into a piece of fudge?
No?
OK then, why don't you toddle along……today's post is clearly not for you.
After a few weeks off for summer travel, we are starting to get things rolling again here in the Oui, Chef kitchen. To celebrate Arthas and Boris' return from their trip to Australia I decided to whip up a batch of these deliciously "Down Under" ANZAC Biscuits.
Why the funny name?
Because ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, a WWI fighting corps after which the biscuits (cookies) are named. It turns out they rose to fame because their ingredients (notably a lack of eggs) allowed them to travel well when shipped from home to soldiers on deployments in WWI. Of course, their fame might be due to the fact that they are dead simple to make and are an alluring blend of sweet, salt and crunch.
Here's a treat designed to please the little kid in all of us. I don't know about the rest of you, but I still have days where I crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on white bread, of course) with a handful (or three) of crispy potato chips and a tall glass of cold milk for lunch. It was my favorite lunch as a kid, and still satisfies like nothing else can to this day.
Thankfully I've given up my childhood vice of eating "Peter Pan" creamy straight from the jar with a spoon (it wasn't a good look on me), but I bet I still eat a good old-fashioned PB & J about once a month. If you haven't had one in years do yourself a favor and make one soon, it will make you smile.
My friends over at Food52 showcased this recipe recently in their "Genius Recipe" feature, and if the picture above doesn't sell you, a single bite will convince you that the Food52ers sure know how to pick'em.
It's been a while since we've made brownies around here, so I suppose there's a chance that brownie deprivation had something to do with the ravenous welcome these treats received among my gaggle of chocoholics. That said, I don't care if you've been eating a brownie every day for the past month, if dark, fudgy brownies are your thing, these killers are gonna rock your world!
Anyone who has spent any amount of time visiting Oui, Chef knows that we're a household of chocolate freaks and brownie aficionados of the highest order. There are countless ways to kill yourself with chocolate here, and at current count 6 different brownie recipes with which to indulge even your darkest cocoa-laced fantasy.
You will also note that up until this point we haven't posted a single "blondie" recipe.
Why?
These cookies may look a bit like the ubiquitous Peanut Butter Blossoms, but they are something else entirely. I'm a fan of the blossoms, but mostly for the peanut flavored cookie because let's face it, the Hershey Kiss is a rather disappointing piece of chocolate. I know…it has a pretty shape and a cute name, but its waxy mouthfeel and boring flavor always leaves me wanting.
Not so with these thumbprint cookies, these little morsels totally satisfy with their almond-shortbread base studded with crunchy crystal sugar, and their filling of a simple ganache made with the finest bittersweet chocolate. They're a breeze to make, and the ideal cookie to bake and share as the recipe as written here will easily make 6 dozen of these little gems. In case math isn't your thing, that means 5 dozen for you to enjoy, 1 dozen to share 😉
One of the best sweets I learned to make while at Le Cordon Bleu was the classic Linzer Torte. The thin tart with a nut-rich crust, sweet jammy filling and decorative lattice top is standard fare during the holidays throughout Europe. I had enjoyed a slice here and there while travelling through Austria years before, but only fell in love with it when I finally got around to making my own when in Paris.
I haven't made a full tart in years (we'll have to change that soon), but when devising my baking plan for our 2nd Annual Dunn Sibling Holiday Cookie Swap, I decided to do the next best thing and work up some of these super tasty Linzer Cookies. Their warm spiced cookie laced with hazelnuts and cloves, along with their glowing red center of raspberry jam and snow-like dusting of confectioner's sugar make them an ideal holiday treat.
