As you can tell by this picture, these are not the flapjacks we're accustomed to here in the States. Here, when we talk about "flapjacks" or "hotcakes" or "griddle cakes", we're tossing about well known alias' for pancakes, those golden vehicles famed for delivering obscene amounts of melting butter and maple syrup into our systems. Why do we have so many names for such a simple dish? Who knows…….probably just to confound foreign visitors.
Cookies + Bars
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Granola Bars
I don't know about you all, but it seems like half of our food budget these days is spent on "healthy" snacks that the kids can bring to school for lunch or after-school sports. Granola bars have long been a favorite of the gang, and with four kids shoving them into their backpacks as they race out the door each morning, we go through a ton of them each week.
I've experimented over the years with making homemade versions, but none have ever turned out that well. They were either so sticky that you felt like you needed a bath after eating one, or so dry and boring that munching on one seemed only a small step removed from strapping on a horse's feed bag for a snack. There had to be a better way……
Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies
Holy $#!%….has it really been a whole month since we've posted a chocolate recipe here?
I do hope you'll forgive me.
Actually, I suspect that after a bite of one of these heavenly cubes of goodness many of you won't just be forgiving me, but will be tempted to name your first born male child after me.
By the way, my name is Steve, not Oui.
TKOs – Thomas Keller Oreos!
The title of this post says all you need to know.
As we have shown with his quiche, his fried chicken, and his brownies before, these lovelies are what result when Chef Thomas Keller decides to rain his genius down upon an old standard and elevate it to new heights. Keller has an amazing ability to get to the purest form of what a dish should be, stripping away unnecessary ingredients, focusing on building the flavor of what's left, and serving it up in a beautiful little package.
Cinnamon and Lemon Curd Macarons
Having lived in Paris for a couple years, I am frequently asked for travel recommendations from friends who are heading there for the first time. Their questions run the gamut from where to stay, what to see, and of course, where to eat. I am always happy to share my thoughts about Paris because doing so always gives me a sort of vicarious thrill, as though I were travelling back there myself.
Without exception, one piece of advice I give everyone who asks for tips is this; you MUST go to Pierre Hermé and buy yourself an "Ispahan" macaron, a perfect confection of rose cream, lychee and raspberries. Not the tiny little tasting version, but the full-on 4" diameter monster; and not to share either, as this is one of life's special moments that is best enjoyed alone.
If someone else is dying for a bite, tell them to go buy their own!
Fig and Chocolate Bars
These little lovelies were inspired by my need to do a little pantry cleaning last weekend. They were the perfect vehicle for knocking-off the last few dried figs we had laying about, as well as an unopened jar of fig preserves I bought at Hediard while living in Paris (I don't even want to tell you how long ago that was). Any of you who have been to Hediard know they sell foodstuffs of only the highest quality (with prices to match), so I am pleased to report that even after YEARS tucked away in the deepest recesses of our pantry, the jam was still superb. Whew……
Cappuccino Brownies
These gorgeous little bombs were the 4th "cookie" that my sibs and I traded in our holiday swap this year. You regulars may remember the other "swap" recipes we've already shared, the Chewy Gingers, the 3 Chocolate-Cranberries, and the Chocolate Mints. For what it's worth, just a half-step behind the Gingers at the finish line, these were my second favorite of our swapped treats.
Chocolate Mint Cookies
When I was growing up there were only two kinds of Girl Scout Cookies I really liked, the Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies and the Thin Mints. I could still eat a box of the peanut butter ones at a single go, but over time I've grown away from the Thin Mints, in fact, if I'm to be totally honest here I'm not a big fan of many combinations of mint and chocolate.
I know….I'm a weirdo.
Breakfast Cookies That Will Make Your Kids Think You've Gone Crazy!
Hey Dad, what's in the container on the counter?
Oh, those are some breakfast cookies I made today.
Say what? Did you just say breakfast cookies?
Yeah, I thought they'd be great for a breakfast on the fly, they're sort of like a portable bowl of oatmeal.
Shut Up!
No really, they're loaded with grains and nuts and dried fruit, just like a bowl of oatmeal.
So you're telling me that tomorrow morning I can eat cookies for breakfast?
Uh…yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying.
SHUT UP!
Hey relax, will you.
How come I never hear you get this excited when I offer you a bowl of oatmeal?
Oh….and stop saying shut up or I'm giving your cookies to Muppet!
Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Do you remember the post a few weeks ago about the favorite holiday cookie we baked this year, the incomparable Chewy Ginger Cookies ? Well these little lovelies ran a close second in the race for Christmas cookie dominance, so I thought I'd share them with you today. The good news is that they're not like a bûche de noel, or a gingerbread treat that seem totally out of place once the holidays have passed. These sugar bombs are a welcome treat regardless of season.