Simple, Perfect Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Mix flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed using a stand mixer until just blended. Mixture will look crumbly and sandy. Increase speed to medium-low until dough starts to clump together.

Remove dough and roll out to 1/4 in. thickness between two pieces of waxed paper. Chill dough for at least 10 minutes, then cut into desired shapes. Re-roll scraps, chill and repeat. Alternatively, just cut into squares or rectangles with a butter knife. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired, and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Let sit for about 2 minutes and then remove to racks to cool fully.

Makes about 36 2-in. cookies, more or less depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Link to printable version here.

Recipe adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens Magazine (see photo at end).

Tips--If you don't have waxed paper, you can use parchment or even plastic wrap. Put the rolled out dough on a cutting board to make it easier to get in and out of the fridge. Two pencils or two wooden spoon handles on either side of your covered dough makes it easy to get a consistent thickness. Here is an excellent short video showing this rolling method. If you are in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 5 minutes to hasten the process. You can also make and roll the dough out one day and bake it later in the week. It keeps well in the fridge for several days.

Now for the BS. The original recipe calls for cold butter, but I've found it mixes up much faster and more easily if you start with room temp better and then chill the dough after rolling. Chilled dough spreads less and holds its shape better, so don't skip the chilling!  Some shortbread recipes use powdered sugar, but I've found I prefer the extra crunch that comes from granulated sugar. This is another recipe I have made for years. It is fast and easy, but it tastes like something that took hours of time and effort. One of my kids' teachers said I need to go into business! They are that good. I gave up my old favorite sugar cookie recipe and now use this for all of the holidays. They make perfect snowflakes, hearts, shamrocks, etc.  

Scientific Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour (see Tips if you don't have any)
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar minus 1 tbsp.
1 tbsp. corn syrup
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, browned
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
12 oz. (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
Sea salt or kosher salt for sprinkling

Brown the butter in a medium saucepan over medium and remove from heat. Whisk in 1 large (like from a plastic tray) or 2 small (like from an ice maker in your freezer) ice cubes and let the butter cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, blend the eggs with the white sugar and corn syrup until glossy, about 2 min. Blend in cooled butter, vanilla and brown sugar until it just forms a grainy paste. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and blend on low until just mixed. Do not over-mix. Chill dough for 24 hours, or at least overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Scoop dough into heaping tablespoons, tear the dough balls in half and smoosh them back together with the rough edges facing out (optional, but Kenji made me a believer). Place dough balls 2 in. apart on prepared cookie sheets and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden. Let sit for about 2 minutes, then place cookies on a rack to cool. Or, better yet, eat them warm... 

Makes about 36 cookies.

Link to printable version here.

Recipe adapted from https://www.mrsfields.com/blogs/blog/2018/07/recipe-blue-ribbon-chocolate-chip-cookies/ and enhanced by Kenji Lopez-Alt's research (see below). 

I have found that Ghirardelli makes the best chocolate chips. I am
receiving no compensation whatsoever for this declaration, but hey,
Ghirardelli, if you are reading this, I'd love some free chocolate!

Tips--If you don't have bread flour, just all-purpose is fine! Bread flour just gives them that perfect amount of chewiness, but it is not required! Do not skip browning the butter. It. is. worth it. If you are in a hurry, you can cool the butter more quickly by setting the pan in a sink of cool water. But don't leave it too long, or it will re-solidify. Ask me how I know. Sigh. Do not skip chilling the dough in the fridge, at least overnight. It really, truly changes the flavor and texture for the better. I know from experience--I've skipped it and compared a cookie from un-chilled dough with one that had come from dough chilled for a day. It really makes a difference. It takes your cookies from good to great. You can also freeze the dough in balls and take it out just a few at a time for dessert on a weeknight. Or breakfast. No judgement here! Also, the sea or kosher salt sprinkled on top, just a little, really does enhance the flavor perfectly. The cookies are fine without, but better with.

Now for the BS. Yes, this recipe is more complicated, but it's worth it. Ask my friends and family, or the staff at my daughter's high school, or my Brother from Another Mother, Michael, who receives these by mail every so often. Worth. it. Take my word for it. If you are time-crunched, make the dough one day and the cookies later in the week. The dough stays fine in the fridge for a few days, though the flavor/texture really doesn't change much more beyond 24 hours of chilling.

I consider myself to be a good baker. Part of the reason I am a good baker might be that I am also an obsessive baker. I become hooked on a particular baked good and become OBSESSED with finding the. perfect. recipe. However, I found someone who is even more obsessive than me! At least about chocolate chip cookies. Kenji Lopez-Alt has made hundreds (thousands??) of chocolate chip cookies and he taught me how to take my favorite recipe and make it even better. You can read the full article here. Be warned--it's long! But if you are remotely interested in the science behind what makes chocolate chip cookies taste the way that they do (or don't), this will help you to understand so much better. This is why I call them Scientific Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you are looking at the recipe and wondering why TF you add ice cubes to the browned butter, for instance, this article will clue you in.

I just realized a fringe benefit of this blog. I now have a clean copy of the actual recipe instead of a post-it note that's tacked onto a cookbook page that is falling out of the book. It's falling out because it is truly well-loved cookbook that I received as a bridal shower gift from a wonderful college friend in December 2000. You can do the math. Here is a link to that well-worn book. I see you can get a used copy for 30 cents, not counting shipping. Wow. Yeah, I guess it's old. But it's good!

Please notice the bent, taped in pages and food
stains. The mark of a truly good cookbook!

Blueberry Cream Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream or yogurt 

1.5 cups blueberries
Sugar crystals for sprinkling on top (optional)
 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 12 regular and 12 mini muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. 

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sugar. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. 

Toss blueberries with a little of the flour mixture to keep them from sinking to the bottom of your muffins; set aside. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in floured blueberries. The batter is sticky. It's not just you! Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, 3/4 full. Top with sugar sprinkles, if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden (12-14 min. for mini muffins).

Makes 12 regular and 12 mini muffins (or about 15 regular muffins) 

Link to printable version here.

Recipe adapted from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23294/blueberry-cream-muffins/ 

Tips--Light sour cream or lowfat yogurt work well, too!

Now for the BS. How many baking sessions start with, I had some ____ I needed to use up, so...  That's where I am today. I have some yogurt that needs to get used up, and this is the first recipe I thought of! This is another recipe I have made for years and years. These muffins look and taste like something from a bakery. They have that perfect, soft texture and they could also be described with the M word, which I just can't bring myself to use. You are thinking of that word now, aren't you?? I apologize. We need a better word. Let's work on that. The only changes I made to the original recipe were to reduce the sugar and to (usually) use lowfat yogurt or sour cream. I have found that those changes are nearly undetectable but they make the muffins slightly more healthy. Slightly. :)

Traditional Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup half-and-half, cream or the whey from your Devonshire cream
Optional glaze: half-and-half or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper OR a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two butter knives or your fingers. The mixture will be crumbly. In a small measuring cup, stir together the half-and-half or cream and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Alternatively (my preferred method), add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is evenly crumbly. Slowly add the cream through the food processor chute, pulsing to combine.  Pulse just until the dough forms a large ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, knead gently a few times and then pat into an 8-in. circle. Cut the circle into 8 even wedges. Alternately, use a 2 1/2-in. round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Re-roll/pat out the scraps as needed. Place the wedges or rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Optional: brush the tops of the scones with a little cream.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until nicely browned. Excellent served warm with Devonshire (clotted) cream and jam, or butter and honey.

Makes 8 wedges or about 10 2 1/2-in. round scones.

Click here for a printable version.

Recipe adapted from https://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html and https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Tips--If at all possible, make Devonshire cream first and use the whey in place of the cream. It is EXCEPTIONAL. Use the food processor to save time and don't feel guilty! Save the knife you use to cut the butter for slicing the dough into wedges. In my experience, salted and unsalted butter are nearly interchangeable, despite what "real" bakers say. Reduce the salt slightly if you use salted butter. 

Now for the BS. There is one food blogger whose BS I will happily read until the end of time, and that is Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I have her cookbook and I refer to her recipes time and again. It was Deb who recently inspired me to try yet another scone recipe, which she adapted from America's Test Kitchen (who I also adore, especially their show on PBS). I thought, If Deb says it's good, it MUST be good. And it IS good! The primary difference between this recipe and my Perfect Cream Scones recipe is that there is no egg in this recipe. So if you or someone you love has an egg allergy, this is ideal! Also, the traditional recipe bakes at a slightly higher temp for a slightly lower time. These are the absolute best made with the whey left over from making your own Devonshire cream. They work well with regular cream or half-and-half, also. The only difference I note in the finished product is that the Perfect Cream Scones are even lighter and airier. These Traditional Cream Scones are flatter but also have crispier edges and brown really nicely, I assume due to the extra cream. I go back and forth between the two recipes, because I love them both. When I brought both kinds to Tea Friday at the library where I work, my coworkers could really not tell a difference between the two recipes. They just said both are amazing. I agree!

Devonshire Cream

1 quart heavy cream, NOT ultra pasteurized
(yes, really, there's just ONE ingredient!)

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Pour cream into a shallow glass baking dish (7x11 in. or 8-9 in. round or square). Bake in preheated oven for 12 hours. Yes, TWELVE HOURS. Don't stir it, poke at it or touch it. After 12 hours, carefully remove from oven and let cool to room temp, 20 or so minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 hours.

After it is fully cooled, remove from fridge and lift up a corner of the cream with a butter knife or spoon. Carefully pour the whey (liquid) into a jar for another use (such as scones!).

 

 

Scrape the solid cream into a container with an airtight lid, or immediately spread on scones and enjoy. The little golden bits are like browned butter and apparently they are prized in Britain. This makes about 2 cups of spreadable cream. If you can't use it within a week, freeze the rest in an airtight container for another time. It freezes very well!

Click here for a printable version.

I know it's the same photo as yesterday. It's all I currently have!
Further, I know TRUE British people put on jam first,
cream second. I like jam second. You do you.

Tips--Bake this the day before you need it. If possible, choose a day where you can be home all day and start baking it when you get up. I personally also don't feel comfortable leaving the oven on, even at low temperature, while I am away or asleep. I baked mine 8am-8pm and then I had it in the fridge before bed. When I woke up the next day, it was ready to go! Also, it spreads MUCH better at room temperature!! You can also add back in a little of the whey to make it more spreadable.
 
Now for the BS. I avoided trying this recipe for a while because of the crazy long baking time. For that reason, it is not something I make often. It is a commitment! But it really is worth it. If you like butter, you will LOVE Devonshire cream. The other name for it is clotted cream, which doesn't sound very appealing to us non-Brits. But whatever you choose to call it, it is a revelation. It will take your tea and scones to a whole new level. If you've ever wondered what is meant by cream tea, Devonshire cream is an integral part!

Perfect Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
Optional glaze: half-and-half or cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper OR a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two butter knives or your fingers. The mixture will be crumbly. In a small measuring cup, stir together the half-and-half or cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Alternatively (my preferred method), add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is evenly crumbly. Slowly add the wet ingredients through the food processor chute, pulsing to combine.  Pulse just until the dough forms a large ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, knead gently a few times and then pat into an 8-in. circle. Cut the circle into 8 even wedges. Alternately, use a 2 1/2-in. round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Re-roll/pat out the scraps as needed. Place the wedges or rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Optional: brush the tops of the scones with a little cream.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned. Excellent served warm with Devonshire (clotted) cream and jam, or butter and honey.

Makes 8 wedges or about 10 2 1/2-in. round scones.

Click here for a printable version.

Recipe adapted from https://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html 

Tips--Use the food processor to save time and don't feel guilty! Save the knife you use to cut the butter for slicing the dough into wedges. In my experience, salted and unsalted butter are nearly interchangeable, despite what "real" bakers say. Reduce the salt slightly if you use salted butter. 

And now for the BS. I have been making scones for YEARS. I have tried dozens of recipes, and this is the one I always come back to. The only real change I made to the original recipe is that I slightly increased the butter. The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of butter and I don't like having oddball amounts of leftover butter in the fridge, so I rounded it up to 6 tbsp. I also do wedges, not rounds, because it is faster, even if it isn't authentically British. Do what works for you! The cream glaze helps to brown the scones and also makes them prettier, and it adds a little crunch to the edges (which I like), but if you are in a hurry, it's not necessary.  These scones freeze well, if you have extras. Reheat in a toaster oven to make the edges crisp again.