Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze: "What's On My Cookie Plate"

We are answering the question, "What's On Your Cookie Plate?" this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and I selected the Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze from "Giada's Kitchen." Being a huge lemon fan, I have had these cookies tagged to make for a while now--liking the sound of the puffy tea cake-like texture and the tangy lemon icing on top. They are not an obvious choice for a holiday cookie plate, but they are delicious and great for a little something refreshing and different.

Giada describes them as, "More cakey than crispy, these ladylike little tea cakes puff up as they bake, almost like little muffin tops. The lemon glaze on top adds a tart, crunchy layer."

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

"Giada's Kitchen" by Giada De Laurentiis

(Makes 44 Cookies)

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese (I used low fat)
3 Tbsps lemon juice
1 lemon, zested (I used zest from 1 1/2 lemons)

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsps lemon juice
1 lemon, zested (I used zest from 1 1/2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.


Notes/Results: Not your typical cookie but really tasty. They turned out so soft, moist and pillowy--definitely like the cross between tea cakes and muffin tops Giada describes. The lemon in the cookies is present but mellow so you will want to add the glaze for the tart-sweet combination that takes these from good to great. The only changes I made were to use a part-skim ricotta (why not save a few calories where you can), and since I had to use 3 lemons to get enough juice for both the cookies and the glaze, I divided the extra lemon zest between the two. (since so much of the flavor of the lemon comes from the oils in the zest--it would be a crime to waste it) My glaze was a little runny, so I did add some extra powdered sugar (about another 1/4 cup), to get it to the texture I wanted. There will be plenty of extra glaze, which with all the flavor from the fresh lemon juice and zest makes it good enough to eat with a spoon. (Not that I would do that of course!) ;-)

These cookies were hard to stop eating so to get some of them out of the house, I packed up a plate for my neighbor who loved them too. Having that tea cake texture made them perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea. My current holiday tea of choice is Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride, which smells and tastes like freshly baked sugar cookies and made a great pairing with the lemon cookies. I will make these cookies/tea cakes again.

You can see what the other IHCC participants put on their cookie plates by going to the post here and following the links.

My Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway Winner!!!

Delicious cookies and a fun cookbook!

Lucky me, I got to try Tate's Bake Shop cookies and the "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" and give away a set to a lucky reader.

All the names went into a box, one slip per each valid entry, and then one slip was randomly pulled...

Congratulation to Felice of All That's Left of the Crumbs!

She said: "I like crispy cookies that are a little chewy in the middle. I guess they are the best of both worlds! My favorite cookie is an Anzac Biscuit."

I don't know Felice (yet!) but she lives here on Oahu which is very fun. Another trip from the Hamptons to Hawaii for Tate's Bake Shop! (Felice, please email me with your mailing address so I can get your cookies sent to you.)

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway drawing and thanks to Tate's Bake Shop for the fun prize and the delicious cookies too!

Ming's Mom's Noodle Soup with Five Spice Beef Shank: Noodly Goodness for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I ran across beef shanks at the grocery store, and they were on sale too, something I don't find often. I went to Food Network to find a good recipe to use them in and found Ming's Mom's Wonton Noodle Soup with Five Spice Beef Shank. Of course I love my man Ming, and I also think his parents win as the most adorable cooking show family guests, and who doesn't like a big bowl of flavorful noodle soup on a rainy night? This one requires a little more time and effort than some soups but the results are worth it.

The recipe can be found at Food Network here.

Ming's Mom's Noodle Soup with Five Spice Beef Shank
by Ming Tsai (and his Mom), The Food Network
(Serves 4)

2 quarts chicken stock
2 large slices ginger
4 heads baby bok choy, washed and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce
salt
1 pound fresh wonton noodles, blanched in salted water right before serving
Five Spice Beef Shank, recipe follows 1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Heat the stock in a stock pot with the ginger and reduce by 20 percent. Add the bok choy, white pepper, and soy sauce. Cook for 3 minutes until bok choy is soft. Check for seasoning. Place the hot noodles in 4 large bowls and top with stock and bok choy. Place sliced beef on top. Garnish with scallions, cilantro, and drizzle with sesame oil.

Five Spice Beef Shank:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed peppers
8 thin slices fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 pounds beef shank
1 cup soy sauce
4 cups red wine
1 tablespoon five spice powder
1 tablespoon salt
3 pieces star anise
dash cinnamon powder
1 large piece rock candy (1-inch cube)

Prepare a large non-stick stock-pot coated with oil over high heat. Add the crushed pepper, ginger, and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Place the beef in the stock-pot and cook, covered about 4 minutes on each side. Add the soy sauce, red wine, five spice powder, salt, star anise, cinnamon, and rock candy and bring the mixture to a boil for about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours turning the shank every 20 minutes. Remove the shank from the pot and let cool before slicing and adding to the Wonton Noodle Soup.

Notes/Results: Hearty and good--the milder gingery broth is complimented nicely by the slightly sweet, slightly spicy, full of flavor beef shank. I made a few little changes--doubling the ginger and adding garlic to the broth and adding more crushed pepper to the meat. I didn't have rock sugar sitting about so I added some dark brown sugar instead. I wanted to use fresh noodles out of the refrigerated case and my choices were udon, chow fun, and ramen, and it seemed like a ramen kind of night, but you could use any noodle really. I found after 2+ hours of braising the beef, even after sitting a bit, did not slice so much as fall/pull apart but no matter--it tastes delicious. I would make this again.

I am going to send this noodle-filled soup to Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights, being hosted by Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours this week. Check out her blog on Friday for a round up of all kinds of pasta dishes.

It looks like we have a great turnout in the Souper Sunday kitchen, let's take a look.

Nicole from Cocoa and Coriander made a hearty, nourishing Vegetable Soup with Warm Spices, Beans and Quinoa and says, "This soup is lovely. The broth is so flavorful and warming. The vegetables, beans and quinoa are hearty and filling. I don't have much else to say tonight; this is just the perfect soup for a chilly, rainy December day."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes has a delicious Turkey Soup with Kale to share and says, "I know. I can hear the collective groaning from here. Not another turkey soup. Yes. Another turkey soup. Deal with it. And, for your information, this was yummy. I’ve never done kale with turkey soup before, and it was a great addition to it! It comes from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters."

Tigerfish from Teczcape-An Escape to Food has her version of a classic, this Hearty Vegetable Soup (Easy Minestrone). She says, "A vegetable soup that bears a close resemblance to minestrone. I am a fan of minestrone. This soup can be part of a great holiday meal. Traditionally, the Chinese (especially Cantonese) food culture includes one soup-dish as part of the entire meal deal. Why not for a Western-inspired celebration meal?"

Joanne from Eats Well With Others made a man (and woman) pleasing Beef and Beer Chili this week and says, "My roommate and I stood over the pot. Eating it. With a spoon. (Well, two spoons.) It was that good. It is spicy and a touch sweet. Stuffed with beef and beans...the kind of meal that "the guys" will love on poker night. But also one that you and your girlfriend can cuddle up with on a cold winter's night."

Biren, from Roti n Rice came back for her second week at Souper Sundays with this filling Split Pea and Sausage Soup. Biren says, "Spicy, thick, and satisfying, this soup is a meal in itself. I used up the remaining turkey stock I had made after the Thanksgiving dinner but chicken stock will definitely work. For making thick, creamy soups an immersion blender is a very helpful tool. It beats having to tranfer that hot liquid in batches to a blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, now is the time to drop hints for Christmas. :)"

Debby from A Taste for the Eyes made that classic American stew Chicken & Dumplings and says, "...this huge pot of deliciousness was mostly eaten by my boys in two days. I'd say that this recipe was a success, because they asked for more. I wasn't sure what to expect, by the way. Why? Because I've never tasted this classic American dish, let alone made this dish. I happened to catch an episode of America's Test Kitchen and I was impressed with how easy the show made this look to make. To me, this is really like making homemade chicken soup, with dumplings instead of noodles."

Corina from Searching for Spice has this Hot and Sour Mushroom Noodle Soup to share this week and says, "I just love soups at the moment. I could eat them every day. I especially like them for lunches at the weekends if I’m at home. In the evening I feel I should have something more substantial than soup. At lunchtime, soup is perfect. Anyway, this soup is quick and easy. The vegetables are still crunchy. There’s a spicy heat from the chilli and a delicious sourness from the lime."

Heather from girlichef made one of my favorite soups from a favorite cookbook and cook, Mark Bittman's Chickpea Soup with Almonds & Saffron and says, "On a mission for a quick, easy soup, I scour the pantry, the fridge, and Bitty's Kitchen Express searching for a final destination. I found it in the unlikely combination of almonds, chickpeas, and saffron. Okay, maybe not so unlikely...just surprising in a quickie soup, I suppose. To me. And yeah, although it was surprising, it totally worked."



Debbi from Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie made a Butternut Squash Soup with Apple & Beans and says, "This soup rocked my world. I just bought some more white beans so I can make it again. It is so healthy and super filling that I could eat it all the time. It got better and better as it sat in the frig too. Don't you love that about soup? We ate this with an awesome grilled cheese & apple sandwich. Not that it needed anything else, I would have been fine with just eating this!"

Janet from The Taste Space made a Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup and says, "Adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Eat Well Cookbook, this is a hearty and creamy wild mushroom soup (sans creme) with barley and thyme. Something great to warm up with this winter. It is for serious mushroom lovers, with both dried shiitake and fresh cremini mushrooms. Tomato paste adds a deeper body to the soup, and the sherry adds a special flavour."

It's strawberry season in India for lucky Megha at Live to eat!!! and she is making the most of it with this colorful Spinach, Strawberry & Ricotta Cheese Salad. Megha says, "This salad is the easiest salad that I've ever tried and it's not only tasty but also gorgeous looking too. It's a great combination and the flavours blend in perfectly. A must try this strawberry season!"

A big Souper Sundays welcome to Nayna at simply.food, joining us from the U.K. and making her first appearance this week with this Barbecued Corn Salad. Nayna says, "Barbecued Corn salad is a tasty fast and easy salad that is delicious as a starter or side dish.Crunchy barbecued corn served with sweet mango, cucumber and carrots."

Swathi from Zesty South Indian Kitchen is here this week with a Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad/Gỏi đu đủ. Swathi says, "It turned out be great. My little one and her father was enjoying them very much, she even started picking with her cute little hand and eating. I haven’t imagined green papaya salad has this much fan base in my house. They are going to be around for long time. I made only one serving. Next time I am going to increase the quantity. The dish is perfect combo of sour-spice-salt –sweetness it has crunchiness from papaya and peanuts."

Joanna from Go Ahead and Snicker made a Salad with Oven Fried Garlic and Onion Chicken Fingers, served with Giada's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce made into a dressing. She says, "Serve with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce for kiddos, or as a salad for grown ups. Mine is just mixed greens, tomato, red onion, blue cheese and dried cranberries. Nothing special, but it sure is good!"

Kim from Stirring the Pot is here with both a salad and a sandwich this week. About her Mexican Tortilla Salad with Cotija Cheese and Cilantro-Pepita Dressing, she says, "My Mom and I loved this salad with it's creamy and colorful dressing, chunks of Cotija cheese, and crunchy strips of tortilla strips and pepitas. This salad would be equally delicious as a main dish with added vegetables, sliced chicken or maybe even shrimp. This is one of those salad recipes that people will remember, crave, and ask for again."

Kim's sandwich is Giada's Mozzarella, Strawberry, and Brown Sugar Panini, and Kim says, "All of the components actually come together really nicely in this sandwich. The mozzarella was buttery and creamy, the strawberry jam is nice and sweet, and the brown sugar crusted bread.....whoa mama! That crispy, crunchy, sugary, caramelized bread was some good stuff, the hit of the sandwich if you ask me. This is one of those recipes that stays on your mind and keeps you thinking, which is good for the mind, if you ask me!"



Wonderful soups, terrific salads and one unique salad this week--thanks to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad, or sandwich that you want to share, just click on the Souper Sunday logo on my side bar for all of the details.

******Little Reminders: Great Giveaway & Iron Foodie 2010 Votes*******

Today is the last day to enter my Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway to win a copy of the "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" and an assortment of 3 of their most popular cookies--Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and White Chocolate Macadamia. Find the entry details here and enter by midnight tonight in order to win!

And of course, if you haven't yet voted for a Marx Foods/Foodie BlogRoll Iron Foodie 2010 entry, I would really appreciate it if you would go to the poll at Marx Foods here and give my Two Pepper Seared Ahi with Avocado-Dulse Yogurt Sauce, Porcini-Dulse Brown Rice & Smoky Lotus Chips a vote. It's really easy to do, no registration or anything--just a simple click next to Kahakai Kitchen. Mahalo for your support!

Have a great week!

This Little Piggy Went to a Cookie... "Haute-meal Cookies" (with Bacon!) & a Review of Michel Richard's "Sweet Magic"

Michel Richard, the owner/chef of Cironelle and Central Michael Richard in Washington, D.C. began his career in the pastry kitchen before switching gears to award-winning chef. In "Sweet Magic: Easy Recipes for Delectable Desserts", he journeys back to his first love, desserts. "Sweet Magic" explores the world of flour and butter, as well as shares the author's insights and experiences with memories and anecdotes about each of the delicious-sounding recipes. There are 50 recipes to choose from in the book, including Mulled Cider and Rum Risotto, Apricot Chocolate Layer Cake, Triple-Chocolate Flourless Christmas Log, Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream, Baked Doughnuts, and Almond Macadamia Brownies with Chocolate Nutella Glaze.

I enjoyed the recipe anecdotes and stories--I like cookbooks that tell you something about the recipe you are going to make. I also liked the illustrations in the book--done by the multi-talented Richard. I would however have loved some photos of at least some of the completed desserts in the book because when you have such a talented pastry artist sharing recipes, you want to see his work beyond drawings. Overall, it is an enjoyable book and good for any baker, dessert lover or foodie who wants guidance from an expert.

To "road test" this book, I chose the recipe that first caught my eye, his "Haute-meal Cookies." I love sweet/salty combinations and the fact that these cookies contained bacon sold me on them.

Richard says, "Peter Kaminsky, who wrote a whole book about pigs, believes that there is nothing in the world that can't be improved with a little bacon. Recently he came back from a visit with some fishermen and chefs in South Carolina. He told me about a wonderful chef named Jeremiah Bacon, who made ice cream with bacon. I thought Peter was joking--but he never jokes about bacon. "Michel, bacon has a sweet, salty, funky taste. A 'grand chef' (which is how he always refers to me) could become a cookie immortal if he created a bacon cookie." I accepted the challenge, and in solving it, I believe I finally succeeded in my own long search for a new kind of oatmeal cookie."

Haute-meal Cookies
"Sweet Magic" by Michel Richard
(Makes 24 Cookies)

1 stick plus 2 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, dark
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 strips bacon, cooked until just crisp, patted dry, and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup pecans, roasted and coarsely chopped
flaky sea salt (fleur de sel, optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and cream and mix until well incorporated. Add the oats, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, bacon, and pecans and continue mixing just until blended. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for at least 1 hour (longer is fine too).

Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment. With a small scoop or spoon, form 1 1/2-inch balls and place them in staggered rows on the sheet, as the cookies will spread when they bake. Top each cookie with a tiny pinch of flaky salt (or skip this if you don't have any--they will still be delicious). Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges. Cool them for a few minutes in the an before transferring them to a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


Notes/Results: These cookies could easily become addictive. They are a nice mixture of the sweet from the brown sugar and vanilla, the crunch of chopped toasted pecans, and of course the salty little hits of bacon within and the flakes of fleur del sel on top. The combination really works. The recipe was easy and I only have one complaint--the part about the dough chilling for one hour before baking should be moved up to the beginning of the recipe or highlighted. Granted I am a notorious recipe skimmer, but if the first step of a recipe says to preheat the oven, I am expecting to pop the cookies into it right after I mix them up. Because I had plans and didn't have time to wait, I ended up chilling the dough overnight and baking them the next day, which worked fine, once I got the dough back to room temperature. I did have to press down the cookies to flatten them out slightly, as my first batch in the oven did not spread at all, but the taste and texture were good. Flattened out and made thinner, they were even better. I did want to experiment with adding a bit of chocolate so I took the last bit of dough and threw in some chocolate chips and baked a few up. Even better--I was afraid it would be over-kill but the chocolate added another dimension. I will make these again (actually next week for a holiday cookie exchange) with the added chocolate. ;-)

******Reminders: Giveaway & Iron Foodie 2010 Votes*******

Speaking of cookies, don't forget to enter my Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway to win a copy of the "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" and an assortment of 3 of their most popular cookies--Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and White Chocolate Macadamia. Find the entry details here and enter by Sunday in order to win!

Also, and I plan to only bug you subtly at the end of posts, ;-) but if you haven't yet voted for a Marx Foods/Foodie BlogRoll Iron Foodie 2010 entry, I would love it if you would go to the poll at Marx Foods here and give my Two Pepper Seared Ahi with Avocado-Dulse Yogurt Sauce, Porcini-Dulse Brown Rice & Smoky Lotus Chips a vote. It's really easy to do--just a click next to Kahakai Kitchen. Mahalo for your support!

Happy Aloha Friday!

Giada's Brown Butter Sauce with Mushroom Ravioli--Making it Simple!

Crazy, busy times, like the holiday season call for easy dishes that can be on the table quickly and taste delicious. This week our I Heart Cooking Clubs theme is "Make It Simple--The Holiday Madness is Upon Us!" A container of mushroom ravioli from the cold case with Giada's Brown Butter Sauce makes a delicious dinner that you can have on the table in about 10 minutes. Brown butter and crispy sage, what's not to like?

Giada says, "The sage leaves are more traditional in this sauce, but I love the basil also. If neither of these herbs works for you, feel free to substitute your favorite herb."

Brown Butter Sauce

"Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurentiis

(Makes 1/2 Cup, Serves 4 With a Pound of Pasta as a First Course)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 fresh sage leaves (torn into pieces) or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, heavy frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add the sage or basil leaves and cook until crisp., about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and the nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve.


Notes/Results: Brown butter sauce with sage is a favorite of mine, and Giada's recipe is pretty standard, except for the pinch of nutmeg. I didn't notice a big chance in flavor from the nutmeg, but really enjoyed the sauce. I used a fresh porcini mushroom ravioli with the sauce, and the nutty brown butter and herby sage worked well with the earthy mushrooms, and the Parmesan rounds it all out. Sure, it is a little indulgent, but well worth it, making a satisfying meat-free meal that I will make again.

You can see what Make it Simple dishes the other IHCC participants chose this week by going to the site here and clicking on the links.

I am also sending this easy dish to Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights being hosted this week by my friend and Cook The Books co-host Rachel, The Crispy Cook. Rachel will be rounding up many fabulous pasta dishes on her blog this Friday--stop by and check it out.

***** Iron Foodie 2010 Challenge Update--I Could Really Use Some Votes Please! ;-) *****

Did you get a chance to check out my Iron Foodie Challenge entry last week? I had to use at least 3 out of 8 mystery ingredients and my Two Pepper Seared Ahi with Avocado-Dulse Yogurt Sauce, Porcini-Dulse Brown Rice & Smoky Lotus Chips used 5 out of the 8 ingredients, and some ingredients were also used in more than one of the four components of the dish. It was a fun dish to make and tasted great.

The voting poll is now open and I could really use some votes. If you liked the dish or even if you are scared of seared fish but you just like me, ;-) I would really appreciate it if you could go here to the voting poll at Marx Foods and cast your vote for Kahakai Kitchen. The poll is open until Wednesday, Dec. 15th. Mahalo (that's thank you!) for your vote.

*****Don't Forget My Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway!*****

Tate's Bake Shop is providing one very lucky *U.S. reader of my blog with their own copy of the "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" and three kinds of their crispy, yummy cookies--Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin & White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

You can read my review of the cookbook and get the details on how to enter right here. You have until this Sunday to enter. Great book, delicious cookies! *If you aren't in the U.S., but have a friend or relative who lives here, enter anyway and we will have it shipped to them as a fun holiday treat.

Hope your week is going well, holiday madness and all! ;-)

"Rena's Sport Bars" & a Great Giveaway: Enter for a Chance to Win the "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" & Tate's Bake Shop Cookies!

I have some long-standing beliefs about cookies---namely that people almost always fall into two different categories (particularly when it comes to chocolate chip cookies), either they are soft cookie people or crispy cookie people. They might eat both, but usually have a marked preference for one or the other. I come from the soft cookie camp--I like them tender, bendy, and just ever-so-slightly, the lightest golden brown, almost but not quite under-cooked. It is how I grew up, how my mom makes them and so I usually regard crispy, browned cookies with suspicion and slight derision. On the other hand, I have friends that believe that a crispy cookie is the best cookie and that soft cookies are not done enough.

Because of my cookie preferences, I was a little worried when the lovely people at Tate's Bake Shop offered to send me some of their thin, crispy cookies and a copy of owner Karen King's new "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from South Hampton's Favorite Bakery for Home-Style Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins and Breads" to review. But since they are beloved by The Barefoot Contessa (Ina wrote the intro to the book and the cookies appear in her new cookbook: "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?"), they were voted #1 by Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine, and they have appeared in a host of other fine publications like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, InStyle magazine, etc., I thought I should give them a try.

My package with the cookbook and three boxes of cookies--Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Macadamia finally arrived (shipping to Hawaii is slow) last week and I geared myself up to be open-minded about the thin, dark golden brown cookies packed inside. I started with the chocolate chip, taking a bite with trepidation, and ...was very pleasantly surprised. These cookies are pretty darn delicious! From the first bite, you can tell that they are made with quality ingredients--you can taste the real butter. Yes, they are crisp, but they are not hard. There was plenty of chocolate, and even though they came out of a box, they tasted perfectly fresh. If I placed them on a plate and hid the boxes, I could easily pass them off as homemade (not that I ever would do that--but it is nice to know I could!) ;-) The white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal were equally tasty and way too easy to over-indulge in. After working my way through the first cello-wrapped tray in each box, I had to give the rest to my neighbor, lest I would eat them all. Do they win out over my mom's freshly-baked soft cookies? Well, no... preferences formed in childhood always win out in the end, but I really did enjoy them and would happily eat them (and overeat them!) again.

The "Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" includes the recipe for their signature Chocolate Chip Cookies, along with 124 other recipes for homey treats like their popular Sour Cream Pound Cake, Double Berry Crumb Muffins, Cappuccino Shortbread, Chocolate Mint Brownies, Apple Crumb Pie and Flourless Chocolate Cake. There is even a Healthy Alternatives section, where I found the first recipe I decided to try, Rena'a Sport Bars. It might seem a little odd to pick one of the healthiest recipes in a baking book to try first, but I figured after eating all those butter-laden cookies I needed to put something a little healthier into my body and these simple, protein-packed bars seemed like the perfect choice.


Kathleen King says, "My six A.M. biking partner has the purest diet I have ever seen. She would never eat a commercial power bar, so she developed her own. I found that if I left my Cliff Bars at home, she would always share hers. Now I make my own, too. You can freeze them in individual bars and grab one in the morning for a booster two hours into your ride, or drive, or work, or just for a nutritious healthy snack anytime."

Rena's Sport Bars

"Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook" by Kathleen King

(Yield 12 Bars)

2/3 cup apple butter

2/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup flax meal

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the apple butter and peanut butter. Add the sesame seeds and flax meal. Mix them until they are combined. Add the oatmeal and cranberries. The mixture will be very stiff.

Place the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch square pan. Wet your hands and pat it evenly into the pan. Bake it for 40 minutes or until it is golden brown and firm. Cut it into bars while it's still warm.


Notes/Results: The bars are soft, chewy, and subtly but deliciously-flavored with the peanut butter and apple butter. I like that they are not too sweet and slightly tangy from the cranberries. They are very easy to make and individually wrapped in waxed paper, perfect to grab on the go--so much better than store-bought bars. I think it would be fun to change up the flavors with different fruit, nut butters, etc. I cut mine into 8 pieces instead of 12 so that they are more the size of a Cliff Bar or other protein/sport bar. They are nicely filling and a bar with a piece of fruit makes a satisfying breakfast. I will make these again.

Elizabeth at Tate's Bakeshop was kind enough to offer up the same goodies that I received to one of my readers. So you can enter to win your own copy of "Tate's Bakeshop Cookbook" and a gift pack of the cookies to eat while you read it. I would recommend that you give it away as a Christmas gift, but you know you won't--especially once you open up that cookbook and start reading the recipes!


This is good news for those of you who entered and didn't win this giveaway on other blogs--now you can try again! (Maybe shipping to Hawaii being slow is a good thing!).

*****Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook & Cookie Gift Pack Giveaway*****

The Details: This giveaway is open only to U.S. residents. (Sorry to my non-U.S. readers!) The prize is a copy of "Tate's Bake Shop Cook Book" and a cookie gift pack containing Tate's Bake Shop favorites--Oatmeal Raisin cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies.

How To Enter:

• Leave me a comment telling me whether you are a chewy or crisp cookie fan and what your all-time favorite cookie is.

Really want these cookies and the cookbook? There are 3 ways to get additional entries

3 Ways To Get Extra Entries:

(You must leave a separate comment for each item you do in order to get the extra entries)

• Become a fan of Tate's Bakeshop on Facebook.

• Tweet about this fabulous giveaway mentioning Kahakai Kitchen and make sure you also use my Twitter handle @DebinHawaii so I will be sure to see it.

• Follow Kahakai Kitchen either through Google Friends or Networked Blogs on Facebook, or both (see my sidebar). If you are already a follower through either (or both) leave a comment letting me know for your entry.

This giveaway will end this Sunday night, December 12th, at midnight Hawaii time. (The name of the randomly-drawn winner will be announced on Monday, December 13th.)

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You don't have to wait to see if you won free cookies as Tate's Bakeshop is providing a 15% discount on all online orders through December 31st. (Go to the website and use the code "cookie" at checkout to get the discount). It's a great way to check off those difficult to buy for people on your holiday gift list!

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So don't forget to enter by this Sunday, Dec. 12th and remember to leave me your separate comments for your extra entries. Best of luck in the giveaway-trust me this is a good one! ;-)

Many thanks to the kind folks at Tate's Bake Shop for a chance to try their delicious cookies (and for changing my opinion on crispy cookies!) and the cookbook, which will get much use as I tabbed a bunch of recipes to make.

Obligatory Disclosure Statement: Although the cookies, cookbook and giveaway prizes were provided to me by the company, my opinions remain, as always, my own.

Aloha,