rhymes with butternut

A few years ago my friend Hillsies bought me the Field Guide to Produce because she thinks it's hilarious that I'm a vegetarian. She left the receipt inside, so I'm pretty sure she expected me to just return it, but now it's a handy resource when I see intimidating-sounding items at Whole Foods. I also learned that the word "squash" is derived from the Algonquin word "askutasquash," which means something that is eaten green or in an unripe state. So, you know, now you can enjoy these cookies on a deeper level.

Butternut Squash Raisin Cookies
1 cup margarine or unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup raisins

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy and then mix in egg. Mix in squash and vanilla.
Stir in salt, spices, baking soda, and flour. Fold in raisins.
Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto a Silpat-ed cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges are light brown.
Remove and cool. The cookies are sweet, but next time I think I'll add cream cheese frosting. Because frosting makes everything better.
Baking tunes: The O.C. Soundtrack that I received as a kind-of joke at a white elephant exchange at work a few years ago. Oh, how I miss you beautiful So-Cal disasters.

best of the midwest

This week we had our first boozy book club meeting. As expected, we discussed the novel for a hot 10 minutes and then gossiped the rest of the time. I even read the entire thing, which I can't say for everyone (you know who you are). In honor of our selection, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson -- very good, btdubs -- I made a variation of Ms. Beulah Schott's Pride of Iowa cookies. I call them...

Son of a Preacher Man Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup organic white sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coconut
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped almonds and peanuts
1 cup raisins
2 cups old fashioned oats
Cream shortening, sugars, and egg. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With a spatula (or strong stand mixer, if you have one), stir in the coconut, and oats. Chop the nuts (feel free to add more and/or other varieties) and add to the mixture. Chill for 3 hours or overnight. Once chilled, scoop spoonfuls of dough and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool. Try to think of intelligent questions about the book.
Baking tunes: Fonzie's Make Out Music. I stole it from my dad. And it's awesome.

mellow yellow

The first bbq of the season is a grand return to the delights of summer: Drinking outside! Grilling! Dancing in the driveway! (See drinking outside). I modified a recipe from epicurious to see if it could compete with the Martha version. It did. The cookies survived the journey to Queens with nary a crack. I also learned that lemon cookies and mojitos complement each other quite well, though next time both should probably be consumed in moderation.

Glazed Lemon Pepper Cornmeal Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic white sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
Green pepper
Dash salt
Finely grated zest of one lemon

Cream butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Blend in flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper (I just added about four grinds' worth). Stir in lemon zest. Chill at least three hours or overnight. Once chilled, roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and slightly flatten. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool and prepare frosting.
Lemon Glaze
1 cup (plus more) powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon

Mix one cup powdered sugar with lemon juice. Keep adding more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle on to cooled cookies. Go to Queens.
Baking tunes: Today's cookies were sponsored by the letter "L" -- Laura Burhenn, Le Loup, Levy, Lisa Loeb, and The Ladies and Gentlemen.

hitting the bar (cookies)

In my opinion, dark chocolate is overrated. Yeah, yeah, antioxidants, I get it. But it's white chocolate that really gets neglected. So, it's my wish that these cookie bars elevate the status of my delicious friends. Plus there's cranberries for antioxidants. And Omega-3s. Take that.

White Chocolate Chunk-Cranberry Cookie Bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 Omega-3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chunks
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in egg whites. I would have added vanilla, but I was out (sigh). Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in white chocolate chunks and cranberries. Spread batter into an 8x8 greased glass pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Lick the bowl.
Baking Tunes: Ben Gibbard's cover of "It'll Be a Breeze." And these cookie bars were. I won't take that back.

hey, pumpkin

The healthy ingredients in these cookies (pumpkin, oats, cinnamon) are nicely balanced with a hearty dose of sugar. I suppose you could skip the powdered sugar glaze, but why would you want to do that? I like to think that baking cookies for others earns me some karma points, so for a bonus I should forgive the Whole Foods checker who charged me for my package of organic seedless raisins but then failed to put them in my reusable shopping bag.

Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

For the cookies:
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. egg substitute or 1 egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. white flour
2 1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

With an electric mixer in a large bowl, blend butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly add to the butter mixture. Fold in oats and raisins. Chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Maybe go for a run.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop dough onto a greased baking sheet (or use a Silpat) in golfball-sized spoonfuls. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges.

For the glaze:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 1/2 tsp. water

Blend powdered sugar and water in a small bowl and spoon on to cooled cookies. Adjust the amount of water for a thicker (my preference!) or thinner glaze.

Baking tunes: Pete Yorn, "Music For The Morning After."