This summer our regular feature, “When Company’s Coming,” sports the following menu:

Coconut Shrimp (baked, not fried!)

Caribbean Sweet Potato Pancakes

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

Mango Sauce

It’s all pretty easy to do; much of it can be prepped in advance, and guess what? The whole shebang is gluten-free.

Let’s start with the star of the show, Coconut Shrimp. I adore this stuff, but I’ve always felt terribly guilty eating it, because I know that shrimp on its own is a great food calorie-wise; but once it’s coated with coconut and baptized in the fryer? Not so much.

I stumbled across a recipe for baked coconut shrimp at About.com, and realized perhaps there was another way. We have some articles in our pantry that seem tailor-made for this idea, like our coconut milk powder and unsweetened coconut.

The recipe is simplicity itself.

First, mix up the breading. It’s basically a question of measuring and stirring together, but there’s one small prep task first. I’m going to pulse the sweetened coconut in the food processor a bit, to make its size the same as the unsweetened coconut. Littler bits make for a nice crunch and nubby texture in the finished product.

In the bowl, clockwise from the top, are:

1/4 cup (1 ounce) cornstarch

1 cup (3 ounces) flaked sweetened coconut

2 tablespoons coconut milk powder

1 cup (4 ounces) unsweetened coconut

in the center are 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Just stir this up and set it aside.

Obviously, you can do this in advance. This is enough breading for a pound of large (16-20) shrimp; if you’re feeding a crowd, or using a much smaller size of shrimp, you’ll want to scale up or down accordingly.

In case you’re wondering, the numbers in parentheses indicate the number of shrimp in one pound. Those labeled 16-20 are the largest commonly available size. Next smallest are 21-25 (meaning there are between 21 and 25 shrimp per pound), then 26-30, 31-35, etc. The smaller size you use, the more breading you’ll need to cover all that surface area.

To prep the shrimp, peel all but the last section of shell…

…which will help act as the “handle.”

Once the shrimp are ready, keep them in the fridge while you set up for breading.

This will be a two-step process, unlike the restaurant technique called “standard breading procedure.” That involves three steps: dredging in flour, dipping in egg, then dredging in bread crumbs. Our two steps are going to save us time, mess, and calories.

Beat 3 egg whites, or pour out 1/2 cup of liquid egg whites from a container.

Have your breading next to the whites, and a parchment-lined baking sheet next to that. Spray the parchment generously with oil.

The secret of breading things is this oft-repeated mantra in restaurant kitchens: “One hand wet, one hand dry.” That means you assign one paw the task of dealing with the juicy stuff, while the other moves the breading around.

Take a shrimp by the tail, dip it in the egg white, let the excess drip off.

Next coat it with the breading…

…and place it on the sheet pan.

Once the shrimp are done, you can pop them in the fridge for a few hours, or freeze them until you want them (if you’ve used fresh shrimp to start with; if you’ve used thawed frozen shrimp, they should be cooked before refreezing).

To cook the shrimp, preheat the oven. If you happen to have a convection option on yours, this is a good place to use it; set it at 400° for a conventional oven or 375° for convection. Give them a light spritz with some vegetable oil, (if you’re feeling really exotic, combine some peanut and sesame oil in a small spray bottle for more flavor), turn them over, and spritz again. The oil will help the shrimp to brown and make it good and crunchy.

Into the oven they go. They won’t take long; about 12 to 15 minutes in a convection oven; 15 to 20 for conventional.

When they’re done, you’ll want something to serve them with, so let’s take a look at the next item on the menu: the Caribbean Sweet Potato Cakes.

This is a food you’ll find in Jamaica; I’ve taken a few liberties with it to keep it gluten-free.

Here’s what’s in ‘em:

2 cups (17 ounces) mashed cooked sweet potato; about about 2 medium potatoes

1 jalapeño pepper

2 cloves garlic (roasted if you like, which I do)

3 scallions, sliced thin

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) instant mashed potato flakes, plus more for dredging

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1/4 cup (3 1/2 ounces) peanut oil for frying

When making things with sweet potatoes in them I almost always bake them in their skins, peel and mash, and go from there. I’ve never understood why you’d take something that can be quite watery and boil it, then try to get rid of the water again. But that’s just me.

This is another place where my beloved Pastry Pro does yeoman service. Just make sure the bowl you’re using has a flat bottom.

Once the sweet spuds are mashed, it’s time for a little knife work. I used to teach knife skills at a major culinary school. One of the first things I did with my students was require them to pledge “not to cut an innocent vegetable in half for no reason.”

Most foods come with built in handles, and jalapeños are a perfect example. Here’s the secret to pain-free pepper dicing: cut the walls off the core of the pepper, holding onto the stem, and leaving the ribs and seeds (where the pain and heat reside) behind.

Dice the walls and add to the bowl with the other ingredients. The binder for these is a half cup of instant mashed potato flakes.

Another great place to put the dough whisk to work:

Now we can fry ‘em up. Take some more mashed potato flakes, put them in a shallow pan, and scoop the dough into the pan. I used our tablespoon scoop for these.

Put more flakes on top of the blob of sweet potatoes, then press down lightly until the cakes are about 1/2″ thick. Don’t go any thinner, or the cakes won’t hold together.

Put a large, sturdy skillet on the stove, and add peanut oil until it’s about 1/4″ deep. Place over medium heat (these need to fry at a medium-low temperature, or they’ll  burn before they’re heated through). When you see the oil ripple, start putting the cakes into the pan.

Cook for about 3 minutes per side, flip, cook another 3 minutes, then transfer to absorbent paper to drain. You can hold these in a low oven (200°F) for up to an hour, if need be.

One of the vagaries of frying anything that’s breaded is that the crumbs fall off, sit in the oil, and start to burn.

This pan shrapnel usually gets to a critical point, where you have to bite the bullet and pour it and any oil still in the pan into a heatproof container, then swab out the pan. I use tongs and a paper towel for this.

Once most of the offending flotsam is gone, you can put the hot pan back on the fire, add a little more oil, and carry on.

It’s usually about 4 pancakes from the end of the recipe when this happens, but c’est la guerre.

Two more menu items, then we’re ready for supper. Pineapple salsa is simple:

3 cups diced fresh pineapple

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/4 cup small diced red onion

1 tablespoon honey

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Some people just can’t stand cilantro; it’s optional, really. You could put a wee bit of grated fresh ginger in its place, or add some small diced hot peppers if you like a little more fire.

The only tricky part of this salsa is knowing how to cut up a pineapple. I’ve seen all kinds of instructions telling people to peel it, then spend, oh, half an hour trimming out all the eyes before being able to cut the thing up. Cringe is not quite the word for my reaction to this. Here’s the fastest way to get to naked pineapple.

Lay the pineapple on its side, and trim off the top and bottom. Stand it up, then cut it in half, top to bottom, then cut each half in quarters.

Cut each quarter one more time, top to bottom, then run your knife just inside the edge of the core, as shown on the top right.

Now lay the slice down on your board, and run your knife between the flesh and the skin. Voilà. Naked pineapple spear, great for grilling as is, or ready to be sliced once more, then put flat for dicing.

From here on out it’s just a question of putting everything in the bowl and stirring it up. It’s best if you let it sit for at least an hour, so the flavors have a chance to get a conversation going.

Last but not least is Mango Sauce. This is another condiment that would be great on any kind of grilled fish or jerk chicken. It’s also simplicity itself to make, if you’re not afraid of fresh mango. Here’s another fruit that often gets called to be peeled, when in fact it’s much easier to process if you leave the skin on. Behold:

Stand the mango on end, and look at where the stem is. Mangoes are kind of flat oblongs; the pit is flat, and runs down the center. Line up the mango so the flatter sides are parallel with your knife, and slice off the sides. Put one side on your cutting board, and score it in 1/2″ lines with your paring knife, without going through the skin. Next, pick it up and press the skin side, so the mango looks “inside out.”

Now you can slice off the cubes quite nicely.

Once you have naked mango chunks, here’s what goes into your food processor:

flesh of 2 ripe mangoes

2 tablespoons fish sauce, or 1 teaspoon soy sauce plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chilies

Give it all a buzz, put some in a bowl, and get ready for one of the most fun parts of this whole business: digging in!

The Baking Sheet is where you’ll find ideas for meals like this that fit the season perfectly. We also strive to find things that are a little unusual, have good stories with them, and that WORK.

The upcoming Summer issue has a lot of other great food in it, too. Here’s a smattering (by no means complete) of what else you’ll find if you subscribe: Greek Tomato Fritters with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise, Orange Cream Pie, Blackberry Cake, Pissaladière, and even a Root Beer Float Ice Cream Cake.

If you’d like having your own personal recipe coach/consultant, or know someone who would, we hope you’ll consider becoming a beloved member of our publication’s family of subscribers.

]]> http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2012/05/21/coconut-shrimp-bake-it/feed/ 10 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2012/05/18/pull-apart-pepperoni-biscuitspizza-made-perfectly-puffy/ http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2012/05/18/pull-apart-pepperoni-biscuitspizza-made-perfectly-puffy/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 09:46:37 +0000 MaryJane Robbins http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/?p=61794 Pull-Apart Pepperoni Biscuits]]>

Got my hat, got my coat, I’m off to join the PED-PEW club.

Care to come along?

The PED-PEW club was established, umm, now by errr, me.

PED-PEW stands for Pizza Every Day-Pizza Every Way. It’s also really cool if you say it out loud, like a gunslinger. “Ped-pew!”

PED-PEW members are dedicated to trying to find ways to incorporate pizza into their diets each and every day. Start your day with Breakfast Pizza, use cut-up, toasted pieces of dinner pizza as salad croutons or dipping sticks for your Ranch dressing and, of course, have pizza for dinner.

Okay, I admit PED-PEW is a bit extreme, and I’m currently the only member. In fact, PED-PEW will probably fold by the end of this blog.

Seriously, though, I do go through stages where I feel I could eat pizza every day in every way. Homemade tops the list, but a good Thai chicken pizza from the local parlor is pretty high up there, too.

Did you know that one of the perks of being a KAF employee-owner is that on alternate weeks when we don’t get paychecks (we’re get our checks every other week), we get a free loaf of bread from the bakery? You even have the option of getting pizza dough; it comes to your desk frozen, and is usually thawed out by the time you head home. How’s that for handy? It certainly works for keeping the cravings in check.

If the mania lasts too long, I try to stop it by purchasing  a frozen french bread pizza, and sometimes even that does the trick. I rarely want to go there, knowing I can’t pronounce most of what’s on the label, so I’d like to thank Charlotte in the test kitchen for creating these Pull-Apart Pepperoni Biscuits. I can make them in less than an hour, and know exactly what I’m using to satisfy my craving.

In a large mixing bowl, place the following:

3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Pizza Dough Flavor
1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning
2 tablespoons baking powder (yes, tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sugar

Whisk together well.

Pour in 2 cups heavy cream. Gently mix the dough together until it’s nearly all moistened.

Turn the  dough out onto your work surface and gently knead until it’s one cohesive piece. If you have any very dry spots, drizzle them with a little extra cream or milk until they’re moistened and incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 400°F while you assemble the biscuit bites. Grease four 10-ounce ramekins, or two 12-cup muffin tins.

Roll the dough 1/4″ thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into 2 3/4″ squares. You’ll need a total of 32 squares, so you’ll probably need to re-roll at some point. Just try to keep the pieces an even thickness.

Filling
15-ounce can (2 scant cups) pizza sauce
2 ounces sliced pepperoni
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Onto each square place 1/4 teaspoon prepared pizza sauce, a few pieces of pepperoni, and 1 teaspoon of cheese.

Bring two opposite corners together with a pinch, then the other two corners to form a little purse. Seal all seams well and roll between your palms to create a round ball. It will be about the size of a ping-pong ball, or a large walnut.

If you’re using ramekins, place eight biscuit balls in each well-greased dish.

If you’re using muffin tins, place two or three balls in each well-greased well. I tried it both ways and didn’t really have a mad preference for one or the other. If you have a lot of folks to feed, go with two per well.

Bake in the hot 400°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes for ramekins, 20 to 25 minutes for muffin tins. The biscuit tops will turn a lovely golden brown, and little bubbles of sauce and cheese will start doing a lovely lava-flow.

Yeah, I said sauce and cheeeese.

Hey, man overboard! Guess the sharks bakers will get him now.

There, at least this pot full of pizza goodness behaved.

Serve the biscuit bites hot, with the extra pizza sauce for dipping. The pizza seasoning in the dough really makes the whole house smell like a pizza parlor, and you’ll have your family and friends grabbing these up in no time.

Please bake, rate, and review our recipe for Pull-Apart Pepperoni Biscuits.

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One dark, early February morning, I woke up from a sound sleep with these two words in my head:

Pretzel buns.

Had I read about pretzel buns in a food magazine? Seen them online?

Maybe they were somewhere on the Food Network (watching “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” being one of my favorite brain-candy pastimes).

Whatever their provenance, I was now seeing golden brown twists of dense bread, sliced into top and bottoms and cradling barbecued chicken.

That’s right, chicken. Because chicken had also been on my mind, seeing as it’s the #1 most searched for recipe term online.

It seems EVERYONE wants chicken recipes. I regularly check a Google site that lists search terms in order of how many people are using them.

When I type in “chicken recipe,” here’s what comes up (imagine the words “chicken recipe” succeeding each of the words or phrases below):

“Fried, rotisserie, leftover, whole, teriyaki, baked, slow cooker, good, canned, quick, and simple.”

To say nothing of “ground, best, stuffed, easy, curry, Chinese, orange, great, fast, roast, bbq, sesame, barbecue…”

BBQ. Barbecue! Now there’s a way to marry chicken recipes with flour – a substantial amount of flour, not just the amount you’d use to flour your drumsticks before frying.

After all, our business goal here is to encourage you to bake with King Arthur Flour. No brag, just fact: it’s the best, most consistent national brand of flour you can buy. We’re justly proud of our flour, and we want the whole world to enjoy it.

So, the most-searched-for recipes online (chicken) + the best flour = well, buns, of course!

Pretzel Sandwich Buns, to be exact.

Dense, chewy, golden twists, perfect for a piece of [fried, rotisserie, leftover, teriyaki, baked, orange, roast, BARBECUE) chicken!

Place the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened butter
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, optional
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2/3 to 3/4 cup lukewarm water (about 105°F)*

*Use the greater amount of water in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Beat until well-combined.

Knead the dough (by hand or mixer) for about 5 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and quite slack.

To make the dough with a bread machine: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Allow the dough to proceed through its kneading cycle (no need to let it rise), then cancel the machine, and remove the dough.

This dough is also a great candidate for your food processor. Place everything but the water in the work bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the water, and process for 7 to 10 seconds, until the dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Process a further 45 seconds.

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Dust the dough with flour, and place it in a large bag; securing the top of the bag to keep out drafts (and retain moisture). Let the dough rest and rise for 45 minutes.

Alternatively, transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let it rise for 45 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the topping. Combine 1 cup boiling water with 2 tablespoons baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm (or cooler).

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil spray, or lining it with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into six equal pieces; each piece will be about 90g, or 3 1/4 ounces. Shape the pieces into rough logs about 6″ long. Allow the logs to rest, lightly covered, for 15 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a 15″ rope, and tie each rope into a knot. Tuck the ends of the rope into the center of the knot to make a round bun.

Pour the baking soda/water into a 9″ round cake pan.

Place the buns in the pan, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. This baking soda “bath” will give the buns a nice, golden-brown color.

Allow the buns to rest in the pan, uncovered, for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 450°F.

Bake the buns for 5 minutes. Tent them lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and feel set on the bottom (when you pull one out of the oven and carefully poke its bottom).

Remove the buns from the oven.

Brush them with melted butter, if desired; this will give them a soft, buttery crust.

Serve immediately; or cool, then wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

When ready to serve, warm the buns gently on your barbecue grill, if desired.

Split each bun, and fill with boneless grilled chicken, a hamburger, veggie burger, or your favorite grilled treat.

Read, bake, and review (please! – see below) our recipe for Pretzel Sandwich Buns.

Print just the recipe.

Postscript: This recipe, as originally written, represents many little failures on my part. And, much as I hate to admit to them in print, these failures point out one of the key features of our recipe site: reader reviews.

With a million projects begging for attention, I was in a hurry to get this recipe done and posted online. And in the process, I messed up several steps. Working from an older recipe on our site, I neglected to change a few key pieces: like making six buns, instead of eight. And letting the buns rise a bit before baking.

Thank goodness, the first two reviewers gave this recipe just one star out of a possible five. OUCH! I read what they had to say, looked over the recipe, and sure enough: the problems they’d experienced were due in part to my sloppy recipe writing.

I decided I’d best not only rewrite, but retest the recipe; and in the process found myself making several more tweaks, to yield a better final product.

So, my thanks to reviewers “sam from Boise, Id.” and “lcjmsass from KAF Community.” Sometimes it takes a community to make a successful recipe.

There’s nothing like a good, hearty sandwich, is there?

Now, I’m not talking tea sandwiches. Those thin-sliced, crust-free triangles have their place; after all, you really can’t go wrong with egg salad on white bread.

But when you want a sandwich you can really dig into – a sandwich with body and bite, one that you struggle to get your mouth around, one that you need two hands to handle – delicate sliced bread just doesn’t cut it.

You need a roll; preferably a large one. A roll that’s big on crust, skimpy on crumb; one that can easily hold multiple layers of cheese, meat, and vegetables. AND won’t fall apart as the olive oil or mayo and mustard soak in.

Enter ciabatta rolls.

More golden crust than crumb? Check.

Sturdy enough to withstand (indeed, gladly embrace) provolone and Genoa salami and thick slices of tomato, lettuce and chopped onion and diced peppers? Check.

Its hole-y, chewy interior perfect for absorbing olive oil and vinegar dressing without turning to unpleasant mush?

Absolutely.

I recently made lunch for my in-laws, serving these rolls with a spread of cold cuts, cheese, and all the fixin’s. I have to admit to a certain hesitancy; this group is known for its allegiance to squishy white rolls – which ciabatta definitely aren’t.

In fact, if I don’t bring Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns to every family gathering, I’m toast.

Surprisingly, these Ciabatta Rolls were embraced with equal fervor.

And what did they like best about the rolls?

Their chewy crust and open interior? Their flavor?

Nope. “I like how thin they are. You can really stuff a lot of filling inside without making them too hard to hold.”

Well, chalk up another attribute for what’s fast becoming my favorite sandwich roll!

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Let’s start with an overnight starter.

Why the extra step? Because the longer you let yeast work, the better the flavor of your bread. Also, the organic acids yeast releases as it feeds help keep bread fresh longer.

Place the following in a mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup cool water
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Don’t stress about measuring exactly 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast; a pinch is fine.

Mix until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly.

Next day, add the following to the risen starter:

2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil

Beat at medium speed, using the flat beater, for 7 minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic.

Alternatively, you can knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

Lift out the dough and lightly grease the mixing bowl (or other rising container, if you need your bowl for something else); cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 2 hours, gently deflating it midway through.

If you’re using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

Lightly grease your work surface, and two half-sheet baking pans (18″ x 13″) or similar large baking sheets. Grease your hands, as well.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto the lightly greased work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces, about 80g (2 1/4 ounces) each. Round each into a ball. Gently stretch the balls into flattened disks, about 3 1/2″ wide, and place them on the prepared baking sheets, six to a sheet.

Lightly cover the rolls with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow them to rise for 2 to 3 hours, or until they’re showing some signs of puffiness. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spritz the risen rolls with lukewarm water, and gently but firmly dimple each one with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets.

Immediately place the rolls into the oven. Bake them until they’re golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

See the distinctive, ciabatta-like “open” texture of these rolls?

Slice crosswise, and add your favorite fillings.

I like to drizzle the cut surface of the rolls with flavored olive oil, then pack with lettuce, diced tomatoes, roasted peppers, Italian cold cuts, and provolone cheese. You just can’t go wrong with this classic [sub] [hoagie] [grinder] [Italian] – pick your own regional terminology!

Please read, bake, and review our recipe for Ciabatta Rolls.

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I grew up loving chocolate cake. Still do. But over the years I’ve also developed a great appreciation for vanilla cake, the dessert equivalent of your little black dress: simple, classic, goes with everything. And my very favorite vanilla cake is super-dense, golden pound cake.

Hey, all you chocolate fans out there: I’m sure you’ve enjoyed all the chocolate treats we’ve posted to this blog over the years. But today the Choc-Dog’s giving way to America’s Favorite Flavor: vanilla.

Yes, you heard it right. After all these years of triple chocolate chunk ice cream, fudge brownies, extra-bittersweet single-source Criollo-bean bars, and mudslide pie, vanilla is STILL America’s top flavor choice – at least when it comes to ice cream, which is the only online listing I’ve found for favorite flavors.

Chocolate is #2, as it’s been for some time. And #3 is… no, not strawberry. Try butter pecan. (Thanks, I will!) Strawberry and Neapolitan (vanilla-chocolate-strawberry) round out the top five.

(OK, I know you’re desperate to hear the rest of the top 10. In order, they’re chocolate chip, cookies ’n’ cream, pecan praline, cherry, chocolate almond, coffee, and rocky road. Can’t say that I’d turn my nose up at any of ’em.)

But back to cake. Drake’s Cakes, one of the Northeast’s classic snack food brands – proud purveyors of Yankee Doodles and Ring Dings – was born in 1888 when Newman E. Drake baked his first vanilla pound cake. I wasn’t there to witness the event, but about 70 years later I enjoyed my first cellophane-wrapped slice of Drake’s pound cake, and we’ve been buddies ever since.

While the following recipe doesn’t hew to the original 1 pound each of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter (thus the name: pound cake), it does come close to Drake’s version. In fact, I must (modestly) say that, being homemade, AND made with King Arthur flour… it’s even better!

First, take the following out of the fridge to warm to room temperature:

¾ cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter
3-ounce package cream cheese
5 large eggs

This will take 2 to 3 hours, so plan ahead.

Do you REALLY have to do this? Well, no; but room-temperature ingredients ensure lump-free mixing, which is a plus in something as fine-grained as pound cake.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

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Put the following in a mixing bowl:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Mix until smooth. Because the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature (hint, hint…), this happens quickly and easily.

Next, beat in the 5 large eggs; the mixture will look a little grainy/curdled. Beat for 3 minutes after you’ve added the final egg.

Once all the eggs have been added, stir in 3 tablespoons milk.

Add 2 tablespoons King Arthur Cake Enhancer (optional, for moistness). Then gently fold in 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.

Notice how the flour does away with the graininess. Nice stuff, that King Arthur Flour… Actually, with 9 ounces of butter/cream cheese, 10 1/2 ounces of sugar, nearly 10 ounces of eggs, and 8 ounces of flour, this cake doesn’t depart too radically from the original ingredient proportions.

Why the lesser amount of flour? Because King Arthur Flour is higher-protein than other flours, meaning you can use less of it. See? We save you money every which-way!

Spray your 9” x 5” x 2 3/4” loaf pan (or stoneware 12” x 4” x 4” tea loaf pan) with baking spray.

Now, pay attention, class, and repeat after me: I WILL USE THE CORRECT SIZE OF LOAF PAN. That would be 9” x 5” x 2 3/4” deep, or 12” x 4” x 4” deep. Take out your ruler, and measure the inside top of your loaf pan.

Please don’t use a smaller pan, e.g., 8 1/2” x 4 1/2”. Here’s what’ll happen:

That’s why you put your loaf pan onto a baking sheet; helps with the cleanup when the pan you’re using isn’t QUITE big enough…

Pour the batter into the pan; it’ll fill the pan about 2/3 full.

Bake the cake for about 55 minutes; it should dome nicely.

Next, you’re going to gild the top of the cake with an extra touch of vanilla. Not straight vanilla; but a sugar/vanilla/water combination that adds wonderful flavor, color, and some delicate crunch.

While the cake is baking, stir together the following:

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon water

The sugar won’t fully dissolve; that’s OK.

Remove the cake from the oven, and brush/drizzle with the sugar mixture. Return the cake to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven, and set it on a rack. Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean. If you use an instant-read thermometer, the center should register about 200°F to 205°F.

The very top, right under the crust, will still be kind of soggy; don’t worry about it.

It’s actually easier baking the cake in the 12” x 4” loaf pan, as the longer, thinner loaf bakes more evenly.

Remove the cake from the oven, and after 5 minutes, loosen its edges with a heatproof nylon spatula, or a table knife. After another 5 minutes, turn it out of the pan and cool it on a rack.

And there you have it – a dense, golden cake with a thin, deep-brown crust.

And lovely shards of vanilla-sugar on top.

Butter a thick slice of cake, grill briefly, and enjoy as a base for ice cream (and caramel sauce, or strawberries, or butterscotch…)

Want to make your own homemade hot fudge and caramel sauces? Check out our Pair of Sundae Sauces.

Read, review, and rate (please) our recipe for Golden Vanilla Pound Cake.

Print just the recipe.

Mousse.

No, not the stuff you put in your hair.

And surely not the large, antlered animal drivers here in northern New England worry about meeting some dark night on the road.

I’m talking mousse, as in chocolate. And strawberry. And “easier than you think.”

About a million years ago, when I was working at The Camden Herald weekly newspaper in midcoast Maine, I used to prepare lunch on deadline day – Wednesday – for my fellow worker bees.

As I recall, I charged folks $2 each for a three-course meal: entrée, bread, and dessert. At that price, I wasn’t making a profit, but neither was I going too far into the hole.

I liked to cook; they liked to eat. Win/win.

Out of that labor of love came a weekly column – “In the Kitchen” – my first foray into food writing, after a decade as a sports reporter.

Some years later, I sent a typewritten letter (yes, young’uns, email hadn’t been invented yet) to my favorite flour company, King Arthur, asking if they needed a writer.

They said, “Sure, come on over.” (Things were more informal then; the company only had 5 employees.) And nearly 22 years later, I’m still here at King Arthur Flour, baking, writing, and absolutely loving connecting with all of you, all over the world.

But back to mousse. “Strawberry Mousse in a Shortbread Crust” was something I made occasionally for those Wednesday lunches. It always met with much rolling of the eyes, and sighs of pleasure.

I’ve since renamed this creamy, strawberry-y confection Strawberry Cream on Shortbread – so as not to scare off the mousse-fearing general public. Still, a mousse by any other name is creamy, rich, and the perfect complement to a buttery, tender/crumbly shortbread crust.

Are you ready for fresh strawberries in your neck of the woods?

Let’s make Strawberry Cream on Shortbread.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ square pan.

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Place the following in a mixing bowl:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter*, at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*If you use salted butter, omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt in the recipe.

A word to the wise, before you start: be sure to measure the flour using the “sprinkle and sweep” method. If you don’t, you’re liable to use too much flour, which will make the crust hard to work with.

Mix the room-temperature butter with the remaining ingredients, beating until cohesive. The mixture will seem very dry at first; it may take up to 3 minutes beating at medium-high speed to bring it together.

If it just won’t come together, drizzle in a bit of milk, a teaspoon at a time, until it does.

Pat the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. For ease in flattening it out, lay a piece of parchment or plastic wrap over the dough, and press it with the flat bottom of a measuring cup. Or, if you have a small pastry roller, this is the place to use it.

Prick the dough all over with a fork. This will prevent it from developing air bubbles as it bakes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, until golden.

Remove the crust from the oven, and let it cool completely.

Next, the filling. You’ll need a 16-ounce container fresh strawberries (about 4 cups), with additional for garnish, if desired. Feel free to use unsweetened frozen strawberries, thawed, in place of fresh.

Place 1/3 cup cold water in a microwave-safe bowl or very small saucepan. Add two 1/4-ounce packages plain gelatin, stirring to combine; the mixture will become stiff and jelly-like. Heat gently, in the microwave or over a low burner, just until the gelatin dissolves, and the mixture liquefies.

Hull the strawberries, but don’t bother slicing them. Place them in a food processor or blender along with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar. Add the liquefied gelatin. Process until the berries are puréed.

Why the range of sugar? Because some strawberries are sweeter and tastier than others. Make the berry purée a bit sweeter than you think you should; by the time you add the whipped cream, the filling should be perfectly sweetened.

Refrigerate the purée until it thickens enough to mound on a spoon, about 45 minutes. Stir it every 15 minutes, so it thickens consistently throughout; you want to avoid as much lumpiness as possible.

Whip 2 cups (1 pint, 16 ounces) heavy cream until stiff. Fold in the strawberry purée gently but thoroughly. Spoon the filling over the crust in the pan, smoothing the top.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. For easiest slicing, place the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes before serving.

Any way you slice it, though, it’s difficult to get the first piece out intact; that first square is “baker’s treat”!

Serve with fresh sliced berries…

…and/or crushed/sweetened berries.

Want to turn this into a more elegant-looking dinner-party dessert? Bake the crust in a 9″ round springform pan, adding about 5 minutes to the baking time. Fill and finish as directed.

Read, make, and review (please) our recipe for Strawberry Cream on Shortbread.

Print just the recipe.

One of the greatest challenges of gluten-free baking is tackling yeast recipes. Those restricted from gluten want warm, chewy English muffins, sweet, soft cinnamon rolls, and a good crusty artisan-style bread; however the consensus is that these are the most difficult novelties to achieve, especially if you want them to be anything close to their wheat-version counterparts.

Another daunting task has been the project of creating a successful gluten-free loaf in a bread machine, and for me, that has meant countless conversations with customers discouraging them from using their bread machine for gluten- free baking.

Many bread machines lack the ability to agitate the batter-type doughs adequately, especially the devices with a mere single paddle. A vigorous mixing process is necessary to help hydrate and activate the xanthan gum for the best possible outcome in the structure and texture of the bread. Machines are often notorious for producing a disappointing, pale, misshapen loaf of bread where gluten freedom is concerned. It seemed something could be done to offer the loyal bread machine fans a promise.

And thus, it was born – the Zojirushi Virtuoso- complete with gluten-free cycle. A revelation in the world of gluten-free bread-making. This not only meant that I would have to change my approach with customers on the hotline, I would also need to face my own unresolved bread machine fears.

It’s no secret that I have little acquaintance with bread machines and I have never ventured to pursue a relationship with one. I was honestly intimidated by the thought of letting a machine take control of a recipe for me; but now with the exciting new arrival, it was a leap of faith I needed to take.

It makes things interesting when there are more than three or four ingredients in a loaf of bread. Here you can see the variety that goes into this one, and you can also be reminded that having all ingredients out before you begin is brilliant, efficient planning.

The following recipe is courtesy of the Zojirushi company and can be found in the Virtuoso’s instruction manual.

I’ve got milk.  1 2/3 cups.

3 eggs, scrambly.

Putting all of the liquid ingredients in first makes for a better mixing process.

It’s lately becoming a trend to add cider vinegar to baked goods.  This fruity acid can be cited in recipes for cookies, cakes, and yeast breads.

Its purpose? To denature and tenderize the proteins (in this case, not gluten proteins) and support flavor.

Time to pile in the dry ingredients. Here, you see  gluten-free brown rice flour in all its glory. I wanted to run this without blending the dry ingredients separately to really put this new hotshot to the mixing test, but if you wish, you may whisk the starch, flour, xanthan gum and salt together before adding to the machine.

If you pressed your face into this heap of gluten-free potato starch, you could make a fun imprint of yourself. Hold your breath first, though.

If you ever run out of sand in your child’s sand table, just replace it with potato starch; it’s one of the most appealing textures to the skin I have ever known.

And in with the rest of the goodies, whole flax seed and SAF instant yeast. Yeast and xanthan gum can be sprinkled evenly around the pan to give them a head start on even distribution.

Results from the medium crust setting can serve as a comparison for those who may prefer the dark or lighter settings.  Gluten-free products tend to be shy about browning, so I suggest using medium or dark for best results. After choosing your settings, just press start to orchestrate the melodic miracle of a gluten-free bread machine victory.

This shot was taken with 15 minutes left in the baking time. I was advised not to lift the lid sooner than that to avoid compromising the final shape with the interference. My biggest concern was whether or not the bread was going to gain any color in the final 15 minutes.

And I was all in a tizzy thinking there would be no color on the bread. Silly me. One of the great features on this machine is the top heating element.  It gets the job done. The bread is gorgeous outside…

…and inward with a tight, even crumb structure.

Bending the slice tests the strength and moisture level of the bread. If it tears, some adjustment is needed. Not bad for something that lacks gluten.

This has been my favorite way to eat bread since I was 3 years old. Imagine the many things you have always loved that go between slices of bread and know that it’s so easy to enlist the Virtuoso to help facilitate so you can regain those staples in your diet.

It’s been a relief to lift the fog a little on what seemed a relentless dilemma for gluten-free bread machine lovers. It certainly sounded musical to explain this innovation to customers after many months of disappointing them with the realities and limits of a regular bread machine.  Thanks for the Virtuoso, Zojirushi!

And running this recipe? It was smooth, straightforward – symphonic in a way.

Please read, bake, and review the recipe for Gluten-Free Flax Seed Bread.

Print just the recipe.

About a month ago, I posted the following question on our King Arthur Flour Facebook wall:

“Question: Have you, would you, or are you interested in making cream puffs, chocolate éclairs, and/or profiteroles (ice cream-stuffed puffs)?”

I expected a moderate response. I mean, cream puffs and éclairs aren’t the most au courant dessert these days. Compared to cupcakes, they’re positively old school.

Well, guess what? Our Facebook followers, which I know include a lot of you, dear readers, are apparently not averse to “old school.”

Over 1,000 of you responded in the affirmative: YES, bring those cream puffs on!

Which positively warms my heart.

Maybe it’s the fact I’m a Wisconsin native, and the cream puff – to be exact, the dinner-plate-sized, stuffed-with-about-a-quart-of-whipped-cream cream puff – is, as of last July, the state’s official dessert.

Which makes sense, given Wisconsin’s license-plate moniker: The Dairy State.

Bet you didn’t know that that over 400,000 puffs are sold each year at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Or that at that fair last October, the Guinness record for World’s Largest Cream Puff was set by the Wisconsin Bakers Association. Big Choux to Fill will tell you all about this 125.6-lb. puff; the headline alone is worth its weight in gold (ink).

But you know the very best part about cream puffs – and their pastry-cream-filled counterpart, chocolate éclairs?

They’re just so gosh-darned easy to make.

Nothing fancy; no tricks. Just good, simple ingredients – and lots of cream.

What’s not to like?

If you haven’t made cream puffs in awhile, dig out your favorite recipe and get going.

If you’ve never made cream puffs – read on. Before you know it, you’ll be making not only cream puffs, but chocolate éclairs and ice cream profiteroles: three siblings under the same (pastry) skin.

Let’s start with the pastry shells, made from all-purpose puff paste, a.k.a. choux paste (“Big Choux to Fill” – HA!).

Now, before we begin: note that the following pastry recipe will make 12 cream puffs OR 12 éclairs. The filling recipes (one for whipped cream, one for pastry cream) make enough for 12 pastries each. The chocolate icing recipe makes enough for 12 éclairs.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Did you know that by clicking anywhere on this block of pictures, you can enlarge them to full size? Go ahead, give it a try; it'll work for any of our gridded photos.

Combine the following in a saucepan set over medium heat:

1 cup water
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 teaspoon salt

Heat until the butter has melted, and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add 1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour all at once, stirring vigorously.

Return the pan to the burner and cook over medium heat, stirring all the while, until the mixture smooths out and follows the spoon around the pan; this should take less than a minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes. It’ll still feel hot, but you should be able to hold a finger in it for a few seconds. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should be below 125°F.

Transfer the mixture to a mixer, and beat in 4 large eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.

The mixture will look curdled at first, but when you add the last egg it should become smooth. Beat for at least 2 minutes after adding the last egg. See how silky it gets?

Using a generously filled tablespoon cookie scoop, or a level muffin scoop, drop the thick batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 3- to 4-tablespoon mounds.

The muffin scoop will make slightly larger puffs; either tool is a good choice. If you have neither, drop the dough from a wet spoon.

Space the mounds about 3″ apart, to allow for expansion.

Bake the puffs for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until they’re a medium golden brown. Don’t open the oven door while the puffs are baking; like popovers, they may fall a bit.

Remove the pastries from the oven.

Make a small slit in the top of each, and return them to the oven for 5 minutes, to allow the steam to escape.

Place them on a rack to cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, split each in half to make top and bottom pieces; splitting and exposing the centers to air will help keep them from becoming soggy.

And now, as the puffs cool – a word from our sponsor. If you want to prepare the whipped cream filling for these puffs ahead of time, it’s a good idea to use whipped cream stabilizer, which helps whipped cream hold its shape.

The puffs in the back were filled with stabilized whipped cream. In front, cream that was whipped without stabilizer, then refrigerated overnight. See the difference?

OK, back to the recipe.

Pour 1 pint heavy or whipping cream into a mixing bowl, and begin to whip it on high speed (using your mixer’s whisk attachment, if you have one).

Gradually pour in 1/4 cup granulated sugar (or to taste) as the cream whips. If you’re whipping cream more than a few hours ahead of time, mix 1/4 cup whipped cream stabilizer with the sugar before adding.

Whip cream until stiff, but be careful not to over-whip; it should still look smooth.

Fill each puff with about 1/3 cup whipped cream.

Yes, this is quite a lot; we Wisconsinites love our whipped cream!

Sift confectioners’ sugar over the puffs, and serve.

OK, I hear you – “I want to make these ahead of time…”

Make the shells, and store them at room temperature, lightly covered; they’ll stay pretty good for a few days. If you can’t use them within a few days, don’t split them in half after baking; place cooled puffs on a baking sheet, and freeze. Transfer to airtight storage of some kind, and freeze for no longer than a few weeks.

Your best bet is to whip the cream no more than several hours ahead of time, unless you stabilize it with whipped cream stabilizer, as mentioned above; in that case, it can be whipped a couple of days ahead.

Thaw frozen puffs at room temperature, uncovered. They won’t be as crisp as they were when freshly baked; if desired, refresh them in a 350°F oven, lightly covered with foil, for about 10 minutes.

Fill puffs with whipped cream just before serving. If you can’t manage that – fill no more than several hours ahead, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Now, how about chocolate éclairs?

Same pastry, different shape; different filling, added icing.

Pipe the puff batter onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Make 5″ logs about 1/2″ to 3/4″ in diameter.

To shape éclairs without a pastry bag, place a sandwich bag into a glass, to hold it securely upright as you fill it. Roll the bag’s edge over the rim of the glass, to hold it in place.

Spoon the batter into the bag. Cut off one corner of the bag, making a 1/2″ cut. Squeeze the batter onto the baking sheet through the hole in the corner.

Bake éclairs the same way you would puffs; see oven temperature and baking time above.

To make the éclair filling, prepare your favorite pastry cream. You’ll need about 3 cups of filling.

While homemade pastry cream is delicious, I have to admit to taking an easy shortcut 99% of the time: jazzed-up instant pudding.

Pour 3 cups milk into a bowl (the higher-fat the milk, the richer the filling; I often use half & half or even light cream).

Add the contents of 2 regular-size boxes of vanilla instant pudding mix (sugar-free is fine), plus 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat until thick, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spoon the filling into the split éclair shells.

To make the icing, place 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl or cup.

Heat over low heat (or in the microwave) until the cream is very hot. Remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts and the icing is smooth.

Spoon over the éclairs, spreading to the edges.

Serve immediately; or refrigerate for up to several hours.

Now, how about profiteroles? Fill cream puff shells with ice cream, and drizzle with the sauce of your choice; chocolate is traditional.

Read, bake, and review (please) our recipe for Cream Puffs and Eclairs.

Print just the recipe.

Left to right, top to bottom: Vanilla Biscotti; Peanut Butter; Salty-Sweet Butter Pecan; Shortbread; Almond Cloud; Oatmeal; Chocolate Chip, and Whole Grain. Click anywhere on grid to enlarge.

There’s nothing like a customer review to keep you on your toes, huh?

I tend the online recipes here at King Arthur Flour. And sometimes I feel like a mother with lots and lots of needy kids.

About 2,152 of them, at last count.

Yes, each and every recipe feels like a child to me. Like babies, some had difficult, exhausting births, while others were – well, a piece of cake.

Many of our online recipes made their first appearance in our Baking Sheet newsletter. Still others, in our Baker’s Catalogue.

Now, many go directly from test kitchen to our new recipes page. I mean, one minute I’m pulling hot muffins out of the oven; and 5 minutes later, the recipe pops up online.

Now THAT’S instant gratification!

But let’s get back to customer reviews.

Every time you, a reader, posts a comment, it gives me a chance to reflect on the recipe. When the comment is positive, I’m proud and happy; my kid just scored the winning goal!

When a recipe gets a not-so-good comment, I’m bummed. Bad report card.

So, like moms everywhere, I think what “the kid” needs to do to improve.

Could I write this particular step more clearly? Is the picture an accurate representation of the final product?

Is the recipe itself just too gosh-darned persnickety for prime time? It happens.

Thankfully, most of our reviewed recipes get four or five stars. And some get LOTS of four- and five-star reviews.

These are our straight-A students; our all-stars.

The recipes you want to bookmark for the math team’s next bake sale.

So now, without further ado, meet our Cookie All-Stars – the eight top-ranking cookie recipes on our site.

The winner and still champion: our guaranteed Chocolate Chip Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“I didn’t think any recipe could be better than the original Toll House recipe, but this is.” Annerip, KAF community

Our secret: using a full pound of chocolate chips in the cookies, for more chocolate in every bite.

Almond Cloud Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“These cookies are absolutely AWESOME!!! …these are extraordinary, top-tier bakery-quality cookies.” M. Schindel, Chestnut Hill, MA

Our secret: believe it or not, these are flour-free, gluten-free, and free of leavening, making them perfect for those on a GF diet and potential Passover favorites.

Salty-Sweet Butter Pecan Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“This is the second year we’ve made these amazing cookies. No other cookie has ever created so many requests for ‘please make more,’ and they are EASY.” Heather, CT

Our secret: Toast the pecans. And don’t skip the sweet-salty coating – it’s what takes these cookies from good to WOW.

Our guaranteed Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“If there were a hundred stars this recipe would get them all.” Isle2000, KAF community

Our secret: For variety, use the pusher from a Cuisinart food processor to imprint a spiral on top, instead of the traditional fork criss-cross.

Our guaranteed Oatmeal Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“Wow! These taste like bakery cookies! I’m no Betty Crocker and my family swooned over these.” nummynummy, KAF community

Our secret: For soft/chewy cookies, be careful not to over-bake. They’ll look pale when you take them out of the oven, but will cook just a tiny bit more as they cool, giving them perfect texture.

Our guaranteed Shortbread. See the recipe, and blog.

“This is the best shortbread recipe! Haven’t met a person who didn’t love it!” jeanbuller, KAF community

Our secret: use salted butter. While we usually bake with unsalted, these cookies have no liquid ingredient, and added salt won’t dissolve/disperse, leaving cookies gritty.

American-Style Vanilla Biscotti. See the recipe, and blog.

“This biscotti recipe is the BEST… They are everyone’s favorite.” Brenda, GA

Our secret: coarse white sparkling sugar on top, for a wonderful crunchy finish.

Basic Whole Grain Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.

“They are fantastic!! This is a great recipe. I’ll make them again this week I’m sure. Love, Love, Love!” jms2, KAF Community

Our secret: white whole wheat flour, and a touch of orange juice – which tempers any “whole wheaty” taste. You’ll NEVER know these are whole grain.

Don’t tell me – you’re dying to get into the kitchen and bake a batch of cookies, right?

Go for it – your family, friends, and work colleagues will be thrilled.

And that’s what baking’s all about, right? Sharing the joy… which King Arthur Flour’s been helping bakers do for 222 years.

P.S. After completing this post, I realized I’d completely missed another of our most popular cookie recipe: our guaranteed Sugar Cookies.

Sigh… you know how it is when you’re dealing with lots of kids – one of them is bound to get overlooked at some point!

There’s nothing – NOTHING – like a warm cookie and a cold glass of milk.

Back in the day, this meant Mom’s homemade cookies: oatmeal, peanut butter, sugar, or chocolate chip – period.

Things like chai shortbread, lavender tuiles, and green tea macarons were not yet even a glimmer in a progressive baker’s eye.

And the milk back then? Regular full-fat milk. Not soy, almond, or rice; just plain cow.

So far as I remember, no one had ever heard of skim or 2% milk – let alone drunk it. In fact, if those milks were even available, I’d guess they were considered watered-down “fakes;” considered unsuitable for growing children in the nutritionally naive, happy age that was America in the ’50s.

Well, a lot has changed in 50 years. (If you’re a Boomer like me, just think of yourself in 1962; point taken!)

While Oreos, ‘Nilla Wafers, and Fig Newtons still occupy prime shelf space in the cookie aisle, other beloved cookies have sadly faded away. Golden Raisin Biscuits, for one. Fudgetowns. Zwieback.

And Hydrox, which disappeared in 1999, reappeared in 2008, then crumbled for good a year later. There are those who, to this day, miss this Oreo competitor terribly.

Thankfully, the homemade cookie landscape has seen trends come and go; but the classics, the favorites we grew up with, still shine brightly.

Chocolate chip cookies, for instance. Born in 1930 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, MA, these cookies are still Top Dog in American home kitchens today.

And peanut butter cookies.

You’d think, with so many parents terrified of peanuts these days, that the popularity of this old chestnut (er, peanut), would have waned.

Well, not if the reception these cookies get here at King Arthur Flour is any indication: every time I make them, they disappear from the kitchen sampling area in about 2 minutes flat – not even a nutty crumb remains.

And then there are oatmeal cookies. How do you like ‘em? Soft and chewy? Crisp and crunchy? Somewhere in between?

Our Cookie Companion book includes an entire chapter on oatmeal cookies – 17 recipes, to be exact. Testament, indeed, to the many tasty variations this simple combination of flour, butter, sugar, and oats can take.

The following recipe, for our guaranteed Oatmeal Cookies, yields an Everyman oatmeal cookie: crunchy around the edges, softer in the center, and ready to be tweaked to taste.

Change the spices; add your favorite dried fruits, chips, or nuts. Bake longer for drier cookies, shorter for soft and moist. But however you choose to serve them –

Don’t forget the milk!

First, what’s the difference between quick-cooking rolled oats (l); old-fashioned rolled oats (r); and steel-cut or Irish oats (top)?

Just their cut. Rolled oats are oat kernels (berries) that’re rolled flat, then steamed and lightly toasted; in the case of quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats are chopped into finer pieces, to cook more quickly.

You can use rolled oats in any recipe calling for them; usually, if not specified, the recipe will have been made using old-fashioned rolled oats.

Steel-cut oats are oat kernels that are simply chopped into smaller pieces. In order to bake with them, they should be cooked first; they’re too hard to use as is. They do, however, make delicious breakfast cereal, oatmeal with more body than that made with rolled oats.

So, let’s bake cookies.

First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, light-colored preferred.

Did you know that by clicking anywhere on this block of pictures, you can enlarge them to full size? Go ahead, give it a try; it'll work for any of our gridded photos.

Place the following in a mixing bowl:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider or white vinegar

Beat until fairly smooth; a few tiny bits of butter may still show.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat in 1 large egg.

Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 cup (3 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, either quick cooking or old-fashioned.

Add 1 cup golden raisins; or a combination of raisins and chopped walnuts and pecans, if desired.

Drop the dough in 1 1/4″ balls onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

Space the cookies 2″ apart; they’ll spread.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through (top rack to bottom, bottom to top). For softer cookies, bake the lesser amount of time; for crunchier, the longer amount.

At 12 minutes (on a darker colored pan; 13 to 14 minutes on a parchment-lined pan), a few of the cookies around the perimeter of the pan should just barely be showing a pale brown around their edges. At 14 to 16 minutes, they should be starting to color all over.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool right on the pan.

These cookies look a bit underdone, don’t they? That’s because I prefer softer oatmeal cookies. If you let them actually start to take on some significant color they’ll be hard, so watch closely as you get to the 12-minute mark, if you’re a soft cookie aficionado.

Get out the ice-cold milk. Imagine yourself back in third grade – before a mortgage, a job, and tax returns.

Bite into a warm cookie; follow up with a swallow of cold milk. Ahh…..

Read, bake, and review (please) our recipe for Oatmeal Cookies.

Print just the recipe.