Baking Fool
That's what I was this weekend. Yesterday, the failed brownie recipe (which was from a site I had never visited before, my bad). Then a devil's food cake with Cointreau-spiked whipped cream to take to dinner instead of the brownies.
But today was the big baking day. I made all three cookies shown: chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, almond macaroons and cinnamon-hazelnut biscotti. The coconut macaroons were supposed to be for the cookie contest at work (more on that later), but when I got home from the store I realized I didn't buy enough coconut. So I sent Todd up to the convenience store, instructing him not to go all the way to the grocery store even if he didn't find coconut at the convenience store (it was snowing, and I could just make half of a recipe). Yet I had such faith in Todd's ability to find coconut that I started separating all the eggs for the cookies.
So when he came home without coconut, I had two extra egg whites, and that's where the almond macaroons came in. Then I was on a roll, so I made the biscotti. (I'm planning to give out treats at work.)
The problem is, I still don't have anything I'm 100 percent happy with for the contest. The chocolate on the macaroons melts at a warm room temperature, the biscotti has the same chocolate and the almond macaroons aren't that exciting. I think they're my choice right now, though. I'll probably change my mind before tomorrow morning. Or right now. Maybe I'll risk the coconut ones (they're awesome, if a little melty).
Hi Kim-
Your cookies look wonderful. I especially like the way the biscotti turrned out. I've always had trouble slicing mine so that they turn out looking like yours. I always end up with chubby little versions of the long cookie. Is there a technique to how you slice them?
I've only used one basic recipe for biscotti, from Cooking Light, and varied it in different ways. The batter turns out really sticky and kind of thin, so I tend to form it into two wide slabs instead of logs, which is where the length comes from (when I slice them crosswise). The loaves turn out so wide that just slice them straight across (not diagonal). I know it's not the way it's supposed to work, but it works for me.