Almond shortbread cookie update

Today I made Almond shortbread cookies using regular wheat flour instead of almond flour. I halved my original recipe and made a smaller batch. Resulting in cookies that  weren't gluten free, but were slightly more delicious. I also skipped the dough log/ refrigerator slice method and chose to press the dough into the pan instead. It took way less time and didn't create a mess. The  cookies turned out perfectly!  Don't they look delicious?

Here's the recipe:

1 stick room temperature butter
1 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract  (or almond if you have it)
1/4 cup sugar

First I preheated the oven to 350F. Then I mixed the sugar, butter, and vanilla. Next I added in the nuts. Followed by the flour. It didn't take long to mix. Don't worry if the dough seems crumbly. The cookies stay together nicely after the dough is pressed into a pan and baked. Take them out of the oven at the first hint of golden edges. Shortbread is supposed to look light colored, not golden brown. Enjoy!

Almond Shortbread Cookies

I'm currently obsessed with shortbead cookies. Since trying them for the first time (read my last post), I have spent hours at work dreaming up possible shortbread combinations. The first I made was a gluten free, almond shortbread. I'd be lying if I said they turned out well. But that's the my failt not the recipe's. They didn't turn out as planned for three reasons.

1) I added a whole cup of sugar, not half (I would like to use the distracted mom excuse.

2) I don't think I chilled my dough as long as I should have (Once again, I was distracted.)

3) My chocolate didn't harden. (I probably  added a smidge too much oil.)

But practice makes perfect, Right? I hope it does. I love baking so much, but it ends badley more often than not. That's partly why I started this blog. To motivate me to practice and to share a laugh when things don't  turn out.

Here's the correct recipe I created (Don't be like me and add too much sugar or rush the chilling.)

2 sticks room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped almonds.

Mix sugar, butter, and vanilla together. Then add in the flour and chopped nuts. Form the cookie dough into a cylinder shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Then place it in the refrigerator to cool for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. After the dough is done chilling, take off the plastic wrap and cut it into 1/2 in. slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. You can melt chocolate and dip  them for decoration or eat them plain.

P.s. I might try a regular, wheat flour version soon. I will post an update if I do.

Book Club and Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Layla will be two in December and we had the bad habit of laying her down to sleep with a bottle. Then, last week, we stopped cold turkey. She has been a little irritable ever since. Bedtime isn't a struggle but nap time is not going so well. The first few days she didn't nap at all. Now she whines for nearly an hour before briefly falling asleep.  The loss of nap time and my concurrent hour of peace and quiet are the main reasons new blog posts are overdue. It's too hard to focus with a stubborn toddler yelling in the backround. Even now I can hear her calling. "Bye, bye" she says, "see ya," "night, night."
I've been meaning to tell all of you about the book club I started. It's call "Books with a Side of Bacon" a book club for ladies who brunch. You can check out the Facebook page if you're interested in joining. Our October book was "Outlander " by Diana Gabaldon. A time travel romance set in the Scottish highlands. It inspired my sister and I to bake our own Scottish treats. Scottland isn't exactly known for their cuisine so we settled for  simple, three ingredient, Scottish shortbread cookies.
They were so easy to make and I couldn't stop eating them. I must have gobbled atleast five throughout the day. I am so infatuated with shortbead that I'm going to make more simple ones to eat, with coffee, for breakfast and definitely baking a couple of chocolatey, nutty versions for the upcoming holidays. Stay tuned for more updates on other shortbread variations.

Amy's Gourmet Apples - Cedarburg, WI

Amy's Candy Kitchen in Cedarburg creates the best caramel apples ever. Like ever, ever. Sure they sell just about every other kind of gourmet candy too, but your eyes probably won't look past the giant apples lounging in the display window. My favorite kind is the dark chocolate sea salt (bottom right). Other flavors pictured are dark chocolate pistachio (bottom left) and triple chocolate dunked caramel (top middle). Amy's makes other amazing flavor combinations too. They vary from a simple caramel coated apple, all the way to dark-chocolate dunked caramel apples dusted with Aztec chili powder.  What kind of toppings would you try?

Yellowbellies food truck - Cedarburg, Wi

Yellowbellies food truck was parked right down the street from the french bakery in Cedarburg. There are no food trucks near where my sister and I live so we couldn't pass up the food truck allure of Yellowbellies rotisserie chicken sandwiches. Rachelle and I split their most popular sandwich, the O.C. (original chicken). It had shredded rotisserie chicken, bacon, aged cheddar cheese, and an awesome bacon aoili. Their seasoned fries were phenomenal, as well. Half an order was all it took to fill me up. Next time, I'm looking forward to trying either "The Mess" or their Thai chicken sandwich, or maybe both if I share. Which kind would you try?

Boulangerie du Monde - Cedarburg, WI

Last Friday, I spent a relaxing day in Cedarburg with my sister, Rachelle. We started by grabbing breakfast from Boulangerie du Monde. I picked out a spinach feta croissant for Layla and a gibassier for myself. Rachelle selected a variety of french macarons to try.
The spinach feta croissant was so buttery and flakey. The spinach feta filling was well balanced and there was just enough of it to satisfy. In contrast, the gibassier had a sweet, anise-orange flavor. It made me wish I had a mug of hot coffee to go with it.
The macarons, on the other hand, tasted less than magnificent. They were a complete let down, in fact. For starters, they were much smaller (almost mini) than any macarons I've ever seen before. Which made the price, $1.50 each, seem a little steep for their adorable size. But the price would have been worth it had they actually tasted good. Truthfully, I've had fresher tasting macarons from boxes they sell in the frozen foods aisle. We will think twice before buying macarons here again but I'll definitely go back to get more croissants and gibassiers, and to try other new goodies.

Oktoberfest in New Glarus

Last weekend Mike and I went to an "Oktoberfest" themed housewarming party in New Glarus. We slipped away  after dinner, to explore the larger Oktoberfest festivities going on downtown.
First we stopped at the Limburger stand. Where burly men, dressed like traditional Swiss women, persuaded me to try their notoriously stinky cheese. It smelled like nasty feet, but tasted surprisingly mild and creamy.
Next we got ice cream. Layla had her favorite, mint chocolate chip. While I tried two, new-to-me flavors. One flavor called "The Exhausted Parent" was the first to catch my eye. It's bourbon-spiked coffee flavor and dark chocolate chunks certainly lived up to this ice cream's name.
The second flavor, called "This  $&@! Just Got Serious" was my personal favorite. The salted caramel and crunchy cashews were a seriously great combination. If I could, I'd go back and buy the whole bucket.
We listened to an awesome band for a few minutes, but soon it was time to go. I can't wait to go back again next year. See you there!