03 Dec
My First Cookie Order
Posted by Chelle as Cookies | 6 Comments
My first official order for Buona Dolce was for a local home decor store - they were having a special preferred customers only Christmas party and I was asked to cater the desserts for the event. The following was the menu selected by the store owner:
- Snowball cookies (7 dozen)
- Black & White cookies (7 dozen)
- Empire cookies - Christmas theme (7 dozen)
- Mini chocolate cupcakes - Christmas theme (4 dozen)
This order was due the day after the open house I held, so needless to say I was up to my ears in flour, sugar, and eggs for about four days, but it was a definite success! Below are a couple of pictures from the setup I put together at the store. Apologies for the poor quality, I forgot my camera so these were taken with a cell phone:
15 Sep
Chocolate Biscotti
Posted by Chelle as Chocolate, Cookies, Italian | 16 Comments
I made these biscotti as part of the package I put together for Operation Baking GALS (sorry it’s taken me a while to get this post up!), which also included plain vanilla biscotti and chocolate chip biscotti. These biscotti come courtesy of Dorie Greenspan and were actually the second-ever Daring Baker challenge, back in December of 2006. Since I’ve been wanting to tackle all of the old DB challenges as part of My 100 list, and given that I had already decided to do a biscotti theme for my package, I thought throwing in these biscotti only made sense. I wouldn’t be a good baker if I didn’t taste test what I was shipping off (*wink*), so I made sure to give these a try. I thought they were absolutely fabulous and plan on adding them to my list of things that will go in my Christmas packages this year.
05 Sep
Operation Baking GALS: Biscotti
Posted by Chelle as Cookies, Italian | 14 Comments
I have seen posts about Operation Baking GALS for the last month or so, and finally emailed Susan at She’s Becoming DoughMessTic and wanted to find out how to get involved. As a bit of background, Operation Baking GALS has hosts that have a personal connection to a military personnel overseas and coordinates groups of bakers to send these guys as many tastes of home as possible, in an effort to lift morale and let them know they are appreciated and thought about. I really commend Susan for this huge coordination, as I know it has meant so much to the troops who have already received packages in the last round.
I was assigned to Susan’s group this round and shipped off my package to Christopher, who is currently overseeing a group of young soldiers. After thinking long and hard about what I wanted to send over, I decided I wanted to send a little piece of who I am. And what most represents me when it comes to food (aside from chocolate)? My Italian-ness, of course! To that end, I decided to send an assortment of biscotti, as well as some drink mixes to enjoy the biscotti with. Not only are they very Italian, but they keep pretty much forever! Here is everything, getting ready to get packed up and shipped off:
- Plain vanilla biscotti
- Chocolate chip biscotti
- Chocolate biscotti (recipe will follow in a separate post - it’s up! CLICK HERE to go to that post)
- Tea and individual coffee, cappuccino, and hot cocoa mixes
I actually got a little choked up taking this package to the post office, thinking about these troops, and hoping to brighten their day. I can’t even fathom the sacrifices they make and the horrible things they see, all so the rest of us can rest safely in our beds at night. A big THANK YOU to all serving in the military, and to all of their families, as they make huge sacrifices as well. If you’re interested in taking part in the next round of Operation Baking GALS, check out the link above for all of the information!
21 Jun
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Posted by Chelle as Cookies | 36 Comments
I think that just about everyone I know is constantly on a search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Most (myself included) have been let down by the recipe on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag, and there are many recipes floating around the Internet that seem to gain popularity and become fads before dying off when people move on to the latest and greatest. I was really please with the cookie I created last fall, as it resulted in the chewy texture I was looking for. But these Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, they really take the cake. Big, beautiful, bakery-quality chocolate chip cookies. It’s official - my love affair with America’s Test Kitchens and the Baking Illustrated cookbook continues!
More on the cookies, another PSA for weighing dry ingredients, and the recipe after the break…
19 May
TWD: Traditional Madeleines
Posted by Chelle as Cookies, Tuesdays with Dorie | 0 Comments
This week’s recipe was chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. I was so excited to see that Madeleines were chosen, as I have been wanting to try them for some time now. After a quick trip to Williams Sonoma to get my pan, I was all set to whip up these delicate, French tea cookies. I found these to be incredibly easy to make - the batter was a cinch to whip together, then a chill in the fridge and filling the pan mold, and into the oven for a short 11 minutes.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t love these. While the texture was very nice, spongey and light, I am not a fan of lemon so I wasn’t thrilled with the overall taste and my overall feeling was just “eh”. All in all, this is a nice delicate cookie, but I would opt for a muffin, scone or biscotti to pair with my hot beverage of choice. Even though Dorie states that these are best eaten the day that they are made (and even, warm from the oven), I would have to respectfully disagree. I thought they were significantly better after a night’s rest in an airtight container.
