Dorie's Cookies - Jammers with Jam and Dulce de Leche

Dorie's Cookies is out! 

Dorie's Cookies is out!

Dorie's Cookies is out!

We can make Dorie's Cookies! Let's do this!

Dorie's cookies are so good and now she has a WHOLE cookbook dedicated to cookies! You have to get it. First of all, it's heavy. If you think this is just a flimsy cookbook of cookies, you are so wrong. It's Dorie! Of course she gives us all her best cookie recipes!!

I was fortunate enough to be gifted Jammers from her former cookie store Beurre and Sel. They were sooooo delicious. I knew what I had to make first!

Jammers are shortbread dough, topped with jam and surrounded by a buttery streusel topping. Really, does it get any better?

To get 1/4" dough, I roll the dough between parchment paper and use these yard sticks as guides. The guides are really a lifesaver as I'm not a good roller. I recently purchased these Rose Levy Beranbaum guides for thinner doughs (they come in 3/32" 1/8", and 1/16"). I haven't used them yet and am looking forward to giving them a spin.

I used these Ateco 2" and 3" rings. Dorie's book explains how you can make them in a muffin tin too. Amazon sells them, but I bought a dozen each from Webstaurant Store online (Ateco 4901 3" Round and Ateco 4903 2" Round). They are super sturdy and will last a lifetime. [Update: I just bought a dozen more of the 2" rounds so I can bake 24 cookies at a time]

I used Cherry jam. I love Bonne Maman jam. The best! Dorie says you need a thick jam and their jam is super thick!


These cookies are so buttery delicious. Seriously delicious. It's like the rich jam is sitting on a cloud of butter goodness and topped with streusel. I can't even.


Filled with Dulce de Leche (Trader Joe's sells really good prepared Dulce de Leche in a glass bottle).


I can't decide what I like better - the big or small ones. I like them both!

You can find the recipe in Dorie's Cookies. It's also on Epicurious, but you really need to get this book. Great holiday gift too! 

Can you believe it'll be December this week? I better get going on my Christmas cookies - of course, they'll come from Dorie's new book! ~ mary

 
Full disclosure: I'm in the Amazon Affiliate program and if you click on the links and buy something, I get a few cents - doesn't cost you anything. 

Oatmeal Jam Bars - Williams-Sonoma

Oatmeal Jam Bars

It's Chuck Williams of Williams-Sonoma's 98th Birthday today!! See this handsome photo from the W-S blog. Seems fitting to post a recipe I found on the Williams-Sonoma website. I find lots of good recipes on the site. Happy Birthday Mr. Williams - I love your stores!

Bonne Maman jams were on sale at Fresh & Easy recently for $2.99. What a great deal! I wonder what will become of Tesco's expensive failure in the United States marketplace. I hope the new owner will keep them open as they are convenient stores around town, but my dream is that Fresh & Easy gets married to Trader Joe's.

I like that F&E has name brands, unlike Trader Joe's - dude, sometimes you need to buy Diet Coke for that dinner party and Hansen's soda just ain't gonna cut it (also, as noted above, they have Bonne Maman jam). Unfortunately, F&E's store brands are inferior to Trader Joe's...TJs has excellent buyers who get such unique goods and/or convince name brands to sell under TJs store brands. Sometimes, I like the self-check out at F&E when you have less than 5 items, but it drives me crazy that no one helps when you buy $70 of stuff, and it made me really appreciate TJs efficient cashiers. I like that Fresh & Easy opened stores in more impoverished areas of Los Angeles (where there are not many grocery stores), but I didn't get their decision to stock all the stores with the same products - regardless of the neighborhood demographic. I shopped at the Compton store once and an employee asked me what the Crème fraîche and Brie were - how much of that were they selling in that store? But I did enjoy their in-store "heating up bakery" - they have ovens in the back where they bake frozen par-baked breads and then package for sale (what is that system called? it's very effective in making the place smell good and convincing you to get more carbs in your cart).

Oh, sorry. I digress.

Anyway, the Cherry Preserves is delicious. They are from France, purchased in a formerly English-owned shop in Los Angeles by a Japanese-American gal. Win.

This recipe is crazy easy. You only need a bowl and a food processor. Just measure out the dry ingredients, pop into the food processor with some butter and then you have both the TOP and BOTTOM. Love recipes like that! Open a jar of jam for the center deliciousness. It really couldn't be easier.

Of course, you can use most jams. The original recipe calls for Apricot or "other seedless jam"...but I don't see a reason to avoid seeded jams.

Baked in a 9-inch square pan, you can get from 20-36 bars, depending on how small you cut them.

As I said on my Instagram photo:  It's Fruit and Fiber....and butter and more butter.

Oatmeal Jam Bars

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma website of Oatmeal-Jam Squares, who adapted from Food Made Fast Series, Desserts, by Elinor Klivans (Oxmoor House, 2007)

12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apricot or other seedless fruit jam (I used one whole jar of Bonne Mamam jam, Cherry Preserves.)

Directions:
1. Prep a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil to create a sling for easy removal. Butter or spray the lining.

2. Preheat oven to 325°F.

3. In a food processor, combine the flour, oats, powdered sugar, brown sugar & cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture forms fine crumbs.

4. Remove 2 cups of the flour mixture and set aside. Place rest of mixture in the pan and press it down to form the bottom crust.

5. Spread the jam over the crust. An offset spatula works great for this task. Squeeze the reserved mixture in your hands to form small clumps and sprinkle evenly over the jam.

6. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the jam filling is just beginning to bubble, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

7. Lift the bars from the pan by pulling the parchment or foil sling. Cut squares on a cutting board and enjoy.

House of Bread Berry Bars - from Los Angeles Times SOS Column

House of Bread Berry Bars

As I've mentioned before, I love the Los Angeles Times Food Section's SOS column. Readers write in requesting a recipe from their favorite restaurant, cafe, store or school cafeteria, and the cool people from the LA Times Food Section get the recipe and adapt it for the home kitchen. Win!

This Berry Bar is from the House of Bread in San Luis Obispo. I've never been to the place, but will put it on my long list of places to visit.

Recently, Rene Lynch of the LA Times wrote an article in Daily Dish: 8 blueberry recipes bursting with true blue sweetness. This recipe immediately caught my eye and I had to make it!

It's super duper easy! Mix a butter-based batter together, spread 3/4 in a pan, spread a jar of blueberry jam (or other berry jam) on top and then scoop the rest of the batter on top. How easy is that?!

The recipe calls for a 11 x 7 pan, but I don't have one. I used a 9 x 13 pan and I thought it turned out fine. The cake is light and soft...it's a very nice breakfast treat or afternoon tea cake. And it's super easy to pull together with a lovely presentation.

Recipe:
From the Los Angeles Times SOS Column - House of Bread Berry Bars
Adapted from House of Bread in San Luis Obispo.

3 cups (12.75 ounces) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces berry jam (I used Trader Joe's Blueberry Jam)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with parchment paper or grease an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. (I didn't have a 11 x 7 pan, and used a 9 x 13 pan. Don't use a smaller pan like a 9 x 9 pan because the cake will be too tall and cook unevenly...just believe me from my first attempt).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with paddle, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined, but don't overmix. You can finish off the mixing with a spatula.
4. Spread three-fourths of the batter into the pan. Spoon the jam on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam in random dollops so the jam can still be seen.
5. Bake the bars until golden-brown on top and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through for even baking. (Mine took 43 minutes and I forgot to rotate the pan.)
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting...although I did sneak a couple pieces warm - still very good.

Looking for another blueberry recipe? Try this one that I also made from the Los Angeles Times - it's delicious! Lemon Blueberry Buckle

Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins from The Recipe Girl Cookbook

Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins

Happy Monday Morning to you! I hope you had a great weekend. Here is something to make to fill your morning with delight...Recipe Girl's Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins!

The muffin is easy to make - mixing dry and wet ingredients with lots of peanut butter. I used Skippy PB. The dough is pretty thick so it makes it easy to scoop into the muffin tins.

This makes a little sandwich with your favorite jam in the center. Scoop a small amount of batter into the mold and then top with jam. Follow it up with another scoop of batter. I topped mine with some sanding sugar...that always gives muffins a nice top and sweet crunch.

Have you picked up Lori Lange's book? She is a great school teacher turned blogger who was in San Diego but just moved to Nevada. I met her at the first BlogHer Food conference in 2009!

Try these tasty treats - they are perfect for breakfast or an afterschool snack. You know you can eat peanut butter all day long!

Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins
From The Recipe Girl Cookbook
Find it in your library or on Amazon

Two Peas and their Pod has the recipe posted on her site here. 
The only difference I made was sprinkling some sanding sugar on top of the muffin before they went into the oven.

Get the book! It has some great savory and sweet recipes with easy to follow instructions.

Disclosure: I'm part of the Amazon Affiliate program and get a few cents if you purchase the book from the link above.

Lydia's Austrian Strawberry Shortbread Bar Cookies

Lydia's Austrian Strawberry Shortbread Bar Cookies

These are lovely little bites of heaven. Light and delicate, these are perfect for a potluck, dessert bar, or with a cup of coffee or tea. You can exchange the jams for different flavor profiles. Or, you can add some chocolate to the dough too.

These photos write their own jokes.

Okay, so you make the dough and split it into two. The instructions say to form into balls and freeze. Then, you grate the balls. Yes, grate the balls.

After making this recipe a few times, I came up with, I believe, is a better plan. First, grating balls of dough by hand is a pain in the neck. Pull out your food processor for this one - it's worth the washing. Second, when I tried to grate the balls in the food processor, I had to cut frozen balls to make them fit into the processor - annoying. Finally, it dawned on me to form the dough into logs so they fit into the food processor! Now, I can easily grate the frozen dough with one easy push of the machine.

The recipe calls for Raspberry Jam. For this one, I substituted Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves.

You grate one frozen log and place the pieces in the bottom of the pan (for this one, I used a 9 x 9 pan...the full recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan).

The instructions say to use a spoon or flexible spatula to spread the jam. However, I ended up carrying shreds of dough all over and it was kinda messy. So, I now put the jam into a bag and kinda pipe it into the pan. Easy peasy! Top with the second log of shredded dough.

Adapted from Butter Sugar Flour Eggs by Gale Gand
Recipe on Epicurious too

Note: Above, I made 1/2 the recipe and used a 9 x 9 pan. 

Lydia's Austrian Raspberry Shortbread Bars

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
4 egg yolks
2 cups granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup raspberry jam, at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter until soft and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks one at a time.

With the mixer on low, add the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt until just incorporated. Don't overmix.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two logs that will fit in your food processor. (You can form into two balls if you want to grate them by hand). Wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (I let it freeze at least overnight - this is a good one you can make ahead).

When you are ready to assemble the bars, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grate one of the frozen balls or logs. Place the shreds of dough the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Spread out evenly and do not press down.

Spread jam over the surface, leaving a 1/2 inch border. You can use a spoon or spatula, but I put the jam in a plastic bag and pipe it onto the shreds. I found the the spoon/spatula method was difficult because you picked up a bunch of shreds along the way.

Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface.

Bake until lightly golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dust liberally with confectioners' sugar.

Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife. You may want to dust a bit more powdered sugar on top when serving.

Mini Thumbprint Jam Scones - Savory Sweet Life recipe

Mini Thumbprint Jam Scones

I'm going to see the Book of Mormon tonight! I'm sooo excited. It's touring in Los Angeles for a short time, and my friend and I were able to get some tickets. We'll be in the last row...but we'll be there! (This bit of news has nothing to do with these scones...but I'm so excited that I just wanted to tell you. ;)

These scones are from the pages of Alice Currah's Savory Sweet Life cookbook. Oh my! These scones are really soft and lovely. I love this scone and can't wait to try adding other delights like mini chocolate chips, zest or ginger.

These scones are from Alice Currah's Savory Sweet Life cookbook. Do you have it? It is beautifully photographed, and you can actually see yourself making many of the recipes! They look tasty, and yet not complicated. You can always find inspiration on her blog, Savory Sweet Life.

I made the full recipe, but froze half the dough. It's always nice to have some scones ready to bake off when you have a visitor. I made square scones instead of triangles.

These scones are topped with Shannon's homemade Nectarine Jam and Ha's Farm's Strawberry Jam. My friend Shannon makes some lovely jams (blue ribbon winners!), and hosted Gwendolyn and me in making raspberry jam (that post is quite delayed and I'll try to get that up soon).

For these scones, make sure your jam is on the thick side. At first, I made these with the raspberry jam. Um, they came out looking very interesting...the color from the jam bleed out around the circular indentation and left a ring around the jam. Well, because of the color and shape, the scones look like they might need a mammogram when they hit 40 years old. See what I mean?! You might be able to save it with the glaze, but just hear me when I say to use a thick jam.

You don't need to set out jam with these scones...it's built in! 

Mini Thumbprint Jam Scones
Adapted from Savory Sweet Life by Alice Currah

2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur's unbleached)
1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, cold
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used kosher)
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (or so) jam (I used Shannon's homemade nectarine jam and Ha's Farm Strawberry jam)

Glaze:
1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon almond extract (I didn't have any almond extract in the house (or it was missing!) so I used vanilla extract)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
3. Cut butter into cubes and scatter over dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, your fingers or two knives, quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture, until a coarse meal forms. You should see pea-size pieces of butter - don't overmix. Of course, you can do this in a food processor.
4. With a fork, mix together the heavy cream, egg and vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture and blend together until the dough comes together. Again, don't overmix.
5. If you wish to make mini triangles, divide dough into 4 balls and, on a floured surface, flatten into discs. Cut each disc into 4 wedges. I made square scones so I just made a square and cut them into 16 squares.
6. Place scones on a parchment paper-lined pan and made an indention in each scone. Spoon jam into each indention.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden. Remove and transfer scones to rack to cool before glazing.
8. Whisk together the milk, powdered sugar and extract until free of lumps. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle glaze over scones. Enjoy!

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars (Pioneer Woman)

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Photo taken with cell phone

These were really expensive apricot jam oatmeal bars (adapted from  The Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Oatmeal Bars from her Food Network show). 

 Here's the story:
1. Get up super early.
2. Wipe the sleep from my eyes.
3. Stumble to kitchen.
4. Make these simple jam bars from the Pioneer Woman.
5. Toss them into the oven.
6. Start to clean up the kitchen. (I think I should mention here that my camera is on the countertop.)
7. Move the flour container...and knock off my camera from the countertop...and see it nose dive onto the hardwood floor.

It was horrible! I saw it in that slo-mo action...where you want to yell, "Noooooo..." but it happens so fast you are only able to yelp, "n...."

The lens came apart and I found a piece of it on the floor. Darn.

I've been wanting a new camera recently so this forced my hand. I purchased this combo:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i (body)
Canon EF 50 mm f1.4 (lens) (I upgraded from the f1.8 lens that crashed)

 

I love the new camera! It is much faster than my old one (which I bought in 2008). I'll be updating the camera page soon! 

This recipe is super simple. Just mix together most of the ingredients and press 1/2 on the bottom, and 1/2 over the jam layer. (These are the last photos taken with my old camera!)

Make these bars. Kids and librarians alike will love them! And hang onto your camera! :) - mary

Recipe:
Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman (shown on her Food Network show). Her recipe here.
1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned oatmeal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 10 to 12-ounce jar apricot jam (Pioneer Woman used homemade Strawberry Jam...I used Trader Joe's Apricot Jam)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter/blender, cut in the butter.
3. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Spread jam on top of the oat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly.
6. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.

Thumbprints For Us Big Guys - Tuesdays with Dorie

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Mike of Ugly Food Dude selected Thumbprints For Us Big Guys on page 164 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Mike of Ugly Food Dude is hella funny and one of the few (are there others?) dudes cooking in Tuesdays with Dorie. You should definitely read his blog.

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts because I'm lazy and didn't want to buy any hazelnuts. Besides, I always think hazelnuts should be a blue-green color.

My cookies spread out a bit and don't look like the photo, but they were tasty.

I used Pam Jam in the center. Pam Jam? My friend Pam and her family make jam every year from their Berkeley plum tree. It's the best!

Recipe:
On Mike's Blog or...
Page 164 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirl Bundt - Day #27 - I Like Big Bundts

Day 27 of I Like Big Bundts: 30 Days of Bundt Cakes
Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirl Bundt

I still love the PB&J sandwich. I have one at least once a week for breakfast or a snack. When I was a kid, it was super white Wonderbread, but now it is wheat bread with homemade jam. But the combo is always just perfect. Sometimes I slip in a banana too. Yeah, I know, c-r-a-z-y.

Thanks to my friend JustJenn of JustJennDesigns for making the logo!

I'm hoping you celebrate a great food holiday: National Bundt Day on November 15th. In only three short days! I've been making 30 Bundts in the 30 days leading up the National Bundt Day. Just don't ask how much butter I've used. Just don't go there.

This recipe has chunky peanut butter in the batter and two swirls of jam in the Bundt.

This has protein (peanut butter). Therefore, you can have a slice for lunch. Just sayin'.

Also, you are into PB&J, check out JustJenn's PB&J cupcakes! I proclaim that these rock...since I was lucky enough to try one! :)

Holy smokes. Book Patrol wrote the nicest post about my blog and the fact that I have a Bundt in the Oven (Love that pun...I'll have to use that next year...WAIT, there ain't gonna be a next year!) Two members of the library made the Persimmon Bundt! Rock on baking librarians!

And kdiddy.org made Day #1 Bundt and likes to write the word Bundt in her post! Hee hee. I hope you had friends help you finish the Bundt!

Time is ticking! National Bundt Day is Sunday, November 15th. Sweet. See you tomorrow for, you guessed it, another Bundt! Bundt! Bundt!

- mary the food librarian

Recipe:
Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirl Bundt Cake
from Welch's website

You can find the recipe on the Welch's website, but I found the listing of ingredients confusing. Who lists flour, baking powder, baking soda with different ingredients in-between? So I reordered things here and left the Welch's instructions.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), at room temperature
2 cups sugar

3/4 cup chunky-style peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup dairy sour cream

1/2 cup Welch's Grape Jelly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking rack in bottom third of oven.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream. Reduce mixer to lowest speed and gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just blended. Spoon half of the batter (about 3 cups) into greased 12 cup bundt pan. Dollop 3 Ts of the jelly over batter avoiding edges of pan.
3. Partially stir jelly into batter using a skewer or thin bladed knife. Spoon remaining batter into pan and dollop and swirl remaining jelly into batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I Like Big Bundts recap:
The Food Librarian confesses: I Like Big Bundts
Day 1: Pumpkin Spice Bundt with Buttermilk Icing
Day 2: Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Mocha Icing
Day 3: Pumpkin-Apple Spiced Bundt
Day 4: Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Bundt
Day 5: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt
Day 6: Cardamom Vanilla Bundt
Day 7: Monkey Bread in a Bundt
Day 8: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day 9: Coconut Bundt
Day 10: Sweet Potato Bundt
Day 11: Mom's Apple Cake Bundt
Day 12: Meyer Lemon Bundt
Day 13: Candy Corn Jello Bundt
Day 14: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day 15: Blueberry-Buttermilk Bundt
Day 16: Nutella Bundt
Day 17: Carrot Walnut Bundt
Day 18: Pear Ginger Bundt
Day 19: Persimmon Bundt
Day 20: Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt
Day 21: Martha Stewart Chocolate Bundt
Day 22: Whipped Cream Bundt
Day 23: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bundt
Day 24: Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Pound Bundt with Maple-Espresso Glaze
Day 25: My Big Fat Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt
Day 26: Orange Cranberry Bundt