Come for Coffee…(and some of Martha’s cookies!)

It’s hot outside.  Not sweltering hot but, according to the weather folks, it hasn’t been this hot since the end of April.  My swimming pool beckons me to take my first dip of the season, and I’m tempted to grab a book, go out there, catch some rays and relax.  Would have been a fine way to spend a sunny day but, instead, as I walk past the empty cookie jar, I am overcome with an urgency to fill it.  I convince myself that a 90-degree day  is the perfect time to crank down the air conditioning, fire up the oven, and bake cookies.  When there’s no one home to question your sanity, you follow your impulse, reach for the cookie cookbooks, and go!

I chose Martha Stewart’s Cookies since I’ve owned the book for over a year (had to have it!) and haven’t used it once.  Martha publishes the most beautiful books with the most enticing photos, and her cookie book is no exception.  All the cookies are neatly organized by type (light and delicate, soft and chewy, crumbly and sandy, chunky and nutty, cakey and tender, crisp and crunchy, and rich and dense), and a picture of each and every cookie appears in its category with page number included.  Nice.  But do they taste good?

These are the Chocolate Crackles, and they are sooooo yummy!  They’re made with bittersweet chocolate and dutch cocoa, and they melt in your mouth.

The kitchen was already quite uncomfortable, so I decided to bake a second batch.  I chose Pecan Mandelbrot and they are delicioso!  This cookie has a soft crunch and lots of toasted pecan flavor.  A light sprinkle of cinnamon sugar adds a perfect bit of sweetness.

I’d love to share these recipes, but I venture to guess that Martha’s people wouldn’t be too happy with me.  My friend, Teresa, is an exceptional baker and she loves the Maple-Pecan Shortbread.  So, if you’ve contemplated buying this book, you’ve got three recipe endorsements.

I’ll end this sunny day with an evening spin class at the gym because I’ve learned the hard way that burnt ends and broken pieces are still high in calories.  Ugh.

“A”