Macarons

Shout out to my dear friend Carey for helping me out with this one!!! 

Ingredients: 

*** It was recommended that the egg whites are separated three days prior to use*** 
*** Set out all ingredients ahead of time so they are at room temperature ***

2/3 cup of ground almonds 

(I used sliced almonds then used a food processor to ground) 

Finished 2/3 Cup Ground Almonds

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

3 Large Egg Whites 

(Keep the yolks for filling recipes!)

5 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar 

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Preparation:

Position two racks in the lower section of the oven. 

Preheat to 280 degrees. 

The recipe I followed suggested drawing 1" circles on the back of parchment paper as a guide for your cookies.  I found this not to be very useful - but go ahead, give it a shot! 

I ended up cutting my paper to fit securely within my baking sheets.  

Grind powdered sugar and ground almonds together. 

Sift the mixture twice through a mesh sieve. 

Beat egg whites on medium-high until the eggs are frothy. 

  

 Gradually add granulated sugar until fully incorporated.

Continue to beat until glossy and stiff peaks form.

Gently stir in Vanilla. 

Add almond and sugar mixture slowly by folding into the meringue. 

Continue folding until the batter slowly drips into the bowl. 

Do not make the batter too runny. 

Using a pastry bag or a gallon Ziploc bad (seen here) pipe out 1" rounds. 

Rap the baking sheet firmly on the counter 2-5 times to remove all air bubbles. 

Place the uncovered sheets in a dry area to sit for approximately 15-20 minutes until a very smooth film/crust has formed (if you poke with your finger, no batter will stick). 

Place the sheets in the over for 2 minutes - one sheet on the bottom rack and one on the top.

After 2 minutes, open the over to let out any excess humidity. 

Continue baking for 5 more minutes, then swap the top and bottom sheets. 

Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes until the shells are just hard. 

Do not overbake (tops become brown). 

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for approximately 15 minutes. 

Fill with your favorite butter-cream or filling! 

Blondies

Ingredients: 

*** Set out all ingredients ahead of time so they are at room temperature ***

2 cups of flour

2 cup of butter

 1 egg

 1 teaspoon of baking powder

 
 2 cups of brown sugar

 1 cups of chocolate chips

 
 Approximately 1 teaspoon of sea salt

 1  tablespoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Slice butter into approximately 1 tablespoon sized nuggets

Brown butter

  

Butter is browned once you can smell a nutty aroma 

*** Be careful not to burn your butter *** 

Combine butter and brown sugar

(When I did this I still had some butter that was not completely blended with my brown sugar)

Add egg, flour, baking powder, and vanilla

Once well combined, add chocolate chips 

 Push dough into baking pan 

(I used an 8" x 4" x 2.5" loaf pan so I would have thick pieces, but a 9" x 13" would work as well)

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20minutes or until the edges have begun to brown

After removing from the oven sprinkle with sea salt 

Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients: 

*** Set out all ingredients ahead of time so they are at room temperature ***

2 cups of flour

 1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 cup of salted butter

1 cup of light brown sugar 
(or brown sugar for a more robust flavor)

 1 cup of sugar

  2 eggs

 
  1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

  
  1 teaspoon of salt

 1 1/2  teaspoons of ground cinnamon

 3 cups of old fashioned oats

Preparation:

Cream together butter and sugars then add eggs and vanilla 

In a separate bowl combine flour, balking soda, salt, and cinnamon

Slowly mix your dry ingredients into the creamed mixture

Add oats

  Place 1.5-2" diameter drops of dough onto a cookie sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges have begun to brown