Mad About Maida

Pennsylvania Squares  (Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies  (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 107 . This is a recipe that I had marked long ago as one to try. I was intrigued by Maida's introduction to the recipe when she stated that a taste tester at the Hershey company told her that it was her personal favorite. That is quite some recommendation! After making these, I was certain that I had tasted them before. I don't know if it was the same recipe or just something similar. The cookies (or bars) have a thick, shortbread-like taste and consistency. There is an overall strong toffee flavor.  I used plain old milk chocolate Hershey bars but you can use any brand you desire. I was thinking that a dark chocolate might be good.  These are very easy to make. Getting them out of the pan might be the trickiest part although if you are very careful, there should not be any problems. I think lining the pan with a parchment sling or foil might work better. Th...

Black Pepper Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts  (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 189. These spice cookies are delicious and pretty addictive. They are very firm, you might even call them "hard", but so good. They have a caramel-like flavor. About the baking time - 12 minutes seems accurate but I would begin checking at 10 minutes and take them out as soon as they begin to turn a light, golden brown and before they turn too dark. When trying a new recipe, I always bake one sheet at a time to know if I need to adjust the time for the remaining. Once you know that, you can certainly bake several sheets at once, just flip and swap them about halfway through.  This recipe once again brings up the evil pastry cloth. Not really evil, I suppose, but I do not own one and have never used one. I found an array of alternatives online that can be used for such, ranging from paper towels to cheesecloth. I wondered about my silicon mat and asked th...