Whole Wheat Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. pg. 320.

This is an addictive little cookie that is very spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg. They are soft cookies if they are not overbaked. A total baking time of 10 minutes worked well. These might be considered a holiday cookie but I think anytime is good. Trust me, they don't last long. Store them in an airtight container.

2 cups sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 oz. butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dark or light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 TBS. milk
Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon

Topping:
1 TBS. sugar 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with foil.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together.

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and the brown sugar. Beat to mix.

Add the egg, milk and lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture until just mixed.

On a large board dusted with flour, turn the dough out and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.

Work with one half of dough at a time. Form each into a long, narrow strip, about 18 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Cut the strip into 1 inch pieces. Repeat with the other half.

 

Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place them 1.5 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press the cookies with a fork to flatten them slightly.

 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle some on each cookie. 

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes (10 minutes worked well for me). Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Oatmeal Snickerdoodles

 

Oatmeal Snickerdoodles (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 54.

I missed the memo on snickerdoodles. In fact, it wasn't until I was an adult when I first heard of them. And I grew up with a mother who made lots of cookies. But never snickerdoodles. 

After finally making them a few years ago, I can't say that I felt I had missed much. I thought they were pretty average in the world of cookies. A basic buttery cookie with a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

Maida's recipe brings the addition of oatmeal which is always a good thing. The cookies are like a simple oatmeal cookie without the raisins and nuts. I thought the topping made way too much but maybe I did not put enough of it on top of the cookies. The cinnamon flavor was very light. I liked the bite-sized portions although that doesn't do much to keep your hands from grabbing them. They are addictive!

The recipe makes 54 cookies (more or less depending on the size you make them).

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
8 oz. (2 sticks)unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal

Topping:
2 TBS. sugar
2 TSP. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. 

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and both sugars. Beat well.

Add the eggs one at a time. On low speed, slowly add the sifted dry ingredients. Stir in the oatmeal.

Place teaspoon-sized rounded pieces 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Stir the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping and sprinkle over the cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are browned. After removing from the oven, let them sit on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Pecan Sour Cream Muffins

 

Pecan Sour Cream Muffins (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 282).

It has been exactly two months since my last post and yes, I am still kicking. I haven't been baking much, however, because I am on a no-sugar diet. As you can imagine, that isn't fun
at all. It does melt the pounds for me and best of all, lowers my cholesterol. I've actually
been experimenting with keto desserts and while they are by no means a substitute for
recipes like these, they do quell the sweet cravings.

We've been snowed in, like most of the country, for the past week and I was itching to make a real dessert. I only ate one (for taste purposes, mind you) and I can report that they are delicious. Michael and I both felt that a glaze would be a nice addition. It is not called for in the recipe. This is just a simple glaze made with 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

In Maida Heatter's Cakes, where this recipe resides, the baking time is written as 450. I knew this has to be a typo and therefore used 350 instead. They took the full 20 minutes to bake but they were not overly brown on the top. I still think 350 is correct.

The recipe also had enough batter for at least 15 large cupcakes. It would have been more than that but I filled the cups higher than stated.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
Generous pinch of nutmeg
2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
5 1/2 oz. (1 1/3 cups) toasted pecans, broken into large pieces plus 12 pecan halves 

Use the middle rack in the oven and preheat to 350. Butter a muffin pan or use cupcake liners (I used the liners).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft. Beat in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, until mixed.

On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, then all of the sour cream, and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat only until incorporated. 

Stir in the chopped pecans (reserving the pecan halves).

 

Spoon into the muffin cups and top each with a pecan.

 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

They can be served warm or cold.

As I mentioned earlier, I had enough batter to make 3 additional muffins. I baked them separately in a second pan. The glaze (recipe in the intro) is strictly optional.