[BakerAunt]

Yes, cookies are definitely what excite young children. One of my friends often talked about her aunt who gave her and her brother EACH a shoebox full of cookies every Christmas. Just think, your own box of an assortment of cookies that you did not have to share with a sibling!

Let us know, Italian Cook if you try the edible wafer paper and how it turns out. I do like Fancy Flours for some ingredients and baking items, and their service is excellent. I bought the topper for our wedding cake from them. I also prefer their sugar cookie recipe, although I increase the salt.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I tried a new recipe: "Brickle Bars," from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book (1998), p. 219. It is a variation on their "Easy Fudge Brownies," except that 3/4 cup almond brickle pieces and 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips are sprinkled on top before baking. I'd describe it as a fudgy brownie with a candy coating on top. I lined the pan with parchment paper, so that I could remove them for cutting. I will bake this recipe again.

[BakerAunt]

To go with the leftover pork on Wednesday, and to take advantage of cooling weather, I tried a new recipe, "Crispy Roasted Garlic Potatoes," which appeared in Cook's Country (sorry, it does not have an issue number or date). I used yellow potatoes, as I had no red ones, and as they were small, I cut them in half. I had about 3.1 pounds, so I doubled the recipe for the coating. I used grapeseed oil as it would not smoke at the roasting temperature of 450F. I did not add the minced garlic (already had garlic powder in the coating) or the lemon zest added to the potatoes before serving, but I did add the butter. We liked it a lot. The potatoes were not crunchy, but they were meltingly good to eat. I will be making it again.

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Jozey. I'm glad you got back in to join us.

[BakerAunt]

I also receive the Fancy Flours catalog. Although I have purchased some items from them, I've never tried the edible wafer paper. Although I like my cookies to look good, I care most about how they taste, so I've not felt the need to try it.

[BakerAunt]

The Chocolate-Chip Toffee Scone recipe that I posted last month uses no butter, only cream. These recipes do seem to be in the minority for biscuits and scones.

[BakerAunt]

Bev, I saw this article on persimmons that might be of help to you:

https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/persimmon-fruit-recipe-ideas

[BakerAunt]

Sunday evening, I mixed up the dough for a double recipe of my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I'll bake them later in the week.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting that Navlys. It made me realize that while I have no Trader Joe's nearby, I do have crystalized ginger that I could use in my oatmeal when I want some variety.

[BakerAunt]

The blog post is interesting. I've moved away from using KAF AP flour in my pie crusts. I think that I get better results with Gold Medal, or using some pastry flour. I wonder how the peanut butter crust would go with a chocolate pie filling or maybe a banana one.

The "Light-as-Air Lime Pie" in the KAF Whole Grain Baking Book (pp. 469-471) features lime juice in the crust as well as in the pie. I've not made it and only thought of it, as I've been combing through that cookbook lately and remember seeing it.

I have a recipe for a cornmeal pie crust that was featured, probably by the L.A. Times, with a pumpkin pie. I used that crust with a hamburger meat pie, but I haven't made it in years, since my husband is not fond of ground beef.

[BakerAunt]

Don't feel too bad, Italian Cook. I've also inadvertently set a timer for hours rather than minutes. Sigh.

While we are on the subject of kitchen goofs, when I was making my sandwich buns yesterday in the bread machine, I started it, and thought that does not sound right. I looked inside and it was liquidy. Then I realized that I'd not added the 2 cups of regular flour to the whole wheat flour. (I have to go outside to the garage apartment to get my whole wheat flour out of the refrigerator, and thus forgot to add the regular flour when I returned.) I quickly put the rest of the flour in, and as it was only three minutes into the kneading cycle, all was well.

As I said before, anyone who says that he or she never makes mistakes in cooking or baking is either lying or does not cook or bake.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

There was a speaker at the farmers' market today whose talk was on the apple orchards that once were a major part of this area. When he was asked why they were no longer here (the last one closed in 2000), he said that the movement toward commercialization and few people baking with apples had led to the closings. Sigh. We need a Make America Bake Again movement.

[BakerAunt]

I was back at the farmers market today and bought a small Cinderella pumpkin. I want to compare it with the "peanut" pumpkin and the two pie pumpkins. I'll have to split it vertically, however, if I want to bake both halves at the same time. Even my large Calphalon roaster will not hold it if I split it horizontally.

Like Skeptic 7, I like to experiment with what I find at the farmers' market and to encourage these small growers.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

A friend has relatives who were professional bakers. They always politely refused to do wedding cakes for family members because it was too stressful.

I actually made my own wedding cake, but I made double layers with a mini-tier set that Wilton used to sell, then made three double layer 8-inch cakes to set around it. I was not into fancy decoration. I just wanted it to taste good--and I still have people rave about that cake from Susan Purdy's The Perfect Cake.

[BakerAunt]

Friday dinner is Sloppy Josepines (uses ground turkey)--a recipe that I have posted on this site. It will go with sweet corn and steamed broccoli.

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