Holiday baking with Martha Stewart's mag is an exercise in stamina

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Wednesday, December 7, 2005

Holiday baking with Martha Stewart's mag is an exercise in stamina

By HSIAO-CHING CHOU
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER FOOD EDITOR

Staying up until 2:30 a.m. to decorate Christmas cookies will make you very sleepy at the office the next day and give you a headache. But, sometimes, it has to be done, especially if you're on a mission and especially if that mission involves the Martha Stewart cookie experience.


		Meryl Schenker/P-I
	Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine

Perhaps I was inspired by Julie Powell's Julie/Julia project for which she cooked every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Perhaps I was being sadistic, or just ironic. But I was determined to make an assortment of six cookies from the special issue Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies and dress them up in cellophane bags tied perfectly with ribbons -- hand-picked fabric ribbons -- and then sell them at the P-I's annual employee craft and bake sale.

The degree of difficulty was sizable, considering the bake sale was scheduled for the Wednesday after Thanksgiving weekend. (Yes, I cooked the T-bird with all the trimmings for a party of six, and, yes, I brined.) In addition, my husband and I hosted two visiting family members while we moved from our old apartment and simultaneously unpacked at our new place.

Throw in four nights of concentrated cookie making and it's an exhaustion cocktail.

If you haven't noticed the magazine on the stands, it's the one with a white cover and a 7-inch gingerbread snowflake that's decorated with royal icing and dusted with sugar. It looks so beautiful and deceptively simple that it lures you into thinking you can do it, too, which you can, though only to a certain degree:

Your gingerbread snowflake won't have perfectly drawn icing lines. Nor will it be as cleanly dusted with sanding sugar, because you either couldn't find sanding sugar at your -- average -- neighborhood grocery or you tried to substitute with a different kind of sugar which ultimately adhered to the gingerbread in addition to the icing.

Beware of the close-up pictures of cookies blown up to the size of your face. They will tug at your apron strings. Bake me. Bake me. Bake me. And, of course, you will oblige and you will discover right away that simply baking the recipe is not enough. You have to present the cookies in grand Martha style, which most certainly does not entail a sandwich bag and bulk curling ribbon.

Recognizing this detail, I slipped away from the office to Paper Zone, the place where paper craft freaks go to validate their existence. I know this because I love paper and I believe in artful packaging. To wit, I was in a pastry shop in Portland recently where I proceeded to spend $18 for six booze-soaked chocolate-dipped cherries not because I wanted the cherries, but because I wanted the box in which they were displayed.

Indeed, I have spent quality time at Paper Zone (though my personal favorite when it comes to craft papers is de Medici Ming on First Avenue). One might think that my cooking experience and the aforementioned penchant for presentation would predispose me to succeed at Martha-style Christmas cookies. Perhaps. But I assure you, for all my packaging madness, there was no glue gun present at any time during this project.


		Meryl Schenker/P-I
	Cream-filled Macaroons

The first batch of cookies I made was the Cranberry-Pistachio-Cornmeal Biscotti. Right away, the recipe -- and therefore the entire special issue -- was exposed for its lack of explicit instructions. For example, the recipe did not specify what kind of cornmeal to use. I had Bob's Red Mill brand medium grind in the pantry, so that's what I used. Turns out, the ideal cornmeal to use is the finer-ground stuff in the box that you can find at any old grocery store.

The medium grind cornmeal made gritty biscotti.

Also, it says to cut the biscotti log on the "diagonal." That can be interpreted two ways. The intended way: cut as if cutting a loaf of bread but with the knife at an angle. The unintended way: make diagonal cuts starting at the upper right corner of the log, which creates graduating lengths of biscotti. Not until you get a piece that's 10 inches long do you realize that you've done it wrong.

I have heard complaints that Martha recipes don't work. But I didn't have firsthand experience messing one up since I've used them only as inspiration. With baking, you're supposed to follow the instructions to a T, and if they're bum, the cookie is bum.

Next, I made the dough for Gingerbread Snowflakes, the star of the magazine cover. It was too dry and didn't hold together, which meant it wouldn't be pliable enough to roll out. If I've learned anything from professional bakers, it's that working with percentages instead of unit measurements is better because the environment affects how baking ingredients come together.

One day, the flour may contain less moisture (yes, your "dry" flour contains moisture) and require more liquid ingredients. Another day, it might contain more moisture and require a smaller quantity of liquid.

So, I added another egg to the gingerbread dough, which helped combine the dough more smoothly.


		Meryl Schenker/P-I
	Chocolate-Ginger Christmas Trees

The dough for the Chocolate-Ginger Leaves and Acorns, on the other hand, behaved like cocoa-colored hair pomade. In this case, I added more flour to the dough until it no longer was wet and sticky -- a state suitable for drop cookies but not rolled and cut cookies.

Where the recipes are specific is the size of tools, a 7-inch snowflake cookie cutter, for instance, or a 1/2-inch round pastry tip (Ateco No. 806 to be exact) for your pastry bag. Does everyone have a pastry bag?

I couldn't find the right snowflake size. When I asked for a 7-inch, the salesperson asked, "Is this for a Martha Stewart thing?" I was too embarrassed to admit it. I mumbled, "It's for a project."

The problem with not having a 7-inch cutter is that you have less surface area to emulate the icing patterns shown in the magazine. My gingerbread snowflakes, though not totally unattractive, were far from the pristine versions featured in the magazine. I didn't have sanding sugar and I didn't have time to hunt for it at a specialty shop, so I used what I had which was superfine sugar, which obviously doesn't function the same way as the grainier sanding sugar. Hence, I had "dusty" snowflakes.

The remaining recipes weren't as troublesome, even if they were tedious.

All told, I spent four progressively long nights preparing for the bake sale. Midnight was my unwelcome companion. On the eve of the event, I didn't crawl into bed until I had tied every last color-coordinated ribbon and affixed a formatted price tag on each package. It was 2:30 a.m.

When the sale began at noon, there was a small rush of co-workers who had heard I had made cookies. One person, who was stuck at his desk, sent a proxy with a wad of cash and a shopping list. By 1 p.m., I had sold out of the Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing.

By 2 p.m., I was nearly sold out of everything: six "Chocolate Lover's" boxes filled with 10 chocolate-ginger trees (instead of acorns and leaves) and four chocolate chip cookies; 10 pairs of coconut macaroon sandwiches; eight bags of biscotti; about five dozen pumpkin cookies; and a dozen imperfect gingerbread snowflakes.

The biggest hit was the pumpkin cookie, which was soft and dripping with sweet icing. The second hit -- at least with one veteran photographer -- were the cream-filled macaroons. At first, he bought one tub of two cookies. Shortly thereafter, he returned and bought the remaining three tubs.


		Meryl Schenker/P-I
	Gingerbread Snowflakes

"She won't be able to keep her hands off me if I bring these home," he said, referring to his sweetie. A few days later, I ran into this photographer and asked him if the cookies worked. His response: "My back is still sore."

I guess that would count as a "good thing."

Another colleague asked whether the Martha-style packaging made a difference. When it comes to cookies in a newsroom, I would say no. But when it comes to asking newsroom staffers to pay for cookies, I think the presentation played its shiny-object role in attracting buyers.

That's definitely a "good thing."

The following recipes come from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine. Due to copyright issues, you'll have to pick up a copy of the magazine ($5.95 at newsstands) to get the other recipes.

COCONUT CREAM-FILLED MACAROONS
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

For the cookies:

3 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons cream of coconut, or unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

Make cookies: Stir together coconut, granulated sugar, egg whites, coconut extract and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Form heaping teaspoons of dough into balls; space 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges begin to turn golden, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Make filling: Put butter, cream of coconut and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add confectioners' sugar and coconut extract; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Assemble cookies: Place a heaping teaspoon filling on the bottom of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Transfer to a platter; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

THIN AND CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, 1/4 cup water and the eggs; mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to the rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO CORNMEAL BISCOTTI
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries and pistachios, and mix until combined.

Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheet on wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH BROWN-BUTTER ICING
MAKES ABOUT 6 DOZEN

Cookies:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin (14 ounces)

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Make cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla; mix until well-blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco No. 806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.