Few of us have time to prepare a spread of sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream to enjoy with an afternoon mug of tea, so my go-to accompaniment is a buttery, crunchy cookie.  That’s why I immediately flagged this recipe from The Kitchn. Butter, rosemary, and sugar? Perfect.

I followed the exact recipe from The Kitchn and had great results, but I wanted to try making a chocolate version. Truth: I liked the original, non-chocolate version more than the chocolate version I created. It didn’t let the rosemary flavor come through as much as I like. But! If you’re in the mood for a chocolate shortbread, give it a try.

Chocolate, Rosemary, and Walnut Brown Butter Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen (Adapted from The Kitchn)

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped small (none larger than pea-sized)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar (or another 1/4 cup granulated, if you don’t have confectioners)

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the butter stops foaming, turns brown, and small dark brown specks form. It will smell like roasting nuts. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Mix the walnuts, rosemary, and dry ingredients in a medium bowl. While beating on medium speed, add the cooled butter until it’s fully incorporated and the dough takes on the consistency of damp sand and holds together when you press it into a ball. Add a few teaspoons of water if it doesn’t hold.

3. Pour the dough onto a large cutting board or other work surface and form into two logs about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least thirty minutes (up to three days).

4. When you’re ready to make your cookies, preheat the oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Unwrap one of the dough logs and use a sharp knife to slice it into 1/4 inch cookies. Place them on the parchment paper about a 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will keep in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

As I sprawled on the couch and watched back-to-back episodes of Sherlock on Netflix streaming—spoon in one hand, sorbet in the other—I wondered how I could make my very own blood orange sorbet or similar frozen treat. It couldn’t be that difficult. A little fruit juice, sugar, and time seemed like the three main components, and I had plenty of all three.

I looked through my cookbooks and searched the web for a guide, but I encountered a roadblock with almost every recipe I found: I don’t own an ice cream maker. With limited cupboard space, how many apartment dwellers have room for one? (Sure, I have a waffle maker and salad spinner, but I count those among my practical kitchen tools.) The recipes that didn’t call for an ice cream maker instructed me to stir the sorbet every thirty minutes or so to make sure it didn’t freeze solid. All warned of large ice crystals forming if I didn’t get it right, and none of them promised the smooth, airy results I’d get if I’d just sacrifice some additional shelf space.

So rather than seek out a way to create a smooth sorbet, I went in the opposite direction. I decided to make a granita, which is a semi-frozen dessert that’s akin to a chunky Italian ice. I just needed to combine juice, simple syrup, and a splash of liquor to keep it from freezing all the way. A quick stir with a fork every half hour would create the texture I needed, and if I forgot a stirring appointment, it wouldn’t doom the whole dessert.

Once I recovered from my sickness, I went to the store and picked up a whole bunch of blood oranges to juice. I also wanted to give the granita a little bite, so I bought ginger root to infuse into the simple syrup.

I may have taken too many blood orange glamor shots. For example, here are some oranges sitting in a chair:And more sitting on the coffee table:

Waiting to be juiced:

But enough with the oranges. On to the recipe.

Blood Orange and Ginger Granita

• 2 1/2 cups fresh blood orange juice (you can substitute regular orange juice or your favorite citrus fruit)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Fresh ginger root about the length of your index finger, peeled and sliced fine
• 1 shot of tequila

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced ginger and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Strain the syrup into a bowl and set aside to finish cooling.

2. Pour 1/2 cup ginger syrup and all of the orange juice into a large glass container. Add a shot of tequila and stir to combine. (The tequila will help prevent the mixture from freezing solid.) Continue adding the ginger syrup to taste, keeping in mind that the mixture won’t taste as sweet once frozen. (If you don’t use all of the ginger syrup, it can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a month. It’s great in cocktails.)

3. Place the container, uncovered, into the freezer. Stir the orange and syrup mixture once every half hour with a fork, scraping the icy portions off of the sides of the container. Repeat this for about 2 hours, or until the entire mixture has become flaky, pink ice crystals.

4. To serve, scrape the top of the granita with a fork and spoon into serving bowls.

It felt good to wake up at home this morning, a familiar light fixture above my head and the Brooklyn streets still quiet outside. A perfect time to fill the apartment with the smells of baking and warm spices, like cardamom, cinnamon, and a dash of ground ginger. A perfect time for coffee cake with streusel.

I adapted a Martha Stewart recipe to fit the contents of my refrigerator and available baking pans.

Cardamom Coffee Cake with Streusel
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

For the Streusel

• 1 tbs ground cardamom
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For the Cake

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbs ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

2. Start with the streusel. Combine cardamom, flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles large crumbs. If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use the double-knife method. Set aside.

3. For the cake, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time. Reduce the speed again and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream.

4. Coat a large bunt pan with non-stick oil or butter. Add half of the batter to the pan and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with the streusel. Top with the remaining batter and smooth gently with a spatula.

5. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t brown too much. I made that mistake today, and while the crunchy exterior of the cake is nice, I wish I’d pulled the cake out at the proper time.

6. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack. Invert the pan on the rack to remove the cake and cool for an additional 45 minutes or so. Serve with coffee, tea, or a mug of chai with milk and sugar.

I decided to make marshmallows for the first time yesterday, and as I read over the marshmallow recipe I found on JoyofBaking.com, I exclaimed “I get to use my candy thermometer!” in all sincerity. Ramsey looked up from his book with confusion and concern for my mental state. It’s about the little joys.

As long as you have a candy/frying thermometer ($12 at your local kitchen store) and an electric mixer with a whisk attachment (hand-held or standing), it’s an easy recipe. It starts with boiling sugar, water, corn syrup, and a little salt. While the sugar boiled and the gelatin softened in cold water, I prepped the pan where the marshmallow would set overnight. Powdered sugar served as an unsticking agent throughout the marshmallow-making process.

Once the sugar syrup reached the right temperature, I added it to the gelatin in the bowl of an electric mixer. It tripled in volume as I whipped it.

I poured the whipped sugar and gelatin into the pan to set overnight.

When I removed the marshmallow block from the pan this morning and dusted it with more powdered sugar, it was surprisingly easy to cut with a pizza cutter. A sharp knife would have also worked well.

A perfect way to start Sunday.

But let’s not talk about work. Let’s talk about warm pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These are the kind of cookies you want to come home to when you’re a post-work zombie. Chocolate and pumpkin make things all better.

They start with fresh pumpkin puree.

Actually, let’s take a step back. These cookies really start with a whole pumpkin. To make pumpkin puree, you need a small sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin). Slice it in half and scoop out the seeds and gunk. If you’re obsessed with citrus and have a few grapefruit spoons in your silverware drawer, they’re great scoopers.

Next, pre-heat your oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil, coat with a small amount of oil, and place the pumpkin halves on the sheet with the sliced side down. Cover the halves with tinfoil and bake for about an hour, or until a fork easily pierces the skin.

Let the cooked pumpkin cool for 20-30 minutes, then use a spoon to remove the flesh. Puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher, whichever you prefer. Set aside and start the cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from the classic Nestle Toll House chocolate chip recipe)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.

2. Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add pumpkin puree and also mix until incorporated.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Gradually add to butter and egg mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Using a tablespoon or fancy cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges and tops of the cookies should be golden brown.

5. Let the cookies cool for a minute on the baking sheet and then move them to a wire rack. Serve with a glass of milk or spicy hot chocolate. The pumpkin puree will give the bottom of the cookies an extra crunch.

Refusing to be defeated by one of the simplest fruit dishes out there, I looked to Martha Stewart to correct my baking errors for a second attempt. It turns out I used the wrong type of apple, my sugar levels were way off, and my use of melted butter made the baked topping soft. For the second try, I used Gala apples, upped the sugar, and cut cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients. After an hour in the oven, it came out bubbling and golden brown. Perfect.

Apple Crisp
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
Serves 6

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 pieces
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Juice of 1 large lemon

Equipment:

• 9″ square baking pan (glass preferred)
• 2 large bowls
• 2 knives or a pastry cutter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°.

2. Mix together flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter in using two knives or a pastry cutter. Mix in the oats using your hands until clumps form. Place bowl in the freezer to chill.

3. In a second bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Mix in granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until apples are coated. Pour the apples into a buttered baking dish and evenly top with the oatmeal mixture. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

4. Let cool for 10-15. Serve with ice cream.

Cut to the spice rack. I pulled down the cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, and chili powder to add to the intense chocolate flavor. I didn’t find the amount of spices to be overwhelming, but you may want to tweak them to meet your tastes. Also, keep an eye on the clock while baking. Just one extra minute in the oven can mean the difference between serving cookies with perfect, chewy centers and cookies that could double as miniature hockey pucks. I let a batch go a few minutes too long, and pressed for time, I had to bring them to an office potluck, my head hung in shame. I’m lucky no one cracked a tooth.

Triple-Chocolate Cookies with a Kick (adapted from Real Simple)
Makes 3 dozen cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup milk-chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Equipment

• 2 baking sheets
• 1 large bowl
• 1 electric mixer
• 1 medium bowl
• 1 spoon or cookie scoop
• 1 sifter or fork

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

2. Cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and egg and beat at medium speed until combined.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, ginger, and cloves, or combine the ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture in three equal parts at medium speed until combined, not a moment longer. Stir in the semisweet and milk chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.

4. Spoon the dough in 1 1/2 inch balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat (after just a few uses, I can’t recommend the silpat mats highly enough). You may want to flatten the dough a bit before baking to help them spread, like so:

5. Bake for 12 minutes. The centers of the cookies should be barely set. Let cool on the sheets for five minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm (if possible) or store in a tightly-sealed container.

After looking through my Grandma Mangan’s recipe book at my mother’s house last fall, I decided to buy a scanner and archive the book’s contents on my computer. My father has now loaned me the recipe box of his mother, my Grandma Cahill, and I have started scanning her recipes as well.  Grandma Cahill’s collection has more recipes in poetic verse (total: 2), and Grandma Mangan’s collection has more clippings of famous dishes from local restaurants, but overall, their contents are similar. They include a recipes scribbled on scraps of paper, clippings from newspapers and processed food packaging, and index cards from friends and family. Lots of jello molds. Lots of “whipped topping.”

The first recipe I chose from my Grandma Cahill’s collection was for molasses cookies. Internet sleuthing while the cookies were baking yielded many similar—if not identical—recipes on the web, so it must have appeared on the side of a molasses container at one point and now graces the index cards of many collections. Recipe and photos after the jump.

Grandma Cahill’s Molasses Cookies
[yields ~3 dozen]
-3/4 c. shortening
-1 c. sugar
-1/4 c. molasses
-1 egg
-2 tsp. baking soda
-2 c. sifted flour
-1/2 tsp. [ground] ginger
-1/2 tsp. [ground] cloves
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. salt

Melt shortening in a 3 or 4 qt. saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; let cool. Add sugar, molasses and egg; beat well. Sift together flour, soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt; add to first mixture. Mix well; chill.

Form in 1 inch balls, roll in granulated sugar and place on greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake in moderately hot oven, 375º F, 8-10 min.

Cookies rolled and ready to bake:

I read a tip that if you want your molasses cookies to be chewy, you should cool them on a flat surface and not a rack. Unfortunately, I read the tip after my cookies were fully cooled on a rack and tucked away in tupperware, so if you try it, let me know if it works for you. These were crunchy, but still good.

If I’m forced to choose between all of the pies that appear on the dessert table at a Thanksgiving dinner, pumpkin pie always wins out. I love the custard filling, and I find it difficult to pass up another vehicle for whipped cream during the holidays. My mind also rationalizes that it must be healthier than an apple pie because it has only one crust, conveniently forgetting the amount of sugar and cream required to make the filling.

I have attempted two pumpkin pies over the last month as part of my Pie and Manicure Sunday series, during which I bake a pie and get an very cheap manicure around the corner from my apartment. The first pie’s crust had some issues, and the amount of cream in the filling was overwhelming. I made the second one yesterday and I think I’ve found the correct ratios, but the cooking process was not without incident. More photos and a recipe after the jump

Pumpkin Pie
-2 cups fresh pureed pumpkin (roasting instructions below)
-1 pie crust (see this recipe and just cut it in half)
-1/2 cup whipping cream
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-3 eggs, lightly beaten
-1/2 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. ground cloves
-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-Dash of salt

Roasting the pumpkin: A pie pumpkin is a small cooking pumpkin, usually 6-8″ tall. Slice it in half, remove the seeds, and roast for an hour on a baking sheet (cut side up) at 400°. Allow it to cool, then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Puree it in a food processor and set aside.

1) Make your crust according to the instructions in my earlier post, or use your favorite recipe. After it is chilled, roll it out, place in your pie pan, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for another 30 minutes.

2) While the dough is chilling, mix together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl (if your food processor is large enough, you can do this all in the processor bowl). Special note: Don’t forget to add the spices, like some people that are easily distracted while working in the kitchen. You’ll remember fifteen minutes into the baking process and be forced to remove your pie, sprinkle the spices on the custard that was setting so well, and mix with a spoon. If there was a FAIL blog dedicated to cooking, this photo would be very appropriate. It’s enhanced by my baggy flannel pajama pants. #ingredientfail

3) Pour the filling into the crust and bake for an hour at 350°, or until the custard is set. You can test this by giving the pie a jiggle, and if the filling shakes and ripples, it needs a few more minutes. If your crust is browning too much, cover just the crust with a layer of tinfoil. I also recommend placing the pie on a baking sheet to catch any runoff and make it easier to handle.

4) Allow the pie to cool at room temperature, then cover the place in the refrigerator to chill for 3-4 hours. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired. And, if you’re like me, thank the cooking gods that your pie wasn’t completely ruined by your mid-bake stirring.

It was a banner weekend: dinner on the Upper West Side on Friday night, the farmers’ market in Grand Army Plaza on Saturday morning, shopping and macarons in SoHo in the afternoon, beer and tacos in Sunset Park at night, and finally on Sunday, manicures, pints of pumpkin ale, and lots of cooking in Park Slope. It felt the way a New York weekend should, with just the right balance of adventure and absurdity, and enough scenic views for a Woody Allen film. Much of it also revolved around food, so it was natural to wind down by baking a pie Sunday afternoon with my well-manicured hands.

I wanted to go recipe-free to make an apple cranberry pie, so I tried to remember as many techniques as I could from last year’s apple pie adventure and winged the rest. The pie was a success, but I forgot to add flour to the apple mixture which resulted in a little excess liquid. I’ve corrected it in the recipe after the jump.

Apple Cranberry Pie
Crust
-2 1/2 cups flour
-2 tsp. sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
-5-6 tbs. ice water

Filling
-4 large Jonagold apples (or baking apples of your choice), peeled and sliced into 1/4″ wedges
-Juice of 1 large lemon
-2/3 cup dried cranberries
-2/3 cup sugar
-1 tbs. ground cinnamon
-1 tsp. allspice
-1/2 tsp. vanilla
-1/4 tsp. almond oil
-2 tbs. flour

1) Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and cut in using two knives, slicing the butter into small pieces throughout the flour (alternate: add ingredients to a food processor and pulse until it’s a course meal).

2) Add 2 tbs. of ice water and mix in with a fork. Continue adding water until the dough is lightly moistened and can form into a ball. Form it into two disks, place in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3) While the dough is chilling, mix the apples, cranberries, lemon, sugar, vanilla, almond oil, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into a large sieve over a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Once 30 minutes have elapsed, pour the excess liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until it becomes a syrup, just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and set aside.

4) Preheat the oven to 350º. Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Lay out a sheet of wax paper, coat with flour, and place the first disk in the center. Sprinkle more flour on the dough and place another sheet on top, then begin to roll the dough into a 12″ circle, about 1/4″ thick. Repeat this process with the other disk of dough.

5) Place one sheet of dough in the bottom of an ungreased pie pan, taking care not to let it stretch. Toss the apple mixture with 2 tbs. flour, then add on top of the dough. Drizzle the mixture with the apple syrup you boiled down earlier, then top with the other sheet of dough. Cut away the excess dough from the edges and crimp with your fingers or a fork to seal them together. Also, cut in three vents in any pattern you’d like (My vents pictured below were not large enough).

6) Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drippings and bake at 350º for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the crust edges and if they brown too quickly, cover them with a layer of aluminum foil. Once baked, let the pie cool for an hour before serving.