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Weekend recap

I had a relatively stress-free weekend, which is nice considering we're just over a month out from race day. Friday night I made a Target run and, among other things, picked up Fast 6. I love those movies. And, though I feel weird saying it out loud bc it's not like I knew him, I was so sad to hear of Paul Walker's death.

Saturday i had some work errands and some holiday shopping to do. Everything was going easy until I wanted to go to Macy's to look for mom's gift. Parking was a nightmare and the mall was packed. What did I expect at 1pm in the afternoon? But I got in, found what I was looking for and got out. Only to find out after leaving the parking lot that the twin had already picked up that particular gift for our mom. Ugh. What else did I do on Saturday? Umm...nothing? If I can't remember it, then it didn't happen.

Early Sunday afternoon I went back to Target for some baking supplies and then, because they didn't have cake flour, I also went to Kroger. I ended up baking seven dozen cookies Sunday afternoon. And this is why I'm a bad blogger. I did not take one picture of the process. Whoops. And at one point it looked like it snowed in my kitchen from when I turned the mixer on and powdered sugar went everywhere.

Baking at the holidays to me always reminds me of home. This year I made Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Chip Cookies, World Famous Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes. And brought them all into work so hopefully I won't eat too many of them.



Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips or ¾ cup regular semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix well.
  5. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
  6. Fold in chocolate chips.
  7. Drop rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets (ungreased).
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
World Famous Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies
  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 1/3 cups cake flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tsp. orange zest (not flavoring) optional
**Now the blogger recommends that, if you are using Cake Flour, to use 4 1/3 cups. And then chill them for at least 2 hours prior to baking. (I used 4 cups of cake flour and think my cookies might be a little dry.) If you must use all purpose flour I would use 3 1/2 cups and chill for at least 2 hours.
  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and shortening using an electric mixer.
  3. Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
  4. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
  5. Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not overmix.
  7. Scoop with an ice-cream scoop if decorating with sugar only
  8. Place directly on cookie sheet.
  9. Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, the edges do not brown.
Betty Crocker's Russian Tea Cakes
  •  1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • Powdered sugar
  1.  Heat oven to 400ºF.
  2. 2 Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
  3. 3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
  4. 4 Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
  5. 5 Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

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