Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Baking Friday - Cookie # 1 - On Wednesday

That's right.  It's Wednesday, and I'm publishing a Baking Friday post.

Not a "What's for Dinner Julia?" post.

But a Baking Friday post.

And there will still be a Baking Friday - Cookie - post on Friday.  Only it will be Cookie # 2, but it's still the first Baking Friday - Cookie Friday, so it will really be Cookie # 1B.

So that means I should re-title this post to Baking Friday - Cookie # 1A.

And my "What's for Dinner Julia?" post for this week should really be a "What's for Dinner, Helen" post about the macaroni and cheese that I made on Monday night, but that's a whole 'nother story.  And won't be posted this week.

Are you confused yet?

I'm sorry.  Have a cookie.  It will make you feel better.
That was really the ugliest one in the bunch, so I'm sure you don't feel less confused yet, so please have another.  A prettier one.
Are you feeling better yet?  How about if I give you hugs and kisses?  Will that be better?  Can we be friends again?
Oh bother!  I forgot to get you a glass of milk.  I am so bad.  Sigh.

These little gems are Strawberry Valentine Cookies from Taste of Home.  And get this!  The strawberry flavor comes from Nestle Quick.  Strawberry Nestle Quick, of course, instead of the chocolate Nestle Quick, but I just couldn't believe these would taste good, so I had to try them.


And they did.  Taste good, I mean.  I was wrong.  They were soft and bendy and sweet and delicious.  I was happy to be wrong!

These are super easy.  Super easy.  Below are the ingredients, and if you are like me, when you first read "1/3 cup strawberry drink mix", you think Kool-Aid.  And you wouldn't be alone in thinking this, because the comments from people who've tried these clearly thought the same thing.  But that makes the cookies too red, too tart, too wrong.

So use the Nestle Strawberry Quick, and everyone will be happy.

How many years has it been since I bought Nestle Quick?  Any flavor of Nestle Quick?  Did I even have it in the house when my kids were little?  I don't believe so.  Probably the last time I bought a can of Nestle Quick, it was the old style can with the whole in the middle and the round top that you'd pry open with a spoon.  Anyone else remember those?

This one.  Remember it?
Crickets????

Where is my cane?

Ok, so back to the recipe..


Ingredients

For cookies
2/3 cup of softened butter
2/3 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup strawberry drink mix (Nestle' Quick for milk)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

For glaze
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 t. shortening

For frosting
1/3 c. softened butter
2 T. strawberry drink mix (same as above)
1/8 t. salt
3 c. powdered sugar
3 - 5 T. milk

I did not use this frosting recipe.  I used a more standard butter cream and tinted it pink, because I was afraid that the Nestle Strawberry Quick in the frosting might be overkill, but I could easily be wrong.

I creamed the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, and then added the egg and lemon juice. 


Then I mixed all of the dry ingredients together...




...and lo and behold!  The dough was pink!


I chilled it overnight, and then rolled it out the next morning.  It was very easy dough to work with and cut with cookie cutters.  The dough even held onto the cookie cutter for transferring to the parchment lined cookie sheet, if you know what I mean.
On rolling surface....
On cookie sheet!  (Easy, schmeezy!)

I baked them at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes and then let them cool on the parchment paper.  I cut big ones...
...and I cut little ones...
...plus one round quality taste test one from the last of the dough that you see in the lower corner.  G was my quality taste tester sometime during the day on Monday.  He approved.

Then Monday evening I melted up the glaze in the microwave and dipped the little ones and glazed the big ones.  Only I ran out of the chocolate glaze, so I melted some white chocolate and glazed four with that.

I also had one broken heart.  And if you look closely you will see glimpses of Cookie # 1B...

I let the glaze harden and then I add the finishing touches of pink butter cream.
These make me smile all over again just looking at them.  Can we say Happy Valentine's Day early?

I packed them up with Cookie # 1B (again only glimpses until Friday!) and took them into work on Tuesday instead of Thursday since I won't be in that office on Thursday.  Hence we have Baking Friday - Cookie # 1A on Wednesday instead of What's for Dinner Julia? (of Helen?) on Wednesday.
Are you confused again?  Need another cookie?

Good!  Come back on Friday for Cookie # 1B!  Those taste even better than these!

Seeya then!

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