Reclaiming Your Childhood, Tuesday, Period [11/25]

[atreideslioness]

Today, students had been handwavily summoned to the kitchen area of the cafeteria, where they would find both Ghanima and Trebor waiting for them, and supply stations set-up in the space.

Trebor, for his part, seemed very happy to be back with his mother.

"Holidays often involve baking," Ghanima began cheerfully, Trebor perched on her hip as she held him in one place with one arm. "Many people have fond memories of baking with family when they are young... or the movies have lied to me again."

"Today, we have two baking options: Peanut Butter Blossoms, which I have been informed are fairly easy to make, and a slightly more complex option, the Linzer cookies."

"Even -- especially -- if you do not celebrate any of the upcoming holidays, everyone deserves something sweet."

She gestured with her free hand to the pile of aprons laying on one table, grinning. "Chefs, grab your armor! I have been assured that the cafeteria has faced far more fearsome foes than us, so let's get cooking."

Comments

Let's Bake!

[atreideslioness]

"Today, you can make one, or both, of these cookies, depending on how you use your time," Ghanima said.

"Our first option are the Peanut Butter Blossoms," she continued, gesturing to a number of stations filled with the items needed for that particular treat. "It's four 'easy' steps, or so I have been assured."

She set Trebor down and rolled up her sleeves, stepping to a station with everything she needed for that particular cookie. "First things first, we will combine the wet ingredients – cream together the butter and sugars, then stir in the peanut butter. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until well combined."

"Then add the dry – Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed," she continued, demonstrating.

"Chill and roll – Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, then scoop into 2 teaspoon-sized balls. Roll the dough through sugar before placing on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Trebor?"

Giggling, Trebor went to the refrigerator and brought out a tray of pre-made dough, which he handed off to his mother, who placed it on the counter. Ghanima helped up up on to a stool, so he could try rolling the balls himself. "Yes, just like that," she said, stifling a laugh at his lopsided attempts. "Lovely, dearest."

"Finally, bake the cookies for 8 minutes at 375F. Remove from oven and add Hershey kisses to the centers," she concluded. "Let cool completely on the baking sheet before eating, or you may regret it."

"Now, the linzer cookies are a bit more complicated," she continued, keeping half-an-eye on Trebor as he kept playing with his cookie dough. "About fifteen or sixteen steps, to the four of the blossoms, for those of you who want a challenge."

"When making the dough, we start with the dry ingredients," Ghanima said, moving to the next station, which had the ingredients for the other cookies set-out. "In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. Then in a medium bowl, mix the almond meal with ¼ cup of the brown sugar. Be sure to break up any clumps! Now, set that aside as well."

"Next, you'll get into working with the butter and sugar. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and the remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar until incorporated. This mixture won’t get light and fluffy, so don't expect that -- there is too much butter to sugar for that sort of texture," she said.

"Now, you'll want to add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated; no lumps, no odd textures, and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is fully incorporated," she said. "Because next we're going to incorporate almond mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the ground almond mixture until fully incorporated."

"Finish dough gently, don't be too rough with it. Add the flour mixture in several additions, not all at once. Mix until just combined, and be careful not to overmix."

"Then it's time to put it in the refrigerator to chill until firm. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk and wrap it securely in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, which will take at least 2 hours, or overnight." She smiled at the class. "I have gotten assurances your dough will be left alone, and you can come back tomorrow to finish your baking."

"Alternately, you can roll the freshly made dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8th inch thick, still refrigerated for 2 hours or overnight. This allows the gluten to relax and the butter to re-solidify."

"Once your dough is ready, you can prep to roll. Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Allow the disks to warm up on the counter until they are still firm but not soft."

"If you rolled the dough between parchment, you can skip this next step... roll out dough. Dust your work surface lightly with bench flour. Roll out each piece of dough to as close to a ⅛-inch thickness as possible. Rolling the dough too thin will result in crunchy cookies that don’t soften nicely once assembled."

"Now, regardless of how you prepped your dough, it's time to cut the dough with your cookie cutter of choice, and place on a prepared baking sheet. Space the cut pieces of dough one inch apart. Use a smaller cookie cutter, or a paring knife to cut out the centers of half the pieces. Keep your scraps, because you can -- and should! -- re-roll them!"

"Now, if you used parchment paper, remove it from both sides, but leave it in place to cut. Releasing the dough from the parchment will make the cutting and transferring easier, especially once the dough warms up."

"Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. You want to bake until the edges begin to brown, the centers puff slightly, and have small cracks on the surface. I recommend about eight minutes."

"Cool the cookies slightly on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, dust them generously with powdered sugar.

"Finally, it's time to jam! Spread about ¾ teaspoon of preserves on the flat side of each bottom. Spread the preserves until they almost reach the edges and sandwich cookies. Place a powdered top on each bottom and press gently to stick them together. You can begin enjoying them immediately, but they continue to improve with time. Let them set for an hour or two in an airtight container at room temperature to let them settle."

She smiled, and made a shoo-ing motion with her hands. "Get to work!"