Behold the power of the KitchenAid
Sometimes, there are things that you want that you'll buy for yourself. Sometimes, there are things that you want, really, really want, but you will never, ever buy for yourself for some strange, inexplicable reason. For me, the "really want" things are usually kitchen items. This is pretty strange, given how much I like to play around in the kitchen - one would think that I would easily buy more kitchen items without a second thought. I guess I've gotten so used to the work arounds, though, that I tell myself I don't need "insert gadget here."
Last year's Hanukkah gift to me from the rest of my lovely immediate family was a KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer. I have had this item on my gift list for easily the past 6 years, but with all the moving around I was doing, it never seemed like the right time to get one. And now that I have one? I don't know how I lived life without it!
For the first month of ownership, it sat in the box - I'll admit I was a little intimidated by the thought of using it. That changed MLK Jr. weekend when, on a run, I was inspired to go home and try to make bread with it - just dive right in. And that's what I did - made challah - which was not the best challah I've ever had in my life, but once I saw how easy the machine handled the kneading, I was sold. The machine was absolutely instrumental in the preparations for last weekend's tapas feast. And today, I made some pretty outrageous potato chip cookies with it.
I fully understand that any arm strength I derived from kneading, mixing, etc, is now going to completely disappear. I actually do like kneading bread, so I imagine that I may not always use the bread hook for this. I do find creaming butter and sugar rather tedious, though - so the presence of the KitchenAid may mean more cookies in this house. Which may lead to more running....it's a vicious cycle :-)
Oh, you want to know about the cookies? Imagine a shortbread cookie with ground-up potato chips as an ingredient, and a salt/crushed potato chip mix on top. The only way these things could be improved is by dipping them in chocolate. It would be a shortbread Widman's potato chip cookie. I'm sure glad most of these will get devoured at a party I'm going to tomorrow!
The recipe source is one of my favorite (and unhealthy, I might add.....) food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Do go and check her blog out!
Potato Chip Cookies
Adapted from Emeril
I’ve included two “finish” options - one is the potato-and-sea-salt flakes you see on my cookies and the other is the chocolate dip I wished I had time for. I was thinking of these as an either/or finish, but I see no reason why both cannot be use. That said, I’m pretty sure the chocolate would steal the show.
Cookie
1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt (optional, see note above)
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
Potato chip salt finish (optional)
1 tablespoon crushed potato chips
1 1/2 teaspoons flaked sea salt
Chocolate dip finish (optional)
4 ounces (115 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon butter, canola oil or vegetable shortening
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar until lightly and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and table salt, if using, until smooth. Add the pecans, 1/2 cup crushed potato chips and flour together and mix until just combined.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoon-sized mound of dough and form it into a small ball with the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the remaining sugar until coated. Place on prepared baking sheet and using the bottom of a drinking glass (or, in my case, a kitchen tool I’m unhealthily obsessed with) to slightly flatten the cookies. Cookies only need to be an inch apart; they only spread a little. Sprinkle with a few flakes of the potato chip salt, if using. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies until lightly golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cool on a wire rack.
If dipping in chocolate, melt chocolate with butter, oil or shortening in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each fully cooled cookie in the chocolate, and let dry and harden on a wire rack.
Last year's Hanukkah gift to me from the rest of my lovely immediate family was a KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer. I have had this item on my gift list for easily the past 6 years, but with all the moving around I was doing, it never seemed like the right time to get one. And now that I have one? I don't know how I lived life without it!
For the first month of ownership, it sat in the box - I'll admit I was a little intimidated by the thought of using it. That changed MLK Jr. weekend when, on a run, I was inspired to go home and try to make bread with it - just dive right in. And that's what I did - made challah - which was not the best challah I've ever had in my life, but once I saw how easy the machine handled the kneading, I was sold. The machine was absolutely instrumental in the preparations for last weekend's tapas feast. And today, I made some pretty outrageous potato chip cookies with it.
I fully understand that any arm strength I derived from kneading, mixing, etc, is now going to completely disappear. I actually do like kneading bread, so I imagine that I may not always use the bread hook for this. I do find creaming butter and sugar rather tedious, though - so the presence of the KitchenAid may mean more cookies in this house. Which may lead to more running....it's a vicious cycle :-)
Oh, you want to know about the cookies? Imagine a shortbread cookie with ground-up potato chips as an ingredient, and a salt/crushed potato chip mix on top. The only way these things could be improved is by dipping them in chocolate. It would be a shortbread Widman's potato chip cookie. I'm sure glad most of these will get devoured at a party I'm going to tomorrow!
The recipe source is one of my favorite (and unhealthy, I might add.....) food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Do go and check her blog out!
Potato Chip Cookies
Adapted from Emeril
I’ve included two “finish” options - one is the potato-and-sea-salt flakes you see on my cookies and the other is the chocolate dip I wished I had time for. I was thinking of these as an either/or finish, but I see no reason why both cannot be use. That said, I’m pretty sure the chocolate would steal the show.
Cookie
1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt (optional, see note above)
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
Potato chip salt finish (optional)
1 tablespoon crushed potato chips
1 1/2 teaspoons flaked sea salt
Chocolate dip finish (optional)
4 ounces (115 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon butter, canola oil or vegetable shortening
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar until lightly and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and table salt, if using, until smooth. Add the pecans, 1/2 cup crushed potato chips and flour together and mix until just combined.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoon-sized mound of dough and form it into a small ball with the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the remaining sugar until coated. Place on prepared baking sheet and using the bottom of a drinking glass (or, in my case, a kitchen tool I’m unhealthily obsessed with) to slightly flatten the cookies. Cookies only need to be an inch apart; they only spread a little. Sprinkle with a few flakes of the potato chip salt, if using. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies until lightly golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cool on a wire rack.
If dipping in chocolate, melt chocolate with butter, oil or shortening in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each fully cooled cookie in the chocolate, and let dry and harden on a wire rack.