With the 2015 Kandiyohi County Fair drawing to a close, the Blue Ribbon winning “Cabin Cookies” cookie jar has entered into the Pantheon of Cookie Jar Champions.
Sleep well, all is right in the world.
All posts by Dave Paulsen
Thank You, Old Friend
Since the theme of my County Fair cookie jar was “Cabin Cookies,” I figured it would be appropriate to bake half of my cookies at the cabin.
Getting ready to prepare my first batch of dough, I entered the kitchen and remembered that my amazing KitchenAid mixer was back at home. A man without his mixer. Sad.
Then I saw an old friend, my old Sunbeam Mixmaster that I had replaced with the KitchenAid. The same Sunbeam mixer that I had brought up to the cabin. The same Sunbeam that had prepared so many cookies for me. The same Sunbeam, whose name “Mixmaster” still brings a smile to my face. Unfortunately, the same Sunbeam that probably felt somewhat scorned. Replaced. Awkward moment.
Me, “Hello, you. It’s been a long time.”
Sunbeam, “Yes. Yes, it has.”
Me, “What do you say we make a few more cookies together?”
Sunbeam, “What? Has the KitchenAid left you for a professional baker? I hear she whisks a mean meringue.” (Ouch!)
Me, “Well, you see, I need you. We were a great team. Plus, now that you are the official ‘Cabin Mixer’ it seems so right. By the way, you look great. Have you been working out?”
Sunbeam, “Don’t try to butter me up. You had me at ‘hello.’”
The Mixmaster and I. One last spin. By the way, “Nice hair, Paulsen. It’s called a comb, use one.”
Well, needless to say, we made beautiful cookies together. The Mixmaster and Cookie Dave. Together again for one last championship. It felt so right. Oh and by the way, please don’t tell my KitchenAid.
Oh and one more thing, I got to hold this adorable little biscotti cookie dough baby. Cute and tasty, too. Please, just don’t tell the KitchenAid.
A Cookie Dynasty
Are we witnessing a cookie dynasty? You be the judge.
2007 – Sedgwick County (Kansas) Fair… 1st Place
2008 – Sedgwick County Fair… 1st Place
2010 – Kansas State Fair… 2nd Place
2012 – “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie”… my cookie cookbook (available for free download at www.CookiesbyDave.com)
2012 – Kandiyohi County (Minnesota) Fair… 1st Place Tie
2012 – Mord’s Hardware Christmas Cutout Cookie Contest… 1st Place
2013 – Kandiyohi County Fair… 1st Place
2014 – Raymond (Minnesota) Harvest Festival Cookie Baking Contest at the Kitty Corner Cafe… 1st Place (Barley Chocolate Chip Cookies)
September 4, 2014 – The launch of www.CookiesbyDave.com… The Internet has never been the same
2014 – Kay’s Naturals Holiday Cookie Contest… 1st Place (Candy Cane Biscotti)
Spring 2015 – “Charlene Cookies” a.k.a. Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies unveiled at Cornerstone Coffee (Willmar, Minnesota)… Charlene’s favorite “Cookie by Dave” baked fresh daily
Summer 2015 – “Blog as Art” featured at The Goodness Coffee House (Willmar, Minnesota)… “Cookies by Dave” taken to an artistic new level (Cookies + Blog = Art)
Yesterday – Kandiyohi County Fair… 1st Place
Coming Very Soon – My 25,000th cookie!
www.CookiesbyDave.com – Oh yeah, it’s all that.
Mission Accomplished
Out of my Hands – Cookies of the Week (08/02/15)
Now that my County Fair cookie medley is in the judges’ hands, here are the recipes for my “Cabin Cookies.” Enjoy!
CABIN COOKIES
First Row (left to right)
1) Girl Scout Thin Mint Brownies
2) Madeleine Shells – page 65 of my cookie cookbook, “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie”
3) S’mores Brownie – page 54 of “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie” (although never recommended for placement within a cookie jar, because the marshmallow cream never fully sets)
Second Row
4) Worm Cookie
5) Sparkler Cookie – recipe below
6) “Sand” bakkels, plus some powdered sugar, milk, and food coloring for the filling
Second and a Half Row
7) Nutmeg Log – recipe below
Third Row
8) Morning Coffee Biscotti – page 68 of “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie” (my only recommendation is to increase the amount of flour to 4 1/2 – 5 cups, which will make the dough much easier to handle)
9) Fruity “Pebbles on the Beach” Cookie – page 53 of “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie”
Shown Individually (I accidently gave them all away, prior to the group picture)
10) Not a Meringue Cloud in the Sky Cookie
12) Boys of Summer Baseball Cookie
and before the final recipes… for your viewing enjoyment… here’s a five photo tribute to the “Cabin Cookies” jar…
Cabin Cookies
The Loon
The Fish
The Campfire
The Lakes
Now for the remaining recipes “as found below”…
SPARKLER COOKIES
“These melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies just say ‘Summer.'”
1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg
3/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 cups Flour
Red Colored Sugar
Blue Colored Sugar
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix in egg and vanilla extract.
Mix in flour.
Take half of the dough and shape it into a 8 inch square on a plastic wrap covered surface.
Sprinkle lines of colored sugar over the entire square of dough, alternating between red and blue sugar.
Using the plastic wrap, “roll” the dough into a cylinder shape. Use the plastic wrap to cover the dough.
Repeat for the other half of dough.
Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut dough into 1/4 inch wide slices.
Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Revised Source: “Sparkler Cookies” recipe in Relish Magazine and at relish.com.
NUTMEG LOGS
“Although I like this cookie and it’s taste, I would recommend making brown frosting, instead of the original red, in order to give the cookies more a ‘log-like’ appearance.”
Cookie Ingredients
1 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
2 teaspoons Rum Extract
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Frosting Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Rum Extract
Brown Food Coloring
Chocolate Sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix in the vanilla, egg, and rum extract.
Mix in the flour and nutmeg.
Roll dough into 3 inch long and 1/2 inch wide “logs.”
Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Let cool completely, prior to frosting.
For frosting, cream together butter and powdered sugar.
Mix in vanilla, milk, rum extract, and food coloring.
Spread frosting onto cooled cookies and top with chocolate sprinkles.
Makes about 24 cookie logs.
Revised Source: “Nutmeg Cookie Logs” recipe on allrecipes.com.
It is Finished – A Summer Short Post
…and the cookie baking warrior rests.
1 day to go until the Kandiyohi County Fair.
Thanks, I Needed That
In a recent post (“I Needed Those”), I wrote about how losing a few pounds leaves me in constant fear of having my trunks fall off, while swimming.
Apparently, my wife shares that same concern, because recently she handed me two new swimsuits. The first one perfectly fits my new size, thereby eliminating the fear of losing my trunks, while swimming. The second pair is too small for me to fit into. Sure, my ideal weight would have me fitting into swimsuit number two, but I am still a ways away from that size.
Explaining her purchase of the tinier swimsuit, Charlene explained first that there was a sale and second, she added with a loving smile, it was “because I believe in you.”
Yep, my wife “believes in me,” several pounds still to lose while dieting and all. Honey, thank you, I needed that. That and another bottle of a somewhat questionable zero calorie fruit flavored beverage.
Happy Just Seeing Her – A Summer Short Post
Somedays, all I need is just to see her. My beautiful, smart, and caring wife, somedays just seeing her makes me smile.
I Needed Those – A Summer Short Post
Losing a few pounds has lots of benefits and as I discovered one major disadvantage. Wearing a swimsuit one size too large lends itself to the accidental near skinny dip. Never a good thing.
By the way, it’s okay to open your mind’s eye once again. Sorry about that.
Cookie Game Face
Hands covered with paint and a freshly decorated cookie jar resting on the kitchen counter.
Cookbooks scattered about, as final cookie roster preparations are made.
This is how cookie champions are made. This is how you take home the Blue Ribbon. This is what it takes to be the best, because the competition does not sleep.
Kandiyohi County Fair… 5 days and counting.
Man. Mixer. Mission.