Out with a crunch and a chew

Well friends, my trusty toaster oven and I have reached our creative limits. And so, in what is becoming an annual event, the Casual Baker is officially on hiatus.

Tune in this summer for a new set of culinary adventures. If all goes as planned, we'll have bid adieu to Paris, hop-scotched our way through southeast Asia, trekked across Spain and landed in a new Canadian city to start all over again.

In the meantime, I leave you with the crunchiest, chewiest (yes, it's true!) oatmeal raisin cookies you've ever tasted. Before the chocolate lovers leave the room, take a quick scroll down the ingredients list. Thanks to R., you won't be disappointed.

Oatmeal Raisin Crunchy Chews

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons golden syrup (I used Roger's)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, heaping
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oats, old fashioned
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and golden syrup and blend. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for several minutes.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the oats, raisins and chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

A lesson in genetics

What do you get when you cross a Gingerbread Man...



...with a Caramel Cream Cookiewich?



Stir in some raspberry jam and I'd say you have a star.



Gingerbread Cookiewich with Raspberry Cream

Cookie:
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2+ teaspoons ginger
1+ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the molasses to boiling in the microwave and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium heatproof bowl, cream the shortening. Pour the heated molasses on top and mix well.

In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the molasses and shortening mixture and mix well. Roll dough into a ball and chill for 1 hour or more.

Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and carefully transfer cookies to cookie sheets. The cookies will rise slightly but not a lot, so they can be placed fairly close together.

Bake for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons milk

raspberry jam (to taste and consistency)

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until light golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in remaining frosting ingredients. Blend until smooth. Stir in raspberry jam until you reach the desired taste and spreading consistency, adding extra icing sugar or milk if necessary.

Into 2008 on a cloud of sugar

Here I come skulking into the new year, hoping no one will notice my late arrival.

We spent a lovely four days in Lyon, France after Christmas. Here's a glimpse of the breakfast from Bernachon that carried me out of 2007 and into 2008 on a cloud of sugar (a veritable Lyonnaise specialty and the only time I've ever seen fluorescent pink in France).



Any guesses?