Having started my winter break only a little over a week ago, I haven't had a lot of time to bake yet. Here's what I've been able to enjoy so far:
NYT Magazine Cookies
My mom pulled a couple of pages from the NYT Magazine (12/18/11) that has the most perfect cookie dough recipe, along with lots of alternatives for what to do with the dough. Variations on frosted cookies, thumbprints, sandwich cookies, and cookie bars were included in the article, and some notable combinations were lemon curd thumbprint cookies, mocha sandwich cookies, and butterscotch and cayenne cookie bars.
I ended up making three kinds of cookies to send to friends for the holidays--traditional raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, dark chocolate and sea salt thumbprint cookies, and mocha sandwich cookies. The dough was easy to make, and the flavor combinations were delicious. I highly recommend this recipe!
Abigail's Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart
I think I could call this the best dessert I have ever had. That's really saying something, because (as many of you know) I enjoy a lot of dessert. I went to Abigail's with my family tonight and enjoyed a lovely dinner. Their butternut squash soup was to die for! After dinner I convinced my dad to split this tart with me, as we are both chocolate and peanut butter fanatics, and I'm grateful I did. It was extremely rich but oh so delicious.
Although the dessert is called a mousse tart, it was extremely dense. It was circular with a chocolate crust and what seemed to be a layer of ganache. The peanut butter filling was extremely rich, and its saltiness was complemented nicely by the chocolate in the crust and top. It was garnished with peanut brittle and accompanied by banana ice cream, which cut the sweetness and saltiness of the tart.
My goodness, was it delicious. Sharing it with my dad was a smart move, because even though it was fantastic, it was too rich and dense for one person alone. My brother got the sticky-toffee pudding cake, which was delicious but not as photogenic as my tart. The dessert menu at Abigail's is very creative; I love the different headings! Be sure to check it out here, and be sure to note the photo of the sticky toffee pudding cake.
I'm looking forward to all of the baking adventures 2012 will have to offer!
