Traditions

So it's tradition that the bride and groom eat the top layer of their wedding cake on their first anniversary. It's for good luck, I think. I'm not sure of the origin of this one, but I do know that Dan and I felt somewhat guilty when we realized that our wedding cake was in the freezer in Wilmington for our May 19 anniversary, while we would still be in Oxford until August. (If we've had worse luck, we haven't noticed.) Another tradition I never understood: The need for the groom to smear the first bite of wedding cake on the bride's face while she is decked out in very expensive silk. And I can assure you that whoever developed this tradition never expected the wedding cake to be chocolate. (I think this means I'm a tramp, but oh well. That cake was damn good.) So imagine my sheer joy when, a few months late, Dan and I celebrated our anniversary by eating our thawed wedding cake layer, recreating that wonderful chocolatey moment on our wedding day.

Blueberry Almond Cookies

So I'm still on my blueberry kick. It's lasted months now! I guess that's better than last year's doughnut kick, but I don't know what I'll do when my farmer's market blueberries that I froze run out! I'm one recipe away--and frozen ones in the grocery store are astronomical. Maybe I'll really have to eat seasonally--practice what I preach. Or think about preaching. Does chatting about Barbara Kingsolver and Deborah Madison with people who already agree with me over wine count as preaching? 

I've made these cookies several times now. They are unusual--the reason for my initial attraction--and more like muffins or cakes than cookies. The texture reminds me of those soft, iced cookies you get in the plastic packages at Wal-Mart--you know the ones, and you know you love them, too--and the taste is remarkably complex, and not cloyingly sweet. Blueberries, toasted almonds, lemon zest--tart, fresh, warm cookies that are at the same time the essence of summer and a transition into fall.

They are also difficult to screw up. As long as you remember to let that butter get soft and cream it until it is really light and fluffy and you can no longer hear the scrape of sugar on the sides of the mixing bowl, you should be fine. The first time I made these, I realized I had no lemons--I'll tell you, lime zest makes them even more summery. So as Ellie wrote in her fig tart blog post, sometimes recipes change. Sometimes you change them. (Or, had I really wanted those lemons, sometimes you make a Wal-Mart run in the middle of a recipe.) Also, do be sure to let the batter sit in the fridge for at least half-an-hour while the oven preheats--this way, they stay fluffy instead of flattening out because the butter in the batter is too soft.

Remember that despite the fact that this recipe ends up looking like blueberry muffin tops, it uses the creaming, rather than the muffin, method of mixing. Rather than gently folding the wet ingredients into the dry, you quickly and thoroughly beat the dry into the wet using a hand or standing mixer.

But baking methods aside, these are fabulous, if not a bit surprising, cookies.

Almond Blueberry Cookies

(adapted from Everyday Italian)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temp. (really soft)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1/2-1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted

1 cup frozen blueberries, mostly thawed

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another medium bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar (use a hand mixer if you're not using a standing mixer). Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add milk, almond extract, and lemon zest and juice. Beat until all ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the almonds, then gently fold in the blueberries. If using a mixer, use it through dry ingredients, then fold in the almonds and blueberries with a spatula--gently, so you don't turn the batter purple.

4. Chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Using two small spoons or a disher, scoop batter onto cookie sheets. (Use either good nonstick baking sheets or a silpat or parchment paper.) Bake until just golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. 

6. Cool cookies on a wire rack. When serving, try not to stack them--they will stick together. Not that this is a bad thing, just not a pretty one.

Addendum

I've decided to expand the scope of my blog just a bit. I'll keep including plenty of recipes, but sometimes I just want to write about food when I haven't had time to bake--in fact, that's usually when I most want to talk food. I've been reading some great food lit. during the last week at the beach, I've eaten at some wonderful restaurants here in Wilmington, and I have had some amazing drinks--most made up by my wonderful husband, the amateur mixologist. I want to share this with y'all, and I haven't really given myself room to do that with my current baking blog. So from now on, you'll find posts about drinks, savory recipes, and of course, my favorite baked goods. You'll also find stuff about books I've been reading that deal with food topics--some food lit., some regular books that have a lot to say about food practices (see Ellie's post on food books--she cites Katie Rawson's Faulkner paper, which is awesome! Just like Katie.). I hope you like the new format! Let me know!

Here's a great drink recipe--no picture, since it looks just like a glass of water (and thus the basis of its appeal):

The Blueberry Muffin (so named by the Mormon Mama herself)

Fill a glass with ice and add:
1 part blueberry vodka (Stoli is great)
2 parts water
A few squeezes of lemon juice (and some sweet and sour mix--I've seen some bartenders do this, though I don't at home)

Let it sit for five minutes after stirring--if you drink it right away it won't taste balanced. Be patient. It's that good.