Rant: Snickerdoodle, The Best Cookie In The World!

What is the Best Cookie in the world? It has to be the Snickerdoodle. And no matter what contender you wish to put forth, it will lose. Snickerdoodles reign supreme!

Well, that is all actually hyperbole. I couldn't say what was the Best Cookie unless I had tasted all of the possible options. And in this matter, "Best" is really a subjective term. How do you compare different cookies to determine which is better? There are no objective guidelines and it all comes down to personal preference. The same applies to all foods, so I'm not a huge fan of "Best" compilations because they don't really judge what they say they do. Such lists are based on the personal preferences and biases of those who compose the lists.

However, I am a big fan of Snickerdoodles. The origins of this cookie are ambiguous, with some believing it has a German or Dutch origin, and others believing it originated in New England. It is alleged that the oldest known recipes date back to New England in 1889. In The Home-Maker, Vol.2, April to September 1889, an illustrated monthly magazine edited by Marion Harland, there is a section labeled "Choice Recipes" and you'll find a Snickerdoodles recipe. The ingredients include 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of milk, 3 cups of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls cream tartar, 1 teaspoonful soda, and 1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

I also found a 1891 reference in the Morning Journal and Courier (Connecticut), August 28, 1891. It provided a recipe for Snickerdoodles that included the following ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 3 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 level teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3 teaspoons powdered sugar. Note that this recipe didn't include cream of tartar. The Plymouth Tribune (Indiana), November 28, 1901 provided another recipe, but it did include cream of tartar. The article also stated, "Snickerdoodles is the somewhat fantastic name of quickly made little cakes especially dear to the children's heart."

The use of cream of tartar helps to differentiate the Snickerdoodle from a basic Sugar cookie. This ingredient helps make the Snickerdoodle more chewy, rather than crunchy like most Sugar cookies. In addition, it provides a certain tangy flavor to the Snickerdoodle.

Locally, my favorite Snickerdoodles are made by the Quebrada Baking Co., with locations in Arlington, Belmont and Wellesley. I've tasted them from all three locations and they have been of equal quality. Their Snickerdoodles have a slightly crunchy perimeter with a soft and chewy interior., and just a perfect dusting of sugar and cinnamon on top. Each bite of such a cookie is pure bliss to me. I enjoyed some last week as my travels took me to Belmont.

So, Snickerdoodles might not be the Best cookie in the world, but they are certainly one of the best. And I highly recommend you check out the Snickerdoodles at Quebrada to sample what I think are the best I've ever tasted. Have you tasted their Snickerdoodles? If so, what do you think?

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) Annually on the first Thursday of December since 2010, The Cheese Shop of Concord has taken delivery of a gigantic wheel of Crucolo cheese, imported from a tiny hill town in northern Italy. And each year, the festivities surrounding the cheese’s arrival in town have grown to include more and more segments of the town’s population. From students to selectmen; from merchants to the merely curious. But one thing is certain: No one can resist a cheese parade.

Beginning at 3:30 PM on Thursday, December 1, at the intersection of Main and Walden streets in this historic town’s center, the colorful and boisterous parade provides Concord and its visitors with a half hour of old fashioned fun and unity. A team of draft horses and a cart haul the cheese down the street, accompanied by the blare of brass instruments and scores of high-spirited dancers from nearby Concord Academy, while the crowd cheers and waves Italian flags.

After a brief round of speeches, the cheese is ceremoniously halved and quartered on a raised stage for all to watch, and is sampled among the crowd. Amazingly, the cheese – a mild asiago fresco made from cow’s milk -- is sold by the pound and generally sells out in less than 14 days.

2) Parsnip Restaurant and Lounge, located in the heart of Harvard Square, is now offering Brunch every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The brunch menu offers a variety of entrees, side plates, and libations drawing inspiration from classic American dishes as well as European influences.

Although subject to change, Executive Chef Peter Quinion’s brunch menu includes:

Fruits and Grains
House granola with natural yogurt & fruit compote

Grapefruit Brûlée, avocado & mint
Parsnip fresh fruit salad with rose & lime syrup
Eggs
Poached, fried, or scrambled on toast
Eggs benedict on an English muffin with country ham & Hollandaise sauce
Fried egg, avocado, Parmesan on wheat toast
Entrées
Kedgeree, smoked haddock, curried rice & egg
Potato griddle cake, cured salmon, guacamole & spiced tomato chutney
Braised short rib with polenta & gremolata
Chicken & waffles, slaw, honey hot sauce
French toast brioche, fruit compote
Sides
Home fries with garlic & rosemary

Kale sprouts, chili flakes, preserved lemon

Fried potato-brussels sprout cake 

Applewood smoked bacon
Assorted pastry selection
Something sweet
Bread pudding with butterscotch & whipped cream

Flourless chocolate torte with coffee crumble and mascarpone

Poached pear

For Reservations, please call (617) 714-3206

3) Chef/Owner Andy Husbands and the rest of the team at The Smoke Shop celebrate those who have served or are serving in the US Armed Forces this Veteran’s Day. Chef Husbands invites U.S. military personnel past and present to indulge in American-Inspired, quality Q from the Smoke Shop’s Take Out Menu for 50% off in celebration of Veteran’s Day 2016.

On Friday, November 11, from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., veterans can indulge in Traditional BBQ Combos featuring a variety of all-American classic sandwiches like Pulled Pork and Brisket or New Style Q Combos featuring fresh takes on BBQ staples including The Brisket (Korean vinaigrette, kimchi, Gochujang Ranch) and the Pulled Pork BLC (Smoke Shop bacon, romaine lettuce, pepper jack cheese, mayo). Each combo includes a choice of one Side including options like The Corn Bread (honey sea salt butter) and Bacon Collards. Decadent Desserts like Kenny’s Butter Cake, Rainbow Treats, A Taste of Somerville S’mores, and Butter Cake Crack are also available.

The Veteran’s Day Take Out Special is valid for orders up to $100. Take Out orders may be placed by calling 617-577-7427 or visiting The Smoke Shop at 1 Kendall Sq. Cambridge.

4) Royal Sonesta Boston unwrapped today its Holiday Events, and topping the list are Creative Culinary Cookie Classes and Breakfast with Santa. Known for its holiday spirit and sparkling decorations, Royal Sonesta Boston is welcoming children to the kitchen to create holiday cookies and to the Grand Ballroom to have breakfast with Santa. Reservations are required.

Delicious meets adorable at these Holiday Cookie Classes. Come and bake holiday cookies with Royal Sonesta Boston’s Executive Pastry Chef, Christina Allen-Flores. Price includes a cocktail for adults and hot apple cider and a take-away treat for kids. These cooking classes sell out, so please book early. Two dates are offered: December 4 and 11. Classes are designed for a child accompanied by an adult.

Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Price: Adults: $30 | Children: $25
Tickets: https://royalsonestaboston_cookieclasses.eventbrite.com

A favorite holiday tradition is Breakfast with Santa at Royal Sonesta Boston. Children of all ages are welcome. This special morning includes a seasonal brunch, holiday cookie crafts and a dramatic reading of the Night Before Christmas by Santa himself. Children will meet Santa and take home a special gift. Each child is invited to share the magic of the season by donating a small, unwrapped gift to benefit Toys for Tots. This event sells out. Reservations are required.

Dates: December 17 and 18
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Price: Adults: $45 | Children: $25 | 3 & Under: Free
Tickets: Dec. 17: https://royalsonestaboston_breakfastwithsanta12_17.eventbrite.com
Dec. 18:https://royalsonestaboston_breakfastwithsanta12_18.eventbrite.com

*Royal Sonesta Boston is pleased to share that this year the Breakfast with Santa ticket price includes complimentary admission and skating rentals at Community Ice Skating Rink at Kendall Square.

The Girls Scouts Present: Cookie Creations

Who doesn't love some variety of Girl Scout Cookies? My two favorites are the Thin Mints and Samoas. I can't help but buy some boxes each year when the cookie drive rolls through. Thus, I was especially interested in the Cookie Creations event, an annual fundraiser where local chefs would create desserts based on Girl Scout cookies.

This year, the Boston event was held at the Fairmont Copley and the chef's included Matthew Gaudet of Aquitaine, Rachel Klein of Aura Restaurant, Jens Retlev of Au Bon Pain, Sara Ross of Kickass Cupcakes, Chef of Locke-Ober, Kat Craddock of Tremont 647, and Armand Toutaint of Turner Fisheries.

Attendees got to taste all of the desserts, as well as vote for their favorite. There were also two judges who would choose their own favorite: TV Diner’s Jenny Johnson and Mix 104.1 Morning Show host Kennedy. Besides the delicious desserts, there were raffles, a silent auction and a bar.

As you entered the event, there was actually a long table of vegetables, cheeses, crackers, and more. A nice assortment of more savory items to precede your decadent line-up of desserts. They could also act as a palate cleanser between desserts so you did not get a sugar overload.

At the bar, you could order a variety of beers, wines and cocktails and I selected the Thin Mint Martini ($13). It is made from vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, and creme de menthe, garnished with a thin mint. It was sweet, and tasted a bit like a thin mint, though more mint than chocolate flavors.

Locke Ober adopted a mysterious vibe, not placing their recipe in the event booklet. They wanted to surprise the attendees and they certainly accomplished that, taking a different route by going savory. You wouldn't have expected to see a side of ribs next to all of the desserts. But that is what Locke Ober did, presenting a meaty rib, sprinkled with shortread cookie crumbs, and a side of grits. Though the grits and rib were delicious, I am not sure the cookie really added much except for a different texture. I would have liked to see the cookie integrated more into the sauce on the ribs.

Kickass Cupcakes presented their Caramel DeLites (also known as Samoas) Cupcakes. As Samoas are one of my favorites, I was hoping for good things from these cupcakes, and they did deliver. The interiors of each cupcake had gooey caramel and bits of the Samoa cookies. The cucpcakes were moist, and the buttercream frosting adding to the whole. These cupcakes did impress, and they were my second favorite dessert of the evening.

The Winner of the Crowd Favorite was Turner Fisheries and their Peanut Butter Terrines, which used Peanut Butter Sandwich and Shortbread cookies. Unfortunately, the peanut butter cookies are the only type of Girl Scout cookie I do not like, so I did not taste the Terrines. But, from the others near me, the people seemed to enjoy them, and the fact they won the Crowd Favorite shows their popularity. Peanut allergies anyone?

The Judges Favorite, as well as my own personal favorite were Aura's Layered Lemon Ice Box, which used Lemonades cookies. Chef Klein made pushpops out of this dessert, making them not only delicious but also fun to eat. There were layers of lemon curd, blueberries, ricotta and cookies. All of the flavors blended well together and the lemon did not overwhelm the rest. I had a few of these pushpops, and wanted to eat many more as well but I exercised restraint.

Overall, it was a fun event, for a good cause, and showcased some very creative chefs. You don't often get to enjoy so many desserts at one time. Congratulations to the winning chefs and I plan on attending the event again next year. If you can't resist Girl Scout cookies, then I recommend you check it out too.

Walters Handmade Honey Nougat

I have long been a fan of South African wines, from Chenin Blanc to Pinotage. But my experience with South African food has been very limited. But I have recently tasted a couple sweet treats from South Africa which delighted my palate and which will be sure to please my readers as well.

The Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose is now carrying several different food products from South Africa. I stopped by recently to buy some of these new items, including two treats produced by Walters Handmade Honey Nougat, a family-based company in South Africa.

In 1999, the Walters family moved to a new home, which they called Wedgewood, making it a venue for classical music concerts. Gilly Walters would prepare home-made food for the audiences and one of the most popular items was her Nougat. It was so popular that she began selling it at farmers' markets, and then eventually retail stores. The growth has continued and now it is a significant business, with additional products.

There are some limitations though. As their nougat is made by hand, the amount they can produce is limited to some degree. So, they have chosen to concentrate on making the highest quality product that they can. They select quality natural ingredients and do not use gelatine, preservatives, or artificial colors. They also aim to be environmentally and socially responsibe, and work towards creating a sustainable business.

The nougat currently comes in several different sizes and flavors, including: Macadamia, Almond, Pecan Nut, Black Cherry & Almond, and Cranberry & Almond. Too many of the nougats I have tasted in the past have been hard and overly sweet. So I was a bit leery about Walters nougat but Rebecca at Beacon Hill Wine then gave it her recommendation. So I gave the Macadamia Nougat a try and was extremely glad that I did.

The nougat is very soft, almost like a thick marshmallow in consistency. It has a distinctive honey flavor, but the sweetness is restrained and pleasing rather than cloying and overwhelming. There were plenty of pieces of Macadamia nuts in the nougats adding an interesting crunchy texture to the soft nougat, as well as adding a nutty flavor. It is simply one of the best nougats I have ever tasted and it gets my highest recommendation.

Besides the nougat, they also produce Angels Nougat Biscuits. These are shortbread biscuits, made with real butter, and containing crisp nougat chunks and nuts. The small cookies are big on flavor, with a strong buttery flavor. The nougat adds an intriguing taste to the cookie, though you get more of a crunch than you do with the nougat bars. It seems easy to eat cookie after cookie until the box is gone. These also get my recommendation.

If you enjoy sweets, then stop by the Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose and get some of Walters Handmade Honey Nougat and Angels Nougat Biscuits. Maybe you will see me there stopping up.

Girl Scouts’ Cookie Creations: Jan. 21 & 28

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts are presenting an intriguing event, Cookie Creations! The annual Girl Scout Cookie Creations fundraiser invites the area’s top chefs to use their famous Girl Scout cookies and whip-up a tasty dessert! This event will be held at two different locations, on two different evenings.

Eastern Massachusetts’ top chefs including Aquitaine’s Matthew Gaudet, Aura’s Rachel Klein, Au Bon Pain’s Jens Retlev, Cakes for Occasions’ Kelly Delaney, Hawthorne Hotel’s Steve Nelson , Kick*ss Cupcakes’ Somerville Sara Ross, Locke-Ober’s Lydia Shire, Old Town Bread Company’s Doug Morris, Tremont 647’s Kat Craddock and many more will design desserts for their respective event.

The desserts will be judged by New England Cable News’ TV Diner’s Jenny Johnson and Mix 104.1 Morning Show host Kennedy for the Boston event, and New England Cable News “Good Morning Live” co-host Karen Swensen and Colonel David L. Orr, Commander, 66th Air Base Wing, Hanscom Air Force Base for the Salem event.

Event attendees will have the opportunity to taste the delicious treats, mingle with local celebrities, network, participate in a fabulous raffle and help pick the crowd favorite!

Event #1: Thursday, January 21, from 6p.m. to 8p.m.
At the Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square, Salem

Event #2: Thursday, January 28 from 6p.m. to 8p.m.
At the Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Avenue, Boston

Cost: Tickets are $30 each or 2/$50. To purchase tickets, please visit www.girlscoutseasternmass.com, events@girlscoutseasternmass.org or call 857-453-5336.

Rant: Different Ovens, Different Pans

I don't cook that often but I do enjoy baking cookies during the holidays. I may spend a day making an assortment of cookies, eventually sharing them with family and friends. I am also proud of the results, and think I make a pretty good chocolate chip cookie which gets raves from others. But this year I was very disappointed that my chocolate chip cookies were a bit of a flop, nowhere near my usual quality level.

This year, I went over to my mom's place to bake cookies with her. I began by making my chocolate chip cookies and they came out overcooked, and did not spread out as they should. The main problem? A different oven and different pans.

You may not think much about how you grow used to your own oven and pans. You understand how they work, their quirks, and the best times to let your items bake. That probably took some initial trial and error. But once you understand them, the baking comes easy. With my own oven, I know best how to bake my cookies.

But when you use someone else's oven, it is like you have to start all over again. You have to learn that new oven's quirks and requirements. Your timing is off, and you must engage in more trial and error. And that is what I had to do. My chocolate chip cookies became an error which taught me about the new oven. So my later cookies came out better once I learned more about the oven. But the chocolate chip cookies were a loss.

A cautionary lesson for all of us. If you are using another's oven for your cooking, just remember that it may not produce your best work until you understand it.

Klara's Gourmet Cookies: Macaroons!

I love Coconut Macaroons! Yet not all coconut macaroons are created the same. They come in many different sizes, textures, and tastes. The macaroons pictured above are exceptional, some of the best I have ever had.

First, they are small and bite-sized, almost like a Dunkin' Donuts Munchkin. Second, they have a crisp, crunchy exterior that leads to a very moist interior, just the right balance of textures. And the taste is absolutely delicious, that rich coconut flavor that pleases the senses. They are addictive and you want to just pop one after another in your mouth, until you realize you have eaten a dozen or more. Plus, they have chocolate flavored ones which are equally as good.

Fortunately, these macaroons are locally available, though only for a limited time. But, there will be other ways to purchase these macaroons once they are not as readily available. For now, you should stop by the South End Open Market on Sundays.

While wandering the Market, seek out Klara's Gourmet Cookies for the macaroons, as well as other cookies. Klara Sotonova (pictured above) was born in Czechoslovakia and came to the U.S. when she was 19 years old, hoping to own her own business. She has accomplished that goal, relying on Czech baking traditions passed down from her grandmother to produce a variety of delicious cookies. Klara is very nice and personable, a small business-owner who deserves support.

Klara's store is located in Lee, which is near the border of New York so she certainly makes a long trek to the South End Market. Her cookies are available elsewhere, in stores in Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox, Pittsfield and Williamstown, but those are not local to the Boston area. So your main chance to get her cookies is at the Market.

She sells quite a diversity of cookies including Chocolate Walnut Shortbread, Honey Glazed Hazelnut Kolache, Chocolate Almond Tea, Bohemian Coconut Macaroons, Vanilla Walnut Crescents, Linzer Cookies, Mini Chocolate Almond Tortes, Mini Chocolate Coconut Tortes, and Mini Hazelnut Tortes. Not all of those flavors are available at the Market though.

You can taste the cookies at the Market before buying them and I bet you really enjoy the macaroons. I have liked all of the cookies I have sampled, though the macaroons are my favorites. The cookies are reasonably priced, small bags for $3 and large bags for $7, with discounts if you buy two or more bags.

Once the Market closes for the season, or if you can't make it to the Market, you can order the cookies from Klara's website. They ship all over the country. The cookies are generally available in one, two and three pound tins, and prices vary dependent on the cookie. Once the Market closes, I will have to place my own order to obtain my macaroon fix.

If you stop by and try the macaroons, please tell me what you think.

Klara's Gourmet Cookies
18 Railroad Street
Lee, MA 01238
Phone 413-243-3370