/ WHAT JEN DOES

matcha green tea cookies

12.04.2018

I haven't been cooking nearly as much in recent months so when I saw my friend Becca was coordinating a cookie swap.... I signed up fast. I needed a push to experiment... and what better than to try and impress strangers via the mail.

This recipe is a combination of two forces. One? I did win my office Christmas cookie contest last year. So, I didn't want to put simple chocolate chip cookies in the mail. Two? I've been watching a lot of the Great British Baking show on Netflix. So in my head I was giving myself some Paul Hollywood criticism about imperfect shape and not perfect chocolate melting skills. All true facts. I've never been interested in perfect cookies and never been good at melting chocolate.

I'm not sure exactly where I found this recipe on the internet but I'm glad I did. I've never cooked with matcha before. To be honest, I sometimes love the flavor and sometimes do not. These cookies are just small enough to be a good balance in my opinion - especially when coupled with the white chocolate. I'm a sucker for white chocolate.

A few notes:

The original recipe I was referencing had these cookies being piped out. I think this batter is way too thick for that. If you want to do that, I think you need to make some modifications to the flour ratios. I tried to do one and then called an audible.
Not a fan of white chocolate? No big deal. Dip them in any other flavor. I think it would also be great with some nuts too.

Here's how it goes.

1. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Sift flour with matcha in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, until fluffy. Beat in egg. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Dough will be firm.

3. Spoon the batter onto some plastic wrap or wax paper. Shape into a long cylinder. Wrap securely and refrigerate for 10 to 15 min. Dough can be prepared and refrigerated (or frozen) for several days in advance!

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice the dough into small slices, like ¼ inch or so. Place on a cookie sheet with about 2 inches in between.

5. Bake until you begin to see an itty bitty bit of light brown on the edges. Depending on thickness the time may vary between 10- 15 min. Cool on sheets for 5 min. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat.

6. Melt chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Dip half of each cookie in chocolate, shaking off excess on edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined sheet and sprinkle candy balls over chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, 30 min. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Shopping List

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tbsp matcha green tea powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup chopped white chocolate

2 tbsp small white or silver candy balls or coarse sugar

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blueberry coconut basil cloud scones

9.04.2018

It has been quite a while since my last batch of scones. I just haven't really been cooking much this summer - and I normally make scones when I'm having people over for breakfast. My traditional scone recipe is rather intensive. It yields incredible results - but you are at it for a while. Lots of steps. Too many steps for a hot summer weekend.

You know what has like zero steps? This scone recipe. And, if I'm being honest... the results are perhaps better. Scones are always wonderfully fluffy and soft. Perfect about of crumble happening. All you need really is a can of coconut milk. Impressive right?

I was having a couple friends over for breakfast and to talk genealogy. If you happen to keep frozen or fresh fruit around, you can really use just about anything. I went with some blueberries that I had picked a couple weeks prior before the patch closed down for the season. They are perfectly small - just like Maine blueberries - which makes them excellent for scones in my opinion. You can consider the basil optional if you'd like. I used so little of it because I didn't want to overpower it. I also had no idea what would happen to basil when you bake it.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine coconut milk and coconut extract; drizzle over flour mixture and fold in just until flour is incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. Add in the frozen blueberries and basil about half way through mixing.
Divide dough in half and turn out on a lightly floured board. Use lightly floured hands to pat each half into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and gently pull apart. Use a spatula to gently (again) place scones on the baking sheet.
Chill baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes while preheating oven to 425°F.
Brush scones with coconut milk and bake for 16 minutes. Cook until tops are set, edges are beginning to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let scones cool / rest for about 5 minutes before drizzling with glaze. For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over scones.

Shopping List (based on this original recipe)

Scones

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 can full fat coconut milk (1 1/2 cups)

1/8 tsp pure coconut extract

1 cup (or so) frozen blueberries

1/4 cup finely sliced basil (optional)

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp full fat coconut milk

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but those tomatoes....

8.26.2018

I'm just going to start by saying that I'm very pleased with my tomatoes this year. Of course I have too many - but I'm incredibly pleased with the varieties for this year. It's a Grade A+ assortment. Not to be outdone, the flowers are also putting on quite a show. It's like the whole garden knew that I was moving and wanted to really go out with a bang.

Vegetables

Beans // completely overgrown.... and have taken over the other trellis where the snap peas were. I should really pick all of them asap and put them in the freezer.
Greens // I am just not very good at maintaining lettuces. They would probably be fine if I cared for them at all... but every now and then I chop the top off ... and promptly forget they exist.
Carrots // Crushing it. Just the right amount this year. Not an excessive crop that I'll never make my way through.
Peppers // continued failure. I think I was only moderately successful in the first year. I know last year was a failure.. and this year is as well. I also know that it is not the plants because my dad has the exact same ones.... so it's just my garden.
Tomatoes // so much to say here.

4th of July (2) // complete homerun. Ripened the soonest (early August). Perfect shape and size. Excellent early red tomato flavor.
midnight snack (1) // total attention grabber. They are front and center in the garden so everyone sees them. The color is really beautiful and they are very tasty for a cherry tomato.
sunrise bumble bee (1) // very fun. if you can wait until they are just the tiniest bit orange/red, then they are the most delicious but still good a bit early.
black truffle (2016 and 2017 graduate) (2) // Always a winner. Forever and ever.
Shimmer (1) // Really interesting. Like a black truffle and a san marzano had a baby. Wonderful color and more flavor than a san marzano.
black cherry (2017 graduate) (1) // A little later to ripen compared to last year, but still amazing. Lots of fruit on the plant still but not nearly as productive as the other cherry varieties. I think its just a weird thing because last year I was swimming in black cherry tomatoes.
black krim (2) // I've always wanted to try this variety... and now I have. Its one of those heirloom varieties that you can say you are growing. I think they get a little too big for me. I'd be a bigger fan if I was making salads or using sliced tomatoes more often.
sweet tangerine (1) // beautiful orange color. Not super juicy but a great sliced tomato.
big rainbow (1) // just ripened this week! such a late bloomer. haven't cut into it yet... but soon.

Flowers

Just like the tomatoes, every year this side gets a little bit better. The sunflowers are really shooting up each day. I could stare at these flowers all day long. Last year I had a better cutting garden and could easily pull together bouquets. This year the cosmos are taking longer to take off.... and the dusty miller is no where near as big. That being said, I can actually walk around the flowers ... which is very nice.

dusty miller / so like 80% of the "heritage" dusty miller died off this past winter... and this Lowe's planting just did not take off like the other versions. It's obviously still alive but not nearly as voluminous as my Floret Flower seeds were. Will have to start from scratch next year.
gladiolus / These were nice - and a total last minute add. I bought the bulbs on sale at the local hardware store. I think only 3 of 5 bulbs actually bloomed but that's fine.
dahlias / going great so far! I love the size of the white dahlias and the big colorful ones are shooting up as well. Two of them fell over last week in a storm but I've staked them up and I think we should be good for the rest of the season. Fingers crossed.
cosmos / super late planting but the first bloom showed up a couple days ago. I did a much better job spacing the seeds this year and will have to remember this for next year. It looks so much more organized.
blue bitty flowers / I have no idea what this is named - but it looks great.
sunflowers / going well! I will absolutely start some of the seeds inside again next year. Last year I planted some of the fuzzy sunflowers (Teddy?) but never got any because the birds ate them all - this year I have several. Would love to figure out how to plant them so that I have blooming even later into the season but I think I need more space for that... and I'm not sure that I want this to take up any more space than it already is.

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