These are some cookies my grandmother made. I can remember my great grandmother used to make them all the time, and then passed the recipe down to my grandmother. I have the recipe as well. The reason we don't make them so often anymore is they contain a somewhat obscure ingredient - ammonium bicarbonate, not to be confused with poisonous household ammonia. Ammonium bicarbonate is a leavening agent that was more popular before baking powder and baking soda came along. It allows baked goods to rise and gives them a bit more characteristic crunch. It is used in only small amounts in order to avoid inputting an unpleasant flavor or odor, and is most commonly seen today in cookie and biscuit recipes. Some specialty food stores and Italian shops still carry it, but it can be difficult to find.
These cookies remind me a lot of biscotti, as they are very crunchy and dry, but these are only baked once. I consider them an Italian cookie as well, since my Italian grandmother made them. They are just made for dunking. My brothers and I always preferred milk, but they are also good in tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or even a dessert wine. The most difficult part of this cookie is creating the twisted braids, so sometimes my grandmother would skip this step and just make them into long ovals. Either way, they always tasted delicious!
I was quite pleased one day, when I was staying at my grandmother's house and found my great-grandmother's recipe for shortbread cookies. I was looking through my grandmother's stashes of recipes, as we were sharing, comparing, and discussing. I came across this one, and immediately copied it out for myself. I could remember my great-grandmother's shortbread cookies, and they were always the best. They were rich and buttery, never dry and crumbly, not too sweet with a nice flavor. And they were always cut out in pretty little shapes, such as flowers and hearts, and adorned with just a light sprinkle of colored sprinkles. I couldn't wait to make them myself!
The first time I made them was like a step back in time, they were exactly like my grandmother's - perfect. I enjoyed inhaling them warm from the oven. I used this prized recipe (which I'm sorry, but I cannot share) in the exhibition baking competition, as it is certainly award-winning. I entered it in the heritage plain shortbread category. So I could not use sprinkles on these cookies, but I did use the same shape my grandmother often used. This recipe has been passed from my great-grandmother, to my grandmother, to my mother and me. I am sure it will be passed on again and again, as it is certainly the best! And it is quite easy as well! Whipping up a batch and baking takes no more than 30 minutes in total.
These are the absolute delicious and irreplaceable tea biscuits my grandmother is famous for making. I don't know how she can make them so perfect each time, but she does. I have tried making them myself using her recipe, and they were good, just not the same (maybe she held back on a secret ingredient). Every time I visit her or she visits me, my grandmother always has a stash of these tea biscuits. She also seems to have an endless supply of them stored in her freezer for when she doesn't have time to make them fresh. Typically, everyone in the family loves to have them for breakfast. Most of us heat them up in the microwave and enjoy them warm with a little butter, but they are also good with jam, honey, and peanut butter. They are also good as a snack, as a side to a meal (like soup), or even as dessert. I have enjoyed them with chocolate pudding and strawberries, or yogurt and fruit, or even whipped cream and fruit. They are pretty much good any way. They are light, tender, fluffy, soft, and buttery. I don't think I will ever get tired of these tea biscuits.
I don't know anyone who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie! There are so many different versions of this one popular treat out there. Everyone has their one favorite (or six favorite) kind; the ideal chocolate chip cookie. Some insist on oatmeal chocolate chip, some double chocolate chip, some people like nuts in their cookies, and some people like jumbo chocolate chip cookies. There are thousands upon thousands of different chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. It is difficult to believe that one simple treat could have so many variations, but it does. The size, texture, shape, taste, and ingredients can vary greatly.
These are the chocolate chip cookies my grandmother makes. They are one of my favorites, along with my mother's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, my jumbo chocolate chip cookies, and the chocolate chip cookies at a nearby restaurant. I like them all for different reasons. I like my grandmother's because they have a unique texture - they contain just a touch of rolled oats which makes them nice and crisp and chewy at the same time. I like my mother's because they are chock full of oats, and have a nice balance of oats and chocolate chip all rolled together in a small, crunchy cookie. I like my jumbo chocolate chip cookies because they are soft and chewy with a hint of a secret flavor. The key is, if someone else tries to make my grandmother's or my mother's or my chocolate chip cookies, they won't taste the same. If I crave my grandmother's chocolate chip cookies, my mother's chocolate chip cookies just won't do, and vice versa.
My grandmother and I love to exchange recipes. She gives me some of her recipes - traditional recipes that my great-grandmother used to make, and classic recipes she makes time and time again; recipes that I love and really miss when I don't get to visit her for awhile. Of course, I can never make them as well as she can, but I can make a reasonable substitute. Her recipes are always much less specific and descriptive then the ones I give her, partly because they are a bit old, and partly because I like to be descriptive when I copy recipes. I also share recipes with my grandmother. Usually I will share the recipes for any treat I make especially for my grandmother and she ends up really liking it. She is like me, and often does not end up making the baked goods for herself, but may ask me to make it again for her. I also share any recipes with her that she asks me for. My cookbook collection and the number of online recipe sites I have bookmarked is much greater than my grandmother's. Sometimes I can find unique or specialized recipes very quickly for her. Also, if she wants a simple master recipe for something, I can often provide her with direction as to a good source of where to find a recipe or which ones are particularly good.
These cookies are chocolate brownie cookies called chocolate nuggets, and I gave my grandmother the recipe for them a few years ago. This is the first time she has made them (actually, I haven't made them since either, but that's just because I like to try new recipes). I gave her the recipe because I made these really delicious chocolate squares, that she loved, but the squares called for only half of a can of sweetened condensed milk. Because my grandmother and I both hate to waste food, I also gave her the recipe for the cookies I made, which used up the other half of the can of milk. She finally decided to make the cookies for my visit. Tasting her cookies reminded me of how different the same recipe can taste depending on who makes it. She made her cookies a lot smaller than mine, and she also cooked them a bit longer. They were still excellent, just different. My mother has also shared her infamous cookie recipe with several different people, and each version has turned out slightly different. They are all good, some are softer, some are bigger, and some are more chocolatey. Of course my mother's cookies always taste the best to me. Sharing recipes is fun and rewarding, but typically whoever made the recipe first makes it the best.
I am visiting my grandparents for the weekend, which means lots of great company, and of course, lots of great food. At my grandmother's house, Friday night is always spaghetti night. This tradition has been going on for years and years, as long as I can remember. Normally someone in our extended family visits on Fridays for spaghetti night, usually someone closer in proximity to my grandparent's house. Tonight she also had to host my family, and made an extra big batch of spaghetti. On spaghetti nights, there is always spaghetti with my grandmother's simple but tasty spaghetti sauce. There is also plain pasta for those who prefer it. We also have my grandmother's meatballs, and some sausage. Of course, being Italian, there is always a nice crusty loaf of fresh bread, garlic butter, and Parmesan cheese to go around. My grandmother also makes up a plate with ham and cheese, and often there are some vegetables around too. A simple meal, but a tasty tried-and-true tradition. And no one can forget about dessert. There is always something around, and usually more than one option available. Whether it`s her classic chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, squares, or fancy pizelle cookies. Although often we don`t have room for dessert until later on. Since my grandmother always makes a great big batch, we usually have some leftover spaghetti. Some lucky person will get to enjoy this tomorrow!
