Tough Times Don't Last, but Tough People Do...

This photo was taken this past spring but I feel the need to share it now. Perhaps this post has no direct relation to dessert or some delicious recipe, but more to the baker behind the dessert. Why else have a blog if you cannot express emotion to whoever reads - and hell, sometimes its good to just let it out... some form of cathartic therapy I suppose. But just for reading...  below is my fantastic "go-to" secret cookie recipe that when all else fails... there's nothing that milk n' cookies cant fix!

Just a thought/ Unqualified love means that you always do what is in the best interest of those who you love. Punishment, if it is truly warranted and properly executed, can be the greatest expression of love. Love, on the other hand, can only be true if it's unwarranted and absolutely unqualified. I learn, I grow, I believe. I'm stronger because of it.

"If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy."

SHORTBREAD'S Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients/
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or earth balance (dairy free & vegan), room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoona salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions/
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or sprayed with PAM. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week and in the refrigeration for 2 weeks. Enjoy and try to not eat all of them! :D

My Cuppa Tea

This week SHORTBREAD was graced by the presence of one of my oldest and best friends little sisters to shadow us. Not only is she wise beyond her years but she knows her way around a kitchen! In the past 5 hours alone we made Salt Free Buns, Chocolate Covered Blueberry Cheesecake Truffles, Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mini Muffins, Bundt Cakes, Cupcakes, Frosting and don't forget about our girlie Camouflage Butter Cookies (coming in the next blog post). One item in particular that we spent the most time on was our Earl Gray Cupcakes with Red Velvet Cream Cheese Frosting! It was a new experiment for the both of us so we figured why not. We used SHORTBREAD's standard cupcake recipe which called for buttermilk. We took the buttermilk, boiled it and infused in with earl gray tea bags... then continued on with the recipe. The frosting was a standard cream cheese frosting recipe which we added about a 1/2 cup of coco powder to it, some red food coloring and woah... RED VELVET FROSTING! I would say the final verdict on the cupcakes was that they were light and fluffy with a strong bergamot flavor from the earl gray tea, but not too sweet which was great when topped with the deliciously velvety frosting! Definitely my cuppa tea! 

Nothing More InStyle...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 SHORTBREAD NYC participated in a high end fashion event called the Fragments Showroom’s Editor and Stylist Breakfast. For twenty five years, Fragments has been a sparkling light in the jewelry world. The purpose of this event was to share with the media their showroom’s newest collections from all of their designers including Rodrigo Otazu, Anton Heunis, Deanna Hamro, LK, Nam Cho, Moritz Glik, Suzanne Kalan, Susan Hanover, Miguel Ases and many more. The media-targeted event attracted editors and stylists from a variety of publications that cover fashion, accessories, health, beauty, bridal, home, culinary & lifestyle. Companies including InStyle, WWD, Elle, Bazaar, W, Vanity Fair, Self, Women’s Health, Real Simple, Gotham, Hamptons and The New York Times attended the event. See below for some photos of the delicious LOGO cookies that SHORTBREAD NYC custom made for Fragments. As you can see the designers/typographers in us decided instead of working freehand that we would create a stencil and use edible markers to trace out the logo before applying the royal icing... EXPERIMENT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!!

Great hand model!