April: Rony – Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies

This has been an eventful month!

First the Israeli bake off started (for some reason they bake in pairs – couldn’t they find people that can bake all by themselves??) and then Nadiya, the winner of the GBBO UK presented the Queen with a birthday cake!

And now this! Pecan cookies!

You can find the full recipe here: BROWN SUGAR PECAN COOKIES

It’s simple and easy and really yummy. Next time I might put a little less butter (see bellow) but beside that I have no complaints.

It’s time to bring out the big guns.

Behold, both the kitchen-aid and the magimix are out! This is serious. Yes, today nothing is by hand – I am using pure power!

The pecans go into the magimix to be blitzed into fine pieces and the rest to the kitchen-aid. And behold – within seconds (or about a minute) the pecans are nothing but dust (or finally chopped) and the butter+sugar is nothing but .. mixed?

This was too much high-tech for me for one day so I mixed the dry ingredients the old fashion way.

The pecans also joined the party.

It actually tasted better than the regular cookie dough. The pecans give it a little of a twist. Maybe more pecans next time? Will I dare?

 I arranged them in little balls on a baking sheet and into the oven they went. They came out looking like a royal mess.

I blame the butter. I think 20g less might help prevent this cookie orgy (meaning 200g instead of 220g). Or maybe freezing the dough instead of just chilling it in the fridge.

I know Marry. I know. But they are yummy.

After I tried to make a more even batch I moved on to the frosting. Which is also very easy.

What you have here are sugar and cream melting together. Add a little bit of butter, stir until melted, then add icing sugar and you have a nice caramel-like frosting.

Mine turned out really thick but you can add more milk/cream to it to make it lighter. It really upgrades the cookies from very nice butter cookies with a pecan twist to cookies that taste like mini pecan pies.

Getting ready for their photoshoot. 

April – Unveiling

“COOKIE!” – Cookie Monster

April is here and it’s time for cookies! And everyone knows that cookies are a serious business. So we got serious.

The MC presents the Envelopes

Silence in the room while the opening ceremony begins

The very first moments of the unveiling

The participants inspect their future recipes

Both sides wish each other good luck and are looking forward to future culinary collaborations

 

So what are we making this month? 

Noga: Shortbread

Rony: Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies

Thoughts:

Noga: I can’t wait to eat the cookies Rony makes. That recipe has been on my wishlist for so long… at one point I even remember buying pecans in preparation, but I never made it. So the lazy way of having those yummy looking cookies is of course to have Rony make them for me. I’m brilliant. As for mine – shortbread!! ~lovely nostalgic memories from our trip to Scotland~ It’s one of those recipes that are too indulgent (2 sticks of butter, why don’tcha) that the only way I would make them is in this challenge when I’m being told to, and that way I can feel no guilt or shame.

Rony: I am actually really excited about this month! There is something exciting about cookies (especially after last month’s experience of trying to roll hot slippery apples). I think I will be a little bit naughty and ground the pecans for the batter – it reminds me of those kind of delicious butter+nuts soft and crumbly cookies. Cookies. Yum.