Oatmeal CookieBlog

Picturing Rum Raisinet Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Rum Raisinet Cookies in process.

Soak the raisins in rum to enplumpen 'em. Soak for 30-45 minutes (or longer, if you have the time) to get those raisins drunk!

Cream the creamables. One stick of butter and 2 cups + 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Egg, vanilla, rum (yo-ho-ho!), and milk.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix.

Drain the raisins and add them to the combined wet ingredients and creamables. Mix again.

Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the combined enplumpened raisins, wet ingredients, and creamables. (There's a whole lotta combinin' going on.)

Scoop and bake. You've got your rum and your raisinets in a single movie-ready treat. Pop in a DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean and call it a night!

Picturing Better Than Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Better Than Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in process. (I opted not to sugar the dough balls before baking.)

Cream the creamables. Butter and dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Egg, vanilla, and milk

Add the wet ingredients to the cremables. Spin, spin, spin.

Combine the dry ingredients. I saw these Sunsweet jumbo red raisins and gave them a try. They certainly are plump and tasty!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. For a crispier exterior, sugar the dough balls before baking.

Picturing Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies in process.

Mix the filling ingredients. Use room-temperature cream cheese, and toast the nuts for added flavor and crunch. Put the filling mixture in the fridge or freezer to firm up until you stuff the cookies.

Cream the creamables. Butter and white sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. I know what you're thinking..."what's up with the vinegar?" You use only 1/2 teaspoon, but it really works for bringing out the red color. Ever made Easter eggs? Remember how you have to drop those Paas color pellets in vinegar before you start a-dunkin your hardboiled eggs? Same concept here. Wow...that is really red!

Add the wet ingredients to the cremables. Take everything for a spin.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to grind the oatmeal.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. The dough will look a little beefy.

Scoop the dough balls, split them in half, and form into flattened disks. Remove the filling mixture from the fridge (or freezer). Stuff the cookies. Your dough disks should look like slices of pepperoni.

Freeze the stuffed dough balls for five minutes and then bake. You'll start with meatball-looking things and end up with cookie-looking things. Enjoy!

Picturing Toffee Figgy Pudding Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Toffee Figgy Pudding Cookies in process.

Chop the dried figs and then soak them in warm water to enplumpen 'em.

Cream the creamables.

Combine the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables.

Drain the figs and add them to the creamables.

Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the combined wet ingredients and creamables.

Scoop, bake, and enjoy. For flatter cookie, smoosh the dough balls a little about halfway through baking.

Picturing Yuletide (A.K.A. Peppermint Bark) Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Yuletide (A.K.A. Peppermint Bark) Cookies in process. (For a Christmas version of this cookie, use red or green candy canes. For a Hanukkah version, use blue starlight mints.)

Cream the creamables. One stick of butter and one cup of white sugar. Easy peasy. In essence, this is an oatmeal sugar cookie recipe.

Combine the wet ingredients. Who could complain with an egg and some vanilla?

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables.

Combine the dry ingredients. Make sure you grind the oatmeal before you measure.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. This dough tastes way better than regular sugar cookie dough. But I am the Oatmeal Cookie Guy...

Chill the dough for 20-30 minutes so that it's easy to roll out. I used chopsticks on either side of the dough to make sure I had a uniform 1/8" thickness. Cut out the cookies and bake. While the cookies are in the oven, shatter your candy canes and mints and place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.

To melt the chocolate chips, I used a really simple double boiler: a bowl sitting atop a pan with simmering water. Dip the cookies, top-sides down, into the chocolate. Then dip them into the candy pieces.

Place the chocolate-dipped, candy-adorned cookies back on the baking sheet and put in the fridge to harden up. These are sooo good. It's like eating a crunchy Thin Mint!

Picturing Eggnog French Toast

Don't know what to do with leftover eggnog? You could always make my Eggnog Cookies. Or you could bust out the bread and make yourself some eggnog French toast. Two yummy solutions.

We used challah, but you can use whatever bread you've got. Soak the slices in eggnog that you've accented with whatever complementary flavors you have on hand. For example, add a splash of vanilla extract, a few teaspoons of cinnamon or nutmeg, or maybe even a dash of ginger or pumpkin pie spice.

Fry the soaked bread slices in butter until the bread warms all the way through and is brown and toasty--about 2-3 minutes on each side. Top with maple syrup and a big, honkin' dollop of butter. (Paul Deen...paging Paula Deen!) It's the holidays on a plate.

Update: This was Jon's creation. He's the breakfast maven around here.

Picturing Boston Cream Pie Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Boston Cream Pie Cookies in process.

Make the pudding for the thumbprint filling. I used 1/2 cup less milk than the directions called for, and I added a teaspoon of vanilla. Place the mixture in the fridge to firm up.

Cream the creamables. Butter and good-old white sugar. Yup...this has an oatmeal sugar cookie base.

Combine the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables.

Combine the dry ingredients. Make sure you grind the oatmeal before you measure.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop, thumbprint, and fill the dough balls with about 1/2 teaspoon of the thickened instant vanilla pudding mixture.

Bake, cool, and glaze. To melt the chocolate chips, I used a really simple double boiler: a bowl sitting atop a pan with simmering water. Dip the cookies, top-sides down, into the chocolate.

Cool the chocolate-topped cookies on wire racks. Dunkin' Donuts ain't got nuthin' on me!

Picturing Eggnog Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Eggnog Cookies in process.

Melt the butterscotch chips and combine with the eggnog. Set aside to cool.

Cream the creamables. Butter, dark brown sugar, and white sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Add the rum and vanilla extracts, nutmeg, and egg yolk to the cooled butterscotch-eggnog mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables.

Grind the Nilla Wafers and combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop, glaze, and bake the cookies. Fa-la-la-la!

Picturing Gobbler Sandwiches

Spending time with loved ones is nice, but what's the best part of Thanksgiving? Leftover sandwiches, a.k.a. gobblers, of course!

Take some mayo and leftover cranberry sauce and smoosh them together. Spread the cranberry-mayo mixture on both slices of some good bread. (I use Arnold's 12 grain bread.) Layer some leftover stuffing on one side.

Pile some leftover turkey on top of the stuffing. Top the turkey with leftover gravy. (You have a couple options here. Heat up the gravy before you add it to the sandwich, or add cold gravy and heat up the whole sandwich in the microwave.) Add the top layer of bread. Chow down...then take a nap.

Picturing From-Scratch Apple Pie III: The Assembly

Here's the recipe for my From-Scratch Apple Pie in process. Step 3:

Cut the dough into two pieces. One piece should be 2/3 of the whole (for the bottom crust), and the second piece should be 1/3 of the whole (for the top crust). Roll out the dough for the bottom crust.

Roll out the dough until it's about 1/16-1/8" thick. Fold the dough into quarters. Place the "point" of the dough in the center of the pie plate.

Unfold the dough, add the apples, and then dot the top with a few small cubes of butter.

Roll out the dough for the top crust, fold into quarters, place the "point" of the dough in the center of the apples, and then unfold the dough.

Pinch together the top and bottom layers of dough. Poke a few holes in the top to vent steam. To make the glaze, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon water, and 2 tablespoons sugar to a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the butter melts.

Glaze the pie. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325° and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until you can see juice bubbling out of the vents and the crust is golden brown.

Previous step: The Filling.

Picturing From-Scratch Apple Pie II: The Filling

Here's the recipe for my From-Scratch Apple Pie in process. Step 2:

Peel, core, and cut the apples into eighths. I used 10 Cortland apples...because that's the kind of apple my grandma used in her pie.

To the apples, add 1 tablespoon flour, a dash of salt, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss the apples and seasonings together until all the apples are coated evenly.

Previous step: The Dough. Next step: The Assembly.

Picturing From-Scratch Apple Pie I: The Dough

Here's the recipe for my From-Scratch Apple Pie in process. Step 1:

Sift together 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt.

Cut 1 stick of cold butter (1/2 cup) into 1/4" cubes and add to the flour.

Using a fork, cut in the cubed butter. Squish the butter between the fork's tines and mash the butter pieces into the flour until you achieve the texture of cornmeal.

Take another 1/2 stick of cold butter (1/4 cup) and cut it into 1/4" cubes. Add to the flour mixture and stir to evenly distribute the butter cubes.

Take 1 egg yolk and add enough cold water to equal 1/2 cup. Scramble.

Add the yolk-water mixture to the flour. Stir lightly until you form a loose dough ball. If the dough is very dry, add more water--1 tablespoon at a time--until the dough is silky.

Use your hand to form a cohesive dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Next step: The Filling.

Picturing XXX Cranberry Cookies

Here's the recipe for my XXX Cranberry Cookies in process.

Combine the wet ingredients. Cook the cranberries, milk, orange juice, orange zest, and sugar over medium high heat. You'll actually hear the cranberries pop. Smoosh everything around until it forms a red pulp. Add the vanilla extract after the mixture has cooled a little.

Cream the creamables. Butter and dark brown sugar. Easy-peasy.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mmmm...pretty in pink.

Grind the Nilla Wafers, halve the fresh cranberries, and combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop, sugar, and bake the cookies. These really do have a great play on sweet and tart, crunchy and moist, rich and bright. Just right to cap off your Thanksgiving meal!

Picturing Lime in the Coconut Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Lime in the Coconut Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. That's right: butter and dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. I use lime juice, zest, and extract to drive home the lime flavor and cream of coconut, coconut extract, and toasted coconut to pump up the coconut flavor.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mmmm...look at those little flecks of green lime zest.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to toast the coconut! Shh...white chocolate chips are my secret ingredient.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. These smell and taste delicious. If Mumma had her way, she'd have me bake a batch of these every week.

Picturing Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies in process.

Mix the filling ingredients. Be sure to refrigerate the mixture until it's firm and solidified. (If you have a slow fridge, put the mixture in the freezer.)

Cream the creamables. Butter, dark brown sugar, white sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

Combine the wet ingredients. I know...canned pumpkin isn't the prettiest ingredient, but it sure does taste good!

Add the wet ingredients to the cremables. Mix.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to grind the graham crackers! Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop the dough balls, split them in half, and form into flattened disks.

Remove the filling mixture from the fridge (or freezer). Stuff the cookies.

Freeze the stuffed dough balls for five minutes and then bake. Enjoy!

Picturing Homemade Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

With all the candy and all-around junky food that we'll all be eating tonight (and probably for days to come), I thought I'd post a recipe for something healthy. Lord knows I need it. I had to re-up on my Halloween candy this afternoon because I ate my way through most of the original stash. Darn you Starbusts! Curse you Reese's cups!

This is a frugal and healthy recipe. It starts with stuff you'd normally throw away: pumpkin seeds from your jack-o'-lantern. Scoop out the seeds, removing as much pumpkin pulp as you can. Place the seeds in a strainer and rinse with cool water until they are clean.

Pat the seeds dry with paper towels and place in a pie plate. Add some olive oil and seasonings. I used cayenne pepper, but you could use salt, black pepper, or even sugar and cinnamon--whatever floats your boat. Place in a 350 preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until toasty and golden brown. Stir occasionally. Spreads the seeds on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Snack at will.

Picturing Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Don't forget to brown the butter!

Combine the wet ingredients. Canned pumpkin pie filling, vanilla, an egg yolk, pumpkin pie spice, and milk.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix to combine everything. It looks a little loose and wet, but don't worry!

Combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. Many thanks to Jon for running out and finding the mini pumpkins in this final shot.

Picturing Brown Butter

Brown butter has an earthy, nutty flavor that really shines through in autumnal flavors. (Just try pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage.) I use brown butter in my Heeeere's Johnnycake! cookies, and I'm going to use it in my soon-to-be posted pumpkin cookie recipe.

I use salted butter when I make my cookies (see here), but you should use unsalted butter when you make brown butter. Salted butter will make brown butter that tastes very salty. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir often. The butter will melt and get really foamy. Keep stirring.

The foam will disappear, and the butter will start to have clear bubbles. Keep stirring. The butter will start foaming again and turning brown, and the solids in the butter will start settling to the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Voilà! You've got brown butter.

Picturing Cranberry in the Coconut Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Cranberry in the Coconut Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Butter and dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. I microwaved the cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, and cream of coconut so that liquify and become easier to combine with the egg yolk and extracts. Make sure you let the mixture cool before you add the egg yolk.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix to combine everything.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to toast the coconut!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. These taste best when they've fully cooled.

Picturing Dark Earl Grey Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Dark Earl Grey Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, and cocoa powder.

Combine the wet ingredients. Make sure the melted chocolate has cooled slightly so that your egg yolk doesn't scramble.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to add the contents of one more Earl Grey tea bag.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. Mmmm...so fudgy!

Picturing Mulled Apple Cider Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Mulled Apple Cider Cookies in process.

Reduce the apple cider. It looks kind of funky but tastes--and smells--like heaven.

Cream the creamables. A stick of butter and a 1/2 cup each of white and dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Make sure the reduced apple cider is cool before you add the egg yolk.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix 'n mingle.

Cut the apples. I used an alligator chopper to make a 1/4" dice. Then combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop, sugar, and bake the cookies. Who needs potpourri or scented candles when you've got the real thing?

Picturing Rosh Hashanah Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Rosh Hashanah Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Butter, dark brown sugar, and white sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Here's a tip: Spritz your measuring cup with cooking spray so that the honey slides out easily.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Take everybody for a spin.

Cut the apples. I used an alligator chopper to make a 1/4" dice.

Combine the dry ingredients. Stir together the dry ingredients, add the apples, and then give everything another stir.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop and bake the cookies. Don't forget to refrigerate the dough first!

Picturing Cranberry Crunch Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Cranberry Crunch Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. You guessed it: butter and dark brown sugar. (So predictable!)

Combine the wet ingredients. Egg, vanilla, milk, orange juice, and orange zest. Orange and cranberries go together like chocolate and peanut butter (or peanut butter and chocolate).

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Let the mixing commence!

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to toast the almonds.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop, sugar, and bake the cookies. Mmm...the perfect autumn snack (or Thanksgiving treat).

Picturing Toasted Nuts

I've shown how to toast coconut. I figured I should do the same with nuts.

Spread out the nuts in an even layer. I used slivered almonds in this example.

Heat the pan over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring the nuts every couple minutes with a wooden spoon. Remove the nuts from the heat just as they turn golden brown and still look kind of shiny. (Be careful: golden brown can turn burnt brown very quickly.) Pour the nuts in a bowl and let them cool. They'll likely darken a bit as they cool (carry-over cooking and all). Tasty, crunchy, toasty...yummy!

Picturing Coffee Cake Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Coffee Cake Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. I had only enough cinnamon chips to make a half batch. Dig out your slide rule--or, better yet, dial up the Google--to figure out your fractions!

Combine the wet ingredients. Eggs and vanilla. Beat 'em.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix.

Combine the dry ingredients. I use cappuccino chips and cinnamon chips from the online King Arthur store. Don't forget to grind half of the oatmeal.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix again. Then scoop the dough balls.

Sugar and bake the cookies. Your house will smell like coffee cake for days.

Picturing Redheads

Here's the recipe for my Redhead cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. I bumped up the dark brown sugar by 1/4 cup to increase the molasses note and to make sure the cookies were chewy.

Combine the wet ingredients. Fresh ginger has such a clean, spicy, autumnal aroma. This mixture smelled like a bowlful of fall weekends spent outside raking leaves.

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Spin, spin, spin.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to grind the ginger snaps!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Spin, spin, spin...again.

Scoop and bake the cookies. I think these would make really good "bread" for an ice cream sandwich. Hmmm...stay tuned!

Picturing (Dark) Chocolate Orange in the Coconut

Here's the recipe for my (Dark) Chocolate Orange in the Coconut cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. You know the drill by now: two sticks of butter and two cups of dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Can he zest it? Yes he can!

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Smells sooo good.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to toast the coconut!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Don't you wish you had a scratch 'n sniff monitor?

Scoop and bake the cookies. Try not to eat them all.

Picturing S'mores

Here's the recipe for my S'mores in process.

Cream the creamables. Two sticks of butter, two cups of dark brown sugar, and a quarter cup of white sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Darnit...I broke a yolk!

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Mmm. Smooth and silky.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to add the ground graham crackers, and don't forget to freeze the mini marshmallows first!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Spin!

Scoop and bake. Keep an eye on these guys and be careful not to overbake them because the marshmallows could melt too much, and you could end up with cookie-shaped floor tiles.

Picturing Lavender & Lemon Lovelies

Here's the recipe for my Lavender & Lemon Lovelies in process.

Cream the creamables. Two sticks of butter and two cups of light brown sugar. I use dark brown sugar in most of my other cookies, but I wanted a lighter color and flavor here.

Combine the wet ingredients. I used three extracts--vanilla, lavender, and lemon--in this recipe. I used only 1/4 teaspoon of the lemon extract. I could have used lemon juice, but I had the extract on hand and was afraid that the juice and the zest would have made the cookies too lemony. (I didn't let the "naked" lemons go to waste, though. I used them in a lemon-cayenne popcorn topper. Stay tuned for that!)

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. This slurry smelled so good...and relaxing! Lavender is aroma therapy, but lavender cookie dough is aroma cure.

Combine the dry ingredients. Yes...that is ground black pepper you see on the left. The pepper accentuates the subtle savoriness of the lavender. Don't worry: These cookies don't have a peppery bite, just a little something in the background that signals savory to your taste buds.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Let everything mix and mingle.

Scoop and bake. These cookies are light, sweet but not too sweet, and aromatic without being too floral. Come to think of it, these would be great to have with a cup of tea. (And yes, that pic on the right is totally Photoshopped. I couldn't find dried lavender to use as a garnish!)

Picturing Chocolate & Sea Salt Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Chocolate & Sea Salt Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Two sticks of butter, Two cups of dark brown sugar, and a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.

Combine the wet ingredients. Wow, those yolks are bright!

Add the wet ingredients to the creamables. Spin!

Combine the dry ingredients. Remember to grind the Cocoa Pebbles!

Scoop and salt the cookies.

Bake. Ta-dah!

Picturing Orange in the Coconut Cookies

Here's the recipe for my Orange in the Coconut Cookies in process.

Cream the creamables. Two sticks of butter, two cups of dark brown sugar.

Combine the wet ingredients. Mmmm...orange zest smells yummy. (Have I mentioned that I love my microplane?) Add the wet ingredients to the creamables, then give 'em a spin.

Combine the dry ingredients. Don't forget to toast the coconut! Then add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. (D'oh! I forgot to take pics of this last bit.)

Scoop and bake the cookies. It's a wet dough, but it makes perfect cookies!

Picturing Toasted Coconut

A few days ago, Mikey wrote in to ask me about toasting coconut. Here are some pics of the process.

Spread out the coconut (I use Baker's brand "angle flake" sweetened coconut) in an even layer.

Put the pan in the oven and bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes, stirring the flakes every couple minutes with a wooden spoon. Pull the coconut out just as the flakes become golden brown and still look kind of shiny. Pour the coconut in a bowl and let it cool. Tasty, crunchy, sweet...yummy!

Picturing Chocolate & Chipotle Cookies (Holy Mole!)

Here's the recipe for my Chocolate & Chipotle Cookies in process.

Grind the oatmeal and then the graham crackers.

Cream the creamables. This mixture is super tasty: butter, brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. As Ina Garten would say, "How bad can that be?"

Combine the wet ingredients. Scrambling eggs with one hand and taking a picture with the other hand is harder than you might think.

Combine the dry ingredients. It's funny how such a small amount of chipotle can stand up to so much chocolate and cinnamon and still have a kick.

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. So chocolaty, so innocent...not!

Scoop, sugar, and bake the cookies. (I forgot to snap the sugaring step, but I think you get the picture.)

Picturing Popcorn

No Saturday night in with an old movie on TMC--The Bad and the Beautiful is tonight's "essential"--would be complete without popcorn. But after spending all day in the heat and sun (we walked up to the Central Park reservoir and back), the last thing either Jon or I wanted was something salty. So what's the solution? Make our own salt-free microwaveable popcorn from scratch, of course.

I remembered reading this post on homemade microwave popcorn on Mark Bittman's New York Times food blog and got to work. I opted for a bowl instead of the brown paper bag, and I also opted for olive oil over peanut oil. 

I used 1/4 cup popcorn, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and about a dozen grinds of freshly cracked black pepper. We also made a variation with cayenne pepper, but you could try adding any spice you want: chipotle, cinnamon, or even curry powder. Make sure you use a glass--preferably Pyrex--bowl with a lid, not a plastic bowl and Saran Wrap. (Trust me on this! It wasn't until my third attempt that I switched to a Pyrex covered casserole dish.)

Stir the popcorn, oil, and pepper well to make sure each kernel is coated. Cover the bowl and microwave on high. One thing, though: Bittman claims that you should microwave the popcorn "until the kernels stop [popping], which is high heat for two minutes in many cases," but this is laughably inaccurate. Maybe it was the kind of popcorn I bought (well, more accurately, I sent Jon downstairs to the store), and maybe it was my microwave, but it took a whopping 4:30 for my popcorn to reach that magic place where the majority of the kernels have popped without burning and stinking you out of your house.

However, you might want to park yourself close to your microwave to keep both an ear and a nose out to catch the popcorn as the popping slows down and before it starts to burn.

Picturing White Chocolate Macaroons

Here's the recipe for my White Chocolate Macaroons in process. I realized after I had taken all the pictures and baked all the cookies that there was a buttery fingerprint on the camera's lens. If you look carefully, you'll see a gauzy, hazy cast on the pictures...kind of like glamour shots from a mall photo studio.

Cream the creamables. I use dark brown sugar and white sugar in this recipe. The white sugar gives these very coconutty, soft cookies some firmness and structure.

I put the cream of coconut and the white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds to get everything nice and melty. Let the melted cream of coconut and white chocolate chips cool before you add the egg and extracts. Scramble everything to get all the flavors acquainted.

Mix the creamables and wet ingredients.

Assemble the dry ingredients. Mmmm...coconut!

Add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients.

Scoop the dough into balls. For plump, chewy cookies, bake the dough balls as they are. For thin, crispy cookies, press the dough balls down a little with your hand before baking.