Sweet Attempts

I have been in the mood for sweets for DAYS, and decided that yesterday was as good of a time as any to satisfy my craving. I enjoy cooking- the smell of garlic and rosemary sizzling in a pan, a bubbling pot of pasta, and of course, the finished delectable meal- but I truly adore baking. Flour, sugar, butter eggs, and a generous splash of vanilla; its amazing how just those few ingredients can create such a diverse array of luscious desserts. Few things are as delicious as cookie dough, or better yet, brownie batter. Yes, I know all about the dangers of Salmonella, but I cannot be stopped. Raw dough and batter must be tested- for quality assurance only, of course.

I found this recipe on one of the most beautiful blogs I have come across, CakeSpy. Based in Seattle, this blog finds everything that is sweet; from bakeries to recipes. Luckily for me, she found these Bonbon cookies.

I was pumped to start these cookies. The original recipe showed these cute little pillows of blue, topped with a thin cap of smooth icing and a few sprinkles of white sugar crystals. From a picture like that, who could resist?? Mine, however, fell short of perfection. The cookies were not light enough, the edges not clean enough, the frosting more a heavy blanket than a light cap. It could have been the accidental addition of 1/4 cup of powdered sugar (it called for 3/4 cup, I used the 1/3 measuring cup and dumped 3 cupfuls in…oops). Or it could have been when I decided the cookies were just not quite yellow enough and threw a few more drops of food coloring in when it was well past the food-coloring-adding stage (thus the orange flecks of color in the dough). I am not 100% happy with this batch, but I’m told the cookies I sent to the hungry consultant’s office disappeared in a matter of seconds. Although I am half convinced I could throw a loaf of stale bread into that office and have the same effect. These cookies will be tried and tested again; I will not stop with them until they are the adorable airy bites that I first saw. At least the cookie dough is delicious!

BonBons

Makes 20-25 cookies.

1/2 cup soft butter 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar 

1 Tbsp Vanilla

Food Coloring

 1/8 tsp. salt

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp cream
Food coloring of your choice
1 tsp vanilla

-Heat oven to 350.

-Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and food coloring, until creamy.

-Blend in flour and salt by sifting mixture into dough.  Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. cream if dough is dry.

-Use tablespoon to shape dough into a half dome.  

-Place 1 inch apart on un-greased cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 min.
-Mix icing ingredients until creamy.

-When cool, dip tops of cookies in icing and sprinkle with sugar crystals.
These are delicious as is, but to add a little extra punch of flavor, fill with chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, etc before baking.


Source: Adapted from CakeSpy, who adapted it from Mrs. Joseph J. Wallace, Whitehall, Montana