It’s Looking A Lot Like Baking Season
Pub #26
We are fully into baking season, and in true me fashion I decided to honor this season by doing a cookie series…12 Days of Cookies…baking, posting the recipe, and sharing on Instagram. The final night of my 12 Days of Cookies is Winter Solstice Eve, the Night of Mothers a celebration of Women and our ancestral mothers, and the perfect night to have my women people over for a traditional Cookie Swap.
Baking cookies has been a tradition at the beginning of December since I was little. My mom always hosted a cookie exchange with her work team, and it was always so fun to have an assortment of cookies lying around to nibble on when I wanted a sweet treat! My celebration will be different as we will also be honoring the traditions of Solstice. I have a backyard fire planned along with Swedish torches, hot mulled wine, steaming apple cider, and bowls of Cincinnati Chili to warm us before we swap our tasty treats. One can’t survive on cookies alone, or can they?
If you are in the middle of your baking era too, here are some tips to elevate your cookie baking.
Room temp butter & eggs: This one tip will make your baked goods so much better. When I know I have a week of cookie baking ahead of me, I pull all my butter and eggs and leave them on the counter. Your eggs will be fine…promise!
Cream longer than you think. I like to describe the process of creaming sugar and butter by saying you are melting the sugar into the butter. When this is properly done you will not be able to see any granules of sugar, but more important you won’t be able to feel any either…rub a small amount between your fingers and it should feel smooth. This takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
DO NOT OVERMIX: once you add the flour you want to mix minimally, just until the flour is incorporated…30-45 seconds.
Bake in the middle of your oven ONE tray at a time. Your cookies will turn out much more evenly if you don’t try to put multiple trays in the oven and rotate them. It takes longer, but is worth it!
Let your cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack…they are very delicate when hot and will easily break.
Re-use your parchment for multiple batches.
Only bake as many cookies as you will eat in 2-3 days. Scoop and freeze the rest of the dough for on-demand cookies.
Eat dessert first, but then you may need something warm and comforting, especially when it’s cold and blustery outside. And, for me, that’s Cincinnati Chili. My grandparents were from Cincinnati, and Skyline Chili was the place. We would get the packs of chili seasoning from Skyline over the years I have developed my version. Cincinnati Chili was invented in the city of its name by a Greek Immigrant in 1921 as a topping for hot dogs…”Coneys”, later it evolved into chili chains throughout Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Chili differs from other chilis with the addition of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and a touch of chocolate. It’s a deeply warming flavor, not hot, but full of Mediterranean flavors.
“The Way” ordering, when you order Cincinnati Chili you have different options:
Two-way: spaghetti topped with chili ("chili spaghetti")
Three-way: spaghetti, chili, and cheese
Four-way onion: spaghetti, chili, onions, and cheese
Four-way bean: spaghetti, chili, beans, and cheese
Five-way: spaghetti, chili, beans, onions, and cheese
My order is a five-way. Beans are a requirement in chili, and they must be kidney beans. We also serve chili with oyster crackers and optional sour cream. I love a build-your-own situation, everyone gets what they want!
In all the years I have been cooking and eating Cincinnati Chili I have not documented it with pictures. My camera roll has 11,622 pictures and I can’t find one of a bowl of chili. I will be remedying that this week when I make a batch for my cookie swap. Until then, here is my handwritten recipe, and the best part, is everything gets thrown in a pot together, and simmered for hours, with no browning of meat. Easy peasy and so delicious!
I hope your holidays are full of delicious treats, baked the way you like them, lots of warming food, tasting drinks, and relaxing time with your loved ones!
