Monday, December 26, 2011

Thumbprints!

Tuesdays with Dorie, the wonderful group of bakers who have been baking through Dorie Greenspan's fabulous book, Baking from My Home to Yours,  finishes up this week.  (I still have 19 recipes left to bake, so I'm going to keep on posting till I finish!  And the group will soon begin to bake through another Dorie book, Baking with Julia.)  Yayyy!


This week, Dorie herself chose the last recipe, Thumbprints.  Check out Dorie's blog for the complete recipe and a wonderful perspective on the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers.

When I started to write this post, I found myself writing only about Dorie and her book and how it has changed how I bake.  I decided to save that for another post in a day or two.  For now, let me just say that Dorie's is the most-used cookbook on my shelf, the one I always write in, the one that has given me the most pleasure, and the one that has brought me the most positive compliments about baking from family and friends.  If anyone reading this post does not yet own Baking from My Home to Yours, you need to rush right out and buy it.

My much-loved Baking from My Home to Yours
And now for this week's TWD pick!  They are wonderful little peanut butter thumbprint cookies with encouragement to use a variety of jams or chocolate to fill the thumbprint.  I mixed up the dough and prepared the chopped peanuts which will coat the cookies.  This coating, by the way, makes these cookies extra special and quite pretty.
Mixing up the batter
I intended to take pictures all along the way, but got caught up in the process of baking!  So here's the first batch cooling, after I added the filling.  I used cherry preserves on most of them but on some, I spooned in a bit of shaved chocolate which melted very nicely on the warm cookies.  Then I had the inspired notion to spoon a bit of preserves on top of the chocolate.  Those were the best of the bunch.  That little bit of chocolate was an unexpected happy surprise!
The finished cookies
Thanks, Dorie, for encouraging me to be brave and experimental in my baking, and for standing beside me as I baked through all of the recipes.  Like the aroma of cookies in the oven, your warm enthusiasm for the joy of baking continues to envelope not only many home  bakers but also their family and friends who have had the pleasure to eat the terrific baked goods.  Thank you! 
Peggy the Baker, Dorie, Peggy's husband Rich in Kingston, Ontario





20 comments:

  1. I love that you got to meet Dorie! I hope to some day:)! It has been nice baking with you and I appreciate all the comments you have left for me over the years! I hope we can keep in touch!
    YOur cookies look tasty!

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  2. What a beautiful post. Thank you Peggy for all your kind comments. I enjoy visitng your blog.
    Have a Happy New Year!

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  3. I love the picture of you with Dorie... I hope to meet her one day!

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  4. Beautiful cookies, love the choices everyone is choosing to fill them with this week, such a creative bunch of bakers! It sounds like you will be continuing on with the group in February, so see you there! Nice photo of you and Dorie!

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  5. I am glad that you joined the group. Your posts are always fun. :) Great picture of you with Dorie at the end here. It has been fun baking with you! :)

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  6. I always enjoy your posts, Peggy! I'll keep reading til you get to the end of the recipes!

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  7. Although I wasn't part of the group, I enjoyed bake along some weeks and have made a lot of the recipes. Congratulations on finishing!

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  8. I'm so jealous that you've met Dorie! Your thumbprints look amazing!

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  9. i'm glad i got to know you through twd. keep baking and blogging!!! and JEALOUS that you met dorie!

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  10. Lucky you to have met Dorie. She is such an inspiration. Hers is the only cookbook that has lots of notes in it. Evidence that it is well used.

    Cookies look perfectly delicious.

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  11. Peggy, this project sounds like a lot of fun!

    Carol Manuel

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  12. I love seeing your open book with writing on the pages--mine looks the same! Have definitely learned so much baking through this book and from this group! Thanks for stopping by my blog through the years.

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  13. Love the picture of you and Dorie! Thanks for baking along each week, and all the best for your future baking adventures.

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  14. Ciao Peggy ! Lovely cookies, I bet the mixed filling were great ! Love your picture with Dorie !!

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  15. Oh what lovely photos! It's been so great baking together and I can't wait to see what else comes out of your kitchen!

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  16. Chocolate and jam! Sounds great. So happy to have met you through this group!

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  17. What a fantastic post - and experience! How lucky... and I love the notes in your book. That is what cookbooks are all about.... I love finding vintage baking books with snippets written all over it. Beautiful thumbprints too - Dorie would be proud!

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  18. Cherry and chocolate with your peanut butter thumbprints sounds delicious! I can't wait to see your thoughts on how the experience of TWD has changed your baking.

    I have reconsidered and will be moving on to the new book. It would be too hard to leave all of this behind! xo

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  19. Beautiful cookies! I love the photo with Dorie!

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  20. We were really lucky to join this group and bake from such an outstanding all around book. It's been good getting to know you through baking. Your cookies look great!

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