Baking with Lita

 What’s cooking? Pocky Sticks

Summer is finally over, but I am still reliving the memories of baking with my grandchildren over those three months.

As 7- and 9-year-olds, they have a keen interest in the baking process – the stirring or whipping, the measuring and combining of ingredients, and of course the decorating. My grandson, the 7-year-old, wants to taste each ingredient. At first, I said, “No. You don’t understand – the ingredients don’t taste anything like the cookies themselves.” And then I had a moment of clarity, as I thought, What do I care? It’s not like any of it is poisonous. After all, it’s supposed to be a learning experience. Learning for me, too, it turns out. Learning to let go.

So I explained what the ingredients are, and let them taste each in turn as we added them to the mix. Of course, some tasted “Yuk!” and some – like the flour – tasted “Hmmm,” and the accidental glug of vanilla elicited an “Ack!” and a rush to spit it out in the sink. Also, of course, I had to cut the quantities of each ingredient in half, so that each child could add some to the mix. (Ever alert to possibilities, I made this part into a lesson about fractions. I’m so much fun.)

In the end, the process took about three times as long as you would expect, so I advise anyone deciding to cook with grandchildren to remember – first – to be patient, and – second – to allow lots of extra time. Third is that you’ll need a nap when it’s all over, because they make an unholy mess and with two or more of them, you will find yourself running back and forth to keep little fingers out of (1) the dough, (2) the icing, (3) the ingredients. It’s good to be mentally prepared for all the incidental activity.

One cookie they chose to make – from The New York Times “12 Stunning Cookies That Will Impress Everyone You Know” (Dec. 3, 2019), was Pocky Sticks.

If you google “pocky sticks,” you’ll mostly find the commercial version of these cookies, which are all made by the Japanese company,  Ezaki Glico. They’re thin, stick-like treats that get dipped in various sweet coatings covering about three-quarters of the length of each stick. The cookie part tastes more savory than sweet, which may be why the company describes them as “biscuits,” not cookies.

Naturally curious about the name and origin of these biscuits/cookies, the Kitchen Goddess did some research. Are you equally curious? Of course you are.

Formed in 1921, Glico focused its early product lines on nutritious caramel and biscuits. As the Japanese economy recovered after WWII, the company focus shifted to desserts. In 1958, they added chocolate bars with almonds, and in 1962, a German snack stick called Pretz. In short order (1966), some clever person figured out to combine the chocolate bars with Pretz to produce Pocky Sticks. (Although the snack began its life as Chocotek, within the first two years of production, it was changed to Pocky, a name stemming from the Japanese onomatopoetic phrase pokkin-pokkin, for the sound made when a biscuit snaps in two.)

And in a blatant appeal to young females, who didn’t like the mess of chocolate on their fingers, the company left one end of the stick uncovered. This tidier snacking experience solidified Pocky’s signature look.

The home version of Pocky Sticks are great fun to make, especially for kids who are already well versed in Play-Doh and modeling clay techniques. And you can decorate them – or not – as the spirit moves you. My grandchildren are always in a mood to decorate. For our debut effort, we drizzled white chocolate and semisweet chocolate, plus two types of sprinkles. (Unable to help myself, I made one combining white chocolate with potato chip crumbs, which was delicious, but not as interesting to the kids.)

The grandkids' version are more free-form, but more fun, too, and just as tasty.

Another bonus of this recipe is that you can make the dough entirely in a food processor, which makes fast work of cutting the butter into the dry ingredients, and is extremely effective at keeping small fingers out of harm’s way.

Pocky Sticks

Adapted from Susan Spungen in The New York Times

Yield: Ms. Spungen gets 34 cookie sticks, but the KG and her grandkids were perhaps a bit less delicate, and got only 24. (It’s just possible that a few of our sticks got eaten before they could get iced or counted.)

Ingredients

For the dough:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup (55 grams or ½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I cut into tablespoons then cut each tablespoon into fourths) and chilled
3 tablespoons whole milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the decorating:*
3 ounces (85 grams) white chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup)
3 ounces (85 grams) milk chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup)
3 ounces (85 grams) dark chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup)
Vegetable shortening, as needed
1 tablespoon pulverized freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries

½ teaspoon matcha powder
3 tablespoons chopped nuts
Coconut, nonpareils, decorating sugar

*Kitchen Goddess note about the decorating: These decorating ingredients are courtesy of Ms. Spungen, who made strawberry-flavored white chocolate and matcha-flavored white chocolate, and dark chocolate with nuts. You should let your imagination run wild and free. How about black-and-white cookies, using white chocolate and Famous Chocolate Wafer crumbs, or dark chocolate and crumbled white meringue cookies from Trader Joe’s? Or try my choice of white chocolate with crumbled potato chips, or the powdered sugar icing I use on my rollout cookies: 1 cup powdered sugar + ½ teaspoon vanilla + ¼ teaspoon salt + 1 tablespoon water and whatever food coloring you like. Oh, the possibilities...

Directions for making the sticks

Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the 1¼ cups flour, the sugar, baking powder and salt, and pulse 4-5 times to combine and aerate the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the pieces of butter over the dry mix and pulse until small crumbs form.

In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla. While the food processor is running, pour the vanilla milk in a stream into the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to wipe down the sides of the bowl, and pulse until the dough is well mixed and begins to hold together.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll until it is just over ¼-inch thick and the shape of the dough approximates a rectangle, 5½ inches by 8 inches. A bench scraper or the side of a large knife can be helpful in getting the sides to be straight, though there’s no need to get crazy over the straight sides. (We remember that these are cookies, right? And that there’s no prize for them being exactly the same size? The Kitchen Goddess periodically needs these reminders. Your children or grandchildren will have no such worries.)

Wrap the dough rectangle in plastic and transfer to a small baking sheet. Chill until firm, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

When you are ready to begin baking, heat the oven to 350º. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with either baker’s parchment or silicone baking mats.

Position the dough on a lightly floured surface with the short side toward you, and, using a bench scraper or long knife, cut the dough crosswise into halves and transfer half the dough (re-wrapped in plastic) to the refrigerator while you work with the other half.

With the short side of the dough still facing you, use a bench scraper or long knife to cut ¼-inch-thick strips that will be about 5½ inches long. Using the palms of your hands, gently roll each strip on a lightly floured work surface until it reaches 7-8 inches in length.

Carefully transfer the finished strips to your parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, keeping them as straight as possible and spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Freeze both sheets of dough sticks until firm, 10-15 minutes.

Bake the sticks until you can see that the edges are golden, 14-16 minutes. Let the sticks cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then carefully move them to wire racks to cool completely.

Directions for decorating the sticks

Kitchen Goddess note on melting/thinning chocolate: Any chocolate – dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate – will work better for dipping/drizzling if it’s thinned a bit with vegetable oil or other neutral oil (e.g., canola, coconut).  Do not use butter or margarine; both of those contain water, which will ruin the melting process. My online sources say to add the oil before you begin the melting process; my “friend” sources say you can also add it in the middle of the process. The key is for the temperature of the oil to be close to that of the chocolate. For dark or milk chocolate, add ½ teaspoon of oil per 3 ounces of chocolate; for white chocolate, add 1 teaspoon of oil per 3 ounces of chocolate. 

To melt your chocolate, first chop the chocolate into pieces the size of chocolate chips (unless, of course, you already have chocolate chips).

Stovetop method: Place the chocolate and oil in a metal bowl set over a small saucepan containing an inch of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate melts. To keep from getting the chocolate too hot, the water shouldn’t touch the bowl. As the chocolate melts, whisk the oil/chocolate until the mixture is glossy. 

Microwave method: Place the chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl (preferably glass), and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well and microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir well. If you find that the chocolate has mostly melted after the first two intervals, stop and continue to stir, as the heat from the melted parts will often coax a melt out of the rest. If not, microwave another 20 seconds and stir well again. 

With either method, don’t overheat the chocolate, as it can become lumpy and grainy.

And for a special treat, you get to lick the spoons and bowls at the end.

My grandchildren wanted to dip the cookie sticks directly into the chocolate, but I explained that we would end up with cookie “dust” in the chocolate. So... holding a cookie stick over a bowl of chocolate, use a small spoon to pour the chocolate over 2/3 of the stick, turning the stick to coat on all sides. Let any excess drip off, and set the chocolate-coated cookie on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with nonpareils or nuts or crumbs as desired. (You may need to reheat the dips, by returning them to the pot or microwave, if needed.)

Refrigerate the decorated sticks until the coating hardens. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Something for the Kids... or the Resident Chocoholic What’s cooking? Moon Pies

You know, sometimes you just need some chocolate. I’d been feeling that way for at least two weeks, and normally, I’d have been in the kitchen making something to satisfy that craving long before now. But once you make something, there it is. And then someone has to eat it. Which wouldn’t be a problem – after all, I did say I needed some chocolate – but you do generally end up with more than is really a healthy portion, unless you’re hosting dinner guests or the local Boy Scout troop.

I have had just enough other stuff going on in my life that company wasn’t a possibility; but some neighborhood friends were having a small party, so I offered to take dessert. And then as I looked around for what to make, I spotted an article in Garden & Gun that completely sucked me in. (Side note: The Kitchen Goddess is anything but a gun advocate. I often imagine how dangerous it would have been for my family if I’d ever had a gun in the house. But Garden & Gun is more about food and flowers than firearms – I can alliterate with the best of them – and a lot about Southern living. So I subscribe.)

The story featured a chef, David Guas, now in Arlington but originally from New Orleans, who makes his own moon pies at Mardi Gras time. Apparently, moon pies – graham cracker cookie sandwiches with marshmallow filling, and dipped in chocolate (!) – are a big deal for Mardi Gras, and historically a big Southern treat with RC Cola. So I’ll start with a confession: I was born and raised in the South by Southern women, and I have never had a moon pie, and I never really liked RC Cola. Or Dr. Pepper, for that matter. Heresy, I know – must be my Yankee father.

But these moon pies looked soooo yummy. They also looked a bit like a project, and as you all know, I love a project, especially if it takes place in the kitchen.

It turns out that they really are yummy, in a sort of messy way. Great kid fare. And if the guests at the party I took them to are any gauge, also great man fare. It’s only the ladies who are focusing on their weight and don’t like to get chocolate on their hands who shy away from this dessert. They should loosen up.

But first, a few notes on the process and my suggestions, which are reflected in the recipe that follows:

Step 1 – The graham cookies, which I decided to make a bit thinner than Chef showed. His were ¼-inch thick, but when I rolled the dough out to that thickness, it looked like slabs of sidewalk. So I rolled mine slightly thinner, and would roll them even thinner – like ⅛-inch thick – next time. Don’t get me wrong – they tasted great, very graham-y, better texture and more flavorful than graham crackers. I just think I’d prefer a more equal marshmallow/cookie ratio per bite.

Step 2 – The marshmallow filling. I’d never made marshmallows, but it seemed easy enough, and it was fun. The toughest part is waiting until the candy thermometer moves from 220º to 240º, which always seems like forever. Chef Guas recommends starting to whip the egg whites when the syrup reaches 200º, but if you have a KitchenAid or other stand mixer – which I definitely recommend, and not only for this recipe – you can start when it hits 220º. I also extended the whipping time by about 2 minutes after the syrup went in, because they hadn’t set up as firmly as I’d hoped at the end of 10 minutes. Twelve minutes seemed about right. This part of the recipe will be laborious in the extreme if you don’t have a good stand mixer.

Step 3 – Assembling the sandwiches. Well,... I noticed that the weight of the cookies seemed to be smooshing down the filling, so I decided to pile the filling on some of the cookies and let it chill a few minutes before adding the tops. Big mistake. It turns out that the chill sets the filling so firmly that you can’t get the top cookie to stay down. I had a few moments of hilarity while I tried putting the tops on those and setting a sheet pan on top to force them down, but they bounced back like Jack-in-the-Boxes (Jacks-in-the-Box?). Eek!! When I stirred the marshmallow around by hand for just a minute or two longer in the mixing bowl, it firmed up and worked fine.

Step 4 – Dipping. Chef Guas suggested using two forks in a sort of Emergency Room paddle formation to dip the sandwiches into the chocolate. Ha ha ha ha ha. It works, but don’t dip and then say to yourself, “I’ll just twist it around the other way to make sure the chocolate coats it.” Because that’s when you’ll drop it back into the chocolate and enjoy a little bit of cursing. So if the kids are going to be around while you do this part, just watch your language. It doesn’t hurt to drop them back into the melted chocolate – it just adds to the time. And I’ll try tongs next time.

Yes, there will be a next time. I don’t want to scare anyone off from doing this recipe. Actually, once you get the cookies done, you might have a great time with the kids or grandkids putting together the rest of it. And the Kitchen Goddess has already suffered through all the mistakes for you. Make it an after-school affair or a weekend project. Have fun!

Mardi Gras Moon Pies

Adapted from Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, VA, from Garden & Gun magazine

Makes 18-20.

For the cookies:

6 ounces unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
¼ cup dark molasses
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, ground fine (put them in a ziplock bag and wale away on them with a rolling pin)
¾  teaspoon kosher salt
½  teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon baking soda
¼  teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole milk, plus one teaspoon

Using a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater (or paddle, as it might be called), combine butter, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, using a fork, stir together the dry ingredients, being sure to mix well the flour and graham crumbs.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar, and mix on low speed while dribbling in the milk. It should be a fairly stiff dough, but even so, you may need to add another teaspoon of milk if the dough isn’t coming together.

Press dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least one hour. Kitchen Goddess note: I left my dough to chill for several hours, and it was rock-hard when I took it out. A few minutes on the kitchen counter softened it up enough to work.

Preheat the oven to 325º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough to a ⅛-inch thickness (thicker if you feel like it) and stamp out rounds with a 2½-inch cutter. (The Kitchen Goddess gathers together the scraps and re-rolls for a second batch. She can’t stand to throw away good dough.) Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes, long enough to get them medium-crisp. Transfer the cookies to baking racks to cool.

For the marshmallow:

4 teaspoons powdered gelatin
½ cup cold water, plus ¼ cup water at room temperature
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons honey (clover or wildflower)
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large egg whites

Special equipment: candy thermometer.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and reserve. Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and set aside. (Egg whites whip better at room temperature.)

In a small saucepan, combine the room-temperature water, corn syrup, honey and sugar over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer, and continue to simmer until it reaches 240º on a candy thermometer.

When the temperature of the syrup mixture reaches 220º, begin to whip the egg whites on high until they hold firm peaks but are not stiff. If they reach this stage before the syrup reaches 240º, stop the mixer until the syrup is ready.

Once the sugar syrup reaches 240º, remove it from the heat, and whisk in the gelatin. Now, while the egg whites are whipping on high, carefully drizzle the hot syrup down the inside of the bowl into the egg whites. Continue whipping for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the mixture stiffens and becomes opaque.

Notice the little indentation where I scooped a bit out with a spoon to test. This is just ready.

Assembling the sandwiches:

Spray a large spoon (like a tablespoon) with nonstick cooking spray. Turn over half the cookies, and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of marshmallow onto each. Let the marshmallow set for a minute, then gently lay the remaining cookies on top of the marshmallow, pressing down gently to get the marshmallow to spread to the edge. Chill the sandwiches in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

For the chocolate coating:

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil

While the cookie sandwiches are chilling, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until it melts, then remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool slightly. When the chocolate has cooled slightly but is still warm, whisk the oil into it in a slow stream. Cool the chocolate to room temperature before dipping the cookie sandwiches.

Don't forget to spray the rack with cooking spray.

Coat a wire rack with cooking spray, and set it in a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Kitchen Goddess note: That cooking spray is critical, as you will otherwise find your moon pies sticking to the rack. I know this. Using a couple of forks or a pair of tongs, gently dip the chilled sandwiches into the chocolate and set onto the rack to rest. Move the pan to a cool place – not the fridge – to let the coating harden for at least a couple of hours.

Moon Pies can be kept in an airtight container, layered between sheets of parchment, at room temperature, for 4-5 days.

Kitchen Goddess Bonus  – The Kitchen Goddess had so much marshmallow filling left over that she couldn’t bring herself to throw it out. So she made marshmallows, which were also fun.

You will need:
• an appropriate-sized metal pan
• ¼ cup corn starch
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Cover the pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, and sprinkle a generous dusting of the mix over the entire pan.

Pour the marshmallow filling into the pan, and use a spatula to spread it evenly. The Kitchen Goddess also drizzled the leftover chocolate coating (Waste not, want not!) over the marshmallow.
Let the marshmallow set at room temperature for several hours or overnight.

The foil is another thing the Kitchen Goddess forgot. And was sorry.

Dust a work surface generously with more of the sugar/starch, then lift the marshmallow block from the pan using the foil, and flip it over onto the work surface. Peel off the foil, and dust the top of the marshmallow block with more of the sugar/starch.

Spray a large chef’s knife with cooking spray and cut the block into squares of whatever size you like. Dredge the cut sides of the marshmallows in the remaining sugar/starch. The marshmallows can be stored up to a week in an airtight container. You may have to re-dip them in sugar/starch if they get sticky.

Possessed! What’s cooking? Raspberry Chocolate Almond Spread

I really think I must have been possessed at the farmers’ market this week. The weather had cooled off – the morning temperature was about 66 degrees when I got out of my car at 8:00 a.m. I was maybe the first person at the market when it opened.

I’m not normally an early morning person. Late night is when I shine. But here in New Jersey, my husband and I are dealing with the one-car phenomenon, because parking in Jersey City is completely ridiculous. The main streets in our neighborhood have parking only on one side of the street, and then only if you have a “Zone 1” permit. (We do not.) You can park in front of our building, but the number of spaces available is very small versus the number of folks living in the building, and the fight for those spaces isn’t pretty. So when we bought the apartment, we made sure to get a place that came with a slot in the garage. But that’s only one.