Few phrases in the English language elicit more joy than these two words:
Snow day.
Seriously, just typing them conjured up images of my sisters and I huddled around the radio in the kitchen in our home in Melvin, Iowa. We are still in our pj’s even though it’s getting close to 8 a.m., the time we need to leave for school. The announcer is working his way through the alphabet of schools, explaining which ones are running an hour late and which ones have canceled for the day. There’s Boyden-Hull and Central Lyon…Harris-Lake Park and Hull Western. We knew he was getting close when he reached Little Rock and Maurice-Orange City. Then finally the words we’d been waiting for…
“Melvin Community Schools will be closed for the day.”
Cue the euphoria!
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It’s been more than 40 years since I last heard those words, and yet they still cause a shiver to run up and down my spine. A snow day! An unexpected holiday when we could do anything we wanted.
And we did. If it wasn’t too cold, we might get together with the neighbor children to build a snow fort or a tunnel. One time, the drifts just to the east of our front porch got so high that we could sled off of the roof. Then again, if the storm was too strong we might spend the day inside exploring the wonders of daytime television. We were gameshow addicts, and we watched everything from “The Price is Right” to “The Match Game.” Of course, my older sister also enjoyed her soap operas. These were the days before VCRs, and so this was the only chance she had outside of summer or Christmas vacation to catch up on “As the World Turns” or “General Hospital.”
Then there were the best snow days of all: the days when our mom allowed us to get out the mixer and the flour and sugar and bake. With her help, we might have whipped up a pan of brownies or a batch of cookies. We would make a terrible mess, but having the oven on while the wind howled outside was ever so comforting.
I had an experience like that last week. I teach at an eastern Iowa college, and snowmageddon was predicted to hit the area overnight. In preparation, my school canceled classes for the day. Of course, I had to spend some time grading and prepping for an exam. The rest of the day was mine, however, and I used it to bake. I wanted to make things that are familiar and soothing, and so I went with good old-fashioned cookie recipes. I baked up a batch of peanut butter cookies and another batch of sugar. Those were followed by gingersnaps. By the end of the day, my cookie jar floweth over and my flour bin was empty.
I thought I would share the benefits of my snow day with you by including the recipes I used in this column. You may or may not have a job that allows you the freedom that mine does, but if you love to bake you should be able to find an afternoon or an evening to give one of these a try.
And, while I am looking forward to spring, I will never cease to enjoy the joy that a snow day brings.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Believe it or not, peanut butter cookies were a topic of controversy at my work recently. The cooks at my school baked up a batch of these classic treats. Everyone at my lunch table was ecstatic. Except for me, that is. I declared that, while I love peanut butter cookies, I need them to include a little chocolate. My lunchmates disagreed. “A peanut butter cookie stands on its own!” one declared. “Not everything needs chocolate,” said another. I refused to budge, however. Peanut butter cookies need chocolate.
No matter you’re position on this critical issue, this recipe should please you. If, like my backward friends, you want a pure peanut butter cookie, just skip the icing that I add at the end. But if, like me, you like a little something extra in your cookie, include the drizzle. It will bring peace in our time.
The recipe for the cookies comes from the book “Baking Illustrated.”
Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, ground in a food processor
For the Icing (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add in both sugars, and combine. Stir in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture followed by the ground peanuts.
At this point, I like to cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes (this is not necessary, however).
Scoop up the dough about one tablespoon at a time and roll it into a ball. Place on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Once your pan is full, use a fork to press the dough down in a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
If you are icing the cookies, melt together the chocolate and butterscotch chips. You can either drizzle the icing on top of the cookies or use an offset spatula to spread each cookie with a coating of icing.
Gingersnaps
Gingersnaps are the kind of cookie I hated as a child. Back then, I preferred sweeter cookies like chocolate chip or sugar.
As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve come to crave these cookies from time to time. The combination of spices plus molasses is just so warm and satisfying, especially with a cup of coffee.
This recipe from the people at King Arthur Flour is one of my favorites. That’s because it is not only delicious, it’s also easy to throw together. That means you can have these ginger-y treats almost any time you want them.
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture (combine ½ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. Stir to mix evenly. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the shortening and sugar. Beat in the egg followed by the molasses. Beat in the dry ingredients until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll about 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of the cookie dough into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire racks and store in a tightly closed container.
Martha Stewart’s Sugar Cookies
I grew up on my mother’s sugar cookies. They are a good, simple recipe that remain a standard “go-to” in my kitchen.
This variation on sugar cookies from Martha Stewart gives those classics a run for their money, however. The cookies are soft and have a nice hint of lemon.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
Zest from half-of-a-lemon
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg and the vanilla and beat to combine.
Add half of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add all of the sour cream and beat. Finish with the remaining flour and mix just until smooth. The dough will be thick and stiff.
(At this point, I press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. This will help in shaping your cookies. However, it is not required).
To make your cookies, use a standard spoon to scoop up about a tablespoon of dough. Roll into a ball and then roll in sugar (if desired). Place on baking sheet. There is no need to press the dough down as one often does with sugar cookies. Place them about 3-inches apart.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the cookies just begin to brown around the edges. Cool for a few minutes before removing them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack.
Michael Knock is a food columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
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