Boston is bustling with promising grads, proud parents and a flurry of pre and post graduation events. Hotel rates are sky-high and restaurants have been booked out for weeks. Like any other celebration, a graduation demands good spirits and eats, a feast fit for a queen or a king, an evening out on the town. When I graduated from high school, my parents stole me away to a small locally owned French restaurant, where I fell in love with those thin, pancake like discs, smothered in a rich cream sauce and stuffed with wild mushrooms and shrimp. All these years later, and I can still remember how that crepe melted on my tongue.
But French chef, I am not, and I had little time to prepare or transport an impressive layer cake or homemade pie. As a baker with a tiny kitchen and a host of graduates in my life, I wanted to have a small treat to hand out to my friends and family on their special days. Something simple and sweet, a small token of how proud I felt to have them in my life. Click on the link below the picture to read more about my chocolate creation.
So with the impending graduations of my brother-in-law and then a beautiful friend, Madison, I knew I wanted to buy a cutter I could use to celebrate their events.
Thus the owl.
Owls have long been symbols of wisdom and transition. The owl was sacred to the Greeks' goddess of learning, Athena, and its symbolism has carried throughout the ages. Now I won't spend much more time talking about owl symbolism because, to be perfectly honest, I'm not super interested. Rather, I thought of a Disney cartoon when I saw this cutter (remember this sweet old owl?) and I knew it would craft the perfect graduation treats.
If you slightly under bake your cookies, you'll find that they will stay soft for days. Now no doubt, there is a place for a crispy cookie, but personally, I like almost all my cookies to be soft and chewy. So don't fret if you take them out of the oven and they seem too soft. Just let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and finish baking outside of the oven.
Chocolate Cookie Cut Outs
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt, baking powder and spices in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa with a mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
2.Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes (Don't worry if your cookies are covered with a dusting of flour...it will disappear in the oven.
3. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm and the centers are still slightly soft. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
PS...I will be traveling for the next week, so forgive any delay of response!