Blueberry Coconut Cream Scones
Ah, summer… It’s filtered into everything, even school. I spend at least two periods a day outside, because even my teachers can’t stand being cooped up. We watch movies and do creative projects instead of textbook assignments, and I have never been so relaxed or felt so free.
Summer means reading lazily in the softest, greenest patch of grass.
Playing the radio as loudly as possible so I can sing along without being heard by the neighbors.
Picking fresh, full leaves of basil that beg to become fragrant green ice cream (coming soon, I promise.)
Summer means walking into the dusk in a short sleeved shirt, stargazing right on the cool driveway, and tucking plastic yellow sunglasses in my bag wherever I go.
It’s an energy that I have tried to capture in a photograph all week. But there are no words or pictures that can convey the feeling – I’ve learned to put down the camera and simply breathe in the sun.
Even in Seattle, summer means heat. It’s almost too much – for me, the ideal day is 65 degrees. With a gentle breeze. And a slightly overcast sky. Still, I can’t resist the hazy summer heat and find myself in the backyard more than the house. But nothing can keep me away from the kitchen for long, and sure enough, I’m still baking away.
Oh, I am so lucky to be in love! With summer, with photography, with sugar, with my family. I hope you are all as happy and in love with life as I am at this very moment.
We had our first dinner outside last week. The day was so utterly lovely that we threw open every window and dusted off the old glass table. We passed around fruit salad and chicken, grilled with herbs grown in our own garden. We talked until twilight fell, and found that there is nothing quite like concluding a meal with lavender ice cream in sugar cones.
But first, we started the day with Blueberry Coconut Cream Scones.
She’s Back, and She Brought Ice Cream
So much has happened, and in the whirlwind of last week I haven’t been able to get to my blog. (I feel like I’m writing in my diary or something.) Last Friday was my last exam (AP Bio, the hardest one yet) and then Saturday was prom (exciting, as I’m not even a senior yet.) Then school started to pick up, and everything just happened. I even had to miss out on the DB May challenge.
I’m sorry!
Thanks for sticking through with me though. It’s been a record 11 days since my last post – I’ve been counting – and it’s been awful. It’s almost as bad as not baking. But thankfully there is a lot of good stuff to come.
First of all, half of my birthday present has arrived: my camera! A Canon Rebel XTi and it is so beautiful. I want to put on gloves before I touch it. I’ve kept the bubble wrap around it. I can’t believe it’s real! The second half, my lens, should come this week. I am so ready to say goodbye to Kodak!
Secondly, now that testing and prom are both over, I am free to do a lot more baking… and non-baking, like this Lavender Ice Cream. The original creator called it “outrageously sexy and delicious.” He wasn’t kidding.
Tiny Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Buttons
I absolutely hate these cookies.
First of all, they are addictive. The peanut butter cookie melts in your mouth and has a sugary crunch. They are topped with a whole chocolate chip – white, milk, or bittersweet – to make them bite sized and dangerously irresistible.
Secondly, they are adorable: teeny tiny baby cookies, smaller than a quarter. When I brought them to school, some of my girl friends actually squealed as they held one. “These are so cute!” And they really are as cute as buttons.
Thirdly, they are excellent for any baker’s self esteem. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t fall in love with these cookies. Nothing compares to the warm, happy feeling I get when people reach for their third, fourth, even fifth cookie. They’re so small that no one can stop at one. And it makes me feel good.
And the last reason I hate these cookies? They are a real pain in the butt to make.
Every time I make these cookies, I actually say to myself, “I will never make these again.” The recipe makes 15 dozen little cookies. That’s 180 moments of happiness, 180 cute cookies on the cooling rack, 180 little balls of dough to measure, shape into circles, roll in sugar, and top with a chocolate chip.
Needless to say, I got very, very tired of making Tiny Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Buttons after about 8 dozen cookies.
Normally I would not even imagine posting such a frustrating recipe. But the results? Magic. I taste the first cookie and immediately eat my words. (Ha, ha, ha.) Every time. And there have been many times. And I know in my heart it won’t be long before I make this recipe again.
I’m sharing it with you now for two reasons. I made them for my friend A-‘s birthday as he is a PB and chocolate fanatic. (He is a good friend through everything and deserves fantastic cookies on his birthday, even if they are annoying to make.) Plus, I discovered that the dough can be frozen! Thank goodness you don’t have to stand there and make 15 dozen cookies in one standing. Phew!
Your last excuse not to try them is gone.
Vanilla and Coffee Marble Cake with Chocolate Glaze
I was taking my IB History test. There’s this feeling I can’t fully explain that only happens during testing season, when you tug on the metal handle of the gym door and step inside. It’s sort of like deja vu meets utter dread.
It’s the feeling you get when you walk into the room and desks have been set up, spaced neatly and equally apart, and your stomach lurches. You know that one of the chairs in this room is for you. There’s a packet with your name on it. And as you find your table and sit at it, a little part of your heart breaks. A bit of you dies. There is no escape.
There is a traditional one last stab at happiness – the whole room does a giant wave, starting with the first desk and ending in the opposite corner. Everyone laughs, then the tests are unwrapped and passed out by whichever parents or teachers volunteered to help. Absolute silence falls as the IB supervisor booms, “The tests have been opened. There is to be absolutely no talking at this point.” And the feeling settles on everything again, even more heavily than before.
All you can hear is the rustling of papers, light footsteps, and maybe the pounding of your heart, depending on how little you studied. I was watching the proctor work her way down the row, handing out papers. I never know quite how to react when the proctors reach me. It’s never pleasant. But that day something completely unexpected happened. My proctor spoke.
She handed me my test booklet, then very quickly leaned in and surreptitiously whispered, “I love your blog!” Then she flashed me a quick smile – another strange first in the IB test room – and continued down the line.
I was left feeling completely shocked! My thoughts were sent completely off balance – I went from trying to remember the causes of the Civil War to wondering how in the world she knew about 17 and Baking. I almost laughed out loud! (Which would have been bad.)
And then something equally bizarre happened – the heavy knotted feeling in my stomach straightened itself out, and I began my test still smiling.
And when I got home? I made vanilla and coffee marble pound cake.
17 and Baking 