Notes on Irish soda bread

I made some over the weekend. I soaked the raisins, which were golden raisins, overnight in a mixture of Grand Mariner, bourbon, and water, so they were quite plump. I wound up plucking burnt raisins from the surface of the bread, so next time I will check on it sooner and maybe decrease the temperature. I also thought it needed a bit more salt, so I edited the recipe here. It was still really yummy, though.

This is not a cookie.

But it is tasty.

Irish Soda Bread

2 c flour

3/4 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 T sugar

6 T butter

1 c raisins

1 T caraway seeds

1/2 to 2/3 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Gradually stir in buttermilk, adding just enough to form a dough. Knead a few times and shape into a round loaf. Place on a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet. Cut a bold cross on the top, extending over the sides. Brush with milk. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Edited to increase the salt from 1/2 t to 1 t.

Insanely delicious

These were fabulous, soft and rich, like a warm fluffy cookie version of English toffee. They instantly became my favorite cookies.

Brown sugar cookies with milk chocolate chips

14 T butter

1 3/4 c dark brown sugar

2 c + 2 T flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

1/2 + 1/8 t salt

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 T vanilla

1 c milk chocolate chips

Divide the butter, putting 10 tablespoons in a large sauce pan, and remaining 4 tablespoons in heatproof mixing bowl. Over medium heat, carefully brown the butter in the sauce pan. I recommend stirring constantly with a silicone scraper, because it allows you to sort of push aside the foam that will form and see the bits on the bottom as they turn golden and then mahogany brown. Black is not the color you're looking for. Pour the browned butter over the remaining butter. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients, of which the sugar is not one. I like to put them in a large Cool Whip bowl, because it makes it easier to pour into the bowl of the mixer.

Once the wait is over, add the brown sugar and salt to the butter and mix until the lumps are gone. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again. Add dry ingredients, mix a bit, then add chocolate chips. Even my Kitchen Aid mixer had trouble powering through this, so give it a stir with a spatula, too, until there's no white showing. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop on 12 scoops of dough at a time. I use my medium sized disher, which measures about 1 1/2 tablespoons. If you're not as finicky as me, just make some balls of dough.

Bake for about 12 minutes, but be sure to check after 10. They're done when they're puffy, dry on top, and the edges are set enough that you can gently lift the edge and they still hold together. Leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes. Seriously, they need to finish cooking, and you'll burn your mouth if you eat them straight out of the oven. I got 44 cookies out of this recipe.