This was initially slated to be one of 12 cookie recipes for the Holidays. Instead it has become December’s first Kitchen Disaster. I should have known from the recipe that these cookies would never work as promised from the recipe at Food Network. I would have been right to follow my instincts. Why I decided to pick a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis is beyond me. I should have known that an Italian cook wasn’t going to have great success with a native American fruit like blueberries.
Instead of the beautiful blue flecked cookies shown there, we ended up with these mutant sons of the monster from the Blob. Not only were they unappetizing to look at, but these cookies wouldn’t have been all that great even if I had followed my first instincts and used the berries while still frozen. (Which would have made them prettier.)
So Giada, you let me down. I’ll remember that the next time I see a recipe on your show that makes me go “Ooooooh!”
I’ve included the recipe just in case a more talented cookie maker can find a way to repair this mess. As always, my thoughts are right near the end. Ciao.
Almond Blueberry Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp. lemon zest. (roughly 1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained
Method:
Combine flower, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add milk, almond extract and lemon zest.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in almonds, then the blueberries. (This is best done by hand, or with a firm spatula.) Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place dollops of dough onto cookie sheets using two small spoons. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.
Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
First of all, I would have followed Alton brown’s advice and used the berries frozen, just dredged in a bit of flour before baking. This would have prevented the horrid amount of bleeding the berries did in the dough. I’m not sure how much of a difference in taste that would have made, so I’ll stop there.
Just go make the recipe below. I’m sure you’ll be happier with it!
Links to other recipes like this:
- Lemon Almond Blueberry Tarts, from Tartelette
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Category : Recipes
Jerry,
First of all, love the blog.
I always ran into the bleeding blueberry problem when making blueberry pancakes…the entire batter turned a nauseating shade of periwinkle no matter how many times I rinsed. This happens when using pre-frozen blueberries from the grocer’s freezer. I’ve remedied this by using fresh blueberries I freeze myself.
When in season, we buy a year’s worth of blueberries, divide recipe-appropriate amounts into Ziploc freezer bags (DON’T wash them before freezing) and chuck them in the freezer. I’ve NEVER had a problem with home-frozen blueberries bleeding even if thawed before added to the recipe. I don’t think I have to mention how much better they taste.
Michael,
Thanks! This little piece of the web has been very good to me, and is going under full remodel (behind the curtain, of course) as I write this.
I’ll have to try freezing my own next year. Generally though, with store bought berries all that is required is to use them frozen. The little buggers thaw very quickly when cooked, and manage to keep a nice texture in the process.
I think that this was just a pretty cruddy recipe to start with, but I’ll leave that up to other bakers to discover. I’ve moved on to other things ;)
These really do look like mutant blobs — almost funny, except for the time you put into them, and the disappointment. Could you crumble them and use them as topping for some nice vanilla ice cream?
Strange – I just tried Giada’s Parmesan Potato Pancake recipe, also from the Food Network Recipe, and it was somewhat of a disaster as well. Not a disaster of epic proportions, mind you, but it certainly didn’t taste very good. I’ll definitely hesitate before I try one of her recipes again.
First — the flour amount’s left out of your recipe.
Second — for cookies, that looks like a *lot* of grease & liquid for cookies. Eggs, milk, butter all? I’d have also probably used wild blueberries for cookies – big ones strike me as too thick for a cookie. Then again, I’ve always had a preference for them too. If you used them frozen in this recipe, you might have to tweak the recipe too to keep the cookies from getting even more liquid in em.
Third — I love this blog since I stumbled on it the other week via the thirteen things about Aunt Sandy. Keep the cooking coming!
Dave,
Good suggestions all. For now I’m moving on to other recipes (from other people!) If I do revisit these, there are a lot of things I’ll be changing.
I’m glad you like the blog… Look forward to more Food Network related rants in the coming year, they’ve been building for a while now!
This made me laugh out loud. Oh, the frustrations of baking disasters! Better luck next time.
I also have tried Giada’s recipes…most are not good at all ! I think she stays on TV because she shows her cleavage ! I mean, really ! Do we really need to see a Food Network chef’s ( if you want to call her a chef) boobs !
I think she’s over rated and an egotistical snob !
My advice is to use dried blueberries (cranberries, cherries or whatever) in cookies. I find they are much easier to handle, not messy at all and just as yummy.