We give you... CLAIRE!!!

The second entry to arrive was from the lovely Claire Helene! Claire is the only one of you blogging goofs that Grizzled and I've met in person so I promised myself I would not be biased. I promised to use a steely eye and harsh judgment when testing Claire's cookies... even if they were from Claire, sweet, sweet Claire. Claire, whom my lamblets adore. Claire, who let them play with her beloved Polaroid. Claire... ok, I'll stop.

Claire's entry arrive relatively unscathed. It came in a charming tin and was accompanied by festive photos. Frank is now on our fridge, the only cat with any place of honor is this allergic household.

I opened the tin and was swept away with wonderful odeurs of chocolate and spices... If this were an aroma-off, Claire would be the winner. The goodies in the tin smelled great!
I looked at the accompanying cookie description and saw that Claire had baked 3 types of cookies. She said they weren't much to look at, but she felt taste would make up for that.

They were varying shades of brown. Brown is underrated. Brown gets a bum rap. Brown is especially good in cookies. They were also made up of a cornucopia of textures... another important factor in cookie enjoyment.

Included in this grouping were:

1) Pistachio Apricot Oatmeal Cookies
2) Butter Spice Cookies (lots of yummy cardamom)
3) Her family's Chocolate Cookies with Mocha Frosting

She also suggested drinks to accompany each cookie for maximum cookie enjoyment. Have I mentioned how sweet Claire is??? Have I mentioned how much my lamblets love her!?!?

But back to the cookies...

The oatmeal cookies were a hit. Grizzled and I both loved them. We loved the texture, loved the flavors, loved the combo. They were chewy and crispy. They were buttery. They were delicious and I didn't even have them with the recommended milk. These were probably Grizzled's favorite.

My favorite was the butter spice cookies. They looked a little innocuous... a cookie that would most likely be passed over for something more flamboyant, but oh my god!! They were wonderful. They somehow had some ingredient that hit every portion of ones tongue and yet worked together in harmony. They were sweet, salty, savory, buttery... the even had some wonderful heat. They were good and I didn't even have them with their recommended beverage. I had them with coffee, but think they would indeed be great with tea. UC had mentioned Chai and I think that would be a wonderful accompaniment as well. I loved these cookies and thought as I was eating them that these were ones I would want to make.

Last, but not least were Claire's family recipe... the chocolate cookies with mocha frosting w/milk accompaniment. They look incredibly rich, but are surprisingly not. I expected to be overwhelmed with CHOCOLATE, but they were actually rather light. That's good, you don't always need a chocolate hammer. Sometimes a chocolate whisper is just the thing, or maybe a chocolate hug. Grizzled and I both like the mocha frosting. It was not too sweet, but had a lovely mocha flavor. These were indeed good. The lamblets gave them a big thumbs up, but of course, their opinions will not be tallied into the final outcome.

Claire brought it folks. I think I would make all of these cookies, but of course, there are two other judges yet to weigh in.

It's proving to be a tough fight so far. Both Mandos and Claire have done some awesome work. Only time and taste buds will tell!

Bake-off goods update: The western judges now have the following entries in hand... next after Claire is TeamChicago, followed by Brando and TLB, Snag, and last, but certainly not least, 3B Inc!!! Yes, waiting for me today when I arrived home was a half-assed package from none other than 3 Bulls!!! I haven't opened it yet... for all I know, it could be filled with emus or sparkle pants, or emus wearing sparkle pants! Woo-hoo!!!

Have I mentioned that my lamblets LOVE Claire??? :)

Comments

[billy pilgrim]

They look good.

[Pinko Punko]

Well, get ready for the chocolate hammer.

[Brando]

Those cookies do look pretty tasty.

I love the phrase chocolate hammer. So intimidating and inviting at the same time.

[The Uncanny Canadian]

Claire offered an incredibly well-rounded entry into the bake-off. Her presentation was par excellence and the cookies were not letdowns by any means. My first sample was of the chocolate cookies, and I have to say that I was shocked and awed. The cookies are far lighter than you would predict, yet they lose none of the taste for it. I hadn't realized how potent the mocha frosting would be, and thought it was a transition topping. Nuh uh. These were by far my favourite cookies of the batch and the ones I am most jealous that somebody else knows how to make them. I don't have very good quality coffee, but I don't think these needed any flavour balance anyway.

Next I tried the spice cookies. I knew beforehand that Jennifer had raved about these, but I was surprised at their delicacy. I guess for me they were subtle, and I'm not sure they fully pupated in my mouth as I expected. I experimented eating these cookies with two different kinds of tea, one a subtle Japanese green tea, and the other a full-on vanilla chai. The chai brought out more of the cardamom flavour that Jennifer alluded to, and I think I can see the elegance of this cookie. Beautiful texture and bite as well.

The oatmeal were surprising to me. I had my milk ready and my lactaid at hand, and went for it. I thought they would be regular but excellent oatmeal cookies. Instead I bit into an olio of textures and flavours. These might have been the best oatmeal cookies I have ever tasted, at least inasmuch as nobody else has sent me an oatmeal cookie in a bake-off yet. Claire has really done a phenomenal job and deserves high accolades for her ability to update and improve on the classic cookie.

[The Uncanny Canadian]

Oh, Pinko, I think the politically-correct term for that these days is "African-American wang".

[Jennifer]

UC- I must marry anyone who uses olio in everyday language!!!

Aren't those chocolate cookies crazy?? They look so rich, but are light, but as you said, don't disappoint. I'm so confused...

Did I mention how much my lamblets love Claire???

[billy pilgrim]

The Oatmeal is a Superb choice. So much room for improvisation within its wholesome perfection.

Well Played, Claire.

I'm going back to sulking.

[Kathleen]

Congrats Claire! Those sound awesome!

[Kathleen]

my cookies should've arrived by now! ack.

It is clear that my bribe and packaging will win all.
If this was the standard.

[Claire]

Thanks for the nice write-up. I just posted about the recipes, should anyone be interested in making them at home. I'm glad they went over well!

[Capt. Trollypants]

That's odd, I thought these cookies tasted like frito butt.

[Jennifer]

Capt. Trollypants- I think you're referring to your own. You must have been eating them while looking at Claire's lovely photos and made the mistake.

[Mandos]

What an unoriginal, derivative entry.

[Claire]

Oh Mandos, sour grapes, huh? Jealous of my cookies' reception? People in glass houses shouldn't throw cookies.

[Kathleen]

Woo-hoo, Jennifer! How can one be the best? With no Bill O'Reilly cum candy cane in the lot, a work of art transcending every and all questions of taste, who ya gonna choose?
Don't say bribes. A most welcome and noble tradition, I'm sure, but still...for me, hard cold cash might not mean so much while I was sampling that death-row cookie. Or playing the lead in "Brigadoon." But I've always run light in my down-at-the-heels money-loafers.
Aren't some cookies created equal?
Maybe I'm just more into it as sorry spectator this year. (Reality check--I've already burned my kitchen black this year and my migraines are punishing me for it.) And yet, this Bake-Off has BIG SUSPENSE as well as everything else.
Your precise descriptions of taste, texture, appearance, packaging and fond-feelings for the bakers make it feel real serious. Fun, delicious, but still--serious.

[Jennifer]

Hi Kathleen! I meant to get back to you the other day, but I've been in a sugar haze...

No, bribes will not work at this point, it's down to serious baking at this point.

Judging will be difficult, and yes, many cookies are created equal, but we have 4 people deciding so at least there will be a taste for every cookie, a cookie for every taste!

Sorry about the migraines. Those sound terrible.