Friday, August 29, 2008

Orange-spice glazed cookies and horror movies

Orange-spice glazed cookies

My mom did not let me watch horror films when I was a kid. But I usually found a way of peeking, at least for a couple of minutes. Some movies were terrifying, I’ll say - mom was right. Two got stuck in my head and to this day I don’t know their names.

In one of them, a very happy family starts falling apart because the younger daughter is possessed or something. On the scene I remember, there’s been a car crash and all the family get out of the car before it explodes. But the little girl ties up her older sister’s shoe laces together so she can’t move. And she dies. So creepy.

As for the other movie, all I know is that it ends with a man screaming, the camera getting closer to him until it goes down his throat and everything turns black. Then, the credits. Equally scary.

Do you know which movies are those? I keep thinking that they might be really crappy movies and here I am, curious about them for so long.

Like these cookies. I was curious about them for many, many months and when I finally baked the cookies they did not turn out cute like the ones on the original recipe. :(

UPDATE: My good friend C. read the post and got so angry at me! She says that I'm not being honest with you, guys. According to her, I took photos using light colors on purpose to make the cookies look bad and did not mention that they tasted fantastic.
Ok, C. - message delivered!

Orange-spice glazed cookies

Orange-spice glazed cookies

Cookies:
1 ¼ cups (175g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Glaze:
1 cup (140g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
a splash of vanilla
2 tablespoons orange juice

Grease two baking sheets well and set aside – I lined the sheets with baking paper.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix well.

Add the cream of tartar, flour, zest, spices, and salt, and mix on low speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth.

Remove the dough from the mixer and form it into a ball. If it's too soft to handle, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it firms up a bit – I refrigerated mine for 1 ½ hours.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and make the glaze by mixing the powered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth.

On a well-floured board, roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into shapes with the cookie cutters of your choice. Place on the prepared pan and bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately brush each one with a good amount of glaze, then place them back in the oven and bake until the glaze starts to crackle and the cookies are a golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes more. Remove the cookies and let cool on the pan.

Makes about 30 medium-size cookies – I halved the recipe and got 35 cookies with a 5cm flower cutter

32 comments:

Manggy said...

Patricia, what are you talking about? They look totally cute and just as moreish as the professionally-styled one! :D I don't watch horror movies; hate 'em. I don't scare easily ('cept when they opened the cabinet door in The Others), but if a movie is not emotionally moving, it's not worth the time to me. That's why my favorite movie is The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. KIDDING!

Debbie said...

Your cookies look delicious. I am a big horror movie fan but don't recall the scenes you have mentioned. Even though I love horror movies I close my eyes during anything gory. I like suspense!

Anonymous said...

My parents also (wisely) prevented me from watching horror movies as a kid, but I also peeked. Not a good idea on my part.

Those cookies sound delicious! I think I have every single one of those ingredients in my kitchen right now, so I can get started right away. Can't wait! :D

Ann said...

Gosh, I'm such a movie buff and I was racking my brain trying to think of what those movies could be! Can't think of a single thing! I will keep thinking though...

In any case, those cookies are gorgeous, my friend! :)

Anonymous said...

I hate horror films, I never sleep and then I dream about them!

Well the cookies look good, love the orange spice idea.

Peabody said...

They look good to me!

Anonymous said...

I think they look great and love the idea of the prange-spice.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Nothing I bake ever comes out looking cute -- so I always say it's the taste that counts!

LyB said...

They look delicious! And how could they not be with all those spices and orange zest, mmmmm! As for the movies, I have no idea what they could be, I get scared so easily, it's not even funny! I watched "The Ring" like 8 years ago and the thought of it still scares me!

Gattina Cheung said...

Pat, oh dear you! when I was a kid, or even grew-up to teenager, some scenes at horror movies still haunted me for a few years (esp going to bathroom in the middle of the night :P .
But I say, Pat, you are just modest! The cookies do look delicious! Good photo or not, you know, most of them are processed at Photoshop to enhance the beauty.

Emily said...

Mmm cookies.

Uhh, I don't know about the second one. Could the first movie be one of the Poltergeist movies??

RecipeGirl said...

I used to sneak into horror movies as a pre-teen. Now I simply can't stand to watch... too scary. I always think someone is in the house with me (hiding) while I'm watching one of those.

You simply make the best choices for your cookie recipes. These look delicious (and pretty!)

Sarah said...

Can't help you out with the name of the movies, but I could help you out eating those cookies! :)
I don't know what you or your friend are talking about--I think they look delicious!

jasmine said...

Glah--I'm not good with scary movies and do my best to avoid them.

I jump really easily so if something startling happens, I'm know to shriek in the cinema...how embarassing!

j

Anonymous said...

I know the first movie you're referring to but I don't know the title. I watched it with my cousins when I was about six years olds (around 1986). One of my cousins, who was eight at the time, to this day still has nightmares about that movie (she's 30 now). The plot involved twin girls; one twin tied the other's shoe laces together in the car, the car crashed the girl couldn't get out and died. She then came back as a ghost and instructed the living twin to kill the remaining family members. I think she killed the parents with a pizza cutter. Pretty sure it was a made for tv movie.

Anonymous said...

^^
Found it. The first movie you're referring to is 'Don't go to sleep' released in 1982.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083844/

Anonymous said...

Yum! Those would make a great, lighter-flavored Christmas cookie. (Is it really time to think about such things already?! Time flies.)

eatme_delicious said...

What are you talking about! Your cookies look just as cute as those other ones. I have this cookbook on loan from the library right now but haven't looked through it yet.

Anonymous said...

this is the second blog i read talking about horror movies :D

personally, i like watching horror movie, they're fun, especially at night time! :) as long as i have my hubby besides me, i'm fine...

Christy said...

They look good enough for me!! Anytime you want to send them over to Australia let me know, I'll give you my address in a heartbeat!! I mean, they have spices and sugar glaze on them...can they really be that bad??

Oh, and I don't do horror movies. I tend to take them waaay too seriously if you know what I mean...

Patricia Scarpin said...

Mark, my dear friend, you are so sweet, thank you! I love "The Others" - especially because I love the book "The Turn of the Screw". So good.
I'm so relieved you are kidding about that other movie... ;)

Debbie, thank you!
I close my eyes on some scenes, too - I'm too afraid to watch them. :)
Tks for stopping by!

Jojo, tks for your visit! I would love to hear your opinion on the cookies.

Ann, thank you, darling!

Cathy, I dream about them, too!

Pea, thank you, sweetie!

Cathy, thank you!

Lydia, I think you've got a point there, my friend. :)

LyB, I watched that movie too a long time ago and to this day I think of that girl with long hair. Spooky!

Gattina, I know! I still have nightmares with movies I watched 10 years ago. :S
And your comment made me really glad, dearie!

Emiline, I haven't watched Poltergeist yet - I'm too scared! :)

Recipe Girl, I find them too scary nowadays, too. :)
And I just can't go to the bathroom in the middle of the night! :S

Sarah, I wish I could share these with you, darling!

Jasmine, I think avoiding them is the right thing to do. :)

Anonymous, too bad you didn't leave your name!
That is EXACTLY the movie! Thank you so much!

Sally, I think you are right - I have been thinking of the goodie bags I want to give as gifts in the end of the year. :)

Ashley, thank you, darling!

Liz, really? That's a coincidence! :)
My hubby doesn't like watching those movies... :S

Christy, if they traveled well you bet I'd gladly send you some!
I do know what you mean - I do the same thing. :D

Kajal@aapplemint said...

hey c'mon dont be hard on your self. you know they look cute :) , with a bit of character i'd say !
BTW the sake panna cotta and the cheese pollenta looks absolutely marvelous below. Yum yum !

Dragon said...

You must be blind because I think they look really delicate and beautiful. :)

Anonymous said...

I think they are quite cute and look so tasty!
I hate it when something is in our head for so long and then reality is nothing like what our memories were!

Y said...

Ha! I love your friend :D

as for horror movies. I kind of like watching them, but then try not to think too much about what I've just watched, afterwards, as it creeps me out too! The first one sounds waay too creepy - I'm glad I don't know it! Is the second one, In the Mouth of Madness?

Deborah said...

I used to love horror movies as a child, but I get way to scared these days! Funny how that works out. But these cookies - nothing scary about them!

Anonymous said...

Oh Patricia, they look great! Don't know what the movie is though. You know i still can;t swim in the ocean on my own without hearing thw jaws music. I can't believe I was allowed to watch it when I was little. It scarred me!!

Emily said...

Oh, you have to! It's a classic. What about the Exorcist? Did I spell that right?

Anonymous said...

The cookies look yummy! As for the movies, the first one is Don't go to Sleep made in 1982 and the second one, I believe, is Evil Dead. Evil Dead scared the bejeesers out of me when I was a teen-ager! The very end scene is where the camera shows a close-up of his mouth in a scream and goes black-like you described. Hope this helps!

Jaime said...

hahaha. that is so funny. those cookies are cute!

and i refused to watch scary movies when i was a kid. i'd get nightmares if i watched them! you are braver than me ;)

Unknown said...

I beleive the second movie you are referring to is Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The throat in question belongs to Donald Sutherland.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Hey, JB,

Someone told me it was "The Tenant", but I'm not sure. Tks for stopping by and for your comment!

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