High Cookie Season is Here!

In case you didn't know, October is National Cookie Month.  It seems appropriate to me because October is the beginning of some great cookie holidays!  We debut the Halloween Cookie Collection Friday, Oct 1st.

Oct 1st is also very special because we will have our official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bakery.  Click here for more information.  I hope to see you on Friday!

photo by morris malakoff

"Ojarascas" By Another Name

I have to confess.  Some of our best cookie ideas come directly from our customers.  When our bakery opened on June 22, a customer came to me to "talk cookies."  The subject turned to one of her favorites called "Ojarascas."  I had never heard of this cookie.

Well, within a few weeks she returned with samples from a local Mexican bakery!  It was a heart-shaped, thick cut cinnamon-flavored shortbread cookie.  I loved it!  I told my friends about it and they never heard of it.  But, after I described it, my friend, Adam, said, "Oh, you mean 'Pan de Polvo.'  We get'em in the valley.  I'll pick up some next time I visit mom."

Well, I couldn't wait for Adam or his mom.  After a little homework and several trials, I came up with the MCJ version of Ojarascas, aka Pan de Polvo.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm never sure about the authenticity of my ethnic flavors, but as long as it's made with butter and tastes great, well, I'm pretty satisfied.

Sweets for the New Year

As the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah approaches, we have perfected some traditional sweets.  We've added to our repertoire three types of rugelach: choc/raspberry, apricot/walnut and chocolate.  We're also offering decorated apple-shaped cookies.  I'm really proud of our rugelach because many recipe trials were conducted to obtain a flavor and shape that was something truly special. 

Rugelach is special for many culinary reasons.  It has a truly unique shape and flavor.  Rolled up like a small croissant, it stands out from the more traditional flat or round cookies.  Also, the dough is a flaky cream cheese based dough which has very little sugar.  The sweetness comes from the filling and sugar sprinkled on top.  Even with this added sugar, rugelach is not an overly sweet pastry. 

Lastly, rugelach takes a bit of practice and craftsmanship to make.  The dough is very delicate and must be handled gingerly to obtain a flaky cookie.  And since there is little sugar in rugelach, baking times tend to be longer. 

A dear friend of mine (who happens to be orthodox Jew) brought me some authentic rugelach from Israel last year.  One of the desired qualities was a slightly raw center.  This is not difficult to achieve because rugelach is a dense pastry that does not rise very much.  I was not really in favor of undercooked dough (that wasn't even very sweet), so we tend to bake ours a little longer to achieve a more fully cooked center. 

I encourage you to try this yummy pastry for the Jewish New Year (or any time of the year!).

Cookie Pies

Due to popular request, we now offer the "Cookie Pie."  It takes 1-1/2 lbs of our all-butter chocolate chip cookie dough to make one 12" pie.  We can also make it in any of our classic Americana flavors, like snickerdoodle, toffee pecan, peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia, oatmeal raisin, ginger molasses or fudge walnut. Serves 12-15 people.  $25.00.  Check it out!

Summer Survival Kit

In Houston, we all know how important it is to be prepared for hurricane season.  The City has published a comprehensive preparedness guide at this link. 

But we like our survival kit better! 

Visit our bakery at 5330 Weslayan Street to purchase one for $15.  It includes 11 cookies and a bottle of water!  You can also order online for pick up at a later date.

My Table Culinary Awards

"My Table" is Houston's premier "foodie" magazine.  I've been a subscriber for years.  I love knowing the "inside track" on food trends in Houston.  Every year they sponser culinary awards to highlight the best food and service that Houston has to offer.  And Michael's Cookie Jar was nominated for a new category called "Favorite Sweets/Ice Cream."  We love to have your vote!  It's easy.  Simply go to www.houstonculinaryawards.com and it takes about three minutes to vote for us and all the categories. 

Mocha Moon Cookie

One of the most popular cookies we've sold at the bakery has actually been a "cakey cookie" called the Black & White cookie.  Ours is made with vanilla cake and iced with vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache.  They really melt in your mouth and satisfy your sweet tooth.

The Black & White originally comes from New York City, so we thought Houston should have it's own version.  Hence, we came up with the Mocha Moon Cookies.  It's made with chocolate cake and iced with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache.  We also soak the cookie with a little coffee simple syrup.  It's definitely a grown up taste!