Last summer feels like the summer that wasn’t to me. I spent two months of it home, recovering from surgery and just like that, it was over. We didn’t go on any of our usual day trips, like visiting farmers markets and small town main streets as I just wasn’t up to it. I really missed those weekend adventures, especially tonight as we are hunkered down in the middle of a snow storm. It has me reminiscing...
We did take one little trip as summer was coming to an end, and it was the highlight of that lost summer for me. My husband has a friend, a former colleague, who had moved to Bracebridge, Ontario a few years ago and although we had talked about visiting many times, it had just never worked out until then.
I had never met Kevin and Bonnie until that weekend and I will admit it pushed this introvert a bit out of her comfort zone to be staying in the home of people I had never met. But my nervousness was for not – they were warm and welcoming and instantly put me at ease. Their home is a beautiful, log cabin, nestled in amongst the trees. When I was trying to decide what to take for a hostess gift, Adrian was no help at all. He had been once before to go golfing, but could not remember anything about the house other than Monty, their dog. Clearly coordinating tea towels weren’t an option.
Then it came to me…Monty! I would bake him doggie biscuits. The Christmas before I had made a few batches for my niece Kayla’s dog walking clients and they were a big hit – and were with Monty too. Bonnie has text me since then to tell me that he longingly looks at the cookie tin and only likes my cookies now. The dough freezes well so when we visited again in the Fall I took discs of the dough that they could bake off as Monty’s stash ran out. I have become his “dealer”.
We did take one little trip as summer was coming to an end, and it was the highlight of that lost summer for me. My husband has a friend, a former colleague, who had moved to Bracebridge, Ontario a few years ago and although we had talked about visiting many times, it had just never worked out until then.
I had never met Kevin and Bonnie until that weekend and I will admit it pushed this introvert a bit out of her comfort zone to be staying in the home of people I had never met. But my nervousness was for not – they were warm and welcoming and instantly put me at ease. Their home is a beautiful, log cabin, nestled in amongst the trees. When I was trying to decide what to take for a hostess gift, Adrian was no help at all. He had been once before to go golfing, but could not remember anything about the house other than Monty, their dog. Clearly coordinating tea towels weren’t an option.
Then it came to me…Monty! I would bake him doggie biscuits. The Christmas before I had made a few batches for my niece Kayla’s dog walking clients and they were a big hit – and were with Monty too. Bonnie has text me since then to tell me that he longingly looks at the cookie tin and only likes my cookies now. The dough freezes well so when we visited again in the Fall I took discs of the dough that they could bake off as Monty’s stash ran out. I have become his “dealer”.
Monty’s Doggie Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, December 2005 issue
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 large egg
Put both flours, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Next, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter lumps. Add 1 cup of water and pulse until a coarse, dense dough forms.
Next, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in parsley and mint until distributed throughout. Divide dough in half and form into 2 balls. Flatten each into a 6-inch disk.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out one disk of dough to 1/3” on a well-floured surface with floured rolling pin. Cut out as many cookies as possible and space about ¼” apart on baking sheet.
Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more cookies and repeat with remaining dough.
Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush cookies with egg wash and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes total.
Allow cookies to cool completely. Biscuits will keep layered between parchment paper in airtight container at room temperature for one month.
Makes 60 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutter.
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, December 2005 issue
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 large egg
Put both flours, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Next, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter lumps. Add 1 cup of water and pulse until a coarse, dense dough forms.
Next, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in parsley and mint until distributed throughout. Divide dough in half and form into 2 balls. Flatten each into a 6-inch disk.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out one disk of dough to 1/3” on a well-floured surface with floured rolling pin. Cut out as many cookies as possible and space about ¼” apart on baking sheet.
Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more cookies and repeat with remaining dough.
Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush cookies with egg wash and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes total.
Allow cookies to cool completely. Biscuits will keep layered between parchment paper in airtight container at room temperature for one month.
Makes 60 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutter.
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