Movie Group

Sunday, November 11, 2012


Does anyone else belong to a movie group?

A movie group is like a book club, except every month we watch a movie then meet to discuss it.  The movie part of the group is fun, but we’ve evolved into much more than that.  Among the eight of us, we have 18 kids between the ages of 14 and 19.  So whenever we get together, the subject of families comes up.  No matter what stage someone is going through, somebody else has either lived through it or is experiencing it at the same time. 

Even more importantly, this is a genuinely nice group of women.  In the time we’ve known each other, there has never been any gossip or pettiness.  When I spend time with them I feel completely loved and accepted.

And that’s why, when I marked a certain milestone birthday this week, it was so special when they helped me celebrate.  When they planned the evening, they incorporated all the things I love to do.  We started by gathering at Carla’s parents’ house to watch an old movie (Woody Allen’s Manhattan), then we walked a short block to attend a cooking class (more about that another week), and returned to the house for cake and conversation.  I had an absolutely wonderful time, and the evening was made even more fun when they gave me a gift they knew I’d love – a KitchenAid stand mixer!  Thanks to Carla, Trish, Kim, Karen, Barb, Marlie and Jan for a great birthday celebration and for your amazing friendships.



I’ve made these cookies without a stand mixer, but they’re much easier to make now that I have one.  Fifteen minutes of beating is a long time when you’re using a hand mixer.  I relish using that time to do other things while an appliance does the work for me.

Snickerdoodles can seem a bit plain when stacked up against cookies filled with chocolate, peanut butter or other worthwhile additions.  But these cookies are taken over the top with brown butter, and have become a hugely popular addition to my cookie repertoire.  And now that I can use my new stand mixer, they’ll become a more frequent addition to my cookie repertoire.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

(recipe from Baked Elements)

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon (first amount)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk (or half and half cream)
1 cup sugar (first amount)
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (second amount)
3 Tbsp sugar (second amount)

Place butter in a medium saucepan and brown it.  (For directions on browning butter, see here.)  Once browned, pour it into a large bowl and beat on medium-low speed until it cools to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.  Set aside.

Once the butter has cooled to room temperature, turn off the mixer and add 1 cup sugar and the brown sugar.  Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes.  On low speed add the egg mixture in a slow steady stream.  Once all of the mixture has been added, beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add the flour mixture in three separate parts, stirring to incorporate.

Refrigerate dough for at least one hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix together 3 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon.

Shape the dough into balls, then roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture until they’re evenly coated.  Place on cookie sheets, leaving at least one and a half inches between them.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to rest on the sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.




27 comments:

Belinda said...

That's a great idea! Sometimes, our book club watches the movie (if the book has been turned into that), but we're definitely more of a food club....

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Happy Birthday, Beth! Such a great time with your very dear friends!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Happy Birthday Beth! What a great idea to have a movie club. I'd love one so I would watch more movies. And it would be great to have a group of women friends like that.

Valerie Gamine said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Beth!! xo
Congrats on being the proud owner of a KA mixer...you'll wonder how you ever survived without one. :D

Cookies look scrumptious! I wish I had several right now.

Bonnie said...

Happy birthday! You will love your Kitchen Aide. And... I love snickerdoodle cookies. Thanks for the recipe. I will be adding it to my repertoire.

Sue said...

What a fantastic birthday celebration from beginning to end! What wonderful friends you have(love the movie group idea), and congrats on your new mixer, Beth! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cindy said...

What an awesome group of friends. Sounds like a wonderful club. We have a book club that is awesome, we do solve the worlds problems.
My mom is 84 and has been in a club since her twenties. She has laughed and cried with these friends. they get together monthly and have a luncheon. It started as a dinner club with an invited speaker. Mom had her gynecologist come, her sister that made cakes. I even taught a few times. Now they are tired and just want a little lunch and to visit. There have been about 40 members over the years. Now there are just 7 or 8 left. One is dying as I write this. What a support these ladies have been to each other. We do need each other.
.

Andrea_TheKitchenLioness said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Beth! What a terrific idea to be part of a movie group! And what wonderful true friends you have! The recipe for the cookies sounds wonderful - actually, I like to have a few recipes on hand that are not so laden with all those add-ins like chocolate and nuts! It all sounds wonderful!

Angie's Recipes said...

Happy Birthday, Beth! I am so happy that you had a great time with your movie group friends.

Vicki Bensinger said...

Ooh now that's a cookie I haven't had in ages but always loved. Not sure if they were brown butter but all the better. These sound delicious!

Joanne said...

A movie group sounds like so much fun!! And happy birthday love! These cookies sound like the perfect way to celebrate. Snickerdoodles are majorly underrated in my opinion..I LOVE them!

Vi said...

That's such a fun idea, I went to a movie club in Paris one time and had a good time discussing the movie afterwards. I don't remember why I didn't go back but this makes me want to start one here.

Happy Birthday! I wish you the best and happiest year :)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a really fun group!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

You all are so sweet and cool :D - a perfect group!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Kathy said...

Happy Birthday, Beth!! Sounds like you celebrated royally!! Your cookies look like the perfect way to break in your Kitchen Aide!

Katerina said...

Happy birthday Beth and celebrating among friends is the best! The cookies added a special touch to the celebration!

Unknown said...

Good friends are worth more than a pot of gold! Sounds like you have a delightful group! Happy Birthday and happy mixing!

Julie said...

Wow what a fun celebration! Happy Birthday!

Food Gal said...

A movie group? That is an awesome idea. And how fun that you guys have all known each other so long. Happy birthday! Nothing better than sharing the celebration with good friends on such a special day.

amy (fearless homemaker) said...

Your movie group sounds like such fun! And a belated happy birthday, friend. Hope it was a wonderful milestone. How wonderful that you got a stand mixer, too - and what a great cookie recipe to get your mixer off to a good start. =)

Anonymous said...

I like snickerdoodles in the first place and I'll bet they're even better with browned butter. I am really enjoying being in a book club and your movie group sounds great! Happy birthday!

Jess said...

How fun! I would LOVE to belong to a women's group like that. Unfortunately, all of my close girlfriends seem to be gradually moving away (and we're planning a move in the next few years). I suppose it gets easier to make new friends once the kids get into school. Great-looking cookies :)

Amy said...

What a great group! Your cookies look delicious. I just recently discovered the wonderfulness that is brown butter!

nancy at good food matters said...

brown butter makes everything better! congratulations on your birthday milestone. How fortunate you are to have such a smart and supportive group of friends. I love the idea of a movie group. (Manhattan was one of Woody Allen's best)

Elaine said...

A movie club sounds like so much fun! Snickerdoodles are one of my very favorite cookies and yours are the second I have seen from the BAKED Elements book. They look beautiful and I think that I will have to forget about waiting for them to come up on the BAKED Sunday Mornings schedule and go ahead and make them.

grace said...

i would've thought that nothing could improve upon a batch of snickerdoodles, but i had not considered browned butter! LOVE this, beth!

Beth said...

Thanks, Grace! I loved them too.

Post a Comment