I have read a lot of good things about Sherry Yard's latest book, Desserts by the Yard. Among other things, Sherry has been a pastry chef at Spagos in Beverley Hills. Accordingly, when I was ordering Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey, I also ordered Desserts by the Yard.
Desserts by the Yard is a beautiful book, and is divided into recipes by the stage in Sherry's career when she learned how to make the various dishes. She has worked in a number of different countries, so a number of different cultural influences shine through in her recipes. Some of Sherry's recipes are way too extravagant for me to ever consider making (for example, her chocolate Oscars creations); however, many of them sound delicious and are things that you could make at home.
One of the "home-ier" recipes is for President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies. It isn't Bill Clinton's recipe; rather, it is a type of cookie that Sherry made for the then US President that he liked very much. And what is not to like about these cookies? They are chewy, sweet and pleasantly oaty. They also contain alcohol-soaked dried fruit, which I think makes them.
Sherry has helpfully provided the recipe for these cookies here on her website. However, if you are a dessert fan, or just love looking at pictures of well constructed, delicious desserts, then Desserts by the Yard may be the book for you.
Instead of using fat raisins (because I didn't have the ingredients to make them), I poached one and a half cups of sultanas in a quarter of a cup of rum until the fruit had absorbed the rum. Everyone at work liked these cookies, so I don't think that this substitution detracted from the end result. I baked them straight away rather than creating logs with the dough and freezing them, and it worked just fine.
If you like home-style oatmeal cookies with a twist, this is a great recipe to try.
10 comments:
Rum soaked raisins would make oatmeal cookies far tastier! They look great!
Oatmeal with raisin cookies bring back childhood memories. Slick Willy has good taste in cookies.
You photo with the Liberty Bell is cute!
Of course I love them! Thanks for the great links! I'll copy immediately the recipe and try!
Your cookies are fantastic and I'm sure delicious too :-P
Wish you a happy day
Silvia
Hi Cakelaw, it's so nice to be back viewing your wonderful creations again.
I have been looking at the same book and wondering or not to buy it. You have now certainly convinced me too :) Wonderful oatmeal cookies!
Congrats also on your sugarcraft classes the cakes look stunning :)
Rosie x
Lovely recipe!!
Hi Mary, absolutely - it makes them very grown up!
Thanks Peter - still working on that photography.
Wishing you a happy day and great cookies too Sylvia!
Thanks Rosie - glad to have you back in action.
Hi Swati, These are good - if you like oatmeal cookies, you'll love Sherry's recipe.
OK, the liberty bell is too cute with the cookies! This is the type of politics that speaks to me! :-)
I wonder if there are any cookies that Pres. Clinton doesn't like? I'd guess not. But these look really great as I am definitely a fan of oatmeal cookies.
Oh, I've got Sherry Yard's book too and have been cooking from it quite a bit. We had her flourless chocolate cake with meringue topping last night, for Mother's Day. I've been steering away from her cookies even though I was tempted by those oatmeal ones, because I tend to find her cookies a bit too sweet (I think she has more sugar in them so that they are chewier and stay chewy for longer).
(Hahaha! to Laurie's comment above, by the way)
Thanks Cakespy.
Hi Laurie, apparently he doesn't like chocolate, but otherwise, I suspect the sky's the limit.
Hi Y, there was a lot of sugar in them - but boy, they were good.
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