We didn't exactly waltz but we managed.
I shared last week that my daughter2 and I are long time fans of The Great British Baking Show and we've committed to baking the technical challenge each week on our own. If you don't know what I'm talking about read Week One's post here-Bamboozled By A Battenberg.
Fun random bit of trivia for you...The UK calls this show The Great British Bakeoff. I read that in the US they have to call it The Great British Baking Show because apparently Pillsbury called dibs on the term bake off.
Moving on to Week Two-Biscuit Week. Or as we say in the US of A-Cookie week. We were excited about the theme because we are big cookie bakers here. If you know my mama you know we come by it honestly.
The technical challenge in Week Two was something called a Mint Creme Biscuit. It's basically a thin buttery cookie base with a mint cream disc on top, then the whole thing is coated in tempered chocolate so it has some shine. We both immediately turned our nose up at that, not so much at the difficulty but more the taste. While I do love a little bit of peppermint in a cookie it can sometimes be too much. One of the contestants used the word toothpaste and I get it.
Since we're the boss of us we decided to try the signature bake instead-Viennese Whirl. These are shortbread cookies piped into a spiral shape, then sandwiched with jam and buttercream. Prue (one of the judges) did warn these sound easier than they actually are, but we're game.
Another week of baking, another mess in the kitchen. Even my phone is sticky. Here's how it went-
Daughter2 did her bake before me so she was able to give me a few helpful tips. I still made a mess but at least I knew to expect it. Also, you're not going to get a lot of pictures. It might not be a Battenberg but the Viennese Swirls were also pretty labor intensive.
Here's the good news-they are absolutely scrumptious!!
And they look pretty good too. We admit Paul Hollywood would say ours are not uniform in size but we're calling this a win.
I feel like mine were a little large. If I were to make them again (I won't) I'd make them smaller and the swirl higher. Hubs took one bite, swooned, then took another declaring them delicious. Daughter2's taste tester, my 2-year old grandson, agreed.
A couple of things...I have not mastered the art of piping. In my defense this dough is super thick and no matter how much or how little you put in the bag it still wanted to pop. I'd read some comments beforehand and everyone said the same. You cannot pipe with a baggie on this one. I ordered this piping set (Amazon) for my daughter and one for myself before we got started to be sure we'd have enough-
It was a good thing too, since I think I went through six bags by the time I'd finished the cookie plus the filling.
The final verdict? We both said we absolutely loved the flavor and texture of this cookie. Would we make it again? Probably not. It's a lot of work for just a few cookies. Would we buy one in a bakery? Definitely.
I will also add that to me the swirl was similar in taste to a Thumbprint which I make every year at Christmas time. The swirl has a slightly lighter and more buttery flavor, but it's close. And thumbprints are a lot less work…no piping!
Next up is bread week and my daughter already told me she's sent me proofing bags because she thinks we'll need them. I'm not a bread baker on the regular but at least there's no piping. There will be plaiting but I have daughters so surely I can braid some dough.
Have a nice weekend everyone!
How fun to be doing this in concert with D1 and across the pond, to boot!! Thanks for sharing the fun with us!! I haven't watched that show but may have to take a look now!!
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They look delicious. We are finishing up Only Murders in the Building so we haven't started watching this season yet. I told Mark we have to start because of your posts each week. Looking forward to seeing your bread.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are doing this and enjoy reading about the challenge and seeing the results! Fun.
ReplyDeleteI am loving reading along with your results; in fact I read both this one and your last one aloud to my bakery loving son and we both got a good chuckle out of it. He did have 2 tiny tips-- if you want to take photos with your phone while baking you can wrap your phone in cling wrap (that's what he does for class) and to pipe any sort of cookie batter you need to whip the butter more so there are zero lumps to get stuck in the piping tip (his chef emphasizes that the butter should be WHITE like the literal color of paper-- something I had not heard before)... just in case you ever forget and think you'd like to try making them again. 😂
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips!! I shared them with my daughter. I will be wrapping my phone going forward lol. I feel like bread week won't be as messy but I might be wrong.
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea to do this!! I did a few cookie challenges years ago and got the granddaughters involved. Some were keeper recipes but most were just too much work. Still, there was fun in trying!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the name of the US bake off. I wonder if Pillsbury trademarked the name or something (seems like it must have been something legal). I feel similar about mint. I don´t dislike it but it never sounds good to me. I have had it in several desserts and liked it but I would have a hard time making a mint dessert. My mom used to decorate cakes and she was an expert with piping- she used these parchment like bags that came flat- she would maneuver them around her hand somehow to create a cone into which the tip and then icing would go. I could never figure out how to do it and I just use the plastic disposable, Amazon purchased bags. I´m glad the cookies tasted good! They are pretty and you tried something new! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYes, Pillsbury owns the trademark. I've never done a lot of piping and am sure with practice it would come more naturally. I have some silicone bags but used the heavy plastic from Amazon for these.
DeleteYes, Pillsbury owns the trademark. I've never done a lot of piping and am sure with practice it would come more naturally. I have some silicone bags but used the heavy plastic from Amazon for these.
DeleteWell done! They look good and I know they taste great - we used to have them a lot when I lived at home but not homemade. Now I have to be more careful about my sugar intake I give them a wide berth.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed! I think piping a shortbread batter would be VERY difficult. I wonder if you could somehow make it without piping it? This makes me want to try making homemade Jammy Dodgers again. I wonder if I could add a layer of cream filling...yum? https://tanyastable.blogspot.com/2016/09/jammy-dodgers.html
ReplyDeleteYou have definitely moved on to next week!! Maybe even star baker:) Those biscuits look amazing!:I)
ReplyDeleteThey look nice, I really like the show
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed! You did a great job. I love that you and your daughter are doing this together!!
ReplyDeleteThis was fun to read! The labor intensiveness is all part of the challenge it seems, but I have honestly not watched a full episode of this show before. It seems like y'all are doing great and I'm so curious on the bread since I bake sourdough.
ReplyDeleteOhh! I didn't actually know why it's called the baking show with you and the bake off over here. You learn something new everyday! Ahh! Week 2 was the one that was full of drama with people leaving, fainting and making a right mess of those mint biscuits.
ReplyDeleteI love Viennese Whirl's but I've never made them myself before. Great work, they look so yummy!
Your post had me smiling from beginning to end! I love that you and your daughter are taking on this challenge together! What a lovely and memorable way to connect with each other! Thanks also for solving the mystery for me of why in the US it's called "Baking Show". Makes sense... I guess! The cookies turned out so well and I can imagine how delicious they taste (I, too, would have chosen the jam/butter creme over the mint) and I'm impressed with your piping skills and the way you took on this challenge! I can't wait for future recaps!
ReplyDeleteOh my these look amazing.
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