Martha Stewart makes Cookies App Review

              variations of Martha Stewart's chocolate crackle cookies

UPDATE: February 9th.... please note the glitch in the text display with the Martha Stewart make Cookies App has been fixed. Plus more cookie recipes were added with the last update. We can presume at this stage cookies will be added to the app at regular/holiday intervals :) Don't forget to sync your ipad! 

As a self declared Martha Stewart fan (or insert "fanatic" perhaps?), I just had to get the 'Martha Stewart Makes Cookies' app for ipad! 

welcome screen "Martha Stewart Makes Cookies" ipad app

Pros; well it's "'fun and gorgeous", but I guess you want to hear about the features... 

It's easy to choose any of the cookies with the apps intuitive navigation methods; either scroll sideways through the images and "touch" to make your selection, or use the selection wheel to dial a flavour/type of cookie and of course you can always go old school and type the cookies name or ingredient into the search box.

scroll sideways then touch to select 

dial a choice with the selection wheel

Helpful pre-set timers are built into the recipes to aid with preparation and baking times.

setting the timer for 11 minutes for beating meringue

Ready to share; Loved the recipe you just baked? You can share any recipe through email, Twitter and on Facebook with a touch of a button.

share a recipe

emailing a recipe, the full recipe arrives in your inbox complete with small colour image of the cookie.

Other main features include a dozen short videos showing a cookie being made or technique, shopping list and the ability to bookmark favourites. The new recipes featured and twists on classic recipes are delightful.

Cons; first up the price at $7.49 (US) or $9.99 (AU) is high for an app. I'd definitely like more packaging ideas (the same two come up over and over again) and more recipes!! If you already own Martha Stewart's Cookies book or are a Martha fan you will find a lot of familiar territory covered; traditional shortbread, sugar cookies, mexican wedding cookies, and yes... biscotti. No metric!!

There is a small programming glitch (that I'm sure that will fixed in an update) that blurs the third line of each cookies intro page. 

double blur on third line of all the cookie intro pages

Personally, I'm loving this app for the share and timer abilities, ease of use, the twists on Martha's classic cookies plus the gorgeous photography. This app would suit Martha fans and those ipad carrying people that are new to cookie baking. Whilst there is room for improvement, for a first app it's fantastic and I'm looking forward to future Martha Stewart apps. 

'Martha Stewart Makes Cookies' app from the iTunes store

In the 'Martha Stewart Makes Cookies' app you will find a variation of the classic Martha Stewart 'Chocolate Crackle' cookies, this one containing ground almonds... with only a half cup of wheat flour this recipe would be ideal to convert to gluten free.

Chocolate-Almond Crackles using Martha Stewart Makes Cookies for iPad

8 ounces (225 grams) bittersweet (dark eating chocolate), finely chopped

1 cup blanched almonds, toasted

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 

1 Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool slightly.

2 Pulse almonds in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.

3 In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in chocolate. Reduce speed to low, and add almond-flour mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour.

4 Preheat oven to 175 celsius (350°). Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners’ sugar. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until surfaces crack, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Coloured Sugar: I made coloured batches of icing sugar by whirling icing sugar and either powdered food colour or gel paste colour in the food processor. You do get tiny dots of intense colour with both powder or gel. I wanted them to match the flavour variations I had planned....

I made one batch of these Chocolate-almond Crackle cookies and rolled them in white icing sugar.
Then I made a batch of the traditional Chocolate Crackle cookies from Martha Stewart's website. I divided that dough in half adding a 1/2 cup of chopped dried blueberries to one half (rolled in blue) and 2 teaspoons of raspberry liqueur to the other half to be rolled in the pink.

*note if you are using the recipe for Chocolate Crackle cookies from Martha's website there is one step missing that is included in the cookie book. Roll your cookie dough balls in granulated/white sugar before rolling in icing sugar... this step ensures a pristine finish for when you need to package your cookies as gifts.

Happy Baking :)

you might also like Martha's Baking Handbook review

today's main photo Daniel Paxton-Zahra

Cupcake Cases, Liners, Papers & Wrappers

bright solid colour cupcake cases

Cupcake liners can just be pretty, act as an inspiration or match your theme like these versatile solid colour cupcake cases.

I'm impressed with how these solid colour cupcake cases are true to colour after baking... even with chocolate batter. They keep their shape well & I haven't experienced "case fall" with them. 

red and aqua blue used that I used for coca-cola and bounty bar cupcakes

 One problem, about 5% arrived with wrinkles still usable but not terrific for presentation

wrinkle mid way up the case on a small percentage of those that were delivered

Other than that I love these 100% Nordic greaseproof cases, with over 10 colours to choose from they are sold in packs of 40 from Fancy Flours (US)

*Fancy Flours; you will need to search for each colour separately 

Continue the pattern

blue modelling paste swirls top a chocolate frosted mud-cake in blue swirl liner

Quick Tip~ Continuing the pattern

Adore a pattern on a cupcake liner? Why not continue the pattern to the cake itself; use fondant, modelling paste, buttercream piping, food paint, royal icing or chocolate. It can be as delicate as a soft toned floral peeping over the edge or perhaps polka dot royal icing love heart cookies topping cupcakes in polka dot liners. 

Do it yourself at home by scanning in your cupcake liner and either copying the pattern by eye or tracing it & transferring to card-stock so you can cut a stencil.

hmmm, would have been better if I had ironed this cupcake liner between baking paper ;)

Don't stop there, bring the pattern into gift tags for boxed cupcakes and favour bags too.

Happy Baking :)

*I used the foil liners I was having trouble with other day... even with the heavier mud-cake batter they still separated from the sides. I did ganache the cakes at first and it leaked down the sides so I had to spread frosting over the top to cover.

Octopus's Garden Cupcake

                                  I'd ask my friends to come and see 
                                    In an octopus's garden with me 

"I wrote Octopus's Garden in Sardinia. Peter Sellers had lent us his yacht and we went out for the day... I stayed out on deck with [the captain] and we talked about octopuses. He told me that they hang out in their caves and they go around the seabed finding shiny stones and tin cans and bottles to put in front of their cave like a garden. I thought this was fabulous, because at the time I just wanted to be under the sea too. A couple of tokes later with the guitar - and we had Octopus's Garden!"

Ringo Starr

Packing Easter Egg gifts on the weekend with the mini eggs glistening in the light I was thinking how everyone is attracted to glistening sparkly things; for a woman it might be that 5.00 carat diamond ring, men of a certain age the shiny red sports car, the whole family loves Christmas lights, the kids love glistening easter eggs, and even an octopus building his garden.

The cake; fondant topped chocolate mud cupcake with fondant/CMC octopus. Eggs; Lindt Lindor mini egg & Cadbury Dream mini egg

Octopus's Garden available on;

 also on 'Anthology 3', and 'Love'

P.S. my shiny glistening thing... my KitchenAid mixer of course!! HAPPY EASTER!!

You might also be interested in... ummm CHOCOLATE!!

Update on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 2:55AM by The Lone Baker

Woke with a fright, well not really a "fright" but with a "Oh, No!" I forgot to say I'm taking Easter off to spend time with my husband :) Back after Easter... with more baking of course!!

Tool Time & Chocolate Curls

Tool Time the kitchen tools and gadgets I love

Yes, it's a veggie peeler! A sharp vegetable peeler is used in chocolate work to trim up those rough edges & ties in with a couple of email enquires I had this week asking how to make the small chocolate curls I used in the Colouring Chocolate entry earlier this month.

Curls are made straight from a block, bar or in the case of my coloured chocolate "a blob". Hold the chocolate in one hand and firmly and evenly run the peeler down the narrow side. Pressing firmly gives you a tight curl, not as firmly gives a softer curl. The curls have a slightly wood-grain appearance.

tight curl & two partial curls

blobs of chocolate for the small amount of coloured curls I needed

finished chocolate curls

My peeler of choice to do this? An Oxo Good Grips swivel peeler, it's sharp and the rubber non-stick grip makes it so much easier to hold. I have two, one for chocolate work and one for the veggies! 

After different curls? Try combed chocolate curls.

You might also be interested in:

                     Musk

Cupcake Cases, Liners, Papers & Wrappers

Cupcake liners can just be pretty, act as an inspiration or match your theme.

I do like a design to carry through to the base of a liner like this fabulous swirl pattern does on these bold solid colour liners. Imagine a spring time yellow theme, blue cries out for piles of white frosting and green is just so minty!

These cases have straight sides, are of medium size and are made from quality greaseproof Swedish paper. 

Available in six different colours: Yellow, Blue, Green, Red, Purple & Gold

The cases cup in packs of 40 from Fancy Flours

Cupcakes Cases, Liners, Papers & Wrappers

December's Pick

Cupcake liners can act as an inspiration, just be "pretty" or match your theme.

These paper liners from Fancy Flours fill all the above criteria. Imagine your blue, white & sliver Christmas theme with cupcakes baked in the blue liners, add billowing white frosting, a little sparkle... gorgeous! 

Pack size: 45

Colours: blue, red, pink, yellow, brown, white, green & light blue. 

The liners are from Fancy Flours one of the best sources for cupcake cases/liner on the net.