#raspberryjam Archives

Got Dough? (Tasties)

By threejamigos | March 1, 2017 | Comments 2 comments

In life there are two sides to everything. The yin and yang of the universe. There are those that twist their Oreos apart, lick the frosting off the cookie and then eat each cookie (seems kind of silly to me) versus those that absolutely never take Oreos apart but eat the cookie and frosting together. Or how about vanilla or chocolate? Coke or Pepsi?

Crust or filling? ……….CRUST OF COURSE, DUH.

So, what does one do with the scraps of dough left from the pie that’s baking in the oven? It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Not quite enough for another pie but enough to make you feel guilty if you toss all that buttery, flaky goodness out.

Tasties to the rescue. One of the many delightful recipes from The Art of the Pie by Kate McDermott. This is my new bible on pie. Detailed instructions on everything you ever wanted to know about pie crusts and fillings written in a warm easy style. The majority of recipes are fruit based and pretty classic, apple, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb. A small section on hand pies, mini pies and savory pies. Photos are gorgeous. As a bonus, stories by the author add a very personal feel to the book. Plus…she has a blog The Art of the Pie, definitely worth checking out.

Back to the Tasties. The dough is formed into a rectangle and sprinkled with generous amounts of cinnamon & sugar. It is then rolled into a log and sliced into 1 inch thick segments. Sprinkled with more sugar and baked. So simple, why didn’t I think of that? I’m already dreaming of the next time I have leftover dough, maybe I’ll add nuts or use jam instead.

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar, add nuts if you like.

Parchment underneath pastry makes rolling into a log much easier.

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Tasties from The Art of the Pie

Ingredients

Leftover Pie dough
Cinnamon
Sugar
egg white + 1T water
jam
finely chopped nuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Gather up extra dough trimmings and smoosh together gently
Roll dough on parchment paper into a rectangle approximately 1/8" thick
Generously sprinkle dough with sugar leaving a 1/2 inch border along one long side
Liberally top sugar with cinnamon (see photo) use a lot of cinnamon don't be shy!
Sprinkle finely chopped nuts on this if desired
Brush border without cinnamon sugar with a bit of water.
Using the parchment paper as a support to roll dough into a log starting with edge opposite of the brushed water border. Like a jelly-roll.
Turn log over so that seam side is down to help seal it.
Brush roll with egg wash or milk or cream
If roll seems soft, chill for 15-30 minutes before cutting.
Slice roll into 1 inch pieces and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional granulated sugar.
Options: I would like to try using jam instead. Make sure you use parchment for ease of clean up.

Variations on a Thumbprint Day 2: 12 Days of Cookies

By threejamigos | December 16, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

Who doesn’t like thumbprints? Not me, my kids, my hubby, nor Santa (the thumbprints were always gone from Santa’s cookie plate on Christmas morning). While perusing the internet for holiday cookie recipes I came across the blog, Chew Out Loud. Their most requested cookie recipe (hands down winner) is for Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies. Really, is it so surprising? A buttery meltingly tender cookie filled with a “thumbleful” (get it? thumb + thimble) of sweet jam in the center, finished with a dusting of powder sugar. Heavenly.

So of course I included thumbprints in this year’s 12 Days of Cookies. My favorite recipe comes from an old copy of Ladie’s Home Journal (yes, I am that old). I have made these every year for as long as I have been baking Christmas cookies. The addition of ground walnuts to the dough gives these cookies a nutty edge and a slightly sandier texture. I like filling the centers with raspberry jam, its rich ruby red color playing off the surrounding cookie. The sweet and tart flavor of the jam compliments the cookie perfectly. You can substitute pecans for the walnuts although I prefer walnuts which have a bit of a bite that works really well. Did I mention they are super easy to make? Run, don’t walk to your kitchen and make these cookies now.

Over the years I have found little tricks that help when making cookies. Ice cream scoops are the secret to uniform sized cookies and definitely speed up the process of scooping out the dough. I make the indentation for the jam with my wine opener (nifty huh) and creates the perfect sized circle in the middle of the cookie, much better than my thumb!

You can use any flavor jam you like. Put jam in a squeeze bottle and shoot approximately 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation made. As the cookies are cooling, you can add a spot more jam in the center if you wish. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. I use a wire mesh tea strainer for my powdered sugar, works like a charm.

And for your listening pleasure the King-Blue Christmas

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Variations on a Thumbprint Day 2: 12 Days of Cookies

Ingredients

Ladies' home journal 12/93

Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 10-12 minutes

1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar
Dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop nuts in food processor until very fine. Beat butter, nuts, salt and granulated sugar in mixer bowl until light. Beat in flour into blended.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls.
Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten to 1 1/2 inch circle.
Press into centers with a fingertip.
Fill each indentation with 1/4 teaspoon preserves.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden.
Cool.
Sift confectioner's sugar over cookies.
Makes 6 dozens.

All Things Reconsidered (Raspberry Diamants)

By threejamigos | August 22, 2016 | Comments 2 comments

Not all was amazing during our impromptu trip to New York for my cousin Mike’s surprise party in January (here is the good stuff though, from my The Big Apple post). After visiting Ground Zero, we headed to Payard’s, a well known French bakery with an outpost on Houston Street. All I can say is maybe it was an off day, but the pastries were disappointing at best. We ordered a lemon tart, an oatmeal cookie and a Napoleon. The Napoleon and cookie weren’t memorable at all, which is a good thing because the lemon tart was memorable because it was NOT good. The crust (I love crust) was so tough we had to use our knife and fork to chisel through it.

Ugh, so Disappointing

I went up to the counter (ok, never said I wasn’t obnoxious) and asked “what one item in here would prove to me that Payard is worth his reputation. To her credit she laughed and gave me a complimentary slice of the Payard Tart. It was ok, definitely better than the lemon tart.

Anyway You Slice It

When we first arrived I spied his book Payard Cookies on display and my reaction was oh nooo, not another cookbook and its about cookies! My cookbook addiction was about to rear it’s ugly head since I seldom pass up the opportunity to add to my collection.

After trying the desserts I walked out without a copy.

You might be asking where is this story going? Well, having put Payard Cookies out of my mind I was perusing a favorite blog, Ipso-Fatto recently and to my surprise she had posted glowing reviews of a couple of cookies from Payard. Well, maybe we did catch Payard on a bad day. I tried the Raspberry Diamants and you know, they’re pretty darn good and a breeze to make.

It is a slice and bake cookie which I love, so flippin’ easy. You can make the dough in advance and leave it in the fridge. You can bake as many or as few as you want and freeze the remaining dough for a rainy day. These cookies are a riff on sables’, the French version of shortbread cookies. Diamont, French for diamonds, refers to the sparkly edge on the cookies created by rolling the dough in coarse sugar before baking. Description done, let’s go make some delicious cookies!

It’s Berry Good

Adding raspberry jam makes this cookie a little softer than a classic sable’. Which gives the cookies a sweet tart flavor and flecks of red color. Payard adds red food coloring to the dough to make the cookies pink but I didn’t. Use jam with seeds, it adds a bit of crunch. You can kick these cookies up a notch by making a sandwich cookie using raspberry jam for the filling or a raspberry buttercream. Oh snap.

Uh-oh looks like I may be adding yet another cookbook to my collection.

All Things Reconsidered (Raspberry Diamants from Payard)

Prep Time 20

Total Time 45

Ingredients

Adapted from Payard Cookies

14 tablespoons 200gms unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup 80 gms powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk reserve egg white
1/4 cup 60gms raspberry jam with seeds (I used TJ's)
1-3 drops of liquid red food coloring optional
1 3/4 cups 225gms all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 cup 200gms granulated sugar or sanding sugar

Instructions

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter with powdered sugar until fully combined. Add egg yolk, raspberry jam, and food coloring. Mix until well combined.
Add flour and salt and mix only until dough comes together. Careful to not overmix.
Place dough on piece of parchment paper and roll into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Freeze dough for approximately 2 hours, or until log is chilled all the way through. You can freeze dough for up until one month.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Remove dough from fridge. Put granulated sugar in a large rimmed baking sheet.
Brush the reserved egg white on the outside of the cookie dough.
Roll in granulated sugar until completely coated. Return to fridge for 5 minutes to chill.
Remove from fridge and slice roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place on parchment lined sheet approximately 1 inch apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies just begin to turn color and the edges are golden brown.
Remove cookies from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one week.